October 11, 2018
By BRIAN CLITES, OCTOBER 11, 2018, Salon
Widespread public shock followed the recent release of the Pennsylvania grand jury report that identified more than 1,000 child victims of clergy sexual abuse. In fact, as I know through my research, the Vatican and its American bishops have known about the problem of priestly pedophilia since at least the 1950s. And the Church has consistently silenced would-be whistleblowers from within its own ranks.
In the memory of many Americans, the only comparable scandal was in Massachusetts, where, in 2002, the Boston Globe published more than 600 articles about abuses under the administration of Cardinal Bernard Law. That investigation was immortalized in the 2015 award-winning film, “Spotlight.”
What many Americans don’t remember, however, are other similar scandals, some even more dramatic and national in scope.
October 11, 2018
On October 10, bishops from dioceses throughout Texas announced that they would be releasing lists of names of priests credibly accused of sexual abuse. Houston SNAP leader and SNAP board member Michael Norris went on The Isiah Factor to discuss this news with FOX 26 Houston's Isiah Carey.
October 10, 2018
By By JUSTIN DENNIS, October 9, 2018, The Vindicator
YOUNGSTOWN -- A group representing Catholic Church sex-abuse victims is urging state and county prosecutors to launch a grand-jury-style investigation into dioceses in Youngstown as well as the rest of Ohio – similar to Pennsylvania’s recent report that exposed hundreds of priests.
But prosecutors said it’s not that easy – without criminal allegations from abuse victims at the county level, there are no grounds for an inquiry.
October 08, 2018
By Sheila Vilvens and Jessie Balmert, October 8, 2018, Cincinnati Enquirer
It's time for Ohio to investigate sex crimes by Catholic Church clergy. That was the message from advocates holding protests and press conferences around Ohio.
A group called SNAP, short for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, held a news conference at 1 p.m. Monday in front of Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine's Cincinnati office. Three SNAP protestors showed up holding pictures of children from around the country who say they were abused.
October 06, 2018
By Jake Stofan, Oct 05, 2018, WJHG.com 7
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (CAPITOL NEWS SERVICE) - Victims are already coming forward just 24 hours after Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the state's investigation into sexual abuse of children by the Catholic church.
A Pennsylvania grand jury report released in August identified 301 Catholic priests, including at least 14 with ties to Florida, who sexually abused what is believed to be more than 1,000 children spanning decades.
“I couldn't sleep that night,” said Bondi in a press conference Thursday.
October 04, 2018
October 4, 2018, Associated Press, WFTV
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Florida has launched a statewide criminal investigation into sexual abuse by Catholic priests and is asking past victims to share information with legal authorities. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Thursday her office has set up a website that will allow people to report incidents of past sexual abuse.
October 03, 2018
By Beth LeBlanc, The Detroit News, October 3, 2018
Police seized clergy misconduct records from all of Michigan's Catholic dioceses after serving several search warrants across the state within an hour of each other Wednesday morning.
Diocesan officials in Lansing, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Saginaw, Marquette, Kalamazoo and Gaylord confirmed the searches took place Wednesday as part of the Attorney General's Office investigation into the dioceses' handling of clergy sexual abuse of minors. The dioceses said they cooperated fully with authorities.
October 03, 2018
By Christopher Weber, Oct 3, 2018, ASSOCIATED PRESS
LOS ANGELES - A man who says he was sexually abused decades ago by his parish priest said Tuesday he is suing all Catholic bishops in California and the Archdiocese of Chicago, seeking to compel Church officials to release records on clergy abuse.
The filing Tuesday in Los Angeles by Thomas Emens claims a civil conspiracy among Church officials to cover up clergy sexual assault and move offending priests to other parishes.
October 02, 2018
By Dan Horn, Cincinnati Enquirer, Oct. 1, 2018
Two Catholic bishops accused of failing to protect children from abusive priests are being edited out of church training videos about preventing child abuse.
The videos, titled “A Time to Protect God’s Children” and “A Plan to Protect God’s Children,” are widely used by Catholic dioceses across the country in mandatory training programs for volunteers, coaches, teachers and others who work for the church.