Latest news with #HolyCross
The Guardian
16 hours ago
- The Guardian
Catholic religious order must pay $2.4m to New Orleans clergy abuse survivor
In a historic verdict, a federal jury in New Orleans has ordered a Catholic religious order to pay nearly $2.4m in damages to a man who reported being sexually abused by one of its members in the late 1960s. John Lousteau, 68, asserted that he was sexually abused while attending an overnight summer camp for boys at the Holy Cross school in New Orleans. He maintained that his abuser was the camp's director, Stanley Repucci, who belonged to the Holy Cross order that ran the school. The legal victory for Lousteau and his attorney, Kristi Schubert of the Lamothe law firm, is the first since Louisiana's supreme court in 2024 upheld a state law allowing molestation survivors to pursue civil damages no matter how long ago the abuse had occurred. Previously, Louisiana law barred anyone over age 28 from seeking such damages. Experts have established that the average age an adult reports child sexual abuse was 52. The verdict, rendered Wednesday, was thought to be the first time a jury in Louisiana awarded such high damages to a molestation victim whose abuse went back so many decades. It also comes as New Orleans's Roman Catholic archdiocese is trying to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection by offering to pay an average of less than $400,000 apiece to about 600 victims of a clerical abuse scandal that has roiled the organization for decades. The declaration of bankruptcy in 2020 indefinitely froze individual lawsuits against the archdiocese. Lousteau's case is not related, but the amount of the award suggests how much abuse survivors might be entitled to if the archdiocese's efforts to reorganize in bankruptcy are unsuccessful and it can again be sued by victims on an individual basis. In his lawsuit, Lousteau recounted how he had struggled with alcohol and drug addiction after his abuse by Repucci, who has since died. Lousteau previously revealed how he also grappled with post-traumatic stress, depression, anxiety and insomnia, conditions which destined him to what he described as a 'dumpster-fire trainwreck of a life'. Lousteau said Holy Cross officials offered counseling and 'sympathetic words' while indicating to him his account about his abuse was 'credible'. Yet the order ultimately didn't pay for his counseling and then stopped returning his lawyer's calls, he said. Attorneys for the Holy Cross order and school argued in part that Lousteau failed to do more to limit the consequences of his abuse.. On Wednesday, after a three-day trial, a jury at New Orleans's federal courthouse found there was a preponderance of evidence that Lousteau had been molested as a child by Repucci and that Holy Cross officials – as the abuser's employer while he was alive – owed Lousteau about $2.38m in damages. Attorneys for the school did not immediately comment. A statement from a Holy Cross order spokesperson said it was 'evaluating its options moving forward'. The organizations could ask an appellate court to reduce the award. Schubert in her own statement said, 'We are incredibly pleased with the jury's decision, which validates Mr Lousteau's claims, and the harm caused by the abuse he endured as a child. This verdict is a testament to the facts presented, and we are proud to have represented Mr Lousteau in achieving this just outcome.' At one point, a federal judge named Jay Zainey – known for his devotion to the Catholic faith – ruled that the law enabling suits like Lousteau's was unconstitutional. That ruling was widely interpreted as potentially a decisive win for all Catholic institutions to settle abuse claims more affordably. But the Louisiana supreme court decision upholding what has colloquially been known as the state's lookback law effectively negated Zainey's ruling. Clergy molestation survivors whose claims are ensnared in the New Orleans archdiocese's Chapter 11 financial reorganization could vote in September whether to accept the amounts it is offering, which on average are less than 17% of what Lousteau won at trial against Holy Cross. Attorneys representing hundreds of those survivors oppose the settlement. The proposed settlement needs support from two-thirds of survivors who vote on it for it to gain approval.
The Guardian
a day ago
- The Guardian
Catholic religious order must pay $2.4m to New Orleans clergy abuse survivor
In a historic verdict, a federal jury in New Orleans has ordered a Catholic religious order to pay nearly $2.4m in damages to a man who reported being sexually abused by one of its members in the late 1960s. John Lousteau asserted that he was sexually abused while attending an overnight summer camp for boys at the Holy Cross school in New Orleans. He maintained that his abuser was the camp's director, Stanley Repucci, who belonged to the Holy Cross order that ran the school. Lousteau's victory is the first since Louisiana's supreme court in 2024 upheld a state law allowing molestation survivors to pursue civil damages no matter how long ago the abuse had occurred. Previously, Louisiana law barred anyone over age 28 from seeking such damages. Experts have established that the average age an adult reports child sexual abuse was 52. The verdict is the first in Louisiana to award such high damages to a victim whose abuse went back so many decades. It also comes as New Orleans's Roman Catholic archdiocese is trying to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy by offering to pay an average of less than $400,000 apiece to about 600 victims of a clerical abuse scandal that has roiled the organization for decades. The declaration of bankruptcy indefinitely froze individual lawsuits against the archdiocese. Lousteau's case is not related, but the amount of the award suggests how much abuse survivors might be entitled to if the archdiocese's efforts to reorganize are unsuccessful and it can again be sued by survivors. In his lawsuit, Lousteau recounted how he had struggled with alcohol and drug addiction after his abuse by Repucci, who has since died. Lousteau previously revealed how he also grappled with post-traumatic stress, depression, anxiety and insomnia, conditions which destined him to what he described as a 'dumpster-fire trainwreck of a life'. Attorneys for the Holy Cross order and school argued in part that Lousteau failed to do more to limit those consequences. On Thursday, after a three-day trial, a jury at New Orleans's federal courthouse found there was a preponderance of evidence that Lousteau had been molested as a child by Repucci and that Holy Cross officials – as Repucci's employer while he was alive – owed Lousteau about $2.38m in damages. Attorneys for the school did not immediately comment. A statement from a Holy Cross spokesperson said it was 'evaluating its options moving forward'. The organizations could ask an appellate court to reduce the award. Clergy molestation survivors whose claims are ensnared in the New Orleans archdiocese's Chapter 11 financial reorganization could vote in September whether to accept the amounts it is offering, which on average are less than 17% of what Lousteau won at trial against Holy Cross. Attorneys representing hundreds of those survivors oppose the settlement.
