ABUSE TRACKER

OSTERREICH
Pressetext

Wien (ptp023/25.09.2012/17:05) – Eine neue parlamentarische Bürgerinitiative für Heimkinder setzt sich für die Wiedergutmachung des Unrechts in der Fürsorge- und Heimerziehung ein.
Sie sammelt Unterschriften für ihr Anliegen und bringt Vorschläge für Gesetzesänderungen auf Bundesebene ein.

Seitens der EinbringerInnen wird das Vorliegen einer Bundeskompetenz in folgender Hinsicht angenommen: Da die Unrechtshandlungen, um die es in der vorliegenden Initiative geht, vielfach in Form von strafbaren Körperverletzungen oder Gesundheitsschädigungen erfolgten, betrifft deren Wiedergutmachung die Rechtsmaterie des Verbrechensopfergesetzes (VOG). Es wird angestrebt, dieses Gesetz und das ABGB um einige Regelungen zu ergänzen, die der speziellen Opfersituation von Kindern und Jugendlichen in Erziehungseinrichtungen besser gerecht werden. Dazu ist nur der Bundesgesetzgeber in der Lage.

Rechtsanwalt Dr. Christian Sailer hat das Anliegen der Initiative in beiliegendem Text formuliert, begründet und erläutert. Den vollständigen Text finden Sie im Anhang “Wiedergutmachung des Unrechts”.

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GERMANY
Vatican Insider

The German Episcopal Conference’s decision has sparked a debate within the country’s Catholic world, leading to widespread controversy

Alessandro Speciale
Rome

It may seem over the top but this is the whole point of the decree issued last week by the German Bishops’ Conference, with the approval of the Holy See.

The decree requires that faithful who declare to a registry office that they are no longer members of the Catholic Church, will no longer be able to actively participate in Church life and there receive the sacraments.

Essentially, Germans who ask to no longer be registered as Catholics – and therefore no longer pay the country’s church tax (8-9% of their annual income tax bill) – will no longer be able to receive the sacraments of confession, communion or confirmation and when they die, they will not be allowed a Catholic funeral. They will also not be able to work as volunteers in Catholic associations, sing in Catholic choirs or even work in Catholic institutions such as schools or hospitals.

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AUSTRALIA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

Posted by David Clohessy on September 24, 2012

Today the Pope is promoting Cardinal George Pell to the Congregation for Bishops, a powerful international body within the church. We believe this promotion is hurtful to victims.

Victims in Pell’s diocese of Sydney have reported that the process there for reporting abuse, known as Towards Healing, is more of a smoke-screen for the diocese than a way to help victims. Some have charged Towards Healing as actively lobbying to prevent victims from getting legal representation. According to an article in the Canberra Times, 95% of Australian victims have described the system as “abusive, highly adversarial, legalistic and traumatic.”

We think that by promoting such a Cardinal as Pell who has been this antagonistic to victims is indicative of the fact that, despite lengthy statements and calls by the Pope to “bind up the wounds” of clergy abuse victims, actual church policy is to sweep claims under the rug and avoid embarrassment. When church officials are rewarded for doing more to hinder abuse claims than to actual heal them, we find it hard to imagine that the Vatican is serious about healing, and is more concerned about damage control and avoiding scandal.

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CENTERVILLE (MA)
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

[I-Team: Parental Contract Absolves Cape Cod Church Of Liability – CBS Boston]

Posted by David Clohessy on September 25, 2012

A Boston news outlet reports that the Fall River Catholic officials are requiring parents at one parish to sign a legal form that is apparently designed to help protect the diocese in child sex abuse and cover up cases.

The contract says: “We specifically agree not to hold the Diocese or any of its employees or contractors liable for any accident, illness or harm that may result from the trip or activity.”

We are outraged by this legal maneuver. Catholic officials should be focused on protecting innocent kids, not protecting its often corrupt hierarchy.

It is also another indication that church officials are still unwilling to accept responsibility for putting dangerous clerics around kids. To try and absolve themselves – in advance – of any potential wrongdoing just shows that church officials care more about keeping their reputations clean and their lawyer fees low than they do about protecting kids.

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ILLINOIS
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

BY TIM TOWNSEND • ttownsend@post-dispatch.com > 314-340-8221

An Illinois priest, forced out of his parish by Belleville Bishop Edward Braxton for improvising prayers during Mass, has had his suspension reversed by the Vatican.

The Vatican decided in favor of the Rev. William Rowe on one of three counts, saying Braxton had not followed the proper procedure. Rowe said an accompanying letter from Braxton informed him that the bishop would appeal that final Vatican decision to a higher church court.

The Vatican’s reversal of Rowe’s suspension means the priest can celebrate Mass outside the Belleville diocese, Rowe said, so long as he has the approval of the bishops’ governing other dioceses where he would say Mass.

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PHILIPPINES
PhilStar

By Dennis Carcamo (The Philippine Star) Updated September 26, 2012

MANILA, Philippines – A ranking official of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines on Wednesday said the Vatican has already initiated a probe into the alleged involvement of a Cebu church official in ivory smuggling.

Based on the article by the National Geographic magazine, Msgr. Cristobal Gracias admitted having acquired some of the religious artifacts made of ivory via smuggling.

“In regard to the matter of Msgr. Garcia’s past, the case has been elevated to the Holy See and it has initiated the investigation into it long before the present controversy erupted. I have also fulfilled the Holy See’s instructions regarding submission of documents and acting upon related consequences,” CBCP president and Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma said.

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CALIFORNIA
The Union Democrat

Written by Alexander MacLean, The Union Democrat
September 25, 2012

A San Andreas woman has filed a lawsuit against the Stockton Catholic Diocese and defrocked priest Oliver O’Grady, claiming she was molested as a child by O’Grady while he served at St. Andrew’s Parish two decades ago.

The alleged victim, now 31, says O’Grady molested her when she was 11 and 12 years old from 1991 to 1992, according to the lawsuit, which was announced to the public Sunday by the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, also known as SNAP.

The complaint for damages filed in San Joaquin County Superior Court in August also names several parishes under the Stockton Diocese, where it claims criminal allegations against O’Grady were known but not reported to law enforcement.

A now 25-year-old Bay Area man filed a similar lawsuit in May, saying the former priest abused him in 1992 — one year before O’Grady was convicted of four counts of lewd and lascivious acts against two other boys.

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IRELAND
Irish Times

JAMES M SMITH

OPINION: Dáil Éireann will vote this evening on a motion addressing the Magdalene laundries. Two facts are fundamental to the debate preceding it.

First is the indisputable fact that three years after Justice for Magdalenes (JFM) circulated an apology and redress scheme for survivors of the laundries, 22 months after the Irish Human Rights Commission called for a statutory inquiry into alleged abuses and provision of redress in appropriate cases, and 15 months after the UN Committee Against Torture obliged the State to ensure that within one year survivors obtained redress, the women at the centre of this debate find themselves in exactly the same position as when this all started.

No apology, no pension, no lost wages, no redress and no acknowledgement that what happened to them was wrong. A population of Irish women, aging and elderly, living at home and abroad, many vulnerable and marginalised, is left waiting as time slips by.

Second is that there is overwhelming evidence of State involvement in the Magdalene laundries – sending women to the institutions and ensuring they stayed there; direct and indirect financial support; and failing to regulate the commercial laundries and thereby prevent human rights violations.

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PHILIPPINES
Philippine Daily Inquirer

By Jocelyn R. Uy
Philippine Daily Inquirer
6:18 pm | Wednesday, September 26th, 2012

MANILA, Philippines—Amid a controversy involving a Cebu priest allegedly connected to illegal ivory trade, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines on Wednesday said the Catholic Church does not condone ivory smuggling even if in the past it was a main ornament used for liturgical worship.

In a statement on Wednesday, CBCP President Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma stressed that while ivory artifacts crafted long before the ban were considered the cultural heritage of the Church, it was not encouraging the use of ivory for new implements.

“Let it be made clear that the Church supports the ban on ivory as it is consistent with her doctrine on stewardship of creation,” said Palma, a co-signatory in a petition by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) calling for the transfer of Manila Zoo’s lone elephant, “Mali” to a sanctuary in Thailand.

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GERMANY
Catholic Online

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
9/25/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

German Catholics have left their churches following priest sex scandals

If they fail to pay a special tax, Germany’s Roman Catholics will be denied the right to Holy Communion or a religious burial. A German bishops’ decree has just come into force says that anyone failing to pay the tax, which is an extra eight percent of their income tax bill – they will no longer be considered a Catholic.

While Catholics make up around 30 percent of Germany’s population, the number of the former faithful leaving the church has climbed to 181,000 in 2010. The exodus has been blamed on revelations of sexual abuse by German priests.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) – The bishops say they have been alarmed by the number of Catholics leaving the Church, and such a step would be seen as a serious act against the community.

All Germans who are officially registered as Catholics, Protestants or Jews pay a religious tax of eight to nine percent on their annual income tax bill. The levy was introduced in the 19th Century in compensation for the nationalization of religious property.

“If your tax bill is for 10,000 euros, then 800 euros will go on top of that and your total tax combined will be 10,800 euros,” Munich tax accountant Thomas Zitzelsberger says.

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CHICAGO (IL)
Catholic San Francisco

September 26th, 2012
By Michelle Martin

CHICAGO – The Scripture readings at a Chicago Mass celebrated to mark the 10th anniversary of the U.S. bishops’ “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People” offered the despair and isolation felt by an exile in the Book of Lamentations and the comfort of God’s mercy in the beatitudes.

Their juxtaposition shows the balance we all need, Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago said in his homily at a “Mass of Atonement and Hope” celebrated Sept. 15 at Holy Family Church, site of the archdiocese’s Healing Garden.

The garden, dedicated in June 2011, offers healing and reconciliation to all hurt by clergy sex abuse.

The concelebrants of the Mass were the cardinal and five priests who are involved with the Chicago archdiocese’s response to clerical sexual abuse. It included prayers for victims and their families, for those who assist them and for the forgiveness of perpetrators. It ended with a blessing of facilitators of the Virtus program, which trains church workers about the signs of sex abuse, how to recognize adults who are trying to take advantage of children and how to thwart opportunities for abuse.

