IN the NEWS - Rhode Island Bishop's Preemptive Strike

But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
Genesis 13:13

"Rhode Island’s Catholic Bishop Bruce A. Lewandowski has apologized ahead of a state report on clergy child sex abuse.

The attorney general’s report is expected to detail how the church hid abuse by dozens of priests affecting hundreds of children.

And, on Thursday, he also offered an apology.
“I take this opportunity to apologize to the victim-survivors for the failures of church personnel and others in past decades to protect them and keep them safe,” he said Jan. 29 in a letter addressed to “Brothers and Sisters in Christ.”
Attorney General Peter Neronha told The Journal in a recent interview that his report will document how the Catholic Church in Rhode Island, in a determined effort to “hide scandal,” allowed “dozens of priests” to abuse “hundreds of children,” even in the face of credible reports.
And he said the investigation by his staff identified at least 10 more accused priests than the diocese has disclosed." BishopAccountability

Meet The Pope's Executioner: (Mastro Titta ) Feared Symbol of Papal Power

Q: Will the spirit (used here as a figure of speech) of Mastro Titta one day return as a symbol of Papal Power?
And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. Revelation 13:15

"Giovanni Battista Bugatti (6 March 1779 – 18 June 1869) was the official executioner for the Papal States from 1796 to 1865, during which he carried out 516 executions under six popes and the French government before being succeeded by his assistant Vincenzo Balducci. The list of people he executed ranged from thieves to assassins using methods such as beating, beheading, or hanging.

He became an executioner at the age of 17, in 1796. Bugatti noted

516 names of the executed, but two convicts are subtracted from the account, one because he was shot and the other because he was hanged and quartered by his aide.

On August 17, 1864, he was replaced by Vincenzo Balducci and Pope Pius IX granted him a pension, with a monthly pension of 30 scudi.

The nickname given to Bugatti was then extended to his successors: in Rome, the term “Mastro Titta” is synonymous with the executioner.

For particularly heinous offenses, or for those deemed to have committed sacrilege, the mallet (mazzola) was used, followed by a throat-cutting. Hanging was another frequently used method.
One of his most notorious tools, however, was the guillotine. Introduced to Rome during the Napoleonic era, Mastro Titta quickly adapted to its use, employing it for public spectacles that drew large crowds.
These executions were often carried out against the backdrops of Roman landmarks, such as Castel Sant'Angelo, the Circus Maximus and Piazza del Popolo.

Despite his fearsome profession, Mastro Titta lived a seemingly ordinary life outside his gruesome duties, with his profession listed as umbrella painter.
He resided in the Borgo district of Rome, near the Vatican, on Vicolo del Campanile.
Mastro Titta was not permitted to cross the Tiber river at Ponte Sant'Angelo into the main part of the city unless it was for an execution.
Mastro Titta was a feared symbol of papal power and stern justice, reflecting a part of Roman life that both repelled and fascinated its citizens.

Charles Dickens who witnessed one of his executions in Rome's San Giovanni area on 8 March 1845.
Recounting the beheading in graphic detail, Dickens described the gruesome event as an "ugly, filthy, careless, sickening spectacle", after which the executioner "retreated to his lair" across the river.

Vincenzo Balducci, who became his assistant in 1850, continued his bloody mission until the fall of the Papal States in 1870.
The last papal executions in Rome were carried out on 24 November 1868 when revoluntionaries Giuseppe Monti and Gaetano Tognetti were beheaded in front of crowds on Via dei Cerchi at the Circus Maximus.
TheArchaeologist/WantedInRome

