Global association of Catholic nuns urges reporting of sex abuse to police

Global association of Catholic nuns urges reporting of sex abuse to police

by Associated Press

| November 24, 2018 09:02 PM

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ROME (AP) — The Catholic Church's global organization of nuns has denounced the "culture of silence and secrecy" surrounding sexual abuse in the church and is urging sisters who have been abused to report the crimes to police and their superiors. The International Union of Superiors General, which represents more than 500,000 sisters worldwide, vowed to help nuns who have been abused to find the courage to report it, and pledged to help victims heal and seek justice.

The statement, issued on the eve of the U.N.-designated International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, was the first from the Rome-based UISG since the abuse scandal erupted anew this year and as the sexual abuse of adult nuns by clergymen has also come to light. The Associated Press reported earlier this year that the Vatican has known for decades about the problem of priests and bishops preying on nuns, but has done next to nothing to stop it. In the statement Friday, the UISG didn't specify clergy as the aggressors. While such abuse is well known in parts of Africa, and an Indian case of the alleged rape of a nun by a bishop is currently making headlines, there have also been cases of sexual abuse committed by women against other women within congregations. The UISG statement was broad, condemning what it called the "pattern of abuse that is prevalent within the church and society today," citing sexual, verbal and emotional abuse as types of mistreatment that festers in unequal power relations and demeans the dignity of its victims.

"We condemn those who support the culture of silence and secrecy, often under the guise of 'protection' of an institution's reputation or naming it 'part of one's culture,'" the group said. "We advocate for transparent civil and criminal reporting of abuse whether within religious congregations, at the parish or diocesan levels, or in any public arena," the statement said.

To mark the U.N. day calling for an end to violence against women, the head of the Italian bishops' conference, Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti, issued a video message on the subject - but didn't mention sexual violence against sisters by fellow clergymen, evidence of how taboo the subject is within the church hierarchy. An AP investigation found that cases of priest abusing nuns have emerged in Europe, Africa, South America and Asia, underscoring how sisters' second class status in the church has contributed to a power imbalance where women can be mistreated by men with near impunity.

While some nuns are finding their voices, buoyed by the #MeToo movement, many victims remain reluctant to come forward. Experts told AP sisters have a well-founded fear they won't be believed and will instead be painted as the seducer who corrupted the priest. Often the sister who denounces abuse by a priest is punished, including with expulsion from her congregation, while the priest's vocation is preserved at all cost. The Vatican has known for years about the problem in Africa after a series of major studies were commissioned in the 1990s. Religious sisters reported that African nuns were being particularly targeted by priests seeking to avoid HIV transmission from prostitutes or other women. In the wake of the AP report, the umbrella organization of U.S. sisters, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, urged sisters who had been abused to report to both civil and church authorities. Many of the LCWR's members also belong to the global UISG, which can provide a point of contact with the Vatican.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/global-association-of-catholic-nuns-urges-reporting-of-sex-abuse-to-police

Clinton Foundation Donations Take $36 Million Plunge This Year

Donors have left the Clinton Foundation in the dust one year after Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 presidential election to President Donald Trump, according to the organization’s latest federal tax filings. The filings, obtained by the New York Post on Saturday, showed that contributions to the foundation took a $36 million nosedive over the past year—reported contributions fell from $62,912,331 in 2016 to $26,566,825 in 2017. The $36 million drop in donations comes as House Republicans plan to hold hearings in December on the results of a Justice Department probe into the Clinton Foundation—one month before Democrats assume control of the House.

