Abuse Tracker

WISCONSIN
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Walworth County District Attorney Phillip Koss said Friday that a prominent Jesuit priest who was convicted there last year of indecent behavior with two high school boys on retreats in Wisconsin in the 1960s is under investigation in a more recent allegation and could face additional charges.

Koss filed a petition Aug. 22 seeking to revoke the bond of Father Donald McGuire, 77, who was allowed to go back to the Chicago area last year while appealing the conviction. A hearing is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Thursday before Walworth County Circuit Judge James Carlson.

Koss filed the petition one day after a 21-year-old college student filed suit in Illinois accusing McGuire of molesting him from 1999 to 2003 in 12 states and six countries - including Walworth County - as the priest traveled to give spiritual retreats on behalf of the Jesuits. McGuire's ministerial career had included giving retreats for Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity in India and elsewhere, and members of her order were present in the courtroom when he was sentenced last year to seven years in prison.

CHARLOTTE (NC)
Charlotte Observer

GARY WRIGHT AND TIM FUNK
gwright@charlotteobserver.com | tfunk@charlotteobserver.com

Rev. John Henry Walker, accused of stealing from his Charlotte congregation, was sentenced tonight to more than five years in prison.

U.S. District Judge Frank Whitney also ordered the 48-year old pastor of Macedonia Baptist Church to pay more than $277,000 in restitution to the government.

Walker pleaded guilty to tax evasion, bank fraud and lying to federal agents. Although his lawyer asked the court to let Walker stay out of jail long enough to give a goodbye sermon at his church this Sunday, the judge ordered U.S. marshals to take him immediately into custody to begin serving his sentence.

CHANDLER (AZ)
The Arizona Republic

Sarah Muench
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 31, 2007 03:22 PM

Police have arrested an executive accountant they believe stole more than $400,000 from Cornerstone Christian Fellowship Church in Chandler, police said Friday.

Brenda Su Carroll-Nester, 45, who had been employed by the church for five years, was taken into police custody Thursday after Chandler financial and computer crimes detectives served a search warrant at her Chandler home, near Hunt Highway and Gilbert Road, police said.

"As you can imagine, we are saddened and disappointed," said Michelle Rauscher, director of women's ministries at the church, who said she worked with Carroll-Nester.

UNITED KINGDOM
Scotsman

A MONK from the abbey where Buckfast wine is made has been jailed for ten years for sexually abusing boys over 20 years.

Paul Couch, 61, carried out the assaults on six boys while he was a teacher at the Buckfast Abbey School in Devon.

A court heard that Couch, who was known as Father Benedict, took advantage of his trusted position as a priest and monk to molest the boys while taking them on sailing trips and playing with a model railway.

ROME
Zenit

ROME, AUG. 31, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The Church is treated just like any other noncommercial organization, said the Italian bishops in the face of a possible European Commission tax probe into alleged property tax advantages.

Archbishop Giuseppe Bertori, secretary-general of the Italian bishops' conference, told the Italian Catholic daily Avvenire that the tax benefits enjoyed by the Catholic Church "apply only to activities of a religious and social nature, which are derived from ordinary legislation and is equal to that enjoyed by other noncommercial entities, of the third sector in particular."

He added: "Whoever protests the state's treatment of nonprofit subjects working for social promotion in areas of aid, health care, culture, education, recreation and sports is showing a substantial distrust toward the many social entities of varying origins, particularly active in counteracting suffering and poverty.

EVANSVILLE (IN)
Kentucky.com

By RYAN LENZ
Associated Press Writer

EVANSVILLE, Ind. --Roman Catholic church officials said Friday that more than 10 people have come forward with allegations they were sexually abused by a southern Indiana priest.

The Diocese of Evansville said the number of allegations against Monsignor Othmar Schroeder, who died in 1988, has continued to grow since Bishop Gerald Gettelfinger announced the abuse during sermons at a Jasper church two weekends ago. ...

David Clohessy, director of the Survivors Network of those Abuse by Priests, said the number of victims of clergy sex abuse who come forward often are a fraction of the population they represent.

Clohessy said he expected the number of allegations of abuse at Schroeder's hands to grow.

"My hunch is that if 10 have come forward, there may well be dozens more still trapped in shame and confusion," Clohessy said. "Typically only the tip of the iceberg comes forward."

Clohessy, a victim of clergy sexual abuse, planned to protest Sunday outside Evansville's cathedral with fliers demanding church officials disclose details of "a pedophile priest's sex crimes" and urge others abused by clergy to come forward.

UNITED STATES
Catholic World News

It hasn't been a great month for polishing the reputation of senior churchmen. Gallup, New Mexico, presents us with the Mystery of the Bouncing Bishop: the newly-bashful Donald E. Pelotte. Back on July 23rd, When Pelotte failed to show up at the office for an appointment, his chancellor Timoteo Lujan drove to his residence, unlocked the entrance and unlocked Pelotte's bedroom door, to find him "heavily bruised across the face, along the chest area, both arms, the knuckles, the legs, and the feet." Lujan saw blood on the floor and the stairwell wall. "He looks like he got beat up," Lujan remarked at first. Pelotte insisted he had fallen down the stairs and did not want medical attention, but Lujan convinced him to go to a hospital, where the ER physician suspected Pelotte had been the victim of a violent assault and contacted law enforcement. You can read the police incident report here.