IN the NEWS - The "Friars of Sodom" may cost Church $162,450,000 in Louisiana

But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
Genesis 13:13

"Authorities in south-west Louisiana recently arrested a Roman Catholic priest on accusations of behaving indecently with a child, igniting a new scandal in the diocese where the US church’s reckoning with clergy abuse began – an institution that just disclosed it could lose up to $162m over pending litigation.
Korey LaVergne was jailed Friday evening on three counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile, according to Acadia parish

sheriff KP Gibson, whose agency arrested the priest. LaVergne had presided over mass at St. Edward church in Richard – where the Lafayette diocese had assigned him as pastor – hours before he was booked into the Acadia lockup.
Records showed LaVergne made bail in the amount of $15,000 less than 90 minutes after he was jailed to secure his release from custody pending the outcome of the case.
LaVergne, 37, had previously served as the Lafayette diocese’s official courier. In that role, he had drawn news headlines for bringing thousands of pages of documents to the Vatican outlining the cause for sainthood for Charlene Richard, who died from acute lymphatic leukemia at age 12 in 1959 and became known for offering her suffering up to God as well as others.
Richard, nicknamed the Little Cajun Saint, is buried at St Edward.
LaVergne’s arrest comes at a relatively fragile time for the Lafayette diocese, which was founded in 1918 and tends to a congregation of about 150,000 Catholics.
In a financial report posted in November, the diocese disclosed its “total range of potential loss on [pending litigation] claims with a reasonably possible likelihood of unfavorable outcome is $88,187,500 to $162,450,000”. That range derived from an estimate conducted by its legal counsel, which had “reviewed the lawsuits in order to evaluate the likelihood of an unfavorable outcome”, the diocese’s 39-page report said." 

Guradian

IN the NEWS - Another "cover-up"

But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners

 before the LORD exceedingly.

Genesis 13:13

"FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA) - Lawyers representing “Jane Does” who say Bishop Luers High School officials covered up “widespread” child exploitation are pushing back against the school and Fort Wayne-South Bend Diocese’s motion to name the young women involved in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit, originally filed in January, claims boys attending the Catholic high school created and sold video montages and digital folders with female Bishop Luers students’ names displayed over “explicit pornographic” videos and photos from websites like Pornhub. According to attorneys, the images included people “whose general appearance, including hair color and length, body type, skin tone and other features resembled” minor female students at Bishop Luers.
Aside from naming the school and diocese, the lawsuit names four officials as defendants: 

James Huth, Former Bishop Luers High School Principal and current Director of Development;
Former Principal Scott Kreiger;
David Maugel, Superintendent of Fort Wayne-South Bend Diocesan Schools; and
Kevin Mann, Bishop Luers Athletic Director and former Dean of Students
In August, the defendants’ attorneys filed a motion asking Allen Superior Court Judge Andrew Williams to order all adult plaintiffs in the case to use their real names. Currently, the nine young women are being identified as Jane Does.
The attorneys representing the Jane Does and their families say the move is “like pouring salt into a wound.” They are asking the judge to consider the possible harm that may come to the young women if their identities are revealed.
"If (the) Plaintiffs are forced to reveal their names by order of this court, they risk peers, acquaintances and even complete strangers seeking out the illicit videos and using those materials to intimidate, threaten, tease or otherwise harm them," the attorneys’ response reads. “Put simply, every time these videos and images are accessed they risk being amplified and further shared.”
The attorneys say forcing the young women to identify themselves publicly would be “legally and morally unjust” and cause them further pain. They add that while the young women are no longer attending Bishop Luers High School, multiple have younger siblings who could face harassment if their older sister’s identities are outed."
TV21

IN the NEWS - See....they are Morally Bankrupt ...Rotten to the Core

But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly. Genesis 13:13

"He was the personification of shame in the Vatican, the lone prisoner in the three-cell jail of the world’s smallest sovereign state. Now, the Rev. Carlo Alberto Capella — convicted of possessing and distributing a “large quantity” of child pornography while serving as a Vatican diplomat in Washington — is presenting Pope Leo XIV, the new American pontiff, with one of the first challenges of his papacy.