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PHILIPPINES
CBS News

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine authorities say they will question a Roman Catholic priest about ivory smuggling after his collection of ivory religious icons was featured in National Geographic magazine.

Monsignor Cristobal Garcia is quoted in the October issue of the magazine as describing how to bring ivory figurines into the United States.

National Bureau of Investigation official Sixto Comia said Wednesday that authorities are investigating the origin of ivory icons widely used in the predominantly Roman Catholic country. He said Garcia will be questioned but declined to give further details.

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TULSA (OH)
Huffington Post

By JUSTIN JUOZAPAVICIUS

TULSA, Okla. — A fourth victim of alleged abuse at a 17,000-member Tulsa megachurch has come forward, and police said Tuesday that there might be a fifth.

At the same time, members of Victory Christian Center are beginning to speak publicly about the allegations that have shaken the worldwide ministry’s foundations and tarnished the reputations of its pastor and her family members.

Prosecutors added two additional charges Monday against 20-year-old Chris Denman, a former church employee. He was arrested Sept. 5 on a complaint alleging that he raped a 13-year-old girl in a stairwell on the ministry’s campus in August and molested a 15-year-old girl. He faces new charges of making a lewd proposal to a child and using a computer to commit a sex crime involving a 12-year-old girl.

Another ex-church employee, 23-year-old Israel Castillo, was arrested last week and is charged with making a lewd proposal to a 15-year-old girl and using a computer to commit a sex crime.

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ST. CLOUD (MN)
St. Cloud Times

St. Cloud Bishop John F. Kinney talked about the challenges facing his diocese, his career, his retirement plans and victims of sexual abuse during a Rotary of St. Cloud luncheon today .

The 75-year-old spiritual leader of the Catholic diocese is the longest-serving bishop in the U.S. The ninth bishop of the St. Cloud diocese was a guest speaker at Le St-Germain Suite Hotel. …

Kinney appeared in good humor and good spirits on Tuesday despite the use of a cane. However, he eventually brought up the sex scandal that has rocked the Catholic Church in recent years.

“The most difficult committee that I was asked to chair were the first years of the committee on the sexual abuse of minors in the Catholic Church, and I chaired that committee for eight years beginning in the 1990s,” said Kinney, who has sat down with the victims.

“I would want to say that our Safe Environment Program here in the Diocese of St. Cloud is one of the best in the United States … and we are a leader internationally as far as how to address the question of the care and protection of young people in our society.”

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ILLINOIS
WBEZ

September 25, 2012

Rebecca Kruth

A priest from a southwestern Chicago suburb has been removed from ministry after being accused of sexual abuse.

The Archdiocese of Chicago says after the allegations surfaced in June, Rev. Gary Miller of St. Bernadette’s Parish in Evergreen Park left the church voluntarily. The misconduct allegedly took place more than 30 years ago while Miller was serving at St. Leonard Parish in Berwyn.

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and the Cook County State’s Attorney were both made immediately aware of the situation, the archdiocese said in a statement.

The Independent Review Board found the accusations to be credible and recommended the priest be removed from the ministry, according to the archdiocese.

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ILLINOIS
WLS

September 25, 2012 (EVERGREEN PARK, Ill.) (WLS) — A Roman Catholic priest in southwest suburban Evergreen Park has been removed from ministry following allegations of sexual misconduct.

The Chicago Archdiocese says the Reverend Gary Miller resigned from St. Bernadette Catholic Church over the weekend.

The archdiocese says accusations first surfaced in June that Miller engaged in the sexual abuse of a minor 30 years ago at St. Leonard Parish in Berwyn.

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COLUMBUS (OH)
NBC 4

[with video]

COLUMBUS, Ohio —
Bishop Andonis with the Archdiocese of New York says Father Nicholas Hughes will not fight the sex abuse charges against him and is working on a plea deal.

Hughes has been the interim priest for the past year at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral in the Short North.

He was arrested on Sept. 19 by the Franklin County Internet Crimes Against Children task force for soliciting sex over the internet.

Investigators say the 56-year-old thought he was chatting with the parents of a 9-year-old and 14-year-old boy.

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UNITED KINGDOM
The Mirror

Police were investigating maths teacher Jeremy Forrest over concerns about his relationship with pupil Megan Stammers BEFORE the pair ran away.

Sussex Police had already launched a probe and were talking to Megan’s parents and her school headteacher, Terry Boatwright, when the pair suddenly fled to France on Friday.

Bishop Bell head teacher, Terry Boatwright said: “The school, in conjunction with the local authority, Megan’s parents and the police, had been addressing and investigating those concerns, in line with procedure, when this happened.”

Do you know Jeremy Forrest? Call us free on 0800 282 591 or email mirrornews@mirror.co.uk

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UNITED KINGDOM
The Mirror

Two men with links to missing Megan Stammers’ school have been accused of child sex offences, it was revealed today.

In 2009, supply teacher Robert Healy, then aged 27, was jailed for seven years at Lewes Crown Court after grooming two Bishop Bell pupils on social networking site Bebo.

A former chairman of governors, Canon Gordon Rideout, 73, is due to appear at Crown Court next month charged with 38 child sex offences over an 11-year period from 1962.

The school, in Eastbourne, has previously acknowledged the links but said he was not a member of staff and the allegations were historical and unrelated to the school.

Child abuse campaigner Marilyn Hawes, a teacher for 25 years, launched a strong condemnation of the school authorities, saying the head teacher should resign.

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UNITED KINGDOM
The Independent

Kevin Rawlinson

Tuesday 25 September 2012

Megan Stammers, the 15-year-old who is believed to have run off to France with her married maths teacher, could now be “anywhere in Europe”, police said tonight.

Officers plan to ask the teenager’s friends if they were given warning that she planned to disappear with Jeremy Forrest, 30.

Detectives urged Megan’s classmates not to be scared to hand over any information.

Officers also released a security video showing the pair holding hands and walking arm in arm aboard a ferry from Dover to Calais at 9.30pm last Thursday.

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UNITED KINGDOM
The Guardian

Caroline Davies
The Guardian, Tuesday 25 September 2012

Police were informed about concerns of an inappropriate relationship between 15-year-old Megan Stammers and her married maths teacher shortly before the pair fled to France.

Officers were told last week as Bishop Bell C of E school in Eastbourne investigated suspicions over the closeness of the schoolgirl and Jeremy Forrest, 30.

Questions have been raised over how education officials dealt with the warnings.

The school was criticised as Sussex police appealed to Megan’s friends to come forward if they knew of the pair’s plans.

Releasing CCTV images of the two walking hand-in-hand aboard the Dover to Calais ferry, Chief Inspector Jason Tingley said he hoped the photographs would help the public recognise the pair. “Although they entered France, it is possible that they are elsewhere now,” he said.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Daily Mail

By Sandra Parsons

All children have a right to expect the adults around them to behave responsibly, especially those whose job it is to teach them.

And Jeremy Forrest, the 30-year-old married maths teacher who has run away to France with 15-year-old Megan Stammers, has not so much broken what should be an inviolable bond of trust as smashed it to smithereens.

In February – that’s an incredible seven months ago — a fellow pupil reported Mr Forrest to another teacher after seeing him and Megan holding hands on the plane back from a school trip to Los Angeles. The school, Bishop Bell C of E in Eastbourne, admits it has been ‘investigating concerns’ — and, according to some reports, Mr Forrest was due to be suspended the day after he disappeared with his pupil.

Whatever the truth, the fact that he was not only allowed to continue teaching Megan but was also giving her extra maths tuition after school, so long after the alarm was first raised, almost beggars belief.

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UNITED KINGDOM
New Zealand Herald

Police have released a CCTV image of a missing British schoolgirl and her 30-year-old maths teacher on board a ferry to France.

Megan Stammers, 15, boarded the Channel ferry with her maths teacher Jeremy Forrest late last week after he spent months grooming her to escape on an “adventure” with him.

Her parents have issued a heartfelt plea for her to return, with father Martin Stammers telling media: “It’s been hell. We have no idea where she is”.

Sussex Police Chief Inspector Jason Tingley said a photo released today would aid the British and French police hunt for the pair.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Daily Mail

Another teacher at the runaway’s school was jailed after grooming two young girls for sex

By Tom Kelly, Claire Ellicott and Inderdeep Bains

Parents at Megan Stammers’s school demanded an inquiry into its child protection procedures last night as more under-age sex scandals emerged at the Church of England comprehensive.

Incredibly, another teacher at Bishop Bell C of E School in Eastbourne was jailed three years ago for preying on teenage girls after grooming them on a social networking site.

In addition, a former chairman of governors at the same school is due to stand trial on alleged child sex offences next month. Some parents said their children were too scared to attend class after it was revealed how staff failed to remove married maths teacher Jeremy Forrest despite warnings that he was having a relationship with Megan seven months ago.

Richard Chapman, who has two children at the school, said: ‘Something needs to be done now, otherwise, where will it stop? And who will be next? The school has let everyone down and it is not like this is the first time it has happened. The school needs to be investigated from the very top levels of management. Something is not right there.’

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UNITED KINGDOM
BBC News

The school of missing Megan Stammers has come under fire from a charity over its safeguarding record.

Megan, 15, who goes to Bishop Bell C of E School, in Eastbourne, and teacher Jeremy Forrest, 30, took a ferry from Dover to Calais, on Thursday.

In 2009, a teacher from the school was jailed for grooming pupils and in March it emerged a retired priest had been allowed to remain as a governor despite child sex allegations against him.

The school has defended its record.

East Sussex County Council and bosses at the school have both confirmed they were investigating the pair’s relationship before they disappeared.

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GERMANY
Catholic News Service

By Jonathan Luxmoore
Catholic News Service

WARSAW, Poland (CNS) — The German bishops’ conference defended a controversial decree that said Catholics who stop paying a church membership tax cannot receive sacraments.