Sadly, certain skeptical persons have proven more willing to share the views of the reporting officer, the attending physician, and the chancellor (in his initial impressions) than to accept the innocent explanation offered by the good bishop himself:

In a newspaper editorial, the Gallup Independent said it appears that "Pelotte was viciously assaulted and now he's trying to cover up either because he wants to protect the person who did it or wants to keep secret the relationship he has with the perpetrator."

HOUMA (LA)
Houma Today

JOHN DeSANTIS
Senior Staff Writer

HOUMA -- The pastor of a Houma Catholic church was placed on leave due to an allegation of improper sexual activity with a child.

The Rev. Etienne LeBlanc, 64-year-old pastor of Annunziata Church, has denied the allegations, Bishop Sam Jacobs, spiritual leader of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, told parishioners during Masses held Saturday and Sunday.

An investigation by church authorities is under way and will include a medical and psychological evaluation. LeBlanc, Jacobs said, is formally on administrative leave.

The bishop’s words to parishioners, as well as a statement issued by the diocese, were sparse. They said, however, that the allegation did not involve anyone connected to Annunziata.

UNITED KINGDOM
Manchester Evening News

David Ottewell
31/ 8/2007

A MASS screening of Church of England clergy across Manchester has turned up no record of child abuse allegations.

The Bishop of Manchester, Rt Rev Nigel McCulloch, commissioned an independent lawyer to carry out checks on 767 serving and retired members of the clergy within his diocese.

The move followed two high-profile national paedophile cases in which the church was accused of a cover-up.

UNITED KINGDOM
BBC News

An investigation into 777 members of clergy in the diocese of Manchester has found no record of abuse allegations.

The Bishop of Manchester, the Rt Rev Nigel McCulloch, appointed a lawyer to make sure none of the files contained child protection issues.

The review came after former vicar David Smith was jailed for abusing six children over a 30-year period.

UNITED KINGDOM
BBC News

A former boarding school teacher has been jailed for 10 years and nine months after being convicted of 13 sexual offences against children.

Paul Couch, 61, of Wyndham Street West, Plymouth, was found guilty earlier in August of two counts of serious sexual assault and 11 of indecent assault.

Couch, a former monk, had denied the charges at Exeter Crown Court.

LOS ANGELES (CA)
Catholic World News

Los Angeles, Aug. 31, 2007 (CWNews.com) - A Los Angeles archdiocesan official knew in 1988 that a priest accused of molesting children planned to leave the country, an internal memo shows.

In a 1988 letter released that was this week to a California court, Msgr. Thomas Curry-- who was then a chancery official, and is now an auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles-- said that Father Nicolas Aguilar Rivera disclosed plans to return to Mexico. Soon thereafter, Aguilar Rivera fled to Mexico, escaping prosecution in California. He is now a fugitive, presumably in Mexico.

A spokesman for the Los Angeles archdiocese stressed that although Bishop Curry knew that the accused priest was planning to travel to Mexico, he had no reason to believe that Aguilar Rivera would attempt to escape prosecution. California prosecutors unsuccessfully sought to extradite the priest later in 1988.

UNITED KINGDOM
Response Source

In response to the launch of an organisation called Churchgoer Support which has been set up to provide a forum for victims of mistreatment by the Church – be that physical or psychological – and to expose attempts by the Church to cover its tracks, the organisation’s website has been inundated with visitors.

The new website aimed at helping people who have suffered at the hands of their church or minister, which was launched last month by Patricia Davies, herself caused much distress and mental anguish by the actions of a woman priest, is proving extremely popular with many visitors during its first weeks.

CANADA
Standard-Freeholder

Terri Saunders
Local News - Friday, August 31, 2007 @ 08:00

The prestige bestowed upon a priest once contributed to a culture of silence surrounding child sexual abuse, the Cornwall Public Inquiry heard Thursday.

Rev. Tom Doyle said parents and other community members were not only willing to hand over children to the care of priests but were reluctant to believe allegations the very same clergy members were sometimes sexual predators.

"It was a privilege to be with these priests," said Doyle. "It was a privilege to have a priest in your home.

"It was okay if your child slept in the same bed with the Father. It certainly wouldn't be okay if he was the janitor."

MARYLAND
Jewish Survivors of Sexual Violence Speak Out

I have received several e-mail's from various people who are in a state of shock over the case of rabbi Moshe Eisemann. I know how difficult it can be learning someone you honored and respected allegedly sexually abused a child.

Many survivors may also be having a whole array of mixed feelings. On one level they may be elated that the dark secret they have been keeping for years is finally exposed. What happened to them is finally in the light. They may also be feeling a sense of guilt -- if they start learning that more children were abused by the same offender -- and they never told anyone. It would not be unusual for survivors to also be having flashbacks.

MARYLAND
Baltimore Jewish Times

Phil Jacobs 08/31/07
The whispering got louder in the summer of 2006. Rabbi Moshe Eisemann, 71, a beloved longtime Ner Israel Rabbinical College scholar, teacher and author, was associated with the words "alleged molester."

A Baltimore-area pulpit rabbi and Ner Israel colleague left Rabbi Eisemann off the invitation list to his daughter’s wedding, because of the uncertainty of it all.

The blogs, the Internet sites, were teeming with allegations of molestations by many rabbis, including Rabbi Eisemann. There have never been any complaints or charges filed with the police against the rabbi.

When students identified themselves as victims to Ner Israel, the school allegedly chose Rabbi Yaakov Hopfer, president of the Baltimore Vaad HaRabonim, to look into the accusations.

