Sexual abuse victim files lawsuit against Spring Lake Park Church Attorney: “In all aspects of this case church officials failed…
News & Events
In 2008, a southern Illinois jury heard substantial evidence of a heinous, years-long diocesan cover-up of heart-breaking child sex crimes by Father Raymond Kownacki. Jurors awarded $5 million to one of the priest’s victims. Three years later, Belleville Diocese’s Bishop Braxton keeps battling relentlessly to avoid honoring the jury’s judgment and helping the priest’s victims heal.
As I pointed out in my blog, the John Jay study released earlier this week is nothing more than another misleading effort by U.S. Bishops and the Vatican to promote its self-image. The report, which is at most a review as opposed to a study, is a shameless attempt to quiet the tireless survivors and advocates who continue to demand a change in practices that imperil children.
Artist Tony Auth’s depiction that was published in this morning’s Philadelphia Inquirer captures the true meaning behind the John Jay report.
A defrocked priest accused of possessing thousands of pornographic images of children was served with a book of evidence today and sent forward for trial before a judge and jury.Oliver O’Grady (aged 65), formerly of Charlemont Street, in Dublin 2, but who is now residing at an address in Ranelagh Village, in Dublin, had been arrested on December 10 last and charged with possessing child pornography.
The Vatican’s long overdue guidelines for fighting sexual abuse of children
are, unfortunately, just that — flimsy guidelines for a global problem that
requires an unequivocal mandate for church officials to work with secular
authorities in prosecuting rogue priests.
Instead, the Vatican has
issued nonbinding guidance that punts the scandal back to the authority of
local bishops, who still will not face firm oversight or punishment for
cover-ups that recycled hundreds of abusive priests.
The Vatican today released what it is calling a “study” on the causes and context of sex abuse of minors by Catholic priests. This “study” is in fact a self-serving report using information fed to the investigators by the Bishops in the U.S. The investigators interviewed none of the survivors of abuse with whom we have worked for so many years, nor did they interview anyone outside of those working with the Bishops. The Bishops certainly gave limited information to the investigators, as they did not give access to their secret files, which reflect the internal cover up …
The Vatican today released what it is calling a “study” on the causes and context of sex abuse of minors by Catholic priests. This “study” is in fact a self-serving report using information fed to the investigators by the Bishops in the U.S. The investigators interviewed none of the survivors of abuse with whom we have worked for so many years, nor did they interview anyone outside of those working with the Bishops.
The new “guidelines” issued today by the Vatican that aim to make changes within the church regarding the handling of child sex abuse cases are misleading, toothless and timid. They are misleading because they are labeled as “changes” but in reality, as even Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi concedes, the guidelines are merely a disingenuous attempt to reinforce the current protocols, rather than make any fundamental changes to the norm. They are toothless because they give no new rules that require any meaningful change or any real action by church officials…
Today, Amnesty International issued its annual global report on the state of human rights and named the Vatican in its list of countries with human rights violations.
In its report, Amnesty International specifically cited the Vatican for its failure to remove priests accused of sexual abuse from ministry, not co-operating with authorities, and not giving victims the proper relief, saying “The Holy See did not sufficiently comply with its international obligations relating to the protection of children.”
We are encouraged to see an internationally-known organization like Amnest…
Today, Amnesty International issued its annual global report on the state of human rights and named the Vatican in its list of countries with human rights violations. In its report, Amnesty International specifically cited the Vatican for its failure to remove priests accused of sexual abuse from ministry, not co-operating with authorities, and not giving victims the proper relief, saying “The Holy See did not sufficiently comply with its international obligations relating to the protection of children.”
Statements of Jeff Anderson and Marci Hamilton Jeff Anderson: “The news that Amnesty International’s 2011 Annual Report on Human Rights…
On Wednesday our law firm filed a lawsuit in Chicago against the Vatican. The lawsuit is an attempt to hold Vatican officials accountable for their direct role in covering up the sexual abuse of children perpetrated by Fr. Daniel McCormack. Some wonder why we filed this suit. After all, didn’t the Archdiocese of Chicago settle with this survivor?
CHICAGO— The Archdiocese
of Chicago says it’s “surprised” by a lawyer’s claim that the Archdiocese is
withholding files on priests accused of sexually abusing children.
Attorney Jeff Anderson filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the Vatican on behalf of a
woman whose son was molested by a former Chicago priest. Anderson says the
Archdiocese promised as part of a 2008 settlement with 16 abuse victims to
release documents on priests who’d been credibly accused of abuse. But he contends that hasn’t happened and he believes it’s because Vatican won’t
allow it. In a statement released …
Even After Priest was Arrested for Abuse, Cardinal Promoted him Every Catholic Official Involved in Shocking Case has Since Been…
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – John Doe number 172 was 13 years old and an
altar boy at Resurrection of Our Lord in Northeast Philadelphia when his
attorneys say the abuse began at the hands of Father Robert Brennan.
“He would take the kids, build their trust, groom the parents,” said Jeff
Anderson, Doe’s attorney, “have them sit on his lap, use their bodies for his
own sexual purpose.”
Anderson and his team of attorneys say Father Brennan abused John Doe over
the course of a year and a half between 1993 and 1994. But according to the 2005
grand jury report, Brennan abused many more childr…