Clergy Seual Abuse, India, Kumbh Festival, Sextortion
NCR: US watchdog launches database on Catholic priests accused of sex abuse of minors in the Philippines
RNS: Police say at least 30 people have died in a stampede at the massive Maha Kumbh festival in India
NCR: US watchdog launches database on Catholic priests accused of sex abuse of minors in the Philippines
A United States-based watchdog on Wednesday launched an online database on more than 80 Roman Catholic priests who have been accused of sexually abusing minors in the Philippines and said the silence of Filipino bishops on the crimes amounted to a cover-up.
The Philippines is the third-largest Roman Catholic nation in the world, and public discussions of sexual assaults by members of the clergy, who are revered especially in rural regions, has long been generally muted.
None of the 82 members of the clergy, including seven bishops, who have been included in the new online database on clergy sexual abuses by the group BishopAccountability.org had been convicted in any Philippine court.
The database featured their faces, names and details of their alleged sexual assaults on minors, some of which dated back more than two decades ago. The nonprofit said that it had also set up such online databases on Catholic clergy abuses in the U.S., Argentina, Chile and Ireland.
Anne Barrett Doyle, a director of BishopAccountability.org, said that the long silence of bishops in the Philippines encouraged such sexual assaults by members of the clergy. She asked Philippine prosecutors to investigate church officials, who failed to report abuses."
RNS: Police say at least 30 people have died in a stampede at the massive Maha Kumbh festival in India
"Indian authorities took more than 16 hours to release casualty figures, even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi acknowledged the loss of lives, calling the incident "extremely sad" and extending his condolences.At least 30 people were killed and many more injured in a stampede at the world's largest religious gathering early Wednesday, police said, as millions of pilgrims rushed to dip in sacred waters during the Maha Kumbh festival in northern India.
Police officer Vaibhav Krishna in Prayagraj city said another 60 injured were rushed to hospitals.
Wednesday was a sacred day in the six-week Hindu festival, and authorities expected a record 100 million devotees to engage in a ritual bath at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers. Hindus believe that a dip at the holy site can cleanse them of past sins and end the process of reincarnation."
South Carolina Rep. Brandon Guffey was overwhelmed with rage when he first saw the man he believes caused his son's suicide.
The suspect was extradited from Nigeria to the US over the weekend on charges that he targeted 17-year-old Gavin Guffey in a sexual extortion, or "sextortion" scheme, that led to the teen's death.
The Nigerian appeared in court in Columbia, South Carolina, on Monday, where Brandon Guffey laid eyes on him after more than two years of fighting for justice for his son.
"Rage is the best way to describe how I felt," Guffey told CNN. "I think I cracked molars just gritting my teeth so hard."
The man, Hassanbunhussein Abolore Lawal, 24, did not make eye contact with him, Guffey said. Lawal kept his head bowed and appeared to avoid looking in his family's direction, he said.
As part of a sextortion scheme, Lawal allegedly masqueraded as a young woman on social media and sent Gavin nude photos. He asked for similar images of himself, and once Gavin shared the photos, the suspect threatened to publicize them if he didn't pay, the Justice Department said.
He's pleaded not guilty to charges of child exploitation resulting in death, distribution of child sexual abuse material, coercion and enticement of a minor, cyberstalking, interstate threats with intent to extort and aiding/abetting, according to court records.
At Monday's hearing Guffey wore a black T-shirt with the love symbol <3. It represents the last text message Gavin sent loved ones on July 27, 2022, minutes before he shot himself in a bathroom at the family home in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
"I'm a roller coaster of emotions right now. I served in the house with a representative who lost his mother and sister in the Dylann Roof shootings down in Charleston. And those families were able to look at Dylann Roof and say, we forgive you,'" Guffey said.
"I want to ask … 'how do you have forgiveness in your heart?' Because I just don't have it. I have anger and vengeance. And every time I see my family's pain over this, it just infuriates me more."
The scammer threatened other family members after Gavin Guffey's death
The FBI arrested Lawal in Lagos last week following an extradition hearing. CNN has reached out to his court-appointed attorney for comment.
Guffey had to sign paperwork confirming he would not push for the death penalty to ensure that the Nigerian government approved the extradition, he said.
Last week, he was shocked to get a call from federal investigators notifying him that the extradition had been approved and they were on their way to pick up Lawal. Investigators confirmed his arrival in Columbia on Saturday.
"It was a surprise. I knew that they had been working on the process, but extradition was not something that commonly happens with Nigeria," Guffey said. "There was still that anticipation and fear until his feet were actually on US soil."
At a press conference, investigators declined to provide details on how they tracked the suspect to Nigeria or whether there were other suspects involved. Some of the court documents in the case are sealed."
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