ABUSE TRACKER

MILWAUKEE (WI)
Fox 6

[audit report]

June 20, 2013, by Trisha Bee

MILWAUKEE (WITI) — The Archdiocese of Milwaukee released a statement Thursday, June 20th regarding the voluntary release of an audit by the Midwest Province of Capuchin Franciscans. The audit names 23 of 46 friars alleged to have raped or sexually assaulted children.

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee released the following statement:

We commend the Capuchin’s decision to provide more open and candid communication related to clergy sexual abuse of minors. In 2004, when the Archdiocese of Milwaukee was one of the first dioceses in the country to make public the names of diocesan priest offenders with substantiated allegations of sexual abuse of a minor, we encouraged religious orders to do the same. Today, we continue to work toward reconciliation with abuse survivors. In two weeks, the archdiocese will post additional documents to our website as part of our own commitment to transparency.

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
National Catholic Reporter

Nicole Sotelo | Jun. 20, 2013

The story goes that it was a June storm that sparked Ben Franklin to try something new: to toss a kite into the air attached to a key below. If lightning really was electricity, the key would hold a spark. Ben reached out his hand and, indeed, the key held energy — energy that now powers cities and lights up entire populations.

This summer is no different.

Another man is testing the electricity of an idea. His name is Fr. Helmut Schüller. He has a spark in his eyes and the attention of Catholics in Europe, including the Vatican. As a priest of Austria, he has seen the stark realities of the priest shortage and the desire by Catholics for more equal participation. He knows the church needs to change and has decided to do something about it.

Fr. Helmut helped initiate the Austrian Priests’ Initiative, which is organizing priests to resist exclusionary church policies and create churches where power is shared and Catholics participate equally, no matter one’s gender, marital status or sexual orientation.

These Austrian priests are not alone. Priests are coming together in places like Ireland, India and Australia to look at critical issues facing the church and to work with local Catholics on solutions. In the United States, the Association of U.S. Catholic Priests will convene next week and, later this summer, Fr. Helmut is making his first U.S. tour, traveling to 15 cities from New York to Los Angeles.

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CALIFORNIA
Los Angeles Times

By Patrick McGreevy
June 19, 2013

Survivors of child molestation would have more time to file lawsuits against institutions that employed their abusers under a proposal making its way through the California Legislature.

Currently, most victims can file lawsuits against religious or civic institutions that employed their abusers until they turn age 26. But a court ruling prevented such suits by people who turned 26 before 2003 and discovered between 2005 and 2011 that the molestation caused injury or trauma.

The legislation by state Sen. James Beall Jr. (D-San Jose) would extend the statute of limitations for those victims.

“We are seeing adults who were molested when they were children coming forward but unable to bring their abusers to justice because of the existing statute of limitations,’’ Beall said in a statement.

In some cases, people don’t learn they were child abuse victims until they are older. In other cases, they may know they were abused, but a mental health person may not diagnose psychological injuries linked to the abuse, warranting a lawsuit seeking damages, until they are an adult, officials said.

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RICHMOND (VA)
Richmond Times-Dispatch

BY LOUIS LLOVIO
Richmond Times-Dispatch

The Richmond Outreach Center will hire an interim pastor to handle its Saturday services as it looks for two permanent pastors to replace its founder and former senior pastor Geronimo Aguilar and three others.

The South Richmond mega church’s board of directors said this morning that it will conduct the search for a senior and executive pastor with the assistance of “experienced Christian consultants.”

“This is a lengthy process and will likely take between six months to a year,” the board said.
Aguilar, who is facing life in prison in Texas on charges that he sexually assaulted an 11-year old girl and her sister for more than a year in the late 1990s, left the church he founded earlier this month.

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RICHMOND (VA)
NBC 12

By Ray Daudani

RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) –
The Richmond Outreach Center is posting openings for two pastor positions, due to the resignations of several staff members following child sex abuse allegations.

The ROC Board of Directors posted a notice Thursday that it was looking to permanently fill the positions of Senior Pastor and Executive Pastor with two new pastors from outside the organization.

The search is expected to take six months to a year and will include help from several experienced, Christian consultants.

The church is also hiring an interim preacher to preach at Six O’Clock ROC, their Saturday night church service, until the position of Senior Pastor is filled.

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INDIANA
The News-Sentinel

By Kevin Kilbane of The News-Sentinel
Thursday, June 20, 2013

Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades plans to celebrate Mass at 5 p.m. Saturday at St. Joseph Catholic Church-Hessen Cassel as the Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend tries to help parishioners heal after allegations of past sexual abuse led to removal of their priest.

It is the second time in less than two years that a priest at the parish has been removed after allegations of sexual abuse at a previous assignment.

“Our bishop’s deepest concern is for them and for their faith, and he knows how painful this is,” said Mary Glowaski, the leader of the diocese’s office of evangelization and special ministries. “He is so sad and concerned for them.”

Rhoades is leading a retreat for diocesan priests Monday-Friday this week at the Potawatomi Inn at Pokagon State Park near Angola, but he relayed a message through diocesan Communications Director Sean McBride that he and the priests there are praying daily for St. Joseph parish.
The congregation of about 1,150 children and adults is at 11337 Old U.S. 27 S., near Interstate 469 on Fort Wayne’s south side.

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AUSTRIA
The Association of Catholic Priests (Ireland)

Pope Francis: 100 Days in Office: Statement by the Austrian Priests’ Initiative on 19 June 2013

Vienna, 19 June 2013
Pope Francis: 100 Days in Office
Statement by the Austrian Priests’ Initiative on 19 June 2013

We state…
…that in his first three months of office, Pope Francis has taken a number of clear stances that instil hope and that have been long awaited by a large majority of the people of the Church. Pope Francis has restituted simplicity, modesty and approachability to the office bestowed upon him, thereby signalling that it is his will to lead the Church in a new fashion. Expectations are high that he will set a personal example and lead the Vatican in serving the Church in new ways.

We gain hope…
…from Pope Francis’ distinct and cooperative manner with his fellow bishops, and we expect him to soon take steps towards a new companionship with them in leading the Church throughout the world: through a revaluation of the Synod of Bishops as an institution of true co-determination and leadership participation, a revaluation of the different worldwide regions of the Church and a reassessment of the Conferences of Bishops, based on subsidiarity as a fundamental principle of Christian social teaching.

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KANSAS
WIBW

(WIBW) – A priest who once served in Marshall County and Topeka is accused of violating his oath of celibacy and prohibited from continuing his duties.

The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas confirmed Wednesday it received an allegation June 8th against Father William Bruning, who currently serves Prince of Peace Parish in Olathe. The archdiocese says it did not involve minors or any individual from a parish where Bruning had preached.

In a statement, the archdiocese said Bruning admitted the allegation was true and “expressed profound regret and sincere sorrow for the pain his actions have now caused the many people who love and respect him.”

The archdiocese says Bruning has left the area to begin a treatment program.

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KANSAS
Olathe News

The pastor of the Prince of Peace Parish in Olathe has resigned, according to a statement on the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas’ website.

The announcement, dated June 15, says the Rev. William Bruning resigned after the archdiocese received an allegation that he had “engaged in behaviors in violation of his promise of celibate chastity.”

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann accepted Bruning’s resignation.

The allegation did not involve contact with minors, anyone from the Prince of Peace Parish or any parishes where Bruning had previously served, according to the statement.

To protect the confidentiality of the other person involved, the archdiocese is not releasing details about the allegation, according to the statement.

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CANADA
Metro News

The sexual assault trial of an Orthodox archbishop in Winnipeg will not resume until September.

The Crown closed its case today against Seraphim Storheim and the defence has said it expects to call witnesses when the trial resumes Sept 12.

There is no word on whether Storheim himself will testify about accusations he sexually abused two altar boys in the summer of 1985.

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AUSTRALIA
The Conversation

Judy Courtin
PhD Student, Faculty of Law at Monash University

As a young girl in the 1960s, I attended a Catholic boarding school. The nuns could be scary. When they walked the wintry and un-illuminated corridors of the convent, their knee-length rosary beads jangled against their ankle-length black habits.

The unfriendly “stomp stomp” of their chunky, black, lace-up shoes contrasted with the angular, white starched coif atop their head. The outer layer of their ensemble, the monastic cloth scapular, also known as the “yoke of Christ”, draped to the floor back and front. Their oft stern faces matched their garb.

These unforgiving medieval garments were in collaboration with, it seems, the Catholic teachings of the time. Among these were a fear of God; an even greater fear of hell; fear of communists; obedience to God and the religious; chaste thoughts (it was obligatory, in bed, to place one’s arms across the chest in the shape of a cross whilst thinking of Our Lady); and unquestioning belief in Catholic doctrine.

Fast forward to 2013 and the ageing and diminishing population of nuns now wears civvies and this once-Catholic girl, along with many thousands of others, no longer believes in God and makes up her own mind about what to think and believe.

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AUSTRALIA
J-Wire

June 20, 2013 by Manny Waks

The Commonwealth Royal Commission Inquiry into child sexual abuse within organisations has now commenced. Tzedek, an Australian-based advocacy group for Jewish victims and survivors of child sexual abuse, is uniquely positioned to provide evidence to the Royal Commission about the nature and extent of past and present child sexual abuse within Jewish organisations.

Tzedek has already gathered significant evidence of sexual abuse against children and young people in organisational settings. Now, as the Royal Commission prepares to hear evidence of the extent of abuse across Australia, an opportunity exists to help piece together our community’s proper understanding of this issue that has historically, and tragically, been enveloped in silence.

How many Jewish children and young people have suffered alone in the agony of sexual abuse? In which organisations has this occurred, and with whose knowledge? Who are the perpetrators, who are the handmaidens, and who are the conspirators? What has happened to the discarded allegations and suspicions that have fallen into labyrinths of obfuscating bureaucracies and worse? Who has shown the courage to raise their hands to investigate allegations, and who has conspired to ensure that a torment burrows ever deeper within our community? What can we do to aid the healing of victims and change the consciousness of some segments of our community? What can now be done to put an end to this scourge?

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Newsworks

June 17, 2013
By Peter Crimmins, @petercrimmins

Not surprisingly, a high percentage of area Catholics have left the church over the sexual abuse scandal that has rocked the organization in the past decade. But that’s not all.

A Catholic parish in Philadelphia surveyed lapsed Catholics to find out why they left. The results show a dissatisfaction at both the local level and with the Vatican.

Of the 189 former Catholics who responded to the survey, the highest percentage — 17 percent — said they did so because of the priest abuse scandal. The director of the survey, Charles Zech of Villanova University’s Center for the Study of Church Management, said a secondary reason follows close behind.

“People who are going to leave the church over the scandal and the church’s handling of it have already left. So people leaving the church today are leaving for other reasons,” said Zech. “A growing reason we found out was the church’s attitude toward homosexuals and gay marriage. A lot of younger people object to the church’s teaching on that.”

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Lez Get Real

Posted by: Bridgette P. LaVictoire on June 19, 2013.

Catholics in Philadelphia appear to be leaving in droves and it appears that the reason is not just the sexual abuse scandal. In fact, most of those who were going to leave over that left ages ago. No, apparently they are leaving because of a number of reasons, but among those appears to be the Church’s attitudes towards homosexuality and same-sex marriage.

Charles Zech of Villanova University’s Center for the Study of Church Management was part of a study of some 189 former Catholics in one Philadelphia parish. According to Zech “People who are going to leave the church over the scandal and the church’s handling of it have already left. So people leaving the church today are leaving for other reasons. A growing reason we found out was the church’s attitude toward homosexuals and gay marriage. A lot of younger people object to the church’s teaching on that.”

