ABUSE TRACKER

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

November 24, 2013

Catholic Church in Scotland to reveal past abuse cases

SCOTLAND
ITV

The Catholic Church in Scotland will review recent and historic cases of abuse in the church in a “spirit of openness and transparency.”

The church will give details of the number of incidents reported between 2006 to 2012, their nature and the results of investigations into them, it announced to members.

A further audit of all cases of historic abuse allegations between 1947 and 2005 is then expected to be launched, along with a full review of its safeguarding procedures.

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.

Church accused of hiding from abuse claims

SCOTLAND
The Times

Michael Glackin

A former adviser to the Catholic Church in Scotland has accused it of creating a “smokescreen” to divert attention from the latest allegations of sex abuse.

The comments were made as the Church announced a three-point plan in response to criticism of how it has dealt with child abuse and sex scandals within its ranks.

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.

Catholic church calls in ex-moderator

SCOTLAND
BBC News

A former moderator of the Church of Scotland’s General Assembly has been asked by the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland to look at its safeguarding procedures.

The external review to be carried out by Andrew McLellan follows a series of scandals in the church.

As well as being a Church of Scotland minister, Mr McLellan is a former chief inspector of prisons for Scotland.

The most recent allegations concerned the Fort Augustus Abbey School.

The former leader of the Catholic Church in Scotland, Cardinal Keith O’Brien, stepped down earlier this year after admitting sexual misconduct.

Police have been investigating the allegations of serious physical and sexual abuse at Fort Augustus school and its associated prep school, Carlekemp.

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.

Money Matters (Or: Scarier Than Hell)

AUSTRALIA
lewisblayse.net

The finances of the Grafton diocese of the Anglican Church (known elsewhere as the Episcopalian Church or the Church of England) came under the spotlight last week at the third “case study” hearings of the Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, concerning Allan Kitchingman and the North Coast Children’s Home.

The diocese’s motto refers to “caring in the spirit of Christ”, but evidence suggests it was more in the spirit of Mammon, especially when it came to financial assistance for victims of its staff and clergy, who operated its North Coast Children’s Homes.

Management courses always warn of the risk of over-expansion. Apparently, the Grafton diocese had not learnt this lesson. It went into debt of $12 million, through an unsecured loan from investors, to expand its Clarence Valley Anglican School, but found there were not enough enrollments to make it a financially viable venture.

Diocesan Registrar, Anthony Newby, told the Royal Commission that, when he became registrar at Grafton in October 2010, the school debt was not being serviced. An oversight committee was set up to open lines of credit involving other dioceses – “not an easy task as only two, Perth and Adelaide, eventually came on board.” This strategy was needed because the Clarence Valley Anglican School loan was unsecured from the Grafton Diocese Investment Fund, which operated by inviting people to invest on the expectation of a return. The debt-reduction strategy would also mean selling at least $2 million of the diocese’s estimated $200 million asset base.

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.

Antigonish continues sex abuse reconciliation

CANADA
Catholic Register

Written by Deborah Gyapong, Canadian Catholic News
Sunday, 24 November 2013

OTTAWA – Nova Scotia’s Antigonish diocese plans a series of public encounters to reach out to sexual abuse victims and those hurt by a former bishop’s child porn conviction.

“As a diocese, we want to express solidarity with those who are hurting and make an effort to accompany all who are hurt or who are disconnected with the Church,” said a Nov. 29 news release.

“To those who have found it necessary to absent themselves from our faith communities, we will continue to try to regain your trust and remind you of how much we miss your presence.”

The meetings follow the multi-million dollar class-action sexual-abuse lawsuit settlement announced by then-Bishop Raymond Lahey in August 2009. About a month later Lahey was found with child pornography on his computer at Ottawa’s airport. He was charged and subsequently pleaded guilty to importation of child pornography.

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.

Northboro pastor accused of theft is replaced

WORCESTER (MA)
Telegram & Gazette

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

The Reverend Ronald G. Falco, pastor of St. George Parish in Worcester, has been named the new pastor of St. Bernadette Parish in Northboro.

He replaces the Reverend Stephen M. Gemme, who was removed from his pastoral duties in October for allegedly embezzling more than $230,000 from the Route 20 parish to fuel a gambling habit.

The chancery did not name a replacement for Rev. Falco at St. George’s, but the Reverend Richard F. Reidy, the diocesan vicar general and moderator of the curia, will serve as administrator until a successor is named next summer.

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.

An altar boy’s story

AUSTRALIA
Broken Rites

A former Catholic altar boy (let’s call him “Cedric” – not his real name) has told Broken Rites about his experiences at the hands of Father Francis Xavier Brown (a Catholic priest in the Dominican religious order) in Adelaide around 1960. Cedric says he still feels hurt (half a century later) by his experience as an altar boy.

In the late 1950s, Cedric (born in 1950) became a pupil in the junior grades at Blackfriars Priory School (an all-boys school conducted by the Dominican priests and brothers) in Prospect, Adelaide. Eventually, Cedric was selected by the Dominicans to begin training as an altar boy for Saint Lawrence’s parish church in Prospect, North Adelaide. This parish was conducted by the Dominicans and these priests were involved in both the school and the parish.

Cedric says that while he was an altar boy he came under the supervision of Fr Francis Xavier Brown O.P. The letters “O.P.”, after his name, referred to the “Order of Preachers” – that is, the official name of the Dominican religious order. For a time, Father Brown was also simultaneously Cedric’s class teacher. Therefore, Cedric was under the control of Father Brown at the church altar and also in the classroom.

And Father was responsible for hearing boys’ Confessions. That is, Cedric was forced to tell all his “sins” to Father Brown in the confessional. The secrecy of Confession gave Father Brown extraordinary power over Cedric.

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.

More graphic testimomy from Iqaluit

CANADA
Sylvia’s Site

Posted on November 23, 2013 by Sylvia

It’s taken a while for me to square this away, but finally, here is a report on the testimony from the sex abuse trial of Oblate priest, previously convicted molester Father Eric Dejaeger.

One male victim took the stand yesterday (Friday, 22 November 2013), He testified that he had been sexually abused when he was boy by Father Eric Dejaeger. The victim testified in Inuktitut – there is a translator in the courtroom and the testimony was translated into English.

The following is a small overview the man’s testimony of what happened to him when he was a boy. (A warning to all that some of this is very graphic) ;

(1) The victim was fondled on a number of occasion by Dejager. The fondling transpired in, amongst other places, the kitchen and also during confession (Confessions were heard every Saturday at 6 pm);

(2) In the presence of the dog, Dejaeger would masturbate the boy to ejaculation. – then Dejager would let the dog lick the sperm from the floor, and then get the dog to lick the boy’s penis;

(3) On at least five occasions he was forced to watch Father Dejager bugger the dog;

(4) On one occasion while in the furnace room he was forced to sexually touch the dog while Dejager watched. I’m a little confused on this, but I think that Dejager was also fondling the boy simultaneous to the activity with the dog. No matter, the testimony was definitively that the boy was instructed to do what he did to the dog while Dejager watched.;

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

2 priests found guilty of sex abuse by archdiocese unlikely to face criminal charges

OMAHA (NE)
World-Herald

By Michael O’Connor / World-Herald staff writer

Prosecutors said Friday it was unlikely they would charge two local priests found guilty by the Archdiocese of Omaha of sexually abusing minors because the alleged abuse happened too long ago.

The archdiocese announced Friday morning that it has dismissed the Rev. Alfred J. Salanitro, 54, and sentenced the Rev. Franklin A. Dvorak, 69, to a life of prayer and penance. Archbishop George Lucas determined the verdicts after the archdiocese completed investigations into the two priests.

Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine said Friday that his office looked into the Salanitro cases with help from the Omaha Police Department and determined that the statute of limitations had run out on the cases.

In December 2011, a Carter Lake man reported he was sexually abused by Salanitro from 1991 to 1994, beginning when he was 11 years old. Salanitro was associate pastor of Holy Cross Parish at the time.

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

Kenosha priest cleared of wrong doing in social media post

WISCONSIN
WTMJ

[with video]

By Mary Franzen & Todd Hicks
CREATED NOV. 23, 2013

KENOSHA – Father Ireneusz Chodowski has been cleared of any criminal activity after posting some concerning photos to Facebook.

Father Chodowski had been removed from his post at Saint Peter’s Catholic Church after police opened an investigation on him last week.

Some parishioners concerned with Father Chodowski’s actions believe that the community leaders must be held to a high standard.

“If you’re working with children or working in a religious order, anything is fair game once it’s posted online,” said Frank Trecroci.

Trecroci founded the Renaissance School that leases space from the church and, as someone who works with the public, believes people should consider carefully what they post online.

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.

Revealed: Bishop targeted sex claim priest

SCOTLAND
Herald Scotland

Sunday 24 November 2013

THE investigation into the Scots parish priest who wrote a memoir claiming there was a culture of “homosexual bullying” in the Catholic Church was instigated by Bishop of Motherwell Joseph Devine before he stepped down from his role, it can be revealed.

Last week, the Sunday Herald told how parishioners at St John Ogilvie’s Church in High Blantyre were furious when it was announced just before evening mass that Father Matthew Despard was suspended and “a penal judicial process” had been launched against him.

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.

Two priests’ stories shows Catholic Church’s warped priorities

AUSTRALIA
Herald Sun

ALAN HOWE HERALD SUN NOVEMBER 25, 2013

THE Catholic Church has long had problems with sex and marriage. Its popes still preach that sex outside marriage is a sin, despite so many unmarried priests regularly having sex – much of it criminal.

For centuries priests married freely, but the church came to view women with suspicion – clearly it still does – and it slowly changed its mind.

Today priests must not marry. But St Peter had a missus at the dawn of Christianity and it seems he coped, despite the distractions.

We know he was married because the Bible records Jesus curing Saint Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever. It’s not recorded if the first Pope thought that a good thing or not.

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.

Hundreds of church-goers urge bishop to give suspended priest Father Despard his job back

SCOTLAND
Daily Record

PARISHIONERS are calling for Father Matthew Despard – who self-published a book accusing the Catholic Church of covering up sexual bullying – to be reinstated.

MORE than 1000 angry church-goers have signed a petition demanding a suspended priest be reinstated.

Helen Ann Hawkins, 40, set up the campaign after Father Matthew Despard was told he was being stripped of his duties after failing to meet with Bishop Joseph Toal.

The decision came eight months after he self-published his book Priesthood in Crisis, which accused the Catholic Church of covering up sexual bullying.

But his supporters have given him strong backing, signing an online petition as well as a separate paper petition in their droves.

Now Helen plans to take the campaign to Bishop Toal, who announced the decision to suspend him eight days ago, then on to the Vatican.

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.

Former church leader arrested on sexual abuse charges

WEST VIRGINIA
Williamson Daily News

by Rachel Baldwin rbaldwin@civitasmedia.com

LENORE – According to information gathered from a criminal complaint filed in Mingo County Magistrate Court, a former youth leader at a church in Lenore is now facing sexual abuse charges.

West Virginia State Police Senior Trooper C.A. Allen says the suspect, 52-year-old Gary Adkins, the 7 year-old victim’s uncle, is accused of inappropriately touching the female child and faces three separate charges that includes two counts of third-degree sexual assault (felony), and one count of sexual abuse (misdemeanor) by a parent, guardian, custodian or person in a position of trust of a child. Adkins was charged Tuesday.

Adkins had been a minister at Parsley Bottom Freewill Baptist Church until a few months ago and had earlier worked as a youth group leader there, and many members of the congregation say the defendant has an excellent reputation and find the allegations hard to believe.

“That’s just not in his character,” Jacqueline Parsley, who used to go to church with Adkins said, during an interview with the media.

“If the family will just be careful and be patient, the truth will come out, guilty or not,” Parsley said.

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

Church Pastor Accused of Indecent Sexual Contact With 11-Year-Old Girl in Pennsylvania

PENNSYLVANIA
Christian Post

BY MORGAN LEE , CHRISTIAN POST REPORTER
November 23, 2013

A Pennsylvania pastor has been accused of indecent sexual contact with an 11-year-old girl, who authorities believed is the daughter of congregants of the Fallen Timbers Community Church.

Ray Scott Teets, 66, has been charged by state police with “indecent assault, unlawful restraint, interference with custody of children, corruption of minors, unlawful contact with a minor, concealing the whereabouts of a child, child luring, stalking and criminal trespass.”

