Police Bust Large International Pedophile Ring

reported today on yahoo

Senator Brown reveals Childhood Sexual Abuse

A testimony of honesty, courage, and resiliance from Senator Brown of Mass

Cult, A Love Story by Alexandra Amor

Allow me to introduce you to Canadian cult survivor, Alexandra Amor, and her award winning memoir.
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About


My name is Alexandra Amor and I am the author of Cult, A Love Story. I belonged to a quasi-Eastern New Age cult in Vancouver, Canada from 1989 to 2000. The road of recovery from cult mind control is a long and arduous one and a discovery I made early on was that it is often a very lonely journey. For that reason I wrote this book to say to other cult survivors, “You are not alone. There are others who understand how you feel.”

I also wrote this book for the families and friends of all those who are involved in a cult. It is so difficult to imagine why anyone would put themselves in a situation as abusive and soul destroying as a cult. If you have a loved one who is involved with a cult, I’m sure you’ve asked yourself a thousand times how it is possible that the intelligent, sensible person you know cannot see that they are being manipulated. In the book I chronicle my personal descent as a model of how one gradually becomes coerced into believing that a guru is telling the truth, even when it causes personal pain and loss and the erosion of one’s spirit.

I’ve chosen the title of my book very deliberately to highlight the tragic, abominable paradox of cults: it is often love that is the lever that gurus use to seduce their victims and then to keep them in line and in their sway.

Writing the Book

It took me a year and half to write Cult, A Love Story, but it took me almost a decade to be ready to write it.

I began writing a mystery novel in late 2007, but during the early stages of that book I noticed that the subject of cults kept trying to insert itself into the plot I was trying to devise. I tried to push it away but it returned, persistently. After weeks of wrestling with this I realized that I needed to write my story of being in a cult. I needed to get that story off my chest and out of my body before I would be able to focus on writing fiction.

From January to September 2008 I worked half-time and wrote the book the rest of the time. Then, in September 2008, I closed down my home-based business completely and wrote full-time until April 2009, when the book was complete. Throughout the writing process, my biggest challenge was to clearly explain how one can be persuaded to believe in and follow a manipulative guru. It is an almost unutterably complex series of mental processes that a disciple goes through and I found it very difficult to express this in a way that potential readers who have never been subjected to thought reform would understand.

I’m often asked if it was painful and/or emotionally wrenching to revisit the events and experiences of my time in the cult. For the most part it was not; I had done a tremendous amount of personal healing work (including therapy and thousands of hours of journaling) before I began writing, so more often I felt challenged by the task of communicating in a clear yet hopefully interesting way. But there were moments when I found myself writing about a particular event that I hadn’t thought of for a long time, particularly if it involved the loved one I left behind in the cult, when I would have to stop typing and simply sit and allow myself to weep over my keyboard. When the pressure of that emotion eased up I would wipe my eyes and nose and keep writing. But later I might have to stop and cry again. I felt comfortable that this happened occasionally. It felt healing.

Writing this book has been a powerful and beautiful journey for me. It taught me several things I did not yet know about myself and about the impact the cult had on my life. It brought me closer to my family, because I was able to share for the first time some of the painful and debilitating experiences I’d had. It gave me a voice, something all cult members are robbed of. It taught me how to be a writer, something I’d been trying to learn for years. And it reinforced in me how passionate I am about helping others who are cult survivors.

In May 2010, I was the proud recipient of an Independently Published Book Award (IPPY) for Cult, A Love Story in the category of Autobiography/Memoir

Half a Million Dollars average to compensate 142 Victims from Dioces of Delaware

Fr Maciel applauds from the other side

Diocese of Delaware just settled with 142 victims for an average of $500,000.00

77 million for 146 victims

Catholic lobby wants to limit statue of limitations for abuse suits

Catholic lobby wants to limit statue of limitations for abuse suits


By Brandon Shulleeta Published: January 19, 2011

Catholic Church leaders hope to soften Virginia legislation that could open the church to new lawsuits claiming child molestation by priests.

The state Senate is considering a bill that would give child molestation victims a longer window of time to file civil lawsuits against both their perpetrators and organizations complicit in the abuse.

Companion bills had been filed in the House of Delegates and the Senate, but the House Courts of Justice Subcommittee last week amended the proposed 25-year limitation to eight years - after being lobbied by Virginia Catholic Conference Executive Director Jeff Caruso.

Caruso said in an interview that he told state lawmakers that many states have far lower statutes of limitations than 25 years.

Caruso, a spokesman for Virginia's two Catholic dioceses' bishops, said the bishops support a "reasonable" expansion of the time period in which child abuse victims can file lawsuits beyond the state's current two-year limit.

"I think the key word is 'reasonable,'" Caruso said.

Some child protection lobbyists believe the Catholic Church is fighting to limit its financial liabilities at the detriment of child molestation victims.

