In Spirit and Truth Reading Roundup: April 2023 Edition

April brought significant developments regarding sexual abuse and institutional betrayal by Catholic leaders - particularly in Maryland and my home state of Wisconsin.

This is a long roundup, so if you only have time to read a few articles this month, I recommend you start with those in bold below.

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Maryland Attorney General Report and Response

• Report details ‘staggering’ church sex abuse in Maryland

• Catholic church in Maryland slammed after sex abuse report

• Report details horrors of life in hardest-hit Catholic parishes, schools

• These survivors thought they knew the details. Then came the reports.

• Abusive priests were once seen as moral failures. Now they get psychiatric treatment.

• A Maryland prosecutor granted immunity to a predatory priest. Only the truth holds him accountable.

• Apology, Healing, and Action: Response by Archbishop Lori

• Statement from AG Brown Regarding Statements by Archdiocese of Baltimore

• AG accuses Baltimore Archdiocese of stalling sex abuse investigation

• House casts vote on child sexual abuse bill, Moore plans to sign into law

• 'Charm city' lessons for Lori and the USCCB

Developments in Wisconsin

• McCarrick charged with sexually assaulting teen in Wisconsin

• Two Years Into Wisconsin’s Faith Leader Investigation, McCarrick is Charged, Survivors Can Still Report

• Madison Diocese brother sentenced to prison for sexual abuse of minor

• 'Child Victims Act' would allow victims of child sexual abuse to file civil suits until age 45. Victims say it's not enough.

• Abused by Norbertine priests as a child, he's now breaking his silence

• Interview with Nate’s Mission about WI DOJ Investigation

Other U.S. News

• Colorado: Aspen police find abuse accusations against priest ‘unfounded’

• Georgia: Church sex abuse allegations detailed in Georgia report

• Illinois: Priest cleared of accusations of sexually abusing minor decades ago

• Kansas: Kansas Senate ends limits on child sex abuse prosecutions

• Maine: Penobscot Tribal Nation members sue Maine diocese for sexual abuse

• New York: For survivors of sex abuse, the Albany Roman Catholic Diocese's bankruptcy filing is just one more betrayal

• Pennsylvania: Lawsuit accuses Archdiocese of Philadelphia of moving sexually abusive priest + McGoldrick Provides Case Study On Sins of the Present

• South Carolina: Church officials twice warned about priest who allegedly assaulted 11-year-old, prosecutors say

• Washington: Washington State House passes bill requiring clergy to violate the seal of confession

International News

• France: Shattered: L’Arche community confronts its founder’s lies

• Germany: Former German bishops’ chairman faces ‘Vos estis’ probe

• Germany: More than 250 Catholic priests suspected of abuse in Germany

• Philippines: Police arrest priest for rape

• Vatican: Accountability for lay groups destined to be test of sex abuse reform

• Vatican: Papal abuse commission signs agreement with evangelization office

• Vatican: Fr. Hans Zollner sets record straight on resignation from Vatican body

From Awake Milwaukee

• From the Catholic Register of Canda: Survivors build bridges to reconciliation

• The Way of the Cross with Survivors

• Survivor Story: Valentino “Val” Borrelli

Going Deeper

• Can anyone at the Vatican agree on who’s a ‘vulnerable adult’?

• Debate over abusers’ artwork pits tradition against new moral imperatives

• The Denial and the Dissonance (on abuse at Franciscan University of Steubenville)

• When a diocese goes bankrupt, does it help or hurt sex abuse survivors?

• Church Needs Creative Ministries to Care for Abuse Survivors, Advocate Says

• Research and Statistics about Disclosure of Child Sexual Abuse

• Progress Made Protecting Minors, But Adults Remain Vulnerable To Clergy Abuse, Say Experts

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I will be back with more from our Survivors’ Voices panel soon. Thank you for reading and caring.

~ Sara