ABUSE TRACKER

VATICAN CITY
Los Angeles Times

By Tom Kington
September 2, 2013

ROME — Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican’s outgoing secretary of state, has denounced what he calls the “crows and vipers” at work within the Vatican and appeared to suggest that former Pope Benedict should share some of the blame for mistakes made on his watch.

In his first public remarks since he was replaced Saturday as the Vatican equivalent of prime minister, Bertone took aim at critics who allege he oversaw a gaffe-prone and scandal-filed papacy after Benedict appointed him in 2006.

“On balance, I consider these seven years to have been positive,” Bertone said on the sidelines of a Mass celebrated Sunday in Sicily. “Naturally there were problems, particularly in the last two years, they have made many accusations against me. … A mix of crows and vipers.”

Bertone has been depicted as overseeing a Vatican divided by rivalries and suffering from mismanagement. That characterization has surfaced both in letters leaked last year by Benedict’s butler and reportedly in comments by other disgruntled Vatican officials, who were nicknamed “crows.”

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VATICAN CITY
The Guardian

Lizzy Davies in Rome
theguardian.com, Monday 2 September 2013

The Italian prelate who was Pope Benedict’s righthand man in the Vatican during his scandal-dogged papacy has defended his much-criticised record, insisting he “gave everything” to the job despite the activities of “vipers” in the Roman curia.

Speaking a day after Pope Francis named a Vatican diplomat as his new secretary of state, Tarcisio Bertone appeared defiant as he was asked about his time in office.

“I see the record of the past seven years as positive. Of course, there were a lot of problems, especially in the last two years,” he said, according to the Ansa news agency, hitting out at “a combination of crows and vipers”.

“But this should not cloud what I consider to be a positive record,” he added. The Italian word corvo (crow) is used pejoratively to describe informants or people who leak secrets.

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VATICAN CITY
Inquirer (Philippines)

By Juan Mercado
Cebu Daily News
8:52 am | Tuesday, September 3rd, 2013

His phone stopped ringing late March. Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, 79, knew then it would be only a question of time before he would be ushered out of the Secretary of State’s office, Italy’s La Stampa reports. Days earlier, the Rome conclave of cardinals scuppered all forecasts by electing a Latin American Jesuit as 265th pontiff since Peter the Fisherman.

Friday, Pope Francis reached beyond today’s 217 cardinals into the Vatican diplomatic corps. He named 58-year-old Italian Archbishop Pietro Parolin as the new secretary of state. Parolin served as the papal nuncio to Venezuela. He has helped craft the Church’s response to virtually every geopolitical challenge of the past two decades: nuclear disarmament, dialogue with Iran and North Korea, to the fight against human trafficking.

The pontiff thanked Bertone but closed the exit door for a “divisive figure” in the Vatican corridors of power. Bertone, for now, retains his place in the Vatican Bank’s supervisory council. He will stay on the job until a report on the Bank is submitted to Francis.

Critics blame Bertone for a management breakdown exemplified by the Vatileaks scandal, the New York Times noted. Disclosed infighting suggested cronyism. “Archbishop Pietro Parolin’s appointment ends the era of Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone,” the Guardian pointed out. Known for his frugal lifestyle, Parolin’s appointment is also the most significant by Francis since March.

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VATICAN CITY
Irish Independent

TOM KINGTON IN ROME – 03 SEPTEMBER 2013

THE VATICAN’S de facto prime minister has hit out at his enemies a day after being ordered out by the Pope, claiming that he was surrounded by “crows and vipers” who undermined him.

Defending his record despite a series of scandals, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone (78) also appeared to suggest that any blame for errors should be shared by Pope Benedict XVI, who appointed him as secretary of state, effectively his number two, in 2006.

The backlash followed the surprise announcement that Pope Francis had named Archbishop Pietro Parolin (58), currently nuncio in Venezuela, as Cardinal Bertone’s replacement, with a handover due next month.

Cardinal Bertone’s tenure culminated with the leaking by Benedict’s butler of papal correspondence last year. Among the documents were claims that Cardinal Bertone ran a Vatican riven by petty rivalries, corruption and mismanagement.

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VATICAN CITY
Irish Examiner

Tuesday, September 03, 2013

Pope Francis’s “prime minister” Tarcisio Bertone has lashed out against Vatican “moles and vipers” after it was announced he is being replaced with a top diplomat.

By Peter Johnson Vatican City

Secretary of State Bertone has been a powerful and divisive figure at the top of the Vatican hierarchy. His tenure coincided with dark moments for the Church, like the explosion of revelations about child abuse by priests and damaging leaks that pointed to intrigue and corruption in the Vatican.

The comments from the 78-year-old Italian cardinal, who was appointed by the previous pope, Benedict XVI, were quoted by Italian media. The Vatican said on Saturday he would be replaced on Oct 15 by veteran diplomat Pietro Parolin, who is currently the Vatican’s envoy to Venezuela.

“Of course there were a lot of problems, particularly in the last two years and some accusations were levied against me,” Bertone said. “There was a web of moles and vipers. But this should not darken what I see as a positive overall result. We missed some things, also because problems were kept locked away by some people who did not contact the Secretariat of State.”

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IRELAND
Irish Times

Patsy McGarry

Despite many years of breast-beating by this State over its role in aiding and abetting the abuse of women and children in residential institutions, Ireland’s legal system continues to frustrate such people in their pursuit of justice.

An example was reported in this newspaper last Wednesday. Seven women in Dublin have failed in their strenuous attempts to bring to court a man who allegedly sexually abused them, and others, as children in the 1970s.

The weight of evidence alone, as presented in corraborated statements to gardaí, inspired confidence that their alleged abuser would face charges. The DPP decided otherwise. Of course, no explanation was forthcoming.

