ABUSE TRACKER

A digest of links to media coverage of clergy abuse. For recent coverage listed in this blog, read the full article in the newspaper or other media source by clicking “Read original article.” For earlier coverage, click the title to read the original article.

April 3, 2012

Indictment of Fitchburg pastor shocks church members

FITCHBURG (MA)
Telegram & Gazette

By Paula J. Owen TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

FITCHBURG — St. Joseph Parish members are grappling with feelings of shock and betrayal after the indictment last week of their former associate pastor on charges of possession of child pornography and stealing from the church.

The Rev. Lowe B. Dongor, 36, is still at large, said Timothy J. Connolly, a spokesman for District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr., as authorities with a warrant for his arrest try to find him. He is believed to have fled to his homeland, the Philippines.

In July, Rev. Dongor — the Diocese of Worcester’s first Filipino priest — was placed on administrative leave and relieved of his duties from any public ministry after state police were notified by a computer service that one of Rev. Dongor’s laptops contained images of girls around age 10 or 11 with their chests and genitals “prominently displayed.

The computer company copied the images to a thumb drive, stopped work on the laptop and reported its findings to police.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.

New internal probe for Swedish ‘sex pastor’

SWEDEN
The Local

Published: 3 Apr 12

A Stockholm-area pastor on probation for having sex with a teen girl in his congregation is to be investigated anew following new accusations that he sexually abused other girls and sent them sexually explicit emails.

In a decision made public on Monday, the cathedral chapter of the Stockholm diocese said it planned to open a new investigation into the pastor’s behaviour.

The decision, taken during a closed-door meeting last week, comes amid calls for the pastor’s resignation from parish members.

“We want to make the point that this isn’t okay. This concerns a pastor in a position which gives him unequal standing relative to the confirmation candidates,” the parish’s deputy vicar told the TT news agency last week.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.

Defrocked Priest Heads to Prison

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
NBC 10

By David Chang and MaryClaire Dale
Monday, Apr 2, 2012

Defrocked priest Edward Avery began serving a prison sentence on Monday for his alleged role in the Philadelphia Archdiocese sex abuse scandal.

Avery pleaded guilty nearly two weeks ago for sexually assaulting a 10-year-old altar boy aback in 1999. He turned himself in to authorities in Center City Monday morning. He is sentenced to two and a half to five years in prison.

According to court documents obtained by NBC10, Avery admitted that in 1999, he “engaged in oral sexual intercourse” with a 10-year-old boy while Avery was a priest at St. Jerome’s Parish in northeast Philadelphia. Avery was 57 at the time.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.

Sexual abuse slowly coming out of the dark, says journalist Linden MacIntyre

CANADA
Kamloops Daily News

April 2, 2012

By Michele Young
Daily News Staff Reporter

Journalist Linden MacIntyre has known people whose lives were left in shards from sexual abuse. He has reported on it, come from a community affected by it and talked to the victims of it.

And the veteran CBC reporter has written two fictitious books dealing with the dynamics and after effects of sexual abuse.

On Monday morning, MacIntyre — a self-confessed storyteller from childhood — explained his theories as to why sex abuse is not openly talked about in society. His presentation was the third Barrett Lecture on Child, Family and Community Welfare held at Thompson Rivers University.

He offered the audience of about 200 people gathered in the Irving Barber Centre ideas and insights he has gathered from 50 years of reporting, researching and writing.

Much of what he discussed was tackled in his Giller-prize winning 2009 book, The Bishop’s Man. The follow-up to that, Why Men Lie, has just been published.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.

Priest arrested again after another alleged victim comes forward

LOUISIANA
KATC

[with video]

by Shawn Kline

Another victim steps forward accusing a former Lake Charles priest of more sex crimes.

The Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office says after more than 20-years of silence, a second victim has told detectives his story.

Mark A. Broussard served with the Diocese of Lake Charles with at least three different churches until 1994 when he resigned from the priesthood. He now faces 100 counts of sexual battery and another 40 counts of aggravated rape in addition to more charges from a separate victim.

“These incidents were documented but never reported to law enforcement,” Calcasieu Parish Sheriff Tony Macuso said.

The Sheriff says Broussard sexually abused a total of four children in the late 80’s and early 90’s and each of these cases was documented by the Diocese of Lake Charles.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.

Pinoy ex-priest ordered extradited to US for sex abuse raps

PHILIPPINES
GMA News

Mark Merueñas, GMA News April 3, 2012

The Philippine Court of Appeals (CA) ordered the Philippine government to send a former Filipino priest in Fargo, North Dakota — Fernando Sayasaya — back to the United States to face sexual abuse charges filed by two brothers.

In a 23-page decision penned by Associate Justice Amy C. Lazaro-Javier, the CA’s Fifth Division upheld a December 2010 order of the Manila Regional Trial Court to extradite Sayasaya.

Concurring with the ruling were CA Presiding Justice Andres Reyes Jr., and Sesinando Villon.

The Manila court earlier granted a request made by the Department of Justice (DOJ) on behalf of the US government to extradite Sayasaya for two counts of gross sexual imposition filed by brothers Hugo and Pablo Zamarron.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.

April 2, 2012

CPSO re-arrests former priest on more charges of sexual battery, rape

LOUISIANA
Sulfur Daily News

By Staff reports
Southwest Daily News

Posted Apr 02, 2012

Lake Charles, La. —

The Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office re-arrested former priest Mark A. Broussard Monday and charged him with 100 counts of sexual battery and 40 counts of aggraated rape.

Broussard, who was residing in Duson, was arrested in March after an investigation into accusations made by a victim when he was a boy between January 1986 and December of 1991 — when he was 11-16 years of age.

The victim is now 36 years old. He stated all of the incidents occurred at Our Lady Queen of Heaven Church in Lake Charles, where Broussard was a priest and where the victim attended school and church.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.

Update: Priest Child Abuse Trial So Far

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
My Fox Philly

Kristen Byrne, Blogger
MyFoxPhilly.com

Blogger Kristen Byrne is in the courtroom at the Philadelphia Archdiocese priest-abuse trial. Here is a recap of events so far.

A landmark priest-abuse trial began last week. Prosecutors say the Philadelphia Archdiocese made efforts to cover-up victim complaints. The Archdiocese has been under scrutiny with a history of sex abuse while victims’ accusations were allegedly filed in the secret archives.

Monsignor William Lynn is the first church official in the U.S. to be charged with conspiracy of endangering the welfare of children for allegedly burying allegations of molestation by members in the priesthood, and refusing to remove accused priests from the ministry.

In the Philadelphia prosecutor’s opening statement they said Lynn, as the Secretary of Clergy, was “in charge with investigating crimes on children committed by priests … (but) Lynn kept things in the dark.”

During Lynn’s 1992 to 2004 reign as Secretary, he oversaw about 800 priests in the Philadelphia Archdiocese. His attorneys said Lynn composed a list of 37 accused priests, only to have it shredded by the late Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua. According to the defense, Lynn “did his damnedest.”

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.

Australia Seeks Extradition of Molester

UNITED STATES/AUSTRALIA
The Jewish Daily Forward

By Paul Berger

Published April 02, 2012.

Australia reportedly plans to seek the extradition of an imprisoned former Jewish studies teacher to face charges of child abuse dating back nearly 20 years.

David Kramer, 51, is currently in a Missouri jail after being convicted of sodomizing a 12-year-old boy in 2008. He was sentenced to seven years in prison but is about to become eligible for parole.

Detective Senior Constable Lisa Metcher told a Melbourne Magistrates Court on April 2 that Australian detectives will travel to America later this month to begin proceedings to extradite Kramer, according to The Age. A spokesman for the United States Department of Justice declined to comment.