“There must be consequences for people who distance themselves from the church by a public act,” said Archbishop Robert Zollitsch of Freiburg, conference president, in defending the Sept. 20 decree.

“Clearly, someone withdrawing from the church can no longer take advantage of the system like someone who remains a member,” he said at a Sept. 24 news conference as the bishops began a four-day meeting in Fulda. “We are grateful Rome has given completely clear approval to our stance.”

The archbishop said each departure was “painful for the church,” adding that bishops feared many Catholics were unaware of the consequences and would be “open to other solutions.”

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NEW YORK
Newsday

A Hofstra University religion professor known for advocating in favor of women deacons in the Roman Catholic Church has won an award from Voice of the Faithful, a Catholic group that is highly critical of the church hierarchy and its handling of the sex abuse scandal.

Phyllis Zagano was given the St. Catherine of Siena Distinguished Layperson of the Year Award at the group’s 10th annual conference held Sept. 14 in Boston. Zagano is one of only five Catholics to win the award from the group in its 10-year history.

“I was honored and a little bit overwhelmed,” Zagano said yesterday. “It was quite consoling that someone out there is listening.”

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PHILIPPINES
National Geographic

National Geographic’s undercover investigation into how the global religious market for ivory is a driving force in the slaughter of thousands of African elephants has prompted extensive media coverage — and calls for an official inquiry — in the Philippines.

Bryan Christy reported in the October 2012 issue of National Geographic that he traveled to the Philippines to understand the country’s ivory trade and possibly get a lead on who was behind 5.4 tons of illegal ivory seized by customs agents in Manila in 2009, 7.7 tons seized there in 2005, and 6.1 tons bound for the Philippines seized by Taiwan in 2006. Assuming an average of 22 pounds of ivory per elephant, these seizures represent about 1,745 elephants, Christy wrote.

Christy met Monsignor Cristobal Garcia, a senior Catholic cleric and one of the best known ivory collectors in the Philippines, who told Christy that if he wanted to buy an ivory Santo Niño, a carving of the Christ child, he would have to smuggle it to get it into the U.S. “Wrap it in old, stinky underwear and pour ketchup on it,” Garcia said. “So it looks shitty with blood. This is how it is done.” International trade in elephant ivory has been banned for the last 22 years.

Read Bryan Christy’s article ‘Ivory Worship’.

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MASSACHUSETTS
BishopAccountability.org – Assignment Record

Summary of Case: A priest of the Boston archdiocese, ordained in 1969, Gaudreau was accused in Sept. 2012 of having sexually abused a minor in 2006. He was placed on administrative leave, pending an investigation.

Ordained: 1969
Incardinated: Boston

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PENNSYLVANIA
The Patriot-News

By IVEY DEJESUS, The Patriot-News

Ever since their son killed himself in 2006 after years of enduring sexual abuse at the hands of his priest, Art and Elaine Baselice have been trying to get a private audience with a high-ranking Catholic Church official.

On Tuesday, they left their New Jersey home at dawn and headed for Harrisburg where Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput was expected to meet with legislators.

The Baselices stood in the dim hallway of the Capitol’s East Rotunda, she holding a framed portrait of their son Arthur; he a poster that included photos of the two abusive priests.

The Baselices did not leave the state Capitol disappointed: After meeting with lawmakers and shaking hands with state employees who stopped by to greet him, Chaput asked to meet with the couple.

“He was apologetic. He was understanding. He was sorry,” said Elaine Baselice, unable to fight back tears. “He would like to see things changed.”

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CANADA
North Bay Nugget

By MARIA CALABRESE, North Bay Nugget

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

NORTH BAY – An 87-year-old Roman Catholic priest accused of sexual abuse dating back to 1958 is in hospital, a North Bay court heard Tuesday.

Charges against John Edward Sullivan were adjourned to Oct. 9 for his lawyer to receive medication information.

Sullivan, who resides in Montreal, was an ordained priest at the Pro-Cathedral of the Assumption when the sexual offences are alleged to have taken place at various times from 1958 to 1979.

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ILLINOIS
Chicago Tribune

By Manya Brachear
Tribune reporter

September 25, 2012
A Roman Catholic priest in southwest suburban Evergreen Park has been removed from ministry following an allegation that he engaged in sexual misconduct with a minor while assigned to St. Leonard parish in Berwyn more than 30 years ago, according to the Chicago Archdiocese.

This past weekend, the Rev. Gary Miller resigned as pastor of St. Bernadette Catholic Church, where he has served as pastor since July 2001. Miller could not be reached for comment. The archdiocese did not say in the statement whether he denied the allegation.

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TEXAS/PHILIPPINES
Dallas Morning News

By Brooks Egerton/Reporter
begerton@dallasnews.com
10:00 am on September 25, 2012

An internationally prominent Catholic priest has dropped out of sight in the Philippines, years after admitting to me that he had sex with altar boys in the U.S. and supplied them with drugs.

Monsignor Cristobal Garcia’s sudden low profile coincides with a new National Geographic article on the ivory trade. It calls Garcia “one of the best known ivory collectors in the Philippines” and quotes him as giving advice on how to smuggle ivory into the U.S., in defiance of a 1989 global trade ban.

The magazine refers to my 2005 investigative piece on the priest, who had fled the U.S. after an altar boy was found in his bedroom. He’s one of over 200 Catholic clergymen we found who crossed international borders to escape justice and stay in ministry.

Filipino church leaders helped Garcia reinvent himself as an authority on worship practices and leader of boys at a rural religious compound. Now he’s said to be resting and receiving treatment for hypertension, according to today’s Cebu Daily News.

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PHILIPPINES
Philippines Daily Inquirer

By DJ Yap, TJ Burgonio, Nancy C. Carvajal
Philippine Daily Inquirer
12:10 am | Wednesday, September 26th, 2012

A Cebu priest known for his collection of religious icons carved from ivory may have incriminated himself with his revelations on the illegal trade in an investigative report appearing in the National Geographic and reported by the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Msgr. Cristobal Garcia could face up to four years in prison unless he could show proof that his ivory collection was acquired legally, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said on Tuesday.

The NatGeo report, titled “Ivory Worship” and written by Bryan Christy, who visited the country five times for the report, said Garcia had even advised him how to smuggle religious icons made from ivory into the United States.

Mundita Lim, director of the DENR-Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB), said regional environmental officials launched a probe of the report that the priest was in possession of ivory Sto. Niño figures acquired using questionable means.

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PHILIPPINES
Sun.Star

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

CEBU CITY (Updated) — Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma said the Catholic Church does not condone killing animals to make their parts into religious items, like taking the tusks of elephants and carving these into ivory statues.

“Of course, we are saddened by the news Cebu was identified as a source of the ivory trade,” Palma told Sun.Star Cebu.

He was referring to a National Geographic magazine article, “Blood Ivory”, where the writer, Bryan Christy, includes a lengthy interview with Msgr. Cristobal Garcia, the Archdiocesan Commission on Worship chairman.

Palma, who is also the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president, said he recently signed up with the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to transfer an elephant from the Manila Zoo to Thailand, where it can be provided with better care and treatment.

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PHILLIPINES
Inquirer

By Connie E. Fernandez
Inquirer Visayas
1:20 am | Wednesday, September 26th, 2012

CEBU CITY—Msgr. Cristobal Garcia has always been proud of his collection of religious icons and paintings.

He displayed them in exhibits during the weeklong festivities to celebrate the feast day of the Holy Child Jesus every third Sunday of January.

Some of the religious images can also be seen at the museum inside the compound of the Society of Angels of Peace, a congregation Garcia founded in Talisay City, Cebu.

His collections range from 300-year-old heirlooms to newly carved pieces, paintings, statues and “stampita” (scapular) bought in and outside the country.

So far, no one in Cebu can match Garcia’s collection. Those who know him say that he can very well afford these expensive art pieces.

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PHILIPPINES
Philippine Daily Inquirer

12:30 am | Wednesday, September 26th, 2012

A Catholic prelate came to the defense of Msgr. Cristobal Garcia, who was caught in a controversy involving ivory smuggling in the Philippines.

Msgr. Jose Barrion, chairman of the cultural heritage committee of the diocese of San Pablo, Laguna province, said he believed that Garcia’s collection of ivory-made religious images, were acquired a long time ago.

“When you say collection, we’re talking here of antique pieces, items that existed hundreds of years ago,” Barrion said in an interview.

“The images in Monsignor Garcia’s collection were not recently made, those are antiques, probably made long before the law banning ivory trading was implemented,” Barrion said.

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MILWAUKEE (WI)
SNAP Wisconsin

Having spent 7.5 million fighting victims, Archbishop Listecki appears to be reversing course

September 25, 2012

Having spent 7.5 million fighting victims, Archbishop Listecki appears to be reversing course

Archdiocese signaling major breakthrough to be announced next week with 570 victims

Statement by Peter Isely, SNAP Midwest Director (Milwaukee)
CONTACT: 414.429.7259

Charles Dickens once wrote that the courts are where lawyers “spin masterly fictions” so judges can “waste their days reading mountains of costly nonsense.”

It is being reported today just how costly this nonsense has been for Catholics of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

The Archdiocese, which filed for bankruptcy in January of 2011, was ordered into mediation this summer with nearly 570 victim/survivors by Federal Bankruptcy Judge Susan V. Kelley. As Dickens might have predicted, Archbishop Listecki has spent an obscene 7.5 million dollars on lawyers and consultants, and not a dime on helping to heal or provide restitution to those harmed. And much of that money, all of it incidentally deriving from charitable contributions, has been used by the archdiocese to file and argue endless court motions and legal technicalities to throw out of court most of the 570 victim/survivors who have filed restitution claims. The archdiocese has also used those millions to prevent the release to the public of nearly 60,000 pages of secret church documents and depositions detailing decades of cover-up of child sex crimes by dozens of priests and employees of the archdiocese.

