http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AbuseTracker/ A Blog by Kathy Shaw en Copyright 2012 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:26:27 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss COMMUNIQUE ON CLAIMS IN AN ITALIAN TELEVISION PROGRAMME ABOUT THE IOR AND THE AIF Vatican City, (VIS) - Given below is the text of a communique issued early this afternoon by the Holy See Press Office. "The television programme, 'Gli intoccabili', transmitted yesterday evening by Italy's 'La7' television network, included unfounded claims and false information about the Institute for the Works of Religion and(IOR) and the Vatican Financial Information Authority. "On this subject, and with reference to the declaration issued by the Holy See Press Office yesterday 8 February, the following points must be made: "(1) The affirmation that the IOR is a bank is incorrect. The IOR is a foundation in both civil and canon law, regulated by its own statutes. It does not hold reserves or grant loans as a bank does. Even less so is it an 'offshore bank', and the aforementioned television programme used that term not to illustrate the true nature and function of the IOR but to create an impression of illegality. The IOR lies within a sovereign jurisdiction and operates on the basis of a framework of norms and rules which include the Vatican's anti-money laundering legislation: Law No. 127, adopted precisely in order to conform to international standards. "(2) The insinuation that Vatican norms do not allow for investigations or criminal procedures regarding the period prior to the coming into force of Law No. 127 on 1 April 2011, is untrue. "The discussion during the aforesaid programme referred to words contained in a 'private memo'. That document has no official value and merely reflects the opinions of the individual who wrote it. Moreover, it does not state that investigations or criminal procedures regarding the period prior to 1 April 2011 are impossible, or suggest that the IOR is unwilling to collaborate in investigations or criminal procedures on events prior to 1 April 2011. As regards cooperation between the IOR and the AIF, the IOR has cooperated in providing information on transactions that took place before that date. "Therefore, the claims made during the programme are untrue. According to Vatican anti-money laundering norms, the Vatican judicial authorities have the power to investigate suspect transactions that took place during the period prior to 1 April 2011, also in the framework of international cooperation with judges in other States, including Italy. "(3) Relations between the IOR and non-Italian banks have always been active and, contrary to the claims made, activity with Italian banks has been reduced only to a limited extent. The IOR, like Italian financial institutions, uses the services of foreign banks (Italian and non-Italian) when they are more efficient or cost less. Moreover, all movements in cash are certified with customs documents. As standard practice, all movements of money are regularly traced and archived. "(4) As regards the norm regulating the movement of money in cash, it must be made clear that the IOR monitors, and has monitored, step transactions for a total of euro 15,000 in ten consecutive days. Furthermore, article 28 paragraph 1(b) of the new text of Law No. 127, modified by Decree of the President of the Governorate on 26 January 2012, states that the parties subject to that Law (including the IOR) must honour 'their obligation of adequate monitoring ... when they carry out occasional transactions the value of which is equal to or more than euro 15,000, irrespective of whether they are carried out in a single transaction or with a number of interconnected transactions'. "(5) The affirmation made by the magistrate, Luca Tescaroli, according to which the Vatican failed to respond to rogatory letters concerning the case of the Banco Ambrosiano and Roberto Calvi, is untrue. On this subject, it must be made clear that there is no record of the rogatory letter of 2002 having reached the Vatican. Nor, following a preliminary search in the archives, is there any record of the international rogatory letter presented by the Tribunal of Rome in 2002 ever having reached the Italian embassy to the Holy See. The other two rogatory letters received a regular reply, addressed to the Italian embassy to the Holy See. As yesterday's declaration said, the Holy See and the Vatican authorities have duly cooperated with magistrates and other Italian authorities, and this is evident from documentation in the possession of officials both of the Holy See and of the Republic of Italy. "The facts described above show that the presentation given in the aforementioned programme was biased and does not contribute to forming an objective picture of events".]]