The Vatican summit on Catholic clergy child sex abuse ended as these things usually do, with a lot of defensive and cynical lip service from the pope that has no apparent purpose other than public relations shell games. This time, it included a lot of papal talk about the devil.On the eve of the summit with 180 of his bishops last week, Pope Francis proclaimed that critics of the Church are “friends, cousins and relatives of the devil.”, an assertion so stunningly ridiculous and tone deaf that it is hard to believe a pope uttered it with a straight face. As the summit ended, Pope Francis state…
News & Events
Pope Francis to host “unprecedented” summit on child sexual abuseNew York’s history-making Child Victims Act is a victory for sexual abuse survivors in the face of – and in response to – decades of cover-up and inactivity by powerful institutions. The new law allows sexual abuse survivors more time to seek justice and healing while holding enabling institutions accountable and pressuring them to finally be transparent and safe. The New York Child Victims Act comes in the midst of a head-spinning era of sexual abuse prevention activity, public pressure and publicity in which we read about…
Long-Awaited Reform To Provide Justice and Accountability (Albany, NY) – New York is on the verge of making child protection history as the state Legislature is expected to pass the proposed Child Victims Act (CVA) today. “It appears that the lawmakers in New York are finally coming together to choose the welfare of survivors and the public over the interests of powerful institutions trying to protect themselves and their secrets,” said Jeff Anderson, an attorney with Jeff Anderson & Associates noted for his work on behalf of child sexual abuse survivors for more than three decades…
On October 24, 2018, clergy sexual abuse survivors Jim Keenan and Kathy Stonebraker filed suit against the Vatican in federal court in the Northern District of California. Survivor and advocate Jim Keenan explains why he decided to file this lawsuit, calling on Pope Francis and the Catholic Church to change its dangerous policies and protocols surrounding clergy sexual abuse. Jim and Kathy are seeking truth and transparency not only for themselves, but for thousands of sexual abuse survivors across the globe. It’s time for change.
News that the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating Catholic dioceses in Pennsylvania and the Diocese of Buffalo in New York for their handling of clergy sex abuse is as significant as it is overdue. No one can predict the outcome, but the investigations provide hope for accountability and transparency for the Catholic Church and healing for survivors.The involvement of the feds ups the ante in the current swirl of public outrage over, and secular investigations into, sexual abuse by Catholic clergy and the Church’s cover-up. In Pennsylvania, the federal investigation comes on the heels …
Pope Francis sent another demoralizing mixed message to sexual abuse survivors today. Unfortunately, that is not surprising.The pope accepted the resignation of Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the archbishop of Washington today. This should have been a positive demonstration to survivors of his commitment to hold bishops accountable for mishandling clergy sex abuse cases. Wuerl was named in the recent Pennsylvania grand jury report that accused church hierarchy of covering up abuse. Pennsylvania’s attorney general said the report and documents show that “Cardinal Wuerl oversaw and participated in the…
On October 2, 2018, Jeff Anderson & Associates released a report on clergy sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The report details the history of the Archdiocese and provides background and information on 307 perpetrators who were allowed to work in the Archdiocese. We believe this number is deficient and expect more information to come to light in the future. Of the 307, at least 37 perpetrators were allowed to flee Los Angeles once reports of abuse were known to Church officials. Even more concerning, is that the whereabouts of at least 150 are unknown and our communities and …
If only the Diocese of Buffalo would put even a fraction of the effort into protecting kids as it puts into covering up for sexual abuse by priests and guarding its secret archives.Yesterday, an investigative news team at WKBW in Buffalo reported that the Diocese of Buffalo vastly understated the number and concealed the identities of priests accused of sexual abuse. The report is damning. In March, the Diocese released a list of 42 priests “who were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor,” after pressure from our law firm and sexual …
If only the Diocese of Buffalo would put even a fraction of the effort into protecting kids as it puts into covering up for sexual abuse by priests and guarding its secret archives.Yesterday, an investigative news team at WKBW in Buffalo reported that the Diocese of Buffalo vastly understated the number and concealed the identities of priests accused of sexual abuse. The report is damning. In March, the Diocese released a list of 42 priests “who were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor,” after pressure from our law firm and sexual …
This week, the attorneys general of five states announced they are conducting independent investigations of the Catholic dioceses in their states with regard to clergy sexual abuse. They join the ranks of other states where attorneys generals are investigating the Catholic Church in the wake of the Pennsylvania grand jury report on clergy abuse released in August. Attorney Jeff Anderson calls on attorneys general and law enforcement in all 50 states to do the same, in order to cut through the Church’s secrecy and complicity regarding sexual abuse of children by its clergy.
As an adult, Paul Dunn came forward and reported that he was sexually abused as a child by a Queens, NY, priest, many years after it happened. Now 53, Dunn spent the past 40 or so years suffering: attempted suicide, addiction, cutting, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and three failed marriages. In June, he turned down a $200,000 cash settlement for his suffering because it ‘“doesn’t even come close” to delivering justice.”’We are inspired by his courage and selflessness. The Diocese of Brooklyn, which covers Queens, offered Dunn the money after he provided details regarding his…
Today a courageous sexual abuse survivor, Matthew Golden, sued the Diocese of Buffalo, New York for nuisance. The lawsuit claims that the Diocese of Buffalo continues to conspire and engage in efforts to conceal from the public and law enforcement, the identities of priests who have sexually abused minors and allow known child molesters like Fr. Dennis Riter who abused Golden when he was a child, to live freely in the community without information the public. To-date, more than 80 priests have been accused of child sexual abuse in the Diocese of Buffalo. Attorney Stacey Benson calls on the…
Last week, Pope Francis offered an apology to survivors of child sexual abuse, but this apology rings hollow. The Catholic Church, its Bishops, and the current and previous Popes, continue to repeatedly apologize to survivors without taking any action to help survivors of sexual abuse. Words do not protect children, actions do. Attorney Mike Finnegan calls on Pope Francis and the Vatican to come clean, release the files of all pedophile priests and punish the Bishops who were complicit in covering up these horrific crimes against children.
The highly anticipated 2018 Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report was released Tuesday naming over 300 predator priests who were credibly accused of sexually abusing more than 1,000 children over the course of 70 years across six Pennsylvania dioceses…
As we await the release of a long-anticipated Pennsylvania grand jury report on hundreds of predatory priests, it is more important than ever to keep demanding that bishops act to end the secrecy and tell the truth about clergy sex abuse in the Catholic Church. And it is a reminder that the time is now for statute of limitations reform for child sexual abuse cases in Pennsylvania and everywhere else.The redacted 900-page report is expected to include approximately 300 clergy abusers. We believe there are hundreds more, many of whom are in active ministry or still alive, meaning kids are in…