Ironically, when Archbishop Listecki went into bankruptcy court in January 2011 he claimed that the archdiocese had to file because it was unable to cover more than 4.5 million in mediating abuse claims, yet he has put that amount and 3 million dollars more into the pockets of lawyers in the last 22 months alone. And while Listecki has spent millions on lawyers he has so far only offered $300,000 dollars to victims and even that amount he wants to restrict to an alleged “therapy fund” to be controlled, of course, by the archdiocese.

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TEXAS
Houston Chronicle

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Court documents show that a Hindu guru who became a fugitive after being convicted of molesting two teenagers at his Texas ashram is likely in India.

The Austin American Statesman (http://bit.ly/Sj8TwW ) reported Tuesday that Prakashanand Saraswati (prah-KAHSH’-ah-nahnd sah-rah-SWAH’-tee) was apparently able to flee sentencing with the help of followers who are now under investigation by federal prosecutors.

A Hays County jury convicted the 83-year-old guru in March 2011 on 20 counts of indecency with a child by sexual contact. He skipped sentencing after the trial while free on a $1 million bond and hasn’t been seen since.

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COLUMBUS (OH)
ABC 6

[with video]

COLUMBUS — The group SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is protesting out in front of Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral.

The group says it wants to reach out to other who may have been hurt in light of the recent arrest of Father Patrick Nicholas Hughes last week.

Hughes was arrested by the Franklin County Sheriff’s office for trying to meet up for a sexual encounter with two boys, ages 9 and 14.

He was the acting dean at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral in the Short North.

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IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has come under fire for using his mobile phone during a meeting with the Pope.

Mr Kenny was accused of behaving discourteously as Pope Benedict XVI made an address in Italy at the weekend.

A Government spokesman said the Taoiseach would not comment on the video footage that showed him browsing on his touch-screen phone during the event.

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ILLINOIS
My Suburban Life

By Brett Schweinberg, bschweinberg@mysuburbanlife.com
Berwyn Life

Posted Sep 25, 2012

Berwyn, IL —
A Catholic priest serving in Evergreen Park has been removed from duty by the Archdiocese of Chicago after allegations surfaced that he abused a minor in Berwyn more than 30 years ago.

According to a statement from the Archdiocese, the church’s Independent Review Board determined that there is reasonable cause to suspect Miller had sexually abused a minor while serving at Berwyn’s St. Leonard Parish.

The incident was immediately reported to the Department of Children and Family Services as well as the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.

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CANADA
The Catholic Register

Written by Deborah Gyapong, Canadian Catholic News
Tuesday, 25 September 2012

Ste. ADÈLE, Que. – At their annual plenary Sept. 24-28 the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) are examining the prevention of clerical sexual abuse as part of its packed five-day agenda.

The 90-plus bishops gathered from across Canada will receive the updated guidelines prepared for submission to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, conference president Archbishop Richard Smith said in his annual president’s address at the Mont-Gabriel Hotel here Sept. 23.

“Of course our ongoing response must extend far beyond the articulation of protocols and procedures to an embrace in love and compassion of any person, family or community affected by this scourge,” Smith said.

The reflections will also deal with the impact of the clerical sexual abuse crisis on the ministry of priests and how bishops can provide better support. It will also look at the conditions that increase the risk of sexual abuse with an eye to prevention, according to the CCCB program for the week, most of which is closed to visitors and news media.

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NORTHERN IRELAND
UTV

A woman, who claims she was abused by a Catholic priest as a child, gave tearful evidence about the choices she faced – reporting the alleged abuse or committing suicide.

The 40-year-old woman told the jury how she “turned to drink” in an effort to block her memories of abuse at the hands of 69-year-old Peter Donnelly.

The alleged abuse, which happened in the 1980s, was reported to police two years ago.

Donnelly, from Drumaroad Hill in Castlewellan, was curate at St Matthew’s Church, Bryson Street, Belfast at the time.

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NORTHERN IRELAND
BBC News

A woman who claims she was sexually abused as a child by a Catholic priest in east Belfast has gave tearful evidence at his trial in the city.

Testifying at Belfast Crown Court over a live TV link up, the 40-year-old woman said she had considered suicide before reporting the alleged abuse.

The priest, Peter Donnelly from Drumaroad Hill in Castlewellan, faces seven charges of abuse on dates between 31 July 1983 and 1 August 1987.

The 69 year old denies the charges.

During her testimony, the woman told the jury how she “turned to drink” in an effort to block her memories of the abuse she says she suffered at the hands of the accused.

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CENTERVILLE (MA)
CBS Boston

[with video]

By WBZ-TV Chief Correspondent Joe Shortsleeve

September 24, 2012

CENTERVILLE (CBS) – When parents bring their children to Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church in Centerville for religious education, they’re asked to sign a document, obtained by the I-Team, which absolves the church of liability, and puts it all on the parents.

It’s called the Parental Contract for Diocesan Activities, and in it parents agree that: “Should we choose to allow another adult to provide supervision to a child, the ultimate supervision and safety of that child is still our responsibility and ours alone.”

And further that: “We specifically agree not to hold the Diocese or any of its employees or contractors liable for any accident, illness or harm that may result from the trip or activity.”

Mitchell Garabedian, a lawyer for hundreds of people sexually abused by Catholic priests, was critical of the parental contract.

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DEUTSCHLAND
Mittelbayerische

Deutsche Ärzte diagnostizieren pro Jahr mehr als 4000 Missbrauchsfälle bei Minderjährigen. Oft verschließt das Umfeld der Betroffenen die Augen.

München. Jedes Jahr wird in deutschen Arztpraxen bei mehr als 4000 Minderjährigen Missbrauch diagnostiziert. Das ergibt sich aus einer hochgerechneten Auswertung von Patientendaten der Techniker Krankenkasse (TK), die am Montag in München veröffentlicht wurde. Missbrauch im medizinischen Sinne umfasst nach Definition der Weltgesundheitsorganisation Vernachlässigung, körperlichen, sexuellen und psychischen Missbrauch. Wie hoch die Dunkelziffer sei, könnten selbst Fachleute nur schwer schätzen, hieß es.

Die Krankenkasse unterstrich die Bedeutung einer schnellen und zweifelsfreien Diagnose. Nur dann könne sachgerecht reagiert werden. Alle beteiligten Berufsgruppen und Institutionen müssten dafür eng zusammenarbeiten. Denn die Hilfen, die ein misshandeltes Kind benötige, könnten meist nicht von einer Person oder Einrichtung erbracht werden. Auch würden die strengsten Gesetze nichts helfen, wenn die den Kindern nahe stehenden Personen aus Unwissenheit oder Unsicherheit vor Gewalt die Augen verschlössen.

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VATIKAN
Radio Vatikan

Erzbischof Gerhard Ludwig Müller will die Polarisierungen in der Kirche überwinden helfen. Das sagte er im Interview mit Radio Vatikan. Mitte September beginnt im Vatikan traditionsgemäß das Arbeitsjahr nach den Ferien, für Erzbischof Müller ist es das erste Jahr in dieser Position in Rom. Er war am 2. Juli zum Präfekten der Glaubenskongregation ernannt worden. Pater Bernd Hagenkord hat mit ihm gesprochen.

Herr Erzbischof, ganz neu ist Ihnen die Glaubenskongregation ja nicht, sie sind ja bereits Mitglied gewesen, aber seit etwas über 80 Tagen haben Sie das Amt des Präfekten inne. Sind Sie schon in Ihrem neuen Amt und in Rom angekommen?

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DEUTSCHLAND
MissBiT

Bereits mehrfach wurde in diversen Medien (Spiegel, SWR, Saarbrücker Zeitung) über die Pfarrei Herz Jesu, Püttlingen im Zusammenhang mit Fällen sexuellen Missbrauchs Minderjähriger berichtet.
Als ehemaliger Pfarrer dieser Pfarrei habe ich im Sommer 2010 drei Sexualstraftäter angezeigt, darunter zwei ehemalige in der traditionalistischen Martingemeinde in Köllerbach tätige Priester sowie einen dort in einflussreicher Stellung tätigen Laien.

Dies geschah auch auf dem Hintergrund, dass ein Betroffener einen der Täter ermorden wollte und mich darüber in Kenntnis setzte.

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AUSTRALIEN
T.O.P.

Das volle Ausmaß des sexuellen Mißbrauchs in der katholischen Kirche Australiens wird deutlicher. Vor einem parlamentarischen Untersuchungsausschuß in Victoria erklärte die Kirche, daß 620 Kinder Opfer von sexuellem Mißbrauch durch Priester geworden seien. Die Fällen liegen bis zu 80 Jahren zurück.

Die beiden Töchter von Chrissie Foster, Emma and Cathy, wurden durch den gleichen Priester mißbraucht und traumatisiert. Emma begann Selbtmord, Cathy verfiel der Trunkenheit und dem Drogenmißbrauch. In einem Verkehrsunfall trug sie erhebliche Hirnverletzungen davon. Die Täter, so Chrissie Foster, haben so viele Leben ruiniert, soviel Todesfälle und Leid verursacht, daß sie aus der Gesellschaft entfernt und bestraft werden müssen.

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DEUTSCHLAND
RP

Fulda (RPO). 126 000 Deutsche sind 2011 aus der katholischen Kirche ausgetreten.

Das schmälert die Kirchensteuer-Einnahmen. Bischöfe wollen damit auch den Zugang zum Kirchenleben versperren. Reformer halten dagegen nichts von “Pay und Pray”.

2011 sind über 120.000 Menschen aus der katholischen Kirche ausgetreten. Ihnen wollen die Bischöfe nun auch die Teilnahme am Kirchenleben untersagen. Foto: dpa, Oliver Berg

Die Deutsche Bischofskonferenz bleibt bei ihrer harten Linie im Umgang mit Kirchenaustritten. Wenn sich Menschen in einem öffentlichen Akt von der Kirche distanzierten, müsse das Konsequenzen haben, sagte Erzbischof Robert Zollitsch (Freiburg) zum Auftakt der Herbst-Vollversammlung am Montag in Fulda. Ein am Donnerstag veröffentlichtes und vom Vatikan bestätigtes Dekret stellt klar, dass es nicht möglich ist, aus der Kirche auszutreten und zugleich gläubiges Mitglied zu bleiben. Damit macht die katholische Kirche die Mitgliedschaft von der Zahlung der Kirchensteuer abhängig.