PHILIPPINES
Daily Star

BY ALEX PAL
The Department of Justice has dismissed the sexual harassment charges filed by a Mindanao-based pastor of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines against his female former teacher at Silliman University Divinity School, an ordained UCCP minister.

In a four-page resolution dated August 14, Acting Regional State Prosecutor Llena Ipong said that the sexual harassment charge filed by the pastor was only a means of gaining leverage over his former teacher, who had earlier filed a rape case against him.

BATTLE CREEK (MI)
The Enquirer

Trace Christenson
The Enquirer

A Battle Creek youth pastor charged with using the Internet to solicit sex from a child has waived the case to Calhoun County Circuit Court for trial.

Troy Deal, 34, agreed Thursday to the waiver of his preliminary examination in district court.

Deal, on paid leave as director of youth ministries at Chapel Hill United Methodist Church, is charged with 11 counts, including:

Using a computer to communicate with another to solicit child sexually abusive activity.

LAPORTE (IN)
Post-Tribune

August 31, 2007
BY STAN MADDUX Post-Tribune correspondent

A LaPorte church and its clergy are fighting a lawsuit that seeks more than $30 million, alleging negligence in acts of child molesting by the grandson of the church pastor.

Meanwhile, the legal guardian for the alleged victim named in the lawsuit is disputing claims by the attorney for the Rev. Jack Cox and two other defendants in their bid to have the lawsuit dismissed.

"I went to that church starting when I was 3. He's never as much apologized," said the 30-year old LaPorte woman.

She and her 13-year-old nephew are listed as plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed Aug. 2 in LaPorte Circuit Court against Cox, his grandson Mark Comford and Faith Baptist Church.

ZIMBABWE
BBC News

Zimbabwe's Roman Catholic bishops have publicly pledged their support for the Archbishop of Bulawayo, Pius Ncube, a prominent government critic.

The nine bishops took out a full-page advert in the official Herald newspaper, in which they said he had "exposed the evils" of the government.

The move comes after accusations that Archbishop Ncube had had an affair with a married woman in his parish.

SPOKANE (WA)
Spokane Journal of Business

By Emily Proffitt

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane expects to choose a buyer this week for a sizable chunk of developable land it owns on the West Plains.

The nearly 93-acre site is located just west of Interstate 90 and directly south of Medical Lake Road, across I-90 from Fairways Travel Center and a retail center called Fairways Plaza that a company headed by Spokane builder Dick Vandervert is developing. The site is one of the assets the diocese is selling under its bankruptcy plan, says Michael Paukert, an attorney at Spokane-based Paine Hamblen Coffin Brooke & Miller LLP, which is representing the diocese in the bankruptcy. ...

The diocese filed for bankruptcy in 2004 in the wake of claims totaling tens of millions of dollars filed by people who said that when they were children, they were victims of sex abuse by priests. The diocese is using the money from the sale of its assets to repay creditors in the bankruptcy.

EVANSVILLE (IN)
WEHT

EVANSVILLE - NEWS 25 learns two new victims have come forward accusing the late Monsignor Othmar Schroeder of sexual abuse. That brings the number of victims to ten. Bishop Gerald Gettelfinger says Monsignor Schroeder's victims were alter boys, boys who stayed after school for athletics and boy scouts. He says he wouldn't be surprised if the number of victims continues to grow.

Schroeder founded Holy Family Church in Jasper in 1947. He died in 1988. Bishop Gerald Gettelfinger came to the Evansville diocese one year after his death.

Gettelfinger first learned of the Schroeder's abuse in 1996 but didn't report it because he said society wouldn't have accepted it.

The Tidings

By Sharon Womack Doty

It is difficult not to make assumptions about the perpetrators and victims of child sexual abuse. We often hope that the people who do these things are easy to recognize and fit into the categories we think should apply to them and we hope that we can recognize when a victim is telling the truth about an allegation.

However, as with many things in life, we base our decisions about victims and perpetrators on basic underlying assumptions that may or may not be correct. Operating based on these assumptions can undermine our commitment to keep children safe from sexual predators.

A review of the results of a recent study of people's perceptions regarding child sexual and physical abuse tell us something about how the public views disclosures, which gives us some insight into how we react to different kinds of victims and the challenges victims face when they speak up. The study looked at the effects of gender (of victims and perpetrators), type of abuse, and the relationship between these factors and whether the allegation is perceived as credible.

CHICAGO (IL)
Chicago Sun-Times

August 30, 2007
FROM STNG WIRE REPORTS
The director of a South Side music choir was indicted Thursday for allegedly molesting a 16-year-old female choir member.

Brian Scott, in his 30s, of the 1700 block of West 95th Place, was indicted on eight counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, Cook County State’s Attorney’s office spokeswoman Tandra Simonton said. Scott is slated for arraignment on Sept. 7.

Scott, the director of the Rebirth of Liberty Choir, who also plays keyboards in the choir, ran auditions. After the teen landed a spot on the choir, Scott abused her on three occasions in Chicago -- in a park, in the basement of a church and in Scott’s apartment, according to a court proffer.

CANADA
Hope Standard

By Jennifer Feinberg
Black Press

Aug 30 2007

Settlement cheques are on the way for residential school survivors, but whether the historic agreement leads to any healing or reconciliation is up for some debate, according to one Sto:lo elder.

