ABUSE TRACKER

MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

by Madeleine Baran, Minnesota Public Radio
December 2, 2013

ST. PAUL, Minn. — A Ramsey County judge ordered that the names of 46 priests accused of sexual abuse — 33 in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and 13 in the Diocese of Winona — be made public.

The nearly four-year battle over the list, which had been sealed in a 2009 lawsuit, continued in Ramsey County District Court today, as attorneys for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis argued that some of the names should not be released to the public.

Lawyers for the archdiocese said the church’s internal review found that allegations against three of the 33 priests on the sealed list could not be substantiated. The church would only release the names of 30 priests who had substantiated allegations of child sexual abuse against them, they said.

Nine of the original 33 priests are dead, according to archdiocese lawyers, and 26 are still archdiocesan priests.

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MINNESOTA
KSTP

By: Scott Theisen
A judge ordered the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis to release the names of 46 priests accused of sexually abusing minors.

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis said it was prepared to release 30 of the 33 names of priests accused of sexually abusing minors if it gets a court order.

Ramsey County Judge John Van de North ordered all 33 of the St. Paul and Minneapolis priests’ names, parishes and whether they’re alive or dead to be made public, plus an additional 13 from Winona by Dec. 17.

The names include 29 priests on a 2004 list of priests deemed to have been credibly accused of abuse, plus one who had a substantiated claim leveled against him later.
Van de North said any investigation into church abuse must be done by a third party.

An archdiocese attorney said one priest that it does not want included in the list is a member of a religious order and nothing shows he served in the archdiocese. The other three are priests for whom the archdiocese says the allegations can’t be substantiated.

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VATICAN CITY
Vatican Information Service

Vatican City, 2 December 2013 (VIS) – Pope Francis today received in audience a group of prelates from the Bishops’ Conference of the Netherlands on their “ad limina” visit. The Holy Father focused on how to accompany those who suffer from “spiritual emptiness” and who seek the meaning of life. “Listen to them”, he said, “to help them share in the hope, joy, and capacity to carry on that Jesus Christ gives us”.

“The Church”, he continued, “not only proposes immutable moral truths and attitudes which go against the grain, but also proposes them as the key to the good of humanity and social development. Christians have the mission of taking up this challenge. The education of consciences therefore becomes a priority, especially through the formation of critical judgement, in order to have a positive approach to social realities: superficial judgement and resignation to indifference can thus be avoided”.

In the society of the Netherlands, “strongly characterised by secularism”, the Pope invited the prelates to “be present both in public debate in all spheres which affect humanity, to make visible God’s mercy and his tenderness to every living creature. … As I have often stated, … the Church enlarges not by proselytism but by attraction. She is sent everywhere to awaken, reawaken and maintain hope! This brings us to the importance of encouraging the faithful to seize opportunities for dialogue, to be present in those places where the future is decided; they will thus be able to bring their contribution into the debates on important social matters regarding, for instance, the family, marriage and the end of life”. …

“In particular”, he added, “I wish to express my compassion and to ensure my closeness in prayer to every victim of sexual abuse, and to their families; I ask you to continue to support them along the painful path of healing, that they have undertaken with courage”.

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UNITED STATES
The New York Times

By BILL KELLER
Published: December 1, 2013

AMONG the teaching nuns at St. Matthew’s Catholic School, Sister Mary Robert was my favorite. She was young, not yet 30, with a gentle face framed by the starched white wimple. She tamed a classroom of hormone-dizzy eighth graders by making us want to please her. We offered up our compositions and our ventures in iambic pentameter, and were rewarded with encouragement that, at least in my case, never wore off.

Not many years after I left St. Matthew’s, I left the church. Leaving your church is not so much like quitting a club as emigrating from the country where you grew up. You forfeit citizenship and no longer consider yourself subject to its laws, but you follow the news from the Old Country and wish its people well, because they are still in some sense your people. And if you write for a living you may sometimes write about that world, from a distance.