Most are landing in more Progressive Protestant churches.

The results of the survey were not made public when it was completed in 2012, and Zech only spoke to reporters so long as he did not have to name the parish. Studies by the Pew Foundation have found that roughly one third of baptized Catholics leave, and the policies of the Vatican are often the reason why.

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AUSTRALIA
Crikey

MATTHEW KNOTT | JUN 20, 2013

Will the Catholic Church’s controversial protocols for dealing with sexual abuse claims survive a royal commission? The man in charge of the Church’s response says he expects a new, more independent system.

The Catholic Church’s protocols for responding to sexual abuse claims have failed some victims and are likely to be replaced with a more independent system, according to the layman co-ordinating the Church’s response to the royal commission into abuse.

The Catholic Church has two abuse protocols: Towards Healing, a national system, and the Melbourne Response for the Archdiocese of Melbourne. Both have been heavily criticised by victims’ support groups, academics and police.

“I don’t think they’re adequate,” Francis Sullivan, chief executive of the Truth, Justice and Healing Council, told Crikey when asked about the protocols. “Clearly there are aspects of criticism that need to be addressed. There are individuals who have gone through those processes who don’t feel satisfied. There will be a need to hold those processes up against what is seen as best practice and see how they fit.”

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FLORIDA
Miami Herald

BY DAVID NORIEGA
DNORIEGA@MIAMIHERALD.COM

A new lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Miami claims that the head pastor at Coral Springs St. Andrew Catholic School covered up sexual abuse by a music teacher over several years.

The alleged abuser, Miguel Cala, currently is serving a 23-year-term for several cases in which he molested children during music lessons at their homes.

The new suit alleges that Cala repeatedly raped a boy at school between 2006 and 2010, starting when the boy was 6.

According to the lawsuit, Father George Puthusseril saw Cala abusing the boy but did not report the misconduct. Instead, he urged the boy not to tell his parents, allowing Cala to continue the abuse.

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UNITED STATES
Irish Independent

CORMAC MCQUINN – 20 JUNE 2013

A CATHOLIC Church diocese in the United States is being sued by an alleged abuse victim who says an Irish priest sexually assaulted him in the 1980s.

Fr Francis Markey (84), was due to appear in court here over the alleged rape of a 15-year-old boy in 1968, but died in September before the case went to trial.

He had been extradited from the United States.

Fr Markey was suspended from his ministry here on three occasions and put in treatment programmes in the 1960s and ’70s over sex abuse allegations.

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INDIANA
The Journal Gazette

Rosa Salter Rodriguez | The Journal Gazette

A second priest serving at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church-Hessen Cassel in Fort Wayne has been removed from ministry after what diocesan officials Wednesday called “a credible allegation of sexual abuse of a minor” 20 years ago in Africa.

The Rev. Cornelius Ryan was removed as parish administrator June 10, said Sean McBride, diocese spokesman, the same day the diocese’s bishop, the Rev. Kevin C. Rhoades, learned of the allegation from the head of Ryan’s order, the U.S. Province of the Congregation of the Holy Cross.

The move was announced to parishioners at Masses on Saturday and Sunday, McBride said.

“Bishop Rhoades and really all of us at the diocese are heartbroken at these events,” McBride said, adding the diocese’s “first concern” is for the “the spiritual comfort and safety of parishioners.”

He said no one from St. Joseph’s or elsewhere has come forward with any allegations about Ryan.

Ryan was appointed St. Joseph’s temporary administrator by Rhoades in December 2011, after the parish’s previous priest, the Rev. Thomas Lombardi, was accused of sexual abuse while serving at St. Louis Catholic Church-Besancon, outside New Haven.

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TEXAS
NECN

June 19, 2013

TULIA, Texas (AP) — A West Texas judge has set ground rules in a sex abuse case against a former Roman Catholic priest who served 11 years in Texas — despite a child molestation conviction in California.

The judge Wednesday told attorneys for both sides how proceedings will go in John Anthony Salazar’s case.

He’s pleaded not guilty to indecency with a child in connection with a 2001 Texas incident. He declined to comment.

The trial is scheduled for Aug. 27.

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UNITED STATES
Bilgrimage

William D. Lindsey

I know that, by all means, not all readers of Bilgrimage live on the west coast of the U.S. But a number of you do, and I’ve had the pleasure of meeting a number of you with whom I’d never have connected without the blog–fine folks and people I’m now privileged and happy to call friends.

For readers in California and Washington (and as a favor to Joelle Casteix, whose wonderful Worthy Adversary blog I’ve linked to Bilgrimage), I’d like to publicize the dates of the forthcoming (and fast-approaching) book tour for Michael D’Antonio and his very important book, Mortal Sins: Sex, Crime, and the Era of Catholic Scandal. I’ve linked to some of Michael’s stellar commentary on the hierarchy’s handling of the abuse crisis, and their gay-bashing, in the past–in this August 2012 piece on Cardinal Dolan and dancing with hacks, this February 2013 item on Vatican gay-baiting as a Catholic shame, and this posting last month on the new group of whistle-blowing priests and nuns.

Here’s how the press materials for the forthcoming book tour describe Mortal Sins:

In his new book, MORTAL SINS: Sex, Crime, and the Era of Catholic Scandal (St. Martins) Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Michael D’Antonio delves deep into personalities, cases and conflicts of the biggest Catholic crisis since the Reformation. Featuring St. Paul attorney Jeff Anderson, who has led the international legal effort for abuse victims, D’Antonio traces the rise of the victims’ movement through landmark court decisions and reveals how the Church failed to respond to abuse complaints and instead practiced systematic denial and cover-up.

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THAILAND
Telegraph (UK)

Two Buddhist monks who allegedly organised acts of child sexual abuse have been arrested by Thai police, the latest controversy to hit a clergy struggling with challenges to its clean-living image.

By Hannah Strange, agencies5:01PM BST 19 Jun 2013

Police in Chang Mai, in northern Thailand, said they had detained two monks for procuring a 14-year-old boy to perform sexual acts with an abbot. The alleged perpetrator was to be arrested as soon as a warrant was obtained, they said.

The pair, who deny any knowledge of the alleged abuse, could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted, Police Colonel Wirachon Bunthawi told AFP from the northern city of Chiang Mai.

The police said the arrests were made on the basis of accounts from a driver and the victim himself, who claimed the two monks had taken him to see the abbot at the temple in Chiang Dao district several times since February.

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UNITED STATES
Capuchin Franciscan Province of St. Joseph

June 2013
*Friars are listed by the titles (Fr., Br.) and names by which they are/were commonly known. Those listed as deceased are only those whose deaths the Province has been able to confirm. This list will be reviewed and revised by the Province as necessary to ensure its accuracy.

Current Members
(Fr.) Arthur Cooney (Fr.) Joseph Smetana
(Fr.) Dennis Druggan° (Br.) Francis Mary Sparacino
(Fr.) Leopold Gleissner (Fr.) James Wolf
(Fr.) Mel Hermanns
2°The finding regarding D. Druggan was made upon a preliminary investigation by the Province (2013).
He has maintained his innocence and has exercised his right to appeal his case to the Holy See
(Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith). The appeal is pending.

Deceased Members Former Member (Deceased)
(Fr.) Benedict Adams (2002) (Fr.) Jude Hahn (2008)
(Fr.) Baldwin Beyer (1999)
(Fr.) James Buser (1979)
(Fr.) Clarence Grosser (1989)***
(Fr.) James LaReau (1987)
(Fr.) Gale Leifeld (1994)
(Br.) Matthew Migan (1958)***
(Fr.) Austin Schlaefer (1992)
(Fr.) Wendelin Shafer (2005)
(Fr.) Hilary Zach (1997)
***Transferred to Province of St. Mary (NY) in 1952.

Former Members
(Br.) Thomas Gardipee
(Br.) Leonard Gibeault
(Fr.) Donald (John Baptist) Kurcz
(Fr.) Robert Spader
(Fr.) Kenneth Stewart

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UNITED STATES
Fond du Lac Reporter

Written by
Sharon Roznik
The Reporter Media

The Capuchin Franciscan Order has made public the names of current, former and deceased friars involved in allegations of sexual abuse.

On Tuesday the Order released the results of an independent, 100-page audit recounting its own history and the sexual abuse of young people and cover-ups that spanned decades. The audit, which was ordered by the St. Joseph Province in June 2012, is said to be the first-of-its kind — a voluntary, comprehensive review regarding the sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable adults done by a Catholic religious order.

“For those who have been abused by members of the clergy and religious, their suffering is spiritual as well as emotional,” said Provincial Minister John Celichowski. “We can’t fear to bring this abuse into light.”

The list of the 23 “substantiated” offenders has been posted at www.thecapuchins.org (click on the safe environment tab on left). The most recent case that came to light involved Father Dennis Druggan, who served for years as rector and president of St. Lawrence Seminary in Mount Calvary.

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UNITED STATES
Vatican Insider

A report published by the order of Capuchin Friars Minor reveals that its leaders covered up cases of child abuse committed by members of the community

VATICAN INSIDER STAFF
ROME

The leaders of the Capuchin Order in the U.S. concealed acts of sex abuse committed by members of their order, putting the protection of accused abusers above that of their victims, concludes an audit published by the religious order today. The audit raises questions about the handling of the paedohilia plague in the Catholic Church in the U.S., by communities of monastic orders not directly supervised by bishops.

The report – the first of its kind – claims that the Capuchin Order’s response to the abuse committed by twenty or so of their fellow friars was partly down to a “systemic clericalism” which put friars’ needs above those of the victims. The report also pointed to a certain fear of lawyers working on the case, who presented the accusing parties as victims in an attempt to protect the Church from costly legal action.

The report was published by the Capuchin Province of St. Joseph, which is headquartered in Detroit but oversees approximately 170 friars serving across various parts of the country and in Nicaragua and Panama. It is based on information from documents which date back to the 1930s. The report was put together after the spotlight fell on a number of sex abuse cases which took place in a Capuchin seminary in Milwaukee, Wiskonsin. “They [bishops and religious superiors] outsourced the gospel to their lawyers,” the report reads.

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KANSAS
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas

June 15, 2013

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann has announced that he has accepted the resignation of Reverend William Bruning, Pastor of Prince of Peace Parish in Olathe, Kansas.

On June 8th, the Archdiocese received an allegation that Father Bruning had engaged in behaviors in violation of his promise of celibate chastity. The allegation about Father Bruning did not involve any contact with minors, nor did it involve any individual from Prince of Peace Parish or any of the parishes where Father Bruning has previously served. In order to respect the confidentiality of the person who brought forth the allegation, details concerning the alleged behaviors will not be disclosed at this time.

When informed of the allegation, Father Bruning immediately acknowledged its truth, accepted the gravity of this matter, and asked for help in identifying and addressing the root causes for this serious moral failure. He expressed profound regret and sincere sorrow for the pain his actions have now caused the many people who love and respect him and in particular for the parishioners of Prince of Peace Parish, as well as the people from the other parishes in which he has served. The Archbishop has prohibited Father Bruning from exercising his priestly ministry at this time.

Father Bruning left Kansas City earlier this week to undergo an evaluation and to begin a treatment program to help him address the spiritual and psychological causes for this moral failure. The Lord has used Father Bruning’s priestly ministry to bring God’s grace to many people. Sometimes in their zeal to minister to others, priests can neglect to care properly for their own soul. The Archbishop has asked the Faithful of the Archdiocese to pray for Father Bruning as he enters into a time of prayer, penance, spiritual counseling and therapy.