With a total of 201 former students opting out of the deal by the Tuesday deadline, the $2-billion dollar settlement is now set in motion.

Former students will be paid between $8,000 and $30,000 for time spent at government-sanctioned and church-run boarding schools, while those who suffered sexual or serious physical abuse may qualify for up to $275,000.

CHICAGO (IL)
WQAD

Associated Press - August 31, 2007 5:14 AM ET

CHICAGO (AP) - A Cook County grand jury has indicted the director of a choir on Chicago's South Side for allegedly molesting a 16-year-old female choir member.

The Cook County State's Attorney's office says Brian Scott, who is believed to be in his 30s, was indicted yesterday on eight counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

Scott is the director of the Rebirth of Liberty Choir and also plays keyboards. According to court documents, after the teen landed a spot on the choir, Scott abused her on three occasions in Chicago -- in a park, in the basement of a church and in his apartment.

AUSTRALIA
Religious Intelligence

By: George Conger.

SEXUAL ABUSE charges levelled against a former Church of England school chaplain, the Rev John Mountford, have been dropped by South Australia prosecutors following the withdrawal of the complaint by the alleged victim.

The Mountford affair led to the forced resignation of Adelaide’s Archbishop Ian George on June 11, 2004, following the publication of an independent report into the diocese’s handling of the clergy sexual abuse complaints.

Mountford fled to Thailand in 1992 after he was confronted with allegations that he molested a 14-year-old student at St Peter’s College, Adelaide: a prestigious Anglican boy’s boarding school. He was arrested by Thai police in 2004 and extradited to Australia a year later to stand trial.

INDIANA
Courier & Press

By Susan Orr
Originally published 12:00 a.m., August 31, 2007
Updated 12:04 a.m., August 31, 2007

More than 10 victims have alleged sexual abuse by the late Monsignor Othmar Schroeder and reports are continuing to come in, the Catholic Diocese of Evansville's bishop said Thursday.

Bishop Gerald Gettelfinger said two more reports came in Thursday through the diocese's sexual abuse hot line. Most of the reports have been from men but some have been from women, he said.

This is the largest number of victims associated with a single priest in the diocese's history, Gettelfinger said.

TOLEDO (OH)
Toledo Free Press

By Scott McKimmy
Toledo Free Press Staff Writer
news@toledofreepress.com

Justice has been served for the murder of Sister Margaret Ann Pahl more than 27 years ago with the conviction of Father Gerald Robinson in May 2006, but a relative of the victim and a victim's advocacy group continue to pursue a cause in the aftermath of the case.

Of the streets signs surrounding Fifth Third Field that honor local leaders who stand out in Mud Hens history, two bear the name of Monsignor Jerome Schmit, a Catholic priest who dedicated his life to the church and sports in the community. But according to Lee Pahl, nephew of Sister Pahl, and Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), Monsignor Schmit also interferred with the murder investigation of Father Robinson.

They want the signs removed.

“We are concerned any time a clergyman is given accolades when he is involved in wrongdoing,” said Barbara Blaine, SNAP president. “And we believe that Monsignor Schmit was on the wrong side back in 1980 when Monsignor Schmit made the decision to try to help the priest defend himself. We think Monsignor Schmit should have been trying to help the police uncover who the murderer was of the nun, and we think he should have been reaching out to the family.”

JOLIET (IL)
Chicago Tribune

Tribune staff report
8:42 PM CDT, August 30, 2007

The Will County state's attorney's office has ended the sex-abuse prosecution of a 77-year-old Carmelite priest from Joliet after he died this month.

Rev. Louis Rogge died Aug. 8, just weeks after his attorney was granted a sentencing delay because Rogge expected to soon be formally diagnosed with lung cancer.

The state's attorney's office ended the prosecution at a scheduled hearing in the case Tuesday.

Rogge in April pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse for molesting two young teen brothers in the 1990s.

CANADA
Standard-Freeholder

By Terri Saunders
Standard-Freeholder

Cornwall

A personal apology from the perpetrator of sexual abuse is invaluable to the healing process for a victim, a priest told the Cornwall Public Inquiry today.

"A personal apology is extremely important, if it's sincere," said Rev.Tom Doyle. "Of course, most men and women can tell right away if it's not sincere."

Doyle said it's been his practice when counselling sexual abuse victims and their families to offer an apology for the abuse at the start of treatment.

"Once we've established a level of trust, I get them alone and I apologize to them for what has happened to them at the hands of a priest and for the way they were treated by the church," said Doyle.

LAS VEGAS (NV)
KVBC

A former priest from St. Louis accused of numerous sex crimes is reportedly now living in Las Vegas. And one group wants the public to know about him.

Members of the group SNAP, Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, want to bring attention to James Beine. They say he's now changed his name to Mar James.

In 2004 he was convicted in St. Louis exposing himself to two boys. Even though a Missouri supreme court overturned that conviction, SNAP believes he's still a danger to children.

CLEVELAND (OH)
The Plain Dealer

Thursday, August 30, 2007

James F. McCarty
Plain Dealer Reporter
Defense lawyers expected embarrassing bombshells to drop when retired Bishop Anthony Pilla took the stand Wednesday in the kickback trial of a former diocese accountant.

For months the lawyers had maintained in court filings that the Catholic Dio cese of Cleveland had made secret payments to the accountant, with the approval of Pilla. They even said the retired bishop benefited from the payments.

