ABUSE TRACKER

ITALIA
Palermo

[Summary: The appeals court in Palermo has sentenced former priest Aldo Nuvola to a year in prison for sexual abuse of a minor. He was found with a car with a 14-year-old during a sexual encounter.]

La corte d’appello di Palermo ha condannato Aldo Nuvola a un anno di reclusione per atti sessuali a pagamento con un minore. I giudici hanno riqualificato il reato – inizialmente era stata contestata l’induzione alla prostituzione minorile – e ridotto la pena: in primo grado aveva avuto un anno e sei mesi. L’ex sacerdote era stato sorpreso in auto con un quattordicenne durante un rapporto sessuale.

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DOMINIKANISCHE REPUBLIK
Dom-Rep

[Summary: Priest Juan Manuel de Jesus Mota, known as Father Johnny, will have to answer in court allegations of sexual abuse of women and children. Trial will begin at 10 a.m. Feb. 18 in Constanza.]

Priester Juan Manuel de Jesús Mota, Pater Johnny, wird sich wegen der Vorwürfe des sexuellen Missbrauchs von Kindern und Frauen vor Gericht verantworten müssen.

Am kommenden Dienstag, 18. Februar, um 10 Uhr soll die Verhandlung beim Strafgericht in Constanza beginnen.

Bereits im September des vergangenen Jahres wurde der katholische Priester vom Bischof von La Vega, Monsignore Antonio Camilo Gonzalez, von seinen kirchlichen Diensten suspendiert.

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UNITED KINGDOM
The Tablet

13 February 2014 by Jim Christie

The UN committee’s critique has refocused attention on the preparation of priests for the ministry. In the first of two articles, a priest-psychotherapist argues that the handling of the abuse crisis has been inhibited by a concentration on theology rather than an understanding of the human psyche

In the late 1960s, our theology schools were abuzz with the Second Vatican Council, but that had not yet impinged on confessional practice. Among other things, we had “mock confessions”, in which (in front of everyone else) the ordinands took turns at being confessor while our professor, the redoubtable Paul Brassell, took the role of the penitent.

Fr Brassell’s amazing command of accents and dialects, and the realism of the way he said things whether coming from man, woman or child, made the whole exercise both instructive and entertaining.

Catherine Pepinster’s recent column in The Tablet about certain shortcomings in confessional practice (4 January 2014) in matters relating to the sixth commandment raises some significant issues which bring us to the contemporary problems about sexual abuse and how it is responded to. I recall Paul Brassell’s emphasis that a very brief or vague mention of a sin could be deliberately used by a penitent to “slip by” a tired priest’s attention; and “broke the sixth commandment” could be used to euphemise various things up to and including rape. The confessor was supposed to make discreet enquiries in order to establish (in his mind, at least) whether the sin was mortal, so that he could tailor his advice, and the penance, accordingly.

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POLAND
Buffalo News

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s Catholic Church is preparing to publish a book on internal procedures to deal with child sex abuse by priests as cases come to the fore in the staunchly Catholic country, the head of the nation’s Catholic news agency said Thursday.

Marcin Przeciszewski told The Associated Press the book should come out by June, provided the Vatican approves the guidelines suggested by Poland’s bishops last year. It is not clear when the Vatican will make a decision.

The book appears to be a response by Poland’s church to allegations that it has been sweeping cases of sex abuse under the carpet, against the Vatican’s efforts since 2001 to punish abusers. Poland’s first conviction came in 2004, but allegations last year against two Polish clergymen — one was a Vatican envoy — serving in the Dominican Republic brought the problem to greater public attention.

“There is the will to publish it, there is nothing to hide,” Przeciszewski said. “The value of it will be that in one book everyone will be able to find guidance how the church should react, what the procedures are.”

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MILWAUKEE (WI)
National Catholic Reporter

Marie Rohde | Feb. 13, 2014

MILWAUKEE When Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki announced a bankruptcy reorganization plan Monday morning, he optimistically said “we are turning a corner” on the darkest chapter in the archdiocese’s history.

“It’s time for us to get back to what the church is supposed to be doing,” Listecki said in a letter posted on the archdiocesan website. “It’s time for the archdiocese to return its focus to its ministry.”

But a bevy of appeals of decisions on key issues in the bankruptcy case as well as other federal and state lawsuits indicate the plan will not be the last word, even though it would leave the Milwaukee archdiocese with a $7 million debt.

Survivors of clergy sex abuse, the catalyst for the bankruptcy, said they were stung by what they considered the inadequacy of the $4 million victim compensation fund and dismissive of the $500,000 that Listecki said will provide a lifetime of therapy for survivors.

“It’s like being raped all over again because we’ve had to fight for decades,” said Monica Barrett, who was assaulted by a priest when she was 7 years old.

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IRELAND
Catholic Herald

By EVIE BUTLAND on Thursday, 13 February 2014

The Irish bishops have said they will not be releasing the results of a survey of Catholics ahead of the Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops which is due to take place at the Vatican in October.

The Vatican ordered the worldwide survey on ‘Pastoral Challenges in the Family,’ exploring issues such as cohabitation, contraception, and Holy Communion for the divorced and remarried.

After publishing some statistical information from the survey, the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales said last week it would not release detailed results, unlike the German and Swiss bishops’ conferences.

Both Ireland and the English and Welsh Churches claim that the Vatican asked them to keep the outcome of the survey confidential. A spokesman for the Irish bishops told The Irish Catholic that they would not be releasing a statement about the results.