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REPUBLICA DOMINICANA
Al Momento

CONSTANZA, República Dominicana.- El cura Juan Manuel de Jesús Mota (El Padre Johnny), acusado de haber violado a varias mujeres, dijo que “tendrán que demostrarnos esas imputaciones”.

“No sé quién me está metiendo la espada. No sé nada. Simplemente, me desbarataron mi vida y mi ministerio. Para la gente, ya yo soy eso que han dicho. Entonces, eso que han dicho, eso hay que demostrarlo. Si lo demuestran, deberé asumir las consecuencias. Si es mentira, las consecuencias tendrán que pagarlas otros”, sostuvo.

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REPUBLICA DOMINICANA
Diario Digital

SANTIAGO.-Al menos tres de 15 de las mujeres que acusan de violación al sacerdote católico Juan Manuel de Jesús Mota (Padre Johnny) se querellaran formalmente en contra del religioso, informó el abogado Félix Portes, quien las representa legalmente.

Asimismo, Portes reveló que hoy estará recusando por ante la Procuraduría General de la República, al fiscal Pedro Quezada y al Procurador de la Corte de Apelación de La Vega, Víctor González, por negligencia e inacción en el caso.

“Y que sean designados fiscales que estén dispuestos a investigar el caso” sostuvo Portes.

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REPUBLICA DOMINICANA
Noticias SIN

SANTO DOMINGO, República Dominicana.- El sacerdote católico, Juan Manuel Mota de Jesús, acusado de violar sexualmente a tres menores en Constanza, manifestó este lunes “nunca he violado una persona y en mi sano juicio nunca lo haría”, en una entrevista realizada en el programa radial El Zol de la Mañana, en El ZOL 106.5.

El padre Johnny resaltó que no conoce quienes son las personas que lo acusan, y que contra de él no hay ninguna denuncia formal en la fiscalía de la zona. “No tengo que declararme inocente, ellos tienen que declararme culpable”, señaló el sacerdote.

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REPUBLICA DOMINICANA
Diario Digital

El sacerdote Juan Manuel Mota de Jesús, conocido como Padre Johnny, cuya párrico de Constanza, ha negado este lunes las acusaciones que han presentado varias jóvenes de esa ciudad, quienes le atribuyen haberlas violado sexualmente, entre ellas varias adolescentes.

En declaraciones al Listin Diario, el Padre Johnny ha declarado que las acusaciones en su contra deberán ser demostradas en los tribunales, mientras que el abogado Felix Portes ha anunciado que representa a tres de las supuestas violadas por el sacerdote contra quien presenatrá cargo en los tribunales.

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REPUBLICA DOMINICANA
Listin Diario

Ramón Cruz Benzán
Santo Domingo

El cura párroco Juan Manuel Mota de Jesús (Padre Jhonny), negó ayer la acusación presentada en su contra de que haya violado sexualmente a varias adolescentes en Constanza, tras señalar que tendrán que demostrar su culpabilidad en los tribunales.

El padre, quien es capellán del Ejercito Nacional, dijo que hasta el momento nadie se ha querellado en su contra y que ni conoce a las jóvenes que lo acusan de violación.

“Yo no sé quiénes son las jóvenes que me acusan y yo nunca he abusado de una persona sexualmente, nunca lo haría en mi sano juicio”, aduce el padre Jhonny, quien escribió la canción “Cosas del corazón”, dedicada a las víctimas del terremoto de Haití en 2010.

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REPUBLICA DOMINICANA
Noticias SIN

[con video]

Iglesia en escándalo por supuesto abuso sexual de un sacerdote

SANTO DOMINGO, República Dominicana.- Las denuncias de dos jóvenes por supuesto abuso sexual contra un sacerdote han tomado las dimensiones de un escándalo en el municipio de Constanza.

Organizaciones de defensa de la mujer y alegadas víctimas contabilizan al menos 15 menores supuestamente violadas por el cura, que lleva doce años en la comunidad.

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SCOTLAND
Daily Record

AN 80-year-old man has been charged in connection with allegations of historic sexual and physical abuse at a former Catholic boarding school.

The man, from the east Highlands of Scotland, has been charged after police inquiries into reports of abuse at Fort Augustus Abbey in the Highlands.

A report has been submitted to the Crown Office and procurator fiscal.

Fort Augustus is one of two Catholic boarding schools in Scotland being investigated over allegations of historic sexual abuse.

More than 20 people have come forward to say they were victims of physical and sexual abuse at Fort Augustus and Carlekemp, its feeder school in East Lothian, from the 1950s to the 1990s.

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SCOTLAND
The Guardian

Severin Carrell, Scotland correspondent
theguardian.com, Monday 2 September 2013

Police have charged a man believed to a former monk at Fort Augustus boarding school as part of their investigation into historic allegations of physical and sexual abuse against pupils.

Police Scotland said the man was 80 years old and lives in the east Highlands, but they would not detail the type of offences or charges he faces.

Detectives launched a major inquiry into allegations by dozens of former pupils of systematic physical and sexual abuse against staff at the former Benedictine Abbey school near Inverness, and its now closed preparatory school in East Lothian.

It emerged last month that police had identified more than 20 suspected victims, with more than 50 former pupils coming forward to give evidence, after launching their inquiry in March following a complaint by a former pupil.

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CHILE
La Tercera

por Jorge Poblete y Natalia Ramos – 03/09/2013

Las denuncias de abusos en contra del ex arzobispo de Viena Hans Hermann Groer; los resultados del informe del John Jay College of Criminal Justice, que da cuenta de más de cuatro mil clérigos acusados de actos impropios, en seis décadas, en Estados Unidos, y las más de 10 mil víctimas menores de edad, por parte de la Iglesia Católica de Holanda, consignados por la Comisión Deetman.

