ST. PAUL (MN)
Pioneer Press
BY KEVIN HARTER
Pioneer Press
The families of two men apparently killed by a Wisconsin priest said Monday that they want to hold the Catholic Church accountable for not taking action against the Rev. Ryan Erickson.
Relatives of Dan O'Connell and James Ellison — shot to death Feb. 5, 2002, at a Hudson, Wis., funeral home — said they're not seeking money from the Catholic Church but want the church to address their concerns and embrace reforms.
"They have come together united in a purpose of hope and promise," said Jeff Anderson, a St. Paul-based attorney representing the families who is nationally known for his work with victims of clergy sexual abuse.
Anderson was joined by members of both families, who spoke four weeks after a St. Croix County, Wis., judge concluded that Erickson had likely killed the two men and sexually abused at least one teenage boy. Prosecutors allege that Erickson was motivated to kill O'Connell because the funeral home director confronted him about rumors of abuse.
VATICAN CITY
New Mexican
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
October 31, 2005
VATICAN CITY (AP) - The Vatican's senior American and top doctrinal watchdog said Monday that Pope Benedict XVI might have picked him for the job in part because of his experience with sex abuse cases.
Pope Benedict XVI named American Archbishop William Levada to take over the pope's old job as prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on May 13.
In his most extensive interview yet, Levada told Vatican Radio that the fact that the Congregation now oversees issues of sexual abuse by clergy, "that given ... the explosion of that on the American scene over the past few years, my experience with that ... may have said to him it wouldn't be bad to have someone also who has this experience."
Levada served on the commission of U.S. bishops and Vatican officials who oversaw revisions to the discipline plan the American bishops had adopted for sexually abusive priests in 2002, with changes meant to protect clergy's legal rights.
He also is to give a deposition concerning the bankruptcy of his former Portland, Oregon, archdiocese that was prompted by clergy sex abuse lawsuits.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph
By Sarah Brett
31 October 2005
A Desertmartin parish priest was today named by a bishop as the clergyman who has left his post as police investigate an accusation of sex abuse.
In a statement to the parishioners of Desertmartin, Bishop of Derry Seamus Hegarty confirmed that Father Pat Crilly has left his post while he is under investigation. Fr Crilly denies the allegation.
Ordained in 1968, Fr Crilly has served much of his career in the Derry diocese.
In a statement read out at Masses yesterday, and faxed to the media, Bishop Hegarty said: "As Fr Crilly himself told you on Wednesday evening an allegation has been made against him which is being investigated by the police.
"He denies the allegation, but has asked to be allowed leave of absence from ministry and I have agreed to this request," the bishop's statement read.
"At this moment I can easily understand your pain and your concern. Having spoken to Fr Crilly I know that he is deeply appreciative of your support and your prayers.
"In the present circumstances Fr Crilly will not be available for ministry. I shall make provision for a temporary replacement for him."
OHIO
WCPO
Reported by: Lynn Giroud
Web produced by: Mark Sickmiller
Photographed by: Ron Fischer
First posted: 10/31/2005 11:40:03 AM
Last updated: 10/31/2005 6:06:34 PM
A Hamilton County judge has dismissed the case against a Tri-state priest charged with raping a young boy.
Ray Larger was the pastor at St. James Elementary in White Oak back in the 1990's.
A former student, Dale Ramminger, came forward over the summer and accused the priest of repeatedly raping him.
On the stand Monday, he detailed graphic sexual abuse that he said occurred when he was 12 and 13 years old.
But before the defense could present its side, the judge threw out the case, saying there were too many inconsistencies to continue the trial.
NEW YORK
PageOneQ
by Wayne Besen
PageOneQ Contributing Writer & Columnist
Earlier this month, I wrote a disturbing column on J. David Enright IV, a New York man who The New York Post claimed was suing the Catholic Church for $5 million because a priest that molested him supposedly turned him gay. I interviewed Mr. Enright and he now claims that the Post got it wrong, saying he was "devastated" by the article.
"I'm a proud gay man. I'm out to do good."
Indeed, Mr. Enright has had his hand in gay issues in the past, usually behind the scenes. I have obtained his letter to the Editor that he sent to The New York Post. Here is the text:
Dear Editor,
I wish to make it perfectly clear that I never said or implied that Father Joseph Romano "made me gay." My issues with Father Romano and the Holy Roman Catholic Church are considerably larger.
VATICAN CITY
Vatican Radio
31 Oct 05 - RV) The Prefect for the Doctrine of the Faith, Archbishop William Levada, sat down for an interview on Monday with Charles Collins. Archbishop Levada served as an official of the Congregation 20 years ago, and began describing how things have changed. ...
THE NORMS THAT WERE DECIDED A COUPLE YEARS AGO IN DALLAS HAVE BEEN RENEWED. IS IT WORKING?
I would say very much so. It is multi-pronged in which one part is to deal with those priests who have been shown to be guilty of abusing minors whether recently or even in the distant past. But the other issues about education of our communities, how to be sensitive to issues involving sexual abuse, how to know what they are, how to report them, to make priests sensitive to that, and their obligations to report allegations to the authorities both civil and church authorities, how the bishop then should comport himself in his outreach to the victim, to be fair, to make sure they are given a good hearing, to have a board that can assist him, a board of competent and expert people who bring various expertise to assist him in the discernment of the steps that should be taken, the validity of allegations, how to interact with the very difficult litigious aspects, the legal communities. The state laws differ very much from state to state in the U.S. There is no one size fits all vademecum draft to say how you are going to respond to these allegations and particularly to these court cases that are introduced. Currently there is an apostolic visitation of the seminaries which is underway that was asked for by the bishops of the U.S as an additional guarantee to people that we would have an objective point of reference to review the programs of the seminaries, admissions to seminaries. On the whole the bishops did not hesitate, even many of us who were challenged by a huge outlay of financial expense to satisfy claims sometimes ordered by courts, decided by juries, to make sure we put adequate resources into these programs, outreach to victims programs, support for legitimate claims for therapy and so forth. I would say that this program has been an extraordinarily successful response. And we even have a monitoring program to help the bishops in diocese with an outside independent audit procedure to evaluate their program to see if there are any weak points and then to make sure they are corrected. I really think that the program is just what needed to be done. I am sorry that with so many of my brother bishops that it had to be done under so much duress, that the explosion of news reports and so forth, that we are not more on top of this for a longer period of time in the past. It certainly has been a very effective program since it has been put into place.
ST. PAUL (MN)
Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Randy Furst, Star Tribune
Last update: October 31, 2005 at 3:08 PM
The families of two men who were killed more than three years ago in Hudson, Wis., said today that they will seek an audience with Pope Benedict.
At a news conference in the office of St. Paul attorney Jeffrey Anderson, a prominent litigator in the area of sexual abuse by priests, members of the families of Daniel O’Connell and James Ellison said that the Catholic church should have removed the Rev. Ryan Erickson before the killings occurred.
O’Connell, 39, and Ellison, 22, were gunned down in the O’Connell family funeral home, where they worked, on Feb. 5, 2002.
Earlier this month, St. Croix County Circuit Judge Eric Lundell ruled that there was probable cause that Erickson shot them
Erickson committed suicide on Dec. 19, 2004, three days after Hudson police executed a search warrant at a Catholic church in Hurley, Wis., where he was a priest. Erickson was an associate priest at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church at the time of the killings, and denied to police that he was involved.
BOSTON (MA)
Reuters
BOSTON (Reuters) - The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford, Connecticut, has agreed to pay $22 million to settle 43 cases of sexual abuse of children by priests from the 1960s to about 1985, lawyers and the church said on Monday.
The settlement was concluded last week after two years of mediation by U.S. Magistrate Judge William Garfinkel, who helped abuse victims and the Church reach similar settlements in 2001 and 2003, plaintiffs' lawyer Jason Tremont said.
Fourteen priests were accused of committing sexual abuse ranging from rape to fondling at the Archdiocese of Hartford, mostly while John Francis Whealon was archbishop between 1968 and 1991, said Tremont, who represented 15 of the victims.
The U.S. Catholic Church has faced hundreds of lawsuits in involving priests charged with pedophilia since the national scandal first erupted in Massachusetts in 2002 and then spread to other U.S. dioceses.
HARTFORD (CT)
The Advocate
Associated Press
Published October 31 2005
HARTFORD, Conn. -- The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford has agreed to pay $22 million to 43 people who say they were abused by priests, the archdiocese and a lawyer representing some of the victims said Monday.
The settlement was the result of talks mediated by U.S. Magistrate Judge William Garfinkel in Bridgeport, attorney Jason Tremont said.
"While I am grateful that the diocese has offered this compensation, I want to make it perfectly clear that no amount of money can replace what was taken from me at the hands of a child molester who wore a Roman collar and called himself 'Father,"' said James Hackett, one of the 43 victims, who said he was molested in 1976 when he was an altar boy and middle school student at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Hamden.
IRELAND
Sunday Business Post
23 October 2005 By Kieron Wood
The leaders of the Catholic Church in Ireland are bracing themselves for an unprecedented onslaught of criticism following the publication of the long-awaited Ferns Report this week. The report, by retired Supreme Court judge Frank Murphy, will be presented to the cabinet on Tuesday.
Two years ago, former health minister Micheál Martin asked Murphy to identify any allegations of abuse made against clergy in the Wexford diocese of Ferns before April 10, 2002, and to assess the response of the Church authorities and Gardai.
