ABUSE TRACKER
A digest of links to media coverage of clergy abuse.
Click on the headline to read the full story.
February 25, 2014
Más casos de supuesto abuso sexual en la Diócesis de San Juan
PUERTO RICO
El Nuevo Dia
[Summary: Archbishop Roberto Gonzalez Nieves of San Juan agreed today that he has information on five more priests accused of sexual abuse and he said he would give the details to the justice department. In a press conference, the archbishop said he will cooperate fully with civil authorities who are investigating sexual abuse by clergy.]
El arzobispo de San Juan, Roberto González Nieves, aceptó hoy que tiene información sobre cinco sacerdotes adicionales imputados por abuso sexual de menores y sostuvo que le entregará a Justicia todos los detalles.
En una conferencia de prensa sobre los Servicios Funerarios Católicos, en donde se puntualizó que operan bajo la ley y con todos los permisos del gobierno, González Nieves indicó que tendrá plena cooperación con las autoridades civiles para la pesquisa que realizan sobre los casos de abuso sexual dentro del clero.
Usted indicó a El Nuevo Día que iba a cooperar con las autoridades, ¿le entregó ya a la Fiscalía de San Juan todos los documentos de las pesquisas eclesiásticas sobre abuso sexual dentro de su clero?
El Nuevo Dia
[Summary: Archbishop Roberto Gonzalez Nieves of San Juan agreed today that he has information on five more priests accused of sexual abuse and he said he would give the details to the justice department. In a press conference, the archbishop said he will cooperate fully with civil authorities who are investigating sexual abuse by clergy.]
El arzobispo de San Juan, Roberto González Nieves, aceptó hoy que tiene información sobre cinco sacerdotes adicionales imputados por abuso sexual de menores y sostuvo que le entregará a Justicia todos los detalles.
En una conferencia de prensa sobre los Servicios Funerarios Católicos, en donde se puntualizó que operan bajo la ley y con todos los permisos del gobierno, González Nieves indicó que tendrá plena cooperación con las autoridades civiles para la pesquisa que realizan sobre los casos de abuso sexual dentro del clero.
Usted indicó a El Nuevo Día que iba a cooperar con las autoridades, ¿le entregó ya a la Fiscalía de San Juan todos los documentos de las pesquisas eclesiásticas sobre abuso sexual dentro de su clero?
"Secrets of the Vatican” Brought Down Benedict
UNITED STATES
Religion Dispatches
Post by PATRICIA MILLER
One of the more striking accomplishments of tonight’s Frontline documentary "Secrets of the Vatican" (Tuesday, 10 p.m., PBS) is that it almost makes you feel sorry for Pope Benedict, which is no small feat. The man known as “God’s Rottweiler” was a heavy-handed enforcer of doctrinal discipline as the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, where numerous nuns, priests and theologians saw their careers crippled or destroyed for daring to question supposedly immutable Catholic teaching.
He was also one of many in the curia who turned a blind eye to increasing urgent reports of widespread sexual abuse on the part of priests and influential Vatican allies like Marcial Maciel of the Legionnaires of Christ, and “Inside the Vatican” effectively portrays the devastation that this abuse and subsequent cover-ups wrought on the lives of young Catholics.
It documents how a cascading series of scandals involving clerical sex abuse and Vatican corruption eventually overwhelmed the aging pope and resulted in his resignation one year ago. Confirmed are reports that the infamous “red dossier” presented to the pope—the results of an investigation into the curia that he ordered—contained accounts not only of rampant careerism and outright corruption but of the existence of a clique of gay senior clerics.
Religion Dispatches
Post by PATRICIA MILLER
One of the more striking accomplishments of tonight’s Frontline documentary "Secrets of the Vatican" (Tuesday, 10 p.m., PBS) is that it almost makes you feel sorry for Pope Benedict, which is no small feat. The man known as “God’s Rottweiler” was a heavy-handed enforcer of doctrinal discipline as the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, where numerous nuns, priests and theologians saw their careers crippled or destroyed for daring to question supposedly immutable Catholic teaching.
He was also one of many in the curia who turned a blind eye to increasing urgent reports of widespread sexual abuse on the part of priests and influential Vatican allies like Marcial Maciel of the Legionnaires of Christ, and “Inside the Vatican” effectively portrays the devastation that this abuse and subsequent cover-ups wrought on the lives of young Catholics.
