Displaying items by tag: investigation

Archbishop Wojciech Polak has called on the Church hierarchy to launch proceedings following the release of a documentary telling the story of two brothers who sought to confront the priest who allegedly abused them as children. The Vatican is expected to assign an investigator to the case. The film, ‘Hide and Seek’, has been viewed over 1.9 million times on YouTube and is the second documentary on the subject by Marek and Tomasz Sekielski. Poland plans to double jail terms for paedophiles, and the Pope has made it mandatory for clergy to report abuse after victims failed to bring to account those in the Church who were responsible for covering up their abuse. A senior bishop allegedly knew about the allegations for years without taking any action.

For decades political leaders have promised that free markets would lead to prosperity, which would take care of other problems. The promises came to nothing, and thousands of protesters are chanting, ‘Chile, wake up’. The middle class struggles with high prices, low wages, a privatised retirement system, and the elderly in bitter poverty. A series of corruption and tax-evasion scandals eroded faith in the political and corporate elite. While protests began peacefully over three weeks ago, now there are images of metro stations destroyed, supermarkets looted, and flaming street barricades. There are accusations of torture and abuse by the 200,000 security forces, who have used tear gas and water cannon to disperse demonstrators. Social media is reporting many deaths. The UN is investigating human rights abuses. Two centuries after independence from Spain, the Catholic Christian faith of the conquistadors remains the largest in Chile today. Pray for the Church’s voice of peace and justice to be heard.

The National Assembly president Richard Ferrand, a close ally of President Macron, was put under formal investigation in a financial impropriety case. In a statement on 12 September the assembly said that Ferrand, who denies any wrongdoing, would defend himself and was confident the case would be dropped. The previous day he was questioned at length by investigating judges. The situation is an embarrassment for Macron, and could bring renewed scrutiny to his promise to clean up French politics. Under French law, being put under formal investigation means there is ‘serious or consistent evidence’ that points to probable involvement in a crime. Ferrand was investigated for fraud before, and at that time he resigned as a minister. The latest probe relates, like the previous one, to his management of a health insurance company in Brittany.

Dr Richard Scott runs the Bethesda Medical Centre, caring for almost 20,000 patients. At the end of the standard Western medicine procedure he asks his patients for their permission to introduce elements of faith into his consultation. He maintains that his behaviour is vindicated by the WHO, which includes spiritual alongside physical and mental wellbeing and has ‘involved a spiritual angle’ for patients with depression, anxiety or addiction. Now he faces disciplinary action by the General Medical Council and could lose his job, following complaints to the National Secular Society by an acquaintance that a ‘highly vulnerable’ patient felt ‘discomfort at the use of prayer’. Christian Concern said that Dr Scott always asks his patients if they're open to discussion. Sometimes they're not, and he respects that.

UN human rights experts have called for prompt, thorough and impartial investigations into the recent collapse of a dam in Brazil, the second such incident involving the same company in three years. Dozens have been killed and hundreds left missing in a disaster involving Vale Mining. The experts said, ‘The tragedy demands accountability, and calls into question preventative measures taken after the Samarco mining disaster just over three years ago, when a catastrophic flood of mining waste killed 19 people and affected the lives of millions, including indigenous communities. We urge Brazil’s government to act decisively on its commitment to do everything in its power to prevent more such tragedies and to bring to justice those responsible for this disaster.’ They also had concerns around deregulatory efforts on environmental and social protection in Brazil over the recent years.

The risks journalists take when reporting on corruption continue. Ahmed Hussein-Suale, an undercover journalist working on an investigation with the BBC about corruption in Ghana’s football leagues, was shot and killed after a politician called for retribution against him. In Turkey, journalist Pelin Ünker was found guilty of ‘defamation and insult’ and sentenced to thirteen months in jail for her work on the Paradise Papers investigation into offshore tax havens. Turkey has the world’s worst record for jailing journalists - 68 in prison at the end of 2018, all of them facing charges of crimes against the state. Journalists play a vital role in exposing the corrupt and their methods; but they face threats, violence, arrest, and death as a result. Since 2017, over 190 journalists have been incarcerated worldwide for reporting on corruption. See also

Church treasurer Chris Harvey was shocked when quoted over £4,000 for her mother’s funeral, even though people could walk to the church. The £2bn funeral services sector now faces a major investigation. The Competition and Markets Authority said it has ‘serious concerns’ about above-inflation price rises. Cremation fees have risen by 84% since 2008. Chris had considered using the same funeral director they used when her father died years earlier, but the business had now become part of the Dignity chain, and she was shocked at their quotation. A church treasurer herself, she knew that relatively little of that money went to the church. She found another funeral director, saved £1,400, and donated the savings to the hospice where her mother died. People arranging a funeral could save £1,000+ by shopping around, but distressed families usually don’t do so.