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MICHIGAN
WSBT

DETROIT (AP) — A Roman Catholic priest and an acquaintance have been released on personal bonds after being charged with stealing money from a fund set up to help poor people in Detroit, Hamtramck and Highland Park.

The Wayne County prosecutor’s office says the Rev. Timothy Kane and Dorreca Brewer were arraigned Wednesday.

The embezzlement charge covers theft of less than $20,000.

Prosecutors say false applications were approved for the Angel Fund and thousands of dollars were pocketed over a four-year period. The Angel Fund is run by the Archdiocese of Detroit and funded by a single donor. It has granted more than $17 million to needy people since 2005.

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GEORGIA
WSAV

By Andrew Davis, Anchor/Reporter

A Priest who worked in the Coastal Empire for 5 years is now headed to jail for molesting a boy.

A US federal court judge in Cincinnati has sentenced Fr. Robert (Bob) Poandl to 7 1/2 years behind bars for taking a ten year old Ohio boy to Spencer, WV and sexually abusing him in 1991.

Fr. Poandl worked in the Savannah diocese from 2007-2009 and 2010-2012 at St. Christopher’s in Claxton, St. Jude in Glenville, Holy Cross in Pembroke, Our Lady of Guadalupe in Sandhill, GA.

Catholic officials transferred him about 30 times in 44 years.

“That alone is a serious red flag,” said Judy Jones of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, a Chicago-based support group. “A number of bishops and other church officials have acted dreadfully in this case, even in recent years, Despite this victim’s credible abuse report, Catholic officials put Fr. Poandl back on the job as recently as 2012.”

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TEXAS
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, February 13, 2014

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

A Garland, TX youth pastor was sentenced on Wednesday for sending lewd text messages and photos to a teenage girl.

[Dallas Morning News]

It is always devastating and disappointing when a trusted and respected member of the clergy betrays his position and violates an innocent child. We hope the victim and her family can begin to heal and that anyone else who saw, suspects or was abused will find the courage to report to law enforcement. And we hope that Arapaho Road Baptist Church and Texas Baptist Convention officials use their vast resources to find others with knowledge of or suspicions about these crimes and beg them to call police.

We fear that some at this church may have ignored or concealed this predator’s crimes. We hope we are wrong. But if we’re right, we hope law enforcement officials will aggressively investigate and pursue any current or former church employee who protected an offender and endanger a child.

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NEW YORK
Jewish Daily Forward

By Irwin Kula
Published February 13, 2014, issue of February 21, 2014.

On January 30, a federal court judge threw out the $680 million lawsuit brought against Yeshiva University by 34 former students of its high school for boys who claimed they were sexually abused in the 1970s and ’80s.

The suit also pinpointed Y.U. officials, trustees, board members and faculty as responsible for a “massive cover-up” of the abuse. As expected, the judge pointed out in his 52-page opinion that the statute of limitations had expired decades ago.

I was one of those abused in the early ’70s, though I chose not to be part of the lawsuit. But now that “we are moving forward,” as a Y.U. press release declared, I suggest it is important that the leadership of the self-proclaimed “North America’s Torah-informed institution” (“Torah informed,” for those who may not know, is Jewish insider language for “most authentically religious and ethical”) understand, as should leadership of many religious institutions these days guilty of such crimes, that from God’s perspective there is no statute of limitations.

Decades-long tolerance of abuse of teenage boys is never merely a legal issue. In the court of the ethical, psychological, and spiritual, Y.U., like myriad religious institutions plagued by this behavior, is more than guilty. Y.U has exhibited a real lack of transparency in this case, neither releasing the full text of an independent investigation carried out last year nor making public the names of the board committee members specially appointed to deal with this issue.

Actions like these make the university perpetrators of exactly what allows sexual abuse to continue for years — secrecy. It is a privileging and protecting of institutional reputation over people victimized by Y.U.’s “religious” leadership. (It should be clear that there was no legal reason to keep the full report secret, as it had no bearing on whether or not the statute of limitations had expired. Also, if the ruling had been that the statute of limitations had not expired, Y.U. would have had to disclose the report in discovery anyway.)

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NORTHERN IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph

Woman ‘destroyed by abuse’ in Nazareth House children’s home waives right to anonymity

BY CLAIRE WILLIAMSON – 13 FEBRUARY 2014

A woman “destroyed” by sexual and physical abuse in a children’s home run by nuns has become the first witness to waive her right to anonymity in the hope that other victims will come forward.

Before the Historical Abuse Inquiry sitting began yesterday Kate Walmsley (57) said she had come to give evidence to make sure no boy or girl is ever abused at an institution in the future.

Ms Walmsley was a resident at Nazareth House children’s home in Londonderry in the 1960s.

She said she wanted to become the first victim to waive her right to anonymity to help other victims who haven’t yet come forward.

She told the inquiry: “I had a dreadful experience from when I was eight until I was 12. I was mentally tortured, physically and emotionally.”

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NORTHERN IRELAND
UTV

[with video]

A woman giving evidence at the historical abuse inquiry has waived her right to anonymity in the hope it will help other victims speak out.

Proceedings had to be halted on Wednesday morning as Kate Walmsley broke down in the witness box while speaking about her time at Nazarath House in Londonderry.

Kate, who is now 57, told the hearing that she was regularly sexually assaulted when she was resident there in the 1960s by a priest and by older female residents.