It documents how a cascading series of scandals involving clerical sex abuse and Vatican corruption eventually overwhelmed the aging pope and resulted in his resignation one year ago. Confirmed are reports that the infamous “red dossier” presented to the pope—the results of an investigation into the curia that he ordered—contained accounts not only of rampant careerism and outright corruption but of the existence of a clique of gay senior clerics.
Aussie Pressures Lead Pope to Pull Pell; Who’s Next?
UNITED STATES
Christian Catholicism
Jerry Slevin
The clergy abuse survivors of Australia and the rule of law have scored a major victory. Cardinal Pell has been induced to take a Vatican desk job
apparently to avoid the unrelenting and escalating pressure from the Australian Royal Commission’s investigation into institutional child sexual abuse. The pressure was increased by the testimony of a sacked Aussie bishop who described the Vatican’s interference in local abuse scandals as reported here
[My Daily News]
The Royal Commission can likely still reach Pell in due course, if and when it wants to.
The Vatican’s apologists, of course, have tried to spin this as a “promotion”, but this fantasy fools few. Australia’s top Catholic leader has reluctantly had to flee his beloved homeland to seek Vatican protection, as the USA’s Cardinal Law did a decade before.
Meanwhile, a Polish Archbishop, a protege of Pope John Paul II and former Nuncio to the Dominican Republic, is already crowding the Vatican’s refuge for hierarchs seeking to avoid the child abuse scandal fallout.
Who will be next as the Vatican circles its wagons to protect cardinals and bishops ? What ever happened to the Pope’s abuse commission? Can the Pope continue avoiding the abuse scandal as discussed here
[Christian Catholicism]
Pell has been made head of Vatican finances, which led a knowledgeable Jesuit insider, Thomas Reese, to ask ” … why did this job not go to a layperson? Do we really need cardinals to handle finances in the Vatican? The answer is that Rome is still a papal court where princes of the church still matter, despite all Francis’ protestations.” A fuller answer is that it gave Francis a face-saving way to yank Pell from Down Under as the heat from the Royal Commission intensifies.
Christian Catholicism
Jerry Slevin
The clergy abuse survivors of Australia and the rule of law have scored a major victory. Cardinal Pell has been induced to take a Vatican desk job
apparently to avoid the unrelenting and escalating pressure from the Australian Royal Commission’s investigation into institutional child sexual abuse. The pressure was increased by the testimony of a sacked Aussie bishop who described the Vatican’s interference in local abuse scandals as reported here[My Daily News]
The Royal Commission can likely still reach Pell in due course, if and when it wants to.
The Vatican’s apologists, of course, have tried to spin this as a “promotion”, but this fantasy fools few. Australia’s top Catholic leader has reluctantly had to flee his beloved homeland to seek Vatican protection, as the USA’s Cardinal Law did a decade before.
Meanwhile, a Polish Archbishop, a protege of Pope John Paul II and former Nuncio to the Dominican Republic, is already crowding the Vatican’s refuge for hierarchs seeking to avoid the child abuse scandal fallout
.Who will be next as the Vatican circles its wagons to protect cardinals and bishops ? What ever happened to the Pope’s abuse commission? Can the Pope continue avoiding the abuse scandal as discussed here
[Christian Catholicism]
Pell has been made head of Vatican finances, which led a knowledgeable Jesuit insider, Thomas Reese, to ask ” … why did this job
not go to a layperson? Do we really need cardinals to handle finances in the Vatican? The answer is that Rome is still a papal court where princes of the church still matter, despite all Francis’ protestations.” A fuller answer is that it gave Francis a face-saving way to yank Pell from Down Under as the heat from the Royal Commission intensifies.Catholic Boy Blues: A Poet’s Journal of Healing
UNITED STATES
Krapt Poetry
In his twenty-sixth book, Catholic Boy Blues: A Poet's Journal of Healing, to appear April 1, 2014 from Greystone Publishing of Nashville, TN, Norbert Krapf, at the age of seventy, speaks about his abuse as a child at the hands of a priest and the lifelong effects it has had on him, his family, and his loved ones. He speaks in four voices, the boy, the man, the priest, and Mr. Blues.