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INDIANA
The Journal Gazette

A Roman Catholic priest affiliated with a Fort Wayne parish has been removed from public ministry after his religious congregation received a credible allegation of sexual abuse of a minor against him, the Fort Wayne-South Bend Roman Catholic Diocese says.

In its 2013 diocesan directory, the Rev. Cornelius Ryan is listed as administrator of St. Joseph-Hessen Cassel parish on Old U.S. 27.

In a statement, the diocese said Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades was notified by the Congregation of Holy Cross on June 10 that a credible allegation had been received against Ryan.

The abuse was said to have taken place about 20 years ago in Africa, where Ryan then served, the statement said. It did not provide details, nor did it say how the allegation had been determined credible.

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KENTUCKY
WAVE

By Cedra Mayfield

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) – James Schook did not appear before a judge Wednesday as expected. Instead, an attorney for the former Roman Catholic priest said the stage four skin cancer patient was in his final days of life, and thus incompetent to stand trial.

“If the defendant is physically and mentally incapable of meaningfully participating, I don’t think any of us want to have a trial that is just a mockery,” said David Lambertus, Schook’s defense attorney. “I’m not sure if any memory is there or present ability to converse.”

Schook is set to answer to allegations of sexual abuse dating back more than three decades during a trial set for Monday, June 24. In a pretrial hearing Wednesday, prosecutors contested Schook’s alleged incompetence to stand trial.

“If, in fact, he is so incompetent,” questioned Assistant Commonwealth Attorney John Balliet, “why has there not been a motion filed?”

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KENTUCKY
Houston Chronicle

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — An attorney for a terminally ill Catholic priest says the Rev. James Schook is so sick and incapacitated his upcoming trial would be a “mockery.”

But prosecutors say Schook is “spry” and can move around with the use of a walker.

Schook, 65, has been diagnosed with terminal skin cancer. Jefferson Circuit Judge Mitch Perry said a letter from Schook’s doctor presented in court Wednesday indicated that Schook’s death is “imminent.”

Schook is accused of abusing two boys in the 1970s and faces seven counts of sodomy. His trial is set for Monday but defense attorney David Lambertus is planning to enter a motion to have Schook’s competency evaluated by state officials.

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KENTUCKY
Courier-Journal

Just days before a long-scheduled trial on sexual abuse charges, a lawyer for James Schook claimed in court Wednesday morning that the ailing priest is mentally incompetent to aid in his own defense.

Schook — a Roman Catholic priest in the Archdiocese of Louisville accused of sexually abusing two boys in the 1970s — has been diagnosed with late-stage cancer and, according to his lawyer, David Lambertus, has lost mental capacity as well.

Judge Mitch Perry said he was planning to go ahead with Monday’s scheduled trial unless Lambertus filed a formal written motion asking for a competency hearing — which Lambertus said he would do this week.

“It’s futile to try (the case) if the defendant is physically or mentally incapable of meaningfully participating,” Lambertus said. “I don’t think any of us want to have a trial that is just a mockery.”

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INDIANA
WANE

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) A priest has been removed from his position at the St. Joseph Catholic Church-Hessen Cassel after accusations of sexual abuse surfaced.

Reverend Cornelius Ryan worked as an administrator at the St. Joseph Hessen Cassel Province. The Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend was notified of alleged sexual abuse that took place about 20 years ago on June 10. Rev. Ryan was removed from ministry that same day.

The diocese reportedly released a statement on Wednesday announcing the removal of Father Ryan. Parishioners were notified by Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades after Masses on Saturday and Sunday.

Wednesday’s announcement came shortly after a report was released outlining how leaders failed for decades to stop sexual abuse in its schools and other ministries throughout the Capuchin Franciscan Province of St. Joseph. The province spans 10 Midwestern states, including Indiana.

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FLORIDA
WPTV

[with video]

Stephen Budd case: Evidence, statements detail allegations against former Rosarian Academy teacher

By: Alex Sanz

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Eyewitness statements and police evidence obtained by WPTV NewsChannel 5 have painted a chilling picture of the allegations against Stephen Budd, the former Rosarian Academy teacher accused of engaging in sexual activity with at least two of his fourth grade students.

Earlier this year, two former students came forward and told the West Palm Beach Police Department that in 2006, when they were in the fourth grade, Budd had engaged in sexual activity with them.

In graphic statements to the West Palm Beach Police Department, one of the students detailed instances of oral sex being performed in the classroom.

One of the students also detailed instances of photographs of her genitals being taken with a Polaroid in a school bathroom.

The students told police that Budd would give them “Budd Bucks” — a fake dollar bill with his face on it — in exchange for the sexual acts.

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INDIANA
INCnow

By Emma Koch

June 19, 2013

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (www.incnow.tv) — Rev. Cornelius Ryan has been removed from his administrator position with St. Joseph Catholic Church-Hessen Cassel after being accused of sexual abuse.

According to a statement from Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades, the diocese was notified June 10 of the credible allegation that Father Ryan sexually abused a minor approximately 20 years ago while he was serving in Africa.

Father Ryan was removed from ministry June 10, based on the laws of the Church. The Superior of the Congregation of Holy Cross is handling this matter according to its policies and the Church’s norms according to the statement.

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CANADA
Brandon Sun

By: The Canadian Press
Wednesday, Jun. 19, 2013

WINNIPEG – The sexual assault trial of an Orthodox archbishop in Winnipeg will not resume until September.

The Crown closed its case today against Seraphim Storheim and the defence has said it expects to call witnesses when the trial resumes Sept 12.

There is no word on whether Storheim himself will testify about accusations he sexually abused two altar boys in the summer of 1985.

The complainants, now men in their 30s, testified Storheim walked around naked and asked to be touched sexually.

One man told court he was made to sit naked on a bed while Storheim inspected his groin.

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OSTERREICH
pressetext

Wien (pts017/19.06.2013/12:00) – SNAP ist die Abkürzung für “Survivors Network of those abused by Priests”, auf Deutsch: “Netzwerk der Betroffenen von Missbrauch durch Priester”. SNAP ist die größte und aktivste Unterstützungsgruppe von Menschen, die von religiösen Autoritätsfiguren (Priestern, Bischöfen, Diakonen, Nonnen und anderen) verletzt wurden. SNAP ist unabhängig und ist nicht mit der Kirche oder Kirchenautoritäten verbunden. SNAP ist eine Selbsthilfegruppe für Opfer, um einander zu heilen und zu helfen.

SNAP-Direktor David Clohessy spricht über Fakten und Forderungen

Über die Forderung an die katholische Kirche, weniger an Fragen der Kirchenführung zu arbeiten als am Schutz und der Sicherheit von Kindern in der Kirche; die Forderung an die Politiker, die Kirche zu überzeugen, dass Kinder und Jugendliche in kirchlicher Obhut und Betreuung besser geschützt werden müssen; über die Forderung, dass in jedem Verdachtsfall von sexuellem Missbrauch an Kindern, mit der Staatsanwaltschaft kooperiert werden muss.

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UNITED STATES
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

POSTED BY BARBARA DORRIS ON JUNE 19, 2013

Rape is an act of violence, not stupidity. And victims are never to blame for it, no matter how old they are, what they wear, where they are or what they’re doing. What Ms. Williams said was stupid. What those rapists did was criminal.

She should apologize – clearly and publicly – to this wounded Steubenville girl and to rape victims everywhere. And to make amends, she should donate generously – of her time and money – to rape prevention programs. Tragically, it’s not just men who hold antiquated views and make hurtful remarks about rape victims. Teenagers shouldn’t get drunk. But being drunk doesn’t excuse deliberate and heinous sex crimes.

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DOMINICA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Wednesday, June 19

Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 862 7688 home, 314 503 0003 cell, SNAPdorris@gmail.com)

We’re appalled by the recklessness of Dominica Catholic Bishop Malzaire in the case of Fr. Reginald Lafleur, an alleged child sex offender.

The personal popularity of an accused predator priest is irrelevant.

Misguided parishioners should not be able to prod a timid bishop into keeping kids in possible danger just because an alleged child molester happens to have a strong following.

Most child molesters are popular. They work hard to seem kind and be loveable. Otherwise, no child would want to be with them. And no parent would trust them. So the fact that an adult acts like a good person doesn’t mean he or she is a good person.

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KANSAS
The Kansas City Star

The pastor of the Prince of Peace Parish Olathe has resigned, according to a statement on the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas’ website.

The announcement, dated June 15, says the Rev. William Bruning resigned after the archdiocese received an allegation that he had “engaged in behaviors in violation of his promise of celibate chastity.”

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann accepted Bruning’s resignation.

The allegation did not involve contact with minors, anyone from the Prince of Peace Parish or any parishes where Bruning had previously served, according to the statement.

To protect the confidentiality of the other person involved, the archdiocese is not releasing details about the allegation, according statement.

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INDIANA
News-Sentinel

News-Sentinel staff reports
Wednesday, June 19, 2013

The Rev. Cornelius Ryan has been removed as administrator of St. Joseph Catholic Church-Hessen Cassel after the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend was notified that a credible allegation of sexual abuse had been received involving him.

In a statement released Wednesday morning, the diocese said local Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades was notified June 10 by the superior of the Congregation of Holy Cross, United States Province, which is in South Bend, that a credible allegation of sexual abuse of a minor had been received against Ryan, a member of the Holy Cross order.

The alleged abuse is reported to have taken place about 20 years ago while Ryan served in Africa, the statement said.

Based on the laws of the Catholic Church, Ryan was removed from ministry June 10, the statement said. St. Joseph-Hessen Cassel parish is at 11337 Old U.S. 27 S. on the city’s far south side.

Rhoades informed St. Joseph parishioners about the situation through a letter read after Masses last Saturday and Sunday, the statement said. The diocese has continued to minister to and offer counseling to parishioners.

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UNITED STATES
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Statement by Barbara Dorris, Outreach Director, 314-862-7688 SNAPdorris@gmail.com

Fr. John Celichowski of the Capuchins religious order said Tuesday “through much of our history as a province, we have failed victims and survivors.”

He’s wrong.

The Capuchins didn’t “fail.” Failure implies a good faith effort that somehow went awry. That’s not what Catholic officials, dozens of them in this order and thousands of them across the world, have done. For the most part, they deliberately shunned victims, stonewalled prosecutors, deceived parishioners, moved predators and enforced secrecy and endangered kids. These are smart men with smart lawyers who made carefully-crafted and self-serving decisions.

These were not mistakes or failures or inadequacies. It’s a disservice to children, victims, parishioners and the public to add insult to injury by deceiving people now about these intentional, hurtful and sometimes illegal actions.

In fact, the Capuchins succeeded. For decades – until victims gave up and wrongdoers died and statutes of limitations expired – they succeeded in keeping a tight lid on their dirty secrets.

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SWITZERLAND
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

Abuse victims applaud UN panel
It sides with oppressed Irish women
SNAP urges governments to help Magdalenes
Church & state should “seek out others who suffer in silence”
And they should provide quck but thorough help to the elderly women, SNAP says

WHAT
Holding signs and childhood photos at a sidewalk news conference, clergy sex abuse victims will

— praise United Nations Committee Against Torture for pushing Irish government officials to do more for the Magdalene laundry victims, and
— prod Northern Irish government officials to launch an aggressive investigation and outreach effort to find – and help – all Magdalene laundry victims

They will also

— discuss the “first ever” testimony they gave yesterday before a United Nations panel, and
–urge church victims, witnesses and whistleblowers to step forward and help provide evidence for their on-going International Criminal Court complaint against the Catholic hierarchy

WHEN
Thursday, June 20, at 11:00 a.m.