Estos son algunos de los antecedentes internacionales que recoge la demanda de indemnización de perjuicios que los tres denunciantes del ex párroco de El Bosque Fernando Karadima tienen previsto interponer hoy, al mediodía, en contra del Arzobispado de Santiago.

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FLORIDA
WEAR

[with video]

The pastor of Saint Mary’s Catholic Church in Fort Walton Beach has been removed from his post after being accused of sexual abuse.

The Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee says Monsignor Michael Cherup has been accused of abusing a 15-year-old 20 years ago.

At that time, Cherup was assigned to the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Pensacola.

The state attorney has described the alleged misconduct as being lewd and lascivious in nature, like “groping”.

The accusation has shaken up those who know Cherup and many others in the community.

Thomas Paul, who’s homeless, said, “I was very shocked, very surprised. I really don’t believe it.”

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FLORIDA
WJHG

FORT WALTON BEACH – Allegations of sex abuse shakeup a catholic church in Fort Walton Beach.

The Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee has removed Monsignor Michael Cherup as pastor of St. Mary’s Catholic Church, pending the outcome of an investigation into alleged sexual abuse.

The Diocese says it was notified July 19 that someone accused Cherup of abusing them in 1993 when the victim was 15-years-old. The Diocese says it also encouraged the victim to notify police. It then reported the allegation to the State Attorney’s Office.

Following an internal investigation, the Diocese removed Cherup of his duties on Thursday. Parishioners were notified over the weekend.

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FLORIDA
WEAR

Updated: Monday, September 2 2013

FORT WALTON — A Catholic priest has been removed from his post in Fort Walton Beach after allegations of sexual abuse.

Pensacola-Tallahassee diocese leaders say monsignor Michael Cherup has been accused of abusing a 15-year-old.

The alleged victim says it happened in 1993 during a trip out of state. At that time, Cherup was assigned to the cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Pensacola.

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DEUTSCHLAND
Die Welt

Limburgs Bischof Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst hat alle Gläubigen seines Bistums in einem Hirtenbrief um ihr Vertrauen gebeten. Darin räumt der 53-Jährige auch Fehler ein. Er appelliert: “Lassen Sie uns aufeinander zugehen!”

Der Brief wurde am Sonntag in vielen Gottesdiensten verlesen. In dem Schreiben, das das Bistum auch auf seiner Internet-Seite veröffentlichte, heißt es weiter: “Manches, was in den letzten Wochen gesagt und geschrieben worden ist, hat mich verletzt. Anderes hat mich auch nachdenklich gemacht und dazu beigetragen, dass ich einige Entscheidungen heute mitunter in einem anderen Licht sehe. Rückblickend gibt es Dinge, die ich anders angehen würde.”

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DEUTSCHLAND
WAZ

Limburg. Endlich hat es die katholische Kirche geschafft, nach dem Missbrauchsskandal wieder positive Schlagzeilen zu bekommen – Papst Franziskus sei Dank. Demut und Bescheidenheit sind Eigenschaften, die mit ihm in Verbindung gebracht werden. Doch in Deutschland trübt sich der Glanz der Katholiken schon wieder. Von Prunksucht ist die Rede, von einem allmächtigen, autoritären Führungsstil – und von Lüge.

Im Mittelpunkt steht der Limburger Bischof Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst. Fotos zeigen Tebartz-von Elst im Gewand mit Goldbrokat, sein schwarzer BMW mit abgedunkelten Scheiben fällt auf in Limburg. All das irritiert viele Katholiken im Bistum, denn sein Vorgänger Bischof Franz Kamphaus fuhr mit einem alten Golf durch die Stadt und bewohnte zwei Zimmer im Priesterseminar.

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FLORIDA
Roman Catholic Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee

[en Espanol]

MEDIA RELEASE
Date: August 31, 2013
For release: Immediately
Contact: Peggy DeKeyser, Director of Communications, 850-435-3528

The Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee was informed on July 19 that an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor was made against Msgr. Michael Cherup for an incident that allegedly occurred twenty years ago in August 1993 when the victim was 15 years old.

After being made aware of the allegation, the Diocese, pursuant to the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People (USCCB, 2005, rev. 2011) and our diocesan policy, encouraged the victim to report the incident to appropriate law enforcement and to the Florida Department of Children and Families Abuse Hotline. The Diocese also offered the provision of counseling to the victim. In addition, the Diocese reported the alleged incident to the State Attorney’s office.

Following an initial internal investigation, it was determined to be a credible allegation. On August 29, Bishop Gregory Parkes removed Msgr. Cherup from active ministry. This means that Msgr. Cherup was removed from all functions at his parish and school and on the diocesan level, and may not publicly celebrate the sacraments or function as a priest, pending the final outcome of the nvestigation.

As the matter continues to be investigated, the diocese pledges full cooperation with investigative agencies in this matter.

“Whenever all allegation of sexual abuse is brought forward, it causes great pain for all involved. I assure everyone involved in this difficult situation of my prayers,” said Bishop Parkes.

We urge anyone who may have been abused by a member of the clergy, an employee or a volunteer in ministry with the Church, or who knows of such abuse, to report it to law enforcement by calling the Florida Department of Children and Families Abuse Hotline at 1-800-962-2873 (1-800-96ABUSE) or by calling the Victim Assistance Coordinators: Pensacola/Fort Walton Beach: Louis M. Makarowski, PhD, PA, (850) 477-7181 or in Tallahassee/Panama City: Dr. James Gagnon, MSW, LCSW, (850) 877-0205 or call 950-435-3500 and ask for the Director of the Office of Child and Youth
Protection.

