Monsignor Otto Garcia was tasked with handling pedophile priests in the Brooklyn Diocese — but now a man is accusing him of abuseA Queens man claims he endured sexual abuse by a priest — now a monsignor — who would later be accused of concealing the sins of pedophile priests in the Brooklyn Diocese.For more than four decades, Tommy Davis says, he carried the secret that he’d been repeatedly sexually abused as a teen by Monsignor Otto Garcia.And Davis says his shame caused him to fall into drugs, alcoholism and ruined relationships before he got sober. It took him decades to tell his story…
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New York Child Victims Act Will Hold Institutions Accountable, Help Survivors HealThe Historic Reform Legislation Will Change Lives (Albany, NY) – By passing the Child Victims Act (CVA) today, the New York Legislature gave long-suffering survivors a chance to come forward and begin the healing process. It is a new day.We applaud the New York Legislature for doing the right thing. Sen. Brad Hoylman and Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal deserve credit for sponsoring and guiding the legislation. Most of the credit goes to child sexual abuse survivors, who have endured years, sometimes decades, of…
(Illinois) – Today, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan released a preliminary report into the sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy in Illinois. The report concluded that the identities of over 500 Catholic clergy accused of sexual abuse of a minor were still hidden by the Bishops, that the Bishops have failed the victims, and that the Bishops are incapable of solving the sexual abuse crisis on their own. We applaud the efforts of Attorney General Madigan and her office. It is alarming,…
(Los Angeles, CA) – This morning Archbishop Jose Gomez of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles announced that Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Auxiliary Bishop Alexander Salazar. The Archdiocese confirmed that it has been aware of the child sexual abuse allegations against Bp. Salazar since 2005. The Archdiocese released lists of credibly accused priests in 2005, 2008 and 2018 and none of those lists included Bp. Salazar’s name. “…
In response to pressure from the public, survivors, the lawsuit filed by Tom Emens in October 2018, and a report exposing 307 clergy offenders released by Jeff Anderson & Associates, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles has updated its list of credibly or publicly accused clergy after 10 years. This is a positive step in the right direction for the Archdiocese. However, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and its officials have repeatedly shown that they cannot be true…
Sex Abuse Lawsuit Filed Against Holy Innocents’ Catholic School in Waite Park Holy Innocents’ was a “House of Horrors” that included ritual and sadistic sexual abuse of students by multiple staff members and a priest, and remains a threat to children today(Waite Park, MN) – A lawsuit was filed today by a former student against Holy Innocents’ Catholic School in Waite Park, alleging sexual abuse by five members of the secretive family that runs the school and a former priest from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee who was assigned and lived there for years. Holy Innocents’ School is still in operatio…
Today, the Diocese of Syracuse released a list of names of 57 priests with credible allegations of sexual abuse of a minor. Until today, Bishop Robert J. Cunningham has refused to release the list of names of credibly accused priests. As former Bishop of the Diocese of Ogdensburg and after working as Chancellor and Vicar General in…
Statement From Survivor Matt Golden Regarding Bishop Malone, Diocese of Buffalo’s Handling of Sexual Abuse Cases60 Minutes exposes the dangerous practices and protocols still employed by the Diocese of Buffalo (Buffalo, New York) – Sexual abuse survivor Matt Golden sued the Diocese of Buffalo in August, claiming the Diocese of Buffalo and Bishop Richard J. Malone created and exposed the public to dangerous predator priests and continue to do so through present day. Golden’s lawsuit claims that the Diocese of Buffalo continues to conspire and engage in efforts to conceal from the public and law…
(Minneapolis, MN) – Today, U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Robert J. Kressel approved the consensual bankruptcy plan between sexual abuse survivors and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.“Because of the courage of these survivors standing in strength and in solidarity with each other, we can take great comfort that by the actions they’ve taken, kids and the community are safer,” said Jeff Anderson, attorney for many of the survivors.The plan of reorganization calls for a $210 million settlement with survivors of sexual abuse by Archdiocese clergy and employees. The survivors previous…