Indiana Poet Laureate 2008-10, Norbert has for almost fifty years had an ongoing love of the blues. In his last several collections, completed or published while he held a Creative Renewal Fellowship from the Arts Council of Indianapolis to combine poetry and music, with an emphasis on the blues, he often pays tribute to blues artists. In Catholic Boy Blues, “Mr. Blues” plays an important role in several ways, not the least of which is as an agent of healing. He speaks in the blues idiom, in dramatic lyrics delivered in the voice of a friend, advisor, counselor, and mentor.
Catholic Boy Blues is a brutally honest narrative filled with words of biting truth, painting explicit images of the effects of abuse. These words detail Norbert’s lifelong journey and show how abuse affected the various stages of his growth. This verse journal is both timely and newsworthy. It is a compassionate anthem directed to those struggling with their own abuse. It provides clarity to those who have never had to experience the indignity of abuse and affirms that healing and success can be achieved despite adversity. The book will appeal to survivors of abuse and their families and friends; the church and its members, clergy, and hierarchy who have an ongoing interest in the emotional, spiritual, and religious effects of child abuse and its prevention; and caregivers and others interested in knowing how to detect early signs of abuse.
Krapt Poetry
In his twenty-sixth book, Catholic Boy Blues: A Poet's Journal of Healing, to appear April 1, 2014 from Greystone Publishing of Nashville, TN, Norbert Krapf, at the age of seventy, speaks about his abuse as a child at the hands of a priest and the lifelong effects it has had on him, his family, and his loved ones. He speaks in four voices, the boy, the man, the priest, and Mr. Blues.
Indiana Poet Laureate 2008-10, Norbert has for almost fifty years had an ongoing love of the blues. In his last several collections, completed or published while he held a Creative Renewal Fellowship from the Arts Council of Indianapolis to combine poetry and music, with an emphasis on the blues, he often pays tribute to blues artists. In Catholic Boy Blues, “Mr. Blues” plays an important role in several ways, not the least of which is as an agent of healing. He speaks in the blues idiom, in dramatic lyrics delivered in the voice of a friend, advisor, counselor, and mentor.
Catholic Boy Blues is a brutally honest narrative filled with words of biting truth, painting
explicit images of the effects of abuse. These words detail Norbert’s lifelong journey and show how abuse affected the various stages of his growth. This verse journal is both timely and newsworthy. It is a compassionate anthem directed to those struggling with their own abuse. It provides clarity to those who have never had to experience the indignity of abuse and affirms that healing and success can be achieved despite adversity. The book will appeal to survivors of abuse and their families and friends; the church and its members, clergy, and hierarchy who have an ongoing interest in the emotional, spiritual, and religious effects of child abuse and its prevention; and caregivers and others interested in knowing how to detect early signs of abuse.TN- Abuse victims blast Baptist official for "abuse" remarks
UNITED STATES
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release: Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014
Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 314 862 7688 home, 314 503 0003 cell, SNAPdorris@gmail.com )
A top Southern Baptist official, Richard Land, says that gay couples who use surrogates to have children are essentially committing child abuse.
That's horribly wrong and dreadfully insensitive to hundreds of thousands of people who have, in fact, suffered from devastating child abuse (and, of course, to gay people as well).
[Huffington Post]
People upset with Obama shouldn't call him “subhuman.” People who are discriminated against shouldn't call their opponents “Nazis.” And people who oppose gay couples shouldn't compare them to child abusers.
Adults who were kicked and raped and tortured and sodomized as kids don't deserve to have their pain trivialized. Land should apologize and other Baptist officials should denounce him for his hurtful remarks.
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release: Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014
Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 314 862 7688 home, 314 503 0003 cell, SNAPdorris@gmail.com )
A top Southern Baptist official, Richard Land, says that gay couples who use surrogates to have children are essentially committing child abuse.
That's horribly wrong and dreadfully insensitive to hundreds of thousands of people who have, in fact, suffered from devastating child abuse (and, of course, to gay people as well).
[Huffington Post]
People upset with Obama shouldn't call him “subhuman.” People who are discriminated against shouldn't call their opponents “Nazis.” And people who oppose gay couples shouldn't compare them to child abusers.
Adults who were kicked and raped and tortured and sodomized as kids don't deserve to have their pain trivialized. Land should apologize and other Baptist officials should denounce him for his hurtful remarks.