As the Forward reported earlier this year, Kramer is one of several men formerly associated with Melbourne’s Yeshivah Centre, a Chabad institution, at the center of alleged sex abuse coverup allegations.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.

Police to ask US to hand over ex-teacher

AUSTRALIA/UNITED STATES
The Age

Jewel Topsfield
April 3, 2012

VICTORIA Police will this month seek to extradite a former teacher at a Melbourne Jewish orthodox school from the United States over a child sex abuse scandal that was allegedly covered up by the school.

Parents allege that Yeshivah College in East St Kilda assisted the former teacher, David Kramer, to flee Australia in 1993 after they complained he had sexually abused their children.

Kramer was the focus of a Victoria Police probe launched last year into alleged sexual abuse at Yeshivah College between 1989 and 1993, which has widened to include other alleged perpetrators.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.

Jason Berry Wins IRE Book Award

UNITED STATES
Fund for Investigative Journalism

Render Unto Rome: The Secret Life of Money in the Catholic Church, by Jason Berry, has won the prestigious IRE Book Award for 2011. Berry wrote the book with a grant from the Fund for Investigative Journalism. The judges of the annual awards contest sponsored by Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) praised the book with these comments: “Author Jason Berry delves deeply into a topic few have examined – the secretive finances of the Roman Catholic Church. Using voluminous background research that takes the reader back centuries, Berry uncovers abuses of the trust of church members by influential bishops who diverted funds intended for philanthropic purposes into accounts used for plugging Vatican operating deficits or defending priests accused of pedophilia. Berry details how the modern church is systematically closing churches in poorer parishes while at the same time opening churches in affluent suburbs where the weekly ‘take’ is greater. The author makes extensive use of public documents, leaked parish records, trial transcripts, interviews and a wide range of published reporting to paint a complete picture of a heretofore secret network of church financial dealings. For shining a bright light on the shenanigans and inner workings of the Catholic Church, IRE honors Jason Berry and ‘Render Unto Rome.’” Investigative Reporters and Editors is a nonprofit professional organization dedicated to training and supporting investigative journalists around the world.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.

Tight Control, Few Explanations in Courtroom 304

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Priest Abuse Trial Blog

Ralph Cipriano

Two jurors were dismissed without explanation Monday in the archdiocese of Philadelphia sex abuse trial. Judge M. Teresa Sarmina started court an hour late with the announcement that Alternate Juror No. 1 would be replacing Juror No. 7, and Alternate Juror No. 2 would be replacing Juror No. 9.

Why were the jurors sent packing? The judge didn’t explain. There was courtroom chatter about medical emergencies and jurors who may have overheard things, but no official explanation was forthcoming.

The jury, which began with 12 regulars and 10 alternates last week, is now down to 12 regulars and 6 alternates. Two alternate jurors were also dismissed last week, without explanation. In a trial expected to last two at least months, losing two jurors a week doesn’t bode well, but it’s early yet.

The judge did announce that court will not be held on Fridays during the trial. Jurors have the option of gong to work on Friday, but “my preference is that you don’t go,” the judge said. She warned jurors that if they do show up for work on Fridays, she would prefer that they wear a sign that says, “Don’t talk to me.” The judge was smiling when she said this, but she may not be kidding.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.

Lawyers Spar over Archdiocese’s Secret Archive Files

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Priest Abuse Trial Blog

Ralph Cipriano

What do you do when the prosecution is using hardened police detectives to enter a pile of the archdiocese’s secret archive files into evidence against your client?

Jeff Lindy, representing Monsignor William J. Lynn, went through those same files on Monday, trying to point out whatever positive things they had to say about his client.

Lindy asked Detective Joseph Walsh about the files involving Father Michael Murtha. He’s the priest who was discovered to have a large gay porno collection in his bedroom at the rectory, as well as a love letter that he wrote to a seventh-grader named Drew.

Referring to the priest’s literary efforts as “that awful letter,” Lindy said isn’t it true that the priest admitted the letter was a fantasy, and that there was no allegation that the priest had ever touched the boy, or anybody else for that matter.

“That is correct,” Detective Walsh said.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.

Trial: Priest joked about abusing 3 boys in week

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

By MARYCLAIRE DALE
The Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA — Jurors in a landmark priest-abuse trial heard Monday about a priest-turned-camp prowler and another who allegedly bragged about having sex with three boys in one week.

Also Monday, two jurors were replaced by alternates, but a gag order prevents lawyer from discussing the reasons for the move.

Monsignor William Lynn is on trial for child endangerment and conspiracy. Lynn, 61, is the first Roman Catholic church official in the U.S. charged for his handling of priest-abuse complaints. Prosecutors say he helped the church bury them in secret files, far from the prying eyes of investigators, civil attorneys and concerned Catholics.

In the day’s most startling testimony, a detective read internal church memos about a priest who allegedly “joked about how hard it was to have sex with three boys in one week.” His accuser also stated that the priest had a “rotation process” of boys spending time sleeping with him.

Defense lawyers argue that Lynn tried to address the problem as secretary for clergy from 1992 to 2004, but was blocked by the late Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua and others in the Philadelphia archdiocese.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.

Accused priest to appeal verdict on breached seal of confession

WISCONSIN
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel

April 2, 2012

A Waukesha County Catholic priest ordered to spend the next year in prayer and penance for indirectly violating the seal of confession, is appealing his verdict to the Vatican, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee has confirmed.

Father David Verhasselt of St. Catherine’s Catholic Church in Mapleton notified the archdiocese that he would be seeking a due-process review by the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, a step known as an administrative recourse, said Father Paul Hartmann, judicial vicar for the archdiocese.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.

Matthew Fox talks obedience and courage, young adults and the church

UNITED STATES
National Catholic Reporter

by Jamie L Manson on Apr. 02, 2012 Grace on the Margins

This is the second part of Jamie Manson’s interview with theologian and writer Matthew Fox. Part I can be found here.

You begin your most recent book, The Pope’s War, by taking a look at the childhood of Pope Benedict XVI and his time in Hitler Youth. How do you think that experience might have impacted his view of the church?

In fascism, there is always an obsession to control and to make obedience the first priority. That’s why fascism was allowed to thrive in Nazi times. As I point out in the book, the wonderful priest and moral theologian Fr. Bernard Haring, who was also conscripted into the Nazi army, did not learn from his experience that obedience is a primary virtue. He saw the horrible price that Europe paid for this distorted notion of obedience. So, he built his entire moral theology on the idea that the real meaning of obedience is responsibility.

We hear that there are some bishops who do not agree with the Vatican on some issues and who see how some of the Vatican’s positions do harm to people, but they obey and cooperate with the Vatican anyway. Do you see parallels to fascism there?

So often it comes down to preferring one’s job security or career advancement to the truth or to Jesus. Susan Sontag defines fascism as institutionalized violence: violence in the name of institution and the act of hiding behind an institution. A good example of this, of course, is the pedophilia crisis. I use the word fascism in the book because all fundamentalisms, not just the Catholic kind, are about freezing power.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.

Ex-Calcasieu priest faces additional sex charges

LOUISIANA
KPLC

By E’Lyn Taylor

The following is a Press Release from the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office

Today, the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office has re-arrested former priest Mark A. Broussard at the Calcasieu Correctional Center and charged him with 100 counts of sexual battery and 40 counts of aggravated rape.

This victim is one of the four young boys Broussard indicated while he was a priest he had sexual contact with which is documented in his personnel file but never reported to law enforcement.

The investigation revealed the incidents involving this victim occurred between January 1986 and December 1991 when the boy was between the ages of 11-16 years of age. The victim is now 36 years old. He stated all of the incidents occurred at Our Lady Queen of Heaven Church in Lake Charles, LA where Broussard was a priest and where the victim attended school and church.