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FLORIDA
NWF Daily News

By WENDY VICTORA / Daily News
Published: Monday, September 2, 2013

FORT WALTON BEACH — Parishioners at St. Mary’s Catholic Church were notified over the weekend that their pastor has been removed from his duties, pending the outcome of an investigation into an allegation of abuse 20 years ago.

The Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee was notified July 19 of an allegation of sexual abuse against Cherup by a minor who was 15 at the time. The abuse allegedly occurred in August 1993.

“Following an internal investigation, the allegation was determined to be credible,” the diocese said in a statement.

Cherup was removed from the parish and St. Mary’s School on Aug. 29 and may not “publicly celebrate the sacraments or function as a priest,” the release said.

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IOWA
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque – The Witness

Sexual abuse occurred
over 35 years ago

For The Witness
DUBUQUE — Following mediation, the Archdiocese of Dubuque announces that it has completed structured settlement agreements with several persons who reported that they were sexually abused as minors by priests of the archdiocese.

Twenty-six individuals retained the services of a Waterloo law firm to present their cases. All of the abuse, according to the claims, took place more than 35 years ago. Most occurred in the 1950s and 1960s.

Of the 10 priests named by the claimants, nine had been named previously and were already included on the “Table of Accused Priests” found on the Archdiocesan Web site. Priests accused of sexual abuse of minors and named in this mediation are the following: the Reverends John T. Reed (deceased 1996), Joseph Patnode (deceased 1977), Patrick McElliott (deceased 1987), William Schwartz (removed from the priesthood in 2005), Louis Wunder (deceased 1990), Louis Wendling
(deceased 1969), Peter Graff (deceased 1976), Robert Reiss (removed from the priesthood in 1997, deceased 2005), Allen Schmitt (removed from ministry 2002), and Robert Swift (deceased 1980).

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SCOTLAND
Inverness Courier

A MAN has been charged in connection with the historic physical and sexual abuse that took place at Fort Augustus Abbey from the 1970s.

An 80-year-old man from the east Highland area has been charged after police enquiries and a report detailing the circumstances has been filed to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal.

The school, now closed, was run by the Benedictine order.

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SCOTLAND
STV

A elderly man has been charged in connection with allegations of sexual and physical abuse at a Catholic boarding school.

Last month allegations were made against monks at Fort Augustus Abbey School in the Highlands, and Carlekemp, its feeder school in East Lothian.

The claims came to light in a BBC documentary where five men said they were raped or sexually abused by monks between 1953 and 1974. Many of the claims have been made against men who are now dead, including one who died in Australia last week.

Police Scotland started an investigation into the abuse claims and the two schools, which are both now closed.

On Monday, Police Scotland said an 80-year-old man from the east Highlands area has been charged in connection with the claims.

A report has been submitted to the procurator fiscal.

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SCOTLAND
Strathspey and Badenoch Herald

Written by Eilidh Davies

An 80 year-old man from the east Highland area has been charged in connection with enquiries in relation to reports of historic physical and sexual abuse at Fort Augustus Abbey, police have confirmed.

A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “A report detailing the circumstances has been submitted to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.”

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SCOTLAND
BBC News

A man has been charged in connection with a police investigation into alleged abuse at a former Catholic boarding school in the Highlands.

Police Scotland said an 80 year old, from the east Highland area, has been charged in relation to reports of historic physical and sexual abuse at Fort Augustus Abbey school.

A report has been sent to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

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VATICAN CITY
Vatican Information Service

Vatican City, 31 August 2013 (VIS) – The Holy Father today confirmed that the following will continue to hold their respective offices: Archbishop Giovanni Angelo Becciu, substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State; Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States; Archbishop Georg Ganswein, prefect of the Papal Household; Msgr. Peter B. Wells, assessor for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State: and Msgr. Antoine Camilleri, under-secretary for Relations with States.

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VATICAN CITY
Vatican Information Service

Vatican City, 31 August 2013 (VIS) – The Holy Father today accepted the resignation of Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone from the office of Secretary of State in accordance with canon 354 of the Code of Canon Law, requesting that he remain in office until 15 October 2013, to all effects. At the same time he appointed Archbishop Pietro Parolin, currently apostolic nuncio to Venezuela, as the new Secretary of State. The archbishop will assume this role on 15 October 2013.

On this occasion the Pope will receive in audience the superiors and officials of the Secretariat of State to publicly thank Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone for his loyal and generous service to the Holy See and to present the new Secretary of State.

Archbishop Pietro Parolin was born in Schiavon, Italy in 1955 and was ordained a priest in 1980. He holds a licentiate in Canon Law. He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1986 and has worked in the pontifical representations in Nigeria and Mexico, and in the Section for Relations with States of the Secretariat of State, where he was appointed under-secretary in 2002. In 2009 he was appointed as apostolic nuncio to Venezuela and at the same time elevated to the dignity of archbishop. He received episcopal ordination from Pope Benedict XVI on 12 September of the same year.

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IRELAND
RTE News

Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn has said the State got nowhere in convincing Catholic religious orders to pay for half of the cost of residential abuse claims.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Edition, Mr Quinn said the religious bodies would not accept the principle of 50-50 under the State-backed redress scheme.

He said the State had spent around €1.4bn on legal costs and awards relating to abuse at residential institutions to date.

Mr Quinn said as a result of paying this money out, and the inability to get the Church to contribute an equal share, everything else must be considered when it came to reducing expenditure at the Department of Education.