The former bishop of Ferns, Brendan Comiskey, had resigned in 2002 over his handling of complaints against Fr Sean Fortune.
The Ferns priest committed suicide in 1999 shortly before he was due to be tried on 29 charges of abusing eight boys.
It wasn't the first time that Comiskey had been involved in controversy. In 1995 he checked into a clinic in the US to receive treatment for alcoholism.
The following year, during a Mass in Enniscorthy Cathedral, he insisted that “wild, sensational and totally unfounded allegations that I would sacrifice the innocence of a child to protect some drinking buddy - or any other buddy - is particularly vile, untrue and cruel'‘.
WORCESTER (MA)
Worcester Voice
Fr. James Aquino pastor of Our Lady of Loreto Parish and Director of the Permanent Diaconate Program has been placed on administrative leave effective this past weekend by Worcester Bishop Robert McManus.
INDIANAPOLIS (IN)
Perry County News
INDIANAPOLIS - An ex-priest described as a “prolific molester” of young boys will face civil-court actions in Indianapolis that will involve one Tell City man, according to the lawyer representing several victims.
As of last week, Minnesota attorney Patrick Noaker had filed complaints on behalf of four “John Does” who allegedly suffered sexual abuse at the hands of the former Rev. Harry E. Monroe. Noaker said Thursday he expected to file another suit this week based on allegations from a Tell City resident.
In addition to Monroe, officials from the Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis are named as defendants because they allegedly knew the priest was a child molester when they moved him from “a high-profile church in Indianapolis to a lower-profile church in Terre Haute ... and he molested kids there,” Noaker said.
The archdiocese then “moved him to Tell City, a small little berg, and he ended up molesting children there,” the lawyer continued. The idea that church officials thought they could hide the allegedly abusive priest in a small town “offends me a lot,” he said, explaining he grew up in a small Indiana town, “and those could have been my friends” (molested).
IRELAND
Irish Examiner
By Jimmy Gahan and Catherine Shanahan
A PARISH priest was placed under garda protection following verbal assaults on him during Mass in a Co Wexford village.
Members of the congregation were angry over revelations about the priest’s predecessor in the Ferns Report into clerical child sex abuse in the diocese.
Fr John Sinnott, who took over the parish of Ballindaggin from deceased paedophile Canon Martin Clancy in 1992, took the brunt of the outbursts despite his innocence.
“I knew there would be some hassle. I know people are very hurt,” he said.
Trouble first flared for the 68-year-old priest during Saturday night’s vigil Mass in St Colman’s Church after he read a pastoral letter from Bishop Eamonn Walsh.
A small number of parishioners interrupted Fr Sinnott and demanded he tell all he knew about the activities of his predecessor.
NEW YORK
New York Post
By IKIMULISA LIVINGSTON and STEFANIE COHEN
October 31, 2005 -- Administrators at a private Manhattan school admitted yesterday they never checked with church officials before hiring a former priest who allegedly molested a student in Central Park last week.
Episcopal authorities said the ex-priest, Bruce Jacques, had been defrocked for allegedly propositioning a 13-year-old boy a decade ago.
The Robert Louis Stevenson School hired Jacques as a fund-raiser in 2003.
On Oct. 20, a 13-year-old Stevenson student accused Jacques of molesting him in the Park.
"Apparently, the school didn't do its due diligence. They didn't call the diocese," said Gail Keeney-Mulligan, rector of St. John's Episcopal Church in New Milford, Conn., where the former priest once worked.
IRELAND
Irish Independent
A CHILD abuse timebomb is ticking away in another Catholic archdiocese.
Allegations have been recorded against a shocking total of 27 priests who have served in the archdiocese of Tuam.
The Ferns scandal involved 21 priests.
Astonishingly, eight clerics have left the priesthood in Tuam after a "reasonable suspicion" that child abuse had taken place was established.
YARDLEY (PA)
Philadelphia Inquirer
By Martha Woodall
Inquirer Staff Writer
Yesterday, four days after many parishioners at St. Ignatius of Antioch in Yardley voiced outrage at a forum over the clergy abuse scandal, Cardinal Justin Rigali celebrated Mass at the Bucks church.
Rigali told worshipers filling the church pews that the sins involving the abuse of children "have deeply offended God."
The cardinal apologized for the pain caused by the abuse, said mistakes should never be repeated and called for healing and forgiveness.
A spokesman for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia said the cardinal's trip to St. Ignatius had been planned long ago and was not scheduled in response to the unusual forum held in the church auditorium Wednesday.
HAMILTON (NJ)
The Times
Monday, October 31, 2005
HAMILTON - The Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton removed a priest from active duty because of a recent allegation that he sexually abused a minor, officials said.
The Rev. James Selvaraj, the adjunct priest of St. Raphael-Holy Angels Parish, was placed on leave last week pending the outcome of an investigation.
Diocese officials filed a complaint with the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office last week that alleges sexual misconduct by Selvaraj, law enforcement and church officials confirmed yesterday.
The prosecutor's office is investigating but no charges have been filed, said prosecutor's office spokeswoman Casey DeBlasio.
Neither DeBlasio nor the diocese spokeswoman would release any information about specific allegations against Selvaraj, who came to the diocese from India.
IRELAND
Carlow People
11:16 Monday October 31st 2005
The support group for victims of sexual abuse, One in Four, has condemned any threats of violence against priests in the wake of the Ferns Inquiry.
This comes amid newspaper reports today that a parish priest was placed under Garda protection in Co Wexford, following verbal assaults on him during mass in the parish of Ballindaggin.
It comes as anger mounts over the abuse revelations contained in the Ferns report.
But One in Four director, Colm O'Gorman says people must not attempt to take justice into their own hands.
"It's important that people remain objective in their understandable outrage" he said.
NORTHERN IRELAND
BBC News
Catholic priest Fr Pat Crilly has left his post while claims of child sex abuse against him are investigated, the Bishop of Derry has said.
Dr Seamus Hegarty broke the news to Fr Crilly's parishioners at Mass in Desertmartin on Sunday.
He said Fr Crilly had denied the claims but asked for leave of absence while police carried out an investigation.
IRELAND
IOL
31/10/2005 - 11:19:54
The support group for victims of sexual abuse, One in Four, has condemned any threats of violence against priests in the wake of the Ferns Inquiry.
This comes amid newspaper reports today that a parish priest was placed under Garda protection in Co Wexford, following verbal assaults on him during mass in the parish of Ballindaggin.
It comes as anger mounts over the abuse revelations contained in the Ferns report.
But One in Four director, Colm O'Gorman says people must not attempt to take justice into their own hands.
IRELAND
The Irish Times
Patsy McGarry, Religious Affairs Correspondent
A parish priest in his 70s stood aside from the ministry in Elphin diocese at the weekend. In a statement read at Masses in churches where the man served, Bishop Christopher Jones said the priest had agreed to step aside pending the outcome of an investigation.
This followed a similar announcement in the Tuam diocese last Thursday.
Bishop Jones did not say what was being investigated in Elphin but emphasised it had not been established whether allegations made were true and the fact that the priest agreed to step aside did not indicate any guilt on his part. It is understood the allegations relate to the mid-1960s, when the priest was in the United States.
In Tuam archdiocese it was disclosed at the weekend there had been abuse allegations there against 27 priests, 19 of whom were priests of the diocese, since 1940. Seven civil actions had been settled, at a cost of €327,000.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph
By Clare Weir
31 October 2005
The Bishop of Down and Connor has told parishioners that the latest sex scandal to rock the Catholic church has "damaged" the morale and confidence of priests.
A letter from Dr Patrick Walsh - confirming that two clerics implicated in the damning Ferns Report served in Down and Connor - was read out in all masses in the diocese yesterday.
The Bishop said that no complaint was made about Fr James Doyle, who served in St Agnes' parish from 1974 to 1979.
He added that there were concerns, not about abuse, over the notorious Fr Sean Fortune and following a complaint he was "immediately" sent back to the diocese of Ferns after serving on loan to the Holy Rosary parish between 1979 and 1980.
In the Ferns Report, detailing decades of clerical sex abuse in a corner of Co Wexford, both men were said to be guilty of molesting children.
IRELAND
Irish Examiner
By Brendan Furlong
BISHOP Eamonn Walsh described it as inexcusable that some priests of the diocese sexually abused children.
Speaking before a packed congregation at the Immaculate Conception Church, Rowe Street, in Wexford town, yesterday, Bishop Walsh said he was unable to imagine the mental and emotional trauma of a child or teenager sexually abused by a priest.
Bishop Walsh, speaking before the commencement of Mass to an overflowing congregation, said: "This is not a time for excuses. There are hard lessons to be learned from the findings of the inquiry, for there is much to be done to repair the damage to those who were abused.
"The diocese is committed to doing all it can to help in repairing the harm that has been done, for we are acutely aware that this will be a long process. We are also aware that some of those whose trust in priests and the Church has been shattered may have a real difficulty in accepting any help from us."
IRELAND
Irish Emigrant
Since it was published on Tuesday evening the report on child sex abuse by certain priests in the Diocese of Ferns has totally dominated the news. It was known that the diocese had a particular problem and it was suspected that bishops did not act decisively to ensure that children were protected from known and suspected abusers, but the full extent of the scandal came as something of a surprise. More than 100 victims made credible allegations against 21 priests; allegations against a further five priests surfaced too late to be investigated fully. The inquiry, initiated in 2003 by the then Minister for Health Mícheál Martin and conducted by retired Supreme Court Judge Frank Murphy, covered a period of 40 years. It was presented to Cabinet on Tuesday morning and published later in the day. Prior to that, leaked reports gave some idea of the extent of the problem.