Judge Clayton Davis set Broussard’s bond at $2,000,000.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.

RTÉ awaits BAI sanction over libel

IRELAND
The Irish Times

RONAN McGREEVY

RTÉ will find out in the coming days if fines of up to €250,000 will be imposed upon it as a result of the Fr Kevin Reynolds libel action.

The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland has sent a copy of the independent report into the Fr Kevin Reynolds libel action along with notification of any sanction to RTÉ for consideration.

RTÉ will be given 14 days to respond or make submissions.

At the end of the process, the BAI will publish the report into the libel action and announce if it has imposed financial sanctions on the broadcaster.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.

Memo outlines priest’s abuse of campers

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Inquirer

By John P. Martin
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

The boys, nine of them, came forward in the early 1960s, each recounting how the Rev. John A. Cannon had molested them, sometimes repeatedly, at a summer camp run by their South Philadelphia parish, St. Monica’s.

A priest documented the accusations, Cannon was transferred to another parish, and a letter about the claims went into his personnel file at the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

When one of the boys, now a man, came forward in 1992 and later threatened to sue, Msgr. William J. Lynn told him that Cannon would be immediately removed, as were all priests accused of abuse.

“He was told they are never assigned where children are concerned,” according to a memo on their meeting shown to jurors today at Lynn’s trial in Common Pleas Court.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.

There’s much finger pointing in Catholic Church’s child sex-abuse trial

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Daily Local News

The child endangerment trial of the Rev. Monsignor William Lynn resumes in Philadelphia. He has the dubious distinction of being the first Roman Catholic Church official to be charged in the United States in connection with clerical sexual abuse.

While the 61-year-old priest himself has not been charged with sexually abusing children, he has been accused of protecting known pedophile priests from criminal prosecution by not reporting them to civil authorities and instead placing them in assignments where they still had access to children.

Defense attorneys maintain that Lynn, who served as secretary of the clergy from 1992 to 2004 and was responsible for investigating clerical sexual abuse, was just following orders of his two superiors, Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua and Cardinal Justin Rigali, former archbishops of Philadelphia. Bevilacqua, who was battling cancer, died Jan. 31, the day after a judge ruled that his deposition videotaped last November could be included in Lynn’s trial.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.

2 jurors removed from Philly priest-abuse trial

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
The Olympian

By MARYCLAIRE DALE | Associated Press • Published April 02, 2012

Two jurors in the landmark priest-abuse trial under way in Philadelphia were dismissed Monday, just one week into the trial that could last three months or more.

It’s not clear why the pair were removed before the trial resumed, but two of the eight alternates seated replaced them.

Monsignor William Lynn is on trial for child endangerment and conspiracy. Lynn, 61, is the first Roman Catholic church official in the U.S. charged for his handling of priest-abuse complaints. Prosecutors say he helped the church bury them in secret files, far from the prying eyes of investigators, civil attorneys and concerned Catholics. …

The testimony Monday included a 1992 complaint about a priest who allegedly molested boys at a church-owned camp three decades earlier.

Several junior counselors complained in the early 1960s that the priest was on the prowl at night, molesting them in their tents. They said it was a well-known secret among teen counselors for several years.

The priest remained in ministry, working at three archdiocesan high schools and serving as assistant superintendent of Catholic schools in the mid-1960s. Confronted after a man complained to the archdiocese in 1992, the priest admitted to the “sin” of masturbation and said he had read up on that subject because so many people were mentioning it in the confessional.

The campers, too, referred to it as a “sin” that they had committed with the priest on various occasions. Some did not report it then because they “lacked courage” or feared the consequences, a detective testified, based on his reading of the church files.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.

Ex-staff member at Kanakuk Kamps is charged with abusing 3 campers

MISSOURI
KY3

by Jay Scherder, KY3 News
jscherder@ky3.com

12:20 p.m. CDT, April 2, 2012
FORSYTH, Mo. — Kanakuk Kamps is dealing with its second sex abuse case within three years. Lee Bradberry, 22, of Auburn, Ala., is charged in Taney County with sexual crimes involving three campers at its Christian-themed sports camps.

Investigators believe the abuse happened last June. Kanakuk says it fired Bradberry last July and alerted law enforcement agencies after receiving reports of inappropriate behavior by Bradberry.

Two years ago, ex-camp leader Peter Newman pleaded guilty for sexually abusing several boys. He was sentenced to life in prison.
—-
News release from Kanakuk Kamps on Monday morning:

At Kanakuk the safety and protection of children is our number one priority. That is why we have implemented a comprehensive Child Protection Plan that combines rigorous policies, extensive staff training, age-appropriate education for campers and encouragement of all staff and campers to report any questionable behavior. Sadly we now believe that in 2011 that Child Protection Plan was needed to play a role in helping to identify and stop

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.

Kanakuk staff member arrested on sex charges

MISSOURI
The Turner Report

A $100,000 bond has been set for Lee Bradberry, 22, Auburn, Ala., the second Kanakuk Kamps staff member to be charged with felony sex crimes.

Online Taney County Circuit Court records indicate Bradberry faces two counts of statutory sodomy, two counts of child molestation, and single counts of sexual misconduct and attempted statutory sodomy, all allegedly taking place on June 21, 2011.

Conditions of Bradberry’s bond include his having no contact with the underaged victims.

The charges, which were filed Friday, are the latest bad news to hit the Branson-based Kanakuk. Kanakuk was rocked in 2009 when one of its camp directors, Pete Newman, was arrested for committing several sex crimes against underage boys.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.

Gerald T. Slevin, Open Appeal to Reporters at the Philadelphia Inquirer: A Time of Truth About Child Abuse

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Bilgrimage

Jerry Slevin, a retired Wall Street lawyer who frequently comments at Catholic blog sites about the abuse situation in the American Catholic church, has sent me a copy of an open letter he wrote yesterday calling on the Philadelphia Inquirer to keep light shining as brightly as possible on the case now going on in Philadelphia, as well as on the abuse situation in the archdiocese of Philadelphia. I’m very happy to post Jerry’s open letter here and at Open Tabernacle. It’s well-written, powerfully stated, and full of valuable information–as with everything he writes. It also fits right in with what I just posted about E.J. Dionne’s article critiquing centrist complicity in the extremist strategies of the far right.

—————————————

Today’s Philadelphia Inquirer articles make clear that last week’s opening of the criminal trial of Monsignor Lynn, the Philadelphia Archdiocese’s former top priest personnel aide to two former Cardinals, was a watershed moment for Philly Catholics and potentially for worldwide Catholicism. Each of you are both witnesses to, and key participants in, the unfolding events. While the Associated Press and NY Times’ columnists and reporters, among others, have followed this story closely, this has mainly been the Philadelphia Inquirer’s story from the start.

The world is watching closely to see if America’s justifiably fabled free press can finally break through the countless diversions offered worldwide by the Catholic hierarchy and their well funded apologists and well placed advocates. Vatican experts recently indicated at an “abuse summit” in Rome that over 100,000 American children have been sexually abused by priests, yet no bishop has yet been held accountable under the American criminal law system. The Lynn trial may lead to changing that, assuming that Philly District Attorney, Seth Williams, doesn’t stop at Lynn and follows through by investigating diligently up the hierarchical ladder to the ultimate decision makers, the Philly Bishops and Cardinals.

The deceitful hierarchical myth that the priest child sexual abuse problem resulted from a few rogue “bad apples” has already been laid to rest forever by the trial, thanks to the exceptional reporting by you and others. The answers to the bigger questions, whether the full truth will be uncovered and whether the hierarchs ultimately responsible will receive justice, remain to be seen.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.

