Naason Joaquin Garcia and George Pell: Justice Denied
“The Apostle” and a Cardinal. The self-appointed leader of a Mexico-based religious sect and the former Treasurer of the Vatican. Two men accused of and jailed for child sexual abuse. Now, both have...
View ArticleJoin us Wednesday, May 20!
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View Article“Can’t you just let it go?”
In my talks to groups, I always try to impress on people how child sexual abuse destroys communities. When a predator undermines family and community bonds to target a child, the ripples of sexual...
View ArticleRe-opening of NY courts exposes 11 newly accused clerics
Eleven priests who have not appeared on any lists of accused clerics—either court documents, diocese lists, or press reports—have been named as alleged predators in new lawsuits filed against the...
View ArticleWhat’s going on in California?
Yesterday, I wrote about the Child Sex Abuse Civil Window cases that are beginning to flood the New York judicial system as the courts reopen. But what about California? There has been little news...
View ArticleWhen adversity is your gift
There are voices that have been silenced—or simply ignored—in the clergy sex abuse crisis. We have known for years that “priest dumping” has been a common practice in the Catholic Church: bishops and...
View ArticleColorado: Refusing to settle for a second rate law
Legislative work can be complicated. Take my word for it. And sometimes the hardest decision to make is the best one: if a law protects predators, it’s not a good law. That is what happened in...
View ArticleEXCLUSIVE: Catholic composer accused of sexual battery worked with known...
Over the weekend, Catholic hymn composer, performer, and youth conference organizer David Haas was dropped by his publisher after the company learned the musician was under investigation by the...
View ArticleCan you help?
Do you have information on the following men: Fr. Robert P. Byrne – Priest in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. For you true crime nerds out there, he was the family priest of Manson Family victim Steven...
View ArticleWhat role does Scientology have in covering up sex crimes?
Yesterday, Hollywood actor and Scientologist Danny Masterson was arrested and charged with raping three women. Two other women have alleged that Masterson raped them, but because of expired statutes of...
View ArticleWhen your father is Father
In honor of Father’s Day, the LA Times published an essay by author Mimi Bull. The catch? Her father was a practicing Catholic priest. No one reading the essay will be satisfied. Mimi’s mother was...
View ArticleStatute of limitations reform: A bittersweet, overwhelming success
This week, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) reported that allegations of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church TRIPLED in the past year. There is only one reason for this huge increase...
View ArticleWeaponized Forgiveness: A New Blog Series
“Forgive me.” “Times were different then.” “You need to forgive to heal.” “Let go of your anger and find healing and peace.” Heard these before? What is this is a lot of sociological, historical, and...
View ArticleWhere does “forgiveness” come from?
Since I began discussing forgiveness as the topic of my new book project, I have had a number of very smart friends send over great research materials. One person pointed out the two Greek words used...
View ArticleArizona Child Victims’ Act: Two New Lawsuits Filed
The Arizona Child Victims’ Act has not been in the headlines much—Covid and the elections have stolen most of the news airtime in that state. Don’t let the quiet fool you: Arizona’s Catholic Bishops...
View ArticleWhat if women comprised 50% of sex abuse victims in the Catholic Church?
What if the cornerstone of our conventional wisdom about the victims of the Catholic Church and clergy sex abuse crisis was wrong? What if, in a statistically viable sample of survivors of abuse in the...
View ArticleDiocese of Fresno promised us a list of accused priests. Where is it?
Fresno Bishop Joseph V. Brennan promised a list. Did he think we forgot? Now that my white paper on the sexual abuse of women in the Catholic Church is complete—and getting a great response—I am...
View ArticleA Day of Reckoning for the Boy Scouts
If you think 2020 isn’t going well for you, take a look at the Boy Scouts: it’s estimated that up to 50,000 victims of child sexual abuse could come forward in the Chapter 11 Boy Scout bankruptcy....
View ArticleDiocese of Orange snags more than $24 mil in PPP loans
Today, the Associated Press released a blockbuster article about how the Catholic Church in the United States has obtained hundreds of millions of dollars in PPP loans, despite a lack of need. In...
View ArticleThe PODCAST is UP!
PLEASE LISTEN, SUBSCRIBE, AND SHARE! You asked. I answered. The PODCAST is finally here. Join me at the SpotTheLine table of experts as we talk about Andrew Cuomo, the fascinating history of Sexual...
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