Last year, 50 years after eighth-grade graduation, Sister Mary Robert saw something I wrote on this subject and sent me a letter. Only she was no longer Sister Mary Robert. She had met a priest, Father John Hydar. They fell in love and, after extricating themselves from their respective religious vows, they married. At the time of her letter the marriage of Roberta (her reclaimed birth name) and John Hydar was in its 41st year, and it seemed to be a happy one.

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MISSOURI
The Kansas City Star

December 1

BY JUDY L. THOMAS
The Kansas City Star

Kanakuk Kamps, a Branson-based Christian sports camp network that draws thousands of youths every summer — many from the Kansas City area — is facing two lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by a former director.

One lawsuit, filed in Taney County, alleges former director Peter D. Newman molested a teen from 2000 to 2005, beginning when the boy was 13. The second case, filed in federal court in Dallas, alleges Newman sexually abused a camper from 2001 through 2007, beginning when the boy was 10. Two similar lawsuits, both filed in 2011, were settled this year.

Newman is serving a lengthy prison sentence for sexually abusing numerous boys during the decade that he held a supervisory position at the camp.

The lawsuits allege camp officials knew about the man’s troubling behavior, including swimming and riding four-wheelers in the nude with campers, but failed to remove him or keep him away from children.

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MINNESOTA
Pioneer Press

By Emily Gurnon
egurnon@pioneerpress.com
POSTED: 12/02/2013

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis will release the names of 29 of 33 priests “credibly accused” of sexually abusing minors, an attorney for the church said in Ramsey County District Court Monday.

This follows a statement from Archbishop John Nienstedt, who previously said he would disclose the names, locations and status of all living archdiocesan priests who have substantiated claims of sexual abuse against them, regardless of where they now live.

But he said he needed a court’s permission because the list is under a protective order. Attorneys for alleged victims of abuse said the archdiocese doesn’t need permission to release its own information.

In 2004, the archdiocese compiled a list of 33 priests deemed to have credible accusations against them. It’s not clear how many names Nienstedt would release, or whether they’ve already been made public.

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MISSOURI
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Monday, Dec. 2, 2013

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

At least four girls say Rev. Travis Smith of Stover (near Jefferson City) molested them. Smith goes on trial today. We hope his victims get justice and we hope Smith is convicted and imprisoned so that kids will be safer.

[Connect Mid-Missouri]

[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]

Shame on the misguided and reckless members of First Baptist Church of Stover who are choosing, despite four alleged victims and six felony charges, to keep Rev. Smith on the job. This is stunningly callous behavior. It’s also a severe misreading of the notion of forgiveness. We can forgive wrongdoers without putting others at risk.

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MINNESOTA
Post-Bulletin

Associated Press |
ST. PAUL — The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is seeking a court’s permission to disclose the names of some priests who have been accused of sexually abusing minors.

Archbishop John Nienstedt says he will disclose the names, locations and status of all living archdiocesan priests against whom there are substantiated claims of sexual abuse, regardless of where they reside.

But he says he needs a court’s permission because the list is under a protective order. Attorneys for victims of abuse say the archdiocese doesn’t need permission to release its own information. A hearing is scheduled today.

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MINNESOTA
Legal Examiner

Minnesota Child Victims Act Has Eliminated Statute of Limitations on Sexual Abuse Lawsuits for 3 Years

Posted by Mike Bryant
December 2, 2013

Since Governor Mark Dayton signed the Minnesota Child Victims Act in July, statute of limitations on sexual abuse lawsuits has been lifted within Minnesota for the next three years. This law (the Minnesota Child Victims Act) now gives sexual abuse survivors a voice which allows them to come forward and find justice. They can now sue their abusers and ensure that the truth comes out.

Two individuals who lead the fight and deserve great thanks are Senator Ron Latz (DFL) District: 46 and Representative Steve Simon (DFL) District: 46B. They showed leadership in getting the bill passed and made into law.

The stories are real and now finally they can be brought out into the open.