Philadelphia Priest Charged With Endangering Children Was Protecting Them, Defense Says

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
CBS Philly

By Tony Hanson

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — The defense in the Philadelphia clergy child abuse case (see related stories) used some prosecution evidence today in the defense of Msgr. William Lynn, charged with endangering children by allowing predatory priests to remain in ministry.

Testimony has continued to focus on a despicable letter allegedly written by a priest to a boy soliciting sex — a letter that was never sent (see related story).

The defense has presented evidence through cross-examination that Lynn acted within days of learning of the letter, talking to Father Michael Murtha and ordering Murtha to treatment.

The defense told the jury Lynn did his job, but he was not responsible for priest placements.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.

Klokk vraagt overheidsonderzoek rol psychiatrie bij kerkelijk misbruik

NEDERLAND
Reformatorisch Dagblad

BEUNINGEN (ANP) – De overheid moet ook de rol van de psychiatrie en psychiaters bij seksueel misbruik in de kerk en andere instellingen onderzoeken. Dat bepleitte slachtofferkoepel Klokk maandag.

Volgens de organisatie is extra wetenschappelijk onderzoek nodig naar mogelijke medische ingrepen, maar ook naar verbanden tussen psychiatrie, justitiële instanties en kerkelijke organisaties.

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Klokk: Ook rol psychiatrie onderzoeken

NEDERLAND
L1

De overheid moet ook de rol van de psychiatrie en psychiaters bij seksueel misbruik in de kerk en andere instellingen onderzoeken.

Daarvoor pleit slachtofferkoepel Klokk. Die zegt dat extra wetenschappelijk onderzoek nodig is naar mogelijke medische ingrepen, maar ook naar verbanden tussen psychiatrie, justitiële instanties en kerkelijke organisaties. Vorige maand ontstond ophef over een verhaal van de Heerlense journalist Joep Dohmen over mogelijke gevallen, in de jaren vijftig, van castratie om homoseksuele gevoelens bij jongens uit te bannen. Volgens Dohmen wist de commissie Deetman van deze praktijken, maar deed geen verder onderzoek.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.

KLOKK wil meer onderzoek misbruik kerk

NEDERLAND
Kerknieuws

De koepelorganisatie van slachtoffers van seksueel misbruik in de kerk, KLOKK, wil dat de commissie Deetman aanvullend onderzoek gaat doen. Bij dat onderzoek moet worden gekeken naar de rol van onder meer psychiaters bij het misbruik.

KLOKK komt met deze oproep naar aanleiding van recente berichten over gedwongen castraties, uitgevoerd in opdracht van de kerk. Nieuwe onderzoek moet de rol van de psychiatrie, maar ook justitiële instanties, kerkelijke organisaties en de bestuurlijke cultuur van die tijd bij deze praktijken blootleggen.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.

PTSD Genes Uncovered by UCLA Study

UNITED STATES
technology update news

2nd April 2012

Newswise — Why do some persons stoop to post-traumatic highlight commotion (PTSD) while others who suffered a same distress do not? A new UCLA investigate sheds light on a answer.

UCLA scientists have related dual genes concerned in serotonin prolongation to a aloft risk of building PTSD. Published in a Apr 3 online book of a Journal of Affective Disorders, a commentary advise that ionization to PTSD is inherited, indicating to new ways of screening for and treating a disorder.

“People can rise post-traumatic highlight commotion after flourishing a life-threatening distress like war, rape or a healthy disaster,” clarified lead author Dr. Armen Goenjian, a investigate highbrow of psychoanalysis during a Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior during UCLA. “If confirmed, a commentary could eventually lead to new ways to shade people during risk for PTSD and aim specific medicines for preventing and treating a disorder.”

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2 jurors removed …

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Washington Post

2 jurors removed from Philly priest-abuse trial for unknown reasons; trial enters 2nd week

By Associated Press, Updated: Monday, April 2

Two jurors have been dismissed just one week into the landmark priest-abuse trial under way in Philadelphia.

It’s not clear why the pair were removed before the trial resumed Monday, but two of eight alternates replaced them.

Monsignor William Lynn’s child endangerment and conspiracy trial could last three months or more.

The 61-year-old Lynn is the first Roman Catholic church official in the U.S. charged for his handling of priest-abuse complaints. Prosecutors say he helped the church bury them in secret files.

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Priest probed over indecent images

NORTHERN IRELAND
UTV

Published Monday, 02 April 2012

The head of the Catholic Church in Ireland has said a priest who revealed pornographic images during a Holy Communion presentation is being investigated.

Father Martin McVeigh was to host a Powerpoint presentation to parents at St Mary’s School in Pomeroy, Co Tyrone last week.

Instead, around 16 pictures of gay porn which had been stored on a memory stick were shown to the 26 parents and an eight-year-old child who was also at the meeting.

Speaking to the Ulster Herald Fr McVeigh said, “I don’t know how it happened.

“There are people making innuendoes who weren’t even there, but in this day and age these stories grow.”

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Priest Martin McVeigh ‘Accidentally Showed Gay Porn’ During Primary School Presentation

NORTHERN IRELAND
The Huffington Post UK

The Huffington Post UK | By Lucy Sherriff Posted: 2/04/2012

Parents got more than they bargained for when a presentation given by a priest at a primary school included some rather raunchy slides – of gay porn.

Father Martin McVeigh was setting up a slideshow for parents of children taking their First Holy Communion when the sexual images “inadvertently” appeared on the screen. The audience, which reportedly included an eight-year-old boy, were left “horrified and distracted”, according to the BBC.

The holy man is said to have quickly removed his memory stick from the hard drive and “bolted out of the room”.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY
Vatican Information Service

Vatican City, 2 April 2012 (VIS) – The Holy Father appointed:

– Archbishop Mark Benedict Coleridge of Canberra and Goulburn, Australia, as archbishop of Brisbane (area 65,000, population 2,760,007, Catholics 643,371, priests 239, permanent deacons 13, religious 890), Australia.

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‘Ook rol psychiatrie bij misbruik bekijken’

NEDERLAND
De Telegraaf

BEUNINGEN – De overheid moet ook de rol van de psychiatrie en psychiaters bij seksueel misbruik in de kerk en andere instellingen onderzoeken. Dat bepleitte slachtofferkoepel Klokk maandag.

Volgens de organisatie is extra wetenschappelijk onderzoek nodig naar mogelijke medische ingrepen, maar ook naar verbanden tussen psychiatrie, justitiële instanties en kerkelijke organisaties. Vorige maand ontstond ophef over berichten over mogelijke gevallen, in de jaren vijftig, van castratie om homoseksuele gevoelens bij jongens uit te bannen. Klokk roept de Tweede Kamer op bij de regering aan te dringen op het aanvullende onderzoek.

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Lotgenotengroepen spreken steun uit voor de commissie Deetman.

NEDERLAND
RKnieuws

VUGHT (RKnieuws.net) – Klokk wil aanvullend onderzoek door de heer Deetman en voortzetting van het toezicht op de uitvoering van aanbevelingen door Deetman en de voormalige commissie, samen met de bij KLOKK aangesloten slachtoffergroepen. Dat is op dit moment noodzakelijk voor het proces van erkenning, genoegdoening, hulp, compensatie en zorg.

Met dit standpunt reageren de vertegenwoordigers van groepen aangesloten bij Klokk op de recente berichtgeving in NRC Handelsblad en de reactie van de heer Deetman hierop.

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Persbericht Mea Culpa

NEDERLAND
Bert Smeets

Mea Culpa is het niet eens met de voortzetting van de commissie Deetman. Zeker nu de heer Deetman zelf wordt gehoord over het weglaten van feiten over castraties en de hele problematiek rond oud-minister-president Marijnen, een partijgenoot van de heer Deetman. Het weglaten van deze feiten komt het vertrouwen van de slachtoffers in de commissie Deetman niet ten goede. De opdrachtgever van de commissie Deetman is de Rooms Katholieke Kerk. Daarom is het geen onafhankelijk onderzoek en zal een vervolgonderzoek door de commissie Deetman niet voldoende meerwaarde hebben. Wij als Mea Culpa United blijven op het standpunt dat er een onafhankelijk onderzoek moet worden ingesteld door de politiek in de vorm van een parlementaire enquête.