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VATICAN CITY
National Catholic Reporter

Thomas C. Fox | Sep. 2, 2013 NCR Today

On the eve of the first anniversary of the death of Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini last week, Pope Francis called the late Jesuit and biblical scholar a “prophetic” figure and a “man of discernment and peace”.

The late cardinal, who died Aug. 31 2012, at the age of 85, was “a father for the whole Church”, and remembering one’s fathers “is an act of justice”, the pope said during a meeting with a group of Italian Jesuits.

Representatives of the Italian Jesuit province met the Francis last Friday to present the creation of the Carlo Maria Martini Foundation – a non-profit initiative aimed at promoting the late cardinal’s writings and the study of his life and works. The foundation will work in conjunction with the Archdiocese of Milan, where Cardinal Martini served as archbishop from 1979 to 2002.

Francis’ remarks about his fellow Jesuit take on a special significance in that just two weeks before Martini’s death, in widely publicized interview, he said the church is “200 years out of date” and in need of a “radical transformation.” “The church is tired,” Martini said in an interview. Catholics lack confidence in the church, he said.

“Our culture has grown old, our churches are big and empty and the church bureaucracy rises up, our religious rites and the vestments we wear are pompous.”

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AUSTRALIA
lewisblayse.net

Phillip Aspinall, head of the Anglican Church in Australia, is very much smarter than his Catholic counterpart, George Pell. For a start, Aspinall has a string of degrees from computer science to theology to a Masters in Business Administration and a PhD. in education. More importantly, he is much cleverer in his handling of his church’s poor record in handling its abusers.

He does have the advantage of having fewer natural enemies than the Catholic Church, because of a more liberal approach to many social issues. He is married, to a medical practioner, and has children. He has ordained female clergy and does not oppose gays and lesbians. He adopts a pro-boat people position, etc. This gives him a lot of free air when it comes to his poor response to child sexual abuse by his clergy, and associated cover-ups. The left largely leaves him alone, while the right supports his establishment credentials.

His church has had its share of abusers and cover-ups, including allegations against Aspinall himself, but the “Teflon Primate” had has little adverse publicity (see previous postings). This is because, partly, that he is infinitely more aware of public relations principles than is George. While George rants and rails, Phil drools syrup.

The good Primate also does not skimp on legal advice. His principal church lawyer advising him is none other than the Chief Justice of Queensland’s Supreme Court.

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VATICAN CITY
Rome Reports

[with video]

September 2, 2013. (Romereports.com) On Friday, Pope Francis named 68-year-old Father Fernando Vérgez Alzaga as the secretary for the Vatican City-State Governorate, the second in command at the department that oversees the administration of the Vatican City-State.

Father Vérgez Alzaga was born in Salamanca, Spain, and up until this appointment, had served as the telecommunications director for Vatican City. As a member of the Legionaires of Christ, he studied philosophy and theology at the Gregorian University.

The Spanish priest began his career at the Vatican working for the Congregation for Consecrated Life and Council for the Laity, before moving on to telecommunications.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Derby Telegraph

A FORMER Derby priest has now been charged with 27 offences of sexual assault against children.

Francis Paul Cullen appeared at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court on Saturday and was charged with 16 counts of indecent assault on a boy under the age of 16.

The 85-year-old was also charged with 10 counts of gross indecency involving a boy under the age of 14 and one further sexual offence.

Cullen, who spent 18 years working at Christ the King Catholic Church, Mackworth estate, was extradited from Tenerife, where he had been living.

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VATICAN CITY
Chiesa

VATICAN CITY, September 2, 2013 – In commenting on the announcement of the appointment of Archbishop Pietro Parolin as the new Vatican secretary of state, almost no one has noted that this is a matter of the first Venetian to occupy the important position for more than three centuries.

And yet the analogy with the present is of a certain interest.

The first, and until now the last, churchman of the Italian northeast to become the closest collaborator of the bishop of Rome in the governance of the universal Church was in fact Giambattista (or Giovanni Battista) Rubini, born in Venice in 1642 and secretary of state from October of 1689 to the summer of 1691. Rubini was also bishop of Vicenza, Parolin’s diocese of origin, from 1684 to 1702.

But the analogy with the present seems to end here, limiting itself to the purely geographical aspect.

Rubini, in fact, was appointed secretary of state, and made a cardinal, by Alexander VIII – whose secular name was Pietro Ottoboni – who promoted him immediately after being elected pontiff on October 6, 1689, in conclave. Well then, Alexander VIII – a Venetian himself, born in Venice to Marco and Vittoria Tornielli – was the brother of Cristina Ottoboni, the grandmother (or mother according to other sources) of Rubini.

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KANSAS CITY (MO)
KCUR

[with audio]

By ALEX SMITH

The local Roman Catholic diocese has attracted worldwide attention for its problems with child abuse, particularly for Bishop Robert Finn who is the first and only U.S. bishop to be convicted of failing to report suspected abuse.

Later this month, the Diocese’s Office of Child and Youth Protection will release its second annual public report on abuse in the parishes. The report is one of several big steps the Diocese has taken in recent years to address abuse, but some say these steps aren’t enough.

In the northern end of downtown Kansas City, Mo., employees of the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese and Catholic Charities come to work in a 19th century brick and brownstone high rise, and quietly carry out the administrative work for a diocese that serves more than 130,000. But even among these faithful employees, there’s anger at the Church. In a meeting room, Ombudsman for the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese, Jenifer Valenti, remembers the upset that she shared with millions when she learned about the sexual abuse scandals.

“I grew up Catholic and I watched the scandal unfold nationally and now it’s unfolding worldwide,” says Valenti. “There are many times I was disappointed about the way it was handled.”