The report took to task Bishop Dónal Herlihy, who led the diocese from 1964 until his death in 1983, and his successor Dr Brendan Comiskey who resigned in 2002. Neither man seemed to grasp the seriousness of the problem and the propensity for abusers to continue their activities even if moved to another location. It was stated that Bishop Herlihy viewed priests who abused children as "guilty of moral misconduct" but failed to recognise their behaviour as "a serious criminal offence". Bishop Éamonn Walsh was lauded for his efforts to bring about major reform in the diocese since his appointment in 2002 as apostolic administrator of the Ferns diocese. The gardaí and the South Eastern Health Board were also found wanting in their response. Garda investigations into complaints were inadequate and in one case the related file disappeared.
IRELAND
Irish Emigrant
In promising to quickly implement the recommendations contained in the report, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said he was "appalled and overwhelmed at the nature and extent of the abuse". He said the Government would be writing to Church authorities to ensure that systems put in place in Ferns, by Bishop Éamonn Walsh, had been implemented in all other dioceses. Mr Ahern added that clerical abuse amounted to 3% of sexual abuse cases, and that the State aimed to tackle the other 97%.
Tánaiste and Minister for Health Mary Harney described the report as "very sad, very disturbing, very depressing". Minister for Justice Michael McDowell promised to amend the current Criminal Justice Bill to include a "reckless endangerment" clause. This will be similar to a new law in Massachusetts which makes it an offence for people in authority to fail to take action when they are aware that children are in danger.
It was Minister of State for Children Brian Lenihan who had most to say. Speaking on behalf of the Government, he condemned "in the strongest possible terms the repeated failure and gross dereliction of duties of those in a position of trust in the Diocese of Ferns, who engaged in acts of child abuse or failed to take effective steps to defend and vindicate the rights of the children concerned". He too promised legislation in line with the report's recommendations. Politicians of other parties all condemned the failure to protect the children of Ferns and called for a swift Government response. At some stage it was indicated that the report was in the hands of the DPP so further prosecutions are a possibility.
IRELAND
Zenit
TUAM, Ireland, OCT. 30, 2005 (Zenit.org).- A report revealing decades of sexual abuse by 21 priests in the Diocese of Ferns sent shock waves through the Church in Ireland last week.
Meanwhile, Archbishop Michael Neary of Tuam today explained his decision to ask a priest to stand aside from his ministry pending the outcome of investigations.
"I first became aware in late summer, through the Gardai [police], that a priest of the diocese was subject to an allegation of criminal misconduct towards an adult and that it was under investigation," the archbishop said during his homily in the cathedral.
"Following consultation with various sources, including the Garda Siochana," he said, "I was satisfied that a public safety issue had not been shown to exist. Therefore I did not request the priest to stand aside.
BOSTON (MA)
Telegram & Gazette
By DENISE LAVOIE
Associated Press Writer
BOSTON— By the time the Rev. Chris Coyne had to face angry parishioners whose churches were about to close, he was already accustomed to being in the hot seat.
Coyne had been the spokesman for Cardinal Bernard Law at the height of the clergy sex abuse scandal. As the most visible symbol of the embattled Boston Archdiocese, Coyne became the focal point for the anger of some victims.
When Coyne was confronted by a group of furious parishioners outside a court hearing on the future of St. Albert the Great in Weymouth, one of more than 80 parishes the archdiocese had scheduled to close, he showed poise.
"Have you ever been to Weymouth? Have you been to our parish?" Sandy Jones shouted at Coyne as he spoke with reporters outside of Suffolk Superior Court.
Coyne, in his characteristic unflappable style, ended the media interviews when Jones refused to stop interrupting him. He quietly walked away, later saying, "People's emotions are high, and I understand that."
IRELAND
Irish Examiner
Throughout dioceses in the country yesterday the hierarchy engaged in a major campaign of damage limitation and reassurance to a faithful who have had their faith in the Church rocked by the horrific revelations of child sexual abuse.
The public reaction by Catholics to episcopal letters read at most churches in response to proven and imputed child sexual abuse, in the wake of the Ferns Report, was seemingly sympathetic, but there were, understandably, exceptions.
In Clonakilty, Co Cork, the prevailing anger and shock that has been revealed, was reflected by Fr Gerard Galvin, who refused to read out the letter from Bishop John Buckley to his congregation, although he made copies available for those who wanted them.
The priest’s defiance met with the approval of the majority of his flock who applauded his principled stance on his belief, among other things, that it contained nothing new and failed to blame those who broke the system of trust.
IRELAND
Irish Examiner
Throughout dioceses in the country yesterday the hierarchy engaged in a major campaign of damage limitation and reassurance to a faithful who have had their faith in the Church rocked by the horrific revelations of child sexual abuse.
The public reaction by Catholics to episcopal letters read at most churches in response to proven and imputed child sexual abuse, in the wake of the Ferns Report, was seemingly sympathetic, but there were, understandably, exceptions.
In Clonakilty, Co Cork, the prevailing anger and shock that has been revealed, was reflected by Fr Gerard Galvin, who refused to read out the letter from Bishop John Buckley to his congregation, although he made copies available for those who wanted them.
The priest’s defiance met with the approval of the majority of his flock who applauded his principled stance on his belief, among other things, that it contained nothing new and failed to blame those who broke the system of trust.
IRELAND
Irish Independent
In his homily at Tuam cathedral today, Archbishop Michael Neary said it had been a difficult week for the church.
The Archbishop of Tuam said the Ferns report was an important milestone and he apologised to all who had suffered abuse at the hands of priests.
The Tuam diocese had had an extra challenge, when he had to ask a priest to stand aside from his ministry pending the outcome of an investigation into what he called criminal misconduct against an adult.
He said he first became aware of the claims this summer from the Gardai but had not been convinced that public safety was at issue.
IRELAND
Irish Emigrant
A similar inquiry for the Archdiocese of Dublin is expected to be established in the near future, probably within a month. Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has said that the diocese will co-operate fully. Some commentators questioned the delay in launching this inquiry, which was promised long ago. There were also calls for inquiries in all Catholic dioceses but the Government response was to propose an audit of allegations of clerical abuse of children to ascertain where inquiries could be beneficial.
Bishop of Derry Dr Séamus Hegarty gave a detailed account of allegations of sexual abuse in his diocese. Over the past 50 years accusations have been levelled against 26 priests, nine of whom are now dead. Some had the allegations withdrawn, the claims made against two were deemed not to constitute abuse, three complainants refused to identify the priests involved and two cases reached the courts, where one priest was convicted and one acquitted.
IRELAND
IOL
30/10/2005 - 17:35:36
There have been allegations of child sexual abuse made against 19 priests in the Catholic Archdiocese of Tuam, it was revealed today.
Archbishop of Tuam Michael Neary confirmed allegations have been made against 19 priests, of whom six are now deceased, with the earliest allegation dating back to 1940.
Days after the shocking Ferns Inquiry into clerical child sex abuse was released, Archbishop Neary said no priest was currently in ministry who is the subject of an investigation involving child sexual abuse or about whom there has been reasonable suspicion it may have occurred.
“In keeping with my record as Archbishop, and as an expression of my determination to protect children, I welcome, without hesitation, the suggested State audit into the Church’s handling of complaints of this nature,” he said, in his homily at the Cathedral in Tuam.
IRELAND
RTE News
30 October 2005 16:51
The Archbishop of Tuam, Michael Neary, has revealed allegations of child sexual abuse have been made against 19 priests in the Archdiocese since 1940.
Four priests were charged with criminal offences, three of whom were convicted of what are described as 'offences within the realm of child sexual abuse'.
Eight priests have stood aside from the ministry in the Archdiocese. Six of the priests are now dead.
NEW YORK
New York Daily News
BY LISA MUÑOZ in New Milford, Conn.
and TRACY CONNOR in New York
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Manhattan prep school officials and parents aren't the only ones who hope the NYPD tracks down and arrests a defrocked priest accused of molesting a student.
His son wants him behind bars, too.
"I'd love to see him get caught," Aaron Jacques, 25, the youngest child of school fund-raiser Bruce Jacques, told the Daily News yesterday. "If he really did what they say he did, that would make my day."
Bruce Jacques, 57, is on the run after a male student at the Robert Louis Stevenson School on W. 74th St. claimed the ex-priest sexually assaulted by him in Central Park on Oct. 20.
After the allegation was lodged, school officials discovered Jacques had a sordid past: the Episcopal Church had booted him from the priesthood for allegedly propositioning a 13-year-old boy in 1995.
NEW MILFORD (CT)
The News-Times
By Eugene Driscoll
THE NEWS-TIMES
NEW MILFORD – A defrocked priest once accused of asking a child if he wanted oral sex as a confirmation gift is on the run from the New York City Police Department.
The New York Daily News reported Saturday that Bruce Jacques, 57, is wanted for allegedly sexually assaulting a student at the Robert Louis Stevenson School, a private school for children with emotional and learning problems off Central Park West in Manhattan.
A student at the school accused Jacques of molesting him in Central Park Oct. 20, the News reported.