Capella, a 58-year-old Italian priest, was investigated by U.S. and Canadian authorities for almost two years for gathering and sharing child pornography while a senior diplomat at the Holy See’s embassy in Washington. In 2017, the U.S. State Department asked the Vatican to waive his diplomatic immunity, a request it denied. Instead, Capella was recalled to Rome, where he admitted to tracking down “repugnant” images and, in a rare Vatican criminal trial a year later, was found guilty and sentenced to five years in prison.

In recent weeks, reports have emerged on Catholic blogs of his 2022 release and quiet return to work at the Holy See’s Secretariat of State. His restoration to the powerful department has outraged advocates for the survivors of abuse by Catholic clerics. They insist that even though he was never accused of sexual abuse, a convicted priest who consumed child pornography has no place in a prominent Vatican office.

Capella’s attorney, Roberto Borgogno, said in an interview that his client was released a year early, in the first part of 2022, for “good behavior” and resumed work at the secretariat in January 2023. Pope Francis, Borgogno said, approved Capella’s return and had at least one direct post-release conversation with him about his contrition." msn

IN the NEWS - Men of Sodom Stalking Michigan for Decades

But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
Genesis 13:13

"Dozens of senior figures from the Catholic Church in Michigan have been accused of historic sexual misconduct dating to the 1950s in a landmark report the state's top prosecutor released Monday.
Michigan investigators uncovered extensive allegations of

Apparently Vincent thinks this is Funny

misconduct in the Diocese of Lansing against children and adults since 1950.

The report, which the state undertook after a search warrant was obtained in 2018, is based on interviews with alleged survivors of sexual misconduct, open-source media, more than 1,100 public tips and millions of computer files from the diocese, as well as reports disclosed by the church.

It accuses 56 people: 48 priests, three religious brothers, "an apparent former religious brother" and four deacons. Most of the alleged misconduct took place in the 1970s and the 1980s.
Eleven people have been charged in connection with the investigation, leading to nine convictions.
But many of those listed in the new report are now dead, and some living suspects cannot be prosecuted because of the statute of limitations or alleged victims' failure to press charges.

Rather than criminal convictions, the report's objective is to provide "an acknowledgment to the victims of these alleged crimes".

Those who have been convicted of crimes include Vincent DeLorenzo, 84, a Michigan priest who last year pleaded guilty to preying on a 5-year-old boy after a family funeral in 1987. He died in January while he was serving his sentence.
Timothy Crowley, a priest in Ann Arbor, was sentenced to a year in jail and five years' probation after he pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Bishop Earl Boyea, the head of the Diocese of Lansing since 2008, apologized to all the victims.

The investigation into Lansing is just one of several probes into allegations of abuse within the church. The attorney general’s office has already published reports into Gaylord, Marquette and Kalamazoo and has said it will eventually have published reports into all of the state's seven dioceses by 2026." NBC

IN the NEWS - 1400 Cases!?!?!?

But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly. Genesis 13:13

"The Archdiocese of New York, under the leadership of Cardinal Timothy Dolan, has announced the first round of a series of layoffs of workers within their organization, a needed restructuring to save money to pay victims of sexual abuse......the Archdiocese announced that it had sold its longtime office headquarters for more than $100M. The offices, at the 20-story Terence Cardinal Cooke Building, also housed offices for Catholic Charities of New York and Catholic Near East Welfare Association and are being sold off to be redeveloped as residential units with the Archdiocese downsized.

The building sale was followed by laying off 18 workers, or some 4% of their administrative staff, which they estimate will save them $1.5M a year, with more planned in the next few months.

New York, Dolan explained: "We have worked hard to settle meritorious cases not covered by insurance in justice for the victims of years past. We settled over 400 cases.....There remains about 1400 cases of alleged abuse, some dating back to World War II! To be clear, not all of these allegations are against priests. In fact, the two largest groups of complaints are against a former volunteer basketball coach and a former janitor."..... the Archdiocese is suing their insurance company, Chubb, because “even though we have paid them over $2 billion in premium by today’s standards, is now attempting to evade their legal and moral contractual obligation to settle covered claims which would bring peace and healing to victim-survivor.”
Chubb insists that they are not obligated to settle several of these claims, some of which go back over 80 years, because the church knew about the abuse and didn’t do anything to stop it, making them not responsible." 

