UNITED KINGDOM
Daily Mail

By Daily Mail Reporter

A ‘sex mad’ vicar has been suspended from duty for six months over claims of ‘inappropriate behaviour’ with a female member of his congregation, it has emerged.

A former girlfriend, Kerry Lansfield, is said to reported Reverend Stephen Smith to Church of England authorities.

Ms Lansfield said she suffered a nervous breakdown following his marriage to her love rival last summer. ...

‘He would start praying and say “Praise the Lord” for the tender moments we had shared together.

ITALY
APCom

Genova, 9 feb. (Apcom) - Il giudice per le indagini preliminari del Tribunale di Savona Emilio Fois ha respinto la nuova richiesta di scarcerazione presentata dai legali di Don Luciano Massaferro, il parroco di Alassio arrestato lo scorso 29 dicembre con l'accusa di violenza sessuale su una parrocchiana di 12 anni.

[summary]

Emilio Fois, the judge for preliminary investigations of the Savona Tribunal, has rejected a request to release from jail the Rev. Luciano Massafero, pastor of Alassio. He was arrested Dec. 19 on charges of sexual assault on a 12-year-old parishioner. To justify the decision, the judge cited danger of tampering with evidence and re-offending. An initial request for release advanced by defense lawyers was dismissed on Jan. 18 at the Court of Review in Genoa. The priest will be undergoing psychiatric evaluation to determine if there are mental disorders. He is currently imprisoned at Armea villa, Sanremo.

GERMANY
Bild

Jetzt rollen Köpfe. Nach dem Missbrauch von Schülern durch Priester am Aloisiuskolleg der Jesuiten in Bad Godesberg ist der Rektor, Pater Theo Schneider, mit sofortiger Wirkung von seinem Amt zurückgetreten.

[summary]

Heads are now rolling after revelations that pupils were abused by Jesuit priests at Aloisius College, Bad Godesberg. The Rev. Theo Schneider, rector, has resigned immediately from his post. The Rev. Stefan Dartmann, German provincial, has accepted the resignation.

GERMANY
Aachener Zeitung

Aachen. Der priesterliche Griff in den Schritt auf dem Titelbild der aktuellen Ausgabe des «Spiegels» geht dem Aachener Bistum zu weit. Kommentieren wollte man das am Montag nicht. Aber in eigener Sache bemüht man sich um Aufklärung.

[summary]

Abuse of children has occurred in the diocese for many years but it was regarded as a taboo subject. Pastor K., who comes from Willich, is currently awaiting trial in South Africa for disgusting crimes, perhaps under the mantle of the Catholic Church.

Hans-Willi Winden has been trying to bring light into the darkness for 13 months. He has examined at the behest of Bishop Heinrich Mussinghoff allegations against priests.

Pastor K. was involved in local parishes before his departure for South Africa. Another investigation was launched in November 209 against a teacher at a school in Moenchengladbach. The accused has since retired from the diocese.

The diocesan commission to examine allegations of abuse by priests serving in Aachen so far has received accusations against two priests. The prosecution so far has been left out of the investigation. Winden said he does not believe either priest presents any danger to young people. He would not confirm if either priest was still alive. Regarding specific facts the church has not disclosed, Winden said they want to protect potential victims from being publicly pilloried.

Pastor Dieter I. was sentence to four years in jail by Krefeld District Court in 1994 in a case that involved child pornographic videos. He was employed by the Genral Vicariate after release.

Father M. was convicted in 1978 of sexual abuse of minors, as confirmed by Franz Kretschmann, diocesan spokesman. He was later placed as a convicted pedophile in an Aachen city parish of St. Foilan. He died in 2005.

L. was convicted in 2000 and later was transferred to the German community in London on behalf of the Aachen diocese.

Anyone who suspects that minors are abused by a priest should notify Hans-Willi Winden at telephone 02151/561394 or 02181/48217.

GERMANY
Bild

Das Aachener Bistum ermittelt nach Anschuldigungen gegen zwei Priester wegen sexuellen Missbrauchs. Ein Bistumssprecher bestätigte am Dienstag einen Bericht der „Aachener Zeitung“.

[summary]

The Aachen diocese said it has allegations against two priests who are accused of sexual abuse. A diocesan spokesman confirmed Tuesday that the investigations were just beginning. Hans-Willi Winden, special representative for the diocese, said he will speak first with victims.

IRELAND
Irish Independent

Tuesday February 09 2010

AN open letter to the Pope on behalf of abuse victims has called on all bishops who engaged in a cover-up of abuse to resign immediately -- and not wait for the verdict of any future reports.

IRELAND
Irish Independent

By John Cooney and Breda Heffernan

Tuesday February 09 2010

A LETTER calling on the Vatican to provide a €1bn compensation package for survivors of clerical child abuse in Ireland is to be hand delivered to Pope Benedict by Cardinal Sean Brady, when the Irish bishops hold summit talks with the Pontiff.

The letter from Irish survivors will also contain a request for a meeting with the Holy Father during his visit to England in September.

The breakthrough came at private talks in St Patrick's College, Maynooth, yesterday involving four survivors' groups, Cardinal Brady and bishops.

UNITED STATES
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

These are more meaningless and self-serving words from the Vatican designed strictly to mollify the flock while changing nothing. How many times does the Pope get to 'condemn' clergy sexual abuse while doing virtually nothing to stop it? How many times will he try to divert attention away from the complicity of bishops and focus exclusively on the crimes of the predators? When will we begin to hold him accountable for his inaction?

IRELAND
Catholic News Agency

(CNA).- A second meeting between Irish bishops and representatives of victims of abuse by priests and Church-run institutions was held on Monday. The meeting focused on victims’ concerns and on informing the bishops’ preparations for their upcoming meeting with Pope Benedict XVI in Rome.

The meeting in Maynooth involved Tom Hayes of the Alliance Support Group, John Kelley and Patrick Walsh of Irish SOCA, Michael O’Brien of Right to Peace, and Michael Walsh of the group Right of Place.

The bishops involved were Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise Colm O’Reilly, Bishop of Dromore John McAreavey, Bishop of Cork and Ross John Buckley and Bishop of Killala John Fleming.

