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The Archdiocese of New Orleans has recently filed a petition for reorganization, also known as bankruptcy. And that filing by…

Australia’s highest court has overturned the criminal child sexual abuse conviction of Cardinal George Pell, the highest ranking Catholic official ever to be found guilty of child sexual abuse. Even though Cardinal Pell may have escaped criminal and legal accountability through the civil courts, Pope Francis and the Vatican should immediately conduct a thorough investigation of Pell, leaving no stone unturned. The full history of Cardinal Pell needs to be revealed and the information and investigation into Pell should be made public for full transparency and accountability.

As our communities have been asked to dramatically alter the way we go about our lives to curtail the spread of COVID-19, we at Jeff Anderson & Associates want you to know that we remain fully engaged in this journey with you.

I’m Stacey Benson. I’m an attorney with Jeff Anderson & Associates. Together, with the law offices of Steve Boyd we represent hundreds of survivors of sexual abuse in Western New York. Today the Diocese of Buffalo filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization. We are very disappointed in this announcement today, not only does it prevent the excavation of important information that‘s been held secret for decades, it keeps survivors of sexual abuse from having their day in court. This legal tactic is an attempt by the diocese to hide important information that survivors have been trying to obtain for decades – this information includes what the diocese knew and when they knew it.

I’m Josh Peck. I’m an attorney with Jeff Anderson & Associates. On February 18, 2020, the Boy Scouts of America filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. What that means for survivors is that any litigation, any lawsuits that are being handled in state courts get automatically moved over to the bankruptcy court. It does not mean that you cannot bring a claim. It does not mean that you can’t work with us to hold the Boy Scouts accountable and expose the information they kept secret for decades.

Just the other day (December 17, 2019) Pope Francis announced that he was getting rid of “The Pontifical Secret.” It is a policy that he and the Vatican have had in place for a hundred years intended to keep child sex abuse by clergy secret. The grim reality is that this will change nothing.

On October 23, Aljazeera English released “In Bad Faith: Child Sex Abuse and the Catholic Church” (posted below). Part of their Fault Lines series, it is an unflinching investigation into survivors and perpetrators of Catholic clergy sex abuse in the Archdiocese of New York. This is an important piece of journalism for the child protection movement, told with the compassion, the scrutiny, and the urgency the Catholic clergy sexual abuse crisis requires.