Protestia

IN the NEWS - Friars of Sodom in L.A. to Pay $880,000,000

But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly. Genesis 13:13

"The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has reached a settlement with men and women who survived childhood sexual abuse at the hands of Roman Catholic priests and clergy within their organization. 

They have agreed to a payout of $880M to 1353 victims, or around $650k each.
Some of these acts are alleged to have been committed by Archdiocesan clergy, some by lay people, and some by religious order priests and clergy from other dioceses who were serving here.
This is the largest settlement ever paid by the Church to date. Funding for this settlement will be “drawn from reserves, investments, and loans, along with other Archdiocesan assets.” Protestia

IN the NEWS - Suing Instead of Repenting

But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly. Genesis 13:13

"A Wisconsin priest who was outed and lost his job for using Grindr is suing the queer dating app, alleging his data was sold without his knowledge or consent.

Monsignor Jeffrey Burrill, who was the top administrator of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) until his resignation in 2021, claims Grindr failed to inform him that his data was being sold to vendors — thereby allowing people outside the app to know he was on it.

The release of his data caused “significant damage” to his reputation, Burrill said in a lawsuit obtained by the Washington Post — especially given the vow of celibacy he’d taken as a priest and also the Catholic Church’s long-held stance against homosexual sex.

Burrill was forced out of his position with the church after the Christian news website “The Pillar” ran a story exposing him for visiting gay bars and using the dating app — reporting it had tracked down and verified his behavior using online data.

Burrill said he’d never have joined the app had he known his data would be available to the public, according to the lawsuit." 

NYP

IN the NEWS - Friars of Sodom in Baltimore (600+)

But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
Genesis 13:13

"Maryland's top prosecutor accused Catholic Church officials in Baltimore of engaging in a yearslong cover-up of the sexual abuse of 600-plus children, some of whom were “preyed upon by multiple abusers over decades."
"Time and again, members of the Church’s hierarchy resolutely

refused to acknowledge allegations of child sexual abuse for as long as possible," according to the report.
"When denial became impossible, Church leadership would remove abusers from the parish or school, sometimes with promises that they would have no further contact with children. Church documents reveal with disturbing clarity that the Archdiocese was more concerned with avoiding scandal and negative publicity than it was with protecting children."
In total, the state found, more than "600 children are known to have been abused by the 156 people included in this Report, but the number is likely far higher." 

NBC

IN the NEWS - Idle Hands of a Priest with a Access to Texting

But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.

Genesis 13:13

 

Q: How did this level of SIN become so prevalent in the priesthood worldwide on this scale?

"A former Catholic priest with a lengthy career at parishes across

New Mexico has been arrested on criminal charges of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity through text messages, federal law enforcement authorities announced.

The U.S. Attorney's Office and FBI field office in Albuquerque said that Daniel Balizan of Springer, New Mexico, was arrested in connection with a grand jury indictment.

A redacted copy of the indictment accuses 61-year-old Balizan of knowingly attempting to coerce an unnamed minor into sexual activity in August and September 2012 in Santa Fe County.

The charges carry a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison upon conviction." FOX

IN the NEWS - In Charleston too....

But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.

Genesis 13:13

 

Q: How did this level of SIN become so prevalent in the priesthood worldwide on this scale?

 

"A South Carolina priest who served in the Roman Catholic Diocese

of Charleston is facing federal sex crime charges stemming from allegations that he abused an 11-year-old child.

A recently unsealed indictment shows 68-year-old Jaime Adolfo Gonzalez-Farias has been charged with aggravated sexual abuse of children, coercion of a minor and transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. Gonzalez-Farias was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service in Miami on Nov. 29." 

Local10.com

IN the NEWS - Sodoms Swamp: At Least 1,997 children

 But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.

