Catholic Church sexual abuse victims in Baltimore speak out in favor of AG report release

Source: https://www.wypr.org/wypr-news/2022-11-18/catholic-church-sexual-abuse-victims-in-baltimore-speak-out-in-favor-of-ag-report-release

WYPR – 88.1 FM Baltimore | By Scott Maucione

Published November 18, 2022 at 2:34 PM EST

Individuals abused by Catholic priests in Maryland gathered in front of the Baltimore Archdiocese office on Friday to speak out in favor of public release of the grand jury investigation into religious leaders accused of abuse. After four years of investigation, the Maryland Attorney General’s Office has gathered a 456-page report that identifies 158 priests who are accused of abusing more than 600 children over an 80 year period. Attorney General Brian Frosh is seeking a court order, as required by state law, to release the grand jury documents to the public.

David Lorenz, Maryland director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, highlighted part of the report that accuses the Archdiocese of Baltimore of knowingly hiding the abuse.

“Time and again, the Archdiocese chose the abuser over the abused, the powerful over the weak, the adult over the child,” Lorenz said. “Hundreds of Marylanders have suffered mentally and physically for decades because of the Archdiocese in decisions.”

In the court motion seeking to disclose that investigation the Attorney General described the Archdiocese’s actions as “immeasurable.”

“There are almost certainly more as the Department of Justice’s Annual Crime Victimization Report has demonstrated most incidents of sexual assault go unreported,” according to the motion. “Many survivors of clergy abuse reported battling depression, post-traumatic stress disorder or anxiety as adults.”

Substance abuse and difficulty maintaining intimate relationships are other symptoms of abuse, according to the Attorney General. Two victims reported suicidal ideations or attempts, and two other victims took their own lives.

The Maryland Attorney General documented examples of abuse cover ups reaching back to the 1980s.

The state is seeking the Baltimore Circuit Court to allow release of the report. A judge could order sections to be redacted. It’s also unknown when the matter will be decided.

Catholic Church scandal

Source: https://www.heralddemocrat.com/2022/11/22/catholic-church-scandal/

On his plane back to Rome from a Middle East trip recently, Pope Francis acknowledged that the Vatican faces pushback in its efforts to overhaul the Catholic Church’s habits of denial, secrecy and coverup surrounding clerical sexual abuse. “There are people within the church who still do not see clearly,” he said, adding that “not everyone has courage.”

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Iran: End the Brutal Crackdown!

It’s shocking — Iranian courts sentenced five people to death over the mass protests that have swept through the country.

Many more people are in immediate danger. Journalists, human rights defenders, university students, moms, and schoolchildren have been murdered — and many of those arrested face torture, enforced disappearance, and unfair trials.

The regime is not backing down, and is now even resorting to public executions to crush the revolution. We must stand with the people in Iran!

Thousands of Iranians continue to protest, and we can help them keep the world’s attention on their struggle for freedom and justice. Sign our urgent petition now for world governments to help stop these brutal killings — and we will bring our voices straight into a crucial UN session.

Source: https://secure.avaaz.org/campaign/en/iran_executions_loc/?bPbJtab&v=143922&cl=19974194803&_checksum=3d029009003ead9cf9bcec3d95ada6349bbfb5f446dcba7d6c818c4a206298c5

Italy’s Catholic Church at crossroads over sexual abuse investigation

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/italys-catholic-church-crossroads-over-sexual-abuse-investigation-2022-05-19/

May 19, 202211:36 AM GMT+2

By Angelo Amante and Philip Pullella

SAVONA, Italy, May 19 (Reuters) – Francesco Zanardi has spent the past 12 years documenting sexual abuse of minors by Catholic priests in Italy, filling a vacuum he says is caused by the refusal of the country’s Church thus far to launch a major investigation.

When Italian bishops meet next week to elect a new president, Zanardi is hoping to see the start of a long overdue reckoning for the Church, whose leaders will discuss whether to commission an independent investigation of abuse similar to those carried out in France and Germany.

