For Thomas Roberts, the abuse remained in the shadows. As a successful CNN news anchor, Roberts had buried the hurt, anger, and shame of the abuse-even from himself. Finally, after suffering in silence and fear for 20 years, Roberts came forth and told his tale of horror. Many sexual abuse survivors tell similar tales. They are fearful of recrimination, rejection, and most of all, once again...
A Fort Myers Youth pastor has been charged with sexually assaulting two children for nearly a year. Elantonio Gomez is charged with two counts of Custodial Sexual Battery. The alarming part of the story is that this behavior is still happening in our churches, synagogues, and places of worship. The victims are often unwitting children who are forced to submit to the abuse. They are scared...
Within a week, the Catholic Church in Florida has been rocked by the revelations of two more sexually abusive priests and two other priests who stole millions from the collection plate. Rev. Anthony Mercieca, now 69 and living on the Maltese island of Gozo, recalls touching former Congressman Mark Foley but not abusing him sexually. Mercieca seems incredibly unmoved by the damage inflicted by...
If Rep. Mark Foley was the victim of a crime, he needs to identify the perpetrator in order to protect other minors. It's not enough that he's disclosed that he's a victim of sexual abuse, he needs to prevent future abuse by naming his accuser.In all the political uproar, this message concerning the safety of our children has been lost. Just as the Catholic bishops thought first about...
Two Diocese of Palm Beach priests stand accused of stealing $8.6 million from their parish, St. Vincent Ferrer in Delray Beach. Monsignor John Skehan was arrested last evening at Palm Beach International Airport as he returned from Ireland.
In today's Wall St. Journal,, there's a disturbing article about the administration of anesthesia by those who are not properly trained. This lack of training significantly increases the risks of respiratory complications, cardiac arrest, brain damage and even death. According to the article which cites a University HealthSystem Consortium study, "there may be a potentially 1,690 incidents a...
Pastor Russell Brown was arrested Monday night on charges he molested three young boys who attended his church, Antioch Missionary Baptist Church. He is accused of three felony counts of lewd and lascivious behavior. Prior to his arrest, he had been pastor of the church for 20 years. In all, there are six children that have come forward to accuse Brown of sexual abuse between the years...
As the Diocese of Venice, which includes Sarasota, prepares to welcome a new bishop, we can only hope that this new prelate will deal with the scourge of sexual abuse more openly and honestly than his predecessor, Most. Rev. John Nevins. Nevins has a long history of transferring, covering up, and protecting abusive priests. In fact, in one notorious case, he set up the offending priest with...
This year has seen a 19% spike in boating accidents from last year which had been the highest in a decade. This has state officials worried and searching for answers to stem the tide. During the first six months this year, 38 people died in Florida boating accidents, compared to 32 through the first six months of 2005. In all, 80 people died in Florida boating mishaps last year. The increase...