Pope Francis closed the Vatican's sexual abuse summit with a Mass on Sunday.
Speaking before 190 Catholic bishops and other church leaders summoned from around the world to Rome for the summit, Francis called for an "all-out battle" to end sexual abuse perpetrated by members of the clergy. "No abuse should ever be covered up — as was often the case in the past — or not taken sufficiently seriously," he said. The pope did not provide specific steps the church will take to address the issue going forward.
The first two days of the three-day summit centered on the responsibility of church leaders in dealing with both victims and perpetrators of clerical abuse. But Saturday, which was focused on transparency, proved to be the most eventful day.
Sister Veronica Openibo, a prominent Nigerian nun and one of only a handful of women invited to the gathering, criticized the "culture of silence" in the church and told leaders they must admit their mistakes "to restore trust among the faithful." Meanwhile, Reinhard Marx, a German cardinal, admitted that church files about abuse cases had been destroyed — or not even created in the first place — and victims were silenced. Tim O'Donnell
A juror in the Roger Stone trial is setting the record straight.
In an op-ed for The Washington Post published Tuesday night, Seth Cousins wrote about the allegations being leveled against the jury. Last year, they found Stone, a longtime friend and adviser to President Trump, guilty of obstruction, witness tampering, and lying to Congress. Since then, Trump has accused the foreperson, who ran for Congress as a Democrat in 2012, of being "totally biased," and Stone's lawyers have claimed he did not have a fair trial.
There is a "striking irony" to this, Cousins wrote, because the foreperson "was actually one of the strongest advocates for the rights of the defendant and for a rigorous process. She expressed skepticism at some of the government's claims and was one of the last people to vote to convict on the charge that took most of our deliberation time." The jury followed all instructions, examined evidence, and made sure each voice was heard. "Roger Stone received a fair trial," Cousins said. "He was found guilty based on the evidence by a jury that respected his rights and viewed the government's claims skeptically. Our jury valued truth, plain and simple."
An estimated 1.5 million Americans serve on juries every year, and "elected officials have no business attacking citizens for performing their civic duty," Cousins said. "When the president attacks our jury's foreperson, he is effectively attacking every American who takes time off work, arranges child care, and otherwise disrupts their life temporarily to participate in this civic duty. His attacks denigrate both our service and the concept of equal justice under U.S. law." Read the entire op-ed at The Washington Post. Catherine Garcia
Michelle Janavs, the heiress to the Hot Pockets fortune, was sentenced to five months in prison on Tuesday after admitting to paying bribes to a fixer who promised to get her two daughters into the University of Southern California.
She is the 15th parent sentenced as part of the college admissions scandal, which rocked Hollywood and wealthy enclaves across the United States. Janavs, 49, of Newport Beach, California, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit laundering. "I'm so very sorry I tried to create an unfair advantage for my children," she told the court on Tuesday.
Federal prosecutors said she agreed to pay Rick Singer, a college admissions consultant, $100,000 to improve her daughters' ACT exam scores and $200,000 to have one of her daughters admitted to USC as a fake beach volleyball recruit. Janavs must also pay a $250,000 fine and serve two years of supervised release after her stint in prison.
Prosecutors had recommended Janavs serve 21 months in prison. Her defense lawyers argued that she was the victim of Singer's "manipulative sales tactics," and her public embarrassment was enough of a punishment. Catherine Garcia
There are still two weeks left to file for a Senate run in Montana, so Democrats are taking one last shot at convincing Montana Gov. Steve Bullock to throw his hat into the ring.
Bullock, who ran a short-lived presidential campaign last year, has always maintained he views himself as an executive and said he doesn't have any interest in sitting in Congress' upper chamber. But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer flew out to Montana last weekend, anyway, in the hopes of changing his mind, multiple sources familiar with the meeting told Politico.
It remains to be seen if anything came of it — Bullock's office didn't respond to requests for comment, while a spokesperson for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee declined to comment.
Democrats, who are outnumbered 53-47 in the Senate, believe that if Bullock challenges Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), it will put the state back into play immediately. Read more at Politico. Tim O'Donnell