Fight Somalia’s climate famine

This is what the climate crisis looks like up close…

A moment of tenderness between father and son — in the midst of unspeakable horror.

In Somalia, 7 million people are in danger of starving — and HALF of all children are severely malnourished. Hospitals are becoming overwhelmed and parents are being forced to make impossible decisions about who to feed.

The country is being devastated by the worst drought in 40 years. Without rain, nothing grows anymore — and aid isn’t arriving fast enough.

Somali doctors and aid workers are racing the clock — but another starving child is admitted to hospital every single minute. Resources are running out, and doctors are terrified.

The last famine here killed 250,000 people. We cannot let it happen again.

Avaaz has 70 million members, and if we each give just a bit, we can make a real difference. Together we’d fund lifesaving medical care and food packages for thousands of people — and power a massive campaign, pushing governments to unlock urgent aid and slash the carbon pollution that’s forcing millions into catastrophe.

Let’s join together in an epic global effort to stop children starving on the climate frontlines — donate what you can now.

Posted: 13 November 2022

Original link: https://secure.avaaz.org/campaign/en/east_africa_famine_51/?fpla

Don’t let FIFA profit off abuse!

Source: https://secure.avaaz.org/campaign/en/make_fifa_pay_locked/?bIKEIcb&v=143689&cl=19935918836&_checksum=69f51030e1c978c4183f2ec9523e98c4d0341ff4d15d533a26d5f238eba8af08 More than 6,500 modern day slaves are reported to have died since Qatar was awarded the 2022 World Cup. Hundreds of thousands more still toil for as little as a dollar an hour. FIFA stands to make billions of dollars, but refuses to compensate workers or their families fairly. Advocates and athletes around the world are already pressuring FIFA and our voice could make a difference. So sign now to demand that FIFA pay these workers and their families what they are owed! SIGN THE PETITION

Dear friends, Imagine being so desperate for work that you left your family behind to live in a squalid camp, toiling in the desert heat for as little as $1 an hour. Then you died, alone, and your family got nothing.Imagine that those who treated you like a slave would rake in billions while the family you left behind spiraled down deeper into poverty.FIFA decided to let Qatar’s despotic regime host the World Cup, and since then thousands of desperate and vulnerable migrant workers have reportedly died.That’s 39 modern-day slaves who died for every goal expected to be scored.FIFA is under pressure to set aside $440 million for these workers – the same amount that will be awarded to the competing teams. Rights groups, footballers, and even some of the World Cup’s top corporate sponsors are part of the push. But with less than one week until kickoff, we need to make this call massive to get FIFA to do the right thing. So sign now and we’ll deliver your voices straight to FIFA.

Don’t let FIFA profit off abuse! Despite warnings, FIFA chose a host country well known for using forced labor and for abusing poor and desperate migrant workers. FIFA helped create this problem, and now it has to help solve it.Getting a huge organization like FIFA to do the right thing can feel like an uphill battle. But public pressure works, especially when it starts to hurt profits. Even four of the World Cup’s top corporate sponsors – Budweiser, McDonalds, Coca Cola, and Adidas – support compensating workers. And so do 84% of football fans who are likely to tune into the matches, according to a recent poll.We only have days before the lights go up on the first game, shifting global attention to the matches, and not the people who worked – and died – in the sweltering heat and inhumane conditions to make the Qatar World Cup a reality. Don’t let FIFA profit off abuse. Sign now to demand that they set aside $440 million to compensate migrant workers. Don’t let FIFA profit off abuse! Avaaz stands up for human rights and workers’ rights around the world. Already in 2015 Avaaz urged Qatar to end its modern slavery ahead of the World Cup, receiving almost a million signatures. In the years since, the Qatar government has taken steps to address these issues, but more can be done!With hope and determination, Bieta, Nate, Christine, Miguel, Ahmed, Luis, Marta and the rest of the Avaaz team More information:Revealed: 6,500 migrant workers have died in Qatar since World Cup awarded (The Guardian)England’s FA calls for Qatar’s migrant workers to be compensated (Reuters)World Cup Abuses Harm Children, Families of Migrant Workers (Human Rights Watch)Qatar: Global survey shows overwhelming demand for FIFA to compensate World Cup migrant workers (Amnesty International)