IA- Victims glad for extension to SOL, but more action is needed
IOWA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release: Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014
Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 314 8627688, SNAPdorris@gmail.com )
Yesterday the Iowa senate unanimously approved an extension to the statute of limitations. We applaud this action.
[Quad-City Times]
The Iowa Senate bill will extend the statue of limitations to 25 years past the age of 18, giving deeply wounded victims a longer window to come forward. Now it needs to pass the house, and be signed into law as quickly as possible, to encourage those victims that have remained silent to come forward and receive some justice under the law that they have always deserved.
However, we disagree with the term used by one legislator that this bill now “cures” the injustice that has existed for so many years. This bill would address the need for a larger window for action by victims, except for those that may be now over the age of 43. We strongly believe that many victims are in their 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and beyond, and although they may have wanted, or presently want, to come forward, this has always been denied them, and this bill continues to perpetuate this wrong by still denying them due process. Having a longer window is key to prevention. If predators know they can be prosecuted they may not attack children.
We call on the legislature to pass a bill offering perhaps a onetime window of opportunity for these victims, so that they may truly have an opportunity to seek justice under the law and to prevent future abuse. We of SNAP know of many, many victims that have been abused as young people, and this bill will offer them no relief. We continue to call out on behalf of all victims, that this is one crime where a statue of limitations does not enhance the law, but provides a hiding place for those that prey on others.
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release: Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014
Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 314 8627688, SNAPdorris@gmail.com )
Yesterday the Iowa senate unanimously approved an extension to the statute of limitations. We applaud this action.
[Quad-City Times]
The Iowa Senate bill will extend the statue of limitations to 25 years past the age of 18, giving deeply wounded victims a longer window to come forward. Now it needs to pass the house, and be signed into law as quickly as possible, to encourage those victims that have remained silent to come forward and receive some justice under the law that they have always deserved.
However, we disagree with the term used by one legislator that this bill now “cures” the injustice that has existed for so many years. This bill would address the need for a larger window for action by victims, except for those that may be now over the age of 43. We strongly believe that many victims are in their 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and beyond, and although they may have wanted, or presently want, to come forward, this has always been denied them, and this bill continues to perpetuate this wrong by still denying them due process. Having a longer window is key to prevention. If predators know they can be prosecuted they may not attack children.
We call on the legislature to pass a bill offering perhaps a onetime window of opportunity for these victims, so that they may truly have an opportunity to seek justice under the law and to prevent future abuse. We of SNAP know of many, many victims that have been abused as young people, and this bill will offer them no relief. We continue to call out on behalf of all victims, that this is one crime where a statue of limitations does not enhance the law, but provides a hiding place for those that prey on others.
And the Oscar Goes To…
PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Catholics4Change
FEBRUARY 25, 2014 BY SUSAN MATTHEWS
Words are not enough. This fact is highlighted by the following excerpt from an article in The Philadelphia Inquirer on September 25, 2005. It relays Father John P. Paul’s words to his congregation after the release of the 2005 Grand Jury Report. The archdiocese removed Paul from ministry this past weekend.
Excerpt:
Just before Mass, the current Calvary pastor, the Rev. John P. Paul, addressed the packed church and struck a conciliatory tone. “I would ask you to pray – especially for those who have suffered the hurt and the pain, those who are the victims,” Paul said. Highlighting a part of the report that mentioned the victims’ souls had been murdered by the abuse, Paul said the description was apt. “It does destroy the soul many times,” he said in an apparent reference to the abuse. He asked the congregation to “pray for those who need forgiveness,” and then adding: “Pray for us. We are the church. But we do not lose our faith in Jesus, and we do not lose our faith in the Catholic Church.”
Catholics4Change
FEBRUARY 25, 2014 BY SUSAN MATTHEWS
Words are not enough. This fact is highlighted by the following excerpt from an article in The Philadelphia Inquirer on September 25, 2005. It relays Father John P. Paul’s words to his congregation after the release of the 2005 Grand Jury Report. The archdiocese removed Paul from ministry this past weekend.
