Category: Human Rights

Thirty-four Chilean bishops have resigned together over the Catholic child sex abuse scandals.

The unprecedented move — which saw the entire Chilean church leadership offer to step down — came shortly after a meeting with Pope Francis over the scale of sexual abuse and its cover-up in Chile. It is to date the most significant formal acceptance of responsibility for abuse by members of the church hierarchy anywhere in the world.

While child sex abuse scandals have dogged the Catholic Church worldwide, the scandal in Chile centers on the figure of Rev. Fernando Karadima. In 2011, a Vatican investigation found Karadima guilty of a series of child sexual abuse that took place throughout the 1970s and ’80s. (The case was never prosecuted under criminal law, and Karadima, now 87, lives in a nursing home in Chile.) A number of critics have accused Karadima’s protégé, Bishop Juan Barros, of being complicit in the abuse by covering for Karadima and allowing his behavior to go unpunished.

The mass resignation appears to be an acknowledgment that the Chilean church — which has consistently defended Barros and maintained his innocence — is accepting responsibility for wrongdoing.

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The US DOJ Eastern District of NY is prosecuting Keith Raniere and Allison Mack for sex trafficking and forced labor. As an indicator that the probe may be expanding to financial crimes, the prosecution has revealed in a court filing that they are aware of ninety [90] companies or entities “affiliated in any way with Keith Raniere, his teachings, his purported ‘technology,’ his purported ‘tools’ or Allison Mack.”

Frank Report had previously identified 77 companies/entities – most of these the government lists –  months ago, here in 2017 and here is a story I published in 2015! 

But, there are some new companies the DOJ identified that I did not previously know about [some of these have wonderfully ironic names given the current circumstances].

More important is the fact that the government listed them as part of a discovery motion, seeking an order to seal certain evidence from the public – mainly to protect the names of alleged victims. What this tells me is they are following the money!

Continue reading here.