Urgent message of the Prime Minister of Tuvalu Kausea Natano

Dear friends,

I’m writing to you with an urgent message as the Prime Minister of Tuvalu: Our country is sinking! My homeland could be one of the first nations to be wiped off the map due to climate change. But we won’t give up. We will fight! In a few hours, I’m addressing the climate summit in Egypt to call for a new global treaty to phase out fossil fuels and help vulnerable countries cope with climate devastation. Join my urgent call to world leaders now!
JOIN NOW
Dear world leaders at the COP,

Climate change is drowning the Pacific Islands.

The world’s addiction to oil, gas and coal threatens to swallow our lands under the warming seas – inch by inch.

But we will not stand by as our home is wiped from the map!

So we’re uniting with a hundred Nobel laureates and thousands of scientists worldwide to urge world leaders to join the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty to manage a just transition away from fossil fuels.

The time has come to make peace with the planet. To deliver vulnerable nations the long overdue funding needed to cope with the loss and damage incurred from climate disasters and to make polluters pay.

They say that one day, the oceans will swallow the place we call home. But I promise you this: until that day comes, we will keep fighting.

Because if we can save our islands, we can save the world.

Tuvalu mo te Atua

Kausea Natano
Prime Minister of Tuvalu

___________________________________________

The prime minister of Tuvalu is the head of government of Tuvalu. According to Tuvalu’s constitution, the prime minister must always be a member of the parliament, and is elected by parliament in a secret ballot. Because there are no political parties in Tuvalu, any member of parliament can be nominated for the role. Following the parliamentary vote the governor-general of Tuvalu (as head of state) is responsible for swearing in as the prime minister the person who commands the confidence of a majority of members of parliament.

The office of prime minister was established when Tuvalu gained independence in 1978, although the post is sometimes considered to be a continuation of the earlier office of chief minister, which was created in 1975. If the prime minister dies, as has happened on one occasion, the deputy prime minister becomes acting prime minister until a new one is elected by parliament. The prime minister can lose his office by resigning, being defeated in a motion of no confidence by parliament, or losing his seat in a parliamentary election.

Several former prime ministers have been appointed the governor-general of Tuvalu.

Kausea Natano is the incumbent prime minister, since 19 September 2019.

Der Genozid an den Bogomilen

Source: Edi Maurer YouTube Channel

Is net finally closing on US priest who allegedly abused ‘countless’ children?

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/sep/24/lawrence-hecker-catholic-priest-abuse-allegations-new-orleans

FBI agents have questioned Lawrence Hecker, 91, who worked as a Catholic priest in New Orleans until 2002 despite the archdiocese being aware of molestation accusation since 1988

Ramon Antonio Vargas in New Orleans

Sat 24 Sep 2022 12.00 BST

In arguably the clearest sign yet that he is under active criminal investigation, a retired Catholic priest from New Orleans who has been publicly accused of molesting “countless” children but never charged has acknowledged that the FBI recently questioned him.

A pope complicit in covering up sex crimes can bid moral authority goodbye

Source:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/01/25/catholic-church-pope-complicit-sex-crime-coverup/

By David Von Drehle
Columnist
January 25, 2022 at 4:50 p.m. EST

Everyone with open eyes can now see that the hierarchy of the Catholic Church never underestimated the problem of priests as sexual predators. They weren’t taken by surprise. Church leaders have known for decades exactly how vast the issue was, how all-consuming, from the humble parish all the way to the top in Rome.