She said the experience had “destroyed” her – but that she wanted to become the first victim to waive her right to anonymity to help other victims who haven’t yet come forward.

The inquiry in Banbridge, Co Down, heard how Kate was described in welfare documents as a troublesome child and that she was badly behaved. She said this was because of how she was treated, adding that she had been beaten by nuns and force-fed her own vomit.

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TEXAS
KLTV

[with video]

By Lexie Cook
TYLER, TX (KLTV) –
A former East Texas priest is set to spend the next seven and a half years in prison for sexually assaulting a 10-year-old boy.

Father Robert Poandl, also known as “Father Bob”, worked for the Catholic Diocese in Tyler during the 1990s.

The Diocese says Poandl mainly worked as a parish priest in Pittsburg, TX, south of Mount Pleasant.

Poandl is charged with taking a boy on a trip from Ohio to West Virginia, where he sexually assaulted him. He is not facing any charges related to his time here in East Texas.

Still, the Diocese of Tyler says they are reaching out to any possible victims.

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MISSISSIPPI
Clarion Ledger

Written by
Ruth Ingram

A Catholic priest, who years ago served in five Mississippi parishes, was sentenced to 7½ years in prison Wednesday on federal child sex abuse charges.

Father Bob Poandl was found guilty in September in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati. He brought a 10-year-old Cincinnati old boy to Spencer, W.Va., in August 1991 and sexually assaulted the child.

His first assignments after taking his holy vows were in Mississippi, where he worked from 1968-73 at Catholic parishes in Aberdeen, Amory, Okolona, Houston and Fulton. Catholic officials transferred Poandl to different parishes about 30 times in his 44 years in the priesthood.

“That alone is a serious red flag,” Judy Jones, a member of the Chicago-based Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, said in a news release. “A number of bishops and other church officials have acted dreadfully in this case, even in recent years. Despite this victim’s credible abuse report, Catholic officials put Father Poandl back on the job as recently as 2012.

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MICHIGAN
CBS Detroit

DETROIT (WWJ) – The attorney for a local priest accused of stealing money meant for the poor says his client is embarrassed by the accusations.

A not guilty plea was entered on behalf of 57-year-old Father Timothy Kane of Detroit — and for his co-defendant, 34-year-old Dorreca Brewer of Jackson — at an arraignment Wednesday.

The pair was arraigned side-by-side via video on several charges for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars from the Detroit Archdiocese Angel Fund.

Prosecutors allege the pair scoured for needy families to apply for the money, and then took a large chunk of cash for themselves.

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The Express-Tribune

By Hilary Stauffer
Published: February 13, 2014

Vatican is probably hoping that the publicity surrounding Pope Francis’s anniversary will drown out some of the less complimentary reportage that the Holy See has been deflecting of late. Church spin doctors have been working overtime recently, doing damage control in response to a report issued last week by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child.

Vatican officials appeared in front of the committee about a month ago, to defend their implementation of the Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC), a major UN human rights treaty. Representatives from the Holy See were obligated to appear because they are among the 194 sovereign states that have ratified the convention, and ratification requires periodic reporting to the committee entrusted with enforcing the convention’s provisions.

Much of the Vatican’s appearance — and much of the committee’s report—dealt with ramifications from the child sexual abuse scandal that had rocked the Church in recent years. The committee recommended first and foremost that all ‘known or suspected’ child abusers be ‘immediately removed’ from the clergy ranks and that they be referred to legal authorities for investigation and prosecution. It also addressed some of the Church’s other doctrines, including those regarding homosexuality, abortion and contraception.

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OHIO
WCPO

[with video]

CINCINNATI – A 32-year-old man took the stand Wednesday in federal court to confront the Fairfield priest who drove him across state lines for illicit sexual activity when he was 10-years-old.

“My name is David Harper. I am a survivor of Robert Poandl. I successfully fought to have him brought to justice,” Harper said in a statement after Poandl was sentenced to 90 months in prison.

Both Harper and Poandl were in the courtroom of U.S. District Court Judge Michael R. Barrett.

Before the sentencing hearing Poandl requested a lighter sentence because he said he is dying of cancer. Barrett delivered a harsher sentence than federal guidelines called for.

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OHIO
WLWT

[with video]

CINCINNATI —A Cincinnati-area priest convicted of taking a 10-year-old boy to West Virginia for sex more than two decades ago was sentenced to prison Wednesday.

Federal jurors found Robert Poandl guilty in September of transporting a minor in interstate commerce with the intent of engaging him in sex. He was sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison.

Poandl could have been sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.

Prosecutors say the priest from the suburban Cincinnati-based Glenmary Home Missioners took the boy to Spencer, W.Va., in 1991 and raped him while visiting a church there.

Poandl’s attorney denied those allegations, and Poandl himself denied them during the sentencing hearing.

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OHIO
Fox 19

[with video]

CINCINNATI, OH (FOX19) –
An Ohio priest convicted of taking a 10-year-old boy to West Virginia for sex more than two decades ago was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison on Wednesday.

Federal jurors found Robert Frank Poandl, of the Fairfield-based Glenmary Home Missioners, guilty in September of transporting a minor in interstate commerce with the intent of engaging him in sex.

Prosecutors said the priest took the boy from Cincinnati to West Virginia in 1991 and raped him while visiting a church there. The crime was not disclosed until the victim came forward in 2009.

A federal grand jury indicted Poandl, known as “Father Bob,” in Nov. 2012. FBI agents arrested him at the Glenmary Home Missioners in Fairfield.

