Free Republic

The recent Salon article detailing groping allegations against Cardinal Francis Spellman, the long-serving archbishop of New York City who died in the late 1960s, couldn't possibly have come as news to officials within the Church. Insiders have long whispered about his legacy of misconduct and the role he played in foisting McCarricks upon the Church. "This is the first time we have learned of this allegation, and take what the writer says seriously, as we do all allegations of abuse or inappropriate conduct," Joseph Zwilling, director of communications for the archdiocese of New York, said to the Catholic News Agency....

Lucian K. Truscott IV, a longtime journalist and writer, made the claim about the former archbishop of New York in a Feb. 9 essay.NEW YORK CITY — The Archdiocese of New York has said it had only recently learned of an allegation that the deeply influential Cardinal Francis Spellman groped a visiting West Point cadet in the 1960s, but says it will take the accusation seriously and has invited the accuser to contact the archdiocese. “This is the first time we have learned of this allegation and take what the writer says seriously, as we do all allegations of abuse...

The New York Attorney General's office on Thursday reportedly subpoenaed all eight of the state's Roman Catholic dioceses, as it escalates a major investigation into any allegations into sex crimes against children committed and covered up by priests. The civil subpoenas, issued by New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood, request documents related to sexual abuse accusations, possible payments made to victims, and potential findings of any internal church probes, according to the Associated Press. The investigation follows the release in August of a damning 1,356-page Pennsylvania grand jury report, which detailed accusations of molestation from more than 1,000 children dating...

Criminalizing the Good Samaritan 04/17/06 Except for the fact that she will very likely be the next Democratic Party candidate for the presidency, there is no reason to take seriously Hillary Clinton’s recent comment that House Bill 4437 on immigration “would literally criminalize the Good Samaritan and probably even Jesus Himself.” The Senator says what she says to position herself favorably for her presidential campaign. A year ago, she was on the radio in New York City proclaiming her determination to stop illegal immigration and punishing employers who hired undocumented workers. Why the difference between last year and this? We...