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DEUTSCHLAND
Mein Flotwedel

LÜNEBURG. Mit dürren Worten hat sich der Erzieher, der vom Celler Amtsgericht in erster Instanz wegen schweren sexuellen Missbrauchs eines Kindes und Missbrauchs von Schutzbefohlenen zu zweieinhalb Jahren Haft verurteilt worden war, gestern beim Opfer entschuldigt. Neben zwei Sätzen, in denen sich der Mann persönlich äußerte, erklärte sein Anwalt Ernst-Otto Nolte, dass der 30-Jährige die Taten einräume, die Verantwortung übernehme und für die Schäden eintrete.

Hätte er das schon zu Prozessbeginn im Februar in Celle gemacht, wären der Hauptzeugin und einer Reihe Jugendlicher intime und belastende Aussagen vor Gericht erspart geblieben. „Ein Geständnis in zweiter Instanz ist nicht so viel wert wie ein Geständnis in erster Instanz, es ist aber immer noch gewichtig“, sagte der Vorsitzende Richter der Berufungskammer in der Urteilsbegründung. Zugleich betonte er die schwere Schuld des Angeklagten. Was dem Opfer geschehen sei, „ist in der Lage, die Entwicklung eines jungen Menschen gravierend zu beeinflussen“. Das Gericht entschied sich dennoch zu einer vergleichsweise milden Strafe und verurteilte den Angeklagten zu einer Freiheitsstrafe von zwei Jahren auf Bewährung. Die Bewährungszeit beträgt vier Jahre. Dem Täter wird zudem ein Bewährungshelfer an die Seite gestellt.

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POLAND
The News

The Salesian Society has said that pupils licking cream off a monk’s bare knees will no longer be part of initiation ceremonies at a high school run by monks in Lubin, southern Poland.

Father Alfred F. Leja, chief inspector at the society, which supervises educational standards at the St Dominik Salvio high school in Lubin, said that initiation ceremonies involving a priest with white foam on his knees, with first year pupils kneeling before him, “crossed the boundaries of good taste” and would no longer occur.

Last week it was reported that the school had photographs on its web site of 13 year-old pupils kneeling before a priest, who had what TV Odra said was whipped cream on his knees – the school claims it was shaving foam – during an initiation ceremony for first year students.

The children appear to be licking the cream off the priest’s legs in the photos, which have now been withdrawn from the school web site.

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DEUTSCHLAND
netzwerkB

[Deutscher Bundestag]

Nach zwei Jahren Untätigkeit der SPD und der übrigen Parteien und einem Runden Tisch von Politik und Institutionen, dessen Ergebnisse den Belangen der Täter und deren Organisationen mehr entgegenkommen als den Interessen der Opfer (z.B. bei Fragen wie Anzeigepflicht und Höhe der Entschädigung), bringt die SPD das Thema Verjährungsfristen im zivilrechtlichen Bereich, als auch im strafrechtlichen Bereich, bei sexuellem Missbrauch von Kindern und minderjährigen Schutzbefohlen, auf die Tagesordnung des Deutschen Bundestages am Donnerstag den 27. September 2012.

Tagesordnung:

12.) Beratung Ber (6.A)
gemäß § 62 Abs.2 GO
zum Entwurf SPD Verlängerung der straf- und zivilrechtlichen Verjährungsfristen bei sexuellem Missbrauch von Kindern und minderjährigen Schutzbefohlen
– Drs 17/3646, 17/…. –
(TOP 12, 00:30 Stunden)

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ARGENTINA
Religion Digital

(RD/Agencias/Valores Religiosos).- El sacerdote argentino Justo José Ilarraz ha sido acusado de abusar sistemáticamente de chicos de entre 12 y 14 años, entre 1984 y 1992. El Arzobispado de Paraná admitió las “faltas gravísimas” del cura, aunque aclaró que fue apartado del ejercicio del sacerdocio “hasta que la Santa Sede resuelva la situación”. Lo acusan de haber violado de más de 50 chicos a lo largo de ocho años.

Ayer se supo que la Justicia provincial trabaja en el inicio de una causa en la que se investigará la denuncia formulada por el quincenario Análisis de la Actualidad, dando cuenta de que el Arzobispado de Paraná nunca denunció el abuso cometido por el cura Justo José Ilarraz contra no menos de 50 chicos de entre 12 y 14 años, quienes recién comenzaban su carrera religiosa y estaban bajo su tutela en el Seminario Menor de esa capital.

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IRELAND
Irish Times

PATSY McGARRY, Religious Affairs Correspondent

THE CATHOLIC Church’s child protection watchdog, the National Board for Safeguarding Children (NBSC), has said the contract of its chief executive, Ian Elliott, will conclude at the end of June 2013. Mr Elliott will be 65 next summer.

In a statement yesterday the NBSC added that “the board will engage in discussions and examine with Mr Elliott whether and how his work with the board can continue beyond that point”.

It said “we would like to make it clear that the board has not been subject to any pressures in this regard. While those discussions are ongoing, we will not be making any further statements.”

The NBSC is funded by the Irish Catholic bishops, the Conference of Religious of Ireland and the Irish Missionary Union.

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UNITED STATES
TheMediaReport

Dave Pierre

The 10th anniversary conference of Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) in Boston this month proved to be anything but “faithful” to the teaching authority of the Catholic Church.

Youthful rebellion

TheMediaReport.com was there when Jamie L. Manson, a writer for the dissident newspaper National Catholic Reporter, unleashed a vitriolic attack on Catholics who have the audacity to be faithful to the Magisterium.

The title of Manson’s talk was “Church and young Catholics: Is there a future?” but Manson reserved her harshest venom for those young Catholics who have celebrated Church orthodoxy. After deriding those who would attend “World Youth Day,” Manson unleashed a barrage that can only described as bigoted, condescending, and nasty.

According to Manson, orthodox Catholics:
■”don’t want to see women’s equality in church or even in society” (!);
■”do not want to see gays and lesbians and transgendered people treated with dignity”;
■”are in denial about the sex abuse crisis”;
■”are afraid of cultural flux and uncertainty”; and
■”are afraid of the world.”

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FORT WORTH (TX)
Star-Telegram

Editorial

If it was true, as some critics said back when, that Roman Catholic Bishop Kevin Vann was too timid in dealing with difficult issues, that won’t be his legacy when he leaves the Diocese of Fort Worth in December.

It’s hardly surprising that Pope Benedict XVI assigned Vann to Orange County, Calif., the fastest-growing Catholic diocese in the country. The Fort Worth Diocese grew from 400,000 to 710,000 during Van’s seven years here. But that’s only one of the many challenges he ably handled.

Vann, 61, is a former lab technician who spent most of his life in Illinois. He was ordained bishop after his predecessor, Bishop Joseph Delaney, died in July 2005.

Where Delaney exercised tightly centralized authority, Vann was out in the parishes of the 28-county diocese, affable and approachable, and he reached out to other religions.

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TEXAS
Statesman

By Eric Dexheimer

Two days after a Hays County jury convicted Prakashanand Saraswati of 20 counts of indecency with a child for groping two teenagers who lived at the Hindu ashram he’d founded, newly filed court documents say his followers met in a devotee’s home a mile up the road in Driftwood to plan how to spirit him out of the country before his sentencing.

Later that night of March 6, 2011, or early the next morning, at least one of them accompanied the guru, who uses a wheelchair, over the Mexican border to Nuevo Laredo, according to the documents. After secretly moving just south of Tijuana in mid-2011, Prakashanand — who’d shaved his long white beard and cut his shoulder-length hair — then used a fake passport to escape to India in November.

The information, as well as other details of how Prakashanand’s followers in Texas and across the country clandestinely moved the spiritual leader while evading law enforcement, is included in court documents filed in Hays County. An affidavit in support of a search warrant signed last week by a Hays County judge seeks access to Yahoo email accounts of a preacher and close associate of the guru’s who lives in India.

Although many of the assertions in the document came from law enforcement interviews with devotees, much also was obtained from cellphone records and private emails written between Prakashanand’s followers.

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NORTHERN IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph

A Catholic priest has gone on trial accused of sexually abusing a young girl almost 30 years ago.

The Belfast Crown Court jury of six men and six women heard claims that when the alleged victim was performing various duties at the parochial house of St Matthew’s Church — on Bryson Street in the Short Strand area of east Belfast — she was subjected to numerous bouts of abuse at the hands of 69-year-old clergyman Peter Donnelly.

The priest, with an address at Drumaroad Hill, Castlewellan, Co Down, was curate at the church at the time and denies six counts of indecent assault and one of gross indecency alleged to have occurred on dates between July 31, 1983, and August 1, 1987.

He stood down from his position in the Drumaroad parish last year when the allegations came to light.

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CANADA
CBC News

The University of Winnipeg has received a $500,000 grant to study the intergenerational impacts of Canada’s residential schools system.

The university announced on Monday that its Oral History Centre has received the grant from the Aboriginal Healing Foundation to produce a digital storytelling project.

As part of the project, researchers will speak with aboriginal men who were raised by those who were students of residential schools.

The latest study builds on similar research that was carried out in 2010, when six aboriginal women shared their stories of being raised by mothers who had to attend the schools.

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CALIFORNIA
Modesto Bee

Bee Staff Reports
local@modbee.com

Another woman has come forward, saying she was abused by defrocked priest Oliver O’Grady from 1991 to 1992, when he served in St. Andrew’s Parish in San Andreas, according to the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.

The woman, now 51, is identified in court papers as “Jane Doe 51,” according to the Record of Stockton. She said she was sexually abused by O’Grady when she was 11 and 12. She said the diocese covered up the crimes and has filed suit against it.

O’Grady, convicted of molesting two boys from Turlock, served seven years of a 14-year sentence before being deported to his native Ireland. He is in prison there on child pornography charges.