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UNITED STATES
Pope Crimes & Vatican Evils…

Paris Arrow

One of the biggest Vatican Deceits that Pope Francis uttered was about women in this phrase (after his rock-star trip to Brazil): “Mary is more important than Bishops and priests, and therefore women are also more important than Bishops and priests”. Nothing could be further from the truth because the Vatican uses its ultimate powers at the United Nations to obstruct and suppress women’s rights throughout the world as explicated in several scholars’ articles below. Jesuitical Pope Francis wants to treat women like Mary’s lifeless and immobile (imbecile) man-made statues, obedient only to his papal dictatorial whims – and “’silent’ like Mary” – read more in our related article — Middle Ages Vatican condemns New Age American Nuns: The Celestine Prophecy come true! Sisters in Crisis book mocks LCWR Sisters in Christ

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UNITED STATES
The Worthy Adversary

Posted by Joelle Casteix on September 1, 2013

Here’s a simple question:

If you have a phone and know about evidence of child sex crimes, you call police, right?

Doesn’t sound hard does it? Well, unless you’re one of Missouri’s two most influential Catholic bishops …

Example one: “Just Say No to Reporting” Kansas City Bishop Robert Finn

In 2010, a Catholic school principal gave Finn’s second-in-command a single-spaced, three-page letter detailing all kinds of inappropriate behavior by Fr. Shawn Ratigan. You can read it here. Soon after, a church staffer found hundreds of photos of naked and partially naked girls—all taken by Fr. Ratigan.

But it was almost a year before anyone on Finn’s payroll managed to get that evidence to police.

The end result: in 2012, Finn became the first US bishop to ever be convicted for failing to report child sex abuse suspicions.

Example two: “Make sure they don’t cash the check” St. Louis Archbishop Robert Carlson

St. Louis priest Fr. Joseph Jiang has been charged with first degree child endangerment for repeatedly molested a girl as recently as last summer. Legal documents say Jiang admitted his crimes first to the girl’s parents and then to Archbishop Carlson. But in between, Jiang left a $20,000 check with the girl’s parents hoping, prosecutors say, to silence them.

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DEUTSCHLAND
Sueddeutsche

Franz-Peter von Tebartz-van Elst, Bischof im Bistum Limburg, hat Fehler eingestanden. Ein erster Schritt. Der zweite ist es, seine Ausgaben transparent zu machen. Doch der dritte Schritt ist der schwierigste.

Ein Kommentar von Matthias Drobinski

Franz-Peter Tebartz van Elst, der Limburger Bischof gibt Fehler zu, entschuldigt sich, wirbt bei seinen Kritikern um Vertrauen. Der Brief, in dem er das tut, kommt spät, und man wüsste gerne, wie viel Kardinal Marc Ouellet, der Chef der Bischofskongregation in Rom, dazu beigetragen hat – ihn hatte Tebartz in seiner Not vergangene Woche besucht. Wie auch immer: Das Schreiben ist ehrenhaft und ein erster Schritt, verlorenes Vertrauen wiederzugewinnen.

Der zweite Schritt dürfte verhältnismäßig einfach sein: Das Bistum muss Auskunft über die Kosten und die Finanzierung jenes Baus geben, in dem nun der Bischof wohnt. Das kann unangenehm werden, aber es mussten schon genug Bauherren erklären, warum ihre Projekte immer teurer wurden. Dann sollte Tebartz zugeben: Er hat die Wahrheit über den Luxusflug zu den Armen in Indien zumindest gebogen. Bitter für jemanden, der kraft Amtes hohe moralische Ansprüche an die Leute stellt, aber unumgänglich.

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DEUTSCHLAND
Die Welt

Der Limburger Bischof Tebartz-van Elst ist unter Beschuss. Ihm wird vorgeworfen, bei dem Neubau des Bischofssitzes die Kosten massiv in die Höhe getrieben zu haben. Jetzt tauchen neue Beweise auf.

Der umstrittene katholische Bischof von Limburg, Franz-Peter Tebartz-van-Elst, hat sich bei den Gläubigen seines Bistums wegen der ihm vorgeworfenen Verschwendung entschuldigt. “Rückblickend gibt es Dinge, die ich anders angehen würde”, heißt es in einem Brief des Bischofs, der am Sonntag in den Kirchen des Bistums verlesen wurde. Zugleich wurden allerdings neue Vorwürfe gegen Tebartz-van-Elst bekannt.

Bei den Vorwürfen gegen den Bischof geht es unter anderem um einen Erste-Klasse-Flug nach Indien, wo Tebartz-van-Elst die Slums von Bangalore besucht hatte, sowie um drastische Kostensteigerungen beim Ausbau seines Bischofssitzes. Der Bischof versprach dazu in seinem Brief weitere Aufklärung, bat aber auch um Geduld und Vertrauen.

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DEUTSCHLAND
Balaton Zeitung

Der umstrittene Limburger Bischof Franz-Peter Tebartz-van-Elst, 53, entschuldigt sich in einem Brief, der an diesem Wochenende in allen Messen des Bistums verlesen werden soll, direkt bei den Gläubigen. Nach den Verschwendungsvorwürfen, bei denen es unter anderem um einen First-Class-Flug in die Slums von Bangalore in Indien ging, sagt er in dem Bischofsbrief, der “Bild am Sonntag” vorliegt: “Rückblickend gibt es Dinge, die ich anders angehen würde.” Er verspricht weitere Aufklärung, bittet um Geduld, Vertrauen und das Gebet der Gläubigen.

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IOWA
WCF Courier

The clergy sex abuse issue had been pretty quiet in Northeast Iowa for several years.

Then attorneys and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque announced a new out-of-court settlement with victims last week.