IRONDEQUOIT (NY)
WHEC

By: Berkeley Brean | WHEC.com

A Rochester man is accused of sexually abusing a young girl inside a Jewish temple in Irondequoit.

Orlando Colon is charged with first degree sexual abuse.

We obtained a copy of his statements to police.

Colon admitted he sexually abused one girl at Temple Beth David.

Healing and Spirituality

Dr. Jaime Romo

I saw parts of a documentary, “2012,” about Nostradamus’ predictions and scientific insights into the alignment of sun and Milky Way and the earth on December 21, 2012. The Mayan calendar ends on that same day. Will the earth freeze? Will it explode, like the recent Hollywood action trauma? Oh, no! What will we do? Doesn’t all that hype and fear generated by this doomsday thinking keep us all very anxious and distracted from what we can do today about what is in our control?

There are plenty of real traumas that could use our attention.

I saw parts of the documentary because I was so bored by the ongoing fear and hype associated with it, I fell asleep. I find even an explanation of problems without any sense of solutions pointless, and destruction without redemption worthless.

Mayans and others believe that we’re entering a new age, but one driven by survival of the wisest, not survival of the fittest. Not pointless destruction. If we created an economic disaster by spending money we don’t have on things we don’t need to impress people we don’t like, then this new age might be more economically driven by wellbeing and sustainable, meaningful uses of time, talents and resources.

IRELAND
Galway Bay

February 9, 2010
Survivors of clerical abuse have written a letter to Pope Benedict calling for the removal of Bishop of Galway, Martin Drennan from his post.

They say Dr Drennan has refused to accept any responsibility for his part in covering up allegations of abuse during his time in the Dublin Archdiocese.

The letter, seen by Galway Bay Fm news, also urges the Pope to accept the resignations of Bishops James Moriarty, Eamonn Walsh and Raymond Field.

IRELAND
Ireland Online

Groups representing survivors of clerical sex abuse want the Vatican to provide €1bn compensation for victims.

They have written a letter to Pope Benedict also urging him to act on the findings of the Murphy report into child abuse in the Dublin Archdiocese.

UNITED KINGDOM
The Reading Chronicle

by Adam Hewitt

MARTIN Salter apologised last night after attacking the Pope in a blogpost.

The Labour Reading West MP writes for the website of The Telegraph where he speaks out on the issues of the day, but Tuesday's musings on the Pope's input into the Equality Bill triggered a huge backlash.

In the blog Mr Salter:

- called Pope Benedict "a bloke in a dress"
- accused Catholic ministers of a "narrow-minded world view of Saints and the Cursed-at-Birth destined to spend an eternity burning in Hell".
- said he finds the "hypocrisy of the Church reprehensible".

- claimed "there's at least one group - predatory paedophiles - that are recognised by the Catholic Church as a minority that need protection. Sadly for His Holiness, this crowd aren't covered by the Equality Bill."

SOUTH AFRICA
News 24

2010-02-08 22:57

Johannesburg - Although the Johannesburg's Central Methodist Church was "unsuitable" shelter for children, it had been their only option amid a lack of government assistance, the South Gauteng High Court heard on Monday.

"Unaccompanied children should not have been allowed to gather in large numbers at the Central Methodist Church, which is an unsuitable place for children," was the finding of a report compiled by legal curator Ann Skelton.

However, the report submitted that the church had provided help before the government took up the children's cause.

SOUTH AFRICA
Eyewitness News

Micel Schnehage

A much-awaited report on the welfare of children at the Central Methodist Church in downtown Johannesburg has recommended allegations of sexual abuse be probed.

Eyewitness News revealed in September last year that young girls from the church, who attend the nearby Albert Street School, were allegedly given gifts by teachers in exchange for sexual favours.

There were allegations teachers at the school lived at the church where the sexual grooming continued.

UNITED KINGDOM
Telegraph

A paedophile, Owen Baxter, who volunteered as a church youth worker so he could sexually abuse young boys before boasting about it on the internet, has been jailed.
By Andrew Hough
Published: 7:30AM GMT 09 Feb 2010

The 23 year-old, a member of St Matthew's Church in Kingsdown, Bristol, "revelled" in assaulting victims as young as four as he discussed his exploits with other paedophiles, a court was told.

Described by a judge as "predatory and opportunistic", Baxter, of Redland, Bristol, gained the trust of parents at the church so he could volunteer to work with their children, Bristol Crown Court heard.

UNITED KINGDOM
Evening Post

A church "missed warning signs" that a volunteer in its congregation was a predatory paedophile targeting young boys, a vicar has said.

Concerns were raised about the behaviour of Owen Baxter after a complaint about his behaviour two years before his arrest for child sex offences.

But although police were called and action was taken to stop him from having any contact with youngsters at St Matthew's Church in Kingsdown, no evidence was uncovered of the abuse for which he was given a 12-year sentence at Bristol Crown Court yesterday.

GERMANY
Pharyngula

PZ Myers

It's yet another Catholic sex scandal, this time a chronic pattern of sexual abuse by a few priests in Berlin that was known and tolerated by church leaders for almost 20 years. They've got a nice phrase for what was going on: "intimate, fatherly behavior."

MILWAUKEE (WI)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

If you are a victim of sexual abuse or if you know someone who has been sexually abused or you know of a case of sexual abuse, you need to report that to the police or other civil authority before you report it to anyone else. You don't first report it to a school principal, teacher, counselor, minister, rabbi, imam, priest or bishop. You go to the police.

Sexual abuse is a crime and needs to be reported to the proper law enforcement agency just as any other crime should be. And it should be the policy of any institution - schools, churches, youth organizations - to encourage victims and others to report such crimes to civil authorities.

That's the way the Milwaukee Catholic Archdiocese has seen the issue. The archdiocese's notification statement, which is posted on its Web site at www.archmil.org, directs those with complaints of sexual abuse involving victims younger than age 18 to notify civil authorities. That should apply to all victims of sexual abuse, regardless of age, but the archdiocese is pointing in the right direction.

MASSACHUSETTS
Enterprise

By Maureen Boyle
Enterprise Staff Writer

BRAINTREE — Mark Dunderdale knows the law well — and the importance of good investigations.