WHERE
On the sidewalk outside the United Nations Office at Geneva, Palais des Nations, Avenue de la Paix 8-14, CH – 1211 Genève 10, Switzerland

WHO
Two victims of clergy sex crimes who belong to an international support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, including the organization’s long time US director who is traveling through Switzerland, Germany and Austria

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UNITED STATES
National Catholic Reporter

Tom Roberts | Jun. 19, 2013

FOR CHRIST’S SAKE: END SEXUAL ABUSE IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH … FOR GOOD
By Bishop Geoffrey Robinson
Published by Garratt Publishing, AU$17.95

The title might lead one reasonably to expect a kind of pamphleteering campaign against abusers and a tick list of suggestions for new structures and programs to deal with abuse.

Bishop Geoffrey Robinson, however, dares something more fundamentally revolutionary in For Christ’s Sake: End Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church … For Good. He dares to pull on the thread that unravels the cloak that has hidden the institutional disease. We all know the symptoms, of which sex abuse is the most apparent and most alarming. Robinson unwinds the thread slowly, and for the most part ignores all of the horrific particulars and incomprehensible depravities of the abuse scandal. That part of the story by now is well-documented.

Instead, like a good diagnostician who knows that understanding a disease begins with understanding the patient’s story, he performs an exacting examination of the culture out of which the abuse crisis has grown.

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NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY
The Jewish Week

Wed, 06/19/2013
Ben Hirsch

On April 14, 2008, Rabbi Yehuda Kolko, a 62-year-old Brooklyn yeshiva teacher charged with sexually molesting two students, pleaded guilty to lesser charges of child endangerment. Under the plea agreement, Kolko made no admission of sexual wrongdoing and did not have to register as a sex offender or serve any time in prison. Rabbi Kolko was sentenced to three years’ probation.

On May 13, 2013, Yosef Kolko (Yosef is Rabbi Yehuda Kolko’s nephew), a 39-year-old Lakewood, N.J., haredi yeshiva teacher, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of sexual assault of a young yeshiva boy. Yosef Kolko, who has not yet been sentenced, is facing 15 to 40 years in prison.

These two cases are strikingly similar, so what accounts for the vastly different outcomes?

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AUSTRALIA
Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse

The Royal Commission has released its first Issues Paper on the Working with Children Check and is seeking submissions from interested individuals and government and non-government organisations by 12 August 2013.

The Royal Commission will be releasing Issues Papers on a range of topics that are relevant to the work of the Royal Commission. The topics of future Issues Papers will shortly be published to this website.

Submissions will be made public unless the person making the submission expressly requests (or the Royal Commission decides) that the particular submission is not made public. The Royal Commission will usually make its decision for reasons associated with fairness.

Submissions should be made, preferably electronically, to solicitor@childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au, otherwise in writing to GPO Box 5283, Sydney NSW 2001.

Issues papers
Issues Paper 1 – Working With Children Check [DOC 1.5MB]
Issues Paper 1 – Working With Children Check [PDF 97KB]

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AUSTRALIA
lewisblayse.net

Lewis Blayse

The Australian Royal Commission into child sexual abuse has released its first discussion paper. CEO Janette Dines says it seeks input into the issue of background checks for people working with, or volunteering for, children’s services. Submissions close on August 12th 2013. Submissions, both from inside and outside Australia, can be e-mailed to solicitor@childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au

Alternatively, submissions can be mailed to the Royal Commission at GPO Box 5283, Sydney NSW 2001, Australia. The telephone numbers are: Callers within Australia – 1800 099 340 (free call) and Callers from Outside Australia – 61 2 8815 2319. The Royal Commission phone service operates Monday to Friday (excluding national public holidays) between the hours of 8am and 8pm across all Australian time zones (UTC + 10 hours).

There is one aspect of the discussion paper which needs more attention. It appears to be concerned only with matters within Australia. Given the problem which may exist with Australians’ and Australian-based organisations’ involvement with children in other countries, perhaps there is a need to have processes for sharing details with overseas law enforcement bodies? Further, a clearance from Australian authorities should be required before Australians can volunteer to work with children in other countries.

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AUSTRALIA
lewisblayse.net

Lewis Blayse

The Australian Royal Commission into child sexual abuse web-site has a section labeled “contacts”. Here, there are indeed a few contacts for victim support. It is not so much what is there, as what is not there that is an eyebrow raiser.

Of major concern is the apparent absence in the “contacts” section of some organisations such as Broken Rites and SNAP, and others. Even if they are there somewhere on the site, the fact that they are not able to be found, even with a thorough search, is a problem.

The Commission will be given the benefit of the doubt, for the moment, that it is an oversight rather than a deliberate policy to steer victims away from some organisations and towards others. This author is not associated with any organisation, and is not making a statement about the particular worthiness or otherwise of any organisations not mentioned by the Commission. My point is that there has been some sort of selection, and this needs to be justified.

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MINNESOTA
The Free Press

Dan Nienaber
dnienaber@mankatofreepress.com

An Irish priest sent to the United States in 1981 to be treated for pedophilia by the Roman Catholic Church is being accused of sexually assaulting teenage boys in southern Minnesota during his brief time at a church in Henderson.

The allegations of one of those victims, identified as John Doe 103, are included in a lawsuit filed Tuesday against the Diocese of New Ulm. The lawsuit claims Francis Markey, who died last year while awaiting trial in Ireland for raping a 15-year-old boy in 1968, sexually assaulted the Henderson area victim in 1982 while temporarily serving at a church there.

Markey was 84 when he died, which means he would have been about 54 when he was in Minnesota.

Pat Noaker, the Minnetonka attorney who filed the lawsuit, said the victim reported the sexual assaults to him about three years ago. A lawsuit couldn’t be filed then because the incident was too old for Minnesota’s statute of limitations laws at the time. Those laws were eased when the state Legislature passed the Child Victims Act earlier this year.

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MINNESOTA
KEYC

[with video]

By Brittany Larson, News Reporter

A man who says he was sexually abused by an Irish priest inMinnesota decades ago is suing the New Ulm Diocese.

This morning Attorney Pat Noaker filed a lawsuit inBrown County on behalf of John Doe 103.

His client says in the lawsuit he was about 15 years old WhenFather Francis Markey abused him in 1982 while he served at a perish in Henderson.

Pat Noaker says, “This man came forward a few years agobut at that time Minnesota didn’t allow him to file a case because too muchtime has passed. It was a bad law.”

That law changed this year when Minnesota lawmakers passedthe Child Victims act allowing John Doe to file his case after 31 years.

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VATICAN CITY
Gay News Network

[Venerabilis]

Venerablis, a website run out of the Vatican, has been reported as being a gay dating site for Catholic priests.

The site, whose credo is emblazoned on the homepage as a ‘website for “homosensible Roman Catholic priests’, features chatrooms in five different languages.

Catholic writer Vittorio Messori aka Eponymous Flower, stumbled upon the site recently and discovered sexual encounters in process in the Venerablis’ chatrooms and face-to-face hook-ups being arranged between members.

Examples in the Italian chatroom include:

My name is Luca from Milan and would like to meet a priest with serious intentions to associate with him.

Anonymous wrote: Good day, I am 67 years old, I had friendships with priests who were important for my spiritual, personal and sexual life… I would like to be contacted by priests in Rome again and to experience these feelings, PS: I am a teacher and guarantee discretion for me and for everyone who answers me.

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PHILIPPINES
Rappler

BY ARIES C. RUFO
POSTED ON 06/18/2013

MANILA, Philippines – Conducting their rounds on November 17, 2012, patrolling police and barangay officials in Barangay Pamplona Dos in Las Piñas City observed a Hyundai car moving at a snail’s pace along Libra Street.

It was around 10:30 pm, and the patrolling group, which had grown suspicious, decided to follow the Hyundai, which stopped at a dimly lighted corner of the street.

When they peered into the vehicle, they saw the driver in tight embrace with another occupant – a woman. The driver immediately went out of the vehicle to confront the patrolling officers.

Introducing himself as Fr. Gerald “Gerry” Mascariña, the priest brusquely told the patrolling officers that he was just helping the woman with her studies. Unimpressed with the cleric’s explanation and offended by his rude attitude, the patrolling officers invited Mascariña and his companion to the barangay hall.

At the barangay hall, Mascariña – the parish priest of San Roque de Alabang Parish in the neighboring city of Muntinlupa – was in a hurry to leave the place and his female companion.

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MINNESOTA
Patch

Sex Abuse Case Filed by Deephaven Attorney Against Archdiocese Involves Former Long Lake Priest

Posted by Jay Corn (Editor), June 18, 2013

A Deephaven attorney has filed a civil suit against the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis on behalf of a Minnesota man who claims a priest who spent seven years at St. George’s Catholic Church in Long Lake molested him in the early 1970s.

In court documents filed earlier this month, Patrick Noaker states the Archdiocese was aware that Father Thomas Stitts was sexually inappropriate with boys throughout his career and was repeatedly

In all, more than a dozen cases—including two stemming from alleged conduct at St. George’s—have been filed against Father Stitts. Noaker has represented almost all of Stitts’ alleged victims.

“The abuse in this latest case occurred while Father Stitts was serving as a priest at St. Leo’s in St. Paul,” Noaker said. “The Archdiocese knew he had acted inappropriately at other parishes. I handled 12 previous cases. That’s how I know that information. I think I’m more knowledgeable about Father Stitts’ activity than anyone—except for the Archdiocese, of course.”

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NEW YORK
Bensonhurst Bean

Borough Park Sexual Abuse Case Becomes Front-Line Battle Between Whistle-Blowers And Orthodox Establishment

by Willie Simpson on Jun 18th, 2013

Sam Kellner, an Orthodox man and Borough Park resident, was seeking justice on behalf of his sexually abused 16-year-old son. The New York Times reported that in the midst of his ordeal, he was shunned by the local community, damaging his business and social life, but also indicted on charges of attempting to extort the accused abuser for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The complicated and tragic story began five years ago when Kellner accused Baruch Lebovits, a prominent Hasidic cantor, of sexually abusing his 16-year-old son. Kellner began working with investigators in helping them uncover other victims of Lebovits, in turn seriously upsetting the Orthodox establishment. A rabbi at Kellner’s synagogue declared him a traitor and forbade community members from talking to him. As a result, Kellner’s son was barred from all local yeshivas and Kellner’s business was driven to closure. Kellner also became worried that he would be unable to find his son a wife.

According to Kellner, his life was ruined.

“I felt murdered and abandoned. I’m ruined,” Kellner told the Times.

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AUSTRALIA
The Chronicle

AN INQUIRY into the handling of child sex abuse allegations against a former chaplain of Slade School is under way and the Anglican Church is calling for potential victims to come forward.

The inquiry was ordered last month, following allegations priest Robert Waddington was banished from England to Slade School in 1956, following claims he was molesting the son of an English politician.

He stayed at Slade School until 1959, before moving to north Queensland.

Waddington is accused of physically and sexually abusing at least three students in Ravenshoe, north Queensland and recruiting several teachers who were later convicted of child abuse.

He died of cancer in 2007.

Former Archbishop of York David Hope is accused of covering up allegations of abuse by Waddington when they were reported to him in 1999 and 2003. He denies the allegations.

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FLORIDA
Sun Sentinel

By Rafael Olmeda, Sun Sentinel
9:14 p.m. EDT, June 18, 2013

A new lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Miami accuses the pastor of a Coral Springs K-12 school of looking the other way while a young boy complained he was being molested by a music teacher.

Miguel Cala, 40, is already serving a 23-year prison term after pleading no contest to lewd and lascivious molestation charges last year. But the lawsuit filed Monday by Miami attorney Jeffrey Herman outlines new allegations against the convicted pedophile.