Er zijn veel slachtoffers die het eindrapport van de commissie Deetman niet hebben omarmd!! Slachtoffers bij wie het beetje vertrouwen dat er nog was een gigantische deuk heeft opgelopen na het in de publiciteit komen van de gedwongen castraties en de affaire Marijnen. Wij als Mea Culpa United vragen ons af er nog meer zaken door de commissie Deetman niet zijn benoemd.

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why pretend the catholic church is anything but an international child-molesting cartel?

End Times News

The detention of an 83-year-old priest in Brazil for allegedly abusing boys as young as 12 has added to the scandals hitting the Roman Catholic Church in Latin America, even as Chile’s bishops asked pardon on Tuesday for past sexual abuse cases.

The allegations against Monsignor Luiz Marques Barbosa — and two other Brazilian priests — have made headlines throughout the world’s most populous Catholic nation and come amid accusations of sexual abuse by priests across the world.

The scandal erupted when Brazilian television network SBT last month broadcast a tape purportedly showing Barbosa in bed with a 19-year-old that was widely distributed on the Internet.

The station said the video was secretly filmed in January 2009 and sent anonymously to the network. It was not clear if the 19-year-old, identified as a former altar boy who had worked with Barbosa for four years, had previous sexual relations with the priest.

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Archdiocese investigating report of ‘inappropriate imagery’ shown at primary school

NORTHERN IRELAND
The Journal

THE ARCHDIOCESE OF ARMAGH has launched a formal investigation into how a parish priest inadvertently showed pornographic images to a group of parents at a primary school last week.

Fr Martin McVeigh was setting up a PowerPoint presentation in the school last week, at a presentation to the parents of the First Communion class at a school in Co Tyrone.

It was reported that the pictures – depicting gay pornography – appeared on the screen after the priest inserted a USB key containing his presentation.

The Ulster Herald newspaper quoted Fr McVeigh as saying the images could be “legitimately explained”, but that he did not know how the images had appeared on the computer.

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Tyrone parents shocked as priest accidentally airs gay porn during presentation

NORTHERN IRELAND
Irish Central

By
KERRY O’SHEA,
IrishCentral Staff Writer

Published Monday, April 2,

Parents at a Tyrone parish had the shock of their lives when gay pornography flashed on screen during a presentation from the parish’s own Fr Martin McVeigh. Fr McVeigh was giving a presentation to the parents of First Communicants from the parish.

The Herald reports on the shocking story that comes out of St Mary’s School in Pomeroy, Co Tyrone. Fr. McVeigh was reportedly setting up a PowerPoint presentation for the parents of the parish when the pornography flashed on screen, at which point Fr. McVeigh promptly ended the presentation.

The images allegedly came on screen after Fr. McVeigh inserted a USB drive into the computer.

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Priest in ‘indecent images’ row at primary school in Pomeroy

NORTHERN IRELAND
BBC News

An investigation is under way after indecent images were “inadvertently” shown by a Catholic priest during a presentation at a primary school in County Tyrone.

Father Martin McVeigh projected the images onto a screen during a meeting for parents in Pomeroy in preparation for First Holy Communion. One child was also present.

Parents said 16 indecent images of men were displayed. The priest said he had no knowledge of the offending imagery.

Cardinal Sean Brady said the PSNI had indicated that no crime had been committed.

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Holy spirits

AUSTRIA
Austrian Independent

Austrian priest Franz Lauterbacher is hailing success for a project to win back the faithful to the country’s scandal ridden Catholic Church by inviting people who have left the church to discuss their lack of faith – in a brewery run by monks.

The Augustiner Bräu brewery was founded in 1621 in Salzburg and is still owned by and run by the monks.

Austria’s Catholic Church has seen record numbers of people leaving if after a series of sex abuse scandals and growing pressure from reformists who want to see women priests and who want to allow priests to marry.

Father Lauterbacher said that at his first meeting in the brewery nine people decided to return to the church and that numbers had been consistently high at the regular meetings since then.

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Passion Sunday: We Crucify Him Updated

UNITED STATES
Followed By Glory …

I always get choked up during the Passion narrative. It always makes me so sad when we yell out “crucify him!”

I was thinking about how the great religious leaders of the day completely missed it when Jesus was smack in their midst. I cannot help but think about what our religious leaders are missing right in front of them.I think the Passion should be a huge warning to Christians, especially the devout and pious ones, what happens when we are so sure we understand God. When we treat theology as if it is a big math problem and we can give answers in our sleep about right conduct. If we are devout and practicing Catholics, we should walk away from the Passion narrative in complete humility.

Think about it. A hooker, a nobody, takes an EXTREMELY expensive bottle of perfume and dumps it on Jesus. All the proper folks are completely and properly scandalized by such behavior. This hooker then takes her hair and she debases herself at Jesus’ feet. Jesus defends her.

Today, in our Church in America and abroad, our Hierarchy is attacking those who survived being brutalized and raped by God’s priests and representatives. In PA and MO Church lawyers, paid for by faithful Catholics who continue to tithe to their Churches, are attacking volunteer organizations of survivors of those abused by priests. SNAP (Survivors Networks of Those Abused by Priests) has been subpoenaed as lawyers defending the Church seek out any and all means of destroying the case against the Church.

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St. Stan’s has joyous rebirth on Palm Sunday

ADAMS (MA)
Berkshire Eagle

By Derek Gentile, Berkshire Eagle Staffberkshireeagle.com

Posted: 04/02/2012

ADAMS — For Sandra Mod erski, hearing the bells tolling at her church Sunday morning was the most beautiful sound in the world.

“It was so wonderful to hear them again,” she said.

After three years of silence, the bells summoned the faithful to celebrate Mass on Sunday, and Moderski and about 300 other parishioners gathered at the former St. Stanislaus Kostka Church for Palm Sunday services.

Sunday’s service was the first since the church was closed in 2009 following an announcement by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield that the parish would be consolidated at Notre Dame Church as part of a new Pope John Paul the Great parish. After a vigil by parishioners lasting 1,150 days and an appeal that went all the way to the Vatican, the church was reopened as a “chapel/mission” of the parish. But what is most important is that the church has now reopened for worship, as well as weddings, baptisms and funerals.

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St. Stanislaus Kostka reopens among community support

ADAMS (MA)
CBS 3

By Cherise Leclerc

ADAMS, (WSHM) –
Parishioners at one Berkshire County church are thankful after their church re-opened.

The St. Stanislaus Kostka Church in Adams has been closed for three years.

During that time the parishioners held round-the-clock vigils.

That story may sound familiar.

The embattled Mater Dolorosa Church parishioners in Holyoke have been holding round-the-clock vigils for the past seven months since their church doors were officially closed.

Around 60 of their parishioners headed out to Berkshire County on Sunday morning to help celebrate the grand re-opening of St. Stanislaus.

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A Monsignor Goes on Trial

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
The New York Times

Editorial

A long overdue step of accountability in the sex abuse of children by wayward Catholic priests — the first-ever trial of a diocesan supervisor for allegedly covering up the scandal — has opened in Philadelphia. The issue of hierarchal responsibility is finally front and center.

Msgr. William Lynn, the supervisor of Philadelphia priests for 12 years, is defending himself from criminal conspiracy charges by alleging that culpability for the scandal extended to the head of the archdiocese — via a secret archive he compiled on predator priests that he said was ordered shredded in 1994 by Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua.