> http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AbuseTrackerArchive/2012/02/#062069 http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AbuseTrackerArchive/2012/02/#062069 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:26:27 -0500 New reply from the Vatican Press Office to the TV show ‘Gli Intoccabili' (The Untouchables). According to the Holy See the show shows only partial reconstructions of events Vatican Insider Staff Rome It's one denial after another. Only a few hours after the note written by the Vatican to disclaim some information published in the last few days, in particular an article by the Italian daily newspaper L’Unità entitled “Money laundering. Four priests under investigation. The Vatican keeps quiet.” Father Lombardi talked once more about the IOR (the ‘Pope’s bank’) which was the main topic of the talk show “Gli Intoccabili” (The Untouchables) aired yesterday 8 February on the La7 television channel. The spokesman of the Vatican defined the show as ‘partial’ and said that in his opinion the show does not give an ‘objective picture of the realities it describes.’ “The IOR,” stated the Vatican Press office, “is not a bank. It is a foundation founded on civil and canonical law with its own regulations. It does not have reserve funds and does not lend money like a bank”. “It’s also not an off-shore bank –“ continued the statement released by the Vatican. In truth the television show used that expression not to illustrate the true character and function of the IOR, but to give a sense of unlawfulness. The IOR is under the jurisdiction of a sovereign state, the Vatican, and it operates within laws and regulations that include the new Vatican law against money laundering.” This rule, Law CXXVII was introduced by the Vatican to comply with international standards. ]]> http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AbuseTrackerArchive/2012/02/#062068 http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AbuseTrackerArchive/2012/02/#062068 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:22:16 -0500 WISCONSIN Fox 11 OSHKOSH - A trial to determine if a former priest should be committed as a sexual predator has been taken off the calendar, as a deal may be in the works. Norbert Maday was convicted in Winnebago County in 1994 of sexually assaulting teenage boys. His criminal sentence has been completed for several years, but the state is trying to have him committed civilly as a sexual predator. A trial on the issue was scheduled for Feb. 14, but the trial has been removed from Judge Daniel Bissett's calendar. According to online court records, "parties agree that jury trial shall be taken off court calendar and a pretrial conference shall be scheduled to ascertain whether there is a mutually agreed upon settlement or if a jury trial will need to be rescheduled." http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AbuseTrackerArchive/2012/02/#062067 http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AbuseTrackerArchive/2012/02/#062067 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:19:25 -0500 NEW JERSEY The Record BY KIBRET MARKOS STAFF WRITER The Record A 64-year-old Teaneck rabbi was indicted on Wednesday on charges that he molested two 13-year-old boys at his home. The indictment charges that Rabbi Uzi Rivlin made sexual contact with the two boys on several occasions in 2009 and 2010. Authorities have said the boys were visiting from Israel and stayed at the rabbi's home during two summers as part of a scholarship program Rivlin had helped set up. Rivlin also was a teacher at the Temple Beth Abraham in Tarrytown, N.Y., they said. Bergen County prosecutors said that after the boys returned to Israel, they complained separately to Israeli authorities that Rivlin had molested them. http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AbuseTrackerArchive/2012/02/#062066 http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AbuseTrackerArchive/2012/02/#062066 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:16:07 -0500 TEANECK (NJ) Patch By Patch Staff A Teaneck rabbi was indicted Wednesday on charges he sexually abused two boys who were visiting from Israel as part of a scholarship program, northjersey.com reported. Rabbi Uzi Rivlin, 64, was arrested in August after the FBI alerted Teaneck and Bergen County investigators to the sexual abuse allegations, authorities said at the time. The two boys first made separate complaints to Israeli police, prosecutors said. Rivlin, who is married, met the boys through the Scholarship Fund for the Advancement of Children in Israel, which he partly