He grew up with it.

His father, G. William Dunderdale, was a state trooper assigned to the Plymouth County district attorney’s office for 15 years before retiring.

“I had a very clear understanding of how important the work was,” Mark Dunderdale said. “It was part of our daily lives and our family friends.

MASSACHUSETTS
Enterprise

By Maureen Boyle
Enterprise Staff Writer

BRAINTREE — For years, Mark Dunderdale dealt with sexual assault and other crime victims as a prosecutor in the office of the Plymouth County district attorney. Now he will use that expertise to help the Archdiocese of Boston investigate allegations of wrongdoing or impropriety by clergy or other diocesan workers.

Dunderdale, the founding director of the archdiocese’s new Office of Professional Standards and Oversight, said the creation of that office is the most recent move by the archdiocese to make sure problems of the past — such as ignoring allegations of sexual abuse by priests — aren’t repeated.

“The intent is to have professional investigations that are fair and professionally done so we never repeat the sins of the past,” said Dunderdale, 42, who officially started the job on Jan. 1.

IRELAND
The Irish Times

OPEN LETTER TO POPE BENEDICT XVI ON BEHALF OF MARIE COLLINS, ONE IN FOUR, ANDREW MADDEN

Dear Pope Benedict,

As the Irish bishops gather in Rome for their meeting with you, we are writing to ensure that the voices of the survivors of abuse by Catholic priests have a place in your deliberations.

The distress, anger and frustration experienced by survivors since the publication of the Report of the Commission of Investigation into Sexual Abuse in the Archdiocese of Dublin (the Murphy Report) is enormous. Many who have suffered throughout their lives from the impact of sexual abuse by priests in childhood now realise, having read the Report, that their pain and suffering could have been avoided if senior churchmen and the civil authorities had acted properly in response to complaints received from earlier victims.

Survivors find in incomprehensible that the Vatican and your representative in Ireland, the Papal Nuncio, saw fit to hide behind diplomatic protocols to avoid co-operating with the Murphy Commission.

IRELAND
RTE News

Tuesday, 9 February 2010
Survivors of clerical sexual abuse have written an open letter to Pope Benedict XVI as Irish bishops prepare to meet the Pontiff in the Vatican next week.

They say survivors find it incomprehensible that the Vatican and the Papal Nuncio saw fit to hide behind diplomatic protocols to avoid cooperating with the Murphy Commission.

Yesterday, representatives of the bishops met leaders of four survivors' groups as part of ongoing consultations and said they would relay the survivors' concerns to the Pope.

VATICAN CITY
Irish Central

Niall O'Dowd

Pope Benedict XVI has warned that the dangers of pedophilia still exist in the Church.

He made the comments before he meets Irish bishops next week to discuss the scandals in Ireland that have resulted in four archbishops stepping down.

In a clear reference to the Irish situation, Benedict, speaking of the imperative to protect children at all costs, stated that "Jesus' harsh words in the Bible about those who harm children should commit everyone to never lowering the level of respect and love."

He acknowledged that "unfortunately, in a number of cases, some of its (the Church) members acted in contrast to this commitment."

IRELAND
The Irish Times

PATSY McGARRY Religious Affairs Correspondent

THE FORMER Jesuit provincial Fr Gerry O’Hanlon has called for a national synod of the Catholic Church in Ireland in the context of fallout from the Murphy report.

“It will not do any more for priests, bishops, cardinals, the pope to simply tell us what to think, what to do. People rightly want to have a say,” he has written in the current edition of the Furrow magazine.

“Now would also seem to be a good time to call into question the reality that certain narrow grounds of orthodoxy are a sine qua non of episcopal appointments at present, and to call for more transparent, representative and accountable local, including lay, participation in the appointment of bishops.

IRELAND
Irish Examiner

By Dan Collins

Tuesday, February 09, 2010

SURVIVORS of clerical sex abuse have called on the Pope to force the resignation of bishops they say did nothing to challenge "the culture of cover up".

Yesterday, a group representing survivors of clerical abuse, met Irish bishops in advance of their visit to Rome next week for an emergency meeting at which the fallout from the Murphy Report into the rape and abuse of 320 children by 46 priests in the Dublin Archdiocese will be top of the agenda.

"Today’s meeting was constructive and helpful to us... The meeting focused on the ongoing concerns of survivors. We intend to relay these concerns to Pope Benedict both verbally and in the form of written submissions which were presented to us today by survivors and which directly represent their views," Dromore Bishop John McAreavey said in Maynooth yesterday.

NEW YORK
pressconnects

By Tom Wilber •twilber@gannett.com • February 8, 2010, 8:55 pm

The regional Episcopal church responded promptly to complaints of sexual abuse against a former rector in Owego and continues to cooperate with police on the case, the bishop of the Central New York Diocese said Monday.

"We have a very clear, no-tolerance policy," said Gladstone B. Adams. "We contacted the state police and offered any assistance."

Adams was referring to Ralph E. Johnson, who faces 45 charges related to sexual abuse of a boy at the former Episcopalian priest's home in Susquehanna County, Pa.

IRELAND
The Irish Times

DEREK SMYTH

RITE & REASON: Why were we so silent on child abuse? Why didn’t we speak up?

IN ORDER to respond appropriately to those who were abused by priests, we need to explore clerical culture, since research attests that it does contribute to the promotion of immaturity, arrested development and irresponsibility.

For example, early research by Conrad Baars and Anna Terruwe on priesthood within western Europe and North America in 1971 revealed that only 10-15 per cent of priests were mature; 60-70 per cent suffered from a degree of emotional immaturity; and 20-25 per cent had serious psychiatric difficulties. Ironically, these findings were never acted on.

IRELAND
The Irish Times

PATSY McGARRY Religious Affairs Correspondent and PADDY AGNEW

A LETTER has been sent to Pope Benedict by abuse victims in Dublin calling on him to remove the Bishop of Galway, Martin Drennan, as he “still refuses to accept any responsibility for his part in supporting a culture of cover up during his time in Dublin”.

It also urges the pope to accept “without any further delay” the offers of resignation from bishops James Moriarty, Eamonn Walsh and Raymond Field.