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TEXAS
The Dallas Morning News

By KEVIN KRAUSE Staff Writer kkrause@dallasnews.com
Published: 12 February 2014

A former Garland youth pastor who exchanged sexually explicit text messages and photos with an underage girl from his church was sentenced Wednesday to 12 years in federal prison.

Joshua Earls, 30, and the 16-year-old girl had sent each other text messages with photos of each other’s genitalia. Earls met the victim through Arapaho Road Baptist Church in Garland.

Earls pleaded guilty to receipt of child pornography in October and had faced up to 20 years in prison. He also faces a lifetime of probation when he is released.

U.S. District Judge Barbara Lynn listened to hours of sentencing testimony Wednesday from Earls and his family, as well as the victim and her mother. Families from the church packed the courtroom.

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OHIO
Journal-News

By Ed Richter
Staff Writer

CINCINNATI — A priest convicted of taking a 10-year-old boy to West Virginia for sex more than two decades ago was sentenced Wednesday to 7½ years in federal prison.

Robert Poandl, 72, a priest with the Fairfield-based Glenmary Home Missioners, was convicted in September of the Mann Act, which is transporting a minor in interstate commerce with the intent of engaging him in sex. He could have received up to 10 years.

Federal prosecutors say Poandl took the boy to Spencer, W.Va., in 1991 and raped him while visiting a church there.

Poandl, who is suffering from cancer, continued to deny those allegations even as U.S. District Court Judge Michael R. Barrett sentenced him Wednesday in Cincinnati.

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CALIFORNIA
Daily Bulletin

By Lori Fowler, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
POSTED: 02/12/14

While two lawsuits were recently settled by the Diocese of San Bernardino regarding alleged sexual abuse by a former pastor, a third lawsuit continues to move through the court system.

Pasadena-based attorney Anthony De Marco filed a lawsuit in 2012 on behalf of his client. They are suing the Roman Catholic Bishop of San Bernardino and Alejandro “Alex” Castillo, among other parties, claiming that sexual abuse by Castillo occurred as far back as the 1970s — and the church knew about it.

“This is a very compelling case,” De Marco said. “The proof will be unmasked as we go forward.”

Officials at the diocese, which covers San Bernardino and Riverside counties, announced this week that they previously settled two civil suits, filed in 2011, for $3.8 million.

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OHIO
The Enquirer

Written by
Brenna R. Kelly

A longtime Catholic priest was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison Wednesday after he was convicted last year of taking a Cincinnati boy to West Virginia and sexually assaulting him in 1991.

Rev. Robert F. Poandl, 73, who is dying of cancer, could have been sentenced to up to 10 years in prison. U.S. District Judge Michael Barrett said he took Poandl’s health into consideration when deciding the sentence and recommended that Poandl serve his time in a medical facility.

Federal jurors in Cincinnati found him guilty in September of transporting a minor in interstate commerce with the intent of engaging him in sex.

“He preyed on the weak and the poor, he preyed on children to satisfy his sexual desires,” Poandl’s victim David Harper, now 32, told the judge during the hearing. “It is time for justice to finally be served.”

The Enquirer does not normally identify victims of sexual abuse, but because Harper has stepped forward publicly, we have chosen to do so in this instance.

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CANADA
Catholic Register

Written by Deborah Gyapong, Canadian Catholic News
Wednesday, 12 February 2014

OTTAWA – Several prominent Canadian Catholics have reacted with sadness and dismay to a scathing United Nations committee report on the Church’s handling of clerical sexual abuse.

The UN committee investigating the Holy See’s compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child also advised the Catholic Church to change Canon Law, abandon its teachings on abortion and contraception and to exchange teaching on the sexual complementarity of men and women in favour of gender equality.

Though the president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops welcomed some of the specific recommendations that will help the bishops with their planned revision of From Pain to Hope, its 20-year- old document on clerical sexual abuse, Archbishop Paul-André Durocher said the committee weakened its report by “venturing into areas in the moral teachings of the Church.” The committee also failed to note the progress the Church has made.

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AUSTRALIA
The Australian

MICHAEL MCKENNA THE AUSTRALIAN FEBRUARY 13, 2014

THE former head of the Catholic body handling child abuse allegations has conceded church officials had no right to launch investigations into complaints against clergy before going to police.

Bishop William Morris, the former co-chairman of the National Committee for Professional Standards, said the church’s decades-long practice under its “Towards Healing’’ protocols to test allegations internally had often hurt the victims and damaged the prospects of a thorough investigation.

Ahead of his appearance before the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Bishop Morris said the church officials did not have the skills to investigate the allegations and that victims should have automatically been referred to police.

Bishop Morris will next week give evidence into the church’s mishandling of abuse allegations against a pedophile teacher at a Toowoomba primary school in 2007.

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SOUTH CAROLINA
Bustle

By Seth Millstein @SethMillstein

At Bob Jones University, a fundamentalist Christian school in South Carolina, students are told by faculty that they shouldn’t report sexual abuse to the police, because doing so would be damaging to the body of Jesus Christ. Yup. In 2012, the school brought on an outside consulting group, Godly Response To Abuse in the Christian Environment (GRACE), to help it reform its ways; apparently, simply abandoning this atrocious, victim-blaming attitude toward sex abuse was too straightforward of a solution. But even this modest effort amounted to nothing, because last week, just before the GRACE’s findings were released, Bob Jones fired the firm without explanation.

