California bishops are asking a judge to overturn a state law that extends the statute of limitations for sexual abuse claims.
The state now allows adult survivors of child sexual abuse to file civil claims in old abuse cases until the age of 40, or five years after an adult survivor realizes they have been abused.
In addition, survivors are eligible under the law for triple damages in the event of an institutional cover up of the abuse. Previously, survivors of child sex abuse had to file civil claims by age 26, or within three years of realizing their abuse.
The new law also created a three-year window for abuse claims beginning on Jan. 1, 2020, in cases where the old statute of limitations had already expired. The legislation, Assembly Bill 218, was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) in Oct., 2019, and went into effect on Jan. 1, 2020.
The law is being challenged by the archbishops of Los Angeles and San Francisco, as well as the bishops of Orange, Fresno, Monterey, Oakland, Sacramento, San Jose, and Santa Rosa. Only two of the state’s dioceses, San Diego and San Bernardino, are not listed in the motions.
Full story at Catholic News Agency.
When will the Church acknowledge the problem of homosexual priests?
Over 85 percent of abuse cases involved a homosexual priest with a post-pubescent boy. As Rev. James Martin SJ wrote in US Catholic, “It is definitely true that most of the abuse has been men preying on adolescent males and young boys.”
The Lavender Mafia is still, tragically, alive and well.
Folks, we have got to lance the boil. It is extraordinarily hard to evangelize when you’ve always got someone bringing up the clerical sex abuse scandal. And they are completely right about that. The Church of all people should know that you cannot receive absolution until you line up for confession.
Umm, hmm. and make sure that priest is not going to confirm one in sin, but requires changes in ones life, and a return to truly moral behavior. It does no good to go to a priest who tells one sinning is okay, and I suspect many do just that.
YFC , note the day and time I agree with you, Amen ! I would add that this is the legacy of Mahony and his ilk, that we the laity pay in increased “assessments” applied to our local church’s from the bishops.
I am not at all impressed with Church leaders who seem to do all they can, to suppress poor victims of clergy child sex abuse, in every way they can. Shame on them. The poor victims are so deeply traumatized, they can hardly make it through each painful day, of the rest of their earthly lives. Their lives have been horribly destroyed by these criminals in the priesthood! Some even are driven to commit suicide. The least these terrible bishops could do, is to invite all the poor victims to go and report these horrific crimes, and extend the time as far as possible, to encourage all of the victims to make their reports. How many of these bishops actually covered-up, and lied about the sex crimes of priests in their dioceses– and refused to take action on sex crime reports of poor victims? I think these terrible bishops all should go out and do hard, hard manual labor, and give all the money to the poor victims. Never force good parishioners to foot the bill for these crimes. Shame on them all! Our children are not safe with these very bad Churchmen.
Amen !
There is more! When the Pope, “Fr.” James Martin, Bp. McElroy, Cdl. Cupich, and many other clerics essentially give an “imprimatur” to the “LGBT” agenda, or “a woman’s right to choose” (Abortion) or downplay these terrible sins– and refuse to do their teaching, sanctifying, and disciplinary jobs– including excommunicating sinful, unrepentant, rebellious, “bad Catholics”– they severely abuse their religious callings, abuse Christ’s holy Church and Sacraments, and severely undermine the entire mission of Christ’s holy Church. The “bad Catholics” who champion the extremely immoral cause of the “LGBT” agendas, contribute to the extreme destruction of Traditional Marriage and Family, the destruction of all of society, and the Church– and encourage horrific mortal sins– such as “gay” priests molesting altar boys. Satanic!
You’ve heard of priests belonging to SJ, OP, OFM, SS, SVD, SDB and so forth.
It seems all priests also belong to the society of CYA.