Donations to the foundation have tanked over the past few years as the organization had tried to fend off allegations that Hillary Clinton used the foundation to engage in pay-to-play schemes with foreign governments. In 2015, donations plummeted by 37 percent amid allegations that Clinton, the former 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, used the charity to solicit millions of dollars in donations from foreign governments and corporations in exchange for giving these entities favorable treatment while she served as Secretary of State. Right before Hillary Clinton announced her intent to run for the White House, the New York Times published a piece explaining how she, as Secretary of State, approved a sale which allowed 20 percent of U.S. uranium to be transferred to the Russian government. Although the Clinton State Department was one out of eight Obama administration agencies to look over the deal, Hillary Clinton was the only head of an Obama administration agency whose foundation directly benefited from the sale. The New York Times reported that Clinton’s family foundation— the Clinton Foundation— received $145 million in contributions from donors involved in the sale.

Breitbart News Editor-at-Large Peter Schweizer exposed this deal—known as the Uranium One deal— and other deals between Clinton Foundation donors and the State Department in his book Clinton Cash, which prompted a flood of media coverage of the foundation’s dealings on both sides of the ideological spectrum. The non-profit organization’s donations and revenue gained from both Bill and Hillary Clinton’s speaking engagements tanked when Schweizer’s revelations went public and Clinton lost her election. The foundation reported $3.6 million in revenue from the Clintons’ speeches in 2015, but reported making just under $300,000 from those speaking engagements in 2017, according to the tax filings. The filings show that the Clinton Foundation did not report any earnings from the Clintons’ speaking engagements in 2016 when Hillary Clinton ran for president.

Clinton Foundation executives brushed off the foundation’s revenue dip due to organizational restructuring, even as the foundation had to lay off 22 staffers and shut down the Clinton Global Initiative. “We anticipated a decline in both revenue and expenses for 2017, largely attributable to the absence of sponsorship and membership contributions for CGI,” a spokesman for the Clinton Foundation told the Post.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2018/11/24/clinton-foundation-donations-take-36-million-plunge-this-year/

Expert: ‘Yellow Jacket’ Protest Is ‘Populist’-Style Revolt Against French Elite

Anti-government protesters clashed with French police on the Champs-Elysees in Paris on Saturday, leaving the famed avenue shrouded in tear gas on another day of demonstrations against President Emmanuel Macron.

Some of France’s top political scientists say the grievances expressed by the protesters show the hallmarks of a populist movement, representing a rejection of the country’s out-of-touch elite. The anger centers around a hike in the diesel fuel tax, which has gone up seven euro cents per liter — nearly 30 cents per gallon — and will keep climbing in coming years, according to Transport Minister Elisabeth Borne. The tax on gasoline is also to increase four euro cents. Currently, gasoline costs roughly 1.64 euros a liter in Paris — $7.06 a gallon — which is slightly more than diesel.

Thousands of police were deployed nationwide to contain the eighth day of demonstrations in which two people have been killed since they started the Nov. 17 protests against the tax. Tense clashes on the Champs-Elysees saw police face off with protesters who burned plywood, wielded placards reading “Death to Taxes,” and upturned a large vehicle. There were no immediate reports of injuries, but 18 were detained for various acts including “throwing projectiles,” Paris police told the press. “The government parties didn’t understand that their tax policies would wind up producing this,” Dominique Reynié, a professor at Sciences Po, told the New York Times. “This is a movement that thinks the political parties are incapable of producing a solution. It is part of the chemistry of populism.” Jean-Yves Camus, who leads the Observatory on Political Radicalism, echoed Reynié’s analysis, referring to the protests as a “populist”-style revolt. “This is the first time we’re seeing a mobilization that’s coming from the social networks, and not led by the political parties or the unions,” Camus told the Times. “This is really a populist-type movement, and it’s an extremely strong protest against elite France.” “It’s a protest against tax policy that’s considered confiscatory,” he added. “And there’s been an undeniable drop in the buying power not just of the workers, but of the middle class.”

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said that 8,000 protesters flooded the Champs-Elysees at the demonstration’s peak, and there were nearly 106,000 protesters and 130 arrests in total nationwide. Castaner denounced protesters from the far-right whom he called “rebellious,” as he accused National Assembly leader Marine Le Pen of encouraging them.

