In Spirit and Truth Reading Roundup: February 2023 Edition

Here’s my latest collection of reading about the twin crises of sexual abuse and institutional betrayal in the Catholic Church. If you only have time to read a few articles this month, I recommend you start with those in bold below.

Also, for those who are not connected with Awake yet, I wanted to mention that we have an important virtual event coming up this Thursday, March 2. Fr. Hans Zollner, one of the Vatican’s leading experts on abuse prevention will be in conversation with two abuse survivors from the Awake community. It’s going to be a really unique and powerful encounter, and I would love to have you join us. You can register to attend live or receive the event recording here.

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International News

• Australia: As Pell departs, every ribbon tells a story the church tried to silence

• Democratic Republic of Congo: Activists urge Pope to sanction DR Congo priest accused of sex abuse

• France: 'Confusion, control and abuse': Report offers new details about Jean Vanier's secret sect and sexual exploitation

• France: Catholic cardinal twice accused of sexual assault is allowed to resign

• Poland: Future Pope John Paul II allowed priest to return to work after child sex abuse conviction

• Portugal: Independent report estimates nearly 5000 abuse victims in Portugal

• Slovenia: Jesuits impose new restrictions on Rupnik as questions linger on Vatican role

• Country-by-country overview of child sex abuse in the Catholic Church

US News

• California: Hundreds More Catholic Clergy Accused Across CA

• Illinois: Lake Zurich pastor again reinstated after archdiocese finds insufficient evidence of abuse

• Massachusetts: Worcester Diocese lists 173 credible allegations of cleric abuse; critics slam report

• Missouri: Two former SLU Jesuits credibly accused of sexual abuse

• New Mexico: New archive of Santa Fe clergy abuse documents hailed as unprecedented

• New York: Fordham Report Details Path Forward from Clergy Sexual Abuse Crisis

• North Dakota: Priest ‘methodically groomed’ and sexually assaulted women for years at church

• Pennsylvania: Harrisburg Diocese’s bankruptcy case ends with $18M trust for victims of clergy sex abuse

From Awake Milwaukee

• Grappling with the Church’s History as a “Perpetrator Institution”

• Survivor Story: Mike Hoffman

• Virtual Event: Vatican Expert Fr. Hans Zollner in Conversation with Survivors

Going Deeper

• Apples and Oranges – and Abuse

• Vocational Mortality Review (on abuse cases among recently-ordained priests)

• ‘I’m a survivor’: Parishioner finds strength in faith even after abuse

• Pope Francis, between reality and representation

• Voices of Survivors of Childhood Abuse - Whalen’s Courage Shattered Walls Within the Church

• Three words: How the Catholic Church and allies altered a Maryland bill to protect it from sex abuse lawsuits

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I will be back with a new Survivors’ Voices post next week. Until then, I wish you peace and all good.

~ Sara