sponsored, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office said. The program brings children from Israel to stay in the United States over the summer. http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AbuseTrackerArchive/2012/02/#062065 http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AbuseTrackerArchive/2012/02/#062065 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:13:01 -0500 BishopAccountability.org ) This is almost ten times the estimate that has been offered by US bishops for the past six or seven years. It’s a dreadfully sobering figure. Our hearts ache for these wounded men, women, teens and children. We hope that this staggering estimate prods secular authorities to step up their efforts to expose child molesting clerics and the corrupt church officials who continue to move and hide and protect and enable them. ]]> http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AbuseTrackerArchive/2012/02/#062064 http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AbuseTrackerArchive/2012/02/#062064 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:58:26 -0500 ROM Die Presse Mehr als 100 Bischöfe nehmen bis Donnerstag an der Konferenz "Heilung und Erneuerung" in der Gregoriana-Universität in Rom teil. Benedikt XVI. fordert den effektiven Schutz und Hilfe für die Opfer. Zum Auftakt einer Konferenz der katholischen Kirche zum Thema Kindesmissbrauch hat Papst Benedikt XVI. eine "tiefgehende Erneuerung" der Kirche gefordert. Die "Heilung" der Opfer müsse für die christliche Gemeinschaft von größter Bedeutung sein und Hand in Hand mit einer Erneuerung der Kirche "auf allen Ebenen" gehen, hieß es in einem Grußwort des Papstes an die Teilnehmer der am Montag in Rom begonnenen Konferenz. Benedikt XVI. mahnte in der vom Vatikan veröffentlichten Botschaft zudem eine "rigorose Kultur des effektiven Schutzes und der Hilfe für Opfer" an. http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AbuseTrackerArchive/2012/02/#062063 http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AbuseTrackerArchive/2012/02/#062063 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:02:48 -0500 DEUTSCHLAND Wolfaburger Allgemeine Der wegen sexuellen Missbrauchs vor dem Landgericht Braunschweig angeklagte katholische Priester ist am Donnerstag zu sechs Jahren Haft verurteilt worden. Der 46-Jährige hatte zugegeben, sich zwischen 2004 und 2011 in 280 Fällen an drei Jungen zwischen neun und 15 Jahren vergangen zu haben. Bedeutsam für das Urteil sind 250 Taten. Der Pfarrer war früher auch in Wolfsburg tätig gewesen. In 214 Fällen liegt laut Gericht ein schwerer sexueller Missbrauch von Kindern vor. Allein 229 Taten richteten sich gegen ein einziges Opfer. Nach Angaben des Vorsitzenden Richters, Manfred Teiwes, gründet sich das Urteil vor allem auf das Geständnis des Angeklagten, das durch Zeugenaussagen untermauert wurde. „Der Angeklagte hat bei allen Opfern und ihren Eltern einen besonderen Vertrauensvorschuss missbraucht, der auch in seinem Priesteramt begründet lag“, sagte Teiwes. http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AbuseTrackerArchive/2012/02/#062062 http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AbuseTrackerArchive/2012/02/#062062 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:00:02 -0500 DEUTSCHLAND Nord Bayern Würzburg - Ein 56 Jahre alter Priester hat den Druck seines schlechten Gewissens nicht länger ausgehalten und gestanden: Jahrelang habe er den kleinen Sohn seiner Haushälterin sexuell missbraucht. Nun hat die Würzburger Staatsanwaltschaft Anklage erhoben. Weil er den kleinen Sohn seiner Haushälterin jahrelang missbraucht haben soll, soll ein 56 Jahre alter katholischer Priester vor Gericht gestellt werden. Die Staatsanwaltschaft Würzburg erhob Anklage wegen sexuellen Kindesmissbrauchs, wie der Leitende Oberstaatsanwalt Dietrich Geuder mitteilte. Der Priester hatte sich im März 2011 dem Missbrauchsbeauftragten des Deutschen Ordens in Mainz offenbart und sich selbst angezeigt. http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AbuseTrackerArchive/2012/02/#062061 http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AbuseTrackerArchive/2012/02/#062061 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:57:08 -0500 ROM Spiegel (Deutschland) Von Hans-Jürgen Schlamp Zu Tausenden sind Kinder und Jugendliche von katholischen Priestern missbraucht worden. Auf einem Kongress in Rom wollen ranghohe Kirchenleute aus aller Welt zusammen mit Wissenschaftlern nun die über Jahrzehnte begangenen Verbrechen aufarbeiten. Das Ergebnis dürfte enttäuschend sein. Die Kirchenoberen sind, trotz allen göttlichen Beistands in sonstigen Fragen, bei diesem Thema ratlos. Seit Jahren brechen immer neue Enthüllungen über den sexuellen