Whether the jury believes Monsignor Lynn’s contention that he innocently did his duty by compiling the archive and handing it on to his superiors is an open question. But its value in shedding light on backroom maneuvering is already clear. A copy was found in a diocesan safe six years ago and turned over to authorities this year as criminal investigators looked into years of alleged rapes and other abuses of schoolchildren. Cardinal Bevilacqua was expected to testify but died earlier this year.

The trial is recapitulating painful aspects of the nationwide scandal in which more than 700 priests had to be dismissed in a three-year period while the church’s upper echelons faced no criminal charges. The trial unfolds eight years after a review panel of laity appointed by the nation’s bishops urgently warned that to repair the church’s reputation “there must be consequences” for ranking church officials who engineered cover-ups.

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Vatican Diary / The Holy Office at the click of a mouse

VATICAN CITY
Chiesa

VATICAN CITY, April 2, 2012 – For a couple of weeks, the Vatican documents concerning Catholic doctrine have been more easily accessible in all the major languages of the world.

On March 16, in fact, the congregation for the doctrine of the faith, CDF, while still keeping its documents on the official website of the Holy See, inaugurated a new website to make it easier to consult them:

> Congregation for the doctrine of the faith

On it one can read all of the postconciliar pronouncements of the congregation. In practice, this means all of those issued after the congregation changed names – with the December 7, 1965 motu proprio “Integrae Servandae” from Paul VI – from congregation of the Holy Office to congregation for the doctrine of the faith.

For easier consultation, the links to the documents are offered not only in a general list, but also in three thematic lists: those of a doctrinal nature (74 documents), those of a disciplinary nature (33), and those concerning the sacraments (39).

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Archbishop Hart reaffirms the Church’s position on a public inquiry

AUSTRALIA
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne

Friday 30 March 2012

The Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne, Denis Hart, has issued a statement in response to an article in The Age newspaper (29/03/12) in which Father Tony Kerin, Episcopal Vicar for Justice and Peace, appeared to be supporting demands for a public inquiry into the Church’s handling of sex abuse by clergy.

Archbishop Hart pointed out that whether or not an inquiry is called is a matter for the State, not for the Church. He reaffirmed his position as stated in The Age on 15 March 2012 that the Melbourne Archdiocese has nothing to hide from an independent inquiry.

“I am confident that any inquiry into the Melbourne Response process would confirm this,” writes the Archbishop. “The Melbourne Response has functioned effectively since 1996.”

The Archbishop states that Father Kerin is not his “advisor on sexual abuse issues” as was reported.

“Father Kerin has spoken to me to express his concerns about the article in The Age on 29 March. Contrary to what was reported, he [Father Kerin] has told me that he has not “called for an inquiry”. He has said that what he told The Age is that an inquiry would clear the air”, states Archbishop Hart.

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Abuse victim welcomes notice of audit by Spiritans

IRELAND
The Irish Times

PATSY McGARRY, Religious Affairs Correspondent

A NOTICE on the Spiritans (former Holy Ghosts) congregation’s website announcing it has invited an audit of its handling of clerical child abuse allegations has been welcomed by abuse victim Mark V Healy.

The review follows a lengthy campaign by Mr Healy to have it put in place. The audit, by the Church’s National Board for Safeguarding Children, will take place in May, and its findings will be published.

Mr Healy was abused as a pupil at St Mary’s College, Rathmines, Dublin, by a Spiritans priest who was convicted in the courts. He said the audit was “a first regarding an Irish review of a missionary order” and “a first to be carried out anywhere in the world” on a missionary order.

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Archbishop, Anglicare chief welcome Cummins Report

AUSTRALIA
Anglican Diocese of Melbourne

2/04/2012

by Staff writer

The Cummins Report, which was the outcome of an inquiry into the protection of vulnerable children in Victoria, was released on 28 February. The Report made 90 recommendations, including that the reporting of child abuse should be mandatory for clergy, and that a separate inquiry should be conducted into religious organisations.

Archbishop Freier made the following media statement in response to the Report on 29 February:

The Anglican Diocese of Melbourne strongly welcomes the intent of the Cummins Report which is to improve outcomes for Victoria’s vulnerable children.

The Diocese is presently working through the detail and recommendations of the report but can confirm that:

•Clergy and church workers within the Diocese of Melbourne have an existing obligation to report criminal offences and matters of child sexual abuse;
•The Anglican Church takes its responsibilities to the community very seriously and has well established and independent processes for complaints and reporting;
•The Anglican Church strongly welcomes any measure which strengthens protection for vulnerable children, and in 2009 the Church undertook an independent study of child sexual abuse within the Anglican Church of Australia, the findings of which were made public and made available in June 2009.

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April 1, 2012

Priest cleared of abuse allegation

IRELAND
The Irish Times

A TIPPERARY parish priest returned to his ministry on Saturday night with an unblemished character after an abuse allegation against him was stood down.

Fr Tadhg Furlong (62) will now return to his post as parish priest of Cappawhite, Co Tipperary.

Speaking at Mass on Saturday evening, the Archbishop of Cashel and Emly Dermot Clifford said Fr Furlong “has endured the prolonged ordeal of his standing aside with outstanding courage and honour. His approach has been fully in keeping with the dedication which he has shown throughout his priestly life to selfless service of church and community.”

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Clergy sex abuse support group formed

NEW MEXICO
Gallup Independent

[The Gallup Independent is now completely online; however, readers must pay for access to the website]

Published on March 26, 2012 in the Gallup Independent:

By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Independent correspondent
ALBUQUERQUE — A new, online support network for clergy sex abuse survivors is being formed to assist survivors from New Mexico, Northern Arizona and Native American communities.

The group, Hope Heal Help, has a website — www.hopehealhelp.net — and is sponsoring two meetings in Albuquerque this week. One of the group’s organizers, Hank Estrada of Moriarty, talked about the goals of the group in a telephone interview Wednesday. Estrada, who said he is a survivor of both family sex abuse and clergy sex abuse, is the author of “UnHoly Communion — Lessons Learned from Life among Pedophiles, Predators, and Priests.”

“We’re starting from the ground up,” Estrada said of the group. “We’re helping ourselves out because we’re not getting help any other way.”

According to Estrada, Hope Heal Help is a grassroots, online volunteer network open to clergy sex abuse survivors, their partners and family members. It will offer safe, confidential and non-professional support to help individuals emotionally heal from their abuse and move on to live healthy and happy lives, he said.

“It doesn’t have to run your life,” Estrada said of sexual abuse. “You can put your energies elsewhere.”

The group formed after the recent death of former Santa Fe Archbishop Robert F. Sanchez, Estrada said. A number of clergy sex abuse survivors were dismayed to see many Catholic Church officials, lay people and even news media representatives heap praise on Sanchez while giving little recognition to the role Sanchez played in covering up sex abuse in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe and in his own personal life, he said.

However, Estrada said, the Hope Heal Help group is not affiliated with the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests. Although Estrada said he once volunteered as a SNAP representative and admires some of the work they’ve done, he said the members of Hope Heal Help are more interested in offering personal support for clergy sex abuse survivors rather than pursuing SNAP’s more confrontational tactics with institutional church leaders.

“Our interest is not in confronting the church. … In my opinion, that’s a waste of time,” Estrada said. “We need to focus on ourselves and how we can heal ourselves.”

Hope Heal Help will offer a free support and discussion group at 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesday at 609 Gold St. SE in downtown Albuquerque. The group is open to male and female clergy abuse survivors, their partners and supporters. Estrada said the group will use some meeting guidelines from 12 Step programs to insure that participants can respectfully share and listen in a safe and confidential manner. Individuals interested in attending are being asked to call or email in advance to confirm their attendance. The group is scheduled to meet on the last Wednesday of each month at the same time and location.

