April 13, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
A lawsuit has been brought against Bishop James Timlin and Bishop Joseph Bambera for their part in covering up years of alleged sexual abuse by priests in the Diocese of Scranton. After years of thinking it was “too late” to do anything about their abuse, four men have come forward and accused Father Michael Pulicare, the former assistant pastor of St Joseph’s Parish, of sexual abuse. Pulicare died in 1999 and the church was renamed Divine Mercy of St Joseph, which is located on Davis St in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Each man filed their own separate lawsuit.
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Truth and Reconciliation Commission Proposed to Archdiocese of Seattle
April 27, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
A group of “concerned Catholics, abuse survivors and current and former clergy” are calling for a lay-led Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate the sexual abuse crisis in the church. Even though the group has acknowledged that the investigation may re-open the wounds of those who have been personally affected, the group’s goal is to rebuild the trust that has been lost throughout the decades of abuse.
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DC Councilman Decides Not to Run for Re-Election Due to Sexual Abuse
April 17, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring announced in March that his office filed and indictment against former Catholic priest, Scott Asalone, 63. Asalone is accused of sexually abusing D.C. council member David Grosso back in 1985 when Grosso only 14 years old. Due to the emotional scars that reopened because of the investigation and indictment, Grosso has chosen not to run for re-election.
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New Jersey Lawsuit Claims Allentown Diocese Covered Up 30 Years of Sexual Abuse
April 17, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
A lawsuit filed in New Jersey by a former Diocese of Allentown altar boy claims that the diocese failed to protect him as he was sexually abused for decades. The $50 million suit contends diocese officials turned their backs on the victim and failed to protect him from the abuse even after knowing his abuser was a pedophile.
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Priest Convicted of Rape Dies in Prison
April 16, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
Reverend Richard McCormick, who was convicted in 2014 of raping two young boys, passed away at Bridgewater State Treatment Center. He was 79 years old. Due to privacy laws, the cause of death has not been released, but the Department of Corrections for Bridgewater State has confirmed that at least three deaths there have been linked to an outbreak of COVID-19.
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Bishops Cover Up in the Diocese of Scranton
April 13, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
A lawsuit has been brought against Bishop James Timlin and Bishop Joseph Bambera for their part in covering up years of alleged sexual abuse by priests in the Diocese of Scranton. After years of thinking it was “too late” to do anything about their abuse, four men have come forward and accused Father Michael Pulicare, the former assistant pastor of St Joseph’s Parish, of sexual abuse. Pulicare died in 1999 and the church was renamed Divine Mercy of St Joseph, which is located on Davis St in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Each man filed their own separate lawsuit.
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Columbus Diocese adds 8 names to priest sex-abuse list
April 10, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
In September of 2019 the Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus Ohio added the names of eight priests who have been “credibly accused” of sexual abuse of minors to their published list. The majority of the eight names added to the list are in the category of “extern” which covers clergy members who served in Columbus but were accused of abuse elsewhere.
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Lawsuit Filed Against Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church in Erie County
April 9, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
A childhood victim of priest sex abuse at Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church and Holy Trinity School filed a civil lawsuit in Erie County Supreme Court of New York. This New York Catholic Church lawsuit, filed in September of 2019, was filed against the Diocese of Buffalo and claims Monsignor Valerio Bernardo, a pastor of Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church and Holy Trinity School, abused the plaintiff during the late 1960s when she was about five years old. The plaintiff and her family were parishioners at Holy Trinity Church and she was a student at Holy Trinity School.
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Lawsuit Filed by Six Women Against the Diocese of Austin Texas
April 8, 2020 / by Brett Katsma / Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
Father Isidore Ndagizimana, better known as Father Izzy, of St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Austin, Texas, has been accused of sexually abusing 6 female parishioners. The six women, whose names have been left anonymous, claim Father Ndagizimana would touch them inappropriately in the confessional box at church and tried kissing them. Also, while their husbands were away he would often show up at their homes uninvited.
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