The letter, sent in advance of the pope’s planned meeting with the Irish bishops in Rome, is signed by victims of clerical abuse Andrew Madden and Marie Collins, as well as the executive director of One in Four, Maeve Lewis.

SPOKANE (WA)
The Spokesman-Review

Kevin Graman The Spokesman-Review

Attorneys defending Morning Star Boys’ Ranch rested their case on Monday after bringing the ranch’s accuser, Kenneth Putnam, to the stand in the civil trial’s last day of testimony.

Closing arguments are expected Tuesday in the first of 19 separate lawsuits filed in Spokane County Superior Court against the Spokane residential facility for troubled boys.

Putnam, 34, voiced indignation as Morning Star attorney Jim King asked him to read from numerous pages of transcripts of pre-trial interviews.

VATICAN CITY
Zenit

VATICAN CITY, FEB. 8, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of Benedict XVI's address to members and consultors of the Pontifical Council for the Family, who are currently holding their 19th Plenary Assembly.

* * *
Cardinals,
Venerated Brothers in the Episcopate and Priesthood,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,

At the beginning of the 19th Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for the Family, I am happy to receive you with my cordial welcome. This institutional moment sees your dicastery this year particularly renewed not only in the cardinal president and the bishop secretary, but also in some cardinals and bishops of the executive committee, in some officials and member spouses, as well as in numerous consultors. While I express my heartfelt thanks to all those who have concluded their service to the Pontifical Council and to those who even now offer it their valuable work, I invoke on all copious gifts of the Lord.

VATICAN CITY
Catholic News Agency

Vatican City, Feb 8, 2010 / 11:01 am (CNA).- The Holy Father met with members of the Pontifical Council for the Family on Monday to mark the start of their 19th Plenary Assembly. In his address, he stressed the importance of providing for the rights of children, including an intact family with a mother and father.

To begin the Plenary Assembly, which follows the theme of "The Rights of Infancy" this year, Pope Benedict XVI emphasized the role of the Church in the protection of children, saying that "through the centuries, by the example of Christ, (it) has promoted the protection of the dignity and rights of minors and, in many ways, has taken care of them."

"Unfortunately," he lamented, "in different cases, some of its members, acting in contrast with this commitment, have violated these rights: a behavior that the Church doesn't and will never stop deploring and condemning."

AUSTRALIA
Geelong Advertiser

Christie Peucker

February 9th, 2010

A MAN who calls himself the catholic Bishop of Elaine has denied stalking and intimidating members of the small farming community.

Bishop Rodrick Gow, also known as Father James, also refuted claims yesterday he had sent inappropriate letters, made harassing phone calls and exposed himself to residents as they walked past his home.

His denials come as seven community members took steps to seek intervention orders against him, claiming he's subjected them to years of verbal and psychological abuse.

Anti-Catholic League

by David Fortwengler

What a great day for football, New Orleans, and really all of America, including Indianapolis. If New Orleans hadn’t played the other best team, the victory wouldn’t mean as much. My favorite teams were eliminated so I didn’t have a dog in the fight. (yes, that was a Michael Vick reference) What a joy to watch a contest where the actual game far outshone the commercials and hoopla. I hope the catholic church noticed how the NFL accurately kept the score and even used instant replay to ensure fairness.

The Real Issue

Unfortunately, fairness and accurate score keeping are conspicuously missing from the church’s all-to-human process of determining God’s will in the canonization process. Head cheerleader and “postulator” Monsignor Slawomir Oder is speeding Pope John Paul II toward sainthood faster than Danica Patrick at Daytona. I again do not have a dog in the fight. (yes, another Michael Vick reference) However, it is insulting to all victims of sexual abuse by priests that Oder can use words like “sanctity” and “heroic virtues” without mentioning child rape, cover ups, or Fr. Marcial Maciel Degollado. Just because JP II for decades protected the now disgraced, serial molesting, and drug addicted hypocrite extraordinare, why would God be interested in that? After all, Maciel was a hell of a cash cow. ( hell is the keyword here, and apologies to cows for using them in the same sentence) So much for accurate score keeping and fairness.

GERMANY
NDR

Im Missbrauchs-Skandal an Jesuiten-Schulen unter anderem in Hamburg und Berlin hat einer der beschuldigten Priester sexuelle Übergriffe gegen Minderjährige bestritten. In einem Schreiben, dass der Berliner "tageszeitung" nach eigenen Angaben vorliegt, behauptet Wolfgang S., er habe zu keiner Zeit und an keinem Ort mit Kindern und Jugendlichen "Sexualkontakt im Sinne von Genitalberührung, Penetration, Vergewaltigung, Exhibitionismus oder Voyeurismus" gehabt. Er sei auch "weder homosexuell noch pädophil veranlagt". S. räumt dem Bericht zufolge allerdings ein, dass er seine Schüler geschlagen habe. "Es ist richtig, dass ich in den vergangenen Jahren meiner Lehrtätigkeit Minderjährige, die mir anvertraut waren, unter Missbrauch meiner pädagogischen und kirchlichen Autoritätsstellung teilweise mit beträchtlicher Härte durch Schläge misshandelt habe."

[summary]

Wolfgang S., one of the former priests accusing of abusing minors at Jesuit schools has denied in a letter to a Berlin newspaper that he sexually abused students. He admitted to using corporal punishment on students but said at no time and in any place did he have sexual contact with them, icnluding genital contact, penetration, rape, exhibitionism or voyeurism. He also said he is not a homosexual pedophile. He later moved to Chile.

Thomas Busch, spokesman for the German Jesuits, said they have no current knowledge of sexual assault by Wolfgang S. but there were allegations of corporal punishment.

Ursula Raue, who is handling sexual abuse claims for Canisius College, Berlin, said they now know of 30 victims at this one school.

The Central Committee of German Catholics on Monday called for speedy clarification of the incidents. Alois Gluck, president of ZdK, said there must be full transparency regardless of how painful it may be. During the weekend, representatives of the Catholic Church in their sermons spoke of the abuse, apologized and promised enlightenment on the subject. They asked people not to extrapolate individual cases to the entire clerical profession.