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WORCESTER (MA)
NECN

[with video]

(NECN: Katelyn Tivnan) – The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) is concerned with how the Orthodox Church is handling the release of a convicted abuser.

Reverend Charles Abdelahad has completed a 90 day jail sentence for abusing a parishioner at St. George’s Cathedral in Worcester where he was a pastor. SNAP is concerned he will be reinstated in his role in the Orthodox Church despite the conviction.

The reverend took a leave of absence from the Worcester cathedral following his arrest. In May, he was found guilty of assaulting a 45-year-old female parishioner during counseling sessions. The assaults allegedly consisted of biting, kicking and beating the woman with a bat.

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GERMANY
ABC – The World Today (Australia)

Mary Gearin reported this story on Tuesday, September 25, 2012 12:42:00

ELEANOR HALL: The Catholic Church has suffered from declining numbers in its congregations for decades. This is not helped by the continuing revelations worldwide about sexual abuse within the church.

In Germany the declining congregations have led to a loss of cash flow as well.

But now German bishops have decreed that any German Catholic who doesn’t pay a significant tax to the church will be excommunicated, as Europe correspondent Mary Gearin reports.

ANDREAS JANKE: I’m very sad, I feel it’s a pity.

MARY GEARIN: Andreas Janke has had to pay his penance for choosing not to pay tax as a Catholic in Bavaria.

ANDREAS JANKE: I lost all my rights as Catholic. In the bible says nothing written that you have to pay tax and you should pay willingly from your free will.

MARY GEARIN: Germany’s church tax is based on the notion of tithing, and it’s the way money flows to all religions in some European countries, including Switzerland and Austria.

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TULSA (OK)
Courthouse News Service

By DAVID LEE

(CN) – An Oklahoma megachurch waited two weeks to inform a mother that her 13-year-old had been raped by one of its employees, then it lied about having contacted the police and blamed the child, the parent says in court.

In connection to the alleged incident, Victory Christian Center, of Tulsa, admitted last week that its former employee Chris Denman has been charged with first-degree rape.

The victim, whose name is abbreviated to M.B. in the complaint, sued the church through her mother in Tulsa County Court on Friday. Courthouse News redacted the mother’s name from the complaint and its coverage to protect the child.

M.B. says Denman raped her in a stairwell during a church summer camp on Aug. 13, and that she reported the rape to church officials the next day.

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TULSA (OK)
KJRH

Posted: 09/24/2012

TULSA – Another possible victim has come forward with accusations of sexual misconduct against former Victory Christian Center employee Chris Denman, the fourth involving a former church employee in recent months.

The 12-year-old girl is the third minor to bring claims of sexual abuse against Denman. Denman, 20, was arrested Sept. 5 for raping a 13-year-old girl at a church event and molesting a 15-year-old girl.

Counts of lewd proposal to a child and use of a computer to facilitate a sex crime were attached to Denman’s initial charges of first-degree rape, forcible sodomy, lewd molestation and use of a computer to facilitate a sex crime.

The original allegations against the former church intern have ignited a firestorm in recent weeks as six other Victory Christian employees have been arrested — one Israel Castillo for making a lewd proposal to a minor and using a computer to facilitate a sex crime and five others for failure to report child abuse.

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LYNN (MA)
The Daily Item

By Thor Jourgensen / The Daily Item
LYNN — Carmen Sierra wept over the Archdiocese of Boston’s announcement that the Rev. James Gaudreau, pastor of St. Joseph’s Church where Sierra has worshiped for 45 years, faces an allegation of child sexual abuse.

“I don’t believe that. He’s the best. Everybody cares about him,” Sierra said Monday.

She lives three blocks away from the brick church on Union Street where another long-time parishioner, Jimmy Gonzalez, said more than 800 people attend 11:30 Mass on Sunday morning. Gonzalez on Monday said he thinks “revenge” motivated the accusation against the stern, sometimes confrontational Gaudreau.

“During all these years, Rev. Gaudreau has made a lot of enemies,” Gonzalez said.

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AUSTRALIA
ABC News

A court has been told a New South Wales Catholic priest charged with covering up sex abuse is terminally ill.

Today was to be Father Tom Brennan’s first appearance in court after being charged with covering up buggery and indecent assault offences by a defrocked Hunter Valley priest in the 1970s.

The charges stem from Brennan’s time as a principal at a Newcastle Catholic high school.

He is also charged with assaulting an eight or nine-year-old boy.

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AUSTRALIA
Catholic News Agency

Melbourne, Australia, Sep 25, 2012 / 12:01 am (CNA).- The Catholic bishops of Australia’s Victoria state have said the Catholic Church in Victoria will cooperate “fully” with the Australian state’s parliamentary inquiry into child abuse.

“Sexual abuse in the Catholic Church has caused deep concern among Catholics and the wider community,” Archbishop Denis Hart of Melbourne said Sept. 21. “It is shameful and shocking that this abuse, with its dramatic impact on those who were abused and their families, was committed by Catholic priests, religious and church workers.”

The Victorian parliament has launched an inquiry into how religious and other non-governmental organizations handled child abuse, following suicides by dozens of people abused by clergy, Agence France Presse reports.

The Catholic bishops said the incidence of abuse has fallen “dramatically” from the “appalling numbers” in the 1960s and 1970s. In the last 16 years, the Catholic Church in Victoria has upheld about 620 cases of criminal child abuse, with most claims regarding incidents between 30 and 80 years ago.

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STOCKTON (CA)
The Record

By Jennie Rodriguez-Moore
Record Staff Writer

September 25, 2012

STOCKTON – A woman has come forward, saying she was abused by defrocked priest Oliver O’Grady from 1991 to 1992, when he served in the St. Andrew’s parish in San Andreas.

Identified in court papers as “Jane Doe 51,” the woman said O’Grady molested her when she was 11 and 12 years old. She is now in her 30s.

She filed a civil lawsuit for an unlimited, undetermined amount against the Diocese of Stockton in August at San Joaquin County Superior Court, claiming the diocese failed to protect her by covering up O’Grady’s sex crimes and continuing to employ him.

The civil complaint says Jane Doe 51 comes from a devoutly religious family. She was baptized, confirmed, received the sacraments, went to confession with O’Grady and celebrated weekly Mass at the church.

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GERMANY
IHT Rendezvous

By ALAN COWELL

BERLIN — Matters of faith have been much on German minds in recent times with debate raging among its Muslim and Jewish minorities over a court’s challenge to the practice of infant circumcision and, as I wrote in my latest Page Two column, over the country’s response to the contentious, American-made video denigrating the Prophet Muhammad that has stirred anger across the Muslim world.

But, in a development that has made fewer international headlines, many of Germany’s Roman Catholics are becoming increasingly incensed by an effort endorsed by the Vatican to ensure that churchgoers continue to pay a mandatory tax.

The decades-old church tax, as it is known, earns the country’s Protestant and Catholic churches a total of some €9 billion a year. Germans can avoid paying the levy – up to 9 percent of their assessed income tax — if they formally leave the church.

As of Monday, Germany’s Roman Catholic Bishops have decreed, those who leave the church may no longer qualify for religious ceremonies such as a Christian burial and may not partake in confession or communion; become a godfather at baptism or confirmation; or hold office within the church. But it will now be open to them to discuss a return to the fold with their priests.

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GERMANY
The Guardian (United Kingdom)

Reuters
guardian.co.uk, Monday 24 September 2012

Roman Catholic activists in Germany have criticised a decree that denies sacraments and religious burials to people who opt out of a “church tax”.

Bishops issued the decree on Friday, warning Catholics who stop paying the tax they would be excluded from all religious activities, including working in a church, becoming a godparent or taking part in parish activities.

“‘Pay and pray’ is a completely wrong signal at the wrong time,” the reformist movement We Are Church said on Monday. The group said the decree “shows the great fear of the German bishops and the Vatican about further serious losses in church tax revenue”.

A conservative group called the Union of Associations, which is loyal to the pope, asked why Catholics who stopped paying the tax would be punished but those it called heretics could stay in its ranks.

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ILLINOIS
Patch

By Lorraine Swanson

Rev. Gary M. Miller, the senior pastor at St. Bernadette Catholic Church in Evergreen Park, has stepped down from his duties as pastor amid sexual misconduct allegations with minor over 30 years ago.

The Archdiocese of Chicago announced on its website that Miller resigned as of Sunday, Sept. 23, and has been removed of all ministerial duties.

The allegation was made to the Archdiocese of Chicago on June 30, 2012, that Miller had engaged in sexual misconduct with a minor while assigned to St. Leonard Parish in Berwyn.

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MILWAUKEE (WI)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel

Sept. 24, 2012 5:57 p.m.

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee and victims of sex abuse by priests and others in authority have extended their court-ordered mediation into next week, prompting speculation that one of the Catholic Church’s largest bankruptcies could be nearing a close.

Lawyers for both sides met for another session Monday with the mediator, retired U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Randall J. Newsome of San Francisco, in hopes of hammering out a settlement that would compensate victims and allow the archdiocese to continue its mission.

Archdiocese spokesman Jerry Topczewski said “much progress” has been made. But neither he nor attorneys representing victims would comment on the substance of the talks, or whether they believed a settlement was imminent.

“Based on the status of the talks, we thought it was appropriate to continue. But I wouldn’t talk about the status beyond that,” said James Stang, the lead attorney for the creditors committee.

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CANADA
Truth and Reconciliation Commission

September 20, 2012 – The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) will host hearings in Thompson (September 25 and 26) and at Sagkeeng First Nation (October 2 and 3).
The hearings will provide an opportunity for those affected by the Indian Residential School system and its legacy to share their experiences with a TRC Commissioner (Dr. Marie Wilson in Thompson; Chief Wilton Littlechild at Sagkeeng) as well as with community members and anyone else who would like to learn about and bear witness to the schools’ legacy. Those who want to make a private statement to the Commission will also be able to do so.