Finally Wednesday, the lawyers had Pilla on the stand and were ready to pin him down. But the bombshells did not drop. A judge refused to let the lawyers ask their questions.

Federal prosecutors called Pilla to testify in the kickback trial of Anton Zgoznik, the former accountant.

The questioning of Pilla was tempered and unemotional, lasting less than two hours. It barely touched on Zgoznik, but was dominated instead by the bishop's dealings with the former head lawyer and chief financial officer of the diocese, Joseph Smith.

CLEVELAND (OH)
dotCommonweal

August 30, 2007, 8:48 am
Posted by Paul Lauritzen

Former Cleveland Bishop, Anthony Pilla, testified yesterday in the corruption trial involving former diocesan officials. Prosecutors called Pilla to testify, but when the defense attorney sought to press Pilla on whether he personally benefited from sweetheart deals, the judge, Ann Aldrich, ruled in favor of the prosecutors’ objections and shut down this line of questioning.

One exchange in court was memorable, if only for Bishop Pilla’s demonstration that he is not a fan of movie classics.

WORCESTER (MA)
Worcester Magazine

By Scott Zoback

The alleged sex-abuse victims of retired Worcester priest John Szantyr are going to have to wait even longer to find out if there is a chance for justice.

It's something they're almost getting used to — the next time a court convenes on the case, it will be the 34th court date for the criminal cases that have wound their way through the court system since Szantyr's initial arraignment on charges of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 in July, 2003.

On Monday, another continuance was granted when the Worcester County District Attorney's Office couldn't find the Szantyr psychiatric evaluation that had been supposedly overnighted to the courthouse by the doctor who performed it on Thursday, Aug. 17. A new status hearing is now scheduled for Sept. 25.

The Szantyr case includes multiple criminal and civil charges from several alleged victims. One alleged victim, Mike Chesnis, has publicly claimed that Szantyr molested him in the mid-1980s during Szantyr's time at Our Lady of Czestochowa. Another pending case dates to the same era.

CANADA
Standard-Freeholder

Terri Saunders / Standard-Freeholder
Local News - Thursday, August 30, 2007 @ 08:00

Despite the efforts of one lawyer to ban him from giving expert testimony at the Cornwall Public Inquiry, the commission will hear from Rev. Tom Doyle Thursday.

Doyle, a priest who was born in the United States but spent a considerable portion of his life living and working in Cornwall, will provide evidence as to how sexual abuse by priests affects victims, their families and the community at large.

On Wednesday, David Sherriff-Scott, an attorney for the Alexandria-Cornwall Roman Catholic Diocese, suggested Doyle is not objective about such matters.

In emails Doyle wrote to the operator of a website in 2001, he doesn't mince words when giving his opinion on the issue.

"The hierarchy (of the Catholic Church) is about the most corrupt political entity on the globe," Doyle wrote. "At least with the Nazis you knew what you were dealing with."

SACRAMENTO (CA)
Sacramento Bee

By Jennifer Garza - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Wednesday, August 29, 2007

A victims rights group criticized the Catholic Diocese of Sacramento Tuesday for suing an alleged clergy abuse victim, but church officials say they are just trying to clarify the law.

In a press conference in Sacramento, leaders of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) accused the diocese of legal maneuvering. The diocese is challenging the legal standing of a Texas man trying to sue for alleged sexual abuse more than two decades ago.

"Instead of using hardball tactics, they should find the truth," said Nancy Sloan, of Sacramento SNAP.

Sloan and others called the lawsuit "unprecedented" and an "attempt to intimidate other victims."

JASPER (IN)
BishopAccountability.org

By Jim Anderson
WBDC News 100.9 FM
August 20, 2007

In an open letter this past weekend, to the Holy Family Church, Father John Boeglin asked members of the parish to pray for the forgiveness of Monsignor Othmar Schroeder, the founder of Holy Family. Father Boeglin also asked the congregation to pray for the continued healing of those who became innocent victims, because of the actions of Monsignor Schroeder, so many years ago.

Bishop Gerald Gettlefinger also spoke with parish members this weekend as he outlined steps taken by the diocese to lessen the pain suffered by those who were sexually violated. Although counseling has been provided, the bishop explained that the prominent display of the name and picture of Monsignor Schroeder, causes continued pain and interrupts the healing process for the un-named victims.

CHICAGO (IL)
Chicago Sun-Times

August 30, 2007
Two brothers filed a lawsuit Wednesday against a Catholic priest who sued them for defamation last year — after they told the Archdiocese of Chicago he had sexually abused them.

Cardinal Francis George removed the Rev. Robert Stepek from ministry at St. Albert the Great parish in Burbank last November after an archdiocesan review board concluded there was reasonable cause to believe the abuse had taken place.

The allegations stemmed from the 1980s, when the priest was at St. Symphorosa parish on the South Side and the brothers were 9 and 16 years old. Stepek denied the abuse and sued the brothers, known as John Doe 1 and John Doe 2 in court records.

MEMPHIS (TN)
Commercial Appeal

By Lawrence Buser
Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Felony charges of sexual battery by an authority figure against the former pastor of Walnut Grove Baptist Church were bound over to a grand jury this afternoon.

Steven. C. Haney, 47, who had been at the church some 20 years, is accused of having a six-year sexual affair with a young parish member that began when the boy was 15.

“Steve had convinced me this was for God,” the young man, now 21, testified in General Sessions Criminal Court. “He was a mentor and someone who told me we were a team. I was always trying to get out of it. He always told me to step it up.”