VATICAN CITY
The Irish Times

Pope Benedict, who will meet Irish bishops next week to discuss the report of the Murphy commission on the handling of child sex abuse allegations in the Dublin diocese, said today the church must keep its guard up against those who violate the rights of children.

Addressing participants of a Vatican conference on protecting childhood, Pope Benedict acknowledged that "unfortunately, in a number of cases, some of its (the Church) members acted in contrast to this commitment".

The pontiff will meet bishops from Irish dioceses to discuss the Murphy Commission report published last November, which concluded that Church leaders had covered up widespread abuse of children by priests over a 30-year period.

MINNEAPOLIS (MN)
Tampa Bay Online

By AMY FORLITI
Associated Press Writer

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- It's been more than a decade since "Amy," as she's known in court papers, was first sexually abused by her uncle. The abuse ended long ago and he's in prison, but the pictures he made when she was 8 or 9 are among the most widely circulated child pornography images online.

Now the 20-year-old woman is taking aim at anyone who would view those images and asking for restitution in hundreds of criminal cases around the country.

Her requests and those filed by other victims of child pornography are forcing federal judges nationwide to grapple with tough legal questions: Is someone who possesses an abusive image responsible for the harm suffered by a particular child? And how much should that person have to pay?

GERMANY
Der Spiegel

The Catholic Church in Germany has been shaken in recent days by revelations of a series of sexual abuse cases. Close to 100 priests and members of the laity have been suspected of abuse in recent years. After years of suppression, the wall of silence appears to be crumbling. By SPIEGEL Staff.

This is what it looks like, the document of a conspiracy: 24 pages, with appendix, in Latin, published by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at the Vatican. A "norma interna," or confidential set of guidelines for all bishops, who were required to keep it a secret for all eternity, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.

The guidelines, issued in the year of our Lord 1962, address a sensitive subject: sex in the confessional. The Vatican doesn't put it quite that directly, preferring to use more guarded terminology to describe what happens when a priest leads a member of his flock astray before, during or after the confession -- in other words, when he provokes a penitent "toward impure and obscene matters" through "words or signs or nods of the head (or) by touch."

VATICAN CITY
Earth Times

Vatican City - Pope Benedict XVI on Monday lamented how some members of the clergy have "violated" the "dignity" of children, rights that the Catholic Church has "over the centuries" promoted. Benedict's made the remarks in an address to participants of an assembly of the Vatican's family affairs department. In it he also recalled the 20th anniversary of the approval of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

"The Church over the centuries, following the example of Christ, has promoted the dignity and rights of children," Benedict said.

"Unfortunately, in various cases some of her members, acting against this commitment, have violated these rights; actions which the Church does not and will not fail to deplore and condemn," Benedict added.

VATICAN CITY
The Associated Press

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI is condemning the abuse of children by priests, saying the church will never stop deploring such behaviour.

Benedict says that for centuries the Catholic Church had shown its commitment to loving and respecting children and ensuring their basic human rights are respected.

But he says, "Unfortunately in some cases, some of its members - acting in contrast to this commitment - have violated these rights, a behaviour that the church hasn't, and won't ever stop deploring and condemning."

VATICAN CITY
ASCA

(ASCA) - Citta' del Vaticano, 8 feb - La Chiesa ''non manca e non manchera' di deplorare e di condannare'' i sacerdoti e i religiosi che violano i diritti dei bambini: nel discorso rivolto questa mattina ai membri del Pontificio consiglio per la famiglia, papa Benedetto XVI e' tornato a condannare gli abusi sessuali sui minori commessi dagli uomini di Chiesa, proprio mentre sta portando a termine la stesura della Lettera alla Chiesa irlandese dopo lo scandalo pedofilia che ha portato alla dimissioni di quattro vescovi.

[summary]

The church will continue to deplore and condemn priests and religious who violate children's rights, Pope Benedict XVI said this morning in his address to members of the Pontifical Family Council. He is just completing a letter to the Irish church after the pedophilia scandal there led to resignation of four bishops.

The pope said the church through the centuries, following the example of Christ, has promoted the protection of human dignity and human rights, he said. Some in the church, however, have violated those rights. This is behavior the church will without fail deplore and condemn.

IRELAND
Irish Independent

Monday February 08 2010

ONE week from now, the Irish Catholic bishops will travel to Rome to discuss with Pope Benedict XVI the disclosures of clerical sex abuse which culminated in the Murphy report on the archdiocese of Dublin, and which, along with the shocking evidence of mishandling and cover-ups, have shaken the church in Ireland to its roots.

At the centre will be Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin. He was appointed to his high and immensely demanding office in 2004 for the specific, though not openly stated, purpose of carrying out reform -- not only in respect of the sex abuse scandals but on church governance and more widely.

The Murphy report bore out the wisdom of his appointment and his actions. He warned the archdiocese and the nation, in advance, of the dreadful truths it would contain. The truths were indeed dreadful. But the response often differed from what might have been expected.

IRELAND
Irish Independent

By John Cooney Religion Correspondent

Monday February 08 2010

A DEFIANT Archbishop of Dublin has shrugged off mounting criticism from priests of him being "a divisive" figure for fully accepting the Murphy report's damning findings of cover-ups of paedophile priests.

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin was responding publicly for the first time to criticism that has been building since a meeting of priests in Dublin only days after the publication of the report on November 26 last.

"I believe my reaction was to recognise something terrible happened on our watch," Dr Martin said in an exclusive interview with the Irish Independent yesterday.

IRELAND
Irish Independent

By John Cooney

Monday February 08 2010

SIX years after taking over from the disgraced Cardinal Desmond Connell as Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin is highly trusted by the public nationwide for his determined commitment to root out paedophile priests.

In fact, he is probably the only bishop who is fully trusted to put the welfare of children above shielding the church from scandal.

The former Vatican diplomat, who did not seek the emotionally draining job of cleaning up the clerical abuse mess left by Cardinal Connell, has also proved himself to be the Irish church's most effective communicator in enforcing the best standards of child protection.

MISSOURI
Missourian

Monday, February 8, 2010

BY David Clohessy

Last month, many child sex abuse victims and childrens' advocates were distraught when the Missouri Supreme Court overturned two recent laws designed to restrict sex offenders and safeguard kids. But to me it felt like, in the words of Yogi Berra, “déjà vu all over again.”