Genesis 13:13

 

"The Attorney General’s Report on Catholic Clergy Child Sex Abuse in Illinois – released this morning during a press conference in Chicago – represents the state of Illinois’ first comprehensive.....The

report concludes a multi-year investigation into child sex abuse by members of the clergy in all six Catholic dioceses in Illinois. Attorney General Raoul’s report reveals names and detailed information of 451 Catholic clerics and religious brothers who abused at least 1,997 children across all of the dioceses in Illinois....reviewed more than 100,000 pages of documents held by the dioceses and received more than 600 confidential contacts from survivors through emails, letters, interviews and phone calls....The survivor narratives demonstrate a troubling pattern of the church failing to support survivors, ignoring or covering up reports

of abuse, and survivors being revictimized by the church when they came forward to report being abused. Repeatedly, church officials prioritized the reputation of the institution over protecting children....report contains detailed descriptions of child sex abuse, assault and trauma."

Office of the Illinois Attorney General

IN the NEWS - New Orleans, Predator Priests & the Mann Act

 But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
Genesis 13:13

 

"The FBI has opened an investigation into sex abuse going back

decades in the Roman Catholic Church in New Orleans, a rare federal foray into such cases that will look specifically at whether priests took children across state lines to molest them.

More than a dozen alleged abuse victims have been interviewed this year as part of the investigation, which is exploring whether predator priests can be prosecuted under the Mann Act, an anti-sex-trafficking law more than a century old that prohibits taking anyone across state lines for illicit sex.

Some of the New Orleans cases under review allege abuse by clergy during trips to Mississippi camps or amusement parks in Texas and Florida. And although some claims date back decades, Mann Act violations notably have no statute of limitations." LATimes

IN the NEWS - The "godfather" has Died

 But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
Genesis 13:13

"Cardinal Sodano, Vatican ‘Godfather’ alleged to have covered up

clerical abuse, dies aged 94. 

Cardinal Sodano died May 27, after having been hospitalized in Rome’s  Columbus Hospital-Gemelli for COVID-19 since May 9.

Sodano, who has been described as the “Vatican’s Godfather,” was mired in controversy over his alleged role in covering up clerical sexual abuse, particularly in the case of Marcial Maciel and ex-cardinal Theodore McCarrick.

The office for the Secretary of State for the Holy See stated over Twitter that it was “united in prayer over the loss” of the cardinal.

Despite Pope Francis’ praise for the cardinal, Sodano has been mired in controversy, accused of covering up clerical sexual abuse, and even of being an active homosexual himself.

The highly influential cardinal was very closely linked to the pedophile priest Marcial Maciel, founder of the Legionaries of Christ,  and was said to have protected and covered up for Maciel.

 “For years a leaf did not move in the Vatican unless Cardinal Sodano wanted it to,” said Badilla.

 New York Times’ bestselling author Frederic Martel wrote that the cardinal was “La Montgolfiera,” a previously un-identified active homosexual in Martel’s book Sodoma (In the Closet of the Vatican). Himself a homosexual, Martel stated: “My rule was not to reveal the homosexuality of a living priest or cardinal. Now that he is dead, the truth can be written.” 

Lifesite

IN the NEWS - When Your Sin Costs $800,000

But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.

Genesis 13:13

 

"The Archdiocese of Chicago has agreed to pay a combined

$800,000 in settlements in five cases involving claims of sexual abuse by members of the clergy, according to attorneys for the accusers.

The settlement involved claims against an Irish Christian brother and four priests, including a renowned activist priest, according to the law offices of attorney Mitchell Garabedian.

Rev. George Clements was the pastor of Saint Ambrose, Saint Dorothy, and at Holy Angels, which he led for 22 years.

Clements also adopted four sons, and was the first American priest to adopt a child." AT

 

IN the NEWS - What did Dolan know and when did he know it?

But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.

Genesis 13:13

 

"The attorney for former North American College seminarian

Anthony Gorgia has filed an appeal after a New York judge dismissed a sexual predation cover-up complaint against Cdl. Timothy Dolan and NAC.