Currently his bail is set at $250,000, according to Trib Live.

This is not the first instance of an inappropriate relationship between Teets and a child. The pastor also informed a judge about a conviction for child sexual abuse from 1986.

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.

Twin Cities archdiocese is just at the beginning of its sex abuse scandal

MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

Article by: JEAN HOPFENSPERGER , Star Tribune Updated: November 23, 2013

Twin Cities archdiocese arrives late to the issue, but scrutiny here mirrors national cases.

Minnesota should expect to see a spike in clergy sex abuse lawsuits as questions about the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ handling of those cases thrusts church leaders here into the national spotlight.

While it’s too early to know how many new cases may yet come, legal analysts and victim advocates say the developments in Minnesota church to significant financial risk.

“This is just the beginning for Minnesota,” said Terry McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit that documents clergy misconduct. “The St. Paul and Minneapolis Archdiocese is in a meltdown that perhaps only a dozen dioceses have experienced during the ongoing sexual abuse crisis.”

Nationally, the Catholic Church has spent an estimated $2 billion to $3 billion settling abuse lawsuits, according to court documents and media reports, and nine Catholic dioceses, including Milwaukee’s, have filed for bankruptcy protection since 2004.

In Minnesota, recent events have conspired to bring extraordinary attention to the issue. State law changed earlier this year to permit lawsuits from decades-old abuse cases, prompting more than 20 new lawsuits. A whistleblower in the archdiocese went public with incriminating church documents that seemed to indicate that church officials may have withheld information about new abuse cases. …

Tom Doyle, a Virginia-based canon lawyer who has testified on behalf of alleged victims in hundreds of clergy abuse cases in civil courts, said churches typically respond to allegations in a similar manner: They appoint review boards, hire outside investigators, adopt new policies and, in some cases, remove or demote key players within the church hierarchy.

But two things make Minnesota different, Doyle said. First, the call for Nienstedt’s resignation includes some parish priests. Second, a whistleblower from inside the chancery — former archdiocesan canon lawyer Jennifer Haselberger — has provided inside information about the church’s handling of recent abuse allegations and its treatment of priests who were known to have abused children.

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.

“El pingo anda suelto”: testimonios sobre el sacerdote acusado de abusos deshonestos

LEóN (MEXICO)
Códice Informativo [Querétaro, Querétaro, Mexico]

November 24, 2013

By Staff Códice

Read original article

En su Iglesia nadie cree que sea culpable de haber cometido abusos contra dos menores de edad

Fue hace alrededor de tres meses cuando cambió el ejido Modelo por la iglesia de San Antoñito. Apenas lo iban conociendo. Pero todos aseguran que era un gran tipo.

Doña Tolita, una servidora del templo, poco pudo conocer a Arturo Méndez Camacho en los tres meses que se desempeñó como sacerdote de dicha iglesia ubicada sobre la calle Hidalgo, esquina con Ignacio Pérez.Curiosamente, hace también tres meses, el sacerdote recibió una denuncia de carácter penal que dio inicio a la averiguación previa 2035/2013 por la probable comisión del delito conocido como “abusos deshonestos” contra dos menores de edad.

El padre fue detenido en el transcurso de la semana y se encuentra libre tras haber pagado una fianza de 90 mil pesos. El delito de abusos deshonestos -acreditado cuando una persona toca de manera lasciva a otra sin el consentimiento de ésta- no es grave.

La acusación y posterior detención del cura cayó como cubetada de agua fría en los feligreses de la iglesia de San Antoñito, quienes hoy se sienten a la deriva espiritual.

Lucy, hija de doña Tolita, coincide con su madre en que “Dios es el único que puede juzgar”, y que más allá de preguntarse si el sacerdote que conoció durante unos pocos meses es culpable o no de los delitos que se le imputan, reza para que Dios proteja a los sacerdotes de los intentos del mal por contaminar sus corazones.

Doña Rocío tampoco lo conoció mucho. Ella es la catequista de San Antoñito y, junto a su esposo, sirvieron durante sus tres meses de estancia a Arturo Méndez Camacho. Así como la mayor parte de la feligresía, asegura también sentir un dolor inmenso por el momento que pasan con las acusaciones que se le imputan a quien fuera su sacerdote, y en quien jamás vio un comportamiento extraño y, dejó claro, siempre fue amable y servicial.

Cuando llegó, nos dijo que se sentía mal por su hermano Agustín Hernández, nuestro anterior sacerdote, porque lo habían mandado al Soriano. Ya es una persona de edad, y cuando nos llega a nosotros el padre Arturo, decía que le daba tristeza que hayan mandado al padre Agustín a ese lugar porque es muy grande, mejor me hubieran mandado, decía”, dijo doña Rocío a Códice Informativo.

Incluso, hace apenas una semana Arturo Méndez entregó a doña Rocío y otros fieles un diploma por haber tomado con él el curso “La Pedagogía de la Catequesis” con la el cual pretendía darles bases teóricas para enseñar la palabra de Dios a niños. “No hubiera hecho eso si fuera culpable de lo que se le acusa”, asegura acongojada doña Rocío.

Quien no soporta la tristeza es doña Mary, quien sentada al fondo de la iglesia tiene la mirada perdida en la nada. Hace ocho días acudió a San Antoñito solo para hablar con el padre Arturo. Se supone que el sacerdote la recibiría algún día de esta semana, sin embargo, sus problemas con la ley no lo permitieron.

Hace exactamente 31 años, recuerda doña Mary, conoció a Arturo Méndez cuando apenas era un joven estudiante. Sus primeros recuerdos de él se remontan a cuando fue aceptado en el diaconado, suceso que para él, después sacerdote, confirmó su vocación en Dios. Así, lo siguió durante sus 30 años de sacerdocio por diversas comunidades e iglesias en Peñamiller, San Juan del Río, en Querétaro, entre otros.

Doña Mary lo tiene claro: para ella no son más que injurias e infamias las que han interpuesto en contra del sacerdote Arturo Méndez, a quien no ha visto y con quien no ha hablado desde que fuera detenido, a pesar del deseo de saber de él.

Es muy lastimoso. Y como es una persona que es muy recta y muy claridosa, hay gente a quien no le guste porque dicen: ‘el padre ya sabe mi vida’, y va a haber gente que le va a llegar a incomodar, y gente que le va dar incluso tirria o coraje y va a hacer algo contra de él. Pero para mí ha sido siempre una persona íntegra, entregada, siempre segura de su vocación”.

“El pingo anda suelto”, aseveró Doña Mary sobre lo que ahora pasa por San Antoñito. Tocará primero a la ley del hombre y después a la de Dios, decidir qué pasa con el padre Arturo Méndez, a quien ella siempre recuerda con su frase más célebre: “¡Ánimo”!

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.

November 23, 2013

Scottish bishops’ secret sex abuse file handed over to police

SCOTLAND
The Guardian

Catherine Deveney
The Observer, Saturday 23 November 2013

confidential file of letters from Scottish bishops detailing more than 20 secret abuse cases has been handed to police by a former safeguarding adviser to the Catholic church.

The intervention by Alan Draper, a former adviser to the Motherwell diocese, comes as the church attempts to draw a line under unfolding sex-abuse scandals by announcing a series of measures to be read at all masses this weekend on behalf of the Scottish bishops. However, describing the initiatives as a “charade”, Draper says it is time for criminal investigations and an independent Scottish government inquiry into sexual abuse in the church.

The letters, dating back to 1995, include every Scottish diocese. One bishop, who describes abuse against “two severely mentally-handicapped young female adults”, asks Draper to destroy his letter after reading it. Another refers to an abused child as a “young female parishioner”. while a 15-year-old boy is described as “sexually mature”.

A Catholic media spokesman, Peter Kearney, said the church would co-operate fully with the police, but added: “If someone has been in possession of material which they felt showed criminal behaviour, they would be expected to explain why they had taken 18 years to hand it to the authorities.”

“The letters were given to me in confidence, and for a long time I respected that,” explains Draper. “But the church has failed to reach out to victims and I have felt increasingly frustrated with their inability to manage the situation. It’s a matter of public interest that the file be revealed.”

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.

More lawsuits possible for Fairfield U

CONNECTICUT
Minuteman News Center

By Meg Learson Grosso
mgrosso@fairfieldminuteman.com
Twitter: @mlearsongrosso

Paul Kendrick said that his four years at Fairfield University taught him that the practice of his faith must include the promotion of justice. “That’s what the Jesuits taught me. Why am I such a lone voice in the wilderness echoing back to the Jesuits the social justice values they taught me?” he asked when he spoke to us by phone last week.

Kendrick noted that attorney Mitchell Garabedian, of Boston, who won a $12 million settlement for 24 Haitian boys, after they were sexually abused by Fairfield University alumnus Doug Perlitz, has said he is now bringing suit for at least 27 more former students. Indeed, Garabedian told us there might be even 30 more than that.

Kendrick, who brought the Haitian boys together with Garabedian in the first place, said that before last June’s $12 million settlement, he “begged” Garabedian, and the defendants, Father von Arx, President of Fairfield University, the Society of Jesuits of New England, the Oder of Malta, and others, “to provide resources in Haiti to help the victims deal with the trauma of their abuse.”

Instead, said Kendrick a lump sum of $12 million was paid out with no provision for mental health services.

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.

Liberan a cura, sigue proceso penal

LEóN (MEXICO)
El Siglo de Torreón [Torreón, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Mexico]

November 23, 2013

By AGENCIAS

Read original article

El sacerdote Arturo Méndez Camacho obtuvo libertad provisional bajo caución, luego de que fue acusado de cometer abusos deshonestos contra dos mujeres menores de edad, informó el procurador general de Justicia estatal, Arsenio Durán.

El funcionario explicó que el proceso penal sigue su curso, pero el religioso podrá estar en libertad, en tanto que el juez decide si se le dicta auto de formal libertad o procesamiento. “Esto no quiere decir que no se hayan encontrado elementos acusatorios contra el sacerdote Méndez Camacho, pero mientras se conoce la resolución del juez, el acusado puede estar libre” , enfatizó.

El cura Méndez Camacho fue detenido esta misma semana, tras las acusaciones en su contra por abuso de menores de edad, justo cuando salía de oficiar misa en la iglesia de San Antoñito, en la capital queretana.

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.

Lists of Accused Priests Released by Dioceses and Religious Institutes

UNITED STATES
BishopAccountability.org

Boston MA (we have cached the original main list posted on 8/25/11; the entire Publication With Respect to Archdiocesan Clergy Accused of Sexual Abuse of a Child as it existed on 1/9/13; and the 1/9/13 posting in its several parts: Cardinal O’Malley’s introductory letter, the main list of accused priests, a glossary, the list of priests whose allegations are considered by the archdiocese to be unsubstantiated, O’Malley’s letter to priests, and his letter to survivors)

Bridgeport CT (we have cached a copy of this press release)

• Capuchins – Province of St. Joseph (we cached a copy of this list and of the relevant pages of the report; the list was included in Michael Burnett, Fr. Thomas Doyle, and Dr. James Freiburger, Report of the Audit and Review of the Files of the Capuchin Province of St. Joseph [June 18, 2013]; a revised version of the report was created on 6/28/13, when a revised version of the executive summary was also created)

Chicago (updated at the same URL with no “revised on” date and no indication of who has been added or what has been changed; see our cached copies of earlier versions; numbers in brackets indicate additions, subtractions, and current totals of priests with substantiated allegations: 3/20/06 [+15=55; see Falsani article for prior total]; 9/15/08 [+7=62]; 1/4/10 [+3–1=64]; 1/14/10 [+1=65]; 10/4/10 [same total as 1/14/10 but updated entries on Craig, Hagan, Hoder, Holihan, Huppenbauer, Kissane, Mayer, McCaffrey, and Weston]; 7/5/11 [same total as 10/4/10 but updated entries on Bowman, Flosi, Hoder, and Kissane]).

Cincinnati (we have cached a copy of this status report)

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.

Once A Priest Always A Priest (Or: My Wife Will Pray for You)

AUSTRALIA
lewisblayse.net

Perhaps one of the greatest hypocrites of all time appeared before the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse this week. He is Philip Gerber, the “professional standards” official for Phillip Aspinall’s Anglican Church (known elsewhere as the Episcopalian Church or the Church of England) for many years. He was a sort of moral guardian of church officials and employees.