“We are alleging that this boy was raped and sodomized by Miguel Cala in the school at St. Andrew [Catholic School in Coral Springs], and also that Father George Puthusseril, who was the pastor of St. Andrew, was aware that this boy was being sexually abused by Miguel Cala,” Herman said at a news conference Tuesday.

The archdiocese denied the allegations related to Puthusseril.

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MADISON (WI)
Madison Magazine

Jun 20, 2013
10:00 AM until 08:00 PM

Several Wisconsin organizations have partnered to put together a one-day conference on surviving childhood sex abuse that will be held at the Sheraton Hotel in Madison on Thursday, June 20.

Sponsored by Solidarity with Child Sex Abuse Victims/Survivors, Rape Crisis Center, Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault (WCASA), OutReach Inc., Family Sexual Abuse Treatment, Canopy Center, Proud Theater, and Friends of the State Street Family the day-long conference will focus on healing and survival, particularly among male victims, an often underserved population in the sexual assault advocacy community.

The conference will start with an introduction by Kelly Anderson, Executive Director of the Rape Crisis Center at 10:00 a. m. on June 20 and will culminate at 6:00 p.m. with “Dare to Dream”, a program of MaleSurvivor that includes the film “Boys and Men Healing”, followed by a panel discussion led by MaleSurvivor’s Executive Director Christopher Anderson. MaleSurvivor is a nationwide organization based in New York City that is committed to preventing, healing, and eliminating all forms of sexual victimization of boys and men

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DOMINICA
Associated Press

By CARLISLE JNO BAPTISE
— Jun. 9

ROSEAU, Dominica (AP) — Dozens of parishioners gathered outside a Roman Catholic church Sunday to support a parish priest who has been accused of molesting a girl nearly two decades ago.

Catholics in Dominica’s Grand Bay held cardboard placards saying “Our parish priest has to stay” and chanting their support for Monsignor Reginald Lafleur, who they referred to as “Father Reggie.”

The 59-year-old priest was put on administrative leave after a woman alleged that he touched her inappropriately on her “bottom and breast” and made “sweet eyes” at her 19 years ago when she was a 12-year-old parishioner. The woman made the accusations against Lafleur in a series of letters to Bishop Gabriel Malzaire, the head of Dominica’s diocese.

Malzaire has sent the accuser to the Caribbean country of Trinidad & Tobago for counseling as a local church panel investigates her allegations. He has not stated publicly why he decided to send her for counseling in Trinidad.

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DOMINICA
Dominican News

Sunday, June 9th, 2013

After over two hours of dialogue and negotiation between Bishop Gabriel Malzaire and church leaders at the Grand Bay Presbytery, a brief resolution has been reached in a matter involving accused priest, Fr. Reginald Lafleur.

“It was long and they have come with no evidence but the Bishop has agreed that the investigations needed another month,” Edward Registe and Amour Thomas, two of the persons who met with the bishop, explained.

They said a board appointed appointed by Bishop Malzaire has been investigating the matter since January this year but he has refused to reveal he names of the members of that board.

The church leaders were also concerned that while Fr. Lafleur was officially asked to go on administrative leave from June 8, the letter did not indicate for how long.

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DOMINICA
Dominican News

Saturday, June 8th, 2013

Grand Bay Catholics have threatened to take protest action on Sunday in solidarity with their parish priest, Fr. Reginald Lafleur, who has been sent on “administrative leave” by head of the Roman Catholic church in Roseau, Bishop Gabriel Malzaire.

Bishop Malzaire took the action after a woman, who is referred to as ‘Jane Doe’ in correspondence obtained by DNO, wrote to him alleging that she was the victim of abuse by the priest 19 years ago while he served in Portsmouth.

As a result, Bishop Malzaire has sent her to Trinidad & Tobago for therapy, opening what many say is “a can of worms.”

Catholic faithful in Grand Bay say they view Bishop Malzaire’s action as dictatorial and are asking for further review and consultation to avoid “unpleasantness.”

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
KMOX

ST. LOUIS (KMOX) – Local clergy abuse survivor will testify before the United Nations Committee Wednesday in Geneva, Switzerland.

St. Louisian David Clohessy, with the Survivors Network of Those Abused By Priests, claims the Vatican has violated a 1990 treaty pledging to put the rights of children first in all of its decision-making.

“We are presenting evidence to this committee that shows that the Vatican is basically breaking those promises and breaking that treaty,” he says.

While Clohessy says the UN does not really have much power in this case, it does have a bully pulpit to alert the world what SNAP sees as the church’s condoning of cover ups and enabling of more offenses against children.

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AUSTRALIA
The Age

June 19, 2013

Steve Butcher

Infamous paedophile and former catholic priest Gerald Ridsdale will be interviewed for a second time over new sex abuse allegations.

A detective from a Victorian police taskforce on Wednesday morning applied in Melbourne magistrates court to interview Ridsdale who was recently interviewed by investigators.

Ridsdale, 79, wearing a black top and seated at a desk in front of a brick wall, appeared from a prison via video link.

Detective senior constable David Rae told the court that since May 30 this year police had identified a number of complainants who had provided sworn statements.

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AUSTRALIA
Herald Sun

SHANNON DEERY HERALD SUN JUNE 19, 2013

POLICE will interview one of the country’s most notorious pedophiles over fresh allegations of child sexual abuse.

It is the second time in a month former Victorian Catholic priest Gerald Ridsdale will be quizzed by detectives over new claims.

A police spokesperson confirmed today a magistrate had allowed detectives to conduct the interview.

It comes just three weeks after police were granted access to the 79-year-old behind bars.

It is not known how many alleged victims had made new complaints.

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IRELAND
Irish Independent

[with video]

DEARBHAIL MCDONALD LEGAL EDITOR – 19 JUNE 2013

SURVIVORS of Magdalene Laundries should be paid “comprehensive compensation” including unpaid wages, pensions and rehabilitation supports for forced labour, according to the Irish Human Rights Commission.

The IHRC said former Senator Martin McAleese’s investigation into the institutions fell short as he did not draw any conclusions on the human rights obligations of the State.

Professor Siobhan Mullally, IHRC commissioner, said its follow-up report was filling a gap left by the McAleese inquiry.

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IRELAND
The Irish Sun

SURVIVORS of the Magdalene Laundries should get compensation including unpaid wages, pensions and rehab, a watchdog has insisted.

In yesterday’s follow-up report to Martin McAleese’s laundries probe, the Irish Human Rights Commission said the State failed to protect women and girls sent to the institutions.

And IHRC commissioner Professor Siobhan Mullally said the McAleese inquiry fell short of drawing conclusions on the State’s obligations.

She added: “The State acted wrongfully in failing to protect these women by not putting in place adequate mechanisms to prevent such violations, and by failing to respond to their allegations over a protracted period.”

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UNITED STATES
The New York Times

[audit report]

By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
Published: June 18, 2013

A regional province of the Capuchin religious order that had fought allegations of sexual abuse for decades decided last year to open its files dating to the 19th century to three independent auditors, in what the order claimed to be a first in the long-running Roman Catholic Church abuse scandal in the United States.

After more than a dozen students at the province’s St. Lawrence Seminary in Wisconsin accused nine friars of abuse in 1992, it cost the province’s insurer nearly a million dollars — but 89 percent of that went to lawyers to defend the Capuchins and only 11 percent to victims for settlements and therapy, the report said.

“One of the very sobering findings,” the Rev. John Celichowski, the Capuchins’ provincial minister, said Tuesday in a conference call with reporters, “is through much of our history as a province, we have failed victims and survivors.”

The audit is unusual because the Capuchin province commissioned it voluntarily, claimed to allow the investigators unfettered access to original files and documents, and included on the panel the Rev. Thomas Doyle, a prominent whistle-blower who has often testified against the church in court cases.

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AUSTRALIA
The Australian

JOHN FERGUSON, VICTORIAN POLITICAL EDITOR From: The Australian June 19, 2013

A VICTORIAN police deputy commissioner and the force have been accused of false and misleading evidence to the state’s child sex abuse inquiry in a withering takedown of their allegations.

An eminent lawyer has accused police and Deputy Commissioner Graham Ashton of “blatant untruths”, a “travesty” of justice, “utterly false” claims and of “malicious nonsense” in evidence obtained by The Australian.

Peter O’Callaghan, QC, independent commissioner in charge of the Catholic Church’s Melbourne-based complaints system, has exposed weaknesses in the police submission and provided evidence that contradicts the most damaging claim by Mr Ashton and the force that the church failed to report a single case of abuse to police.

His comments mark the first significant backlash by a figure involved in the Catholic Church’s response to the abuse scandal, based on what it sees as inaccurate accusations against its attempts to remedy the situation. It also sets the scene for the church – and commissioners – to more vigorously defend itself before the national royal commission into the issue. Mr O’Callaghan’s submission exposes a split at the highest levels of the force about the way the Catholic Church has responded to its sex abuse epidemic.

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MINNESOTA
The Journal

June 19, 2013
By Kevin Sweeney – Journal Editor , The Journal

NEW ULM – A lawsuit against the Diocese of New Ulm has been filed by a man who claims he was sexually abused by a priest, the Rev. Francis Markey, when he was pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Henderson in 1982.

The lawsuit, which was filed Tuesday, takes advantage of a new law easing the state’s statute of limitations for victims of childhood sexual abuse.

Markey, a native of Ireland, died last September in Ireland where he was awaiting trial for the sexual assault of a teenage boy in 1964. He was also named in a 2011 lawsuit brought by a man who claimed he had been abused while Markey was serving in St. Andrew’s Catholic Church in Granite Falls in 1982. The Diocese of New Ulm was also named as a defendant in that suit, which was eventually dismissed.

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MINNESOTA
TribTown

By STEVE KARNOWSKI Associated Press
First Posted: June 18, 2013

MINNEAPOLIS — A man who says he was sexually abused by an Irish priest during his brief stay in Minnesota in 1982 sued the Roman Catholic Diocese of New Ulm on Tuesday, becoming the latest of several plaintiffs to take advantage of a new law easing the state’s statute of limitations for victims of childhood sexual abuse.

Attorney Patrick Noaker filed the lawsuit in Brown County District Court in New Ulm on behalf of a man identified only as John Doe 103. He says he was molested by Francis Markey, a priest who was extradited from Indiana to Ireland in 2010 to face charges of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy there in 1968, but who died at the age of 84 last year before he could go on trial.

John Doe 103 says in the lawsuit that he was about 15 years old and in 10th grade when Markey abused him in 1982 while he served at St. Joseph Parish in Henderson.

The lawsuit accuses the Diocese of New Ulm of negligence, alleging church officials knew Markey had been accused of sexually abusing children elsewhere and knew he had undergone treatment for pedophilia at three separate facilities in his native Ireland, England and New Mexico.

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UNITED STATES
KMPH

[audit report]

By RACHEL ZOLL
AP Religion Writer

NEW YORK (AP) – A Roman Catholic religious order released an unusually candid report Tuesday outlining how its leaders failed for decades to stop sex abuse in its schools and other ministries.

The Capuchin Franciscan Province of St. Joseph, which spans 10 Midwestern states, asked experts in clergy sex abuse to provide a full accounting of abuse by examining all the order’s records. Advocates for victims said it was the broadest attempt at transparency by any part of the American church.

The auditors found the Province of St. Joseph hid abuse from parents and police, kept offenders in ministry long after their misconduct was known and spent far more on defense attorneys than on helping victims. Some friars showed compassion to victims. But they were thwarted when the order and the insurance company that covered settlement to victims allowed lawyers to take a win-at-all-costs strategy in civil lawsuits that was unnecessary and undermined the moral standing of the church, according to the findings.