Excerpt:
Just before Mass, the current Calvary pastor, the Rev. John P. Paul, addressed the packed church and struck a conciliatory tone. “I would ask you to pray – especially for those who have suffered the hurt and the pain, those who are the victims,” Paul said. Highlighting a part of the report that mentioned the victims’ souls had been murdered by the abuse, Paul said the description was apt. “It does destroy the soul many times,” he said in an apparent reference to the abuse. He asked the congregation to “pray for those who need forgiveness,” and then adding: “Pray for us. We are the church. But we do not lose our faith in Jesus, and we do not lose our faith in the Catholic Church.”
Amid Vatican Disarray, Pope Francis Set A New Tone
UNITED STATES
Frontline
by Jason M. Breslow
One year ago this week, Pope Benedict XVI did something that no other pope had done in nearly 600 years — he resigned the papacy.
It was a decision that sent shockwaves through the Vatican. Just eight years earlier, Benedict had promised a new beginning for the church at a time when it was reeling from the clergy sexual abuse crisis. But rather than stem the scandal, the crisis only grew.
Troubles spread to a second front in 2010 with allegations of money laundering at the Vatican bank. Then came VatiLeaks, a scandal that exposed a Vatican hierarchy plagued by cronyism, power struggles and bureaucratic corruption. For Benedict, it was a crippling blow to his authority.
Five weeks after Benedict’s resignation, white smoke from the Sistine Chapel signaled that the College of Cardinals had chosen his successor: Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, known today as Pope Francis.
Frontline
by Jason M. Breslow
One year ago this week, Pope Benedict XVI did something that no other pope had done in nearly 600 years — he resigned the papacy.
It was a decision that sent shockwaves through the Vatican. Just eight years earlier, Benedict had promised a new beginning for the church at a time when it was reeling from the clergy sexual abuse crisis. But rather than stem the scandal, the crisis only grew.
Troubles spread to a second front in 2010 with allegations of money laundering at the Vatican bank. Then came VatiLeaks, a scandal that exposed a Vatican hierarchy plagued by cronyism, power struggles and bureaucratic corruption. For Benedict, it was a crippling blow to his authority.
Five weeks after Benedict’s resignation, white smoke from the Sistine Chapel signaled that the College of Cardinals had chosen his successor: Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, known today as Pope Francis.
PBS’ 48th HIT ON CATHOLIC CHURCH
UNITED STATES
Catholic League
Bill Donohue comments on tonight’s PBS “Frontline” 90 minute presentation, “Secrets of the Vatican”:
“Secrets of the Vatican” marks the 48th time PBS has addressed sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. Though this problem is practically non-existent in the Catholic community these days, and is rampant in the public schools, as well as in the Orthodox Jewish community, PBS has devoted a combined total of ZERO episodes on both.
All the contrived melodrama is there: ominous dark images; dramatic music; a deep voice-over; bleak hallways; shadowy figures locking doors as a boy enters the room; the words “Power,” “Money,” and “Sex” flashing about, etc. The predictable villain: Pope Benedict XVI. Ironically, he did more than anyone to check this problem, but facts don’t matter when Jason Berry is involved.
A dissident Catholic, Berry is a co-producer of this show; he was also featured in Alex Gibney’s film, “Mea Maxima Culpa.” Indeed, tonight’s hit job is nothing more than a retread of Gibney’s propaganda: a New Orleans reporter who previewed it says, “this film reminded me of ‘Mea Maxima Culpa.’” These guys can’t go to the sewer too often.
Catholic League
Bill Donohue comments on tonight’s PBS “Frontline” 90 minute presentation, “Secrets of the Vatican”:
“Secrets of the Vatican” marks the 48th time PBS has addressed sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. Though this problem is practically non-existent in the Catholic community these days, and is rampant in the public schools, as well as in the Orthodox Jewish community, PBS has devoted a combined total of ZERO episodes on both.
All the contrived melodrama is there: ominous dark images; dramatic music; a deep voice-over; bleak hallways; shadowy figures locking doors as a boy enters the room; the words “Power,” “Money,” and “Sex” flashing about, etc. The predictable villain: Pope Benedict XVI. Ironically, he did more than anyone to check this problem, but facts don’t matter when Jason Berry is involved.