Gerber was in the job from 2000 to 2009. He would know more than most people just what was required of him by the law concerning reporting of child sexual abuse, since he is a lawyer as well as an Anglican priest.

He told the Royal Commission hearing into the North Coast Children’s Home that he had made “some mistakes” handling abusive priests. Mr Gerber admitted his “failings” and said he was not trying to defend himself. “I am very unhappy with myself, I didn’t take the sort of steps that you are talking about… and am quite embarrassed and apologize that it might have potentially put other people at risk, children and other vulnerable people at risk.”

In particular, Gerber did not report Rev. Brown to police for at least a year after receiving a detailed complaint from Brown’s victim at the Children’s Home, “Tommy” Campion (see previous posting) in 2005. Mr. Gerber agreed he had a duty to go to police with abuse allegations but couldn’t say why he didn’t .Gerber’s excuse was that Brown was a “not uncommon name”, and the victim had not provided a first name, so he did not bother to look at the diocese records about him. Brown continued to hold a license to practice until June of this year.

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.

Catholic Church official faces sexual harassment charges

CALIFORNIA
48 Hills

By Tim Redmond

The Church of St. Francis in North Beach is a San Francisco landmark. To some Catholics, followers of the humble and gentle saint from Assisi, it’s the landmark, the church named after the namesake of this city. It’s been designated by Catholic Church officials as the national Shrine of St. Francis, and it’s home to a spectacular replica of the Italian chapel called the Porziuncola, where the Franciscan order was born.

It’s also the center of a battle over the use of the shrine, control of the Porziuncola – and, in larger sense, control of the property and operations of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, a powerful institution run by conservative clerics in a liberal city.

At the center of the battle are Monsignor James Tarantino, who as vicar of the archdiocese controls all of the Church’s extensive real-estate holdings, and Bill McLaughlin, chair of the Shrine Board of Trustees. The two, along with Rev. Harold Snider, who is in charge of the Shrine of St. Francis, have been involved in a struggle with former Sup. Angela Alioto and the Knights of St. Francis, on organization she created, over the future of the Shrine and the Porziuncola, which would not exist if Alioto hadn’t raised the millions of dollars it took to build it.

And while all of this has been going on, a former church employee who worked at the Shrine has filed a complaint with the state’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing alleging that she was fired because she refused to continue having sex with McLaughlin.

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.

Vatican ‘finished with Cardinal Keith O’Brien’

SCOTLAND
Scotsman

by ALISTAIR MUNRO

THE Catholic Church sought to draw a line under the scandal surrounding the disgraced Cardinal Keith O’Brien when it was reported that he will face no further disciplinary action from the Vatican.

O’Brien, who was forced to stand down after three priests and a former priest accused him of improper sexual conduct, has spent the past few months in exile for “the purpose of spiritual renewal, prayer and penitence”. He is currently understood to be living at a monastery in England.

On Saturday the new Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, Leo Cushley, indicated the Vatican does not plan to pursue further action against his predecessor, who left his post after the revelations were published in February.

Cushley told a newspaper his “impression” was Rome had finished with the matter.

“They will monitor the situation. They will look into it again after a certain period to see that things are going in the way they ought to be going. They may consider other evidence if it comes to light, but it would be up to them as to what they should do,” he said.

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

Part-time instructor accused of molesting student

ST. LOUIS (MO)
KSDK

ST. LOUIS – A part-time instructor at a local Catholic middle school has been charged with molesting a 13-year-old student.

The victim told authorities that Seri Grant had inappropriate contact with her during the 2012-2013 school year. In one instance, Grant allegedly touched the girl’s breasts over her clothing. On a separate occasion, Grant is said to have pulled the victim’s pants and underwear down and rubbed her genitals with his penis.

These incidents occurred after regular school hours in the campus library.

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.

Private middle school instructor charged with raping and molesting girl

ST. LOUIS (MO)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

By Valerie Schremp Hahn vhahn@post-dispatch.com 314-340-82460

ST. LOUIS • A part-time instructor for a Catholic middle school for girls from low-income backgrounds has been charged with raping and molesting one of the students.

Seri O. Grant, 54, of the 6900 block of Willow Wood Drive in Northwoods, was charged Friday in St. Louis Circuit Court with first-degree statutory rape and first-degree child molestation. According to court documents, the victim, a 13-year-old girl, was a student at Marian Middle School at 4130 Wyoming Street during the 2012-13 school year. During that time, Grant worked part-time as an instructor.

The victim told authorities that Grant touched her breasts over her clothing and raped her on a separate occasion. The incidents happened after regular school hours in the school library, court documents said, sometime between August 2012 and January 2013.

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.

Los Angeles Files – Reagan

WALTHAM (MA)
BishopAccountability.org

Of the 21 persons whose files were released on November 21, 2013, Bro. Joseph F. Reagan is the only one not previously known to be accused. He is not on the Los Angeles archdiocesan lists, and he was not in BishopAccountability.org’s Database of Accused. Reagan joined the Brothers of the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1961. He trained in Wisconsin, Indiana, and Texas in 1961-1965, and then worked as a counselor at a boys’ home called Rancho San Antonio in Chatsworth CA (see summary). He left the order in 1966, planning to “achieve my salvation … in the field of baseball.”

The order was contacted several times in June 2002 by a man alleging abuse by Reagan at Rancho San Antonio. The “disturbed” caller was told that Reagan “left the HC Brothers, married, became a cop in Oxnard, and then Regan [sic], his wife and daughter were killed in an auto accident.” A detective with the LAPD also called the order several times in early 2003.

The file contains nothing indicating that the order knew about the abuse before the survivor called, but there are at least four pages missing from the file as released (Bates numbers BOHC/REAGAN 078-081). Some documents raise concerns. One evaluation states that Reagan “seems to have a great deal of natural ability to work with boys” and that he has “shown signs of immaturity in judgment.” Another observes that he “has had a little trouble adjusting to the less manly Brothers but has more or less outgrown it. It should not bother him anymore. Friendly, takes active part in rec. May be a little prone to scandal at first due to naivete.” The order’s concern for such issues can also be seen in a questionnaire that asks reviewers whether applicants to the order are “manly and virile” or “soft or feminine.” Reagan’s Salesian reviewer replies, “I did not notice.”

Here is the entire Reagan file, re-processed to make it searchable and easier to download than the files as released.

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.

Racine Catholic priest won’t face charges for Facebook images

WISCONSIN
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel Nov. 22, 2013

A Racine Catholic priest removed for posting questionable images on his Facebook page will not face criminal charges, the Kenosha Police Department said Friday.

It was not immediately clear whether Father Ireneusz Chodakowski will return as pastor at St. Peter’s Catholic Parish. Archdiocese of Milwaukee spokesman Jerry Topczewski said that will be up to his religious order, the Massachusetts-based Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception. An attorney for the order declined to comment Friday other than to say it is undertaking its own investigation of the matter.

Chodakowski, who had been at St. Peter’s since 2010, was removed last week after someone complained that images on his Facebook account could be potentially pornographic.

Kenosha police issued a statement late Friday saying they conferred with the Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigation and the Kenosha County district attorney’s office as part of the probe and determined that no crime had occurred. Kenosha police said they concurred with the archdiocese’s assessment of the situation as poor judgment on the part of the priest.

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.

Criminal charges against Catholic priest dismissed

MISSOURI
Fox 2

[with video]

(KTVI)– A Catholic priest accused in 2012 of molesting an underage girl from Lincoln County no longer faces criminal charges. Pike County Circuit Judge Chris Kunza Mennemeyer threw out the child endangerment charge against Father Xiu Hiu ‘Joseph’ Jiang on Monday. That ruling became public Friday.

A statement issued by the court indicates new information shows the defendant (Jiang) was never alone with the alleged victim and therefore a charge of ‘child endangerment’ was improper. An associated tampering with a witness charge had to be automatically dismissed once the first charge was dropped.

Lincoln County Prosecutor Leah Askey told FOX2 News the statute of limitations has expired on any misdemeanor charges that might have been considered. However, she said if new evidence of a felony is obtained, new charges could be filed.

Lucy Hannegan, organizer of the Friends of Father Jiang website, said she and other supporters ‘never had any doubts in his innocence so it is no surprise to us.’

David Clohessy, executive director of Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, said the teenager and her family are ‘very, very upset.’ ‘The victim and the family reported promptly and there is a lot of evidence, yet still the judge tossed out the charges so it is very disconcerting,’ he added.

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.

Archbishop: Vatican will take no further action against Cardinal Keith O’Brien

SCOTLAND
Herald Scotland

Saturday 23 November 2013

The new Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh has indicated he believes the Vatican will take no further action against his disgraced predecessor, Cardinal Keith O’Brien.

Archbishop Leo Cushley told a newspaper his “impression” was that Rome had finished with the matter.

Cardinal O’Brien, who was Britain’s most senior Catholic cleric, stepped down in February after three priests and a former priest made allegations of inappropriate behaviour against him.

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.

‘Rome has finished with’ Cardinal Keith O’Brien says new Archbishop

SCOTLAND
STV

The new Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh has indicated he believes the Vatican will take no further action against his disgraced predecessor, Cardinal Keith O’Brien.

Archbishop Leo Cushley told a newspaper his “impression” was that Rome had finished with the matter.

Cardinal O’Brien, who was Britain’s most senior Catholic cleric, stepped down in February after three priests and a former priest made allegations of inappropriate behaviour against him.

He issued an apology, saying “there have been times that my sexual conduct has fallen below the standards expected of me”.

After his resignation from the Archdiocese, he stated that he would play no further part in the public life of the Catholic Church in Scotland. He later left the country for a period of “spiritual renewal”, with reports suggesting the Vatican had ordered him to leave.

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.

Lavada breaks silence on Flannery case

IRELAND
The Irish Catholic

by Michael Kelly
November 7, 2013

A senior cardinal has broken his silence over the Vatican’s investigation of controversial Irish priest Fr Tony Flannery.

In a wide-ranging interview with The Irish Catholic this week Cardinal William Levada said that Fr Flannery was not investigated for his views on married priests as has been suggested, but because he ‘undermined’ essentials teachings of the Church.

Cardinal Levada served for over seven years as Pope Benedict’s chief doctrinal adviser. In his role as prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (COF) he was responsible for leading an investigation which has seen Fr Flannery suspended from the exercise of his priesthood.

Cardinal Levada told The Irish Catholic Fr Flannery “takes to the news a lot”. However, the cardinal, who, while retired as prefect, is still a member of the CDF, said “I have never seen in any reports what the fundamental problem was that led to our intervention.

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.

Twin Cities archdiocese delays releasing names of priests facing substantiated abuse claims

MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis said Friday it is delaying the release of the names of some priests who have sexually abused children until at least next month.

Archbishop John Nienstedt had said he would disclose the names, locations and status of the men in November with “permission of the relevant court.”

The archdiocese said a protective order has been in place in Ramsey County District Court since 2009 related to the disclosure.

On Friday, the archdiocese said it just learned that a meeting with a Ramsey County judge has now been scheduled for Dec. 2. The archdiocese said the need for court approval will delay its schedule for disclosure. But the archdiocese said it’s prepared to release information once the judge approves the plan.

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.

Seminary School Knew Of Pastor Ray Scott Teet’s Sexual Misbehavior, Did Nothing: Lawyer (EXCLUSIVE)

PENNSYLVANIA
Huffington Post

Posted: 11/23/2013

David Lohr
david.lohr@huffingtonpost.com

Ray Scott Teets, a Pennsylvania pastor arrested Thursday for indecent contact with a minor, had a prior conviction in a child sexual abuse case, which his seminary school was allegedly aware of and did nothing about, according to Maryland attorney Stephen A. Markey III.

Markey told The Huffington Post he personally notified the Kentucky Baptist seminary school Teets attended in the 1990s that Teets had pleaded guilty to child sexual abuse in 1988.

In 1992, a Baltimore judge and jury ordered Teets to pay a 15-year-old female victim $500,000 in punitive damages. Markey said he represented the victim in the civil suit against Teets.

“After the verdict I learned he was in a Baptist school studying to be a minister,” Markey said. “I filed a garnishment of any pre-paid tuition that he may have had. I attached to [the request] a copy of the complaint and the verdict that showed he had been convicted of the rape. I did that solely to let them know that they are teaching a rapist –- that they are going to make a rapist a minister. I never heard back from them.”

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.