"It's a sad day when pedophiles and their enablers have paid lobbyists and victims have to beg for justice," said Grier Weeks, executive director of the National Association to Protect Children. "The last thing we want is to make this anything about the church. ... They inserted themselves into this."
The Catholic Church has faced global scrutiny in recent years in the face of revelations of some priests being transferred to different parishes after molesting children, where some have sexually abused a new set of children.

Now the Catholic Church is trying to restore its image, with Pope John Paul II having issued new guidelines for dealing with accusations of sexual abuse.

In recent years, Catholic Church lobbyists have worked to block attempts in other states to lengthen the period in which victims can file lawsuits against predators and the church.

In 2009, Maryland legislators voted down a bill that would have given child sex abuse victims until age 50 to file a lawsuit against the perpetrator and complicit organizations after the Maryland Catholic Conference put up a vigorous defense, claiming the legislation would have discouraged prompt reporting of child abuse.

In Virginia, victims of child molestation currently have two years to file a lawsuit after either turning 18 or discovering personal damage, whichever comes later. Experts say some child molestation victims experience memory repression and memories of the crimes don't resurface until many years later. Corporations and nonprofits, including churches, can also be held liable if deemed to have been complicit in the abuse.

"When you have third-party defendants that are involved, I think that's where you get into the issue of recognizing that there has to be a reasonable length of time," Caruso said, arguing that the church might have a difficult time defending itself against claims of abuse that occurred long ago. "Again, memories fade and witnesses have died or they can't be located, and at that point, it's very difficult to present evidence in a defense."

But Weeks argues that the church leaders' argument "doesn't wash."

"I've met hundreds of survivors of child sexual abuse and talked with them at length - every imaginable tragedy you can think of. And most of them, even the strongest, are still struggling to come to terms with this decades later," Weeks said, adding that lost or aged evidence works in favor of the defense. "Nobody can or should win a lawsuit without evidence."

Weeks argues that extending the statute of limitations to eight years is far better than two, but doesn't go far enough. Weeks said that he believes the civil statute of limitations should be lifted altogether in Virginia.
"Shouldn't we let victims pursue justice when they want to? Isn't that in our interest? More predators will be exposed. More collaborators will be exposed. It makes the entire society safe," Weeks said.
"Eight years is not enough," Weeks said. "This is not decency to force these people into court and say 'now or never,' because the reality is that many of them are going to come to terms with this much later [in life]."

Mark McAllister, 40, of Roanoke County, received a settlement of $600,000 from the Catholic Church after filing a lawsuit in Missouri alleging a priest sexually abused him regularly for five years, beginning at the age of 13.

But McAllister didn't file the suit until after coming to terms with the abuse at the age of 37, he said in an interview. McAllister said that he had symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and had repressed memory of the incident.

The Rev. Carmine Sita of St. Aloysius Church in Jersey City, N.J., had previously been sentenced to five years of probation connected to an alleged case of child sex abuse. After being sent to a treatment center, he had his name changed to Gerald Howard and was transferred to a small parish in Missouri - where McAllister says the priest sexually abused him.

Howard is awaiting trial for numerous felonies, including multiple counts of forcible sodomy.

McAllister, who plans to testify in front of the Virginia Senate, said that at the age of 37 he began having nightmares and uncontrollable thoughts that "all sort of centered around this individual and what happened between us, and initially I wasn't even sure it was real."

McAllister, the Western Virginia director of The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, argues that it's unreasonable to expect all child sexual abuse victims to come forward at a young age.
"It's a huge amount of shame and guilt that goes along with it. The perpetrators are very good making the victim feel responsible that they in some manner contributed to it, that they were an equal or willing participant," McAllister said. "Denial is so much of an easier route to take for a lot of the victims. ... Until they realize how deeply it affects their lives, it's just simply an easier route to take. Some victims, on the other hand, simply eliminate it from memory."

Caruso said Catholic Church leaders in Virginia don't plan to point to a specific year as an appropriate civil statute of limitations. However, he noted that about 30 states have a civil statute of limitations of two to five years for child sex abuse cases.

"There's only six states that have a statute of limitations of 25 years or greater, and of the remainder, the majority of those fall in the seven to 10 years range," Caruso said. "Rather than pointing to a specific number, I think that this survey of what other states do in this area really kind of presents a reasonable context."

Caruso said that the Richmond and Arlington dioceses have implemented mandatory background checks for employees and volunteers. There's also been "safe environment" training, and there's a requirement to report abuse to law enforcement.

Del. David Albo, R-Fairfax County, filed the House bill to extend the civil statute of limitations to 25 years. However, he said that Caruso presented a compelling case for a smaller window.