In an interview with the newspaper, the school's headmaster said Jacques was hired as director of development at the school two years ago with solid references – but no mention of his troubles in New Milford.
ARCATA (CA)
The Times-Standard
ARCATA -- A new book by local author and lecturer Carolyn Lehman deals with the subject of sexual abuse and, through stories and photographs, shows “the true faces of healing.”
”Strong at the Heart: How It Feels to Heal from Sexual Abuse” (Melanie Kroupa Books/Farrar, Strauss & Giroux, $18) addresses the topic of sexual abuse from the standpoint of those who experienced it, “giving a voice,” Lehman says, “to the survivors who triumphed over their past to shape their future.” The book is geared toward teen readers, as well as their parents, friends and the people who work with them.
”The individuals I talked with are heroes, invisible heroes who overcame violence, betrayal and hurt to become strong, caring and vital people,” Lehman said. “I knew I wanted to show others what I was seeing -- the strength, the honesty, the sheer guts of these survivors.” ...
Each survivor shows how healing is possible, she said -- from Jonathan, now 19, who was abused as a child by a priest who was a family friend, to Sheena, now 18, who was sexually assaulted at age 15 by a cousin, to Akaya, who was abused by her alcoholic father beginning at the age of 2.
IRELAND
IOL
30/10/2005 - 15:27:32
The Bishop of Limerick Dr Donal Murray has said that child abuse has been a sad and tragic reality and everything possible must be done to ensure that it does not happen again.
In a statement referred to by priests today across the Limerick diocese, Bishop Murray told congregations that the level of hurt that now exists in society due to child abuse cannot be measured.
In response to the publication of the Ferns report, the Limerick Diocese has revealed details of its structures in place to protect children.
The Child Protection Committee of the Limerick Diocese meets monthly to provide training in the area of child protection for every parish. Two members of the committee are qualified as child protection officers for the diocese and some 18 people are being trained as facilitators in the area of child protection.
MESA (AZ)
WNDU
Posted: 10/29/2005 05:08 pm
Last Updated: 10/29/2005 05:47 pm
Mesa, AZ - Testifying against former Little Flower Church priest Father Paul LeBrun this week in Arizona, several South Bend men say he wasn't like other priests.
They say LeBrun was laid-back and would smoke and swear.
LeBrun is accused of sex crimes and child molestation in Arizona in the late 1980's and early 1990's.
The alleged Indiana victims hope to show LeBrun had a propensity to molest young boys.
Two men who went on camping trips with Father LeBrun describe what happened after LeBrun allegedly fondled them.
RICHMOND (KY)
Lexington Herald-Leader
ASSOCIATED PRESS
RICHMOND - A former Presbyterian minister pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual abuse of a child less than 12 years old.
Thomas Frazier, 67, of Berea, is scheduled for sentencing Jan. 12.
Frazier pleaded guilty Friday to inappropriately touching the girl on two occasions between October and December 2004 while she visited him in Berea.
Frazier had several family members and friends at the hearing.
"The Fraziers are trying to do what is best in a difficult situation," said the Rev. Kent Gilbert of Berea's Union Church, where Frazier is a member.
MCALLEN (TX)
The Monitor
October 30,2005
Brittney Booth
The Monitor
McALLEN — Former Trinity Worship Center music minister Robert Dale Franklin — who pleaded guilty to molesting a 14-year-old boy in March — is scheduled to return to Hidalgo County this week to serve out 10 years probation.
Franklin, 39, who pleaded guilty to two felony counts of sexual assault in March and thus averted facing 10 additional charges that he gave marijuana and cocaine to his victim, begins his probation after serving the six-month prison term and undergoing the 30-day drug treatment program 332nd state District Judge Mario Ramirez sentenced him to after the plea.
IRELAND
The Sunday Times
Nobody who worked in the old Irish Press will forget Brendan Comiskey for one particularly pious and arrogant piece of grandstanding. The newspaper’s television reviewer had made a light-hearted comment about the then-imminent birth of the singer Madonna’s first baby, and expressed the hope that this infant didn’t cause as much trouble as the son born to a previous Madonna. Bishop Comiskey considered this remark to be blasphemous, and used the might and prominence of his role to demand a boycott by all God-fearing Catholics of the Irish Press group newspapers. At that time the group was in serious difficulties and, indeed, closed not long afterwards with the loss of hundreds of jobs and hardship to many families. Had Comiskey enjoyed quite as much clout as he hoped at that time, this may even have been precipitated by his intervention.
Now we know that, at this time, the same bishop who considered that hundreds of people deserved to lose their livelihoods because of one hack’s throwaway quip did not feel that paedophiles and rapists should suffer any such fate as a result of their activities. Perhaps this is an insight into the value system of the man who hid himself away from the media he had once courted, in the wake of the Ferns Report last week, and issued a bland statement defending himself and describing his complicity in criminal activity for many years as “human failings”. But it is also possible that Comiskey saw his attack on the Irish Press’s blasphemous leanings to be entirely congruent with the effort to cover up and deny incidents of clerical sex abuse. In both instances, he may well have reasoned, the institution was under attack, and the institution had to be protected at all costs, even by the sacrifice of collateral civilian casualties.
IRELAND
Irish Independent
MAEVE SHEEHAN
THE Director of Public Prosecutions is to examine the Ferns Inquiry report with a view to instituting criminal proceedings against those who have abused children and also against those who may have withheld evidence, including the former bishop of the diocese, Brendan Comiskey.
Colm O'Gorman, a director of One in Four, the group for survivors of abuse, said yesterday: "It is clear from the report that Bishop Comiskey was found to have made inaccurate and misleading statements in relation to one of the most serious crimes in the statute books. Any suggestion in the Ferns report that any Church figure, including Bishop Comiskey, acted to prevent or obstruct criminal investigations into child sexual abuse should be examined, investigated and, if proven, prosecuted."
Mr O'Gorman was referring to the fact that Bishop Comiskey failed to tell gardai that a priest under investigation for abusing boys had admitted his behaviour to the prelate two years earlier. A source close to victims in the Ferns diocese said they had been given to understand that the DPP's review would include the role of anyone who was found to have withheld information from the gardai.
NEW YORK
New York Post
By PATRICK GALLAHUE
October 30, 2005 -- A defrocked priest pulled the wool over a tony Manhattan school's eyes, disguising past allegations of sexual abuse, and now faces a fresh set of charges from a 13-year-old student.
Bruce Jacques, 57, who left a Connecticut parish in the mid-'90s after allegedly offering oral sex to a boy as a "confirmation gift," told officials at the Robert Louis Stevenson on the Upper West Side he was still a practicing priest and even went so far as to take days off to "be the clergyman at various churches," said the stunned headmaster, Bud Henrichsen.
"It seems clear to us in retrospect that this is a man who lived several different lives," he said. "He lied about being an active priest."
In 1995, Jacques, the then-rector at St. John's Episcopal Church in New Milford, Conn., allegedly propositioned a 13-year-old boy at the church.
A parishioner told The Post the charming reverend adamantly denied the charges but eventually resigned in the face of mounting pressure.
CAMBRIDGE (MA)
Boston Globe
By Eileen McNmara, Globe Columnist | October 30, 2005
CAMBRIDGE -- His name jumps out among the signatures on the declaration of religious support for same-sex marriages in Massachusetts.
Of the hundreds of clergy from more than a score of religious denominations in the Commonwealth to endorse the fundamental human right of gay people to marry, only the Rev. Robert E. Nee is a Roman Catholic priest.
He is neither brave nor crazy, he says; neither is he unmindful of the retribution being meted out these days to dissidents by Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley: The pastor in Westborough chastised for calling efforts to overturn gay marriage an ''attack" on his homosexual parishioners. The popular, progressive pastor in Newton ousted on trumped-up charges of mismanagement. ...
While he is at Harvard he hopes to interest sociologists in examining the fallout for the 58 Boston-area priests who called on Cardinal Bernard F. Law to resign in 2002 for his failure of leadership during the clergy sexual-abuse crisis. Law resigned 10 days later, but he has moved on to a comfortable berth in Rome. Many of the priests who signed that letter have been removed from their parishes, though the archdiocese denies that reprisals played any role in those personnel changes. ''We have a support group for priests," says Father Nee, who also signed the letter seeking Law's removal. ''The Boston Priest Forum is not dead yet."
UNITED STATES
Des Moines Register
By SHIRLEY RAGSDALE
REGISTER RELIGION EDITOR
October 30, 2005
Churches have long been considered safe havens from the evil of the outside world. No more.
Across Iowa and the nation, churches increasingly are taking precautions to protect members by:
• Issuing identification cards that are required before parents may pick up children from Sunday school classes.
• Training and screening church leaders to recognize child abuse.
• Installing sophisticated electronic surveillance equipment.
• Monitoring sex offenders who may move from church to church.
NORTHERN IRELAND
BBC News
A priest who worked in parishes in Belfast and Lisburn has been speaking of the abuse he suffered at the hands of another clergyman.
Fr Paddy McCafferty, who is a priest of the Diocese of Down and Connor, said he was abused by the priest when he returned to Belfast for his holidays.
"In the system, you really had no rights. There was no-one to turn to for help," he said.
"I felt that I would have been the one who was in trouble and be blamed."
Fr McCafferty, who is now studying for a theology degree in Dublin where he is a parish chaplain, said he felt he could do nothing to stop the abuse.
