promoearn: Survivors 'robbed' of dignity, faith, Vatican says on day 2

Thursday, August 16, 2018

Survivors 'robbed' of dignity, faith, Vatican says on day 2

Vatican breaks silence: Pennsylvania abuse victims 'robbed' of dignity, faith

Pope Francis waves to the crowd at the end of the Via

Vatican breaks silence on Pennsylvania sex abuse

At least 1,000 children were sexually abused by more than 300 priests in Pennsylvania over the course of six decades, according to a grand jury report released Tuesday. Two days later, the Vatican came out condemning the abuse and stating that Pope Francis is on the side of the victims . Earlier Thursday, the pope tweeted broadly about faith and many followers replied with comments and questions about Pennsylvania. The graphic report details how priests molested and raped boys and girls and how many of the victims who made accusations were shamed into silence. Many Catholics have called the abuse " revolting." Though much of the abuse happened decades ago, there's currently a move in the state Legislature to eliminate statute of limitations.

We lost our Queen of Soul

One of America's most R.E.S.P.E.C.T.ed singers, Aretha Franklin, died Thursday of pancreatic cancer at her Detroit home surrounded by family and friends. She was 76. The Queen of Soul, as she was coronated in the 1960s, was one of the transcendent cultural figures of the 20th century, leaving behind iconic songs such as "Natural Woman," "I Never Loved a Man (The Way that I Loved You)," "Chain of Fools," and "Think." Words like "the greatest" and "timeless" came up again and again from mourning fans, from Billy Joel to Missy Elliott, current and past presidents and Jesse Jackson, who spoke of her quietly funding civil rights work for decades: "Aretha has always been a very socially conscious artist, an inspiration, not just an entertainer."

We cheered 'Fierce Five' golds, unaware of the abuse each athlete endured

Several months after former Team USA gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar was convicted on federal child pornography and state sexual abuse charges, two more Olympic gymnasts decided their voices needed to be heard. Madison Kocian and Kyla Ross on Thursday revealed they, too, had been abused by Nassar. They said they only began to process their abuse after hundreds of victims — including their former teammates — confronted Nassar in court. "I was in denial," Ross said on CBS. "At 13, I thought it was a legitimate form of treatment." With Kocian and Ross coming forward, every member of 2012's "Fierce Five" — which included Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas and McKayla Maroney — has gone public, as well as all but one member of 2016's "Final Five."

Defending the First Amendment

On the Op-Ed pages of more than 350 U.S. news outlets Thursday, journalists defended the free press as crucial to democracy. USA TODAY's parent company Gannett owns more than 100 local media organizations in 34 states. Here's what some of them had to say:

•	From USA TODAY's Manny Garcia: "The reporters aren't the enemy of the people. They pursue real stories intended to right wrongs and help the least among us. Journalism is mission work, an honest cause beyond our eyes. Like nursing, teaching and police work, it's built on a foundation of accuracy, trust, wisdom and character."
•	The Des Moines Register: "The true enemies of the people — and democracy — are those who try to suffocate truth by vilifying and demonizing the messenger."
•	The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "[P]oliticians come and go, political parties move in and out of power. A free and independent press holds them all accountable, giving citizens the knowledge they need to stay in charge, just as our nation's founders intended."
•	From Brian Dickerson of the Detroit Free Press: "I doubt [Trump] wakes up in the middle of the night tortured by the thought that he has tweeted something that might not be scrupulously true. But I have known literally thousands of journalists in my 40-year career, and I can assure you that the least accomplished of them are haunted by that very anxiety . So when I hear the president describe journalists as people who casually conspire to disseminate 'fake news,' I have to ask: Who the hell is he talking about?"