The archdiocese has paid $5.2 million to 26 victims of clergy sex abuse — the fourth such settlement in nine years, but the first since 2008.

It involves 10 priests in incidents alleged to have occurred from the late 1940s through the 1970s, but include several priests and incidents in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls area. None of the accused clergy currently work as priests and most are dead. Archdiocesan officials have said the number of new claims has tapered off significantly in recent years.

Waterloo attorney Chad Swanson of the Dutton law firm worked through the archdiocese over several years to settle the claims.

“We’ve been able to foster a lot of healing for a lot of folks,” Swanson said. “I think it’s been a long time coming, particularly with this latest group.”

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NORTHERN IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph

01 SEPTEMBER 2013

A west Belfast priest who stood down from duties amid claims about his conduct has returned to ministry after being cleared by a church probe.

Father Hugh Kennedy had already been told that no criminal prosecution would be taken against him.

The cleric agreed to temporarily stop working in St Peter’s Cathedral in 2011 while church authorities passed details of the claims to the police and social services to investigate.

Specific allegations were not outlined, but at the time Fr Kennedy issued a statement insisting he was not a child molester.

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AUSTRALIA
lewisblayse.net

Posted on August 31, 2013 by lewisblayse

When the Royal Commissioners were appointed, the government put out a short PR release on the backgrounds of the commissioners, which said very little in fact about the people other than about their current positions. At the time, this site posted a more detailed look at all the six commissioners and the principal staff, namely Senior Counsel Assisting, Gail Furness, and Junior Counsel Assisting, Melinda Richards.

This was done when the blog was first started and not many people had stumbled upon it. Most people appearing before the commissioners will tend to just accept whichever ones are allocated to them. However, perusal of their detailed backgrounds may have some influence on whether or not people are comfortable with who they’ve been allocated to.

So, for the benefit of people who have come across the site since these backgrounds were posted, the following internal links are given for the commissioners and senior staff. It should be noted that this author has called for removal of one of the commissioners, Robert Fitzgerald, on the basis that he was too closely associated with the Catholic Church to maintain an impartial approach.

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AUSTRALIA
lewisblayse.net

The Catholic Church in Australia has established a “high powered” public relations unit to deal with the fall-out of the Royal Commission. It is grandiosely known as the Truth, Justice and Healing Commission. It serves much the same functions as the discredited Towards Healing and Melbourne Response committees.

It will be useful to some people to know the full background of the members of the PR unit, and their likely individual roles in particular spin campaigns. These background notes were printed in this blog very early in the year and may not have been seen by people new to the site, so the links to them are given below.

It can be readily seen that the church officials have learnt some things since the committees they set up in the 1990s. Each member has been carefully selected with two things in mind. Firstly, there is total control by the church of the committee to avoid the embarrassments of the earlier models, such as dissent from Professor Parkinson. All members are either church officials, or people very heavily dependent on the goodwill of the church.

Secondly, the lay members appear, on the surface, to have credible qualifications in the child care areas, but closer inspection reveals past positions in conflict with what most people would regard as good policy, e.g., on mandatory reporting. These are not mentioned in the church’s press releases.

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UNITED STATES
Truthout

BILL BERKOWITZ FOR BUZZFLASH AT TRUTHOUT

When it comes to being restored, re-ordained and returned to the pulpit after confessing to a four-year extramarital affair with a member of his congregation, Sam Hinn, the younger brother of well-known televangelist and faith healer Benny Hinn, may have set a new speed record for fallen evangelical leaders.

Older brother Benny is a big-time brand, squirrelling the spotlight for a good chunk of his professional life, and his ministry reels in extraordinary amounts of money. He’s traveled the globe, bought mansions, and has lived the good life. He’s also experienced a fair amount of controversy along the way; his prophesies have been way off the mark, including one made in 1989 that Fidel Castro wouldn’t outlast the 1990s; he was one of a group of televangelists whose financial shenanigans inspired an investigation by Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa); and, two years ago, he was accused of being involved in a messy extramarital affair with Paula White — another well-known televangelist — an accusation that threatened his worldwide ministry. Hinn self-recovered and is back televangelizing.

Now, younger brother Sam, who compared to Benny is a minor figure in the world of evangelicals, is grabbing some kinky headlines of his own.

An affair made in heaven

“Chantel Wonder said [Sam] Hinn… initiated the affair with her mother by telling her they were ‘soul mates’ and that God approved of the relationship,” the Orlando Sentinel reported in January. It should be noted that one of Sam Hinn’s claims to fame is that he has a personal relationship with God, ergo Sam’s assurances to her that God had pre-approved the affair.

“He put her in a position that this is OK because it’s what God wants. He was using God to justify it.” Her mother is a hairstylist who eventually styled hair for Hinn’s wife and children.

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NORTHERN IRELAND
BBC News

A Catholic priest in Belfast who had been at the centre of a police investigation is to return to ministry.

Father Hugh Kennedy, voluntarily stepped down as administrator of St Peter’s Cathedral in Belfast in 2011.

At the time the church said it had received information about him which it gave to the police and social services.

Bishop Noel Treanor told parishioners at St Peter’s, that all relevant agencies, including the authorities, were satisfied he should return.

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NORTHERN IRELAND
UTV

Published Sunday, 01 September 2013

A west Belfast priest who stood down from duties amid claims about his conduct has returned to ministry after being cleared by a church inquiry.

In a statement Bishop of Down and Connor Noel Treanor confirmed that Fr Hugh Kennedy had returned to his priestly duty in St Peter’s Cathedral.

In July 2011, the Diocese referred information on the priest to the PSNI in accordance with child safeguarding procedures.

Fr Kennedy then voluntarily stepped down, but in November last year, after completing an investigation police confirmed they would not be prosecuting him.