Los Angeles File Release Selections – Lenihan

WALTHAM (MA)
BishopAccountability.org

Another batch of religious order and extern files has been released in Los Angeles, as agreed in the survivors’ landmark 2007 settlement with the Los Angeles archdiocese. The released files are in non-searchable PDFs. Today BishopAccountability.org will be providing a first look at selected documents.

We begin with John Peter Lenihan, whose 269-page file from the Orange diocese is among those that have been released. Lenihan requested laicization at the insistence of Bishop Tod Brown on March 28, 2002, and his laicization was granted two months later, on May 28, 2002, an unheard-of level of efficiency in a Vatican laicization bureaucracy that usually takes years to decide a case. Why the hurry?

The new documents reveal that in 2001-2002, after Lenihan had resigned over an interview with Steve Lopez at the LA Times, revealing sexual misconduct and disagreements with the church regarding celibacy, he retracted his resignation, admitted the truth of the interview to his bishop, lied about it to parishioners, and was removed. The diocese then learned that he was violating a therapeutic relationship with a woman, abusing her sexually, and exposing her handicapped child to explicit phone sex voicemails left on the woman’s home answering machine. What’s more, people knew about this latest sexual misconduct. The woman’s lawsuit and its shocking exhibits provide the real context for Lenihan’s rapid laicization.

Much earlier in his career, when the Diocese of Orange had received an allegation on March 25, 1988, from the mother of a 16-year-old girl whom Lenihan had abused, the priest was left in ministry, and less than a month later, his positions as diocesan consultor and member of the council of priests were confirmed. By 2002, things had changed.

Here is the entire Lenihan file, re-processed to make it searchable and easier to download than the files as released.

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.

Vuelven a investigar a un cura acusado de abuso

ARGENTINA
Clarin

[Summary: A new court will decide whether to continue investigation of cases of sexual abuse of former seminarians that were allegedly committed by priest Justo Illarraz. He served as prfect for discipline at the minor seminary at Parana from 1984-1992.]

Un nuevo tribunal deberá decidir si se siguen investigando los casos de abuso sexual a ex seminaristas que se le atribuyen al sacerdote Justo Ilarraz, quien se desempeñó como prefecto de Disciplina del Seminario Menor de Paraná entre 1984 y 1992. Así lo dispuso ayer la Sala Penal del Superior Tribunal de Justicia (STJ) de Entre Ríos, al desestimar un planteo de prescripción solicitado por la defensa del religioso.

La interrupción de las actuaciones, que se iniciaron en septiembre de 2012, había sido dispuesta en agosto pasado por la Sala I de la Cámara del Crimen de Paraná. Con la firma de los camaristas Hugo Perotti y Miguel Angel Giorgio, el tribunal no sólo declaró la prescripción de la causa, sino que también sobreseyó a Ilarraz.

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.

Dictarán veredicto contra sacerdote acusado de presunto abuso sexual en Osorno

CHILE
Bio Bio

Para este sábado a las 11:00 horas en el Tribunal Oral en lo Penal de Osorno, está pactada la audiencia de lectura de veredicto contra el sacerdote colombiano Carmelo Márquez Julio.

Recordemos que el religioso se encuentra enjuiciado por presunto abuso sexual y tocaciones indebidas en contra de cuatro mujeres, una de ellas de 17 años a la fecha de cometido el delito.

Durante este viernes se efectuaron los alegatos para la fijación de la pena y réplicas donde los intervinientes, vale decir el Ministerio Público y la defensa, reiteraron sus argumentos legales con los cuales sustentan sus tesis, incorporando como prueba rendida todos los testimonios y peritajes efectuados durante la etapa inicial de la causa.

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.

Ghanaian priest rapes young girl who had come for prayers

GHANA
Spy Ghana

A 39-year old Anglican priest, Rev Fr Emmanuel Quartey has been remanded in police custody for allegedly raping a 20-year-old woman.

He will be arraigned before the Cape Coast Circuit Court Three on Monday November 25. The facts are that on Sunday October 17 the victim, a resident of Siwido in Cape Coast, contacted the priest to help her break a blood covenant she had with her boy-friend.

The priest agreed to help the victim and asked her to meet him the following day at a hotel in Elmina. She complied and met the priest in one of the rooms in the hotel where he forcibly had sex with her and warned her not to tell anyone or else she will die.

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.

Archdiocese to meet with judge before releasing clergy names

MINNESOTA
KARE

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis will meet with a Ramsey County judge before disclosing its initial list of clergy who have substantiated claims of abuse of a minor against them.

In his November 11 Open Letter, Archbishop John Nienstedt announced that the first phase of disclosure would be made by the end of November, pending approval by the appropriate court.

The Archdiocese said on Friday that it has learned that a meeting with the judge has been scheduled for Dec. 2.

Officials said that there has been a protective order in place in Ramsey County District Court since 2009 related to the disclosure. The need for approval by the court will delay its schedule for disclosure, but officials said they will release that information pending approval by the court.

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

Archdiocese delays release of abusive priests list

MINNESOTA
Seattle PI

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis said Friday it is delaying the release of the names of some priests who have sexually abused children until at least next month.

Archbishop John Nienstedt had said he would disclose the names, locations and status of the men in November with “permission of the relevant court.”

The archdiocese said a protective order has been in place in Ramsey County District Court since 2009 related to the disclosure.

On Friday, the archdiocese said it just learned that a meeting with a Ramsey County judge has now been scheduled for Dec. 2. The archdiocese said the need for court approval will delay its schedule for disclosure. But the archdiocese said it’s prepared to release information once the judge approves the plan.

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.

Yeshiva U. Faces Growing Fiscal Crisis Amid Downgrades and Abuse Suit

NEW YORK
The Jewish Daily Forward

By Paul Berger
Published November 22, 2013, issue of November 29, 2013.

Anxiety is building at Modern Orthodoxy’s flagship institution, Yeshiva University, as rumors swirl of looming cuts to address a financial crisis.

Y.U.’s official student newspaper, the Commentator, reported November 20 that the school’s president, Richard Joel, “may announce mandatory furloughs to Y.U. employees” pending an emergency meeting of the University’s board of directors.

School officials have declined to confirm or deny the report.

The Commentator story followed hard on the heels of a memo Joel sent out to faculty and staff a day earlier, warning of dire financial challenges ahead. The email was first reported by the JTA.

Several sources close to Y.U. have told the Forward that the school’s board will hold its emergency meeting early next week.

Y.U. board members did not respond to calls or emails for comment November 19 and 20. Michael Scagnoli, a Y.U. spokesman, declined to comment on whether the meeting is taking place. …

Moody’s said the university’s problems are compounded by uncertainty related to a $380 million lawsuit brought by former students of Yeshiva University’s High School for Boys, in Manhattan. Thirty-four former students are suing Y.U. over claims that the university covered up decades of sexual abuse allegedly committed by former staff members, Rabbi George Finkelstein and Rabbi Macy Gordon. Both men have denied the charges.

A federal judge in New York is expected to rule shortly on whether the case can proceed.

Y.U. staff and students had hoped that 2013 would turn out to be better than the past few years. In 2008, Y.U. was struck by the twin blows of the national financial crisis and the multibillion dollar investment fraud committed by Bernard Madoff, with whom the school had invested substantial sums.

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.

Bishops to visit Jersey

UNITED KINGDOM
Channel Online

[with video]

The Bishop of Winchester has organised a pastoral visit to the Channel Islands to gain a ‘fresh perspective on safeguarding’.

It follows the suspension of Jersey’s Dean earlier this year, for failing to properly handle an allegation of abuse.

No disciplinary action will now be taken against the Very Reverend Bob Key.

Now next month both the Bishop of Dover and Bishop of Lambeth will be coming to the islands to get a better understanding of complaint procedures.

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.

Baker probe moves ahead

PENNSYLVANIA
Tribune-Democrat

Kathy Mellott
kmellott@tribdem.com

EBENSBURG — A criminal investigation into who may have been aware of the alleged sexual abuse of students at Bishop McCort High School by Brother Stephen Baker and failed to alert authorities moved a step forward this week.

Cambria County District Attorney Kelly Callihan told The Tribune-Democrat that she met with members of the staff of Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane.

The focus of the meeting was to determine what information the attorney general’s office will need if it agrees to accept the investigation into who knew what and when, she said.

“We want to make sure we provide the information they need to move forward,” Callihan said.

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

From Rev. Emmett Coyne: Interdict from Below

UNITED STATES
Bilgrimage

This morning, I’d like to share an essay by Rev. Emmet Coyne, a retired priest of the diocese of Manchester, New Hampshire, and author of The Theology of Fear. Emmett has kindly offered to let the essay be published here. It’s a proposal to rehabilitate the ancient Catholic practice of interdict, but to turn it upside down, so that lay Catholics begin to use it to call their pastoral leaders to accountability. Here’s Emmett’s essay:

In 1909 in Adria, Italy, “Several thousand fanatical Catholics nearly stoned their bishop to death.” What triggered this? The pope (Pius X) instructed the bishop to move the seat of the diocese to the more important city of Rovigio. One might assume the Catholic citizens of Adria felt they were losing their prominence. So, for the pelting of their prelate, the pope pronounced an interdict on Adria and the surrounding area.

The interdict is an arrow in the Vatican’s quiver for subduing unruly members. It’s a papal ploy to deny the sacraments to individuals and dioceses. It has been employed intermittently to threaten Catholics and was successful. The interdict remains a measure of last resort. To deny the sacraments, particularly the Eucharist, effectively cuts members off from God. The interdict conveyed this threat.

Real power in the Roman Church resides exclusively in male celibates. Since Vatican II, lay persons were allowed in to participate in parish councils, but these were simply advisory. There is nothing in the pipeline currently which will allow lay members to exercise authentic power. John Paul II anticipated the emerging laity might seek to ascend to a position of power. He then legislated that no cleric could be under the authority of a lay person. Canon Law through the centuries was the exclusive domain of male clerics to write the rules. The laity are subservient in all of the canons, being accorded with few rights and mostly responsibilities.

The current structure of the Roman Church is an absolute monarchy. Laity are left to beg, cajole, and petition for any participation in advocating structural change and power sharing. Collegiality, even for bishops, is not a constant. They are dependent on the whim of the current pontiff. The result is that committed lay persons are left to their own creative devices until the Pentecost event becomes an accepted truth and is institutionalized. At the first Pentecost, the Spirit was poured out upon the whole People of God, not simply community leaders. This was a unique episode in the consciousness of the new community struggling for self-identity in the wake of the Jesus event. All persons would share equally in the life of the community. This was the radical nature that drew slaves and women especially. So the community surged until the time of Constantine when the imperial model was imposed. This has endured till Vatican II when the hope of lay persons was to become equal participants, no longer relegated to ‘pray, pay, and obey.’

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.

Reflecting on God’s blessings and working to do the right thing

MINNESOTA
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis

Date:Thursday, November 21, 2013

Source:Most Reverend John C. Nienstedt

Watch the Archbishop’s video column by clicking here, or at the bottom of this column.

In just another week, we will join with millions of families around the country to celebrate Thanksgiving, a time that has traditionally been set aside to reflect humbly on our many blessings, all of which we prayerfully acknowledge come from our loving and generous God.

I have been reflecting quite a bit lately on God’s blessings to me and the things for which I am personally grateful. I have thought and prayed about this because, particularly now, in the midst of all of the painful strife within our local Church these past many weeks, I am reminded of the great hope we have in Christ, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

I am reminded that, as our patron St. Paul said in his letter to the Philippians, “I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me.” This empowerment and strength must always be directed only for the pursuit and telling of the truth in service to God and our neighbor. This strength, which we find in the source and summit of the Holy Eucharist, reminds us that God gives us all that we need to live in his love and in his truth. It is only for us to recognize and accept his gifts. And, it is these gifts from God, those of strength and truth, of faith, hope and love, and grace and light, and so much more, for which we give thanks.

Like you, I am also thankful for the gifts of my family and friends. And, I am grateful for all of you, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. There is much sadness and frustration among us still. I feel that, too.

And, yet, I also feel so powerfully your prayers as well as your hope for a path forward. I give thanks for these, too. They have been in my prayers as well. The strength of your prayers has been felt by my entire leadership team, which is working tirelessly to do the right thing in the midst of this crisis. Together, we have learned and grown much these past many weeks. And, we have made decisions to take actions that we sincerely believe set us on that path forward, a path that embraces the truth, for the sake of justice.