A dissident Catholic, Berry is a co-producer of this show; he was also featured in Alex Gibney’s film, “Mea Maxima Culpa.” Indeed
, tonight’s hit job is nothing more than a retread of Gibney’s propaganda: a New Orleans reporter who previewed it says, “this film reminded me of ‘Mea Maxima Culpa.’” These guys can’t go to the sewer too often.Church officials blame Minnesota mom for not protecting sons from priest who abused them
MINNESOTA
The Raw Story
By Travis Gettys
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
A Minnesota mother says Catholic Church officials are blaming her for not protecting her two sons from the priest who abused them.
The Rev. Curtis Wehmeyer, the former pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish in St. Paul, pleaded guilty in 2012 to abusing the boys, ages 12 and 14, and possessing child pornography.
Wehmeyer is currently serving a five-year prison sentence.
The family has sued the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, which claimed in a Feb. 7 court filing that the mother – who worked at the church — knew that one of her sons was spending time with the priest.
“She was aware of the time [he] spent with Mr. Wehmeyer, and she knew that such interaction was contrary to established Archdiocese policy,” the filing said.
The Raw Story
By Travis Gettys
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
A Minnesota mother says Catholic Church officials are blaming her for not protecting her two sons from the priest who abused them.
The Rev. Curtis Wehmeyer, the former pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish in St. Paul, pleaded guilty in 2012 to abusing the boys, ages 12 and 14, and possessing child pornography.
Wehmeyer is currently serving a five-year prison sentence.
The family has sued the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, which claimed in a Feb. 7 court filing that the mother – who worked at the church — knew that one of her sons was spending time with the priest.
“She was aware of the time [he] spent with Mr. Wehmeyer, and she knew that such interaction was contrary to established Archdiocese policy,” the filing said.
Pope's envoy for troubled Legion ends mandate saying order is clean but bears guilt of founder
ROME
Reporter
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
First Posted: February 25, 2014
ROME — The pope's envoy running the troubled Legion of Christ has ended his three-year reform effort, declaring the order "cured and cleaned" but acknowledging it bears the guilt of its pedophile founder and those who delayed admitting his crimes.
Cardinal Velasio De Paolis celebrated his final Mass as papal delegate on Tuesday and was sent off with a round of applause from a congregation eager to take back the autonomy that was wrested away from it by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010.
Reporter
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
First Posted: February 25, 2014
ROME — The pope's envoy running the troubled Legion of Christ has ended his three-year reform effort, declaring the order "cured and cleaned" but acknowledging it bears the guilt of its pedophile founder and those who delayed admitting his crimes.
Cardinal Velasio De Paolis celebrated his final Mass as papal delegate on Tuesday and was sent off with a round of applause from a congregation eager to take back the autonomy that was wrested away from it by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010.
Kardinal Müller feiert Dankesmesse in Rom
VATIKANSTADT
Mittelbayerische
[Summary: Gerhard Ludwig Mueller, the new Cardinal, celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving with his family and several hundred guests Monday at the Vatican basilica. In his sermon he emphasized the importances of cardinals in the church.]
VATIKANSTADT. Der neue Kardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller hat am Montagvormittag im Petersdom eine Dankmesse mit seinen Angehörigen und mehreren hundert Gästen gefeiert. Mit ihm am Kathedra-Altar der Vatikan-Basilika zelebrierten unter anderen der Limburger Bischof Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, der Regensburger Bischof Gerhard Voderholzer und der frühere Augsburger Bischof Walter Mixa.
Mittelbayerische
[Summary: Gerhard Ludwig Mueller, the new Cardinal, celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving with his family and several hundred guests Monday at the Vatican basilica. In his sermon he emphasized the importances of cardinals in the church.]
VATIKANSTADT. Der neue Kardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller hat am Montagvormittag im Petersdom eine Dankmesse mit seinen Angehörigen und mehreren hundert Gästen gefeiert. Mit ihm am Kathedra-Altar der Vatikan-Basilika zelebrierten unter anderen der Limburger Bischof Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, der Regensburger Bischof Gerhard Voderholzer und der frühere Augsburger Bischof Walter Mixa.
Helping adopted children learn about their roots
UNITED STATES
Boston Globe
By Kevin Cullen / Globe Staff / February 24, 2014
For an 80-year-old, Philomena Lee gets around.
