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News & Events
Headlines around the world this week have reported that Irish broadcaster RTE
obtained a 1997 letter from the Vatican that instructed Irish bishops not to
report child sex abuse by priests to the police. According to the letter, “the
situation of ‘mandatory reporting’ gives rise to serious reservations of both a
moral and a canonical nature.”
Survivors are calling this the “smoking gun” that proves the Vatican’s
complicity in the abuse cover-up. They are right, but that is not the whole
story with this letter.
Absolutely no one should be surprised by this direct expression of …
MINNEAPOLIS – An old letter from the Vatican has surfaced that many say is the smoking gun, the strongest indication yet the Church tried to cover up the crimes of pedophile priests.As an altar boy, Bob Swiderski was repeatedly sexually abused by a priest in Hector, Minnesota in the early 1960s. Now, he believes there’s proof the Catholic Church tried to cover up the crimes of pedophile priests.”What I’ve been saying for 20-plus years is that they’re not telling the truth,” Swiderski said. “They are creating hurdles and this just comes back and proves what my thoughts and my voice has been say…
In the fall of 2002, the year the clergy sexual abuse crisis exploded in Boston, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore released a list of priests who had been credibly accused of sexual abuse over the previous five decades. Following a scathing 2005 grand jury report on sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia that listed the names of clergy abusers, that archdiocese established an online gallery, complete with photographs and assignment records of credibly accused priests, as well as a separate list of pending cases. And the Archdiocese of Chicago has kept an updated list of …
In a recently discovered internal Vatican document marked “Strictly Confidential” obtained by the Associated Press, the Vatican flexed its muscles over Irish bishops who adopted a child sexual abuse reporting policy that required making a police report. The policy in question required church leaders to report all child sexual abuse allegations by Irish priests to Irish law enforcement. According to a letter from the Vatican’s chief representative in Ireland, dated January 31, 1997, “the situation of ‘mandatory reporting’ [of sexual abuse] gives rise to…
Jeff Anderson says Oregon case, John V. Doe v. Holy See, will seek additional secret Vatican documents Statement of Counsel…
logo.jpg Press ReleaseFor Immediate ReleaseJanuary 18, 2011Disclosure of Vatican Letter to Irish Bishops lends additional credibility to lawsuit in U.S. Federal District Courtagainst the Holy See.Jeff Anderson says Oregon case, John V. Doe v. Holy See, will seek additional secret Vatican documentsStatement of Counsel in John V. Doe v. Holy See:Jeff Anderson: “The recent discovery of a 1997 letter sent from a Vatican official to Irish bishops warning them not to report child abuse cases to police is an important development that severely undermines claims of Church hierarchy that official…
A case filed yesterday (1.10.11)in United States District Court for the District of Minnesota puts the problem of sexually abusive pedophile priests in a global perspective.. The lawsuit, brought by a man who was sexually abused as an 8 year-old boy at his parish in Granite Falls, Minnesota by a priest named Francis Markey is a classic example of the national and international trafficking of pedophile priests. In 1982, when the 8 year-old was abused, Fr. Markey was known to..
A leading US litigator who has spent more than 20 years suing US-based paedophile priests and the church officials who moved them from parish to parish is joining a new legal practice dedicated to rooting out clerical sexual abuse in the UK. Jeff Anderson has filed more than 1,500 lawsuits against the Catholic church in the US and thousands more against individuals and organisations, including those belonging to other Christian denominations. His Minnesota firm says it is “aggressively committed” to child protection through civil litigation and he believes there is significant scope to…
A relative newcomer to the world of blogging, Jeff Anderson & Associates has created a new website that focuses on issues relating to combating child pornography. With the evolution of inexpensive technology that has caused an explosion in the production and availability of child pornography, no child protection effort can be complete without considering the role that child pornography plays.
Some of the blog postings include articles about the FBI’s efforts to detect and arrest sophisticated child …
Media Advisory/News ConferenceUS clergy abuse litigator to bring expertise to UKJoins London-based solicitor to advocate for sexual abuse victimsWhat: At a news conference in London, United States clergy abuse litigator Jeff Anderson and London-based solicitor of England and Wales Ann Olivarius, will announce the launch of a new legal practice formed to seek justice in the UK for victims of clergy abuse. Anderson, whose current practice is located in St. Paul, Minnesota, is internationally recognized as a pioneer in using American civil courts to…
The Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee, which is facing more than a dozen lawsuits over its handling of clergy sex abuse cases, is expected to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this afternoon, the archdiocese said Tuesday.Archbishop Jerome Listecki said the move was necessary to fairly compensate victims and continue the “essential ministries” of the church, and urged the faithful not to blame the victims.”For those of you who may feel anger and resentment that we have come to this moment, STOP,” Listecki said in a letter to church members on Tuesday. “We are here because of one reason:…
“Today, Archbishop Jerome Listecki said the Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee was forced to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in order to fairly compensate victims/survivors of priest-predators and to allow the archdiocese to continue to meet the needs of parishes and parishioners.
“Incredibly, the Archbishop’s announcement left out the most important reason they filed for bankruptcy: To delay the legal process so they don’t have to reveal the names of the “priest-predators” and the Church officials who covered up the “priest-predators’” crimes. It is interesting that this a…