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WISCONSIN
Wisconsin Public Radio

[with audio]

By CHUCK QUIRMBACH

Clergy abuse victims in Milwaukee say they’re being left out of potential bankruptcy settlement talks involving the Milwaukee Catholic Archdiocese, but the Archdiocese says the victims are being kept up to date.

It’s coming up on three years since the Milwaukee Archdiocese declared bankruptcy. Archbishop Jerome Listecki has spent $11 million on lawyers’ fees trying to limit the amount of money paid to the more than 500 people who say they were sexually abused by local Catholic clergy. Recently, insurance companies started buying back policies they sold to the archdiocese as a way of limiting liability.

Peter Isely of the Survivors and Clergy Leadership Alliance says the church and insurers are talking behind closed doors, and he worries the victims won’t get a fair offer. “Money … in our society, is about what we care about, what we value,” Isely said. “We think it’s going to be very revealing when that number is released to the court, what exactly the Archbishop values and who he values.”

Isely says victims in the ten or so other U.S. church bankruptcies have received between $220,000 and $800,000 per person. Milwaukee Archdiocese spokesman Jerry Topczewski says the victims’ attorneys are being told about the settlement talks. “They’ve been informed as to exactly what the dialog has been with regards to any insurance settlement.”

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POLAND
Mercury News

The Associated Press
Posted: 12/02/2013

WARSAW, Poland—A priest in central Poland was sentenced Monday to more than eight years in prison after being convicted of sexually abusing five boys.

It was the toughest punishment given to a priest in Poland in a child sexual abuse case. Priests are considered to be top moral figures by most people in the predominantly Catholic nation, where the church has helped preserve national identity and supported independence efforts under decades of communism.

Previously, priests were generally treated with leniency and handed small or suspended sentences.
But church authorities recently declared “zero tolerance” for pedophile priests after the head of the Episcopate, Archbishop Jozef Michalik, drew outrage with remarks suggesting that children were partly to blame for the sex abuse they suffer from priests. The courts then toughened up their verdicts, like in the case Monday in Rawa Mazowiecka.

The local court handed an unprecedented high prison term to and also banned the 49-year-old priest from approaching his five victims, who were under the age of 15 at the time of the abuse, and from teaching children in the future. The priest was only identified as Slawomir S. because of Polish privacy practices.

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VATICAN CITY
National Catholic Reporter

Joshua J. McElwee | Dec. 2, 2013 NCR Today

VATICAN CITY Pope Francis for the first time on Monday publicly discussed the issue of clergy sex abuse, telling Catholic bishops from the Netherlands he wished to express sympathy for victims in their country.

The pope mentioned the abuse scandal, which has continued to rock the Catholic church globally, towards the end of his remarks to the bishops. 13 Dutch prelates were part of the meeting, which comes as they are making their ad limina visit to Rome.

“I promise compassion and prayer for every victim of sexual abuse and their families,” the pope told the prelates, speaking in French.

“I ask you to continue supporting them on their painful path to healing, undertaken with courage,” he said, according to the Vatican’s text of his remarks.

The sex abuse scandal has particularly impacted the Dutch Catholic church. A 2011 report by a inquiry commission created by the Dutch government said church officials had “failed to adequately deal with” abuse affecting as many as 20,000 of the country’s children in Catholic institutions between 1945 and 1981.

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AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald

December 2, 2013

Joanne McCarthy

In late 2008 a Newcastle woman wrote to a senior Australian Catholic clergyman and sought a meeting. She wanted a personal apology from him. In 1995 the clergyman, who can’t be named for legal reasons, had a role in the attempted defrocking of notorious paedophile priest Denis McAlinden. The woman, who attended the NSW Special Commission of Inquiry in Newcastle this year, was eight when McAlinden first sexually abused her during confession.

The senior clergyman replied on November 20, 2008. His heart was ”full of compassion” for her and she was ”constantly” in his prayers, he wrote. Learning her story was ”one of the saddest experiences of my life”. He had offered a Mass for her where he ”asked the Lord to give you a deep sense of peace and healing”. But there would be no meeting or apology.