On Saturday, Estrada will be the featured speaker at a lecture and book signing at 10 a.m.-noon at the Hear Better, See Better store, located in the Cost Plus World Market shopping center, just west of Menaul and Carlisle. Estrada’s presentation, “Healing the Unspeakable: Life After Abuse,” will be followed by a question-and-answer session and a book signing. The event is open to anyone, but there is a $15 admission fee, which Estrada said will help cover the cost of renting the facility. Interested participants are also asked to confirm their attendance in advance via phone or email.

Estrada said he will discuss six steps that he believes contribute to healing from sexual abuse: researching sources, disclosing what happened, seeking appropriate counseling, finding support, volunteering to help others, and moving forward. Estrada will also have copies of “UnHoly Communion” for sale.

In his book, which he published in 2011, Estrada writes about the abuse he endured in his home and church. According to Estrada, he was sexually molested as a child for more than a decade by an uncle who lived with his family, and he was also emotionally and physically abused by a violent, alcoholic father. After high school, Estrada was accepted into a Catholic seminary for training into the priesthood. It was then, Estrada said, he was sexually assaulted in his sixth year of studies by the Rev. John Raab, a member of the Claretian Missionary Order who served as his spiritual director. Estrada then left the seminary and abandoned his goals of becoming a priest.

In the years since, Estrada said, he has learned that Raab subsequently supervised seminarians in India and Nigeria. Estrada said he eventually reported the abuse to the Claretian order and later outed Raab in his book. Estrada said he believes Raab has not been laicized, but his work as a priest has been significantly limited.

Information: www.hopehealhelp.net or hopehealhelp@yahoo.com or Hank Estrada at (505) 515-8230

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St. Stanislaus Reopens For Palm Sunday Mass

ADAMS (MA)
iBerkshires

ADAMS, Mass. — The congregation restrained itself until the church began to empty. Then a hoot and a cascade of applause filled the historic St. Stanislaus Kostka Church on Sunday morning in celebration of a reopening that some thought would never come.

The Mass on Palm Sunday marks a new beginning after three years of vigil, appeals to the Vatican and, finally, an agreement brokered in hopes of healing a rift that had threatened to tear the Catholic Community of Adams apart.

“It was a great day in Adams, a great day for the church, a tremendous day,” said a beaming Rev. Daniel J. Boyle afterward. “It’s the unity and peace we need in this community … it’s been a tough three years.”

He likened the attendance of the packed church for the 8 a.m. Mass to that of Christmas Eve.

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The List Minnesota Bishops Do Not Want You to See

MINNESOTA
Minnesota SNAP

[with map of the state]

122 accused villainous clerics

1) Adamson, Thomas [St. Paul Park]
2) Andert, Thomas (Prior) [Abbey] ^
3) Bates, Christopher [Buffalo]
4) Bennett, Andre [Abbey] ^
5) Berres, Peregrin [Abbey] ^
6) Bik, Michael [Anoka, Shoreview] ^
7) Blumeyer, Robert P [Hastings] ^
8) Boyd, Richard [Bagley, Fosston]
9) Brisson, Pascal [Abbey] ^
10) Brom, Robert (Bishop)
11) Bussman, John [Robbinsdale, Rogers] **
12) Carriere, Henry [Crookston, Bemidji, Roseau]
13) Caskey, John [Morris, Chokio,]
14) Chateauvert, Victor [Bull Dog Lake]
15) Connolly, Isaac [StJohn Abbey] ^
16) Dahlheimer, Cosmas [St. Paul]
17) Dean, Mark [Buffalo, International Falls] **
18) DeSutter, Gilbert J [Fridley, Prior Lake]
19) DeSutter, Terry [Abbey staff] ^
20) Dinya, Patrick J [St Paul] ….

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Happy April Fools Day?

UNITED STATES
AlterNet

Joey Piscitelli April 1, 2012

What’s a fool? The dictionary defines it as ; “A person lacking in judgment; one who is victimized; or made to appear foolish; a harmlessly deranged person lacking in understanding; a jester; clown,” etc.

And today happens to be “April Fools Day,” which Wiki defines as a day when people play jokes, hoaxes, and foolishness on one another. Practical jokes are played on friends, family, teachers, colleagues, etc. The person who the hoax is played on, or is fooled, is often called a victim.

When the hoax is successfully played on the victim, then the event can be concluded by saying “April Fool!” And this tradition can be celebrated by all involved in the hoax; to laugh, and share in the merriment of the foolish experience.

No harm done.

Well, maybe. That’s up to interpretation and argument, like everything else. Sometimes, people do not like to be the recipient of a hoax, or to be made a fool by a person who was successful in taking advantage of their trust – as in the definition of a fool as “a person lacking in judgement; or one who is victimized”.

In that sense, I believe, that I am a fool- because that definition haunts me.
I was the victim of a hoax years ago, and I’m reminded of that almost everyday of my life. Especially today, when being a fool is commemorated. I’m still trying to figure out who was it that played the hoax on me. Was it God? Was it the Catholic Church? Was it my belief that priests are the representatives of God on this earth? Or was it myself?
Perhaps it was all of the above. The hoax was complicated.

You see, I was born and raised Catholic, and I had been programmed to believe that God was everywhere, and that he protected me, and that priests were the closest men on earth to God, and that the world was a safe place for me as a child. So I was a happy, fun loving kid, and April Fools Day was something to look forward to. It was a day of clowning, and joking, and nobody was really hurt, because the hoax always ended in a laugh. I was always excited to be the victim in an April Fools antic.

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Help Victims Carry Their Cross and Pray for Church: Join Us Good Friday At Steps of Cathedral

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Catholics4Change

April 1, 2012 by Susan Matthews

During last Sunday’s homily, a priest at St. David in Willow Grove, asked congregants to pray for the victims of clergy sex abuse this Easter season as we enter the clergy sex abuse trial and what could be called the “passion of the Philadelphia Church.” It’s not enough to pray alone at home. More than one victim has explained that they survived the abuse but are still victimized by the turned backs of fellow Catholics. They lost their community when they weren’t believed or were blamed. It’s time to let them know we stand with them against child sex abuse.

This isn’t a protest against the Church, this is a prayer service for the Church. And by Church, I mean us – all of us. What would Jesus do for the victims and to protect children? We are called to be Christ-like. On Good Friday we carry the cross with Jesus. What will you do? Please join us.

Who: Moms, Dads, Survivors, Students, Priests, Nuns, Christian Brothers, Deacons, Teachers… all Catholics

What: Prayer service for the victims of clergy sex abuse and the faithful of the Catholic Church of Philadelphia who have been betrayed by the hierarchy. There will be speakers. April is child abuse awareness month, so we ask attendees to wear the official awareness color – blue. Signs are welcome.

Where: At the steps of the Cathedral Basilica of SS Peter and Paul, 1723 Race Street (on the Benjamin Franklin Pkwy)

When: 11 a.m. to noon this Friday, April 6 – Good Friday. (Prayer Service held inside the Cathedral from noon until 3 p.m.)

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Kerk verbiedt castratie al eeuwen

NEDERLAND
Trouw

Artsen en geestelijken overtraden de wet, de regels van de kerk en de ethische beroepscode toen ze in in 1956 een twintigjarige jongen lieten castreren om hem van zijn vermeende homoseksualiteit af te helpen. Dat zegt Peter Nissen, hoogleraar cultuurgeschiedenis van de religiositeit aan de Radboud Universiteit.

Hij reageert op een artikel dat zaterdag verscheen in NRC Handelsblad over Henk Heithuis, een voogdijkind dat in de jaren vijftig in een katholieke instelling in Harreveld werd misbruikt. Hij kaartte het aan, maar werd weggestopt in een inrichting en gecastreerd omdat hij homoseksueel zou zijn. Een jaar later kwam hij om het leven bij een auto-ongeluk.