Fr Kennedy remained on leave from duties pending the outcome of a separate church inquiry.

“Following a PSNI investigation and a more recent internal Church review, all relevant agencies, including the statutory authorities, are satisfied that Fr Kennedy should return to ministry,” Bishop Treanor said in a statement.

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VATICAN CITY
Huffington Post

* Secretary of state known as “deputy pope”
* Parolin, like Francis, known for frugal lifestyle
* Ends Bertone era marked by ethical, financial scandals (Adds background on Parolin, scandals)

By Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY, Aug 31 (Reuters) – Pope Francis attempted to set a new tone for a Vatican beset by scandals on Saturday by naming a veteran diplomat as secretary of state, a role often called the “deputy pope”.

Archbishop Pietro Parolin’s appointment ends the era of Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who was widely blamed for failing to prevent ethical and financial scandals that marked the eight-year reign of former Pope Benedict, who resigned in February.

Parolin, a 58-year-old Italian who, like Francis, is known for his frugal lifestyle, is currently the Vatican’s nuncio (ambassador) in Venezuela.

The naming of a new secretary of state – who acts as the pope’s prime minister and chief aide – is the most significant appointment by Francis since his election in March.

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CHILE
La Tercera

A mediados de 2010, la madre de las supuestas víctimas del sacerdote se reunió con él y le pidió que se alejara de sus hijas. A mediados de 2012, la niña tuvo cambios de conducta y señaló al sacerdote como su atacante, pero ahora la justicia ha puestro en duda la “objetividad” de la investigación.

por Esteban González y Andrés Muñoz

YO IBA AL COLEGIO los miércoles y viernes, desde hace 20 años, aproximadamente. Y mi trabajo ahí consistía, con las niñas a partir de 3º básico a 4º medio, (en) confesiones y atender sus consultas. Con los niños de 3º básico especialmente yo hacía el trabajo de la catequesis para la Primera Comunión, las charlas, las preparaciones para ello, las confesiones y las misas. (…) El procedimiento era que la alumna pedía permiso a su profesora y le daba un papel y le daba permiso por escrito, o con las más grandes, de 3º o 4º medio era un poco más flexible, es decir, era sin papel, ya que las alumnas más grandes se supone que son más responsables”.

Con estas palabras, el sacerdote John O’Reilly (66), irlandés de nacimiento, pero nacionalizado chileno por gracia el 2008, explicó a la justicia -en enero- su labor en el Colegio Cumbres por más de una década, como parte de la congregación Legionarios de Cristo. Una labor que fue abruptamente suspendida hace 14 meses, el miércoles 25 de julio de 2012, luego de que él mismo presentara al Ministerio Público el relato de una menor de seis años que lo sindicaba como posible autor de ataques en su contra. Desde ese día, O’Reilly acordó con el colegio suspender todas sus actividades pastorales en el recinto.

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AUSTRALIA
The Age

September 1, 2013

Royce Millar
Investigative reporter

If Tony Abbott is elected prime minister on Saturday he will abolish the watchdog established by Labor to keep an eye on the billions of dollars received and spent by Australian charities each year.

Why?

The answer, in part at least, may be the lobbying power of church conservatives, the Catholic Church in particular, and the office of Sydney Cardinal George Pell, more particularly still.

And their focus has not been the Coalition alone. Labor insiders acknowledge the impact of Cardinal Pell’s office as it reduced the scope of its new national regulator, the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission.

Charity leaders, church heads and political insiders have told The Sunday Age about the lobbying campaign over charities regulation by the Sydney archdiocese, notably Cardinal Pell’s business manager and chief political envoy, Danny Casey.

The pressure applied by the Sydney church through the charities debate has raised the question of the access and sway it may enjoy under Australia’s first Catholic Liberal prime minister and his Catholic-strong frontbench that includes Kevin Andrews, Barnaby Joyce, Joe Hockey, Malcolm Turnbull (a convert), Andrew Robb and Christopher Pyne.

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NEW YORK
New York Daily News

BY ALLISON YARROW / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2013

Last November, Nechemya Weberman, pillar of his community and unlicensed counselor of wayward children, swore to a standing-room-only Brooklyn courtroom that he had only been trying to save the life of the girl who’d once called him “Daddy,” who was now accusing him of raping her for years, beginning when she was 12 years old and in sixth grade.

Many observers thought he looked smug as he testified, and why wouldn’t he? With the vehement backing of most of the tightly knit, deeply insular Satmar Hasidic Jewish community in Williamsburg, the 54-year-old former driver for its spiritual leader, the Grand Rebbe Moses Teitelbaum, felt he could get away with anything.

After all, he always had.

Members of the Satmar collective, who consider themselves members of one of the world’s holiest communities, closed ranks to defend an accused child molester from the secular world — and cast out the girl who’d accused him.

She wasn’t their concern. She’d gone outside of the family.

Mirroring groups from the Catholic church to Penn staters, Satmars attacked the victim, more concerned with protecting itself from the outside world than with the evil within.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Sunday Mail

ALLEGATIONS of sex abuse by priests at another Catholic order are being probed by police, the Sunday Mail can reveal today.

Men from Scotland, England and Ireland claim to have been attacked between 1960 and 1980.

Police are investigating the alleged abuse at the Verona Fathers Junior Seminary in Mirfield, near Huddersfield, Yorkshire.

A civil court case is also being prepared by those who say they were abused by priests at the order.

Five men have made allegations against priests at Mirfield.

One of them, who asked not to be named, told the Sunday Mail: “This matter needs to be out in the open. This dates back 40 years and is very traumatic for all involved. People are moving from being victims to being survivors.

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