In a separate letter to the Maitland-Newcastle diocese the senior clergyman made that abundantly clear. He had not been impressed by the ”totally inappropriate … hostile and obscene language” she had used in some emails to him. ”Her anger does not excuse or justify the use of such language in formal communications,” he wrote. ”Her issues should be directed to Maitland-Newcastle diocese and not to me. I do not propose to meet with her.”

History shows he should have. The woman kept complaining to the Maitland-Newcastle diocese. She wanted her apology from the clergyman. An increasingly frustrated diocese tried a compromise. It couldn’t get her an apology, but at least could give her some documents from McAlinden’s expansive file.

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MISSOURI
Connect Mid-Missouri

by Juliette Dryer
Posted: 12.01.2013

STOVER, MO. — The trial for a Stover pastor accused of sex crimes begins Monday in Moniteau County Court.

Travis Smith is charged with one count of second-degree statutory rape and one count of second-degree statutory sodomy.

Moniteau County Prosecuting Attorney Shayne Healea said in June that the charges come from multiple alleged victims.

Online records show Smith is also charged with forcible rape, sexual abuse and two counts of statutory rape, for which he is scheduled to go to trial in June 2014.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
CBS Philly

By Mark Abrams

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – The new president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops says church leaders are strongly committed to protecting young people and addressing the fallout in the wake of clergy sex abuse scandals, including those in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, who studied for the priesthood at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Lower Merion, was recently elected president of the conference. He is now head of the Archdiocese of Louisville.

Kurtz says he is supportive of Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput’s direct and firm measures to deal with the crisis, but he concedes it’s an ongoing concern across the country for all bishops:

“We’re made great progress,” he says. “Is there more that needs to be done? You’d better believe it. To continue to create a safe environment, we need to do more. And I would also say that I hope that our example will be a help to other parts of society in which, sadly, abuse is all too common.”

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AUSTRALIA
Herald Sun

SHANNON DEERY HERALD SUN DECEMBER 02, 2013

FORMER Salesian College principal Frank Klep has pleaded guilty to a string of sex crimes against students at the college.

The 69-year-old former priest pleaded guilty to 14 charges at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court this morning after prosecutors withdrew a further 22 charges.

Klep abused a several students at the college, including while acting as rector of the school, while teaching there during the 1970s and 1980s.

The convicted pedophile, who was jailed in 2005 for similar offending, was re-arrested by police this year after new victims came forward.

One victim told police Klep abused him just weeks after starting at the college when the priest saw him crying.

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AUSTRALIA
NEWS.com.au

A FORMER Victorian priest and principal has admitted to sexually assaulting 14 schoolboys, many of whom were sleeping when they were attacked.

Frank Gerard Klep, 70, confessed to sexually assaulting the boys at Salesian College Rupertswood in Sunbury during the 1970s and ’80s.

He was the school’s principal when he preyed on several of his victims.

Klep, of Burwood, pleaded guilty to 12 counts of indecent assault, plus one count each of rape and attempted buggery, in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday.

It is the third time Klep has either pleaded guilty to or been convicted of abusing schoolboys.

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NEW JERSEY
The Jersey Journal

By Ron Zeitlinger/The Jersey Journal
on December 02, 2013

A former St. Aloysius priest who sexually molested a 17-year-old boy in the early 1980s appears headed for trial in Missouri on similar charges, according to a published report.

Gerald “Gerry” Howard, whose name was Carmine Sita when he was a priest at St. Aloysius in Jersey City, is seeking a non-jury trial that could begin after the start of the new year, connectmidmissouri.com reported.

In 1982 Sita pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a minor in Jersey City. In January 1983, Sita was sentenced to five years probation and ordered to undergo treatment.

After getting treatment in New Mexico, Sita legally changed his name and joined Ss. Peter and Paul in Boonville, Mo. Authorities say he sexually assaulted three minors there between 1984 and 1987.

In 2009, a Virginia man who accused Howard of abuse received a $600,000 settlement from church officials in Jefferson City and Newark, New Jersey.