These actions, as I shared with you in my column two weeks ago, are anchored by a set of goals that I have set for myself and for all leadership within the Church as we address the very serious concerns before us.

Our first goal, and of greatest importance, is keeping our focus on creating and maintaining safe environments and protecting the young and the vulnerable. The Gospel of Matthew tells us that Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Our protection of children and young people must be our top priority, and it must be what animates our every action and decision.

Our second goal is to care for those who have been harmed by members of the Church. Our hearts ache for the victims of sexual abuse, and they deserve our care and support as, together, we work toward a process of hope and healing. It is among the most important things we can and should do, for the sake of the dignity of each person who now struggles to move forward with his or her life. We are called to love, with great compassion, those who are hurting most among us. This is doubly important when a victim’s pain has been caused by a member of our clergy.

Our third goal is to facilitate the beginning of a healing process for our local Church. We must restore trust with the Catholic faithful, who I know are counting on the clergy and leadership of the Church, most especially me as archbishop, to make virtuous decisions for the good of the body of Christ. I take this responsibility very seriously. I also know I cannot do this alone. My entire staff and I are united in our commitment to work together in pursuit of the truth and restoration of trust.

Finally, our fourth goal is to restore trust with our many clergy who do live out their vocations nobly and with great dedication to their sacred trust. These good men deserve our confidence and respect. We must avoid impugning them as we seek justice for the few who have violated this trust and hurt others.

These four goals — protecting the young and the vulnerable, caring for victims, and restoring trust with both the laity and the clergy — are anchoring me and my leadership team in all we do.

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.

Statement on Updated Schedule for Disclosure

MINNESOTA
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis

Date:Friday, November 22, 2013

Source:Jim Accurso

As part of the previously stated plan to ensure a comprehensive approach to address the issue of clergy sexual misconduct, the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis today announced that it is prepared to disclose its initial list of clergy who have substantiated claims of abuse of a minor against them.

In his November 11 Open Letter, which is available on our website at archspm.org, Archbishop Nienstedt announced that the first phase of disclosure would be made by the end of November, pending approval by the appropriate court. There has been a protective order in place in Ramsey County District Court since 2009 related to the disclosure.

We have just learned that a meeting with a Ramsey County judge has now been scheduled for Monday, December 2. The need for approval by the court will delay our schedule for disclosure. The Archdiocese is prepared to release information once the judge concurs with our plan.

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.

Archdiocese delays release of abusive priests list

MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

by Jon Collins, Minnesota Public Radio,
Madeleine Baran, Minnesota Public Radio
November 22, 2013

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis said in a statement late Friday that it’s postponing until at least next month the release of names of priests who sexually abused children.

Earlier this month, Archbishop John Nienstedt announced his decision to release the names of priests living in the archdiocese whom the church believes sexually abused children. Nienstedt’s announcement came after MPR News reporting showed church leaders protected an admitted

Church leaders have fought efforts for years by victims and their attorneys to make the names of abusive priests public. They’ve argued that some priests have been falsely accused and releasing their names would damage their reputations.

The archdiocese said it needs to wait until after a Dec. 2 hearing in Ramsey County District Court because it does not believe it can release the names without a judge’s order.

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

Update: Bluefield church volunteer accused of sexual abuse

WEST VIRGINIA
WVWA

By Paul Hess, Multi-media Journalist

Bluefield, W.Va.–Westminister Pastor Jonathan Rockness released the following statement after allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced involving an un-named youth volunteer:

“From the moment the church leadership first suspected any misconduct, we have aggressively pursued the truth and we have continually reported all findings to the State Police. We continue to cooperate with their investigation, as we are committed to the truth coming to light and justice being served. We are devastated for any individuals and families who may be potential victims, and we pray that the investigative process will help bring them healing,” says Pastor Jonathan Rockness.

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

UPDATE: Sexual Abuse Under Investigation at Bluefield Church

WEST VIRGINIA
WVNS

By Dan Thorn

BLUEFIELD, W.Va. –
UPDATE: 59News reached out to Pastor Jonathan Rockness with Westminster Presbyterian Church he released the following statement.

“We have been fully cooperative with the authorities and will continue to be, as we are committed to uncovering the truth and seeing justice met. We also hope and pray for healing and wholeness for any potential victims in this situation. We are devastated for them and their families.”

West Virginia State Police are investigating sexual abuse accusations against a youth mentor at a church in Bluefield, West Virginia.

Sgt. Melissa Clemons says a number of individuals have come forward accusing a man who is actively involved in the youth group at Westminster Presbyterian Church of sexual abuse.

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.

Woman claims she was fired by church after abuse

SAN FRANCISCO (CA)
KGO

[with video]

Vic Lee

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — A woman is telling a story of cruelty, harassment and abuse — all, she says, at the hands of people who consider themselves men of god.

A female worker says she was fired from St. Francis of Assisi Church because she would no longer submit to sexual harassment that included spanking. The woman filed a wrongful termination claim with the state Department of Fair Employment and Housing. The church contends she was fired for other reasons.

Jhona Mathews is a single mother in her early 30s with a 2-year-old child. She worked as an assistant to the church rector Father Harold Sinider. She says the president of the church board of trustees Bill McLaughlin knew she was vulnerable as a young single mother with no particular skills.

Mathews says in her complaint, that he exploited her to satisfy his sexual fantasies.

“Paddling with the wooden paddle, getting spanked in the sacristy of the shrine of St. Francis, which Catholics know, it’s just appalling to hear as a catholic and having sexual intercourse in the shrine of St. Francis,” Mathews’ attorney Sandra Ribera said.

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

Police investigate allegations of sex abuse by former church youth volunteer

WEST VIRGINIA
Bluefield Daily Telegraph

By SAMANTHA PERRY
Bluefield Daily Telegraph

BLUEFIELD — West Virginia State Police officials are investigating a former church youth teacher and mentor for at-risk youth as a result of sexual abuse and sexual assault allegations.

Sgt. M.D. Clemons, with the Crimes Against Children Unit of the West Virginia State Police, said the individual under investigation was a youth teacher at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Bluefield for many years, and that her investigation has found allegations of abuse that date back to 1986.

“He helped with the youth program,” she said. “He also led mission trips.”

Clemons said she has currently interviewed 12 individuals who have reported misconduct that includes sexual abuse and sexual assault. The victims were preteen and teenage boys.

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

Ex-magistrate is jailed for sex abuse of girl, 10

UNITED KINGDOM
Oxford Times

A DISGRACED magistrate, Church of England minister and music teacher has been jailed for sexually abusing a young girl 10 years ago.

Christopher Tadman-Robins, 66, of Upper End, Shipton-Under-Wychwood, has begun a two-and-a-half year jail sentence.

He was ordained in 1989 but in the last 20 years has only conducted occasional services in West Oxfordshire.

He also sat as a magistrate at the former court in Witney, taught music and was a former musical director of the Northern Ballet.

But Judge Philip Bartle QC said his good character and contribution to society did not spare him from an immediate custodial sentence.

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.

November 22, 2013

Sale bajo fianza sacerdote detenido

LEóN (MEXICO)
El Universal Querétaro [Querétaro, Querétaro, Mexico]

November 22, 2013

Read original article

A decir del procurador general de Justicia del estado, Arsenio Durán Becerra, se espera que se dicte el auto de proceso en contra del sacerdote Arturo Méndez Camacho para iniciar el juicio en su contra por el delito de abusos deshonestos, mismo que enfrentará en libertad después de haber pagado una fianza la tarde de este jueves.

El proceso en contra del sacerdote católico Arturo Méndez es por el delito de abusos deshonestos, el cual enfrentará en libertad y, a decir del titular de la procuración de justicia en la entidad, no hay riesgo de que se evada de la acción de la justicia.

“El día de ayer (jueves) se hizo la gestión por parte de la defensa para que se le concediera el beneficio de la libertad provisional bajo caución, se hizo el trámite, se entregó la garantía correspondiente que le puso en libertad, ahora el paso que viene es la espera de la resolución del juzgador en cuanto a si existen o no elementos para someter a proceso este asunto, en cuyo caso se dictaría un auto de formal procesamiento”.

Una vez concluido este proceso la sentencia será dictada a más tardar en un año, debido a que el seguimiento de este caso depende también de las pruebas que presente la defensa y de la declaración de las dos menores de edad quienes presentaron la denuncia en contra del párroco de la iglesia de san Antoñito.

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.

Criminal charges against Fr. Jiang dropped

ST. LOUIS (MO)
St. Louis Review

SUBMITTED ON NOVEMBER 22, 2013

The Pike County Circuit Court has dismissed criminal charges against Father Xiu Hui “Joseph” Jiang, a former associate pastor at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis Parish.

Father Jiang was charged June 28, 2012, in Lincoln County with a felony count of endangering the welfare of a child, a first-degree offense involving sexual conduct. He also was charged with witness tampering.

The Archdiocese of St. Louis had placed Father Jiang on administrative leave following a report involving alleged inappropriate contact with a high school-aged minor. The Archdiocesan Office of Child and Youth Protection notified the Missouri Division of Family Services immediately upon learning of the allegations.

According to a statement at that time from Msgr. Richard Hanneke, the archdiocese’s vicar for priests, the archdiocese was fully cooperating with the investigation.

None of the conduct was alleged to have occurred at the cathedral or on any archdiocesan property, Msgr. Hanneke noted in the statement.

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.

Former Norfolk Priest Found Guilty of Abuse

NEBRASKA
ABC 9

news@kcautv.com

The Archdiocese of Omaha has found a former Catholic priest from Norfolk guilty of sexually abusing minors.

Archbishop George Lucas says there is enough evidence against Franklin Dvorak. Dvorak is accused of abusing a female student from 1970 to 1972 when he was stationed at Sacred Heart Parish. That’s now called Norfolk Catholic.

Dvorak was not formally charged because of the statute of limitations.

The church is now prohibiting him from publicly exercising priestly ministry in the church, but he can retain his clerical status.

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.

Former Blair priest found guilty of sexually abusing minor

NEBRASKA
Pilot-Tribune & Enterprise

Staff reports

The Archdiocese of Omaha has dismissed Father Al Salanitro from the clerical state after an administrative penal process, according to a news release. He is prohibited from all priestly functions and ministries and can never again serve as a priest anywhere in the Church.

Salanitro served St. Francis Borgia Catholic Church in Blair for five years in the early 2000s.

In December 2011, a Carter Lake, Iowa man reported he was sexually abused by Salanitro from 1991 to 1994, beginning when he was 11 years old. Salanitro was associate pastor of Holy Cross Parish during that time.

The archdiocese notified law enforcement officials of the allegation. Archbishop George Lucas placed Salanitro on administrative leave from his assignment as pastor of St. Bernadette Parish in Bellevue pending the outcome of a preliminary investigation. Salanitro denied the allegations.

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

Judge throws out child endangerment charge against priest

ST. LOUIS (MO)
Fox 2

[with video]

November 22, 2013, by Betsey Bruce

(KTVI)– A Pike County judge has thrown out a charge of child endangerment against a Catholic priest who worked at the New Cathedral.

Father Joseph Jiang had been charged with molesting an underage girl in Lincoln County and with attempting to tamper with a witness.

The prosecutor dropped the tampering charge after the judge said there was no evidence the priest and the girl were ever alone together.

The girl and her parents are suing the archdiocese.

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

Kenosha priest cleared by law enforcement

WISCONSIN
Fox 6

KENOSHA (WITI) — A priest at St. Peter Church in Kenosha that had been investigated by police and placed on administrative leave has been cleared of any criminal or illegal behavior. The case is now closed.

Kenosha police say the department had been investigating the priest because of his use of Facebook. The priest belongs to the Marians of the Immaculate Conception — a religious order out of [Stockbridge} Stonebridge, Massachusetts.

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.

ROYAL COMMISSION TO HOLD PUBLIC HEARING INTO TOWARDS HEALING STARTING 9 DECEMBER

AUSTRALIA
Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse

The Royal Commission will hold a public hearing in Sydney commencing Monday 9 December 2013. The public hearing will look into the Towards Healing process adopted by the Catholic Church in responding to allegations of child sexual abuse.

Royal Commission CEO Janette Dines explained that this hearing will be the first of a number of public hearings that will examine the application of Towards Healing in responding to victims and allegations of child sexual abuse against personnel of the Catholic Church.

