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[Catholic Caucus] Who is Marko Ivan Rupnik, & why did the Bergoglians shelter him?Marko Rupnik: case closed I’m not going to talk much about the case of Fr. Marko Rupnik, mosaic artist and former Jesuit, from the point of view of its history and particulars. Rather, I’d like to talk about what his art means. The broad outlines of the scandal can be found everywhere. The Pillar Catholic has had pretty steady coverage of all the ups and downs - none surprising if you know something about the situation in the Vatican and the Jesuit order. The affair seems to...

Yusef Salaam, a member of the exonerated “Central Park Five,” has officially won the Democratic primary for a seat on the New York city council, almost ensuring his eventual election to the seat. Salaam had a significant lead over his opponents, New York Assembly members Inez Dickens and Al Taylor, for the nomination to represent Council District 9 in Central Harlem, but he needed additional votes released Wednesday to clinch victory. Initial unofficial results put Salaam as the clear leader with 50.14 percent of the vote, while Dickens and Taylor had about 25 and 14 percent, respectively. Incumbent Kristin Jordan,...

[Catholic Caucus] Rupnik case closed, everyone’s happy except the victimsAfter the news of his defrocking from the Society of Jesus, Father Marko Rupnik decided to respond. And he does so by referring to the Aletti Centre and its director, Maria Campatelli.In the Letter to the Friends of the Aletti Centre dated 17 June 2023, the usual defensive strategy is reiterated: the accusations against Rupnik are nothing but defamation. The Jesuit leadership, alleges Campatelli, "repeatedly proved to favour a media campaign based on defamatory and unproven accusations (which exposed the person of Fr Rupnik and the entire Aletti Centre to forms...

[Catholic Caucus] BREAKING: Jesuits expel alleged serial abuser Fr. Rupnik, but he remains a priestFr. Marko Rupnik will have 30 days to appeal the decision or face being permanently ousted from the Jesuit order after allegations about his history of sexual abuse have made headlines in recent months.Fr. Rupnik during a 2018 Vatican News featureROME (LifeSiteNews) — Superiors of the Jesuit order have expelled the disgraced sexual abuser Father Marko Ivan Rupnik from the order, citing his “stubborn refusal to observe the vow of obedience.”News of Rupnik’s dismissal from the Jesuits came via a decree signed on June 9, and...

Jesuits expel prominent priest Rupnik after allegations of abuse against adult womenPope Francis’ Jesuit religious order said Thursday it has expelled a prominent Slovenian priest from the congregation following allegations of sexual, spiritual and psychological abuses against adult women.A statement from the Jesuits, obtained by The Associated Press on Thursday, said the Rev. Marko Ivan Rupnik was dismissed from the Jesuit order by decree on June 9 “due to stubborn refusal to observe the vow of obedience.”Rupnik is one of the most celebrated religious artists in the Catholic Church, whose mosaics decorate churches and basilicas around the world, including at...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Showcases Jesuit Abuser’s Art in Video on MaryFrancis' artist friend accused of sexually abusing over 25 nuns VATICAN CITY (ChurchMilitant.com) - Pope Francis is showcasing the artwork of his close friend and fellow Jesuit Fr. Marko Ivan Rupnik, who has been accused of sexually abusing over 25 religious sisters. Sanctuary of Our Lady of Aparecida, Brazil Despite demands for the predator priest's mosaic artworks to be expunged from cathedrals and churches, Francis used a Rupnik icon of Mary to send papal greetings in a brief video message to the XVI Marian Congress in Aparecida, Brazil. The video,...

[Catholic Caucus] Rupnik: Francis' Protégé Is Well and TravellingFather Marko Rupnik SJ, accused of fornication with nuns, travelled in June to Mostar, Bosnia-and-Herzegovina, after completing the renovation of the Franciscan church, for which Rupnik’s company created a 700 square metre mosaic. He is currently planning the restoration of the chapel of the bishop of Hvar, writes EditorialeDomani.it (June 9). On paper, Rupnik is forbidden to leave Rome and its surroundings and to accept new commissions. As recently as June 3, Francis used one of Rupnik's artworks for a video message.

[Catholic Caucus] Francis Loves RupnikA few days ago, Francis sent a mobile phone video to the 16th Mariological Congress in Aparecida, Brazil, in which he approaches a reproduction of a Marian mosaic by Father Rupnik, located in a hall of Santa Marta, and explains in detail the meaning of the work (1:20). IlSismografo calls this behaviour of Francis “simply bewildering.”

A federal judge in New York on Monday denied former President Donald Trump's bid for a mistrial in writer E. Jean Carroll’s lawsuit alleging that Trump raped her in a Manhattan department store in the 1990s. In an 18-page filing hours ahead of his second day of cross-examining Carroll, Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina accused U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan, who is overseeing the case, of making “pervasive unfair and prejudicial rulings” against his client. Barring a mistrial ruling, Tacopina requested that Kaplan “correct the record for each and every instance in which the Court has mischaracterized the facts of this...

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is pro-rapeNBC News just reported the following:“A New York man is accused of sexually assaulting five people in the Bronx a week before he was going to be sentenced to 30 days in jail as part of a plea deal in a separate rape case.”“Justin Washington was out on bail when he allegedly assaulted four women and a man in a string of attacks on Sept. 15, according to a criminal complaint obtained by NBC News.”Alvin Bragg is the Manhattan District Attorney.He thinks a rapist should only get 30 days in jail.And he let that...