Euronews
a day ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Armenian PM says he is not circumcised in ongoing duel with church
Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has implied he is willing to have his penis examined to settle an argument that he is uncircumcised amid an ongoing dispute with the head of the country's main church. Pashinyan made the proposal in response to Father Zareh Ashuryan, the spokesperson for the Patriarch of the Armenian Apostolic Church Karekin II, who implied that the head of government was circumcised, therefore not a Christian. "I believe that our Apostolic Holy Church must immediately cleanse itself of those false 'believers' who are traitors to the nation, have dishonoured the memory of their ancestors, broken the vow of baptism and replaced the seal of the Holy Cross with the sign of circumcision," Father Ashuryan said. Pashinyan responded in a post on Facebook, saying he was ready to accept the challenge and prove he had nothing to do with being circumcised, a religious practice not common among Christians in the country. "Let him finally answer the question: did he break the covenant of partisanship or not? Does he have a child or not?" Pashinyan asked in his post, repeating a claim he had made in June in which he accused Karekin II of breaking his vow of celibacy and fathering a child. The church released a statement at the time accusing Pashinyan of undermining Armenia's "spiritual unity" but did not address the claim about the child. Claims of a coup plot This isn't the first time this week that Pashinyan and the Armenian Apostolic Church have gone head to head. On Wednesday, authorities arrested a prominent cleric, Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, along with 14 others, charging them with orchestrating an alleged plot to overthrow the government. Armenia's Investigative Committee said in a statement it had filed criminal charges against the group, which they claim had "acquired the means and tools necessary to commit a terrorist attack and seize power." Galastanyan's lawyer described the charges as "fiction". In total, 14 individuals were arrested in connection with the alleged coup plot, but only Galastanyan was named publicly. The Investigative Committee said it carried out over 90 searches and recovered evidence that included firearms and ammunition. In a post on Telegram, Pashinyan wrote that authorities had thwarted a "large and sinister plan by the 'criminal-oligarchic clergy'" aimed at taking control of Armenia. Disclaimer: This article has been updated with further clarifications provided to Euronews by the Office of the Armenian Prime Minister.
Euronews
2 days ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Armenian PM offers to show penis to church head in ongoing squabble
Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has offered to show off his penis to the head of the country's Orthodox Church to settle an argument that he is uncircumcised. Pashinyan made the bizarre proposal in response to Father Zareh Ashuryan, the spokesperson for the Patriarch of the Armenian Apostolic Church Karekin II, who implied that the head of government was not a Christian. "I believe that our Apostolic Holy Church must immediately cleanse itself of those false 'believers' who are traitors to the nation, have dishonoured the memory of their ancestors, broken the vow of baptism and replaced the seal of the Holy Cross with the sign of circumcision," Father Ashuryan said. Pashinyan responded in a post on Facebook, saying he was ready to accept the challenge and prove he had been circumcised, a religious practice common among Christians in the country. "Let him finally answer the question: did he break the covenant of partisanship or not? Does he have a child or not?" Pashinyan asked in his post, repeating a claim he had made in June in which he accused Karekin II of breaking his vow of celibacy and fathering a child. The church released a statement at the time accusing Pashinyan of undermining Armenia's "spiritual unity" but did not address the claim about the child. Claims of a coup plot This isn't the first time this week that Pashinyan and the Orthodox Church have gone head to head. On Wednesday, authorities arrested a prominent cleric, Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, along with 13 others, charging them with orchestrating an alleged plot to overthrow the government. Armenia's Investigative Committee said in a statement it had filed criminal charges against the group, which they claim had "acquired the means and tools necessary to commit a terrorist attack and seize power." Galastanyan's lawyer described the charges as "fiction". In total, 14 individuals were arrested in connection with the alleged coup plot, but only Galastanyan was named publicly. The Investigative Committee said it carried out over 90 searches and recovered evidence that included firearms and ammunition. In a post on Telegram, Pashinyan wrote that authorities had thwarted a "large and sinister plan by the 'criminal-oligarchic clergy'" aimed at taking control of Armenia.
West Australian
2 days ago
- Politics
- West Australian
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan offers to show head of Church, Karekin II, his penis to prove point
A world leader has made a highly unorthodox offer to prove a point — freeing his manhood from his pants in front of the Church. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan made the unusual gesture to Karekin II after a priest accused him of being circumcised. Father Zareh Ashuryan accused Mr Pashinyan of being circumcised in a Facebook post on Monday, comparing him to Judas and implying that he was not Christian. 'I believe that our Apostolic Holy Church must immediately cleanse itself of those false 'believers' who are traitors to the nation, have dishonoured the memory of their ancestors, broken the vow of baptism and replaced the seal of the Holy Cross with the sign of circumcision,' he wrote. Mr Pashinyan responded in a social media post on Tuesday, addressing Karekin II by his birth name and saying he was 'ready to accept Ktrij Nersisyan and his spokesperson (Father Ashuryan) and prove the opposite' about being circumcised. It is the latest salvo in the stoush between the Armenian Government and the country's Church. Tensions reached a high in May when Mr Pashinyan accused of Karekin II of having a child and claimed that churches had become 'storerooms' and clergymen were breaking their vows of celibacy. As well as offering to prove he was circumcised by showing his penis, Mr Pashinyan on Tuesday also reiterated his question to Karekin II: 'And let him finally answer the question of whether he has broken his vow of celibacy or not. Does he have a child or not?'
