In Spirit and Truth Reading Roundup: October 2024 Edition

Welcome to the October In Spirit and Truth Reading Roundup!

For those who are new here (welcome everyone!), this Reading Roundup is a collection of the latest news and commentary on abuse and institutional betrayal in the Catholic Church, with a particular focus on the United States. Please note that I highlight articles from a variety of sources and perspectives, and inclusion here does not mean that I agree with everything in a given article, only that I think it’s worth reading. If you only have time to read a few pieces this month, I recommend you start with those in bold below.

And if you’re here primarily to listen to the wisdom and perspective of survivors, stay tuned for my next Survivors’ Voices post soon.

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Vatican News

• Vatican Issues First Report on Sex Abuse, to Immediate Criticism + Vatican issues first child protection report. Here's what it says + Full text of report

• Church must recognize, ask pardon for its sins, pope says before synod + Abuse survivor after giving his testimony at synod’s penitential liturgy: ‘it helped me to be able to find compassion’

• DDF voids Vatican Secretariat of State’s ‘extraordinary’ interference in abuse case + What we know about the Príncipi case, and why it’s a scandal

• Victims feel ‘betrayed’ as Vatican investigation of Rupnik hits one year with no answers

U.S. News

• California: Archdiocese of Los Angeles to pay $880 million to settle abuse claims + 'At least it's acknowledgement': Abuse survivors welcome LA settlement

• Massachusetts: 59-year-old priest added to diocese list of “credibly accused” clergy, placed on leave

• Massachusetts: Survivors of clergy sex abuse frustrated by years-long wait for attorney general’s findings

• New York: Catholics on LI react with relief, skepticism to diocese’s settlement with clergy abuse survivors

• Ohio: Cincinnati priest made parochial vicar after destroying hard drive of possible child porn

• Ohio: Who knew about ex-priest Geoff Drew long before his arrest for child rape?

• Pennsylvania: Former priest permanently dismissed from Diocese of Scranton

• Vermont: Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington files for bankruptcy protection

• Wisconsin: Judge blocks attorney general review of sealed Milwaukee Archdiocese bankruptcy documents + Victims react to judge's ruling denying Wisconsin's AG ability to investigate claims of clergy abuse

International News

• Australia: Australian bishop pleads ‘not guilty’ to abuse charges

• Burundi: Woman imprisoned after accusing a priest of sexual abuse

• England: Most Catholics in England say abuse crisis has weakened Church’s moral authority

• Liberia: Catholic Priest Arrested for Allegedly Raping 16-Year-Old Girl

• Peru: Vatican expels four more members of scandal-plagued Peru group

• Spain: Abuse survivors cry out to ‘their’ church: ‘The bad win when the good do nothing’

• Switzerland: Vatican Says Swiss Bishops Mishandled Sex Abuse Claims, But No Cover-Up Found

Going Deeper

• When journalists abuse

• Only – a Simple Four-Letter Word That Means So Much

• Sister Sally Butler, Nun Who Blew the Whistle on Sex Abuse, Dies at 93

• Sexual abuse in the Church: A timeline of Pope Francis’ actions + Pope Francis and practising what one preaches

• Survivor Story: Emily Hess

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See you again soon.

~ Sara