Progressive Democrat Rep. Cori Bush (MO) faced backlash online after lamenting the recent execution of Amber (previously “Scott”) McLaughlin, a biological man identifying as a transgender woman who was convicted of brutally raping and killing his ex-girlfriend. Following the execution by the state of Missouri, far-left “Squad” member Cori Bush released a statement saying that McLaughlin was “killed by state-sanctioned, inhumane capital punishment.” “My heart is with her family and loved ones,” the Democrat congresswoman said, making no mention of McLaughlin’s victims. “I yearn for the day when our society acknowledges that state-sanctioned murder will never achieve justice.”

After pleading not guilty to 18 counts of sexual assault, the television writer-producer — deemed by the Los Angeles District Attorney to be a "danger to society" — was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs.In a dramatic moment at the Clara Shortridge Foltz courthouse in downtown Los Angeles, Scrubs executive producer Eric Weinberg was remanded into custody when presiding judge Virginia Wilson agreed with the prosecutor that he remains an active and credible societal danger. Through his attorney, Weinberg pleaded not guilty to 18 charges of sexual assault. He was previously free on $5 million bail. Initially standing before...

Two attacks were reported yesterday (16.12.2017) alone. A 17 year old girl was brutally attacked and gang-raped by Muslim rapists in Sofielund, Malmö. The attack occurred around 3 AM at a playground, with the victim suffering serious injuries, requiring hospitalization. Latest reports state that the girl was tortured with lighter fluid being poured in her v*****, and setting it on fire. “…even though the rumor is not confirmed. A credible source who contacted me, told that the perpetrators sprayed lighter fluid on her vagina and set it on fire” The attacks in Malmö have become so common, that the police...

A convicted rapist in California whose sentencing judge argued he should "never get out of prison" was arrested in the murder of a Sacramento man just weeks after his release, officials said. Michael Xavier Bell, 36, was arrested this past Sunday for murdering a 60-year-old Sacramento care facility employee just 73 days after he was released early from a decades-long sentence, according to the Association of Los Angeles Deputy District Attorneys. Association President Michele Hanisee called his early release "tragically predictable" and said it resulted in "another senseless murder of an innocent victim." Bell’s release came amid the state’s effort...

A jury found Richard Gillmore guilty in 1987 of raping a 13-year-old girl ... An Oregon serial rapist known as the "jogger rapist" is scheduled to be released from prison in December ... Richard Gillmore, who got his nickname because he would stake out victims while jogging by their homes, was arrested in 1986. He confessed to raping nine girls in the Portland area in the 1970s and 1980s but was only convicted in one case due to the statute of limitations. A jury found him guilty in 1987 of raping 13-year-old Tiffany Edens the year before. She is his...

A federal jury in California has awarded $31 million in damages to Vanessa Bryant and Chris Chester, whose spouses and children were killed in a 2020 helicopter crash, after Los Angeles County emergency personnel shared photos of their dead bodies. The jury returned their unanimous verdict after four-and-a-half hours of deliberation. The nine jurors agreed that the photos of NBA star Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, and other crash victims brought the co-plaintiffs emotional distress and invaded their privacy. Bryant was awarded $16 million and Chester was awarded $15 million. Bryant’s attorneys did not specify a dollar amount that they...

A Texas man who was convicted of child sexual abuse chugged “cloudy” water as the verdict finding him guilty was read and died shortly after. Edward Peter Leclair, 57, was found guilty on Thursday of five counts of child sexual abuse, all involving the same victim, who was between the age of 14 and 17. Leclair had a large bottle that appeared to be water next to him, but did not drink it throughout the hearing. As the guilty verdict was read, Leclair began to chug from the bottle. “I looked over and noticed him drinking,” Leclair’s lawyer Mike Howard...

Kobe Bryant potentially built his $600 million fortune with ADHD, as autopsy report revealed narcolepsy drug Kobe Bryant played a long and successful career in the NBA, but as per his autopsy report, he may have been battling ADHD. Kobe’s legacy was built up by everything he achieved in his career, his five rings, Finals MVPs, scoring titles, and more, but a major part of his also the fact that he spent his entire career with the Lakers. In an era defined by player autonomy and the right to take your brand anywhere, Kobe chose to stay put. He stayed...

"If you need hormones, I’m working with a distribution network to get you access. Everything is free, no questions asked." Trans activist accused of sexual abuse boasts of plans to illegally distribute hormones to children A trans activist who boasted of an illegal drug scheme to distribute prescription hormone medications to children is also accused of rape by multiple victims. Popular social media account Libs of Tiktok uncovered an instagram post from May by Eli Erlick, a trans-identified biological male, that publicly detailed the scheme to send prescription hormones to "trans youth" through a distribution network. "There are over 20...

The decision of the Browns to trade for quarterback Deshaun Watson elicited mixed reactions from the team’s fans. Some loved it, off-field issues notwithstanding. Some hated it, given the off-field issues. There was no sign of negativity on Saturday, for the first public practice of training camp. As explained by Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Watson received an “enthusiastic reception” from fans who attended the session.