Notably, while the judge stated there were problematic procedural technicalities and jurisdictional issues with the case, she did not dismiss the veracity of the allegations against Dolan or the sexual misconduct allegations against outgoing NAC rector Fr. Peter Harman and vice rector Fr. Adam Park (who resigned).

The accusations were bolstered by a former FBI special agent who, after reviewing the evidence, affirmed in sworn testimony that he found the allegations entirely credible.

Multiple NAC seminarians and the FBI agents have detailed Harman and Park's alleged sexual antics — as well as retaliatory tactics used to hide clerics' misconduct and punish whistleblowers. The lawsuit also brought to light a three-year paper trail showing Dolan, NAC seminary officials and the Vatican refusing to investigate." ChurchMilitant

On the Streets of Babylon: Every Subject LGBT

Babylon is fallen, is fallen,..

Come out of her, my people,
Revelation 14:8/18:4

There seems to be some "Teaching Every Subject as LGBT" on the Streets of Babylon...

 

"An English bishop is refusing to discipline the headteacher of a

prestigious Catholic school who is openly promoting pansexual propaganda in defiance of Church teaching.

Gemma Ackred, headteacher of St. Thomas More High School in the diocese of Brentwood, shocked local Catholics when she marked "LGBTIQ+ History Month" by publishing, for the school assembly, a prayer affirming gender confusion and homosexuality. 

"Boys will sigh for boys, and girls for girls. Thank you, God," the prayer read. "Some sigh and search for their true identity. Thank you, God." 

Ackred also announced that every subject taught at the school would have at least one lesson educating pupils on LGBTIQ+ issues. 

In her weekly message for the first week of February, the headteacher quoted Pope Francis, claiming that the pontiff "has given a clear direction that he wants to see a strong emphasis on an inclusive Church." CM

Decades of Horrific Horror in New Zealand

But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
Genesis 13:13

 

"The report published on Feb. 1 reveals for the first time the shocking numbers of physical and sexual abuse in the New Zealand Catholic Church since the 1950s.

 

The results of a two-year fact-finding investigation revealed a total of 1,680 reports of abuse were made by 1,122 individuals against Catholic clergy, brothers, nuns, sisters and laypeople, from 1950 to the present, with 592 alleged abusers named.

It also notes almost half the reported abuse involved sexual harm and adds the 1960s and 1970s were the decades with the most abuse reported, with 75% dated before 1990.

Liz Tonks, victim advocate, Network of Survivors of Abuse in Faith-Based Institutions: "This inquiry should not have been needed. The churches, like the crown, have known for decades upon decades the abuse that was happening under their purview."

Alleged abuse occurred on diocesan grounds and at institutions run by religious orders.

The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry stated, "Our inquiry has heard horrific experience after horrific experience of abuse," adding, "the research is startling, and the heartbreaking reality is that helpless and vulnerable children and adults sit behind these facts and figures." 

A preliminary report was released in December, accusing the Catholic Church, the Anglican Church and the Salvation Army of protecting themselves from accusations and suppressing victims." CM

IN the NEWS - Lust of Sodom Knows No Bounds

But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
Genesis 13:13

"A Staten Island priest has been charged with molesting a

Philadelphia boy from 1995 until 2002, beginning when the child was 10 years old....

The Rev. James Garisto, 73, who spent nearly 40 years as a priest, teacher, and school administrator in the Archdiocese of New York, was arrested Thursday and charged with endangering the welfare of children, corruption of minors, and indecent assault. The Philadelphia allegations mark the third time the priest has been accused of sexual misconduct.

 Garisto, who owned a home in Fishtown at the time of the assaults, is accused of attacking the child hundreds of times. ... most of the assaults took place in Garisto’s car.

The priest, who now lives in Harrisburg, is being represented by the Defender Association of Philadelphia, court records show. Efforts to reach him and his lawyer were unsuccessful Friday. "  

 Philadelphia Inquirer