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UNITED STATES
Kill Your Stereo

Fitting with their recently released Christmas album, Bad Religion have unveiled an online advent calendar, which is featured on the band’s website.

Bad Religion writes:

Yes it’s true, we recorded a Christmas album. To celebrate, we made this advent calendar where we’ll be giving away “presents” every day as we count down to Christmas. We’re also donating 20% of all album proceeds to SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, so thank you to all who’ve purchased Christmas Songs and to everybody, Happy holidays!

The first video released can be viewed below.

You can check out the advent calendar here.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Northampton Chronicle and Echo

by Callum Jones
callum.jones@northantsnews.co.uk
Published on the 02 December 2013

Recent high-profile child abuse investigations into people such as Jimmy Savile and Stuart Hall has led to a rise in the reporting of historic sexual offences in Northamptonshire, a detective chief inspector has said.

Northamptonshire Police has organised a week of action to encourage victims of violence and sexual assault to come forward and report offences and get the specialist support they need.

Speaking to the Chronicle & Echo, DCI Steve Lingley, who works in the Protecting Vulnerable Persons department, said there had been a five per cent rise in the number of historic sex abuse cases reported in Northamptonshire.

He said: “There have been a lot more cases reported of historic sexual abuse claims since the publicity around Jimmy Savile.

“Every police force in the country has noticed an increase in reporting of the victim’s know their claims will be dealt with thoroughly.”

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AUSTRALIA
The Australian

AAP DECEMBER 02, 2013

THE national inquiry into how institutions handled allegations of sex abuse against children has referred 54 matters to authorities, including police.

The royal commission, which has been holding public hearings since September, will open a two-week inquiry in Sydney next Monday into the Catholic Church’s Towards Healing process adopted by the church to respond internally to sex-abuse allegations.

This will focus on the experiences of four people who came through that system.

They are Queensland residents who were abused by priests and brothers of the Archdiocese of Brisbane, the Catholic diocese of Lismore and Marist Brothers.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has so far received 8500 phone calls, 3000 emails and 170,000 visits to their website.

In a statement on Monday it said it has also held more that 917 private sessions. These are continuing across the country.

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NEW YORK
WKBQ

[with video]

By Kendra Eaglin

Updated Dec 2, 2013

Town of Hartland, NY
The parking lot of the Community Fellowship Church in the Town of Hartland was packed Sunday.

One the worshipers attending service was the reverend of the church, 70 year old Roy Harriger Sr. That may not seem unusual except that Harriger is accused of sexually assaulting two children and is fresh out of the Orleans County Jail after being bailed out by members of the community Thursday.

The news spread fast in the small town and angered one resident who didn’t want to be identified.
“I think that it is just absolutely outrageous that people around here who have children with children could possibly support this kind of monster,” the man said.

Harriger was arrested Wednesday on felony sexual conduct, incest and sodomy charges stemming from incidents in 2000 and 2001.

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AUSTRALIA
IF

By Don Groves

The Broken Bay Diocese of the Catholic Church has donated $20,000 towards the cost of producing a 30-mnute drama which tackles sexual abuse in the Church.

A Priest in the Family stars Lynette Curran, Susie Porter, Gillian Jones and Lisa Hensley and is based on a short story by Irish writer Colm Tóibín about an elderly woman whose son, a parish priest, is accused of molesting his former students.

Co-directed by producer Anni Finsterer and Peter Humble, who wrote the screenplay, the film has finished shooting. Finsterer tells IF that Humble is assembling footage so the producers can apply for funds to complete post production.

Curran plays Molly, a vigorous Irish woman in her late 70s who attempts to keep up with the changing times of her grandchildren by mastering the Internet. When Molly learns that her son ¨Frank, a local parish priest, is about to go on trial for the sexual abuse of former students, the horrifying case gives them a chance of reconciliation.

“We had a huge show of support from the Diocese, (retired) Bishop David Walker and Francis Sullivan, CEO of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuses,” Finsterer tells IF.