“For much of the history of the province, we have failed victims,” said the Rev. John Celichowski, the provincial minister, or leader, of the Province of St. Joseph, in a conference call with reporters. “We realize it will take years and many concrete gestures to restore the trust we lost.”

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UNITED STATES
National Catholic Reporter

[audit report]

Joshua J. McElwee | Jun. 18, 2013

Two former leaders of the lay group set up by the U.S. bishops in 2002 to monitor the church’s sex abuse policies nationwide have said questions remain over how religious orders are being audited for their adherence to those policies.

The comments of the leaders came in interviews with NCR Monday before the release of a wide-ranging audit Tuesday, which concluded that the province of one order acted inadequately in responding to sex abuse allegations over a period of eight decades.

That province, the report concluded, placed the needs of priest-abusers above their lay victims and gave deference to lawyers who “re-victimized” those victims in an attempt to protect the clerics from costly lawsuits.

One of the former leaders of the U.S. bishops’ lay group to monitor sex abuse policies, Judge Michael Merz, said religious orders are not bound by the same rules for abuse reporting as bishops across the country.

While 194 of 195 of U.S. dioceses have agreed to abide by the policies set in place by the bishops in 2002, known as “The Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,” orders of religious are not bound by that charter, said Merz, a federal district court judge in Ohio who served as the chairman of the U.S. bishops’ National Review Board for clergy sex abuse from 2007 to 2009.

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MILWAUKEE (WI)
Fox 6

[audit report]

June 18, 2013, by Katie DeLong and Beverly Taylor

MILWAUKEE (WITI) — SNAP — the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests is responding to the voluntary release of an audit by the Midwest Province of Capuchin Franciscans (which includes Wisconsin) — naming 23 of 46 friars alleged to have raped or sexually assaulted children.

According to SNAP, this audit was conducted by a three-member team hired by the Capuchins — including a priest who is a well-known critic of how the church has responded to sexual abuse.
The auditors reviewed files held by the Province, as well as the manner in which the Province responded to incidents and reports of inappropriate sexual behavior and sexual abuse in the past.
In a statement, SNAP says: “The Capuchins are to be commended for this earnest effort to bring transparency to this dark and deceitful corner of their organization and history.”

Peter Isley — a spokesman for SNAP reviewed the findings of the audit the day of its release.
“It has a lot of personal significance. I was sexually assaulted by a Capuchin priest when I was 13 and 14 at their high school boarding seminary which they still operate, St. Lawrence Seminary,” Isley said.
In its statement, SNAP refers to a case involving Fr. Jude Hahn — a recently deceased priest who served as a faculty member at St. Lawrence for three decades, appointed the Freshman dorm supervisor, and co-pastor of Holy Cross, a parish operated by the Capuchins for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

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VATICAN CITY
The New Yorker

POSTED BY JOAN ACOCELLA

Why did the Roman Catholic cardinals choose, as their Pope, a man who liked to ride the bus and cook his own dinner? Didn’t they guess that such a person might not be a good advertisement of the Church’s magnificence? And when Jorge Mario Bergoglio chose the name Francis, after St. Francis of Assisi, probably the most self-abnegating man ever to direct a religious order—and one whose name, tellingly, had never before been selected by a Pope—didn’t they worry a little bit? They should have. El Mundo says that “several Vaticanists” have commented that “the Pontiff is capable of speaking without restraint on any matter, as delicate as it may be.” Recently, he gave a good example. He spoke about homosexuality in the Vatican.

On June 6th, in a meeting at the Vatican with a group named CLAR (the Latin American and Caribbean Confederation of Religious Men and Women—that is, nuns and priests), he acknowledged that there were serious problems in the Roman Curia. The organization, he said, included many holy people. “But there also is a stream of corruption, there is that as well, it is true…. The ‘gay lobby’ is mentioned, and it is true, it is there…. We need to see what we can do.” Transparency has been a constant theme of Francis’s administration so far. “Open the doors … Open the doors!” he said at the beginning of his address to CLAR. “Don’t be afraid to denounce!” Since when have we heard that from a Pope?

Francis’s remarks were not taped, though at least one person in the small audience was observed to have a notebook. After the meeting, what was said to be a summary of his remarks was leaked to the press, without his consent. This is poor evidence for the accuracy of the document, as representatives of CLAR later pointed out. They said they deeply regretted the leak, since “the singular expressions contained in the text cannot be attributed to the Holy Father with certainty.”

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SWITZERLAND
GlobalPost

Agence France-Presse June 18, 2013

The Catholic Church must be held to account by a UN human rights watchdog for doing too little to halt and expose paedophile priests, victims of abuse by the clergy said Tuesday.

David Clohessy, director of the US-based Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), said he had few hopes of a massive shake up by Pope Francis, who since being elected in March has made several pronouncements urging action.

“They can trot out all the impressive policies and procedures and promises they want,” Clohessy said ahead of a meeting with the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, which is due to examine the Vatican’s record in coming months.

“We’re dealing with a well-established, longstanding, extraordinarily powerful global monarchy, that really has few or any checks and balances on its power,” he told reporters.

“That’s why we’re increasingly turning to international institutions that we believe have the clout and the reach and indeed the duty to step in,” he added.

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UNITED STATES
Huffington Post

Michael D’Antonio

This week in Geneva, the United Nation’s Committee on the Rights of the Child is hearing closed-door testimony about official Catholicism’s compliance with the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child. One of almost 200 signatories to the convention, the Holy See (the formal name of the Vatican state) is fifteen years late in delivering a report describing whether it has acted to “protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence” as the convention requires. Victims of sexually abusive priests, their advocates, various American grand juries, Irish government investigators and their counterparts in other countries have turned up ample evidence that it has not.

The decades-long international scandal of sexual abuse and cover-ups by higher church authorities is so familiar that by now it requires little recounting. It’s sufficient to say that thousands of priests have been judged credibly accused by the church itself, which has paid billions of dollars to settle legal claims filed by victims. In America, roughly five hundred clergy have been convicted of crimes against children. In Ireland, the scandal is so great it has ruptured the historically tight bond between the state and the church. In Australia the parliament has begun a broad inquiry into sex crimes committed by Catholic clergy, which Cardinal George Pell of Sydney recently termed “a horrendous widespread mess.”

A global problem, the mess has eluded many efforts to clean it up, in part because of the strange status of the church. Spread across the world, and managed by a top-down hierarchy, it is comprised of thousands of corporate entities, from individual parishes to the Vatican bank. When sued by victims of child abuse, church officials prefer the institution be treated as a local entity, which means that higher authorities and the larger fortune held by various Catholic bureaucracies are protected. However, individual bishops accused of cover-ups, have sometimes found it convenient to point to authorities in distant Rome, shifting the moral burden to them when it seems like priest abusers were allowed, or even helped to evade responsibility for their acts. (In fact, the Vatican generally does have final say over the institutional response to claims against priests.)

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IRELAND
The Journal

[the report]

REDRESS FOR WOMEN of the Magdalene Laundries should be immediately be acted upon, Justice for Magdalenes Research has said.

Justice for Magdalenes Research (JFM), welcomed the publication of the Irish Human Rights Commission (IHRC) Follow-up Report on State Involvement with Magdalen Laundries, which gives a detailed overview of the “systemic human rights failings” on the part of the Irish State in relation to the girls and women of the Magdalene Laundries.

JFM said it echoes the IHRC’s call that the State immediately put in place a system of redress for survivors of the Magdalene Laundries which “should provide for individual financial compensation for the impact of the human rights violations concerned”.

JFM said such a redress fund must be independently monitored, have an appeals process and be placed on a statutory footing with independent statutory powers.

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NEW JERSEY
BishopAccountability.org

Summary of Case: A Newark, NJ priest ordained in 1972, Chabak pastored a number of parishes throughout the archdiocese, and was given the title “Monsignor” in 1995. In 2004 he was placed on administrative leave after an accusation surfaced that he had sexually abused a boy in the 1970s, when the boy was around 15 years-old. The abuse is said to have occurred over a three-year period. Chabak has been retired since 2008.

Ordained: 1972
Retired: 2008

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IRELAND
Irish Times

[the report – Irish Human Rights Commission]

Patsy McGarry

Tue, Jun 18, 2013

The Irish Human Rights Commission (IHRC) has repeated its 2010 call for a statutory inquiry into the Magdalene laundries on the lines of the Murphy commission which investigated the handling of clerical child sex abuse allegations in Dublin’s Catholic archdiocese.

However, it has also insisted that whatever redress scheme may have been recommended to the Government by Mr Justice John Quirke should go ahead immediately. Mr Justice Quirke’s proposals are to be published “shortly”, according to a spokeswoman for the Department of Justice.

Follow-up
In its Follow-up Report on State Involvement with Magdalen Laundries, published today, the commission said “the State failed in its obligations to protect the human rights of girls and women in the laundries”.

It called for “a comprehensive redress scheme that provides individual compensation, restitution and rehabilitation for the women in accordance with the State’s human rights obligations”.

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CANADA
Brandon Sun

By: The Canadian Press
Tuesday, Jun. 18, 2013

WINNIPEG – Two brothers who say they were sexually abused by an Orthodox priest in Winnipeg will have their testimony considered jointly.

The decision was made by Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Christopher Mainella in the trial of Seraphim Storheim.

Storheim’s defence lawyer had argued each brother’s testimony should not be used to bolster the other’s claim.

The judge ruled each brother’s testimony is important in determining whether sexual abuse occurred.
Storheim is accused of sexually assaulting the boys at separate times in the summer of 1985.

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UNITED STATES
National Catholic Reporter

Joshua J. McElwee | Jun. 18, 2013

For eight decades, leaders of a community of Catholic priests and brothers spanning 10 U.S. states acted inadequately in responding to sex abuse allegations and prioritized protecting accused abusers over their victims, concludes an audit released by the group Tuesday.

The report, released by a province of Franciscan priests known as Capuchins, could raise questions of how communities of religious, which are not under direct control of bishops, are handling abuse allegations.

It also addresses themes many critics of the U.S. church’s response to sex abuse have raised since the issue made national headlines in 2002.

The report says that at the heart of the Capuchins’ inadequacy to respond to the abuse was a culture of clericalism that placed the needs of priest-abusers above their lay victims and deference to lawyers who “revictimized” those victims in an attempt to protect the clerics from costly lawsuits.

“It is the opinion of the auditors that the Capuchins’ response to sexual abuse reports was deficient, especially their failures to report abuse to civil authorities and their inadequate pastoral responses to victims,” states the report, which was conducted by the Capuchins’ St. Joseph Province by three auditors over the last year and which examined province records back to 1932.

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UNITED STATES
Fresno Bee

[audit report]

The Associated Press

NEW YORK — A Roman Catholic religious order based in the Midwest is releasing an unusually candid report admitting it failed victims of clergy sex abuse.

The Capuchin Franciscan Province of St. Joseph opened its files going back decades to outside experts. The report released Tuesday found the friars treated many victims with hostility. Until 2004, most of the money the religious order spent on responding to abuse was on defense attorneys, not on help for victims.

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ILLINOIS
WAND

Posted: Jun 18, 2013

WAUKEGAN, Ill. (AP) – The trial has been delayed for a Benedictine monk from Wisconsin charged in Illinois with trying to abduct four girls.

The Daily Herald reports Tuesday (http://bit.ly/11w0yMt) that attorneys pushed 57-year-old Thomas Chmura’s trial to Sept. 25. Chmura is free on $50,000 bond and has pleaded not guilty.

He lived at St. Benedict’s Abbey in Benet Lake, Wis. He was arrested based on a description provided by 1 of the girls.