Missbrauch Jugendlicher und Kinder in der Sakristei, im katholischen Internat oder auch im Ferienheim über sie herein. Und sie wissen nicht, was sie tun sollen. http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AbuseTrackerArchive/2012/02/#062060 http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AbuseTrackerArchive/2012/02/#062060 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:54:09 -0500 ROM Zeit (Deutchland) Erstmals befasst sich der Vatikan öffentlich mit Missbrauchsvorwürfen gegen Amtsträger. Doch die italienischen Bischöfe vertuschen immer noch viele Fälle. Im öffentlichen Leben Italiens genießen katholische Würdenträger immer noch hohes Ansehen. Entsprechend schwer tut sich die Kirche mit der Aufarbeitung sexuellen Missbrauchs innerhalb der Glaubensgemeinschaft. Doch so langsam tut sich was: In den Gemeinden würden Missbrauchsfälle immer weniger verschwiegen, sagte neulich auch Charles J. Scicluna, Chefankläger der vatikanischen Glaubenskongregation, der italienischen Presseagentur AGI. http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AbuseTrackerArchive/2012/02/#062059 http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AbuseTrackerArchive/2012/02/#062059 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:50:47 -0500 UNITED STATES Irish Central By ANTOINETTE KELLY, IrishCentral Staff Writer Published Thursday, February 9, 2012 A former New York Cardinal has come under fire after admitting he regrets apologizing over the sex abuse scandal in his diocese. Former Cardinal Edward Egan, who was at the center of the priest abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport, told Connecticut Magazine that he believes there is no legal requirement for reporting abuse cases in Connecticut. Referring to his original apology, the former bishop of Bridgepoint said, "first of all, I should have never said that". "I did say if we did anything wrong, I'm sorry, but I don't think we did anything wrong." http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AbuseTrackerArchive/2012/02/#062058 http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AbuseTrackerArchive/2012/02/#062058 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:47:52 -0500 UNITED STATES Spiritual Politics Mark Silk|Feb 9, 2012 In the year 355, as Christianity was in the process of becoming the official religion of the Roman Empire, the imperial brothers Constans and Constantius II issued an edict prohibiting bishops from being haled into civil court ("lest there should be an unrestrained opportunity for fanatical spirits to accuse them"). This privilege, which was extended to all clergy in 412, placed responsibility for handling complaints against church hierarchs with the hierarchs themselves, and not surprisingly the hierarchs have cherished it devoutly ever since. With some notable exceptions (viz. Henry II of England), civil authorities over the centuries have also tended to respect it. Until the past year, that is. For the first time, prosecutors in the U.S. (Philadelphia, Kansas City) have begun to file criminal complaints against high church officials for failing to report allegations of sexual abuse by clergy to the civil authorities. This has led their stalwart condottiero Bill Donohue to take up arms against such fanatical spirits as the Kansas City Star and the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests ("anti-Catholic") and Assistant District Attorney Mark Cipolletti of Philadelphia ("malicious"). For its part, the Vatican seems to have come to the realization that the Constantinian dispensation is finally at an end. At least that's how I read the public remarks of the Holy See's own chief prosecutor, Msgr. Charles Scicluna, at the conference on the sexual abuse crisis in Rome yesterday. Decrying the bishops' Mafia-like code of silence (yes, omertà was the word he used), Scicluna announced that they should not consider themselves beyond the reach of discipline for failing to abide by official protocols for the handling of abuse cases. As NCR's John Allen reported: Scicluna said there are actually already provisions in church law to sanction bishops for “negligence and malice in exercising one’s duties,” suggesting this provision should be more strenuously applied. (He appeared to be referring to canon 128 of the Code of Canon Law, which reads: “Whoever illegitimately inflicts damage upon someone by a juridic act or by any other act placed with malice or negligence is obliged to repair the damage inflicted.”) http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AbuseTrackerArchive/2012/02/#062057 http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AbuseTrackerArchive/2012/02/#062057 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:44:34 -0500 CANADA National Post Father Tim Moyle Feb 9, 2012 I noted with sadness the other day obituaries published in the wake of the death of Angelo Dundee, the man who trained Muhammad Ali to become heavyweight boxing champion of the world more than once. From the ‘float like a butterfly’ days of his early victories over Sonny Liston and Joe Frasier, to the ‘rope-a-dope’ tactics that felled the Goliath George Foreman, all the way to the spanking of Leon Spinks, Dundee guided Ali to victory after victory. Those epic contests of brawn and will captured the attention and admiration of the world like no other sporting event, lifting Ali to a status unmatched as a global icon. And he couldn’t have done it without Dundee. Given the body shots that the Roman Catholic Church has been absorbing through the ‘Long Lent’ of the sex abuse scandals, Angelo would be a welcome voice at the current Vatican conference designed to share best practices and protocols throughout the Church. Seeming to reel after being pummeled by the multiple revelations of clergy malfeasance, the faithful in Canada can ill afford to receive any below the belt shots as she has suffered at the hands of some who are trying to knock them out of the fight altogether. Such is the case recently on a Canadian blog dedicated to exposing these scandals and the indolent manner in which they have been handled by bishops in times past. Springing out of the Cornwall Abuses allegations and Inquiry in the 1990’s, its author Sylvia MacEachern has successfully held Canadian bishops feet to the fire to ensure they put into practice the justice they promise to bring to wounded victims. She’s been an effective ‘cut-man’ in the Church’s corner. However, she may have crossed a line recently with recent allegations she has published involving a Maritime bishop and a local accused priest. Bishop Robert Harris of St. John, New Brunswick is accused on the blog of placing the city’s children at risk by not directly taking to the priest’s parish to indicate that he was being removed due to allegations of child abuse. Instead, he fulfilled both the letter and spirit of Church protocol for removing any accused cleric from office and public ministry. Bishop Harris chose to do so without inflicting a body blow to the priest’s reputation that comes with the taint of scandal until a complete police investigation was conducted. He permitted the priest to step aside on leave for ‘personal reasons’ which preserved the priest’s reputation and the safety of the congregation’s children. Any priest in such a situation is denied the right to publicly minister or celebrate the sacraments effectively removing his from coming into contact with children throughout the Diocese. http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AbuseTrackerArchive/2012/02/#062056 http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AbuseTrackerArchive/2012/02/#062056 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:38:22 -0500 Father Lombardi answers those who cast doubts over the Vatican’s will to be transparent.”We are working together with Italian authorities”. The Public Prosecutor office in Rome says “ several millions euro have been transferred abroad” Andrea Tornielli Vatican City On the 8th of February, a few minutes before the La7 TV-channel aired an episode of the talk-show “The untouchables” (Gli Intoccabili) the first half of which was dedicated to the IOR (Institute for Works of Religion) commonly called the “Pope’s bank”, The Vatican intervened to disclaim some information published in last few days, in particular an article of the newspaper L’Unità (The Unity). Father Federico Lombardi in a note that included the name of the journalist responsible declared that “The article entitled ‘Money laundering. Four priests under investigation. The Vatican keeps quiet about the checks’ shows a serious lack of diligence in the research done by the author”. L’Unità, discussing the cases of priests investigated by the Italian judiciary system for mobilizing large sums of money which were held in Italian bank accounts linked to the Ior, claimed (just like the La7 talk show did in the evening of the 8th) that the AIF, the Vatican internal information authority for the inspection of financial activities, created by the Vatican itself to comply with the new European laws against money laundering and headed by Cardinal Attilio Nicora, did not give any answers to the Bank of Italy, except in one case. ]]> http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AbuseTrackerArchive/2012/02/#062055 http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AbuseTrackerArchive/2012/02/#062055 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:10:51 -0500