Thompson: September 25, 26 at River Lodge, 351 Jasper Avenue
Sagkeeng: October 2, 3 at Sagkeeng Arena Multiplex

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NEDERLAND
Trouw

[Summary: The Utrecht archdiocese has asked Cardinal Ad Simonis to repent because of his role in covering up sexual abuse.]

Het aartsbisdom Utrecht roept kardinaal Ad Simonis op om spijt te betuigen omdat hij niet fel genoeg heeft opgetreden tegen seksueel misbruik. Simonis was ‘eindverantwoordelijk’ voor een misbruikgeval in de jaren ’80. .

In 1983 werd hij van seksueel misbruik door de Overijsselse pastoor Boonk schriftelijk op de hoogte gesteld. Volgens het aartsbisdom heeft Simonis, die destijds bisschop van Utrecht was, ‘onvoldoende adequaat gereageerd’. De bisdomstaf sluit zich aan bij de oproep van een slachtoffergroep.

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AUSTRALIE
Friesch Dagblad

Melbourne | De Rooms-Katholieke Kerk in de Australische staat Victoria heeft bevestigd dat er sinds de jaren dertig van de vorige eeuw meer dan zeshonderd kinderen seksueel zijn misbruikt. Dat meldde de BBC.

De meeste gevallen van misbruik vonden plaats tussen 1960 en 1980. De kerk onderzoekt nog 45 andere gevallen. Er zijn nauwelijks meldingen binnengekomen van misbruik dat na 1990 zou zijn gepleegd, aldus Denis Hart, aartsbisschop van Melbourne. Dat komt volgens hem doordat er sinds de jaren tachtig strenger wordt opgetreden. Hart vindt het misbruik „afschuwelijk en beschamend”. In een statement zegt hij dat het belangrijk is om open te zijn over het misbruik.

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STOCKTON (CA)
The Record

September 24, 2012

STOCKTON – Another woman has come forward, saying she was abused by defrocked priest Oliver O’Grady from 1991 to 1992, when he served in the St. Andrew’s parish in San Andreas, according to the SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.

The woman, now 51, is identified in court papers as “Jane Doe 51.” She said she was sexually abused by O’Grady when she was 11 and 12. She says the diocese covered up the crimes and has filed suit against it.

O’Grady, convicted of molesting two boys from Turlock, served seven years of a 14-year sentence before being deported his native Ireland. He is serving time in a prison there, having been convicted of child pornography charges.

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WORCESTER (MA)
Telegram & Gazette

By Bronislaus B. Kush TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
bkush@telegram.com

WORCESTER — The Rev. Charles M. Abdelahad, who took a voluntary leave of absence as pastor of St. George Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral last year after being charged with sexually assaulting a female parishioner, may have returned to his ministerial duties.

Officials with the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests said today that parishioners of St. George’s have told them that they have seen Rev. Abdelahad working with choir members and taking part in worship services at Antiochian churches in Dedham and Norwood.

“Why take the risk? That’s the question that Orthodox Church officials and members must ask themselves about Father Abdelahad,” said David O’Regan, an official with the Worcester chapter of SNAP. “Why let him be around vulnerable adults in a church setting, given his conviction on charges of assault and battery.”

Rev. Abdelahad was sentenced to serve 90 days of a two-year jail term at the Worcester County Jail and House of Correction after being convicted in May of abusing a 45-year-old woman during counseling sessions held over a three-year period at the Anna Street church.

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GERMANY
Huffington Post

By FRANK JORDANS

BERLIN — A Catholic reform group in Germany criticized the country’s bishops Monday for declaring that believers who refuse to pay religious taxes won’t be able to receive the sacrament, become godparents or work in church institutions.

A century-old agreement with the state adds up to nine percent to the income tax bill of Germany’s 25 million registered Roman Catholics, earning the church more than (EURO)4 billion ($5.2 billion) annually. The same tax applies to Protestants and Jews.

The churches use the income to pay employees’ salaries and fund social work such as care for the elderly. The churches themselves aren’t taxed by the state but instead pay an administrative fee for the collection of religious tax. Donations represent a far smaller share of the churches’ income than in the United States.

The Catholic bishops’ decree in Germany last week is part of an attempt to stem the steady flow of people who opt out of paying religious taxes. It declares that they have committed a “grave lapse” and effectively left the church.

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PHILIPPINES
Philippine Daily Inquirer

3:07 am | Tuesday, September 25th, 2012

Who is Msgr. Cristobal E. Garcia?

Belonging to the Archdiocese of Cebu, he is the head of the Commission on Worship; the rector of the Archdiocesan Shrine of Jesus Nazareno in Cansojong, Talisay; and director of the archdiocese publications, “Bag-ong Lungsuranon” and “Mag-ambahan Kita,” according to the 2008-2009 Catholic Directory of the Philippines.

His high-profile ministry is a far cry from his situation some 20 years ago when he was expelled from the Dominican Order. Garcia then was working in the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

His expulsion reportedly came after a nun told police that an altar boy had been found in his bed in a Los Angeles rectory.

According to a listing from the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles that was reported in the Los Angeles Times, Garcia was accused of “molesting two youths” from 1980 to 1984.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Kent Online

A priest from Margate has denied raping a woman earlier this year.

John Taylor appeared at Canterbury Crown Court earlier today to formally enter a plea of not guilty to rape on February 22.

The 48-year-old of Canterbury Road used to work at the Old Roman Catholic Church in St Mildred’s Road, Westgate, and wore a cross on a chain over his black suit as he sat in the dock.

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LYNN (MA)
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

Posted by David Clohessy on September 24, 2012

We are glad that Fr. James Gaudreau has been removed from ministry following this allegation of sexual abuse. However, the Archdiocese of Boston can and should do a lot more in this case.

According to diocesan spokesperson Kellyanne Dignan, the abuse in question is alleged to have taken place in 2006. The fact that it has happened so recently means it is likely that there could be criminal charges in this matter. If the Archdiocese of Boston wants to prove to its flock that it truly cares about protecting kids and preventing further abuse, church officials should work diligently to help the Boston police uncover the facts of this matter.

Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley should use all of the resources available to him to reach out to others who may have information on Fr. Gaudreau’s alleged crimes. He should also visit each parish where Gaudreau worked and actively seek out victims or witnesses at each location.

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WORCESTER (MA)
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

WHAT
Holding signs and childhood photos at a sidewalk news conference, clergy sex abuse victims will
–disclose that a Worcester-area priest is still in active ministry despite a recent criminal conviction,
–urge his church supervisors to immediately and permanently oust him, and
–prod anyone who may have seen, suspected or suffered his crimes to call police, expose wrongdoing, protect others and start healing.

WHEN
Monday, September 24 at 1 p.m.

WHERE
On the sidewalk outside the Worcester District Court House, 225 Main Street (corner of Martin Luther King Jr Blvd) in Worcester, MA

WHO
Three victims of sexual abuse and their supporters who are members of a self-help group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPNetwork.org)

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LYNN (MA)
Boston Globe

By Matt Rocheleau and Gal Tziperman Lotan
Globe Correspondents
September 23, 2012

A Roman Catholic priest who has worked at a church in Lynn for the past three decades has been placed on paid administrative leave because of an accusation of sexual abuse of a child, the Archdiocese of Boston announced Sunday.

The Rev. James E. Gaudreau, 69, arrived at Saint Joseph Parish in 1984 as the Spanish apostolate for the Lynn area and became the church’s pastor in 1993, archdiocese spokeswoman Kellyanne Dignan said by phone.

The alleged abuse occurred in 2006, but the archdiocese was notified only recently, Dignan said. Gaudreau was placed on leave Friday. Dignan declined to release the age of the child or other details.

Archdiocese officials said they have notified police about the case and have launched an investigation. Lynn police declined to comment.

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ILLINOIS
WGN News

10:10 a.m. CDT, September 24, 2012

EVERGREEN PARK, Ill.—
A Catholic priest in Evergreen Park has resigned after being accused of sexual misconduct.

Reverend Gary Miller has stepped down from his duties as pastor of St. Bernadette parish.

The Archdiocese of Chicago received a report in June saying Miller was sexually involved with a minor at St. Leonard parish in Berwyn, more than 30-years ago.

The archdiocese has reported the case to DCFS, and is sending a report to the Vatican.

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NORTHERN IRELAND
BBC News

A Catholic priest went on trial on Monday accused of sexually abusing a young girl almost 30 years ago.

Belfast Crown Court heard claims that the alleged victim was abused by 69-year-old Peter Donnelly at the parochial house of St Matthew’s Church, Belfast.

The priest, from Drumaroad Hill in Castlewellan, was a curate at the time.

He denies six counts of indecent assault and one of gross indecency between 31 July 1983 and 1 August 1987.

Opening the case against him prosecuting lawyer Kate McKay warned the jury that although such offences “may raise the hackles” of people, they had to set aside any feelings of sympathy or prejudice in deciding the case.

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CALIFORNIA
Loyolan

Posted: Thursday, September 20, 2012

Adrien Jarvis, Editor in Chief

News broke last week that a former 15-year Jesuit employee of LMU, Brother William Farrington, S.J., had been accused of sexual misconduct at two schools where he previously worked. The University has since launched an investigation into Farrington’s time at LMU, according to President David W. Burcham. So far, no similar allegations have been made against him during his tenure at the University.

“As of now, I can say confidently that … there’s no evidence of any complaint or wrongdoing while he was here – not even rumors,” said Burcham.

However, Northwest Regional Director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) Joey Piscitelli believes that alleged victims at LMU will come forward.

“He was in a position [at LMU] in admissions to actually talk to people who are under the age of 18.

… For him to be there for that long, and for him to be a serial molester, the chance that he didn’t molest somebody there, I think, is very little,” said Piscitelli. He added that since the first alleged victim from Farrington’s former place of employment, Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose, Calif. came forward on Sept. 11, he has received five calls from others claiming sexual misconduct by Farrington.

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NORTHERN IRELAND
RTE News

Catholic priest has gone on trial in Belfast accused of sexually abusing a young girl almost 30 years ago.