BETHANY (CT)
Amity Observer

Terri Miles, Editor August 29, 2007

BETHANY - The pastor of First Church of Christ in Bethany was arrested Sunday on sexual assault charges.

Stephen J. Wasko, 54, of 66 East Broadway Ave., Milford, was suspended from the church on July 2 after allegations of sexual assault on minors surfaced.

Several cars were in the church parking lot Monday evening but none of the parishioners would comment on the situation.

MEMPHIS (TN)
WREG

Memphis, TN--A long time Midsouth pastor goes before a judge for the first time in connection with sexual battery charges. Wednesday, Steven Haney went before General Sessions Judge Ann Pugh for a preliminary hearing, also in court the now 21 year old victim to come forward in the case. The young man went before the Judge to testify about sexual abuse he says happened between he and his pastor, Steven Haney.

He told the court, "He began telling me that I could become a model and at 15 we began doing measurements.. (Assistant District Attorney, Jen Morris says, What kind of measurements??) I would be naked on his couch in his church office and he would touch me in my private area." During the lengthy testimony he told the court the alleged abuse started when he was just 15 years old, saying Haney would ask him to come to his church office, take off his clothes and perform oral sex. He went on to tell the Judge, Haney told him the acts would bring him closer to God. Alleged Victim says, "He told me why did you get so scared, so nervous...and he said if your going to be willing to be a man of God....it started with a kiss and that progressed over time."

CALIFORNIA
Los Angeles Wave

By BETTY PLEASANT, Contributing Editor 30.AUG.07
KISS ST. PAUL GOOD-BYE — Well, the majority of the 93 remaining members of the once powerhouse 100-year-old St. Paul Baptist Church voted Sunday to retain the Rev. Joel Anthony Ward has their pastor. In a meeting Sunday, the members voted 55-37 for Ward’s retention. Tarshia Rodgers, the choir director whom the preacher impregnated, attended the meeting, marking the first time she’s set foot in the church since obtaining a restraining order against Ward. She was there as a member to vote against Ward and to report the proceedings to you and me. This is Tarshia’s report as to what happened at the meeting:

“First of all, Ward was not supposed to be in a meeting regarding himself. Not only was he in it, he conducted the entire meeting and the deacons stood by and allowed it to happen. Then he proceeded to make everyone sit in groups according to the month of their birth and had leaders of the 12 groups pass out numbered ballots. He then asked the leader of each birthday group to tell him what group of numbers they had. Seeing how no one group had more than 10 people in it, it would be very easy to determine who voted how. ... One member challenged him on this farce of a voting system and told him by doing this, people were uncomfortable about voting how they wanted because they felt he would know about it.

AMITE (LA)
The Advocate

By DEBRA LEMOINE
Advocate Florida parishes bureau

AMITE — A 21st Judicial District judge barred attorneys from talking to news reporters about the state’s cases against two of the former Hosanna Church members accused of having sex with children.

State District Judge Zoey Waguespack issued the gag order during a pre-trial hearing for the two defendants in her Amite courtroom on Wednesday.

Robbin Lamonica, 47, of Holden is charged with aggravated oral sexual battery, and Louis D. Lamonica, 47, of Hammond is charged with aggravated rape.

“I have been reading a lot about this case and seeing it on TV,” Waguespack told attorneys. “We are not going to try this case in the press.”

AUSTRALIA
The Age

A fundamentalist church pastor had sex with two of his teenage daughters to educate them on how to be good wives, a South Australian court has heard.

The 54-year-old man, who cannot be named, was sentenced in the SA District Court to eight and a half years jail after pleading guilty to seven counts each of incest and unlawful sexual intercourse.

The court heard that the man had sex with his daughters for nearly a decade from 1991 when they were aged 13 and 15 at the family property.

AUSTRALIA
ABC

A pastor from a South Australian fundamentalist church has been jailed for eight-and-a-half years after admitting he had sex with two of his teenage daughters.

The 54-year-old man, who cannot be named, pleaded guilty to seven counts each of incest and unlawful sexual intercourse.

The court heard that the man had sex with his daughters for nearly a decade in the 1990s at the family property.

IOWA
KTIV

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) -- A federal bankruptcy judge has given the Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport more time to file its reorganization plan.

The diocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last fall in the wake of claims of sexual abuse by priests. A total of 156 claims have been filed in the case.

CANADA
Standard-Freeholder

Terri Saunders / Standard-Freeholder
Local News - Thursday, August 30, 2007 @ 08:00

A lawyer at the Cornwall Public Inquiry said Wednesday a known gag order on victims lends credence to the theory the Catholic Church worked hard to cover up allegations of abuse by priests.

In a 1962 Vatican-issued directive, all parties involved in internal diocese investigations into abuse allegations were sworn to secrecy. "If a component of a system of cover up isn't a severe religious oath upon the victim to remain perpetually silent, I don't know what is," said Rob Talach, an attorney representing The Victims Group at the inquiry. The directive, which church officials now say was rarely if ever implemented in dioceses around the country, outlines how abuse allegations were to be handled. Priests, victims and anyone else taking part in the internal hearings were prohibited from ever speaking publicly about the matter.

"The victim couldn't go to the police, he couldn't go to the Children's Aid Society and he couldn't tell his parents," said Talach.

"If he did, he would be thrown out of the church. He would become an outsider."

