Mounting sexual abuse claims causes U.S. Christian Brothers to file for bankruptcy

Yes, jacersagain. That is a harsh way of thinking about abuse victims. The truth is that most abusers were abused as children. However, most people who have been abused, don't go on to abuse others. I forgive you jacersagain. Abuse is a frightening issue for people who haven't been abused. Just imagine how frightened an abused child must have been. The only way I know how to ease the heartbreak I feel about these crimes is to express compassion to anyone who has the courage to tell someone. You must know by reading my posts that I will be on the side of the survivors. (I hate to call anyone a victim). If you are victimized, by a criminal, you are the injured person. You don't need to be labeled. Leave that for the courtroom. I wonder what mlawless thinks.

Ok, sorry - that post of mine for Searlit was a bit harsh. I trust in Jesus that mlawless doesn't take the abuse suffered out on someone else.

Yep, Searlit, mlawless is a survivor. And possibly a present-day abuser. Abuse begets abuse. Wanna think again about where your respect should be directed to?

@mlawless, how strong you must have to be to survive something so cruel. I have such respect for you.

I suppose "Blessed John Paul" knew nothing about this.......What a joke!

The Let Go...Let Peace Come In Foundation is a nonprofit with a mission to help heal and support adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse worldwide. We are actively seeking adult survivors who would be willing to post a childhood photo and caption, their story, or their creative expressions to our website letgoletpeacecomein.org. By uniting survivors from across the globe we can help provide a stronger and more powerful voice to those survivors who have not yet found the courage to speak out. Together we can; together we should; together we NEED to stand up and be counted. Please visit our site for more details on how you can send us your submissions, read user submitted articles, find professionals and some daily mediations. Remember, you are never not alone!

Intercessor, light a candle for him for me.

Intercessor, light a candle for him for me.

Nicomax, from what I can gather, the inheritance issue remains, for clergy who have acknowledged their child/children legally at civil law,are not accepted by church law, their illegitimacy status by the way, regarded as a "defect of birth".

Lawyers for abuse survivors should look very carefully into whether the CB have transferred assets to another trust or other trusts as they have carried out such a maneouver in Ireland, ostensibly transferring 'schools' to the new Edmund Rice Trust. As far as I know what assets have been transferred do not appear to have been tracked by Irish authorities who still have church creeps covering for these organisations inside the civil service system Another example of this is the transfer by the Sisters of Mercy of ownership of two Dublin hospitals and land and property assets to a new Limited Company- a Limited Company which unusually has been granted special permission to drop the 'Ltd' from the company name. The controlling shareholders are the Sisters of Mercy. I'd advise anyone connected with the CB case in the states to check whether that organisation has been quietly transferring assets before filing for Chapter 11 for the CB entity. Watch particularly for the rebranding to 'Edmund Rice' Trusts.

Very sad.I was taught by Christian brothers all through High school(secondary), as was my dad and uncles before me. I have nothing but the utmost repsect for their dedication and the values that they instilled. I don't know of one case of abuse and I know hundreds of peopel who were taught by the good brothers.

Great comments! I didn't go to Catholic High School, though I was accepted to McClancey H.S., in Queens, N.Y. The stories I have heard all concerned beatings, not sexual abuse. Sadly, if a boy threw one punch at a brother (or a girl struck a sister), the boy or girl defending themselves would be expelled! I heard stories of those a decade older than me that went like this. "You didn't dare go home and tell your father that the brother hit you. You may then have faced further abuse from him!" To me, that is the 4th Commandment, in bad need of reinterpretation! Sorry, Yaweh of the Old Testament. Your commendments all have gray areas; nothing is written in stone, despite what was depicted in the movie, "The 10 Commandments"! You may have burned them in the stone of the tablets You gave to Moses, but there will always be mitigating factors. The same applies to Jesus, concerning Matthew:5-28. I recall a movie, set in the 1970's, at a Catholic High School. During a school dance, one brother cautioned the boys & girls to, "Leave some room for Jesus"! Now, if the Lord must get between a boy/man and girl/woman dancing, I feel that He should see an earthly shrink!!

The Catholic Church has almost come full circle. In the 12th century they outlawed married priests fearing church property would be passed onto their offspring upon their death, but now the church is selling off property at such a rapid rate, the inheritance issue no longer applies.

Hmph, need any further proof that the Catholic Church is just another business out to protect itself from its own misdoings by using the law instead of adhering to it?

If any group of men should be required to answer for their actions in World Court and pay restitution to ALL victims and survivors, the Christian Brothers should be at the top of the list as International Perpetrators of Physical Abuse, Rape and Sodomy! Regardless of where the Christian Brothers operated, in Ireland, Canada, the States, Australia, New Zealand, etc............, the same stories of Systemic Abuse are uncovered. Bankruptcy is too easy! Hopefully, the courts in every nation will wake up and make them sell ALL of their assets. Let them all move to Rome and let the Vatican take care of them!