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UNITED STATES
Christian Catholicism

Jerry Slevin

John Allen, Vatican expert for CNN and the independent National Catholic Reporter (NCR), is likely correct in his current NCR column. John says “experts” will pore with a fine tooth comb over Pope Francis’ new 200+page “Letter”, entitled “The Joy of the Gospel” (“Evangelii Guadium”).

But many Catholics and others, not “experts”, also will soon ask their own questions: Why is this Letter being published now on these particular topics? Does the Letter address one of their major concerns–making bishops trustworthy again? What’s missing and why is it missing?

Bishops were originally selected by, and accountable to, the general Catholic faithful, the so called “People of God”, in the Church the Apostles left behind in the New Testament era. All Catholics were considered spiritually equal on the first Pentecost. If Catholic bishops will not be accountable to the faithful again, why not? What is Francis’ objection to the full Gospel message?

As the absolute monarch he in fact is, Francis picked the specific points he wanted to address in his Letter. On many of the points he selected, he wrote marvelously and spiritually. But he didn’t ask Catholics what they wanted addressed, and thereby he avoided essential but uncomfortable topics that remain unaddressed.

The Church’s current child abuse and financial scandals show how untrustworthy some in the the Catholic hierarchy have been. Francis surely cannot just assume most disillusioned Catholics and others will accept only fine words, without real deeds reflecting these words. They won’t if they think clearly and are paying attention !

As with Pope John Paul II, the honeymoon with this friendly, likeable and seemingly well intentioned pope will not last too much longer. His actions will be measured closely by his words. Will they match up? …

Francis, I think, missed real opportunities in his Letter, likely intentionally. I want to point out a few of them and also consider what the omissions can tell Catholics. As a Christian Catholic, I try to assess Francis through the lens of my extensive experience with some leaders of mutinational organizations I encountered as a Wall Street lawyer.

Abused children hurt by priests, disrespected women treated unequally, desperate couples denied contraception and gay persons withheld rights, all deserve prompt support. For them, “wait and see” at this point is another risky approach.

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MINNESOTA
KSTP

By: Megan Stewart

The names of Twin Cities priests accused of sexual abuse could be released Monday if a Ramsey County judge decides to make the list public.

Archbishop John Nienstedt said he would disclose the names, locations and status of these 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 is prepared to release information once the judge approves the plan.

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LOS ANGELES (CA)
Los Angeles Times

For Roger Mahony, clergy abuse cases were a threat to agenda

As clergy abuse scandal erupts, Roger Mahony put in spotlight

This series is based on nearly 23,000 pages of internal documents from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and various religious orders that were made public this year in compliance with court orders. In addition, Times reporters reviewed thousands of pages of depositions and court filings and interviewed dozens of people, including church officials, victims’ families and law enforcement officials. Cardinal Roger Mahony declined to be interviewed or respond to questions sent to his attorney.

Unless otherwise stated, and excepting historical and biographical information from Times archives, all information in the story is based on internal church records released through court order or sworn depositions. Statements that appear within quotation marks are from depositions, church records, public statements, interviews and contemporaneous coverage in the Los Angeles Times. Some comments and conversations have been paraphrased based on the recollections of participants; in those instances, quotation marks are not used.

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LOS ANGELES (CA)
Los Angeles Times

For Roger Mahony, clergy abuse cases were a threat to agenda – Part 1

Part 2

BY HARRIET RYAN, ASHLEY POWERS AND VICTORIA KIM

As the clergy abuse scandal unfolds nationwide, Roger Mahony’s moral authority — and his legacy — erode.

On a brilliant Sunday afternoon, Cardinal Roger Mahony stood before thousands jammed into a vacant lot overlooking the 101 Freeway. The archbishop, resplendent in gold and crimson, told the crowd that the cathedral that would rise from the dirt would stand for centuries as a monument to the church’s stature in Los Angeles.

“This revered ground is blessed and dedicated to God for the ages to come,” he declared. Three hundred doves fluttered into a cloudless sky, a choir of 800 sang and the faithful roared their approval.