“This ‘notice’ took GRACE by complete surprise,” the firm wrote in an open letter to its supporters, “as there had been no prior indications from BJU that termination was even being considered. Furthermore, this termination occurred days before GRACE was to conduct the last interviews of this 13-month investigation and begin drafting the final report scheduled for publication in March.”

The allegations against BJU are pretty damning. Catherine Harris, who attended the university in the 1980s, was raised in a fundamentalist environment, and says that she was abused by somebody “from inside that bubble.” When she went to the faculty for counseling, they essentially told her that it was her fault.

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IOWA
WQAD

February 12, 2014, by Shellie Nelson

A former youth pastor pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual abuse involving a teenage girl.

Ryan McKelvey, 27, was charged after the alleged victim and her parents told police she had been sexually assaulted. McKelvey, a former youth pastor at Heritage Assembly of God Church in Des Moines, was identified as the suspect.

Investigators later discovered a second victim. Court records show both victims were minors under the age of 18.

McKelvey was charged August 7, 2013, with two counts of sexual exploitation by a counselor or therapist and two counts of third-degree sexual abuse.

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NEW YORK
WGRZ

ALBION, N.Y.- The Orleans County pastor accused of inappropriate conduct with three children under the age of 11 is now facing an additional firearm charge.

New York State police charged reverend Roy Harriger with criminal possession of a firearm dating back to his Nov. 27 arrest.

Police say Harriger possessed an unregistered revolver at the time.

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MINNESOTA
KTIV

By M.L. JOHNSON
Associated Press

MILWAUKEE (AP) – Bankruptcy has cost the Archdiocese of Milwaukee more than $19 million in legal fees and other expenses so far, and rejection of its recovery plan could force it to pay out $13 million more, its attorneys said in newly filed court documents.

The financial details were revealed in the archdiocese’s reorganization plan, filed late Wednesday night in federal bankruptcy court. The plan proposes providing $4 million to compensate an estimated 125 victims of clergy sex abuse – less than a fourth of those who filed claims – while other victims would receive therapy but no cash payment. That’s the smallest per-victim payment yet offered by the 11 dioceses that have filed for bankruptcy in the past decade.

The Milwaukee archdiocese filed for bankruptcy in 2011, saying it wouldn’t have enough money if courts ruled in favor of victims who filed lawsuits. The seemingly stingy sum offered in its reorganization plan can be partly explained by a long, bitter court fight that has drained the archdiocese’s finances and its relatively unique organizational structure, which puts much church money out of reach.

In all, the archdiocese said it has spent $6.9 million on its own attorneys during bankruptcy. It estimated its creditors’ attorney costs, which bankruptcy rules require the archdiocese to pay, at nearly $12.5 million. The creditors include hundreds of sexual abuse victims along with others who are owed money.

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MILWAUKEE (WI)
GlobalPost

By Brendan O’Brien

MILWAUKEE (Reuters) – The Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee said on Wednesday it has proposed a restructuring plan for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court that would establish a sex abuse victim compensation fund worth $4 million, an amount advocates called woefully low.

The $4 million would be made available to abuse victims partly through a loan the archdiocese plans to secure using property as collateral and may be used to sue the church’s insurance companies, the archdiocese said in a statement.

The Roman Catholic Church in the United States has been hit with a series of abuse accusations and scandals during the past two decades. The scandals have cost the U.S. church about $3 billion in settlements and driven prominent dioceses like Milwaukee’s into bankruptcy.

The archdiocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2011, citing the financial drain of settling sexual-abuse claims and acknowledging missteps by the church in dealing with pedophile priests. It expects to file a restructuring plan with the court on Wednesday that includes the fund.

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MINNESOTA
WDIO

[with video]

Father James Vincent Fitzgerald worked in the Duluth Diocese for more than 20 years. His parishes were in the northern part of the diocese, in Northome, Bigfork, Effie, Orr, Nett Lake, and Squaw Lake, according to the diocese.

It was when he served the Squaw Lake area that he allegedly abused an altar boy.

The boy was from the New Ulm area, and had met Fitzgerald at an educational church program, according to attorney Mike Finnegan.

“He was a devout Catholic, from a devout Catholic family, and was happy to volunteer to go north to Squaw Lake. Then he was trapped with the priest for two weeks,” said Finnegan, who is the attorney for the alleged victim, known as Doe 30.

Doe 30 has filed a lawsuit in Ramsey County, against the Diocese of Duluth, the Diocese of New Ulm, and the Oblates of Mary Immaculate.

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.

MINNESOTA
The Journal

February 13, 2014
The Journal

DULUTH – The Diocese of New Ulm has been named in another lawsuit alleging sex abuse by a priest serving the diocese in the Lake Lillian area in 1977.

Attorneys with Jeff Anderson & Associates and another alleged victim spoke at a press conference in Duluth Wednesday, calling for the Diocese of New Ulm to release a list of priests with credible accusations of sex abuse.

“Right now the Diocese of New Ulm stands alone in not releasing its list of credibly accused offenders,” said Mike Finnegan of the Anderson law firm.

Finnegan represents the anonymous victim, Doe 30, in a civil lawsuit filed Tuesday in Ramsey County. The suit claims Doe 30 was a young boy attending St. Thomas More Parish in Lake Lillian when he met Fr. J. Vincent Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald is accused of taking Doe 30 on a trip to Squaw Lake, MN, where he sexually abused Doe 30 at St. Catherine’s Parish in the Duluth diocese, according to the suit.