CANADA
Standard-Freeholder

Elisabeth Johns / Standard-Freeholder
Local News - Thursday, August 30, 2007 @ 08:00

Prince Albert, Sask., police are now looking into allegations a Cornwall priest sexually abused a boy decades ago while he resided in that region.

"This is totally new to us," said Insp. Howard Georgeson, with the Prince Albert Police Service, who added the police are obliged to look into the complaint.

The Alexandria-Cornwall Catholic Diocese issued a press release Tuesday stating Rev. Gaetan Deschamps was retiring amidst these allegations.

However, Deschamps denies the accusations and has never been charged under any jurisdiction for this complaint.

LOS ANGELES (CA)
Los Angeles City Beat

Documents released by the Los Angeles archdiocese this week shine more light on cover-ups by high-ranking church officials to protect priests accused of sexual abuse from prosecution. The documents pertain to former Los Angeles priest Nicholas Aguilar Rivera, a Mexican national who in 1987 was accused of molesting 26 boys in Los Angeles, narrowly escaped prosecution by fleeing the country.

Mary Grant, spokesperson for the Survivors Network for Those Abused by Priests (SNAP), a national support group for victims of clergy sexual abuse, demanded that Cardinal Roger Mahoney suspend Bishop Thomas Curry because he facilitated Aguilar’s escape and let him avoid prosecution in the United States.

“At least twice, Bishop Curry has helped pedophile priests evade justice,” said Grant, who alleges that Curry took active steps to hide Aguilar from police.

CHICAGO (IL)
Chicago Tribune

Tribune staff report
August 30, 2007

COOK COUNTY - The legal battle involving sexual abuse allegations against a southwest suburban pastor took another twist Wednesday when his two accusers sued the priest for abuse.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs said their clients, who are brothers, did not initially intend to sue Rev. Robert Stepek, former pastor of St. Albert the Great Church in Burbank. Stepek was removed from ministry after a Chicago archdiocese review.

But shortly after his removal, Stepek filed a $4 million defamation lawsuit against his accusers, saying the allegations were false. The men filed a third-party complaint two weeks later saying the archdiocese should be held responsible for publicizing the allegations.

BOSTON (MA)
Boston Globe

By Stephanie Ebbert, Globe Staff | August 30, 2007

Suffolk Superior Court Judge Margot Botsford earned plaudits for her experience, intelligence, and integrity, but some of her criminal sentences were criticized as excessively lenient yesterday by several members of the Governor's Council reviewing her candidacy for the state's highest court.

Nonetheless, it appears likely that the 60-year-old jurist will be confirmed to the Supreme Judicial Court when the Governor's Council votes tomorrow. Botsford, nominated to the post by Governor Deval Patrick last month, needs only a majority vote of the eight-member council; three members openly pledged their support during yesterday's confirmation hearing, and even her fiercest interrogators on the council declined to say they would vote against her.

During a hearing on her judicial nomination, Botsford was pressed to explain why in October 2005 she sentenced a former Catholic priest who had molested five boys to eight to 11 years in prison. Prosecutors had sought a sentence of 12 to 15 years, while defense lawyers asked for five to eight years.

Botsford said that the defendant, Robert Burns, was 59 years old, and that the abuse had taken place 15 to 25 years earlier.

IOWA
Des Moines Register

By ABBY SIMONS
REGISTER STAFF WRITER

A former Alaska priest accused of sexual abuse and denied admission to Iowa's bar in 2006 will fight before Iowa's high court today for his right to practice law in the state.

Michael Patrick Nash, 57, a 2006 Creighton Law School graduate, formally left the priesthood in 2005 following accusations that he had sexually abused boys in remote areas of the Juneau Archdiocese in the 1980s.

In legal briefs, his attorney contends that the Iowa Board of Law Examiners erred in its refusal to admit him to the Iowa Bar Association. The board counters that Nash's admitted acts against the boys, which included requesting foot and neck massages and making them do calisthenics in their underwear as punishment for misbehavior, "raise character concerns adequate to deny him permission to practice in Iowa."

CLEVELAND (OH)
The Plain Dealer

Posted by Mike Tobin August 29, 2007 16:39PM

Former Bishop Anthony Pilla said he was shocked when confronted with evidence that Cleveland Catholic Diocese employees stole hundreds of thousands of dollars through what prosecutors call an elaborate kickback scheme.

Pilla, the longtime leader of the diocese who retired in last year, took the stand in the trial of Anton Zgoznik, who is accused of multiple counts of conspiracy, money laundering, mail fraud and obstruction of justice.

Zgoznik's supervisor, Joseph Smith, will stand trial later. He faces the same charges.

Smith was the highest-ranking layperson to work at the diocese, serving as chief financial officer. Prosecutors accuse Smith of approving inflated billings from Zgoznik, who in turn paid money to companies owned by Smith, prosecutors said.

JASPER (IN)
The New York Times

By MICHAEL RUBINO
Published: August 30, 2007
JASPER, Ind., Aug. 29 — Msgr. Othmar Schroeder was revered in this town of 12,000 for starting a parish and a school. The Knights of Columbus Council in Jasper was named for him. He served his entire 50-year career locally.

Now the bishop is calling on churches here to remove photos of the late priest and rescind honors that were given him, because he is suspected of having molested scores of young boys.