69-year-old Peter Donnelly from Castlewellan in Co Down, who was a curate at St Mathew’s Church in Belfast, denies six charges of indecent assault and one gross of indecency alleged to have occurred between July 1983 and August 1987.

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VATICAN CITY
Vatican Information Service

Vatican City, (VIS) – The Holy Father appointed: …

– Cardinal George Pell, archbishop of Sydney, Australia, as a member of the Congregation for Bishops.

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AUSTRALIA
Catholic Online

9/24/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

More than 600 children are estimated to have been sexually abused by priests since the Thirties

The archbishop of Melbourne Denis Hart has described the recently revealed statistics as “horrific and shameful.” Australia’s Roman Catholic Church has finally come forward to admit that more than 600 children have been sexually abused by its priests since the Thirties in the state of Victoria.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) – Campaigners say the actual figure could be closer to as many as 10,000 victims. The recent admission came in a submission to a state parliamentary inquiry into the handling of abuse cases.

The church confirmed that the 620 cases went back 80 years, the majority of the instances taking place between the Sixties and the Eighties. There are an additional 45 cases under investigation.

Archbishop Hart said it was important to be open “about the horrific abuse that has occurred in Victoria and elsewhere.”

In a written statement, Hart continued, “We look to this inquiry to assist the healing of those who have been abused, to examine the broad context of the church’s response, especially over the last 16 years, and to make recommendations to enhance the care for victims and preventative measures that are now in place.”

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CANADA
The Chronicle-Herald

September 24, 2012 By DAVENE JEFFREY Staff Reporter

Three men who claim they were sexually assaulted by priests decades ago are suing the Roman Catholic Diocese of Antigonish.

In Halifax court documents filed late last week, William Muirhead, 49, of Stellarton, John Parsons, 62, of Bras d’Or and Myles Parsons, 63 of Nanaimo, B.C., all seek damages under $100,000 for assault and emotional harm.

The diocese has not yet filed a defence and none of the allegations have been proven in court.

However, each claim holds the diocese vicariously liable in negligence and assault.

According to the documents filed in Nova Scotia Supreme Court, twin brothers Clair and Claude Richard were parish priests at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church at Little Bras d’Or in the 1960s.

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UNITED STATES
Daily Mail

By Paul Thompson

PUBLISHED:19:10 EST, 22 September 2012

A priest from Co. Offaly who won infamy by being jailed for using parish funds to finance lavish trips to Las Vegas and presents for his mistress has been let out of prison early – and has vowed to win his collar back.

When Fr Francis Guinan was jailed for plundering Church money, he was accused of being involved in the worst case of embezzlement in the US Catholic Church’s history. Condemned as a ‘professional money launderer’, he was defrocked and banned from setting foot in his former parish.

Lurid tales of nights spent gambling in Las Vegas while accompanied by his much younger mistress ensured that his trial garnered headlines around the world.

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ROME
Irish Times

PADDY AGNEW in Rome and MICHAEL O’REGAN

TAOISEACH ENDA Kenny’s encounter with Pope Benedict XVI at Castel Gandolfo on Saturday passed off without any significant exchange between the two men.

Mr Kenny had attended the papal audience as part of a delegation from the Centrist Democrat International (CDI) group, which held a two-day meeting in Rome.

Still tired from his pastoral visit to Lebanon last week, the 85-year-old pontiff kept the audience brief, preferring to pose with the CDI delegation for a group photograph rather than exchange individual greetings with the 100-plus group. Among those who attended the audience along with the Taoiseach were Greek prime minister Antonis Samaras, Albanian prime minister Sali Berisha and the spokesman for the Syrian National Transitional Council, George Sabra.

The Taoiseach had nothing to say to the waiting Irish media, given that he had had no significant exchange with Pope Benedict. On this, his first meeting with the pontiff since his stinging criticism of the Holy See in the Dáil last summer, many had wondered if there would be any further “dialogue” with the pope on the clerical sex abuse issue. However, in the context of a group meeting, that had never seemed a realistic possibility.

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UNITED STATES
Irish Central

By
DARA KELLY,
IrishCentral Staff Writer

Published Monday, September 24, 2012\

An Irish priest who used parish funds for trips to Las Vegas and presents for his mistress has vowed to win his status as a priest back after getting out of prison early.

When Fr Francis Guinan was sentenced for four years in a Florida prison for embezzling the Church’s money, he was also defrocked and banned from ever setting foot again in his former parish.

According to the Irish Mail on Sunday, the 69-year-old priest from Birr, Co. Offaly, insists he is innocent. He hopes that if he is given a chance to explain his story during a Church tribunal review, he will have the opportunity be a priest again.

“What people heard in the court when I was jailed was not the whole truth. There was a picture that was painted of me that was not true. All I can hope is that when my case is looked at again, people will learn different facts. I want my side of the story to be heard. How I have been portrayed is not right. I am innocent,” he told the Daily Mail.

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MISSOURI
KAIT

Posted by Brandi Hunter, Video Journalist

SENATH, MO (KAIT) – A person who intentionally disrupts a house of worship in Missouri could face jail time, according to a newly enacted Missouri law.

Senate Bill No. 755, or the House of Worship Protection Act took effect August 28.

According to the act, “a person commits the crime of disturbing a house of worship if such person intentionally and unreasonably disturbs a building used for religious purposes by using profanity, rude or indecent behavior, or making noise. A person commits the crime if they engage in such behavior within the house of worship or so close to the building that the services are disturbed.”

Senath resident Justin Casey believes the Protection Act is necessary.

“There’s a lot of people that come and disrupt church because some people don’t agree with it,” he said. “You don’t want them to go into your house and disrupt what you got to do and law protects that so why not protect church like that.” …

The ACLU filed the suit on behalf of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), and Voice of the Faithful of Kansas City.

SNAP and Voice of the Faithful members believe their protests outside Catholic churches in support of sexual abuse victims could be deemed illegal under the House of Worship Protection Act.

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.

LYNN (MA)
The Daily Item

By Cyrus Moulton / The Daily Item
LYNN — The Archdiocese of Boston has placed the Rev. James E. Gaudreau, pastor of St. Joseph’s Church, on administrative leave after receiving an allegation of sexual abuse of a child, according to an Archdiocese statement Friday.

“The Archdiocese will work with the parish if there is any help that they need,” said Archdiocese spokesperson Kellyanne Dignan in a phone interview Sunday. She declined to give any information on the complaint other than it involved a child, and the conduct in question is alleged to have occurred around 2006. The alleged conduct “was only recently reported to the Archdiocese,” the statement said.

“To protect the privacy of the individual and to protect the integrity of the investigation, I cannot get into any more details of the complaint,” Dignan said.

Gaudreau, 69, has been at the St. Joseph’s since 1984 and its pastor since 1993, Dignan said. She said that the Archdiocese provided staff to assist with pastoral care and to celebrate Masses on Saturday and Sunday and informed parishioners. Dignan said Masses will continue as scheduled.

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.

UNITED STATES
CatholicCitizens.org

By Susan E. Jordan -Catholic Citizens of Illinois

My introduction to Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) was in March of 2002 when I lived in the Boston area.

After the Boston Globe launched its now famous investigative reporting of the clergy sex abuse scandal in early January, many Catholic parishes in the Boston area held listening sessions for concerned parishioners. Within a few months, a steady group of these Catholics from throughout the Boston area began to convene on a regular basis at St. John the Evangelist parish in Wellesley. From an initial gathering of perhaps 30 people on a Monday night, these weekly gatherings grew to over 500 attendees with coverage by CNN, PBS and other major media outlets. This was the genesis of Voice of the Faithful.

My initial reaction to an increasing awareness of the scandal was a desire to figure out some concrete and compassionate way to reach out to the victims (survivors) of clergy sexual abuse. I had never encountered anyone who had experienced such abuse; and any stories I had read or heard I had simply dismissed as Catholic bashing. With the incessant coverage by the Boston Globe, Catholics were bombarded with endless accounts of new abuse cases. The VOTF gatherings brought together abuse survivors with concerned Catholics. The initial intent seemed laudable and credible: 1) support the survivors-work towards healing; 2) recognize “priests of integrity” (this peculiar title always baffled me, but my interpretation was that most priests are faithful to their vows); 3) shape structural change within the Church-to eliminate future abuses. The VOTF mantra “Keep the Faith, Change the Church” was intended to reflect the spirit of the Second Vatican Council toward greater involvement of the laity.

As the VOTF meetings progressed, I found myself included in the Leadership Council. However, I noticed a change in the composition of attendees at these leadership meetings: on one occasion I learned I was sitting between representatives from Call to Action and WomenChurch. I also noticed the VOTF platform was beginning to shift from the original intent of helping survivors to challenging Church teachings on contraception and other issues. During the planning meetings for VOFT’s first convention in June of 2002, I put forth suggestions for speakers like George Weigel, Richard John Neuhaus and Mary Anne Glendon. The visceral reaction seemed to convey that my recommendations were akin to Hitler and Stalin. When I was turned down as VOTF’s first Executive Director, I realized the Holy Spirit had been watching over me and guiding me right out the door for some time. Deo Gratias.

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WASHINGTON
BishopAccountability.org – Assignment Record

Summary of Case: William S. Skylstad was ordained a priest of the Spokane diocese in 1960. He was a minor seminary teacher and parish priest, and held several chancery positions, including Chancellor. He was appointed Yakima bishop in 1977, where he served until his appointment as bishop of Spokane in 1990. Skylstad was involved in a number of U.S.C.C.B. committees. He was elected U.S.C.C.B. vice-president in 2001 and U.S.C.C.B. president in 2004, a position he held until 2007. In Dec. 2005, Skylstad was accused of having sexually abused a minor female in the early 1960s. Skylstad denied the accusation. His lawyer hired an investigator who determined there was no evidence to support his accuser’s claim. Skylstad retired in 2010, and served as apostolic administrator of Baker, OR Jan. 2011-March 2012.

Ordained: 1960
Appointed: Bishop of Yakima Feb. 22, 1977
Appointed: Bishop of Spokane April 17, 1990
Retired: June 30, 2010

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.