Hello friends! This month’s news roundup is long, as always, so I’m going to continue my new practice of putting a few links in bold, to draw your attention to some of the pieces I found most important or thought-provoking. If you don’t have a lot of time, you may want to start with those.
Reminder: This is a collection of reading about the twin crises of sexual abuse and institutional betrayal in the Catholic Church, particularly in the United States. I only share pieces that I find thoughtful and worth reading, but that doesn’t mean I agree with every word contained in these articles. If you care about these issues, I think it’s worth reading from a broad variety of sources and perspectives. I hope you do too.
On Accountability for Bishops
Vatican’s mishandling of high-profile abuse cases extends its foremost crisis
UN, abuse survivor groups seek Vatican investigation of Bishop Belo + Vatican urges Timorese Catholics to accept decision on Belo
Diocese confirms French bishop disciplined by Vatican for sexual abuse + New claims against French bishop reported to Vatican
Vatican's quiet reprimand of US bishop raises concerns about pope's abuse law
US News
Illinois: Archdiocese of Chicago adds dozens of new names to accused clergy list
Illinois: St. Sabina Church stands by Rev. Pfleger amid new sex abuse accusation
Illinois: Lawyer says Benedictine monk sexually abused him as a teen
Kansas: Priest investigated for illegal 'internet activity' while awaiting trial
Michigan: Faculties removed for priest after report of underage Grindr encounter
Michigan: Priest convicted of 2004 sexual assault on boy in Michigan church
Missouri: Sex abuse victims outraged over priest’s return to Kansas City
New Mexico: Santa Fe Archdiocese files $121 million settlement plan
New York: Diocese of Buffalo agrees to secular oversight of abuse allegations
Wisconsin: Wausau priest resigns after allegations of historical sexual misconduct with a minor
International News
France: Catholic Church starts compensating sex abuse victims
Lebanon: Paedophile priest Mansour Labaki defrocked by Vatican
New Zealand: Catholic church admits 14% of clergy have been accused of abuse
Portugal: Abuse cases mount amid questions over Nobel bishop
Portugal: Historic church sex abuse ‘truly endemic’ at times
Vatican: Vatican body, Italian bishops strike deal for safeguarding in global south
From Awake Milwaukee
Questions and Answers About Awake’s Next Step Recommendations
What Does Forgiveness Look Like for Survivors of Sexual Abuse in the Church?
Going Deeper
‘Desolate Country’: Abusive priests clustered at Indian mission schools
Survey shows many priests don’t trust bishops to support them + Highlights from the National Study of Catholic Priests
Seminar panelists: Clergy abuse has scarred minority Catholic communities
Thank you for reading and for caring. See you next time!
Peace,
Sara
Great work, Sara! I was at a Journey to Bethany meeting when the subject of the abusive priest's return to KC came up. I raised legit questions and was met with so many objections, I stormed out of the room ... never to return!