“This first public hearing into Towards Healing will focus on the experiences of four people who participated in the process,” she said.

“These people are Queensland residents whose claim of child sexual abuse was dealt with through the Towards Healing process. The accused at the time of the abuse were priests and brothers of the Archdiocese of Brisbane, Diocese of Lismore and the Marist Brothers.

“As the Commission continues, we will hold more public hearings into peoples’ experience with Towards Healing and its application in different parts of Australia,” Ms Dines said.

To speak with the Royal Commission, call 1800 099 340 or email registerinterest@childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au

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.

Retired minister found guilty of sexual offences

CANADA
Cambridge Times

A retired Anglican priest with ties to Paris was found guilty Tuesday of sexual offenses dating back 30 years.

Rev. George Ferris, 66, of Cambridge appeared at the Ontario Court of Justice in Brantford on Nov. 19 and was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual exploitation for offences that took place in Paris between 1983 and 1989.

During that time, Ferris was serving as minister of St. James Anglican Church in Paris.

Ferris is scheduled to appear for sentencing on Jan. 28.

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.

NE – 2 predator priests should be criminally charged, SNAP says

NEBRASKA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Friday, Nov. 22, 2013

Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 314 566 9790, SNAPclohessy@aol.com )

Two Nebraska predator priests have been disciplined by the Vatican.

[WOWT]

We strongly urge Archbishop George Lucas to submit the evidence used in the church investigation to secular authorities so that Fr. Alfred Salanitro and Fr. Franklin Dvorak might be criminally charged, convicted and kept away from kids, instead of just being removed from ministry.

Archbishop Lucas and other Catholic officials have a duty to insure the kids’ safety of by making sure these predators are prosecuted and kept away from potential victims, not just ousted from their church positions.

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.

Church lied to abuse victim

AUSTRALIA
The Australian

JARED OWENS THE AUSTRALIAN NOVEMBER 23, 2013

THE former administrator of a NSW Anglican diocese under investigation over systemic child abuse has admitted lying about its capacity to pay compensation to a victim who “derailed” church-led negotiations by seeking independent legal advice.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse has heard a “pedophile ring” of priests at Lismore’s North Coast Children’s Home raped, beat and sexually abused dozens of children between the 1940s and 80s.

The inquiry in Sydney was yesterday shown a 2006 letter written by then Grafton Diocese registrar Pat Comben in which he told an abuse survivor, Richard Campion, that it was “difficult” to find even $500 to cover his travel costs to attend counselling.

Mr Comben yesterday admitted he understood the diocese had assets of $2 million.

“No, it was not an honest thing to say to Mr Campion,” the former Queensland Labor minister told the inquiry.

“We were all scared and I was conscious that I would not have been viewed well as an employee had I just gone in there and said ‘The diocese has $2m’.”

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.

Bishop won’t publish report into Dean’s suspension

UNITED KINGDOM
Channel Online

[with video]

The Bishop of Winchester has issued a statement confirming he is “unable” to release the report into the Dean of Jersey’s suspension.

Tim Dakin said, following legal advice, he has agreed to comply with a request from an “interested party” not to publish Dame Heather Steel’s report.

The report by the former High Court Judge has investigated whether any disciplinary action should be taken against any member of the clergy.

It comes after Jersey’s Dean, Bob Key, was suspended in March for failing to properly investigate the treatment of a 26 year old disabled woman.

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.

No Jersey clergy to disciplined over abuse complaint handling

UNITED KINGDOM
BBC News

No disciplinary action is to be taken against any Jersey Anglican clergy member into the handling of an abuse complaint, a bishop says.

Inquiries were ordered by Bishop of Winchester, the Right Reverend Tim Dakin, after a woman claimed she was abused by a church warden.

The review examined how the Dean of Jersey, the Very Reverend Bob Key, dealt with the issue.

However, a report into the reviews is not to be released on legal advice.

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.

Abuse victims at Anglican home told church had no liability

AUSTRALIA
The Guardian (UK)

Australian Associated Press
theguardian.com, Friday 22 November 2013

If the dozens of people who were abused at a Church of England (Anglican) home had sued successfully it would have been financial ruin for the New South Wales diocese of Grafton, a lawyer has told a national inquiry into child abuse.

Peter Roland, former lawyer for the diocese, is being grilled at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse on why, in 2006 and 2007, traumatised survivors of the North Coast Children’s Home (NCCH) in Lismore were told the church had no liability.

The commission has heard at one stage a letter to 41 victims mentioned a modest ex-gratia payment for “their inconvenience in these matters”.

At the request of the commission chair, justice Peter McClellan, documents showing how much money was spent by the diocese on lawyers were produced, showing bills of $27,000 and $11,000. One bill gave an estimated figure of $62,000 if the case went to court.

The commission heard Roland’s firm had received a dossier of 450 documents detailing emotional, sexual and physical abuse of former residents at the home, but was instructed by the diocese that the church had never been vested with care, control and management of the home.

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.

More from the Father Eric Dejaeger sex abuse trial

CANADA
Sylvia’s Site

Some more information from the sex abuse trial of Oblate priest Father Eric Dejaeger. I warn in advance that some of this is quite graphic

(1) All victims who have testified to date were aged 4 to 12 when they were molested. (I say victims because my understanding is that most, if not all, who have testified to date, have received out-of-court settlements)

(2) Father Eric Dejaeger is perceived by some as being physically “extremely vigorous,” almost athletic. I am told that he seems almost unaffected by the testimony;

(3) The court room is packed, but it is small, perhaps holding 20 people max. There are about four support persons in the court at any given time,. There are two sheriffs present at any given time. Yesterday there was a group from the Ministry of Justice. The Deputy Minister was present for the day.

There are some lawyers who pop in and out for short spells;

(4) There is reference in media coverage to victims in the hallways howling in anguish after testifying. This is happening during testimony as well. Yesterday afternoon the man who testified broke down a number of times during testimony and was, I am told, literally howling in anguish.

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.

Judge drops charges against St. Louis priest

ST. LOUIS (MO)
KSDK

ST. LOUIS (KSDK) – A judge has dismissed charges against a St. Louis priest in relation to child endangerment.

Circuit Judge Chris Kunza Mennemeyer dismissed charges against Fr. Joseph Jiang, who pleaded not guilty to the child endangerment charge.

A lawsuit filed by the family of a teenage girl remains active, and it claims that Archbishop Robert Carlson didn’t stop the molestation by a priest who lived in the St. Louis Cathedral Basilica. A motion was made earlier this month to dismiss the lawsuit, and it’s still under consideration.

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.

Omaha Archdiocese finds 2 priests guilty of sex abuse

OMAHA (NE)
World-Herald

By Michael O’Connor / World-Herald staff writer

The archdiocese announced the decisions Friday morning regarding the Rev. Alfred J. Salanitro, 54, and the Rev. Franklin A. Dvorak, 69.

The archdiocese conducted investigations of both men and reported the allegations to law enforcement.

Salanitro has been dismissed from the clerical state, and Dvorak was sentenced to a life of prayer and penance, according to a news release from the archdiocese.

The action on Salanitro means he has been returned to the lay state and is prohibited from all priestly functions and ministries. He can never again serve as a priest anywhere in the Roman Catholic Church.

Dvorak’s prayer and penance penalty also prohibits him from publicly exercising priestly ministry in the church. He is not permitted to celebrate Mass publicly or to administer the Church’s sacraments, the release said.

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

Church Investigation: Priests Guilty Of Sexually Abusing Minors

OMAHA (NE)
WOWT

Two Archdiocese of Omaha priests received their ecclesiastical penalties on Friday after having been found guilty of sexual abuse of minors.

The Rev. Alfred Salanitro (pictured right) has been dismissed from the clerical state, meaning he has been returned to the lay state or “laicized.” The 54-year-old is prohibited from all priestly functions and ministries and can never again serve as a priest anywhere in the church.

In December 2011, a Carter Lake man reported he was sexually abused by Salanitro from 1991-1994, beginning when he was 11 years old while Salanitro was associate pastor of Holy Cross Parish.

The archdiocese notified law enforcement of the allegation. Archbishop George Lucas placed Salanitro on administrative leave from his assignment as pastor of St. Bernadette Parish in Bellevue pending the outcome of a preliminary investigation.

Archbishop Lucas and the Archdiocesan Review Board, an 11-member volunteer board of child care experts, law enforcement officials, attorneys, clergy, and mental health professionals that advises Archbishop Lucas on the protection of young people, concluded after a thorough investigation that the evidence met the church’s minimum standard for a credible allegation. …

The archdiocese also announced the Rev. Franklin Dvorak was sentenced to a life of prayer and penance that prohibits him from publicly exercising priestly ministry in the church. He is not permitted to celebrate Mass publicly or to administer the church’s sacraments.

The 69-year-old Dvorak has been instructed not to wear clerical attire or to present himself publicly as a priest. Dvorak is expected to dedicate his life to praying for victims and repenting of his past offenses. Dvorak is able to retain his clerical status. He was ordained in 1970 and will reach the priest retirement age of 70 in February. His term as pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Omaha expired last summer.

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.

Diocese of Crookston: Abuse lawsuit names Father Fitzgerald

MINNESOTA
Crookston Times

By Jess Bengtson
Posted Nov. 22, 2013

Crookston, Minn.
At a news conference Thursday in the lobby of the Polk County Justice Center in Crookston, sexual abuse attorney Jeff Anderson announced the filing of a lawsuit on behalf of a man known as “Doe 19.”

Anderson, along with Lonna Hunter, an advocate for Native children, told the story of Doe 19, whom they said was sexually abused by Father James Vincent Fitzgerald at St. Anne’s Parish in Naytahwaush. The lawsuit names the Diocese of Crookston and the Oblates of Mary Immaculate alleging their negligence in placing Fitzgerald in parishes and communities where he had access to children even after learning that Fitzgerald was a child molester. This is the first time Fitzgerald’s name has been publicly released in Minnesota.

Fitzgerald, who is now deceased, was employed by the Diocese of Crookston from 1973 to 1978. During this time, he allegedly abused a minor male. The lawsuit claims the defendants knew or should have known about the abuse. The Diocese of Crookston placed Fitzgerald at St. Anne’s Parish on the White Earth Indian Reservation in Naytahwaush in the mid-1980s. Doe 19 claims the abuse happened in 1984 when he was between 8 and 9-years-old.

The current lawsuit, along with another involving “Jane Doe 4” of Bemidji and the late Father James Porter, requests the release of names of credibly accused and admitted child molesters from the Diocese of Crookston. The Diocese allegedly compiled a list of five priests who had credible accusations of abuse against them.

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.

Criminal charges dropped against St. Louis priest

MISSOURI
Greenwich Times

TROY, Mo. (AP) — Criminal charges against a St. Louis priest accused of molesting a teenage girl in northeast Missouri have been dropped.

The Rev. Xiu Hui “Joseph” Jiang was charged in June 2012 with child endangerment and witness tampering. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (bit.ly/1cIaTej) reports that Circuit Judge Chris Kunza Mennemeyer of Lincoln and Pike counties dismissed the child endangerment charge on Monday.

Prosecutor Leah Askey filed for dismissal on the witness tampering charge on the same day. Jiang had allegedly left a $20,000 check for the family as hush money.

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.

Court Drops Teen Sex Abuse Charges for Catholic Priest Joseph Jiang

ST. LOUIS (MO)
Riverfront Times

By Lindsay Toler Fri., Nov. 22 2013

Criminal charges against a Cathedral Basilica priest accused of sexually abusing a teen in his parish were dropped earlier this month.

Father Xiu Hui “Joseph” Jiang, 30, was not alone with the victim, the court ruled, so child endangerment and witness tampering charges have been dropped, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Two circuit judges filed to dismiss the charges on November 18, and the case was officially dismissed from court record Thursday, according to the Post-Dispatch.

The family of the victim still has a civil lawsuit pending against the archdiocese and Archbishop Robert Carlson for knowingly allowing a sexual predator to interact unsupervised with children.

Nicole Gorovsky, one of the Chakes, Carlson & Halquist lawyers handling the civil suit, says she doesn’t think the news will affect the lawsuit.

“I think our case is a very strong one,” Gorovsky says. “I don’t think this means anything.”

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.