In January, the state’s highest court ruled that where convicted child predators live and what they do on Halloween cannot be limited "retroactively." It’s at least the fifth time in recent years that the court has rejected laws intended to help expose the guilty and protect the vulnerable.

Back in 1992, the court used the same rationale when it said that I had no legal recourse against the man who assaulted me as a child and the institution that protected him.

IRELAND
Irish Independent

By Breda Heffernan

Monday February 08 2010

SENIOR Catholic clergy are to meet survivors of clerical abuse today ahead of their visit to Rome to discuss the fallout of the institutional child abuse scandal with the Pope.

The Irish Bishops' Conference has refused to comment on the meeting except to say that it is confidential. However, it is understood to be taking place this morning in Maynooth, and various survivors' representatives will be in attendance.

The survivors will present a written submission to the bishops on the issues raised in the Ryan report on institutional abuse and the Murphy report on the cover-up of child sex abuse in the Dublin Archdiocese.

ISRAEL
Haaretz

By Ofra Edelman, Haaretz Correspondent

The attorney for a self-declared rabbi indicted for abusing several young children was charged himself on Sunday with obstructing court proceedings and allegedly harassing the main witnesses slated to testify against him in court.

Suspect Elior Chen, who was extradited from Brazil last year, and several of his followers allegedly used knives, hammers and other instruments to abuse children as young as 3 and 4 years old in the West Bank settlement of Beitar Illit in February and March 2008.

Attorney Ariel Atari was charged on Sunday with visiting M. - the woman who was charged and convicted of abusing her children while living with Chen - in 2008, while Chen was in exile in Brazil.

IRELAND/UNITED STATES
Tribune

Fr John Flynn

He stood down from his parish in San Antonio, Texas, in 1997 after admitting he molested a teenage girl in the 1970s. After he went into therapy, Bishop Edmond Carmody, a friend, then allowed him to serve in a parish in Longview, Texas despite his earlier admission of abuse. Carmody's successor asked Flynn to step down in 2002.

Fr John Lenihan

He engaged in oral sex with a 14-year-old girl, and admitted that he got a 16-year-old girl pregnant, taking her in for an abortion. The church paid more than $1.5m to settle multiple abuse claims against him in the 1970s, and the Orange County cleric agreed to be defrocked by the pope. The late Bishop Norman McFarland had allowed Lenihan to stay in the diocese even though he had been accused of rape, and, later, his successor, Bishop Tod Brown, admitted he allowed Lenihan to work in a parish with an elementary school.

IRELAND/UNITED STATES
Tribune

A Boston-based group has listed 70 Irish priests who assaulted children in the US, with more names on the way.

Crime Correspondent Ali Bracken reports

LEERING into the camera lens with menace, the iconic photograph of paedophile priest Brendan Smyth symbolises the contempt some clerical abusers express when brought to justice for their crimes.

In a fleeting moment captured forever, the rest of the world began to comprehend the horrors that men of cloth were capable of inflicting on children.

Smyth would later die in prison, having been convicted of sexual abuse of children north and south of the Irish border. He was one of hundreds of Irish priests exported to the US for pastoral duties. Some, like Smyth, were re-located to America by the church authorities when accusations of abuse began to emerge. They were treated as problems that could be placed out of sight and out of mind.

BRIDGEPORT (CT)
National Catholic Reporter

by Tom Roberts on Feb. 04, 2010 NCR Today

BishopAccountability.org, the Web site that has gathered the most comprehensive documentation available of the clergy sex abuse crisis, has just posted a history of the scandal as it occurred in the Diocese of Bridgeport, Conn.

The history, prepared by lawyers for plaintiffs in a case in 1999, was compiled to show patterns of behavior within the hierarchy as it attempted to deal with abusive priests. It's bias, of course, is that it was done from the plaintiff's point of view. But the history and the documentation (exhibits that include memos, letters, reports and such) are compelling regardless of the subjective nature of some of the narrative.

One can understand why Bishop William Lori fought so hard, up to the Supreme Court, to keep the documents secret. The piece posted on the Web site is but one of thousands released on order of the court. The history compiled here demonstrates once more the value of documentation in getting at the truth of the scandal that otherwise remains buried in diocesan vaults and files. No bishop is going to volunteer this kind of narrative to any review board or bishop-appointed investigators.

GERMANY
Deutsche Welle

The Catholic church in Germany has vowed to probe new reports that claim the extent of sexual abuse by some of its clerics may have been much higher than previously admitted.

German news magazine Der Spiegel reported over the weekend that at least 10 church employees currently face accusations of sexual abuse.

The magazine said more than 94 clerics and laymen have been suspected of sexual abuse since 1995. But only 30 of those suspects had actually been prosecuted, the report said, because of legal time constraints on pursuing cases.

The latest reports come amid a widening scandal of serial sex abuse by Catholic priests in Germany.

ISRAEL
YNet News

An indictment has been filed with the Kfar Saba Magistrates' Court charging Ariel Atari, Elior Chen's attorney, with obstruction of justice and harassment of a witness.

Voice from the Desert

This links to a bibliography update from the Rev. Thomas Doyle and contains selected sources related to clergy sexual abuse, ecclesiastical politics and theology and church history.

BRIDGEPORT (CT)
Voice from the Desert

The website bishopaccountability.org contains extensive documentation on the abuse crisis in the Roman Catholic Church. The link below, referenced in a recent NSAC News, gives an indication of the kind of detailed information that this unique and invaluable website provides.

HAITI
Voice from the Desert

Here are links to articles–diary entries– from Haiti by Fairfield University alumnus (1972) Paul Kendrick, a long-time, tireless advocate of those abused by priests and of the poor in Haiti.

The articles appear in the Fairfield Mirror, the Fairfield University news website.

Paul spent the week of January 10th through January 16th in Haiti. He had visited Project Pierre Touissant, which was run by fellow Fairfield alumnus Doug Perlitz ‘92 in 2003. Last year, Perlitz was indicted by a Bridgeport grand jury on ten counts of abusing Haitian children. His trial is scheduled to start in April.