IRELAND
IOL
28/10/2005 - 07:32:34
A garda investigation has been launched in the diocese of Tuam following allegations that a priest raped a pregnant woman there during the 1970s.
The case centres on allegations of abuse made by a woman who is now in her forties. She claims the priest raped her on two separate occasions when she approached him for advice after becoming pregnant.
She further alleges that the priest subsequently paid her €10,000 and offered her a further €5,000.
Archbishop of Tuam Michael Neary has asked the priest to stand aside from his duties following coverage of the alleged rape in yesterday’s newspapers.
IRELAND
The Sunday Business Post
30 October 2005 By Alison O'Connor
The man had been paralysed from the neck down in a car accident. He lay in a hospital bed unable to move. But he was still able to speak, and the story he told sounded more incredible as it went on.
Lying in the ward in theAbuse Tracker Rehabilitation Hospital in Dun Laoghaire, Sean Cloney spoke of a priest who had lied, stolen, bullied, cheated and abused.
Back then, in themid-1990s, the stories about Fr Sean Fortune seemed simply too incredible to be true. From the moment the priest arrived in Fethard-on-Sea in south Wexford, Cloney was amazed at the way he wreaked havoc in the townland of Poulfur.
Cloney sensed from the beginning that there was something wrong with the new curate.
“He was the greatest liar that I ever met - a horrible man. He had all the deadly sins except sloth,” said Cloney, before explaining that he had his own trouble with the clergy in the 1950s.
Cloney was the man whose early married life was captured on celluloid in the film A Love Divided a few years ago. The movie told the story of a boycott of Protestant businesses in Fethard-on-Sea in the 1950s, after followers of Ian Paisley abducted Cloney's Protestant wife Sheila and their daughter to prevent her having to attend a Catholic school.
WORCESTER (MA)
Worcester Voice
The headline in the Catholic Free Press article states that "BISHOP MCMANUS CONTINUES TO EVALUATE FATHER AQUINO CASE."
Where are the tough questions that our leaders of the Worcester diocese should be asking?
The story reads of a typical diocesan approach to sexual situations, weaving a story of half-truths and one-sided presentations with bible verses used as a supporting cast.
The article minimizes the incident stating that only a criminal citation was issued. If this was of an insignificant nature, why did Father Aquino not inform Bishop Robert McManus when he returned from Las Vegas vacation with his friend, Monsignor Louis P. Piermarini in October 2004?
IRELAND
The Sunday Times
Dearbhail McDonald
EAMON Walsh, the bishop of Ferns, was questioned last month by the inquiry into sexual abuse after it discovered certain files had not been forwarded by the diocese.
The files contained allegations against five priests that could not be investigated by the team because they were handed over just weeks before the report’s publication.
Walsh and his legal advisers attended an emergency plenary hearing convened by the inquiry on September 2.
The inquiry has concluded that the omission of the documents was the result of a “regrettable error” on the part of the diocese.
Walsh ordered an audit of diocesan files last July following a complaint by a woman who said she had been abused by two priests in the diocese.
UNITED STATES
San Francisco Faith
FATHER BENEDICT VAN DER PUTTEN, a priest formerly of the Society of St. Pius X, has been relieved of his faculties by Pope Benedict XVI, according to an announcement issued by the chancellor of the diocese of Marquette in August. Van der Putten, who, beginning in 1995, had been retreat master at the society's St. Aloysius Retreat House in Los Gatos, left the Society of St. Pius X in 2000 to seek reconciliation with Rome. In December 2003, the bishop of Scranton, Pennsylvania, where Van der Putten had gone to seek regularization, announced that he had refused incardination to Van der Putten "because of the seriousness of his admitted sexual misconduct." According to the diocese of Marquette, Van der Putten, "at one time a holder of a celebret from the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, has been dismissed from the clerical state by decree of His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI after being accused of sexual abuse of minors." Van der Putten reportedly is currently living in Hawaii.
IRELAND
Irish Examiner
By Cormac O’Keeffe
ASSURANCES by the Catholic hierarchy that their child abuse guidelines are being enforced will not be accepted at “face value”, Justice Minister Michael McDowell said yesterday.
He said the proposed national audit of dioceses would check whether the guidelines are in fact being implemented.
The minister said he was also considering “with a view to implementation” a recommendation in the Ferns Report that both priests and alleged abuse victims receive free legal aid in court cases.
Mr McDowell said Minister for Children Brian Lenihan had written to bishops asking them whether they were implementing, as claimed, their own 1996 guidelines on handling child sex abuse allegations.
UNITED STATES
The Wanderer
By CHRISTOPHER MANION
The recent national mandate to “all bishops” from Teresa Kettelkamp, director of the USCCB’s Office of Child and Youth Protection, has rekindled the controversy over the “safe environment” programs mandated by the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, adopted by the bishops in 2002.
As The Wanderer reported two weeks ago, a forceful response to Kettelkamp’s directive came from Bishop Robert Vasa of the Diocese of Baker, Ore. Bishop Vasa published a column in the diocesan newspaper entitled, “We Need Answers.” The bishop said that, until he had those answers, he would be inclined to ignore Kettelkamp’s mandates.
One of Bishop Vasa’s central questions addressed the origins of the “safe environment” programs. “Where do these programs come from,” he asks.
IRELAND
Irish Examiner
By Claire O’Sullivan
AT LEAST €9 million has been paid out to victims of clerical sex abuse, latest figures from Catholic dioceses show.
Over 240 priests have been accused of abuse in the past 40 years but this figure is likely to be higher as all of the dioceses have not provided information when requested.
The largest payouts to date have been from the archdiocese of Dublin which has revealed compensation and legal costs in recent years of €5.5m. A further 62 civil cases are pending while the Church authorities have already paid out in 43 cases.
The diocese of Ferns had made payments of nearly €2.8m in 17 settlements but this figure does not include any payments made this year as these won’t be made public until after next month’s diocesan AGM.
SOUTH BEND (IN)
South Bend Tribune
By PATRICK M. O'CONNELL
Tribune Staff Writer
Joseph R. Maher, president of the nonprofit organization responsible for this week's mailings soliciting support for the Rev. Paul LeBrun, said Friday he has a moral obligation to help priests accused of sexual misconduct.
Maher, who attended St. Casimir's School in South Bend before his family moved to the Detroit area, now leads Opus Bono Sacerdotii, a Detroit-based group whose name in Latin means "Work for the Good of the Priesthood."
LeBrun, a former Little Flower Catholic Church priest, is on trial in Arizona, where he is accused of eight counts of sexual misconduct with a minor and five counts of child molestation.
Opus Bono mailed about 3,000 letters to Indiana parishioners asking for donations to fund LeBrun's trial defense.
Maher, who says his organization has aided about 2,000 priests since the group began in April 2002, calls the work "a calling from Christ."
IRELAND
Irish Independent
DISGRACED Bishop Dr Brendan Comiskey threatened to rape an Irish Independent journalist.
The menacing threat was made in the former Bishop of Ferns' house in Wexford during an interview with JustineMcCarthy.
During the run-up to the divorce referendum he said he would rape her if she wrote about him in a certain way.
He was "extremely drunk" at the time of the pre-arranged interview which took place 11 years ago.
CANADA
Edmonton Sun
By CP
REGINA -- A 68-year-old former Catholic priest who asked for leniency after admitting to having sex with underage prostitutes inside the church rectory got his wish yesterday.
Pedro Surtida Aldea was given a 12-month conditional sentence by Justice Ted Zarzeczny, who said he was satisfied the former priest was not likely to reoffend.
Zarzeczny said he hoped the case would send a warning to others that society and the courts will show zero tolerance for those convicted of such predatory behaviour.
NEW JERSEY
Salt Lake Tribune
The New York Times
A Roman Catholic priest has pleaded guilty to stealing $360,000 from his parish in Randolph, N.J., to pay a man who was said to be blackmailing him by threatening to reveal a sexual relationship the two had in the early 1980s.
The Rev. William N. Naughton, 61, pleaded guilty to theft by deception on Thursday in a Morris County court, said his lawyer, Peter Gilbreth.
Naughton, who is on an administrative leave from the Diocese of Paterson, became the pastor of the Resurrection Church of Randolph in 1990 and left in 2001 after church officials discovered that money was missing.
Naughton, who was previously a prison chaplain, has a doctorate in theological studies, an MBA in church management and a master's degree in divinity and theology, Gilbreth said.
IRELAND
The Courier-Mail
From correspondents in Dublin
29oct05
THE Irish government has said it would review measures to protect against child sex abuse in Ireland and seek assurances from each Roman Catholic bishop about the country's 26 dioceses.
The move follows a landmark government-sponsored inquiry into the south eastern diocese of Ferns that revealed decades of paedophile abuse of young girls and boys by at least 21 priests.
The report by retired supreme court judge Frank Murphy caused huge shock in the mainly Catholic country.
It revealed what has been labelled one of the worst paedophile scandals uncovered in any Catholic diocese worldwide.
CANADA
Globe and Mail
By RICHARD BLACKWELL
Saturday, October 29, 2005 Page A11
The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that a Roman Catholic order does not have to pay damages to a native man who was sexually assaulted by a baker at a British Columbia Indian residential school in the 1950s and 1960s.
The decision says the church has no "vicarious liability" for the assault because the employee was not given direct responsibility for the care of the children at the school.
The court's decision could have an impact on many organizations, including schools, clubs and treatment centres, that have employees who do not directly supervise children. It could also become a factor in several residential school abuse cases that are before the courts.
