Category: Clergy Sex Abuse

‘A Watershed Moment In the Clergy Sex Abuse Crisis’

~ Susan Matthews ~ 35 Comments

Please click the link to read Cardinal Bevilacqua's testimony for the 2005 Grand Jury Report. Let's add this to the required summer reading for Catholics. The judge in the current criminal case involving Msgr. Lynn sealed the records, but the Inquirer already had this copy in the public domain. BishopAccountability.org has broken it down into … Continue reading ‘A Watershed Moment In the Clergy Sex Abuse Crisis’

Breaking News: Msgr. Lynn and Those Accused of Abuse Will Stand Trial Together

~ Susan Matthews ~ 70 Comments

"Monsignor, other clerics to stand trial together," by David O'Reilly, Inquirer Staff Writer, July 29, 2011 Excerpt from above link: "Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Lillian Ransom denied defense motions to throw out the conspiracy charges against Lynn and the other defendants in the high profile case involving sexual assaults on two boys in the … Continue reading Breaking News: Msgr. Lynn and Those Accused of Abuse Will Stand Trial Together

New Law Gives Delaware Victims Closure

~ Susan Matthews ~ 15 Comments

The story linked below illustrates how Pennsylvania could and should give victims the opportunity for justice. A two-year window would out perpetrators and those who harbor them. Some argue that money can't undo the past. It doesn't, but our justice system acknowledges that victims need more than abstract apologies and relies on compensation. That financial … Continue reading New Law Gives Delaware Victims Closure

BBC Documents What Pope Benedict Knew

~ Susan Matthews ~ 16 Comments

A compelling new BBC documentary about what Pope Benedict knew about pedophile priests.  The two links below are parts 1 and parts 2 of this film as viewed on You Tube.  It includes some American notables such as Father Tom Doyle and attorney Jeff Anderson. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnxwgDxxAUY&feature=related <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnxwgDxxAUY&amp;feature=related&gt; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nb78v1v4IGY&feature=related <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nb78v1v4IGY&amp;feature=related&gt;  

Vatican Makes Rare Move: Recalls Envoy After Irish Accusations of Sabotage

~ Susan Matthews ~ 28 Comments

The Irish government has spoken out on the Vatican's role in the clergy sex abuse scandal that has rocked their predominantly Catholic country. Their claim that the Holy See interfered with Bishops reporting abuse to police, falls in line with findings from Amnesty International. Earlier this year, the Noble Peace Prize-winning organization named the Vatican … Continue reading Vatican Makes Rare Move: Recalls Envoy After Irish Accusations of Sabotage

Summer Required Reading: The 2011 Grand Jury Report, Part 3

~ Susan Matthews ~ 5 Comments

The third installment of the 2011 Grand Jury Report. Victim “assistance” procedures Prompted by the pressure of the prior grand jury report, the Archdiocese has in recent years revamped its policies for handling victims of clergy sexual abuse.  Now, at least in some cases, the church reports abusers to law enforcement authorities, something that in … Continue reading Summer Required Reading: The 2011 Grand Jury Report, Part 3

A Convenient Memory: Bevilacqua and the Sex Abuse Scandal

~ Susan Matthews ~ 7 Comments

This article in today's Inquirer on Cardinal Bevilacqua's role in the sex abuse scandal is even more sinister for me. When the legal pressure was turned up, his faulty memory morphed into diagnosed dementia. Trusted sources, who are personal friends of the Cardinal, have told me that while physically fragile he was in good mental … Continue reading A Convenient Memory: Bevilacqua and the Sex Abuse Scandal