In the autumn of 2018, revelations of sexual abuse by the now-former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick galvanized a small group of lay Catholics to form the Saint Peter Damian Society. The Society was founded to call for the repentance of Church leaders, to propose reforms aimed at combating clerical sex abuse, and to encourage prayer by the laity, especially through devotion to St. Peter Damian.

In December of last year, allegations against Fr. Marko Rupnik, a famous Jesuit priest and artist, came to light. Fr. Rupnik is accused of committing abuse, including sexual abuse, against women in the Loyola Community, a Slovenian religious community, during the 1990s. It was further alleged that in 2016, Fr. Rupnik absolved an Italian novice of a sin against chastity he had committed with her. [1]

In his 95th letter, St. Peter Damian is addressing Desiderius, the abbot of the abbey at Monte Cassino in Italy. This is, in fact, only the most recent of multiple letters that Peter has written to Desiderius, and the abbott has not answered any of them.

Roger Cardinal Mahony, Archbishop emeritus of Los Angeles, has announced a new photographic portrait of himself and offered to send a signed copy to any priest in the archdiocese who requests one. One wonders why anyone would want a signed photograph of a man who is universally acknowledged to have covered up clerical sex abuse on multiple occasions, but His Eminence appears to believe that there is a demand for this memento:

In March of this year, Fr. David Morrier, a Fransciscan priest and former chaplain at Franciscan University Steubenville was sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to sexual battery (i.e. rape) of a female student. As detailed in the statement provided by Morrier’s victim at the sentencing hearing, Morrier had sexually abused the unnamed young woman while conducting a “deliverance ministry.” There are several important points to take away from the victim statement and all that is currently known about the case, much of which is ably summarized in an article from the Pillar.

We are pleased to announce that as part of this effort we have mailed a St. Peter Damian holy card to every Latin Rite bishop in the United States. A few may have been missed because of recent changes in office.

On May 23 of this year, Pope Francis released the Apostolic Constitution Pascite gregem Dei, which formally changed Book VI of the Code of Canon Law as it relates to sanctions in the Church. Notably, the changes to Book VI strengthen Church discipline regarding clerical abuse and other crimes, requiring that bishops initiate penal proceedings in instances where the previous law did not.

St. Peter Damian wrote a letter in 1062 or 1063 to his sisters Rodelinda and Sufficia. In what is referred to as letter 94, St. Peter Damian exhorts them to personal holiness.

On April 13, after a request from the Holy Father, Bishop Michael Hoeppner resigned from his episcopal seet of Crookston, Minnesota.