John Shewfelt, the lawyer for the abused man, said yesterday that the decision "certainly doesn't advance the protection of children."
RICHMOND (KY)
WKYT
RICHMOND, Ky. A former Presbyterian minister pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual abuse of a child less than 12-years-old.
Thomas Frazier of Berea, is scheduled for sentencing January 12th.
The 67-year-old Frazier pleaded guilty yesterday to inappropriately touching the girl on two occassions between October and December 2004 while she visited him in Berea.
IRELAND
Irish Examiner
AS a shocked public continues to reel under the growing barrage of evidence of widespread sexual abuse of children by priests, the annual report of the One in Four charity underlines the fact that the Ferns scandal was only the tip of an iceberg.
The nationwide extent of abuse now emerging illustrates the hypocrisy of bishops who for years had swept allegations against clerics under the carpet while at the same time laying down swingeing moral precepts governing the sexual behaviour of lay people.
While the vast majority of priests eschewed the appalling behaviour of depraved colleagues, the bishops kept the issue under wraps.
This is because they regarded child abuse as a moral dilemma rather than a crime.
BEVERLY HILLS (CA)
WebWire
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
10/28/2005 5:26:12 PM
Beverly Hills, CA — Academy Award® nominee “Twist of Fate” and “Let the Church Say Amen” will be screened for the November 9 installment of the Contemporary Documentary Series, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Academy Foundation and the UCLA Film and Television Archive. Free and open to the public, the screening begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy’s Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood.
“Twist of Fate” follows an Ohio firefighter who sues his church for childhood sexual abuse by his priest. Directed by Kirby Dick and produced by Eddie Schmidt, the Oscar®-nominated feature documentary brings accuser Tony Comes’ personal demons, guilt and anger to the screen, along with the resulting community insensitivity, denial and rejection.
IRELAND
Irish Independent
BISHOP Brendan Comiskey has been directly linked to a garda investigation in the child abuse scandal in Ferns.
A Co Wexford woman complained to gardai in February 2003 that the former Bishop of Ferns sexually interfered with her when she was a teenager.
But the Garda investigation of her complaint ran aground six months later, causing her mother to lodge a complaint with the Garda Complaints Board.
The girl is now a woman in her early 30s. She was advised to contact gardai by the senior counsel, George Birmingham, when he interviewed her for his preliminary Ferns Inquiry.
The complaint was lodged with the Garda Complaints Board by the girl's mother after a garda from the Sexual Assault Unit in Dublin travelled to County Wexford to take a full statement from the girl about the alleged incident.
RANDOLPH (NJ)
Philadelphia Inquirer
Associated Press
RANDOLPH, N.J. - A former Randolph priest, removed from his post four years ago over missing money, pleaded guilty Thursday to stealing $360,000 from his parish.
The Rev. William N. Naughton, 61, was forced to resign in 2001 after auditors for the Resurrection Church of Randolph found funds were missing or unaccounted for.
The Roman Catholic priest acknowledged taking the funds between 1996 and 2001, using a charity account he set up at the church.
Naughton's defense attorney, Peter N. Gilbreth, told the Daily Record of Parsippany that the majority of the money was used to support Harold B. Reid III, a man with whom the priest had a brief sexual relationship in the 1970s.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph
By Deborah McAleese
newsdesk@belfasttelegraph.co.uk
29 October 2005
Further details of sex abuse within the Catholic Church were unfurled last night with the disclosure of abuse allegations within Armagh and Dromore dioceses - the final dioceses covering parts of Ulster to unveil the information.
According to Armagh diocesan records allegations of sexual abuse have been made against eight priests over the past 50 years.
And the Bishop of Dromore Rev John McAreavey confirmed that allegations have been made against five priests within his diocese.
These new figures potentially raise the total number of priests in Northern Ireland dioceses to have faced sex abuse allegations since the 1950s to around 60.
Three of Northern Ireland's diocese - Clogher, Derry and Down and Connor - revealed yesterday that at least 43 priests have faced sex abuse allegations over the past 50 years.
IRELAND
IOL
29/10/2005
By Claire O’Sullivan, John Breslin and Caroline O’Doherty
A DETAILED picture of the true extent of paedophilia in the Catholic Church in Ireland is emerging for the first time, with records showing almost 250 priests have been accused of child sex abuse and over 60 religious have been convicted.
Information about accused clerics, released by the dioceses, stretches back over several decades, while data on those with criminal convictions were collected separately by the Irish Examiner and relate almost exclusively to the past 10 years.
At least €9 million has been paid out in compensation to victims of clerical abuse but several dioceses have multiple civil actions outstanding, meaning the ultimate cost will be higher.
DELAND (FL)
The Daytona Beach News-Journal
By PATRICIO G. BALONA
Staff Writer
Last update: October 29, 2005
DELAND -- Charles Balfe, a self-described Internet evangelist, sought out women who had children and used his "father figure" authority to sexually and physically abuse the women and children, a prosecutor said Friday.
In a day of wrenching testimony from young witnesses, Assistant State Attorney Tammy Jacques argued before Circuit Judge S. James Foxman at an evidentiary hearing that Balfe carefully orchestrated his move to get close to people with children. Jacques wants the court to accept the testimony of two people from Oklahoma who say they were sexually abused by Balfe.
Jacques argued the Oklahoma case -- which she says occurred in the 1960s and 70s -- is relevant because of similarities to the sexual attacks Balfe is charged with here. "The defendant was a father figure in each of the cases," Jacques said.
Balfe was arrested in April by DeLand police, accused of raping a child younger than 13. He was charged with capital sexual battery on a child younger than 12, lewd and lascivious molestation on a child younger than 12 and domestic violence. He remains in jail; his trial is scheduled for Dec. 5.
IRELAND
Irish Examiner
LET’S start with some facts: homosexuality is not illegal. Child abuse is.
Homosexuality involves sexual activity between two people above the age of consent, with the agreement of both. Paedophilia, and child sexual abuse, involves subjecting children to sexual activities to satisfy, if only temporarily, the warped and perverse sexual urges of the perpetrator.
Only outright homophobes would ever suggest the two acts are similar or connected. Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has recently stated the opposite, that there is no connection between the two whatsoever.
Victims of abuse within the diocese of Ferns included 10 young girls in one case. There is certainly no link with homosexuality there. Yet, despite abundant contradictory evidence, both within his own article, your paper’s editorial, and the press at large, Rónán Mullen (Irish Examiner, October 26) attempts insidiously to suggest that this might be the case. Abuse of boys by priests within the Catholic Church has been reported for hundreds of years, a very long time before ‘homosexual subcultures’ grew up in the 1960s, in seminaries or elsewhere.
By Nancy Phillips
Inquirer Staff Writer
The Rev. James J. Behan, the only priest to be convicted in the Philadelphia grand jury investigation of sex abuse in the Roman Catholic Church, is to be sentenced Dec. 9, a judge ruled yesterday.
Behan, 61, pleaded guilty to sex charges in February and admitted he had repeatedly assaulted a teenager in the late 1970s, starting when the boy was 15.
Prosecutors charged Behan after successfully arguing that he had stopped the clock on the statute of limitations by leaving the state in 1980.
At a hearing yesterday, Common Pleas Court Judge Pamela Dembe ruled that despite his crimes, Behan is not a "dangerous sexual predator" as defined by state law and thus will not be subjected to monitoring after serving his eventual sentence.
Dembe said she reached that conclusion after reviewing reports by two psychologists who evaluated Behan and reading letters from more than 325 supporters, including parents of children the priest had taught or ministered to over the years. In the more than two decades since Behan assaulted the boy, the judge said, "there have been no further crimes committed."
PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Daily News
By THERESA CONROY
conroyt@phillynews.com
A Catholic priest convicted of assaulting a teenage boy for two years is not a sexually violent predator, a Common Pleas judge ruled yesterday.
The Rev. James Behan pleaded guilty in February to the repeated sexual assault of a 15-year-old North Catholic High School student in the 1970s. The abuse, which included performing oral sex on the boy, went on for two years.
Common Pleas Judge Pamela Dembe's ruling spares Behan from having to register as a sex offender after being released from prison. He faces a maximum of 25 years in prison when he is sentenced Dec. 9.
Dembe said she read 325 letters from people who have known Behan throughout his career as a priest and found no evidence of further sexual attacks in the 30 years since his sexual attack on the teen.
"Unlike most cases when we're trying to project in the future, we have gotten into the future in this case," she said. "We're not trying to project, we're talking about actualities."
Dembe said the prosecution's report asserting that Behan is a sexually violent predator was, "simply inadequate, both legally and from the perspective of what is expected of a medical professional."
NEW YORK
New York Daily News
By TRACY CONNOR
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
A top administrator at a Manhattan private school has been accused of molesting a student - a decade after he was defrocked as a priest for allegedly propositioning a 13-year-old boy, the Daily News has learned.
The NYPD has launched a hunt for Bruce Jacques, 57, who vanished after he was accused of sexually assaulting a student at the Robert Louis Stevenson School, a small academy for kids with emotional and learning problems.
"This kind of event is just shocking," headmaster Bud Henrichsen told The News yesterday. "You don't feel it's going to happen in your place."
The school, which occupies a landmark building on W. 74th St. near Central Park West, hired Jacques as development director two years ago.