The judge has restricted Chmura to living with his father in the Chicago suburb of Lansing. Chmura also can’t have contact with anyone under age 17.

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UNITED STATES
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel June 18, 2013

In what’s being touted as a first of its kind voluntary airing of a Catholic religious order’s culpability in the church’s sexual abuse crisis, a branch of the Capuchin Franciscans on Tuesday issued an independent audit recounting its own history of sexual abuse of young people and coverups that spanned decades.

The audit was commissioned by the 10-state St. Joseph Province of the Capuchin Order, which has several ministries in Milwaukee and Wisconsin, last June. It lists 23 current or former friars with confirmed allegations of sexual abuse of minors, many of them occurring in Wisconsin.

Echoing many of the complaints about the broader church’s handling of the global sex abuse crisis, it says that, dating back to the 1930s, the Capuchins:

■ Moved offenders from position to position without divulging their histories or returned them from ministry after treatment where they would re-offend.
■ Rarely reported allegations to civil authorities, even after they were required by law.
■ Routinely placed concerns for their accused friars and their organization over those of victims.
■ Spent vastly more on lawyers than on compensating or caring for victims.
■ May have lost or destroyed documents.
■ And often revictimized survivors, especially those who sued the order or sought compensation, transparency or other forms of accountability; in one case, the order’s attorney threatened to publicly divulge a victim’s sexual orientation if he sued.

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UNITED STATES
Capuchin Franciscan Province of St. Joseph

A little over a year ago, the Province of St. Joseph announced the initiation of an independent audit or review of our provincial files regarding the sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable adults. The audit process has been completed and today we release the auditors’ report. The full report, an executive summary, and a number of other helpful documents, including our provincial policies and procedures, are available by clicking the green “Safe Environment” button at the Capuchin Communications website, http://sjpcommunications.org.

Upon the recommendation of the auditors, and with the support of our Provincial Review Board and Audit Work Group, we have also made the decision to publicly release the names of current, former, and deceased friars who have allegations of sexual abuse of a minor or vulnerable adult that have been confirmed by their own admission, an investigation, or what the auditors have determined to be other sufficient evidence. This is not a decision that we make lightly. It is the product of years of periodic reflection, conversation, deliberation and prayer.

We acknowledge that in today’s environment the public disclosure of even an allegation of abuse can have a negative and perhaps irreparable effect on a friar’s reputation. This is an important consideration (though not the only one) when a friar must be placed on administrative leave pending an investigation. It is even weightier for those who are deceased and will never have the opportunity to defend themselves. A number of the friars on the list below were previously publicly identified, chiefly by prior media reports, court filings or other matters of public record.

The Province’s policies require that a member of the Province who has been found to have sexually abused a minor or vulnerable adult have a Supervision Plan (SP). This plan is reviewed annually by our Provincial Review Board and revised where necessary. As part of the process of developing a friar’s SP, our Office of Pastoral Care and Conciliation (OPCC) also employs the services of professionals to conduct risk assessments.

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UNITED STATES
Capuchin Franciscan Province of St. Joseph in the United States

The Auditors
Mr. Michael Burnett, J.D., Esq.
Fr. Thomas Doyle, J.C.D., C.A.D.C.
Dr. James Freiburger, Psy.D.

Executive Summary
Audit of the Capuchin Franciscan Province of St. Joseph in the United States

The Capuchin Order is a religious order of men in the Roman Catholic Church. It is one ofseveral related orders that follow the example of St. Francis of Assisi. Capuchins profess toemulate St. Francis and to animate their mission, ministries and religious life with the“charism” of St. Francis, meaning St. Francis’ special qualities and virtues and influences thatcharacterized his unique Christian religious expression. Following the example of St. Francis, the Capuchins seek to create a community of equals in which the message of Christ is brought to others, especially poor and marginalized people. They profess to have a particular affinity for and a stewardship of all the creatures and the environment of God’s creation. They minister in hospitals, soup kitchens, schools, parishes and in the mission fields.

The Capuchin Order has various subdivisions called “provinces” throughout the world. The Province of St. Joseph was founded in 1856; but in 1952, the province was split and 188 members left to form a new province consisting of territory in New York and New England.

Since 1952, the St. Joseph Province of the Capuchin Order (the province) has encompassed Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Montana, the Archdiocese of Chicago and the Diocese of Joliet in Illinois, and the Diocese of Fort WayneSouth Bend, the Diocese of Gary and the Diocese of Lafayette in Indiana. The province has also had missions in Nicaragua, Guam, Japan, Australia, Panama and the Middle East.

The members of the province are referred to as “friars.” Some friars are ordained priests, which in the Catholic Church are sometimes referred to as “clerics,” who typically are called “father.”

Some members are not ordained but instead are sometimes referred to as “lay friars” who are typically called “brother.” In recent years, the Capuchin Order worldwide has encouraged its members to refer to themselves as “brother” regardless of whether they are ordained, so as to underscore their equality and Franciscan vocation.

The governance of the province is accomplished through the provincial minister and a Provincial Council. The provincial minister is a “major superior” and the “ordinary,” which means he is the leader of the province. He governs with the assistance of the Provincial Council, with whom he is expected to consult on a variety of matters. In some matters (e.g. issuing canonical warnings to a friar who may be dismissed from the order), the provincial minister cannot act without the consent of a majority of his Provincial Council.

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UNITED STATES
SNAPwisconsin.com

[audit report]

Capuchin report: 46 friars alleged to have assaulted children, 23 named
Abuse “audit” a good and important start, but much more needs to be done, victims say
Order spent “eight times” more on lawyers than compensating victims
But key abuse documents have yet to obtained or were destroyed

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

(NB: Isely is a victim/survivor of sexual assault by a Capuchin priest while attending St. Lawrence Seminary boarding high school, see his profile here).

Today, in a first voluntary effort of its kind in the history of the child sex abuse crisis, a Catholic religious order, the Midwest Province of the Capuchin Franciscans, released a voluntary “audit” of their clergy abuse files, naming 23 of 46 friars alleged to have raped or sexually assaulted children.
The list of the 23 “substantiated” offenders has been posted at the Capuchin website this morning. (The list of Capuchin offenders, the audit report, and other documentation can also be found at the SNAPwisconsin.com at this page).

The audit was conducted by a three member team hired by the Capuchins, including Fr. Tom Doyle, a well-known critic of how the church has responded to sexual abuse.

The Capuchins are to be commended for this earnest effort to bring transparency to this dark and deceitful corner of their organization and history.

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SWITZERLAND
Expatica

The Catholic Church must be held to account by a UN human rights watchdog for doing too little to halt and expose paedophile priests, victims of abuse by the clergy said Tuesday.

David Clohessy, director of the US-based Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), said he had few hopes of a massive shake up by Pope Francis, who since being elected in March has made several pronouncements urging action.

“They can trot out all the impressive policies and procedures and promises they want,” Clohessy said ahead of a meeting with the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, which is due to examine the Vatican’s record in coming months.

“We’re dealing with a well-established, longstanding, extraordinarily powerful global monarchy, that really has few or any checks and balances on its power,” he told reporters.

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MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

Updated: June 18, 2013

NEW ULM, Minn. — A man who says he was sexually abused by an Irish priest in Minnesota in 1982 is suing the Diocese of New Ulm, taking advantage of a new law easing the state’s statute of limitations for victims of childhood sexual abuse.

Attorney Pat Noacker filed the lawsuit in Brown County on behalf of John Doe 103. It names Francis Markey, who was extradited to Ireland in 2010 to face sexual abuse charges there. He died year before going on trial.

John Doe 103 says in the lawsuit that he was about 15 years old when Markey abused him in 1982 while he served at a parish in Henderson.

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DEUTSCHLAND
Christoph Fleischmann

Klaus Mertes will “Verlorenes Vertrauen” für die Katholische Kirche zurückgewinnen.

Vor zweieinhalb Jahren, ein Jahr nach Aufdeckung der Missbrauchsfälle am Berliner Canisius-Kolleg, gab Klaus Mertes gegenüber dem WDR einen – freilich sehr kurzen – Einblick in die Verfassung seines Ordens und seiner eigenen Gemütslage:

“Da muss noch einiges geklärt werden, für mich auch”, so Mertes damals, “das betrifft ja auch mein Verhältnis zu Mitbrüdern der Generation, von der Sie grad gesprochen haben, also insofern hab ich selbst nochmal ein existenzielles Interesse daran. Ich muss ja nochmal mit den Mitbrüdern, die damals Verantwortung trugen, die für mich auch persönlich was bedeuten, heute nochmal in die Augen blicken und fragen: was hast Du gewusst. Oder vielleicht habe ich auch das Gefühl, dass ich belogen worden bin von einigen.”

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ILLINOIS
Daily Herald

By Lee Filas

The trial of a monk accused of trying to lure teenage girls into his car in Antioch has been pushed back to September.

In the meantime, prosecutor Victor O’Block said Thomas Chmura, 57, has been compliant with court-ordered restrictions while free on $50,000 bond.

“There was a mix-up with pretrial services because they were dialing the wrong number (when trying to reach him),” O’Block said after attorneys pushed the trial pushed back to Sept. 25. “But, it’s been worked out. He has been compliant while out.”

Chmura was freed from jail after Lake County Judge Christopher Stride lowered his bond from $150,000 to $50,000 in May. Stride ordered Chmura to live with his father in Lansing, Ill., remain on 24-hour curfew, and wear an ankle-monitoring device at all times.

A fourth condition of his bail is to not have contact with anyone under the age of 17, which prevented Chmura from returning to St. Benedict’s Abbey in Benet Lake, Wis. The abbey houses children under the age of 17 on the property.

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UNITED STATES
Patrick J. Wall

If you are in California or Washington, make sure that you come and see Michael D’Antonio talk about his new book MORTAL SINS.

The Boston Globe calls the book “perhaps the most comprehensive history of the wrongdoing to date” and the Buffalo News says, “Pulitzer Prize winner Michael D’Antonio’s new book “Mortal Sins” will be the gold standard for unraveling what happened during the Catholic priests’ sex abuse scandal of the last three decades. D’Antonio’s balanced exposition and analysis is the equivalent of a cleansing shower on a disturbing period in church history that will reverberate for 100 years or more.”

I will be on the panel in all of the five cities, and I hope to see you there. All of the events are free and open to the public, so bring a friend and invite everyone you know.

Here is the complete list of dates:

SAN DIEGO, CA- Wednesday, June 26, 2013 at 7 pm Alliant University, Green Hall, Co-sponsored by IVAT, the Institute on Violence Abuse and Trauma at Alliant University, 10455 Pomerado Road, San Diego

FULLERTON, CA – Thursday, June 27, 2013 at 7 pm Fullerton Public Library – Presented as a part of Gustavo’s Awesome Lecture Series — 353 W. Commonwealth Ave., Fullerton

SANTA BARBARA, CA – Friday, June 28 at 7 pm Falkner Gallery, Santa Barbara Public Library, 40 E. Anapamu, Santa Barbara Co-sponsored by Therapy Trust and SB Voice of the Faithful

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Saturday, June 29 at 2:30 pm Mission Cultural Center Theater, 2868 Mission Street, San Francisco

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FLORIDA
Palm Beach Post

By Daphne Duret
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

WEST PALM BEACH — Former Rosarian Academy teacher Stephen Budd faces a life in prison even on the low end of a possible punishment if convicted of sexual battery charges surrounding allegations he traded candy for sex with 9-year-old students, prosecutors said this morning.

Budd was arrested in April at his West Palm Beach apartment, not long after a former student of his at Rosarian Academy School, a private Catholic school in West Palm Beach, told police that during the 2006-07 school year, Budd would give them “Budd bucks,” which she explained was candy in return for sexual acts.