Criminal charges dropped against St. Louis priest

ST. LOUIS (MO)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

By Jesse Bogan jbogan@post-dispatch.com 314-340-825512

ST. LOUIS • Criminal charges filed against a St. Louis priest over allegations that he molested a teenage girl have been dropped, officials said Friday.

The Rev. Xiu Hiu “Joseph” Jiang, 30, was charged in 2012 with child endangerment and witness tampering.

Circuit Judge Chris Kunza Mennemeyer, of Lincoln and Pike counties, put in an order to dismiss the child endangerment charge Nov. 18 based on an argument by the defense that Jiang was never alone with the alleged victim.

Prosecutor Leah Askey filed for dismissal on the witness tampering charge — Jiang had allegedly left a $20,000 check for the family for hush money — on the same day.

A trial date had been set in Pike County and then recently cancelled.

Pike County Clerk Jerri Harrelson said Friday that the case was officially dismissed from the court record Thursday.

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.

MO – Criminal charges v. priest tossed out but civil case v. him proceeds

ST. LOUIS (MO)
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Friday, Nov. 22, 2013

Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 314 566 9790, SNAPclohessy@aol.com )

We are very upset that judge has ended the criminal case against an accused predator priest who has close ties to Archbishop Robert Carlson. Our hearts ache for this courageous victim and her parents who have done their moral and civic duty by helping law enforcement pursue a manipulative child molester.

[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]

There’s something wrong in our justice system when a prosecutor has a prompt abuse report and solid evidence – emails, a $20,000 check, a phone message, a witness – yet a judge tosses out the charges.

It’s possible, of course, that the prosecutor will file other charges against Fr. Jiang. We hope she will.

Regardless, this ruling makes it even more crucial that every single person who saw, suspected or suffered Fr. Jiang’s crimes steps forward. He’s a smart, cunning and young priest. He’ll keep hurting kids unless he’s convicted and imprisoned.

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.

LA Archdiocese Releases More Documents

CALIFORNIA
The Worthy Adversary

Posted by Joelle Casteix on November 22, 2013

The Los Angeles Archdiocese released more clergy sex abuse and cover-up documents today. Priests hail from Orange County, San Bernardino, and Phoenix.

Files include:

John Lenihan
Richard Coughlin
Richard Loomis
Jesse Dominguez
Henry Perez
John Santillian
And others ….

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.

Anglican Priest remanded for alleged rape

GHANA
Ghana Web

A 39-year-old Anglican priest, Rev. Fr Emmanuel Quartey, has been remanded in police custody for allegedly raping a 20-year-old woman.

He will be arraigned before the Cape Coast Circuit Court Three on Monday November 25.

The facts are that on Sunday October 17, the victim, a resident of Siwido in Cape Coast, contacted the priest to help her break a blood covenant she had with her boyfriend.

The priest agreed to help the victim and asked her to meet him the following day at a hotel in Elmina.

She complied and met the priest in one of the rooms in the hotel where he forcibly had sex with her and warned her not to tell anyone or else she will die.

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.

Suspended Scottish priest who authored controversial book fights for reinstatement

SCOTLAND
The Tablet

22 November 2013 15:00 by Kathleen Nutt

A Scottish priest is fighting to be reinstated after his suspension led parishioners to walk out of church just before Mass.

Fr Matthew Despard was removed from his post at St John Ogilvie’s Church in High Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, last weekend after publishing a controversial memoir earlier this year claiming there was a culture of homosexual bullying in the Catholic Church in Scotland.

On Saturday, just before he was due to say Mass, a statement on the suspension was read to the congregation by Bishop Joseph Toal, the Bishop of Argyll and the Isles and apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Motherwell. It sparked a walkout by parishioners, some in tears, amid scenes described as a near riot. Many in the congregation also left the following day when Bishop Toal turned up to say Sunday morning Mass.

Hugh Neilson, Fr Despard’s lawyer, told The Tablet that the priest has written to Bishop Toal asking to be reinstated.

“Fr Matthew was overwhelmed by the affection that the parishioners have shown him. He is asking Bishop Toal to reconsider his decision. He has written to him already and I will be writing a fuller letter on his behalf,” said Mr Neilson, who was at the church both last Saturday and Sunday.

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.

Amended Lawsuit Filed Against Archbishop Robert Carlson

ST. LOUIS (MO)
KMOX

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOX) – A Lincoln County family that sued St. Louis Archbishop Robert Carlson for allegedly failing to report child sexual abuse allegations against a priest he lived with has filed a new lawsuit.

The amended suit lays out more allegations against Carlson, claiming he knew that Father Joseph Jiang was saying Mass and hearing confessions in the alleged victim’s home.

“I think its a little bit of a troubling sign that this priest injected himself so deeply into this family and did so with the clear permission of his supervisors,” David Clohessy with Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) told KMOX.

With this week’s filing of an amended lawsuit, the Lincoln County court dismissed as “moot” a request by the Archdiocese to have the original case thrown out. The church now has twenty days to refile its motion to have the lawsuit dismissed.

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.

Lawsuit: Priest Asked Teen to Dress Like a Woman, Not a Child, Before Sexual Abuse

ST. LOUIS (MO)
Riverfront Times

By Lindsay Toler Fri., Nov. 22 2013

Even after a Cathedral Basilica priest asked the archdiocese to reassign him for personal reasons, the church allowed Joseph Jiang to have unsupervised contact with the minor he is accused of sexually assaulting in her home and on church property, according to a lawsuit.

The family of the victim — who remains anonymous because she was a minor at the time of the abuse — warned that 25-year-old Jiang was too affectionate and touchy with their 15-year-old daughter, leading Jiang to ask Archbishop Robert Carlson and the pastor of the Cathedral Basilica for a reassignment for personal reasons.

He was not reassigned. Soon after, he returned to the victim’s home crying, said he could not stay away from the family, pinned the girl against a wall and kissed her, according to the lawsuit.

Jiang faces criminal charges, but the family is also suing the archdiocese and Archbishop Carlson for knowingly allowing a sexual predator to serve as a priest and have unsupervised contact with their daughter.

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.

EXECUTIONS IN MISSOURI

ST. LOUIS (MO)
Berger’s Beat

. . .A pedophile priest case in New Jersey has just settled out of court. The accused is Fr. John E. Shannon, who is accused of molesting kids in the Camden area but he spent the last 20 years at the Vianney Renewal Center, a church facility here. Shannon passed away several weeks ago. .

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.

“PHILOMENA” IS PURE PROPAGANDA

UNITED STATES
Catholic League

Bill Donohue comments on “Philomena,” a movie that opens today:

A half-century ago, an Irish woman gave birth to a son out-of-wedlock, and gave him up for adoption; he was born in an abbey, a venue that allowed the mother to avoid being stigmatized.

There is nothing particularly startling about this, other than the fact that film reviewers are now all aghast about the “horrors” these fallen women experienced; many are making reference to the Magdalene Laundries. As I detailed earlier this year, it’s bunk [click here]. Those who are neither scholars nor principled observers have swallowed this propaganda, so debased is their appetite for anti-Catholic fare.

There is one reviewer who is exceptionally fair, Kyle Smith of the New York Post. He is worth quoting at length:

“The film doesn’t mention that in 1952 Ireland, both mother and child’s life would have been utterly ruined by an out-of-wedlock birth and that the nuns are actually giving both a chance at a fresh start and that both, indeed, in real life, enjoyed. No, this is a diabolical-Catholic film, straight up.”

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.

Former staff at St William’s claim some abuse allegations are fictitious

UNITED KINGDOM
ITV

Former staff at St William’s school in North Yorkshire say they believe that some of the allegations of abuse are fictitious.

Almost 200 claims have been lodged against the Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough and the De La Salle Catholic Order of brothers.

Abuse allegations first came out in the 1990’s after the conviction of former teacher Father Anthony McCallen. Jailed for two years for indecent assault and taking indecent pictures of young boys .

That trial prompted allegations against another brother James Carragher, the school principal. He was to be convicted in two separate trials for abusing boys in his care and jailed for a total of 21 years.

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.

Afternoon’s testimony from Iqaluit courthouse

CANADA
Sylvia’s Site

Some details of the afternoon’s testimony at the Iqaluit court house and the sex abuse trial of Father Eric Dejager:

(1) In the afternoon a male testified that when he was a boy Father Eric Dejager ‘raped’ his dog (buggered his dog?) and afterwards sodomized him,(the witness). The witness testified that Dejaeger put him on the table in the furnace room of the church. A nail pierced his chest. He still has the scar. The scar was shown in court.

He told the court that, after his friend was also sodomized by Dejager, his friend bled from the rectum. That friend committed suicide years later

The witness described in graphic detail how he was forced to give Dejaeger oral sex.

He testified that after Dejaeger left Igloolik his father shot Dejaeger’s dog. The dog had apparently been abandoned by Dejaeger;

The witness broke down in tears frequently throughout his testimony;

(4) Father Dejaeger’s lawyer ensured those testifying did not have to face Dejaeger as they testified;

(5) Dejaeger has apparently become quite animated and is passing notes to his lawyer. I am told he appears fit and well. He is very attentive. At times his face reddens.

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.

What CD, CN and CM Said (Or: O’Neill’s Whip)

AUSTRALIA
lewisblayse.net

The Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse third “case study” hearing has received witness statements from three more victims of the North Coast Children’s Home in New South Wales state. The Home was run by the Anglican Church, known elsewhere as the Episcopalian Church or the Church of England.

It has previously been revealed that the offences were horrendous, and that the local church officials attempted to avoid responsibility for the Home. The chief offenders in this regard were former bishop, Keith Slater, and former administrator, Pat Comben. It has also been revealed that the head of the Anglican Church in Australia, Phillip Aspinall, tried to avoid responsibility for the actions of the local officials by claiming he had no authority over them.

Victim “CD” told the enquiry that sexual, physical and psychological abuse began when he was six years old. He told of witnessing other children being abused, including the rape of a girl by older boys. “She was there, naked and crying, and I couldn’t do or say anything, for fear of being bashed up.” CD also told of being taken away for a weekend at the age of seven or eight by a staff member who sexually abused him

The girl who “CD” was referring to was “CN”, whose statement was read to the hearing. She described her reaction on being admitted to the Home at the age of seven, in the 1950s. “It smelt terrible, like faeces, and there was vomit on the ground. I could see about twenty-odd children, all dirty. It was horrific. I felt that I couldn’t protect myself or my sister … I was told, and I heard other children being told, that we were ‘dirty little heathens’”, her statement read.

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.

Pastor accused of improper relationship with a minor

PENNSYLVANIA
Herald-Standard

State police have issued an arrest warrant for a pastor accused of indecent assault among other charges related to having an alleged improper relationship with an 11-year-old girl.

According to the criminal complaint, Ray Scott Teets, 66, of Uniontown has been charged with three felony counts of corruption of minors, concealment of the whereabouts of a child, three counts of luring a child into a motor vehicle or structure, three counts of indecent assault, unlawful restraint of a person, interference with custody of children, three counts of unlawful contact with a minor, three counts of stalking, three misdemeanor counts of corruption of minor, and three counts of criminal trespass.

The criminal complaint said Teets is pastor at Fallen Timbers Community Church on Morgantown Avenue in Springhill Township.

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.

Fayette pastor accused of indecent contact with girl

PENNSYLVANIA
Tribune-Review

By Liz Zemba

Published: Thursday, Nov. 21, 2013

The pastor of a Fayette County church is accused of indecent sexual contact with the 11-year-old daughter of one of his former congregants.

Ray Scott Teets, 66, of South Union is charged by state police at Uniontown with indecent assault, unlawful restraint, interference with custody of children, corruption of minors, unlawful contact with a minor, concealing the whereabouts of a child, child luring, stalking and criminal trespass.

The girl, her mother and her mother’s fiance were members of a church listed as Fallen Timbers Community Church on Fallen Timbers Road in Springhill in an affidavit of probable cause. Teets is the pastor at Fallen Timbers Community Chapel at that address.

As he was leaving the office of Masontown District Judge Randy Abraham, Teets said the charges were “outrageous.”

Abraham set bail at $250,000. Teets told the judge he has a 1986 conviction for child sexual abuse in Maryland.

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.

How Many More ‘Pious’ Sex Abusers Are There?

UNITED STATES
The Jewish Press

By: Harry Maryles Published: November 22nd, 2013

It seems we have an epidemic on hand. Sex abuse seems to be more prevalent today than at any time in history. Or is it…?