SOUTH BEND (IN)
Indianapolis Star
Associated Press
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- An advocacy group for Catholic priests facing legal problems is sending letters to members of a South Bend parish in an effort to raise money for the defense of a former priest at the church who faces child molesting charges in Arizona.
The Detroit-based group, Opus Bono Sacerdotii, is not authorized by the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend to make such an appeal, Bishop John M. D'Arcy said Thursday.
The group is seeking money for the defense of the Rev. Paul LeBrun, 49, formerly a priest at South Bend's Little Flower Catholic Church.
D'Arcy said he has never heard of Opus Bono or its president, Joseph R. Maher, who signed the letter.
"I think it's outrageous what they're doing," D'Arcy said. "We never gave them any list."
The letter from Opus Bono Sacerdotii, Latin for "Work for the Good of the Priesthood," describes LeBrun as "an extra special priest and mutual friend" who needs help.
IRELAND
Online.ie
A large number of men who were sexually abused in the past are at risk from suicide, a support group said today.
One in Four said the percentage of men contacting its service for help was one of the highest in the world, with men accounting for 61% of all the individuals engaged in psychotherapy.
"We see the impact of sexual violence can be self harm or actual suicide attempts," said director Colm O'Gorman.
"Particularly when you look at the high level of male suicide, it's terribly important we encourage men, young and old, to come forward and seek support."
Since the launch of the Ferns report into the handling of allegations of clerical sexual abuse, the number of calls to One in Four has increased by 70% and the number of visits to its website has increased by as much as 400%.
PHOENIX (AZ)
South Bend Tribune
By JIM WALSH
The Arizona Republic
PHOENIX -- Two men in their 30s from Indiana suffered silently for years, but the hurt spilled out as they testified in Maricopa County Superior Court against a priest accused of molesting six Arizona boys.
A 38-year-old father from South Bend testified that the Rev. Paul LeBrun first fondled him when he was 13 years old, under the ruse that he was checking for a hernia.
"I wish he would do what he taught us to do, to be accountable for his actions, to be truthful,'' said the witness, whose identity is being withheld because he is allegedly a sex crimes victim.
LeBrun, 49, is accused of eight counts of sexual conduct with a minor and five counts of child molestation. The allegations stem from his relationships with six Arizona boys between 1986 and 1991.
IRELAND
Bishop Accountability
The Ferns Report, which details sexual abuse in the Diocese of Ferns, can be found at this link.
SOUTH BEND (IN)
KVOA
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- An advocacy group for Catholic priests facing legal problems is sending letters to members of a South Bend parish in an effort to raise money for the defense of a former priest at the church who faces child molesting charges in Arizona.
The Detroit-based group, Opus Bono Sacerdotii, is not authorized by the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend to make such an appeal, Bishop John M. D'Arcy said Thursday.
The group is seeking money for the defense of the Rev. Paul LeBrun, 49, formerly a priest at South Bend's Little Flower Catholic Church.
D'Arcy said he has never heard of Opus Bono or its president, Joseph R. Maher, who signed the letter.
IRELAND
Irish Times
Mark Brennock, Patsy McGarry and Martin Wall
The Cabinet will consider proposals for an inquiry into the Dublin archdiocese's handling of clerical child sex abuse allegations within a fortnight, the Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Brian Lenihan, said yesterday.
Mr Lenihan said although there were no plans at the moment to hold inquiries outside Dublin, it was possible the Government would have to decide to hold inquiries in all dioceses.
The Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, who will bring the proposals to Cabinet, said the Government would now go ahead with a Commission of Inquiry in the case of the Dublin archdiocese, where there have been allegations against nearly 70 priests over the last 60 years. Mr McDowell said this inquiry could begin in parallel with a Government-ordered "audit" of dioceses throughout the State to check abuse allegations were now being handled in accordance with best practice.
As the first step in this audit, Mr McDowell said Mr Lenihan had "written to the bishops collectively and individually to ask them whether they are in fact implementing best practice as has been claimed". He said the Government would not take assurances from bishops "at face value" but would check the situation independently.
PUEBLO (CO)
The Pueblo Chieftain
By PATRICK MALONE
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN
A group that advocates for victims of clergy sexual abuse issued a statement Thursday criticizing Pueblo District Attorney Bill Thiebaut for closing a criminal investigation into a former Marianist brother accused of molesting students at a school here about 35 years ago.
Prosecutors and police announced two weeks ago that they were closing the criminal investigation into allegations that Brother William Mueller had subdued students with ether and molested them during his time as a teacher at Roncalli High School in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
The district attorney's office announced that the statute of limitations on possible crimes committed by Mueller expired 10 years after the 18th birthdays of his accusers. Three men in their 40s and 50s have filed lawsuits against the Pueblo Catholic Diocese and the Marianist religious order over the allegations of abuse by Mueller.
On Thursday, the director of a national support organization for victims of sexual abuse by clergy called for Thiebaut to review all possible options for charging the former brother before closing the criminal investigation.
IRELAND
IOL
28/10/2005 - 13:25:01
The Bishop of Kerry Dr Bill Murphy has confirmed there have been 11 allegations relating to the sexual abuse of children by members of the clergy in Kerry since 1955.
He also said that a total of €260,000 has been paid to settle three of these cases and only one of the priests was convicted and served a prison sentence.
In a letter to be read at all masses this weekend, Bishop Murphy assures anyone who wishes to come forward and tell their story that they will be listened to with care and sensitivity.
DELAND (FL)
WFTV
POSTED: 3:41 pm EDT October 28, 2005
UPDATED: 6:20 pm EDT October 28, 2005
DELAND, Fla. -- Prosecutors say a former DeLand pastor has a history of sexual abuse to children that has spanned decades. Charles Balfe was arrested earlier this year. He is charged with multiple counts of sexual assault on children.
Friday was a special hearing. The state wanted to establish a pattern of the abusive behavior. To do so, they brought back alleged victims from Balfe's distant past.
The charges against Balfe are almost unspeakable. Three children allege Balfe sexually assaulted and physically beat them over the course of several years. All three were in their early teens at the time.
The state says Balfe has been abusing children for decades. They brought two witnesses to the stand who say Balfe did the same things to them more than 20 years ago.
The statute of limitations is up for them, since so much time has passed and they didn't speak up. But the state believes what they have to say will establish a pattern with the claims of the more recent victims.
SOUTH BEND (IN)
South Bend Tribune
By GWEN O'BRIEN and PATRICK M. O'CONNELL
Tribune Staff Writers
SOUTH BEND -- An advocacy group for priests accused of sexual misconduct is attempting to raise money for the defense of the Rev. Paul LeBrun, the former Little Flower Catholic Church priest accused of committing 13 sex crimes with six boys in Arizona.
Opus Bono Sacerdotii, a nonprofit organization based in Detroit, has mailed letters to local residents seeking donations. In Latin, the group's name means "Work for the Good of the Priesthood."
The letter describes LeBrun as "an extra special priest and mutual friend" who needs help.
The Holy Cross Order is not paying for the defense of LeBrun, who is on trial in Maricopa County Superior Court in Mesa, Ariz. He is accused of eight counts of sexual misconduct with a minor and five counts of child molestation.
Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend Bishop John M. D'Arcy said Thursday he has never heard of Opus Bono or its president, Joseph R. Maher, who signed the letter.
SOUTH BEND (IN)
WNDU
Posted: 10/28/2005 05:32 pm
Last Updated: 10/28/2005 06:37 pm
NewsCenter 16 has learned more about the mysterious letter from a Detroit non-profit organization attempting to raise money for Father Paul LeBrun's defense trial. We have also come across another letter being sent exclusively to priests and pastors.
Father Paul LeBrun, a former South Bend priest, is on trial for child molestation in Arizona.
The big question on everyone's mind was how did this organization get a hold of names and addresses for various Catholic parishioners? The founder of Opus Bono, Joe Maher, says the answer lies with LeBrun supporters: someone you know may have given-up your information.
The two different letters are circulating through the Ft. Wayne-South Bend Catholic Diocese. Both from the same source, a Detroit non-profit organization known as Opus Bono Sacerdotti.
CANADA
CTV
Canadian Press
OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada says a case of sexual abuse at British Columbia residential school run by a Roman Catholic religious order must go back to the lower courts.
In an 8-1 decision Friday, the justices ruled that a trial court should decide whether the Oblate order, which ran a residential school for native children off Vancouver Island in the 1950s and 1960s, was negligent in the sexual assaults committed by Martin Saxey, a school baker and handyman.
The victim, identified only as E.B. in court documents, was abused by Saxey from age seven until about age 11, although he told no one about it out of shame.
He won more than $233,000 in damages against the Oblates in 2001, but the British Columbia Court of Appeal overturned that decision in 2003.
UNITED STATES
Beliefnet
By Jeff Diamant
Religion News Service
Amid all the disturbing tales of priests being charged with sexually abusing minors, stories about Nicholas Cudemo stand out.
A grand jury report on clergy sex abuse in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, released last month, revealed Cudemo had been accused of abusing 16 minors, raping an 11-year-old and helping her get an abortion. He was laicized -- formally dismissed from the clergy -- in June after four decades as a priest in eastern Pennsylvania.
Despite that Vatican action, which was publicized, Cudemo presided in July at a baptism at Christ the King Church in Haddonfield, N.J., where the resident priest did not know his status.