IRELAND
The God Squad

There have been so many novels about abuse that they seem glib compared with real life, writes Mick Heaney.

His experience had damaged him but, for a long time, Paddy Doyle resisted writing about it. In the late 1980s, Doyle was a budding scriptwriter who had tackled disability in his early works but had never faced up to the horrors that left him disabled. Institutionalised as a child after the death of his parents in the 1950s, Doyle had suffered such physical and sexual abuse at the hands of nuns that he ended up requiring brain surgery. Confined to a wheelchair, he had been unable to escape the legacy of his childhood, yet he tried to avoid the ghosts of the past.

”Then on day I sat down in front of the computer,” says Doyle. “I looked at it and I said: ‘I want to tell you something’. And I started typing. People said it must have been very cathartic and I always say, ‘You must be joking’. Because what you’re actually doing is rewinding the tape and reliving the whole business again. Especially if it’s autobiographical, you’ve to put yourself back into situations you’d rather not be in. I wondered whether anyone would care about it, so I would leave it only to come back [to it]. And The God Squad came out the other end.”

IRELAND
Bock the Robber

Patrick Hughes, an 82-year-old priest, is upset that anyone should call him a paedophile.

I’m only attracted to altar boys, he told the police. I’m not a paedophile.

Remember the Murphy Report, do you? Remember all these bishops talking about how they finally got sense and started to cooperate with the authorities?

That was how long ago? Oh, let’s see now. Two months ago?

OREGON
The Garden of Roses: Stories of Abuse and Healing

What: We will hand out abuse awareness ribbons and patches.
Purple – domestic violence
Teal Blue – child sex abuse
Royal Blue – child abuse
Sack Cloth Penance Patch (frayed burlap patch with brown ribbon) – clergy abuse

When: February 27, 2009, 11:30 AM to 3 PM

Where: Portland, Oregon -- We are walking up NW 23rd Street and down NW 21st..in Portland, Oregon. 11:30 AM--We will gather to enjoy spiritual books and supplies at New Renaissance Books (www.newrenbooks.com/) at 1338 NW 23rd Avenue and start walking at Noon.

GERMANY
Hamburger Abendblatt

Hannover. Es ist totenstill in der Basilika St. Clemens in Hannover, als Propst Martin Tenge mit einer knappen Geste einen für die katholische Kirche entscheidenden Schritt tut: „Mea Culpa“, sagt der Geistliche im Sonntagsgottesdienst und schlägt sich mit der Faust auf die Brust. Nach dem Skandal um Missbrauch durch Jesuiten-Pater, die sich auch in Niedersachsen an Kindern vergangen haben, sieht der Regionaldechant die ganze Kirche in der Verantwortung. „Die ganze Institution hat Schuld, weil sie für eine Mentalität gesorgt hat, 'bitte nicht darüber reden'.“

[summary]

It's deathly quiet in St. Clement Basilica in Hanover as Dean Martin Tenge made a gesture that is an important step for the Catholic Church. "Mea Culpa," he said during the Sunday service and he put his fist to his chest. Rev. Tenge said the whole church is responsible for the sexual abuse of minors by priests because of the "let's not talk about it" mentality.

He told the packed church that he knew priests who were perpetrators and he knew a lot of casualties. He said the victims are owed a deep apology.

Catholics attending Mass Sunday at churches in the Hildesheim diocese heard the priest read a letter from Bishop Norbert Trelle. He said response to allegations of abuse by church authorities is a shame and outrage. He is asking victims to come foward.

In Hanover, several women brought a small group of children for worship in the Children's Church located in the basilica basement. Dean Tenge said the women had not yet been informed of the unexpected focus of worship but this was not a problem. A communion candle burned on the altar while the pastor spoke in personal terms of the abuse problem.

GERMANY
Bild

Das Erzbistum Berlin will eine Kommission zur Aufklärung von Fällen sexuellen Missbrauchs durch Geistliche einsetzen. Hintergrund seien die Geschehnisse am katholischen Canisius-Kolleg, wo es sexuelle Übergriffe von Priestern auf Schüler gab, berichtet die BERLINER MORGENPOST.

[summary]

The Berlin archdiocese wants to set up a committee to investigate cases of sexual abuse by priests. The decisions stems from recent revelations that students were abused at Canisius College. The proposed Limited Liability Commission should be comprised of people from different backgrounds such as psychology and the legal profession.

AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald

TOM REILLY
February 8, 2010

CARDINAL GEORGE PELL, the Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, has been likened to a ''despot'' after banning a faith group from using a church hall.

Dr Pell wrote to a parish priest in Rose Bay ordering him not to allow the Australian Reforming Catholics to hold their annual general meeting on church property, even though the organisation counts two bishops and dozens of priests and nuns as members and supporters.

No explanation has been offered to the group as to why next month's meeting was banned. A former priest, Dr Paul Collins, had been due to give a lecture on the history of the reform movement in the church at the meeting.

AUSTRALIA
Broken Rites

The Broken Rites victim support group helps victims of church-related sexual abuse in Australia.

Here is a list of the most recent articles (written by Broken Rites researchers) published on this website:

UNITED KINGDOM
Bedfordshire on Sunday

BY KEELEY KNOWLES

A vicar has been banned for ‘inappropriate’ behaviour towards a female member of his parish.

St Mary’s Church, CardingtonIt was announced last Sunday that Reverend Stephen Smith of St Mary’s Church, Cardington, is prohibited from exercising any functions as a member of the clergy for six months.

A person who attended St Mary’s Church on Sunday morning, who asked not to be named, wrote in a letter to Bedfordshire on Sunday: ‘After the service I was asked to sit down while Rev Littleford read out a statement from the Bishop of Bedford.

GERMANY
BZ

06. Februar 2010 18.40 Uhr, BZ
Pater Peter R. (69) und die Missbrauchsvorwürfe - am Wochenende sind sie in allen Gottesdiensten des Bistums Hildesheim Thema. Bischof Norbert Trelle hat alle Priester angewiesen, sein Hirtenwort zu verlesen. Darin spricht er von "Scham" und "Empörung" und entschuldigt sich für den Missbrauch durch katholische Patres. "Eventuelle weitere Geschädigte möchte ich bitten, sich zu melden", erklärt der Bischof. So viel Offenheit ist selten in der katholischen Kirche. Pater R. war von 1975 bis 1983 Religionslehrer am Canisius-Kolleg, später im Bistum Hildesheim tätig. Auch das Erzbistum Berlin erwägt einen Hirtenbrief - nicht an diesem, aber möglicherweise am kommenden Sonntag.