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.

MILWAUKEE (WI)
WTMJ

[with video]

By Todd Hicks

MILWAUKEE – Word of the proposed settlement from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee brought an emotional response from abuse survivors.

Several of the people who gathered outside the Cousins Center said they felt victimized all over again after hearing the details of the plan.

Peter Isely said the four million dollars that would be set aside for victims is an insult.

“That four million dollars comes to about $6,000 dollars per victim,” Isely 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.

MILWAUKEE (WI)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

By Crocker Stephenson of the Journal Sentinel Feb. 12, 2014

St. Francis — Infuriated members of a group representing clergy and survivors of clergy abuse met outside the Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s headquarters Wednesday, calling the church’s bankruptcy reorganization plan an affront to Pope Francis’ s message of healing and renewal.

“This is not the way a new church is going to be born,” said Peter Isely, a member of the Survivors and Clergy Leadership Alliance. “This is the old church.”

Archbishop Jerome Listecki announced on a radio talk show Wednesday morning that the archdiocese, as part of bankruptcy reorganization plan, would set aside $4 million to compensate sex abuse victims.

“It’s not just what is in the plan, but how it was communicated,” Isely said. “He doesn’t have the common decency, much less the Christian charity, to look survivors and victims’ family members in the face and explain to them why this amount is so low. We find out about it because it’s been on a radio talk show.”

Isely is one of the founders of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP. He said the reorganization plan hurts all Catholics, not just victims and their families.

“It’s not helping victim survivors. That’s obvious. But it is not helping Catholics either. We don’t believe any Catholic is going to be very satisfied with this. This is just going to continue the shame.”

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.

MINNESOTA
Mankato Free Press

NEW ULM — The Diocese of New Ulm has been named in another lawsuit that accuses a priest of sexually assaulting a boy and makes a demand for the diocese to release a list of 12 priests who have had credible allegations of sexual abuse made against them.

The latest lawsuit claims the 13-year-old boy was attending St. Thomas More Parish in Lake Lillian in 1976, which is within the Diocese of New Ulm, when a priest named J. Vincent Fitzgerald took him on a trip to Squaw Lake in northern Minnesota. While on the trip, Fitzgerald allegedly sexually abused the boy as St. Catherine’s parish, said a news release from the victim’s attorney, Jeff Anderson.

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.

NORTHERN IRELAND
Irish Times

Dan Keenan

Thu, Feb 13, 2014

A woman waived her right to anonymity at Northern Ireland’s Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry yesterday to reveal allegations of beatings and sex abuse at a home in Derry run by the Sisters of Nazareth.

Kate Walmsley, now in her late 50s, further alleged that a nun identified to the inquiry facilitated the abuse by one of the priests. She said when the girls at Nazareth House residential care home queued for confession on a Saturday, this nun would ensure she was at the end of the line.

Junior counsel to the inquiry Joseph Aiken asked her: “So you felt she knew what was happening and she put your hand into the priest’s hand?”

“Yes,” she replied.

Ms Walmsley said the priest brought her into his side of the confessional and abused her.
The witness repeatedly broke down. At one point, inquiry chairman Sir Anthony Hart suspended proceedings to allow her to recover.

When she returned, she confirmed various allegations contained in a lengthy statement which has been submitted to the inquiry. This included allegations of beatings carried out by senior girls at the institution and by nuns.

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.

AUSTRALIA
Eureka Street

Pat Power | 13 February 2014

Recently I led the priests of the Diocese of Ballarat in their annual retreat. I was conscious of the burden these priests were carrying in relation to clerical sexual abuse. Yet as an outsider, I had no words of wisdom to impart to a group of men who had agonised over the issue for some time. So I invited them to share with each other their thoughts, feelings and experiences around this painful and shameful time in their lives as priests.

Each priest was painfully aware of the terrible harm done to victims of abuse, their families, the wider community and the Church. They spoke of the need for healing, forgiveness, reconciliation and continuing examination of ways to see that the climate in which such abuse was perpetrated would not continue. Later, I had a heart-rending conversation with one of the priests who said ‘I am not a paedophile and I am not a bishop, but a priest who feels he is carrying the can for all the sins committed and mistakes made by others.’

Most priests believe the Royal Commission or something similar was very much needed to face up to a terrible episode in the Church’s history. They also believe that sexual abuse took place in an environment of clericalism which was imposed by the highest authority in the Church, and which they felt powerless to confront. ‘Father is always right’ operated from the Pope down and any questioning of it was seen as disloyal or even heretical.

One of the most blatant expressions of such clericalism is propagated in an Instruction of the Congregation for the Clergy (the congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for overseeing matters regarding priests and deacons not belonging to religious orders), ‘On certain questions regarding the collaboration of the non-ordained faithful in the sacred ministry of the priest’. This was issued on 15 August 1997 after being approved by Pope John Paul II two days earlier. It can still be found on the Vatican website.

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.

MILWAUKEE (WI)
SNAP Wisconsin

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

Three years after filing for bankruptcy, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, which insured itself for over $1.3 billion dollars in the 1990’s, filed a reorganization plan today that sets aside a mere $4 million dollars to compensate 575 victim/survivors who were sexually assaulted by archdiocesan priests, religious and employees.

This means that each survivor in the Milwaukee Archdiocese would receive less than $7,000. By contrast, survivors in all other church bankruptcies throughout the U.S. have received an average compensation between $274,000 to as much as $2.1 million, with a national average of $400,000 per survivor.