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The Depths of Depravity Revealed As Priests’ Trial Opens

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Catholics4Change

April 1, 2012 by Susan Matthews

Area Catholics are digesting the full scope of priest sex abuse crimes this Palm Sunday as they read the Inquirer. Some clergy tried to prepare their parishes last Sunday for what one called “the passion of the Philadelphia Church.” But what could ready congregations for the details that have emerged during the trial that began on Monday?

I beg Catholics to get past the sickening salacious details to the realization that this happened to terrified children – children just like their own. I don’t like the word scandal so much anymore. Scandal is fluffy stuff compared to what happened.

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HC upholds 7-yr jail term to priest for raping girl in temple

INDIA
Hindustan Times

Press Trust Of India
New Delhi, April 01, 2012

The Delhi high court has upheld the seven-year jail term to a priest for raping a 16-year-old girl repeatedly in a temple here, ruing that the “dehumanising act” has been committed by a “trustworthy and respected” person of the society.

“The heinous offence was committed by a priest who is respected in the society and considered to be a trustworthy person. But disregarding morality and consequence of his act, he committed such a barbaric offence upon a young girl repeatedly.

“In my considered opinion, the prosecution has brought home the guilt of the appellant beyond reasonable doubt,” Justice M L Mehta said and dismissed the plea of the convict.

Justice Mehta upheld the lower court’s conviction and award of seven years rigorous imprisonment to Prem Dass, a priest with Lord Shiva temple in North West Delhi here who repeatedly raped the school-going girl inside the temple.

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Trenton diocese poll seeks ‘sheep’ who’ve strayed

NEW JERSEY
Times of Trenton

By Erin Duffy/The Times

Pamela Thoresen first left the Catholic Church in the early ’90s, when she was still living in California. Asked to sign her name to a prewritten statement opposing a right-to-die voter referendum after listening to a long recording by Pope John Paul II on the sanctity of life, Thoresen felt her personal opinions weren’t welcome or appreciated.

“The Church uses the term ‘flock’ for its members, and it isn’t just a euphemism — they treat their congregants, in my opinion, like sheep,” she said. …

“Eliminate the extreme conservative haranguing,” one respondent wrote.

Some survey respondents pointed fingers at church leadership, blaming the Church for its response to the clergy sex-abuse crisis and characterizing some pastors as haughty and unapproachable, “with a holier-than-thou bearing.” In one of the most striking responses, one woman said a priest refused to attend her 9-year-old son’s burial because it wasn’t at a Catholic cemetery.

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Polish church’s survival an underdog tale

ADAMS (MA)
Albany Times Union

By Paul Grondahl

Published 08:19 p.m., Saturday, March 31, 2012

ADAMS, Mass. — You can’t keep a strong Polish church down.

On this Palm Sunday, a standing-room-only crowd of more than 600, including busloads from out of town, is expected at the 8 a.m. reopening Mass at St. Stanislaus Kostka Church.

It is the first time in more than three years that the Eucharist is to be consecrated within the twin-steepled, yellow-brick Gothic landmark known affectionately as St. Stan’s. The Mass follows a contentious dispute set off by the church’s December 2008 closure that reached to the highest level of the Vatican courts and resulted in an unprecedented victory for the occupying force.

For 1,150 consecutive days, church members kept a vigil at St. Stanislaus Kostka Church in defiance of Bishop Timothy McDonnell in Springfield and stood their ground.

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Monica Yant Kinney: Dysfunction among the vicars of Christ

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Inquirer

Monica Yant Kinney, Inquirer Columnist

Several times during the first week of a landmark criminal trial involving sex abuse and cover-ups by priests, a top official at the Archdiocese of Philadelphia was described as a glorified human resources manager.

As secretary for clergy, Msgr. William J. Lynn oversaw priests’ arrivals, departures, successes, struggles, and sins. His attorney, Thomas Bergstrom, called the high-ranking position “awful” and “ugly.” Assistant District Attorney Jacqueline Coelho compared Lynn to a police officer in Internal Affairs assigned to spy on fellow cops.

Lawyers likened the archdiocese to both a corporation and the military. Based on witness testimony and internal documents introduced as evidence, the archdiocese came off as dysfunctional as The Office, but minus the laughs of MASH.

Priests, Coelho told jurors in her opening statement, are “different . . . elevated.” You can’t just apply and be hired for a job as “God’s representative on earth.” But once ordained, almost anything goes.

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Priests’ trial opens with lurid tales

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Inquirer

By John P. Martin
Inquirer Staff Writer

Stalking. Groping. Gay bondage porn.

A sexually graphic love letter to a grade-school boy.

The topics discussed in a third-floor Philadelphia courtroom last week might unnerve most observers.

That they emerged in testimony about priests – and at times, from priests – only amplified the uneasiness. After all, a prosecutor told jurors at the start of this landmark clergy sex-abuse trial in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, priests are viewed as God’s agents on Earth.

Though much of the evidence introduced against Msgr. William J. Lynn had been outlined in two grand jury reports, the first week of his trial added a dimension to a scandal that has roiled Catholics for a decade.

Aired for the first time were secret church records, typed and hand-written, chronicling what Lynn and the local church hierarchy allegedly knew and did about priests suspected of abuse. There on the stand were victims describing as creepy predators men they had been taught to revere.

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Most priests prone to call of flesh, says Kerala nun

INDIA
Deccan Chronicle

March 31, 2012
By Jose Kurian

While the Catholic Church is still struggling to come out of the impact of Amen –The Autobiography Of A Nun, penned by Sr Jesme, another nun, 76-year-old Sr Mary Chandy, who had served the Presentation Convent for more than five decades, is all set to rock Kerala with yet another tale of bitter truth replete with incidents of sexual abuse, rape attempts and killing of new-born babies, through her autobiography, Swasthy.

In an exclusive interview to DC on Saturday, the nun said that almost all those who choose the cloister are more vulnerable to the ‘call of the body than the call of the spirit’.

Fondly called Sisteramma, the saree-clad, soft but strong willed nun was at the tiny rented house of Santhisadhan Balamandiram on the outskirts of the border town here, where she lives with 17 abandoned children whom she calls ‘children of God’.

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High court applies statute of limitations in California abuse suit

CALIFORNIA
Catholic News Agency

[Quarry v. Doe]

Sacramento, Calif., Mar 31, 2012 / 04:24 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Oakland’s Catholic diocese cannot be sued over alleged abuse cases falling outside the legal time limit and a subsequent one-year extension, the California Supreme Court ruled on March 29.

“We believe the court made the right decision today and are gratified at the justices’ conclusion that the legislature meant what it said when lawmakers enacted a one-year exemption to the statute of limitations,” said Bishop Gerald E. Wilkerson, president of the California Catholic Conference of Bishops.

“Nothing in the court’s ruling, however, changes the fact that the protection of young people has been, and remains, our top priority,” said Bishop Wilkerson, who promised that California dioceses “will continue to take whatever steps are necessary to keep children safe.”

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Workshop on child safety at embattled Sandwich camp

MASSACHUSETTS
Cape Cod Times

By George Brennan
gbrennan@capecodonline.com

April 01, 2012

FORESTDALE — The consultant hired by Camp Good News officials to help overcome a tarnished image and reopen the 77-year-old camp has personal experience with a sex abuse scandal.

Rick Braschler, director of CircuiTree Solutions, was hired to review the Camp Good News policies and procedures and recommend ways to improve safety for children.

Next month, he will also offer a workshop to teach camp leaders and others in the community willing to pay $100 how to protect children from predators. But the training goes beyond criminal background checks and establishing protocols to report abuse.

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