[summary]

Allegations of abuse by Father Peter R., 69, are being discussed at all weekend Masses in the Hildesheim diocese. Bishop Norbert Trelle has instructed all priests to read his pastoral letter that speaks of the shame and indignation he feels and he has apologized for abuse by Catholic priests. He is asking any other victims to come foward. Father Peter R. worked from 1975 to 1983 at Canisius College and later in the Hildesheim diocese.

The Berlin archdiocese is also considering a pastoral letter to be read not this week but next Sunday.

BIG BEAR (CA)
Inland News Today

BIG BEAR--A pastor who preached at churches in Big Bear City and Glendora is behind bars on suspicion of felony child molestation.

Investigators disclosed Wednesday the arrest last weekend of Martin Richter, 48, at his home in Big Bear City.

Sheriff’s detectives say a 13-year-old girl was continually sexually abused and they are concerned there may be other victims.

CALIFORNIA
Highland Community News

On Saturday, Jan. 30, Martin Richter, 48, was taken into custody at his home in Big Bear in connection with an ongoing molestation investigation.

During the investigation, Detective Craig Harris says it was discovered that Richter was pastor of churches in Big Bear and Glendora. He was booked into West Valley Detention Center on allegations of having sex with a 15-year-old girl.

His bail was set at $350,000 and he was scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Feb. 16 in San Bernardino Superior Court.

CALIFORNIA
Big Bear Grizzly

UPDATE, Feb. 5: The local church Martin Richter was associated is reported to be the FourSquare Church, however this has not been confirmed by the local Sheriff's Department.

The man accused of molesting a 13-year-old girl is not association with other local churches, nor is he related to other pastors with similar sounding names.

This is an update on a previous story. See the original below.

Martin Richter, 48, was arrested in Big Bear City in connection with an ongoing child molestation investigation. Investigators are concerned there may be additional victims.

CALIFORNIA
The Zalkin Law Firm

A California pastor was arrested earlier this week following accusations that he sexually abused a 13-year-old girl.

Martin Richter, 48, a pastor with congregations in both Big Bear City and Glendale, was charged with lewd acts with a child and two counts of attempted lewd acts with a child.

A spokeswoman with the sheriff's department has declined to comment on whether the victim was a member of either of Richter's congregations.

GERMANY
Press TV (Iran)

Less than a week after a German Jesuit leader apologized over a deepening sexual abuse scandal at a prestigious Catholic institution, new reports paint a far grimmer picture of the crisis.

German media reported on Saturday that nearly 100 employees of the catholic Church have been suspected of involvement is sexual abuse over the past 15 years.

The new accusation comes after victims, who suffered abuse as students in four Jesuit-run schools in the 1970s and 80s came forward.

CHICAGO (IL)
Chicago Sun-Times

February 6, 2010

BY ROSEMARY SOBOL and SALLY HO Staff Reporters
A former Catholic high school teacher was ordered held in lieu of $250,000 bail Friday for the alleged sexual assault of a female student.

Police said Wesley Cherniak, 32, attacked the then-16-year-old girl last year at St. Benedict High School, 3900 N. Leavitt, where he had been teaching.

GERMANY
Welt

Von Gernot Facius 6. Februar 2010, 16:01 Uhr

Kindesmissbrauch gibt es nicht nur in der Katholischen Kirche. Doch hier sind die Widerstände besonders groß, wenn es um Aufklärung und Opferhilfe geht. Nachdem nun immer neue Fälle bekannt werden, ist das Bestreben groß, das Problem endlich konsequent anzugehen. Doch die Kritiker bleiben skeptisch.

Der Richter war empört. Vor Karl Iglhaut saß im Regensburger Landgericht als Rückfalltäter der Priester Peter K., 40, der wegen sexuellen Missbrauchs eines Messdieners eine dreijährige Haftstrafe erhielt. Scharf kritisierte der Richter die Leitung der Diözese Regensburg: Sie habe den Pädophilen schon während seiner Bewährungszeit nach dem ersten Missbrauchsfall wieder in einer Gemeinde eingesetzt und ihn so in eine „Versuchungssituation“ gebracht. Der Jurist verglich das mit einer Bank, die jemanden anstelle, der „wegen Untreue oder Unterschlagung vorbestraft ist“.

[summary]

Judge Karl Inglhaut was outraged. Before him in the Regensburg district court was the priest Peter K., 40, a criminal recidivist, who for sexual abuse of an acolyte got a three-year-prison sentence. The judge sharply criticized the leadership of the Regensburg diocese saying they had moved this priest back to the community during his probationary period and put him into a situation where he could be tempted to abuse again.

In the case of Peter K. the Regensburg bishop, Gerhard Ludwig Muller, had accepted a 2003 defense that relapse was very unlikely. The diocese had only suggested that other clergy should keep an eye on him when he went to another assignment.

AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald

MATTHEW BENNS
February 7, 2010

A CATHOLIC priest who lied about having cancer to raise money from his Sydney flock has been quietly moved to work in the church in Perth.

Father Richard Abourjaily was branded "delusional" by the Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell, and suspended from his duties at All Hallows parish church at Five Dock when his lies were uncovered. ...

The move infuriated a fellow priest who, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: "What other victims will he now seduce?

"Why does the church just cover up scandal and just move priests about? Have we learnt nothing from the sex abuse scandals?

PENNSYLVANIA
News 10 Now

By: Web Staff

SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY, Pa. -- A retired Episcopal priest from Susquehanna County faces dozens of charges for having sexual contact with a child. Pennsylvania State Police arrested Ralph Elwood Johnson, 82, of Gibson Township Friday.

He's accused of having sexual contact with a boy when the child was between the ages of 11 and 15. Police say it happened at Johnson's home between 1992 and 1995.