When Archbishop Jerome Listecki announced the bankruptcy three years ago he said that the purpose of reorganization was to bring “healing” to survivors and “make them whole.” Clearly, this was not the case.

Instead of taking the path to healing as he promised, Listecki instead has spent over $11.5 million dollars on bankruptcy lawyers and court costs fighting victims, nearly three times the total amount he now proposes to compensate survivors.

Even more outrageous, the archdiocese “compensated” known child abuser priests with a $20,000 “signing bonus” to secretly leave the priesthood. That’s on top of pension, health insurance, and in some cases continuing salaries and vocational “retraining” into new occupations working with children. That amount offered to the criminal clergy is nearly three times what Listecki believes will “heal” their victims.

But not to worry. Listecki also proposes a “lifetime therapy fund”. Of course, Listecki is going to control the therapy monies and the alleged “lifetime” of the total fund for all victims runs out at $500,000 dollars. In other words, under Listecki’s “healing” proposal each survivor would receive less than $900 for their “lifetime” of therapy.

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.

MINNESOTA
Northlands News Center

February 12, 2014

Duluth, MN (NNCNOW.com)– A lawsuit was filed Wednesday in Ramsay County against the Diocese of Duluth on behalf of a man who claims he was sexually abused by a priest who had worked in the Diocese for more than two decades.

The lawsuit claims the now 30 year old man was the victim of repeated sexual abuse in 1976 when he was 13 years old and serving as an altar boy.
r.
The claim says he was abused by Father Vincent Fitzgerald who has since died.

The abuse is alleged to have started at St Thomas More, a parish in the Diocese of New Ulm, which is also named in the lawsuit.

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

UNITED STATES
TheMediaReport

For the last several years now, TheMediaReport.com has provided hundreds of examples of the media’s biased and unbalanced coverage of the Catholic Church sex abuse story. And, unfortunately, our weekly posts provide only a small glimmer of the overall problem.

But the purpose of this site is to arm responsible journalists with the facts about sex abuse so as to improve their coverage and hopefully lower the incidence of sex abuse in our society.
What can the mainstream media do to improve its reporting of the Catholic Church sex abuse narrative? Here are five suggestions:

1. Provide context

Contemporaneous accusations of abuse against Catholic priests are extremely rare, recently averaging in the United States only eight per year even deemed “credible” by diocesan review boards. Almost all accusations against Catholic priests involve allegations from decades ago. Yet you would hardly know this from the media coverage, which almost always makes it appear that abuse is still an ongoing and current problem in the 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.

CONNECTICUT
CT Post

New Bridgeport Diocese Bishop Frank Caggiano is scheduled to address a group of Catholics about the future of the church.

That may not sound like major news. That should not be major news. But the head of the group isn’t wrong to say, “It’s practically historic.”

For this group is the Voice of the Faithful, which formed 12 years ago to campaign for reform in the church in the wake of lawsuits and scandals involving the sexual abuse of children by priests.

The group’s members were ignored by Caggiano’s predecessor, Bishop William Lori, who responded only by banning them from meeting on diocesan property.

Lori took the post just in time to deal with the fallout of 109 sexual abuse cases involving 32 priests from 1960 to 1990, more than a decade before his arrival in 2001. New scandals surfaced over subsequent years. Michael Jude Fay, former pastor of St. John Church in Darien, pled guilty to stealing more than $1 million from his parish. Michael Moynihan, former pastor of St. Michael the Archangel in Greenwich, was sentenced to five months in prison in 2011 on charges related to $400,000 in parish funds that were missing. Kevin Wallin, former pastor of St. Augustine Cathedral in Bridgeport, pleaded guilty last year to selling $300,000 worth of methamphetamine.

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.

MILWAUKEE (WI)
CBS 58

by Sandra Torres
Story Created: Feb 12, 2014

MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Archdiocese is setting aside about four million dollars to settle with sex abuse victims. That amount gives each victim about $6,000 for what was done to them. This compensation package is a part of a larger bankruptcy reorganization plan filed in federal court. The move is upsetting several victims of Catholic priests.

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee says its plan of reorganization has three parts. It will provide abuse survivors lifetime therapy for what they’ve gone through. it will take about four million dollars from non-restricted assets from the archdiocese estate. The archdiocese will pay costs related to the bankruptcy including legal and accounting fees.

Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests(SNAP) says that’s not enough to properly compensate the 570 victims from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. Abuse victim Monica Barrett got emotion as she reacted to how the archdiocese of Milwaukee plans to compensate her and other abuse survivors. “It’s much like being raped all over again, because we’ve fought for decades to even get to this point and he says we’re out of 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.

MINNESOTA
KAAL

By: Leslie Dyste

There is growing pressure on the Diocese of New Ulm to release a list of priests who are “credibly” accused of sexually abusing minors.

On Wednesday, attorneys called again for that list to be made public. A lawsuit has already been filed asking for the diocese to release the list.

The attorneys also asked the Diocese of Duluth to release more documents relating to the 17 priests there, who are accused of sexual abuse.

Meanwhile, a Ramsey County judge ruled Tuesday that key leaders in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis will have to answer for their alleged actions for the first time ever, according to KSTP reporter Beth McDonough.

Archbishop John Nienstedt and the Rev. Kevin McDonough will have to go on the record and talk with investigators about how the church handled sex abuse allegations made against priests in local parishes.