My guess is that it is as prevalent today as it was in the past. It has always been an epidemic. The difference today is that we know about it. The media is all over it and the internet spreads the word widely and quickly. Everyone knows about it instantly.

And thank God for that. I say ‘Thank God’ even though it makes the Torah world look bad by being no different than other communities that have these problems. But ‘knowledge is power’. Now that we know more we can do more to prevent it and to help survivors better deal with it.

Although we have a long way to go, things have been slowly changing for the better as some survivors have come forward to expose their abusers and testify against them in court. And major Orthodox religious organizations like the RCA and the OU have publicly supported reporting abuse to the police immediately. Even Agudah and Lakewood support it in theory as long as you consult with a rabbi first. (That this is woefully inadequate is beyond the scope of this post.) The only religious groups who outright forbid it are major Chasidic enclaves like Satmar, Ger, and Toldos Aharon.

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.

Letter warned of cover-up

AUSTRALIA
Newcastle Herald

By JOANNE McCARTHY Nov. 22, 2013

HISTORICAL Newcastle Anglican diocese files alleging ‘‘falsification of records’’, including those of child sex offender priest Allan Kitchingman, were found this year and referred to police, an explosive statement to the royal commission into child abuse has said.

Diocese professional standards director Michael Elliott has told the commission about an anonymous 2002 letter which said the ‘‘disappearance’’ of Kitchingman from a clergy list in 1968 and his subsequent move to the Grafton diocese ‘‘could today be construed as a type of cover-up’’.

‘‘This ‘disappearance’ was deliberate,’’ the letter said.

In 1968 Kitchingman was convicted of an indecent assault on a male, although the commission heard on Monday ‘‘such an act is no longer a criminal offence’’.

He became chaplain to the North Coast Children’s Home at Lismore where he sexually abused a boy, 13, in 1975. He was convicted and jailed in 2002. Despite the jail sentence his name remained on the Newcastle diocese clergy list from 2002 to 2007.

The anonymous 2002 letter accused the diocese of matters that were ‘‘reported to superiors, then dealt with quietly’’, including the case of Kitchingman.

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.

Lawsuit accuses former South Dakota friar of child abuse

SOUTH DAKOTA/MINNESOTA
Argus Leader

Written by
John Hult

The movement by church officials of a deceased friar accused of molesting children in South Dakota and Minnesota has resulted in a lawsuit under a recently passed law that extends the statute of limitations in latent abuse cases.

The case against James Vincent Fitzgerald was made possible by the passage this year of the Minnesota Child Victims Act, according to Twin Cities lawyer Jeff Anderson.

Anderson represents a victim of Fitzgerald’s, who is identified as “Doe 19” in a lawsuit filed Thursday in Ramsey County against the Diocese of Crookston and the Oblates of Mary Immaculate.

“It opens up the courthouse for victims to bring actions against the ones who permitted the abuses,” Anderson said, adding the Doe case represents the first claim made under the new Minnesota law.

Fitzgerald abused two Native American children in the late 1960s when working at the Indian Mission in Sisseton under the scope of the Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls, the complaint said, and was transferred to Squaw Lake, Minn., in the 1970s.

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.

Child Sex Abuse Allegations At Holy Redeemer Head Start Program

FLORIDA
CBS Miami

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – An unnamed teacher at a Catholic run pre-school is under investigation for allegedly sexually abusing a 3-year old.

According to a Miami-Dade Police spokesman, authorities were called to the Holy Redeemer Head Start Program.

Thursday the Archdiocese of Miami issued the following statement:

“Today the Archdiocese of Miami’s administrators learned of an allegation of sexual abuse by a teacher at the Catholic Charities’ Head Start Early Childhood Development Center, located at Holy Redeemer Church.

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

Police Investigating Sexual Abuse Allegation …

FLORIDA
NBC South Florida

[with video]

Police Investigating Sexual Abuse Allegation Against Head Start Teacher at Holy Redeemer Church, Archdiocese of Miami Says

Miami-Dade Police are investigating an allegation of sexual abuse against a Head Start teacher at Holy Redeemer Church in northwest Miami-Dade, the Archdiocese of Miami said Thursday.

Archdiocese administrators learned of the allegation involving a teacher at Catholic Charities’ Head Start Early Childhood Development Center, which is located at the church at 1301 Northwest 71st St., on Thursday.

When Catholic Charities’ administrators learned of the allegation, they reported it to the Department of Children and Families, Archdiocese of Miami spokeswoman Mary Ross Agosta said in a statement. Administrators are also fully cooperating with the police investigation, she said.

Police interviewed a teacher, who was cooperative, and she has since been released, Miami-Dade Police spokesman Det. Roy Rutland said.

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

Catholics back compo scheme for abuse victims

AUSTRALIA
SBS

[with audio]

By Ildi Amon
Source World News Australia Radio

The head of the Catholic church’s Truth, Justice and Healing Council says the days of the church investigating sexual abuse complaints against itself are over.

The internal process used by the Catholic Church to deal with sexual abuse claims will be the subject of public hearings in Sydney next month.

The Royal Commission will examine the application of the scheme known as Towards Healing.

Truth, Justice and Healing Council chief executive Francis Sullivan says Towards Healing was an improvement on the previous arrangements.

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.

Shreveport pastor indicted on federal charges

LOUISIANA
KSLA

[with video]

By Carolyn Roy

SHREVEPORT, LA (KSLA) –
A Shreveport pastor has been arrested after he was reportedly indicted on federal sex crimes charges.

The FBI confirms that Pastor Andre Lewis is charged with three counts of transporting a child over state lines with intent to engage in sexual acts.

Lewis, pastor of Act on Faith Ministries on Hollywood Avenue, is expected to have a detention hearing in federal court on Monday.

Lewis was arrested early Wednesday morning at his home in the 6200 block of Snowden Drive in the Mooretown neighborhood.

Early Thursday the FBI confirmed that an arrest was made, but according to the clerk at the federal courthouse, the indictment was sealed.

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.

Anglican Church abuse compensation not motivated by suffering, inquiry told

AUSTRALIA
ABC News

By Ashleigh Raper and Thomas Oriti

A lawyer for the Anglican Church has told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse the decision to compensate a group of abuse victims was not motivated by their suffering.

Peter Roland was employed by the Anglican Diocese of Grafton.

He was the Diocese’s legal representative when a group of former residents from the North Coast Children’s Home in Lismore wanted compensation for allegedly being sexually and physically abused.

This latest phase of the Royal Commission is looking into the response from the Diocese to the allegations and how it handled the group claim.

During a tense exchange, Counsel Assisting the Commission, Simeon Beckett asked Mr Roland the motivation behind offering compensation.

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.

Money squirrelled away at ‘poor’ diocese

AUSTRALIA
The West Australian

By Annette Blackwell, AAP
Updated November 22, 2013

The former registrar of the Anglican diocese at the centre of a child abuse inquiry has admitted lying about church finances to Richard “Tommy” Campion, who had started a group claim against the church.

Pat Comben, a former Queensland education and environment minister, said when he became registrar at Grafton in 2004, he didn’t find the financial position as bad as he’d been led to believe.

During his time as registrar former residents of the North Coast Children’s Home in Lismore began to come forward with horrific tales of abuse at the hands of clergy and workers at the orphanage.

Mr Comben, a former clergyman, on Friday told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse he found money “squirrelled away” at the diocese – $50,000 here, $100,000 there in different accounts.

About $2 million was available at the beginning of 2006, he said.

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

When hell is a children’s home

AUSTRALIA
The West Australian

Annette Blackwell, AAP
November 22, 2013

This is a true story about money, power, sex and religion.

It is about a time when bishops reigned supreme in the Protestant church.

It tells of a hell-hole where decade after decade children were flogged with canes, pony whips and belts until they bled.

It is a horror story about how the very young were often raped by pastors and others and sometimes subjected to pseudo-religious sexual rituals.

For a while there was a grand entrance sign proclaiming the bleak place a Church of England home.

The story is set not in medieval Europe but in a sunny corner of NSW at a time when other Australians were listening to John Farnham singing Sadie (The Cleaning Lady) or INXS belting out Don’t Change.

Through a labyrinthine trail of documents and evidence from seemingly good-hearted professional people who work for the Anglican Church, those attending the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse are piecing the terrible tale together.

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

New abuse suit filed against Crookston diocese; Accusations focus on priest with area reservation ties

MINNESOTA
Bemidji Pioneer

Stephen J. Lee
Forum News Service

CROOKSTON — A member of the White Earth Band of Chippewa sued the Roman Catholic Diocese of Crookston on Thursday, alleging a priest working under the diocese’s authority sexually abused him when he was 8 and 9 years old on the White Earth Indian Reservation.

Jeff Anderson, the St. Paul attorney who has won hundreds of millions of dollars suing Catholic dioceses in sex abuse cases over the past 20 years, held a news conference at the Polk County Courthouse in Crookston, where the lawsuit was filed Thursday.

He said he has information that the Rev. J. Vincent Fitzgerald, who died in 2009, sexually abused at least four young people from the late 1960s to the mid-1980s while serving as a priest on Indian reservations in South Dakota and Minnesota.

The four alleged victims include two within the Crookston diocese: a boy on the Leech Lake Indian Reservation near Bemidji in the 1970s and “John Doe 19” at White Earth in the mid-1980s. He also has information that Fitzgerald sexually abused two youths in the 1960s in South Dakota, Anderson said.

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

November 21, 2013

Baylor president writes letter of support for child molester

UNITED STATES
Stop Baptist Predators

Tucked away in a Washington Post article last month was the news that Baylor University’s president Ken Starr wrote a letter of support on behalf of a child molesting school teacher.

Baylor is the largest Baptist university in the world, and Ken Starr is the man at the top. Formerly, Starr served as a federal judge, as the United States Solicitor General, and as a special prosecutor during the presidency of Bill Clinton.

The child molester who inspired Starr’s letter is Christopher Kloman. For nearly 30 years, Kloman taught at the elite Potomac School in Virginia, which Starr’s own daughter attended.

Faced with multiple accusations of having molested female students, Kloman pled guilty last summer to four counts of indecent liberties with a child younger than 14 and one count of abduction with intent to defile.

At Kloman’s sentencing hearing in October, five victims provided what was described as “harrowing”accounts of the sexual abuse they suffered as kids and of the long-lasting impact it had on their lives. One woman testified that school officials had been informed about Kloman’s conduct, but that they merely sent him for counseling.

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.

Latest archdiocese lawsuit: Maryland treatment facility

MINNESOTA
MinnPost

By Brian Lambert | 11/19/13
Today in pedophilia … Richard Meryhew and Tony Kennedy of the Strib write: “Lawyers filed suit Tuesday morning in St. Paul against a Catholic-run treatment facility that cared for an abusive priest who then was sent to a new parish where he allegedly targeted a 10-year-old boy for years of repeated abuse. Jeff Anderson, the St. Paul attorney who filed the suit on behalf of “Doe 27,” said it is the first lawsuit under Minnesota’s new Child Victims Act to name St. Luke Institute as a defendant. The facility in Silver Spring, Md., has been a destination for the treatment of Minnesota Catholic monks and priests who have been accused of sexual abuse of children, other sexual misconduct and addiction. The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville are also being sued in the case.”

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.

Court told priest’s sex abuse hurt relationships with woman’s parents, husband

CANADA
Winnipeg Free Press

By: Bob Weber, The Canadian Press

IQALUIT, Nunavut – A witness at a child sex abuse trial in the Arctic wept as she described how her relationship with her parents and husband has been damaged by what she says happened to her.
The woman was testifying Thursday against Eric Dejaeger, who faces 69 charges going back to his time as a priest in Igloolik, Nunavut, more than 30 years ago.

BORDERLINE: GRAPHIC CONTENT MAY DISTURB SOME READERS

“My husband is a good man,” the woman told court. “But when it comes to sexual things, we argue and we fight.

“If he would touch me in a way Eric did, I start yelling and getting mad.”

The woman said Dejaeger would pluck her from among the children playing and colouring in the church in Igloolik. He would sit her on his lap, she said, and fondle her while moving his legs underneath her and massaging himself.

“He didn’t talk to me,” she said. “He’d just breathe hard and say, ‘Relax.'”

She said the assaults went on for at least three years, until she was eight years old.

“I was just a kid,” she said. “I didn’t know what he was doing.”

By the time she was 12, other family members realized she was acting strangely.

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.