HOLLIDAYSBURG (PA)
phillyburbs.com
The Associated Press
HOLLIDAYSBURG, Pa. - In an Oct. 27 story about a lawsuit filed by a teen abused by a math teacher, The Associated Press reported erroneously that the teacher had previously pleaded guilty to abusing five students at Bishop Guilfoyle High School in Hollidaysburg. The teacher coached at that Catholic high school, but the abuse involved students at Hollidaysburg Junior High School, a public school.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Online.ie
Fifteen priests have been accused of sex abuse in a 50-year period in the North's largest Catholic diocese, according to figures published today.
Down and Connor released the statistics following a similar move by the Derry diocese in the wake of the publication of the Ferns Inquiry.
According to the latest revelations:
:: Three priests have been convicted.
:: Five priests were dead at the time the allegations were made.
:: £102,000 (€150,000) was paid to 10 people because of two clergymen.
:: Two civil actions against one priest are pending.
:: Two other priests have been suspended.
:: A further two have retired.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph
By Lisa Smyth
28 October 2005
A support group for sex abuse has welcomed a custodial sentence handed down to a Catholic priest who admitted owning a video showing the rape of an eight-year-old girl.
John McCallum (45), of Ballymena Road, Antrim, was jailed for 12 months yesterday after pleading guilty to 25 sample counts of the possession and making of indecent images of children.
Downpatrick Crown Court sitting at Newtownards heard McCallum was the hospital chaplain on duty at Belfast City Hospital on the day of the Omagh bomb and ministered to a number of the casualties.
The court was told that while holding this position, McCallum worked on average 90 to 100 hours a week and turned to alcohol and child pornography as "a means of escape".
Details of McCallum's chilling collection of child pornography, which included a movie file of an eight-year-old girl being raped and a photo of a young girl being anally penetrated, was read out in court as the former priest stood impassively.
NORTHERN IRELAND
News Letter
Friday 28th October 2005
A Catholic priest who administered to the victims of the Omagh bombing was jailed for a year yesterday on child porn charges.
Fr John McCallum, 45, the former parish priest of Kilcoo in Newry, surfed internet child porn after turning to drink as a way of dealing with the pressure of life as a hospital chaplain.
He admitted 25 sample charges covering 320 photographs and nine movie files.
FRANCE
Irish Independent
ABBE Pierre, France's most revered public figure, admitted in a book released yesterday that he had more than once broken his vow of chastity as a Roman Catholic priest.
The 93-year-old creator of the Abbe Pierre Foundation, which aids the poor across 50 countries, says he has had only "passing relations" with women, but that he never felt able to commit himself to anything more lasting.
Abbe Pierre, who has often topped French popularity polls, is a former Resistance member and MP who has devoted most of his life to defending human rights and the poor.
IRELAND
Irish Examiner
WE the executive of the School Chaplains’ Association of Ireland wish publicly to acknowledge the dedicated service given to our association by priests and religious in Ireland over many years.
In the light of the Ferns report we wish to express our support and offer our prayers to the following:
1. To victims/survivors of child sexual abuse and their families. In the course of justice being done we hope they will find peace and healing.
BARNSTABLE (MA)
Barnstable Patriot
By Pamela Higgins
news@barnstablepatriot.com
As a tree creaked and groaned, the wind pushing it against the West Barnstable Community Building, a breeze of renewal and change flowed among the more than 75 members of the Upper and Lower Cape Voice of the Faithful (VOTF). The groups met Oct. 16 to discuss the highlights of theAbuse Tracker Convocation of VOTF and the possibility of merging the Cape groups.
“People were coming that were hungry to have the church meet its potential,” said Andrea Demars, who attended the convocation and is a member from the Falmouth VOTF. “They love their church and are disappointed by the lack of accountability.” Demars reported that approximately 600 people attended.
Meeting in Indianapolis in July, the convocation issued nine resolutions, which involve accountability for lay people and bishops and financial and moral integrity, according to Frank Fessenden, a Falmouth VOTF member. In response, the Upper Cape group agreed VOTF should call for an independent, widely disseminated, understandable annual CPA audit report for all church-related entities that would include all income, expenses, assets and liabilities. Members agreed also that VOTF should promote legislation that protects children and holds bishops accountable for their failure to protect children. Insistence that elected laity becomes fully participative members at all levels of diocesan and national decision-making is another goal.
After some minor technical difficulties in getting the DVD player to cooperate, the group watched a video presentation of three speakers from the convocation. Father Donald Cozzens called on the attendees to “commit yourselves to being an adult believer.” He called the church “fundamentally feudal” in its stance and an absolute monarchy in its management style.
Father Tom Doyle reminded attendees that “Christ loved the broken and marginalized” and that if they do not act like adults they allow the monarchy to thrive. “Much of the fear and anger (of the priests) is based on a need for security,” he said. “We have to overcome the fear of speaking up.”
BARNSTABLE (MA)
Barnstable Patriot
By Pamela Higgins
news@barnstablepatriot.com
As a tree creaked and groaned, the wind pushing it against the West Barnstable Community Building, a breeze of renewal and change flowed among the more than 75 members of the Upper and Lower Cape Voice of the Faithful (VOTF). The groups met Oct. 16 to discuss the highlights of theAbuse Tracker Convocation of VOTF and the possibility of merging the Cape groups.
“People were coming that were hungry to have the church meet its potential,” said Andrea Demars, who attended the convocation and is a member from the Falmouth VOTF. “They love their church and are disappointed by the lack of accountability.” Demars reported that approximately 600 people attended.
Meeting in Indianapolis in July, the convocation issued nine resolutions, which involve accountability for lay people and bishops and financial and moral integrity, according to Frank Fessenden, a Falmouth VOTF member. In response, the Upper Cape group agreed VOTF should call for an independent, widely disseminated, understandable annual CPA audit report for all church-related entities that would include all income, expenses, assets and liabilities. Members agreed also that VOTF should promote legislation that protects children and holds bishops accountable for their failure to protect children. Insistence that elected laity becomes fully participative members at all levels of diocesan and national decision-making is another goal.
After some minor technical difficulties in getting the DVD player to cooperate, the group watched a video presentation of three speakers from the convocation. Father Donald Cozzens called on the attendees to “commit yourselves to being an adult believer.” He called the church “fundamentally feudal” in its stance and an absolute monarchy in its management style.
Father Tom Doyle reminded attendees that “Christ loved the broken and marginalized” and that if they do not act like adults they allow the monarchy to thrive. “Much of the fear and anger (of the priests) is based on a need for security,” he said. “We have to overcome the fear of speaking up.”
NORTHERN IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph
By Sarah Brett
28 October 2005
A Catholic priest, who was cleared of sex abuse charges, today said the report revealing the extent of paedophile priest allegations in Derry does not go far enough.
Father Edward Kilpatrick - who was cleared abuse charges in the 1990s - was speaking after the Bishop of Derry revealed that around 40 child sex abuse allegations have been made against 26 priests in the Derry diocese over the last 50 years.
Around 13 of those are still working in the Catholic Church, some in the Derry diocese.
In an unprecedented move to allay fears following the devastating findings of the Ferns report into child sex abuse in the Republic, the Bishop of Derry and Raphoe Seamus Hegarty held a Press conference yesterday to reveal the findings of investigations into the diocese.
To protect the identities of both priests and victims, the bishop said he would not be naming any of the men involved in the allegations, nine of whom are now dead.
IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph
By Claire Regan
28 October 2005
The sex abuse crisis surrounding the Catholic Church deepened today after statements from two dioceses revealed that 41 priests have faced sex abuse allegations over the past 50 years.
The revelations came on the day a priest was sent to prison for a year for downloading child pornography.
The diocese of Down and Connor revealed late last night that 15 priests have been accused of abuse, three of whom have been charged and convicted. The announcement came just hours after the diocese of Derry admitted that 26 priests there have faced sex abuse allegations.
Both revelations came in the wake of the Republic government's damning report into the activities of pervert priests in the Co Wexford diocese of Ferns where 21 priests faced over 100 allegations.
MORRISTOWN (NJ)
CBS 3
AP) MORRISTOWN, N.J. The former pastor of a Roman Catholic church in Morris County has admitted stealing $360,000 from the parish.
The Reverend William Naughton pleaded guilty to theft by deception Thursday.
The 61-year-old was removed from Resurrection Church in Randolph in 2001.
His lawyer says most of the cash was used to help support a man who the priest had a brief sexual relationship with in the 1970s. Harold Reid the Third III was arrested in California in March on charges of trying to extort money from the priest. Those charges were dropped a month ago.
BOSTON (MA)
Boston Globe
By Maria Cramer, Globe Staff | October 28, 2005
The frail-looking former religious brother faced charges of raping two boys yesterday as one of his accusers looked on and sobbed.
Edward Anthony Holmes, 64, softly pleaded not guilty in Suffolk Superior Court to six counts of rape of a child, five counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, five counts of indecent assault and battery on a child over 14, and one count of photographing a nude child.
Holmes is accused of raping the children during the 1970s and early 1980s while he was a resident counselor at the now-defunct Nazareth Child Care Center in Jamaica Plain, said Audrey Mark, an assistant district attorney. Holmes was ordered to post $15,000 cash bail and stay away from children under age 16.
One of his two accusers, now a 39-year-old carpenter, sat on the wooden bench in the courtroom, clutching it with his hands and crying loudly. Holmes never looked at him.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph
By Sarah Brett
28 October 2005
Around 40 child sex