At this morning’s hearing in his case, Assistant State Attorney Jessica Kahn told Circuit Judge Karen Miller that according to sentencing guidelines, the lowest recommended sentence for the 51-year-old if convicted would be life in prison.

Budd, who was not in court this morning and remains at the Palm Beach County Jail, has waived his right to a speedy trial. The next hearing in his case is set for August 23.

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NEW JERSEY
The Jewish Press

Apology Letter to Mrs S.
By: Harry Maryles
Published: June 18th, 2013

I hope the victim and his family can take some solace from this letter, Apology Letter to Mrs S. On June 4th a letter was written by Rabbi Dovid Epstein apologizing profusely for the damage he caused the family of a victim of sex abuse by a Yosef Kolko. Kolko was a ‘Mechanench’ (educator) who confessed to that crime both privately and later publicly during his trial when the evidence for it became overwhelming.

I don’t know who Rabbi Epstein is. But it is clear from his letter that he was part of a move to treat a major Talmid Chacham in Lakewood as a pariah. They accused him of being a Moser (someone who informs secular authorities about the illegal activities a fellow Jew – which is considered a major crime).

I am not going to get into whether Mesirah applies today. There is ample precedent among major Poskim – both past and present – that in a country where there is a fair system of Justice, Mesirah does not apply. I agree with them – as does just about all of the Poskim that I value. But the fact is that there are some Poskim that still feel it does apply in societies like ours. These are the people I am addressing.

The Lakewood community of which Rabbi Epstein is a part – is a community that seems to feel Mesirah applies even here and now. I’m sure that the Talmid Chacham whose child was sexually abused probably believes that too. Or at least feels that one should factor in the possibility that it does. To that extent the father (let’s call him Rabbi S) played by the rules, as one would expect a Talmid Chacham of that stature to do. Rabbi S went to some of Lakewood’s city elders and a Beis Din was convened to examine the facts of the accusation. Apparently they felt that there was enough credible evidence to require Kolko to seek counseling.

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MINNESOTA
Fox 47

BLUE EARTH, Minn. (FOX 47) — A Roman Catholic priest remains behind bars in Blue Earth after an appearance Monday afternoon in which he was advised of his rights.

Father Leo Koppala, 47, is charged with second degree criminal sexual conduct after an alleged fondling incident involving a 12-year-old girl in the basement of one of his parishioners.

Bond has been set at $75,000 for Fr. Koppala, who is a native of India. As of late Monday, he had not posted bail and remained in the Faribault County Jail.

Fr. Koppala has been serving at Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Blue Earth for nearly four years. After arriving in the U.S. from the Diocese of Dellore, India back in October of 2008, he had served in the Resurrection R.C. parish in Rochester until July 31, 2009. After his arrest last week, the Diocese of Winona placed Fr. Koppala on administrative leave pending the resolution of the criminal charge.

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ITALIEN
Tages Anzeiger (Schweiz)

Von Michael Meier. Aktualisiert am 17.06.2013
Im Web tauschen sich schwule Priester hoffnungsvoll und ungeniert aus. Die Fraternitas Venerabilis grenzt sich ausdrücklich von der laizistischen Gay-Kultur ab.

«Hallo, ich bin Priester (35) suche Freundschaft mit schwulen Priestern oder Seminaristen. Ich bin sehr offen», schreibt ein Mann im italienischen Chatroom. Und ein anderer: «Ich bin italienischer Priester (45) und habe eine Vorliebe für schwarze Männer. Ich wäre sehr glücklich, wenn mich ein dunkelhäutiger Priester kontaktieren könnte.»

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ITALIA
Giornalettismo

[Venerabilis]

di Redazione – 18/06/2013 – Tra di loro spuntano anche dei tradizionalisti, come ad esempio un giovane prete Lefebvriano

“Mi chiamo Luca, vengo da Milano e e vorrei conoscere un prete con con il quale iniziare una frequentazione seria”, oppure “Ciao, sono un prete di 35 anni in cerca di amicizia con altri preti e seminaristi gay” e ancora “Sono un prete italiano di 45 anni e ho una predilezione per gli uomini di colore, Mi farebbe molto piacere entrare in contatto con un prete con la pelle scura”. Sono solo alcuni degli annunci pubblicati sul sito “Venerabilis”, che si rivolge a quelle pecorelle con le quali il Vaticano non vorrebbe avere nulla a che fare: i cattolici e i preti gay.

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VILLE DU VATICAN
Le Matin

EGLISE CATHOLIQUE — Les prêtres homosexuels vivent parfois une situation pénible mais il existe un site internet où ils peuvent en parler, parfois de manière ingénue mais pleine d’espoir.

C’est l’histoire d’un site discret qui existe depuis plusieurs années et aurait bien voulu garder son anonymat mais les propos que l’on prête au pape François sur un «lobby gay» l’ont mis sous les feux de la rampe. Venerabilis regroupe en effet les annonces des prêtres homosexuels qui recherchent de la compagnie dans un milieu qui exclut les femmes.

«Bonjour, je suis un prêtre (35), recherche l’amitié de prêtres ou de séminaristes homosexuels. Je suis très ouvert», écrit un homme dans la chatroom en italien. Car le site propose des espaces en cinq langues. Ou encore: «Je suis un prêtre italien (45) avec une préférence pour les hommes noirs. Je serai très heureux si un prêtre à la peau sombre pouvait me contacter.»

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ITALIA
Articolo Tre

-R.P.- 13 giugno 2013- Vittorio Messori, illustre vaticanista, afferma che il problema non è l’omosessualità dei preti, ma il “rischio ricatto”.

E’ statisticamente provato che i seminari, come i conventi, le caserme, attraggono un numero di omosessuali superiore alla media, chi dice addirittura che un terzo dei preti evrebbe questa tendenza. Il fenomeno esiste ed è di notevoli proporzioni, il problema è quello della doppia vita, una doppiezza favorita dall’anonimato, che purtroppo favorisce appunto il ricatto.

Si racconta di un prelato tenuto sotto scacco da un gruppo interessato ad ottenere qualche paragrafafo favorevole ai propri interessi nelle scritture e nei documenti ufficiali della Santa Sede. Per tacere di alcuni giovani laici entrati nelle grazie di monsignori organici alle più alte sfere vaticane,e impegnati in inconfessabili giri di affari e di sesso.

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ITALIA
Affar Italiani

Vaticano/ Lobby gay, le bastonate di Venerabilis: manovra per affondare la Curia. In Liguria il 5% dei preti è omosessuale

di Antonino D’Anna

La homepage di Venerabilis
Continua la telenovela della lobby gay vaticana. Dopo le ammissioni di Papa Francesco sulla sua esistenza, esternate il 6 giugno scorso e pubblicate in seguito su un sito cileno nell’imbarazzo del CLAR (i religiosi e religiose latinoamericani), adesso è il momento delle liste nere. Con nomi e cognomi di personaggi vari ed eventuali, tra promossi/rimossi e non solo, che iniziano ad essere sussurrati più o meno a voce alta.

LE BASTONATE DI VENERABILIS- Ma questo non conta. Conta semmai osservare che l’ondata mediatica suscitata in merito alla lobby gay ha causato varie reazioni, dal divertito all’irritato. I più puntuti, per il momento, sono quelli di Venerabilis. Venerabilis si definisce sul suo sito come “Homosensible Roman Catholic Priests Fraternity” (Fraternità omosensibile di sacerdoti cattolici romani). Niente di ufficiale, ovviamente. Ma di informato, e molto, questo sì. Basta leggere i tweet di @vNEWS, l’account Twitter di Venerabilis, che già il 12 giugno scrive: “Si riparla della ‪#LobbyGay in Vaticano e sembra che a parlarne sia Papa Francesco e fuori del Vaticano non c’è ?”. Poco dopo chiede: “Come mai si vuole tanto parlare di 1 Lobby Gay in Vaticano e non si dice nulla della potentissima Lobby Gay fuori del Vaticano ? PRUDENZA ?”.

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VATICAN CITY
Queerty

[Venerabilis]

Great news for the sexually deviant seeking romantic encounters with God’s army in the Vatican.

According to reports, the world’s most unlikely place to find NSA hookups has become a den of iniquity with the uncovering of “Venerabilis,” a gay hookup site targeted for gay priests looking to get busy in the holiest place on Earth.

Though not explicitly pornographic, the site is said to be run “by a fraternity of Homo-Sensitive Roman Catholic Priests” looking to find “like-minded priests” via chatrooms and “missed connections” posts.
Venerabilis offers chatrooms in five different languages where sleuths have already discovered a number of sexual encounters in progress. From “the cafeteria” to a university bookshop, virtually no meeting place is off limits for members looking to meet face-to-face (or face-to-well…you get it)

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ITALIA
Affar Italiani

Vaticano/ Lobby gay, Venerabilis rincara la dose e attacca Bertone. Viaggio nel forum della “fraternità”: tra chi cerca sesso e chi fede

di Antonino D’Anna

Venerabilis torna all’attacco, e stavolta spara a zero su tutti. Dopo le dure prese di posizione dei giorni scorsi raccontate da Affaritaliani, che hanno visto la “fraternità omosensibile” dire la sua a proposito della lobby gay in Vaticano denunciata da Papa Francesco, ora i fratres aggiustano il tiro. E cominciano a far trapelare altre indiscrezioni (ricordiamo ai lettori che alcuni tra i Venerabilis sarebbero sacerdoti di Curia). E lo fanno attraverso Twitter. Vediamo come.

E BERTONE?- Mattina del 15 giugno, i fratres alzano la voce contro un personaggio molto potente e molto importante: il cardinale Segretario di Stato Tarcisio Bertone: “Come mai nessuna parola sulla Lobby SDB (Società Don Bosco, ossia i salesiani, N.d.R.) del Card Bertone ? Sembra che fa comodo a certi parlare della Curai Romana come di una Lobby Gay !!!”. Poi poco dopo pubblicano una foto tratta da un Gay Pride e si chiedono: “Nessuno sembra essere interessato a parlare di LOBBY GAY fuori il Vaticano – Come mai ? Forse non esiste ?”. La mattina romana, con la sua aria frizzantina, stimola ulteriormente la voglia di indiscrezioni dei fratres. Che lanciano un’accusa pesante.

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MINNESOTA
Fairmont Sentinel

June 18, 2013

Jodelle Greiner , Fairmont Sentinel

BLUE EARTH – Father Leo Charles Koppala will remain in the Faribault County Jail after District Judge Douglas Richards ordered more information on his immigration status and refused to lower his bail during a hearing Monday at Faribault County Law Enforcement Center.

Koppala, who was serving as the priest for Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Blue Earth, has been charged with second-degree criminal sexual conduct. The charges stem from an incident June 7 in which Koppala allegedly engaged in sexual conduct with a child under 13 years of age, with the defendant being more than 36 months older than the child. Charges allege that Koppala, 47, fondled the child while visiting a home where the child was staying.

Koppala, a native of India, was provided an interpreter to translate the questions from English to the dialect he speaks.

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VATICAN CITY
Gay Star News

18 JUNE 2013 | BY JOE MORGAN

Gay Catholic priests looking to meet up for friendship and more now have a place to do it online.

Venerabilis, an unofficial gay dating site targeted for priests and the people who love them, is allegedly based in Vatican City.

According to reports, the site says it is run by a ‘fraternity of homo-sensitive Roman Catholic Priests’ looking to find ‘like-minded priests’ via chatrooms.

The site offers five chat rooms in different languages, and by looking through the backlog there seems to have been plenty of face-to-face hook-ups.

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