Last month, she spoke at the Golden Globes before a television audience of millions. A few weeks ago, she met the pope in Rome. He was very nice, she said. And that was after she met in Washington with a bunch of politicians, including US Representative Joe Kennedy.
On Sunday night, Philomena Lee will be sitting in the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood with her BFF, Dame Judi Dench, who plays her in the film named after her. Dench is up for an Oscar as best actress.
Philomena Lee is thrilled that the film based on her life has done so well and garnered so much attention, mainly because it has given her a platform to advocate for something close to her heart: opening records so adopted children can learn about their biological parents.
For those who haven’t seen the movie: When Philomena was a teenager, she got pregnant by a young man who wasn’t her husband, which in the Ireland of her youth was considered so scandalous that her family disowned her. She was delivered to a convent, where the nuns delivered her baby boy and treated her as a sinner, forcing her to work. When her son Anthony was 3, the nuns gave him away to an American family behind Philomena’s back. Then they sent her back to work in the laundry and told her nothing.
Boston Globe
By Kevin Cullen / Globe Staff / February 24, 2014
For an 80-year-old, Philomena Lee gets around.
Last month, she spoke at the Golden Globes before a television audience of millions. A few weeks ago, she met the pope in Rome. He was very nice, she said. And that was after she met in Washington with a bunch of politicians, including US Representative Joe Kennedy.
On Sunday night, Philomena Lee will be sitting in the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood with her BFF, Dame Judi Dench, who plays her in the film named after her. Dench is up for an Oscar as best actress.
Philomena Lee is thrilled that the film based on her life has done so well and garnered so much attention, mainly because it has given her a platform to advocate for something close to her heart: opening records so adopted children can learn about their biological parents.
For those who haven’t seen the movie: When Philomena was a teenager, she got pregnant by a young man who wasn’t her husband, which in the Ireland of her youth was considered so scandalous that her family disowned her. She was delivered to a convent, where the nuns delivered her baby boy and treated her as a sinner, forcing her to work. When her son Anthony was 3, the nuns gave him away to an American family behind Philomena’s back. Then they sent her back to work in the laundry and told her nothing.
Calls for national child protection laws after Toowoomba abuse case
AUSTRALIA
ABC - PM
MARK COLVIN: In the wash-up of the child abuse royal commission's inquiry in Brisbane, there are calls for a set of nationally consistent rules on how and when child sexual abuse allegations should be referred to police.
Yesterday the former bishop of Toowoomba told the child abuse inquiry that he was still stunned by the failure of senior Catholic Education staff to report allegations that a teacher was sexually abusing 13 students just a few years ago.
One of Australia's leading child abuse prevention organisations, Child Wise, says there are still ambiguities around the legal obligations to report child sexual abuse, and the existing laws are not well understood.
Emily Bourke reports.
EMILY BOURKE: Gerard Byrnes is in jail for sexually assaulting 13 girls while he was a teacher and child protection officer at a Catholic primary school in Toowoomba.
The latest inquiry by the child abuse royal commission heard that a breakdown in policies and a string of individual failures contributed to Byrnes being able to access and abuse more girls despite allegations being voiced in 2007.
Crucially, the inquiry heard that the school principal and officials from the Catholic Education Office failed to report the matter to police, even though mandatory reporting laws were in place.
ABC - PM
MARK COLVIN: In the wash-up of the child abuse royal commission's inquiry in Brisbane, there are calls for a set of nationally consistent rules on how and when child sexual abuse allegations should be referred to police.
Yesterday the former bishop of Toowoomba told the child abuse inquiry that he was still stunned by the failure of senior Catholic Education staff to report allegations that a teacher was sexually abusing 13 students just a few years ago.
One of Australia's leading child abuse prevention organisations, Child Wise, says there are still ambiguities around the legal obligations to report child sexual abuse, and the existing laws are not well understood.
Emily Bourke reports.
EMILY BOURKE: Gerard Byrnes is in jail for sexually assaulting 13 girls while he was a teacher and child protection officer at a Catholic primary school in Toowoomba.
The latest inquiry by the child abuse royal commission heard that a breakdown in policies and a string of individual failures contributed to Byrnes being able to access and abuse more girls despite allegations being voiced in 2007.
Crucially, the inquiry heard that the school principal and officials from the Catholic Education Office failed to report the matter to police, even though mandatory reporting laws were in place.
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