The PA Office of Victim Advocate invites all victims/survivors and advocates to stand in solidarity to implore our Senate to return and pass Senate Bill 261 as passed by the House with no changes. More info HERE
PBS News Hour | Dan Cooney & Courtney Norris | 10/19/18 The U.S. Department of Justice is launching an investigation into child sex abuse within Pennsylvania’s Roman Catholic churches, the latest fallout of widespread allegations made public by a grand jury probe this summer, and felt in communities across the U.S. The PBS NewsHour confirmed that Justice Department prosecutors served […]
Philadelphia Inquirer | 10/19/18 |Maria Panaritis HARRISBURG — For three long days inside the Capitol here, as the hopes of clergy-abuse victims hung in the balance, there was anticipation and angst amid the magnificent murals, white marble pillars, gold-leaf-painted arches, and soaring dome inspired by none other than St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Victims, lobbyists, lawmakers, and reporters scurried through […]
John Salveson, 61, who now lives in Pennsylvania, says he was abused as a teen by a priest at a church in Oyster Bay. Photo Credit: Corey Perrine Newsday | 10/18/18 |Bart Jones John Salveson says he warned the Roman Catholic Church nearly 40 years ago about the priest who abused him at a parish on Long Island, but no […]
Philadelphia Inquirer | 10/18/18 |Liz Navratil and Angela Couloumbis HARRISBURG — A complicated game of calculus ensued Thursday after the Senate failed during its last voting session to reach any agreement on changes that would allow victims of child sexual abuse to file lawsuits for decades-old damage. Was there still a glimmer of hope, or was the “window” to temporarily […]
Philadelphia Inquirer | 10/18/18 | Angela Couloumbis & Jeremy Roebuck HARRISBURG — U.S. prosecutors have subpoenaed every Roman Catholic diocese in Pennsylvania for a trove of records, opening a potentially unprecedented inquiry into whether decades of clergy sex abuse and the ensuing cover-up constituted any federal crimes. Nearly all of the eight dioceses acknowledged Thursday that they had either received […]
Phila. Inquirer Editorial Board |10/18/18 In a disgraceful act of cowardice, Pennsylvania Senate Republican leaders protected child abusers, their enablers, and a handful of vulnerable GOP candidates on Wednesday, putting powerful interests over the lives of thousands of victims of sex abuse at the hands of Roman Catholic clergy. They effectively killed a bill intended to give victims justice by […]
I know it has been a long time since we have posted. Life has a way of happening that can cause one to reassess, readjust, realign. That’s how it has been, and for the most part, will continue to be for all of us here at FACSA. BUT IF WE CAN INFLUENCE ANYONE AT THIS POINT, WE URGE YOU TO […]
“The List” is a documentary by filmmaker Anne MacGregor highlighting Philly D.A. Lynne Abraham’s historic investigation into the cover-up of child sex abuse by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Tickets are $15 at the door* Jordan Walsh, ED, CEO, CHILD USA – (215) 746-4165; email – CHILD USA; *Price of admission includes screening, popcorn, and light refreshments as well as attendance at post-screening […]
| 11/6/16 | Editorial Board | Altoona Mirror | Pennsylvania’s Senate Judiciary Committee decided last month that allowing retroactive access in civil lawsuits for child sex-abuse survivors would be unconstitutional. The problem with that decision is that the Judiciary Committee is not a court and doesn’t have the power to rule officially on the constitutionality of any measure. Regarding the […]
As I write this, the PA legislative session is coming to an end. And, despite the work of many in these last moments, PA HB 1947 will die at the end of this session. To all those who wrote letters and emails, made phone calls, made visits to Harrisburg to tell your stories and why HB 1947 was a long […]
| 10/26/16 | Rep. Mark Rozzi | The Altoona/Johnstown Diocese grand jury report released in March about the wholesale abuse of innocent children by depraved predators finally unleashed the public outrage that had been missing for over a decade. The powers-that-be covered up the unspeakable crimes, leaving children and their families with no path to justice. From the beginning, House Bill […]
| 10/26/16 | Ivey DeJesus | pennlive.com | Pennsylvania’s legislative session will, for all intents and purposes, expire this week and with it most likely the bill that would have reformed how the state prosecutes child sex crimes. House Bill 1947, which passed by an overwhelming vote of 180-15 in the House in April, is just hours from being doomed […]
| 10/26/16 | Marie Panaritis and Karen Langley | philly.com | HARRISBURG – A controversial proposal to extend the civil statute of limitations for child sex-abuse victims appeared to collapse Tuesday, after supporters said the House was unlikely to move an amended version of the bill or reintroduce the original measure. With little chance of its passing, they said, they will […]
| 10/1/16 | Kathleen E. Carey |Delaware County Daily Times | Childhood sexual abuse is devastating. Its long-term effects impact many facets of society. It’s an issue that is complex and disconcerting. Many from our homes, schools, churches, law enforcement agencies and governmental institutions grapple to contain and maybe, someday, eradicate it. The sexual abuse of minors is a worldwide […]