"They're probably right," Albo said. "If it was 25 years it creates a problem, because what if you discovered it when you were 40? And then you have 25 more years? You'd be trialing a case 55 years after the event happened. And witnesses pass away. People forget [things]."

"I kind of wished it was more than eight, but you know, politics is the art of the possible," Albo said. "We took the higher end of what most states do."

Albo noted that there is no criminal statute of limitations for felony child sex abuse cases in Virginia, contending that perpetrators could still be locked up for crimes that aren't reported until much later.

Attempts to interview Bishop Francis Xavier DiLorenzo of the Richmond Diocese were unsuccessful. Caruso said he speaks on behalf of Arlington Diocese Bishop Paul S. Loverde and DiLorenzo. Aides said Wednesday that DiLorenzo's schedule was booked and a follow-up email to DiLorenzo requesting an interview had not been responded to as of press time.

It was also unclear, as of press time, when the Senate plans to discuss the companion statute of limitations bill

Maciel a Sociopath and a Criminal, not just a Sinner

Not saying he wasn't a sinner but the big problem is he was not only a Pedophile and a Reprobate, but a Sociopath, a person who loved to deceive others and used people with gusto for his own ends, breaking the law without scruple or remorse. That is the problem for the Legion of Christ and for the Vatican: the Founder of this religious order was a sociopath, an Emotionally and Mentally Ill person [technically, Anti-social personality disorder, according to the DSM-IV]; and from a legal point of view a Criminal

Now if God can use such a person to found a religious order then my hat is off to Him -I do believe that for God nothing is impossible. It just stretches my faith...

Legion declares Maciel a Good Founder but a Bad Priest

The Superior General, Alvaro Corcuera, has reached this decision after long reflection and meditation:

Picture of Fr. Maciel distributing Holy Communion to Legionaries, flanked by Apostolics

[from life.after.rc blog with a few minor edits by blogger, a translator]

Institutional position on founder

The Legion has released a formal in-house decree re the Founder, Fr. Maciel. One wonders what this means as the Legion had already said this on March 25 of this year. Maybe Alvaro wants to show solidarity with the pope. It could also be a way to move Legion die-hards away from stubborn allegiance to Fr. Maciel.

===============

For the Legionaries of Christ

And consecrated members of Regnum Christ

Dear Friends in Christ:

Our General Director, after having meditated before God, having received many suggestions, and after having discussions with the regional directors and members of the general council during meetings held on 3 and 4 December, has found it necessary to take an institutional position in relation to Fr.. Maciel, founder of the Legion of Christ and the Regnum Christi Movement. This decree therefore emanates with the approval of the Papal Delegate, Card. Velasio De Paolis, and is to be applied in all places and works of the Legion of Christ and the Regnum Christi.

It was not easy to get to these provisions, as the person of Fr Maciel "is a mysterious figure," as Pope Benedict XVI acknowledges in his recent book-length interview. As we said in our statement of March 25th, "God in his mysterious plans chose Fr Maciel as an instrument to found the Legion of Christ and the Regnum Christi Movement, and we thank God for the good he did. While painful to accept, given the gravity of his faults, we can not see him as a model of Christian and priestly life." Our General Director is of the firm hope that this institutional position will help us focus more and more in the person of Christ, and to follow him closely united in love, actively fighting for his kingdom in the world.

We put this in the hands of Our Blessed Lady of Guadalupe, on the eve of her fest day.

Please remember us in your prayers
Yours affectionately in Christ,

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[Here is the original -- improved translations over Googelle are welcome:

Nuestro director general, después de haberlo meditado ante Dios, de haber recibido múltiples sugerencias, de haberlas discutido con los directores territoriales y con los miembros del consejo general en las reuniones tenidas el 3 y 4 de diciembre, ha considerado necesario tomar una postura institucional en relación con el P. Maciel, fundador de la Legión de Cristo y del Movimiento Regnum Christi. Y por lo mismo emana este decreto con la aprobación del Delegado Pontificio, Card. Velasio De Paolis, para que sea aplicado en todos los centros y obras de la Legión de Cristo y del Regnum Christi.

No ha sido fácil llegar a estas disposiciones, pues la persona del P. Maciel «es una figura misteriosa», como reconoce el Papa Benedicto XVI en su reciente libro-entrevista. Según dijimos en nuestro comunicado del 25 de marzo, «Dios en sus misteriosos designios eligió al P. Maciel como instrumento para fundar la Legión de Cristo y el Movimiento Regnum Christi, y agradecemos a Dios el bien que realizó. A la vez aceptamos con dolor que, ante la gravedad de sus faltas, no podemos mirar su persona como modelo de vida cristiana o sacerdotal». Nuestro director general tiene la firme esperanza de que esta postura institucional nos ayudará a centrarnos más y más en la persona de Cristo, y a seguir muy unidos en la caridad, luchando activamente por su Reino en el mundo.]