The bishop, Gerald A. Gettelfinger, has also prevailed upon the Knights of Columbus Council to change its name, and is considering what to do about a 12-foot stone crucifix dedicated in Monsignor Schroeder’s memory at the cemetery of Sacred Heart Church in nearby Schnellville, where he is buried.

GALLUP (NM)
Gallup Independent

By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Staff writer

GALLUP — When it comes to the subject of Bishop Donald E. Pelotte of the Diocese of Gallup, questions about his medical condition are in abundance while answers are in short supply.

The latest question is: Where is the Roman Catholic bishop?

According to an official statement by chancery officials, posted on the diocese’s Web site on Monday, Pelotte is continuing to receive treatment at Memorial Hermann/TIRR in Houston. ...

But according to two parishioners from Sacred Heart Cathedral in Gallup, who talked separately with the Independent late Tuesday evening, an announcement was made during last weekend’s Mass that Pelotte was being transferred to a new hospital in Florida.

BURBANK (IL)
Southwest News-Herald

By CHUCK SALVATORE

The parishioners of St. Albert the Great in Burbank gathered Friday in support of their pastor, the Rev. Robert Stepek.

Stepek is accused of sexually molesting two young boys in the 1980s while serving as an associate pastor at St Symphorosa Church in Chicago. The two boys are brothers and had been family friends for many years with Stepek.

Around 200 supporters gathered at Niko’s Restaurant in Bridgeview to show support for Stepek. Most were from St. Albert the Great. However there were also people from St. Symphorosa and other priests who have known Stepek for years.

The atmosphere around the room was upbeat. Many in attendance were happy they were able to see their pastor for the first time in months. No one there believed the charges; instead, most think the brothers are out to hurt Stepek.

CLEVELAND (OH)
WDTN

Associated Press - August 29, 2007 12:25 PM ET

CLEVELAND (AP) - The bishop of the Cleveland Catholic Diocese expressed shock when he heard a whistle blowers' report on the church's financial irregularities.

The reaction of retired Bishop Anthony Pilla three years ago is being detailed in U.S. District Court testimony in Cleveland.

Retired accountant and financial adviser to the church William Reidy is testifying at the fraud trial of a former church accountant.

ITALY
Catholic World News

Rome, Aug. 29, 2007 (CWNews.com) - A Catholic priest in Monterosso, Italy, has given new impetus to public debate on clerical celibacy by announcing that he is in love with a local woman.

Father Sante Squotti claims to be "engaged" to the woman, who is separated from her husband. But in a confused series of remarks he insisted that he would continue to adhere to his vow of celibacy. "Canon law does not forbid a priest from falling in love, or from becoming engaged in a celibate manner," he said.

AUSTRALIA
Herald Sun

Keith Moor

August 30, 2007 12:00am
AN accused pedophile priest has emerged as a suspect in the 1980 killing of Thornbury bookshop owner Maria James.

Homicide squad detective Ron Iddles yesterday confirmed dead Catholic priest the Rev Father Anthony Bongiorno was one of several "persons of interest" being examined during a review of the case.

Mrs James, 38, died after being stabbed 68 times on June 17, 1980.

Det Sen-Sgt Iddles recently received new information that suggests Father Bongiorno, who died in 2002, could be the murderer.

ITALY
Il Mattino di Padova

Andrea Navarin, son of a former priest and religious sister, in this Italian-language article discusses his life as son of a man and woman who left religious life in order to marry after they fell in love. He discusses the situation with the Rev. Sante Sguotti, who has fallen in love with a woman he wants to marry.

DAVENPORT (IA)
Des Moines Register

ASSOCIATED PRESS

A bankruptcy judge has given the Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport more time to file its reorganization plan.

The judge approved the diocese's request to extend the deadline to Oct. 1. It must be approved by Nov. 30.

The original deadline was Aug. 15.

The request to extend the deadline was submitted by the diocese and the creditors committee, which includes alleged victims of abuse by priests. No objections were filed.

FORT MYERS (FL)
News-Press

By news-press.com
Originally posted on August 29, 2007

A Fort Myers youth church worker arrested in February for sexually abusing three boys hesitantly pleaded guilty to the charges today and he will spend the next 20 years in prison.

Elantonio Gomez, 51, of Cape Coral will be labeled a sexual predator and will have to spend 10 years on probation after serving his term.

Last Monday, Gomez asked Lee Circuit Judge Joseph Simpson for a week to tell family members he would be pleading guilty to the charges so they didn’t find out in the media. This morning, Gomez was ready to plead to the charges, but had a change of heart.

“At this time, he does not wish to accept the plea,” Gomez’s attorney, Assistant Public Defender Katheryn Smith said.

SCHENECTADY (NY)
Albany Times Union

By JORDAN CARLEO-EVANGELIST, Staff writer

SCHENECTADY -- Alan Horowitz, the notorious child molester who jumped parole and led state and federal authorities on an international manhunt, will go before a judge this morning in a closed parole hearing, authorities said.

State parole officials will make the case that Horowitz should be sent back to prison for some or all of his remaining prison sentence after, they say, he glibly fled the country last summer, penning a goodbye note of sorts to his parole officer.

Horowitz, who was captured in India in May, will be represented by Public Defender Mark Caruso, and the hearing will be before Administrative Law Judge Patricia O'Malley at the county jail, said Mark Johnson, a spokesman for the state Division of Parole.

RWANDA
allAfrica

New Times (Kigali)

Ignatius Ssuuna And Eugene Mutara
Kigali

Senior leaders from the umbrella of Born-agai