The leader, who swept to power only last year, is the focus of rage for the “yellow jacket” demonstrators who accuse the pro-business centrist of elitism and indifference to the struggles of ordinary French.

Macron has so far held strong and insisted the fuel tax rises are a necessary pain to reduce France’s dependence on fossil fuels and fund renewable energy investments — a cornerstone of his reforms for the nation. He will defend fresh plans to make the “energy transition” easier next week. Macron has condemned violence by protesters at demonstrations against rising fuel taxes and his government.

The embattled French leader wrote in a strongly worded tweet: “Shame on those who attacked (police). Shame on those who were violent against other citizens … No place for this violence in the Republic.”

Merci à nos forces de l’ordre pour leur courage et leur professionnalisme. Honte à ceux qui les ont agressées. Honte à ceux qui ont violenté d’autres citoyens et des journalistes. Honte à ceux qui ont tenté d’intimider des élus. Pas de place pour ces violences dans la République. — Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) November 24, 2018

Police officials said that a no-go zone, set up around key areas including the presidential palace and the National Assembly on the Left Bank of the Seine River, has not been breached. However, authorities are struggling because the movement has no clear leader and has attracted a wide-ranging group of people with broadly varying demands.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2018/11/24/expert-yellow-jacket-protest-is-populist-style-revolt-against-french-elite/

>>4019392

I think they may have already caught on to that idea..hence the significant drop…no more pay to play..

>>4019379

I saw those statements in another article I read a few days ago..looks like they just jot down whatever they felt like at the moment..pathetic!

>>4019546

Sound like their plan to avoid, victim payouts..

Child Rapists, Killer Busted near Texas Border

Border Patrol agents in the Rio Grande Valley Sector stopped several criminal aliens and three gang members from making their way successfully into the U.S. interior. Those arrested included two child rapists, two killers, a member of the 18th Street gang and two MS-13 gang members.

On the day before Thanksgiving, McAllen Station agents arrested a man who illegally crossed the border from Mexico near the town of Hidalgo, Texas. During processing at the station, agents discovered the man is a Honduran national and a confirmed member of the 18th Street gang. Later that same day, other agents working near Hidalgo arrested a Salvadoran man who illegally crossed the border. Records showed that man is a confirmed Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang member. Agents working near the border town of Los Ebanso, Texas arrested a Mexican national who illegally re-entered the U.S. after being deported. The deportation stemmed from an arrest and conviction in Tukwila, Washington, for the rape of a child. The court sentenced the Mexican man to 41 months in prison and three years probation.

Rio Grande City Station agents patrolling near Roma, Texas, on Wednesday also took a child predator off the streets. The agents arrested a Salvadoran man after he illegally re-entered the U.S. from Mexico. During processing, agents learned from court records that the man received a conviction in Aurora, Colorado, for sexual assault of a child. The Colorado court sentenced the illegal alien to three years in prison. On Thanksgiving Day, McAllen Station agents stopped a Mexican man from successfully re-entering the U.S. Records revealed the mad received a conviction in Hickory, North Carolina, for involuntary manslaughter. The court sentenced the man to three years in prison.

Late last week, Weslaco Station agents arrested another Salvadoran MS-13 gang member who illegally crossed the border near Pharr, Texas. A biometric investigation revealed the Salvadoran national has an active homicide arrest warrant issued by his home country. All of the migrants will be processed according to Rio Grande Valley Sector protocols. Several of the illegal aliens could face prosecution in the Southern District of Texas for illegal re-entry after removal as a sex offender or an aggravated felon. Breitbart News has reported extensively on previously deported sex offenders and other criminal aliens who are stopped by Border Patrol agents from successfully re-entering the United States.

https://www.breitbart.com/border/2018/11/24/child-rapists-killer-busted-near-texas-border/

>>4019624

Yup..Wonder how a supposed non-profit..does that bankruptcy thing..what section of IRS code would allow them to do that…

>>4019688

I hear you, I am weary of anything in Macron's arena.