In 1997, a dozen years into his tenure, Mahony was at the height of his power. He was a national advocate for immigrants in the country illegally, and his voice carried sway on issues including welfare reform and the racial tensions arising from the O.J. Simpson trial. Residents — Catholic and others — consistently voted him among the region’s most popular public figures in opinion polls.

But in a locked cabinet in the archdiocese headquarters, files bulged with evidence that Mahony was covering up sexual abuse of children.

Manila folders alphabetized by abusers’ names contained letters from distraught parents, graphic confessions from priests, and memos between the archbishop and his aides discussing how to stymie police investigations and avoid lawsuits.

To Mahony, the meticulous files were a record of problems solved and scandals averted. In the years to come, however, it would become increasingly hard — and finally impossible — to keep the problem of sexual abuse locked away.

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NEW JERSEY/CONNECTICUT
New Jersey Herald

Updated: Nov 30, 2013

By JESSICA MASULLI REYES
jmasulli@njherald.com

STANHOPE — A Stanhope man, who was studying in a Connecticut seminary, claims he was sexually assaulted and “preyed upon” by his spiritual advisor and then stonewalled by the Diocese of Paterson when he tried to continue a path to priesthood.

In a civil lawsuit against the Diocese of Paterson, Joshua Cascio, 28, is alleging that his advisor, Father Addison (Tad) Hallock, at Holy Apostles College & Seminary in Cromwell, Conn., sexually assaulted him the day after Thanksgiving 2011.

The 10-count suit, filed last week in state Superior Court in Newton, details the alleged assault, as well as allegations that several top officials in the Diocese of Paterson and at the Holy Apostles College & Seminary are not allowing Cascio to return to the seminary. The lawsuit names Bishop Arthur Serratelli, who oversees the Catholic diocese covering Morris, Sussex and Passaic counties.

“Obviously, this has been his motivation throughout this whole thing, to become a priest, but the process is being denied to him,” Cascio’s Parsippany-based attorney, John O’Reilly, said.

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OSTERREICH
der Standard

KOMMENTAR DER ANDEREN | HANS KÜNG
27. November 2013, 19:08

Der neue Papst hat ganz klar andere theologische und pastorale Vorstellungen als die Reaktionäre im Vatikan. Das zeigt sein erstes apostolisches Schreiben. Die Frage ist: Wird er sich durchsetzen können?

Mit der Kirchenreform geht es voran: Im apostolischen Schreiben Evangelii Gaudium verstärkt Papst Franziskus nicht nur seine Kritik am Kapitalismus und der Herrschaft des Geldes, sondern spricht sich auch eindeutig für eine Kirchenreform “auf allen Ebenen” aus. Er plädiert für Strukturreformen: eine Dezentralisierung hin zu Bistümern und Gemeinden, eine Reform des Petrus-Amtes, Aufwertung der Laien und gegen ausufernden Klerikalismus, für eine wirksamere weibliche Gegenwart in der Kirche, vor allem in Entscheidungsgremien. Ebenso deutlich spricht er sich aus für die Ökumene und den interreligiösen Dialog, besonders mit Judentum und Islam.

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DEUTSCHLAND
Rhein-Zeitung

Koblenz/Trier – Die Übergriffe sollen fast 30 Jahre zurückliegen – und eine strafrechtliche Klärung wird es nicht mehr geben. Aber für die mutmaßlichen Opfer des katholischen Priesters, der nach wie vor in Koblenz und im Kreis Altenkirchen tätig ist, ist der Fall keineswegs abgeschlossen.

Im Juli 2012 hatte sich ein heute 44-Jähriger Saarländer beim Bistum Trier gemeldet. Er sei im Jahr 1985 vom Pfarrer einer Gemeinde im Saarland sexuell missbraucht worden. Seitdem läuft das interne Verfahren der Kirche. Und seitdem läuft auch sein Antrag auf Entschädigung durch die Kirche. Wie die Sache ausgeht, ist offen. Klar ist nur: Der beschuldigte Pfarrer ist weiter im Amt, hält weiter Messen, nach Informationen unserer Zeitung auch regelmäßig in Koblenz.

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