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.

MINNESOTA
Duluth News Tribune

By: Tom Olsen, Duluth News Tribune

For the third time in eight months, the Catholic Diocese of Duluth is the subject of a lawsuit seeking the public release of thousands of documents detailing the history of priest sex abuse cases in Northeastern Minnesota.

The suit, filed Wednesday in State District Court in Ramsey County by an alleged abuse victim, makes the same demand for the Diocese of New Ulm — the only diocese in the state that has not yet released a list of its priests who have been “credibly accused” of abuse.

The alleged victim, identified in court documents only as “Doe 30,” claims that he was abused by Father James Vincent Fitzgerald at St. Catherine’s Church in Squaw Lake as a 13-year-old in 1976. Attorneys for the man and other victims claim that the diocese likely has thousands of documents detailing the church’s handling of abuse cases, including Fitzgerald’s.

The diocese, however, said on Wednesday that no abuse allegations were ever brought against Fitzgerald during his 26 years working at six Northland parishes.

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.

MILWAUKEE (WI)
Fox 6

MILWAUKEE (WITI) — The Archdiocese of Milwaukee announced on Wednesday, February 12th that it is filing its Plan of Reorganization in its Chapter 11 proceedings — and some victims say they’re not happy with the plan, nor how it was delivered.

The plan will establish a $500,000 Lifetime Therapy Fund for abuse survivors. $4 million will also be available to provide financial settlements for abuse survivors with eligible claims. The Archdiocese will have an operation plan to continue its ministry in the community. The plan will also solidify the organization’s commitment to preventing child sex abuse within the church.

There was immediate reaction to the Archdiocese’s reorganization plan, and not just about the content of the plan, but also, how it was delivered. Some people just hearing the fact that there was finally a plan in place were relieved, but some survivors of priest abuse had a different reaction after looking at the content.

FOX6 News caught up with Deborah Smith leaving Church of Gesu in Milwaukee on Wednesday, February 12th.

After hearing the Milwaukee Archdiocese is filing a plan of reorganization in its bankruptcy case, she had high hopes.

“Closure for the victims as well as the other people who have been hurt and healing and forgiveness for both parties involved,” Smith 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.

SOUTH DAKOTA
KCAU

[with video]

By: Jenna Rehnstrom
jrehnstrom@kcautv.com

There’s a movement going on in the South Dakota legislature to protect victims of sexual abuse. And a Siouxland native is leading the charge.

Jolene Loetscher, who grew up in Northeast Nebraska, was sexually abused by a family friend from age 15 to 16. She mostly kept quiet about the ordeal, until recently, when she confronted her abuser and began a crusade to be a voice for others.

On Tuesday, she and other sexual abuse survivors shared their stories in front of South Dakota lawmakers.

“What really sits up here before you, is a 15 year old victim of child sexual abuse and we owe it to everyone to give all those children out there the right to become survivors,” said Loetscher during her testimony.

“Jolene’s Law,” a bill named in her honor, has passed that senate committee and will be debated by the full senate. It would create a task force to study the impact of sexual abuse of kids and make recommendations to the legislature to address the issue.

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.

SOUTH DAKOTA
South Dakota Public Broadcasting

[with audio]

By KEALEY BULTENA

Survivors of child sex abuse and advocates for those victims want lawmakers to address the abuse. Senate Bill 154 establishes a task force to study the impact of sexual abuse of children. Not one lawmaker in committee opposes the effort.

Mary Beth Holzworth is in the state Capitol for her sons. Two of her three boys survived sexual abuse.

“On June 10, 2009, my five-year-old son sat next to me and said, ‘Mom, uncle shared his germs with me.’ I had no idea what that meant and asked him to explain further. What he began to decribe was something I never thought I’d hear from one of my children. He explained how his uncle had sexually abused him, from fondling to oral sex to penetration. As a mother, nothing I’d ever heard had made me more sick,” Holzworth says.

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.

SOUTH DAKOTA
Press and Dakotan

Associated Press

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota’s Senate Education Committee has unanimously approved a bill to establish a task force that would study the impact of child sexual abuse.

The group would be named Jolene’s Law Task Force after Jolene Loetscher of Sioux Falls, a victim of sexual assault as a child. Members would meet later this year to suggest ways South Dakota could improve its policies for dealing with child sexual abuse, which officials say happens to one in four girls and one in six boys nationally.

No one has spoken in opposition to the bill. Supporters include child advocacy organizations, the South Dakota Sheriff’s Association and the state Department of Social Services.

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SOUTH DAKOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Wednesday, February 12, 2014

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

A South Dakota senate committee approved of a new child sex abuse task force. We are glad that this first step has been taken to make South Dakota children safer and we encourage legislatures to not stop there.

[Press and Dakotan]

The Senate Education Committee unanimously approved the bill, which would create the task force to study the impact of child sexual assault. The task force is named for a SD victim of child sex abuse, Jolene’s Law Task Force.

We hope this bill becomes a law and that children are made safer because of it. We also hope that this is a positive sign that SD will reexamine its archaic statute of limitations on child 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.

MILWAUKEE (WI)
Wall Street Journal

Milwaukee Archdiocese to Set Aside $4 Million for Victims

By TOM CORRIGAN
Feb. 12, 2014

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee said it intends to file a plan of reorganization with bankruptcy court Wednesday that would set aside $4 million to compensate hundreds of individuals who allege they were sexually abused by the archdiocese’s priests.

The plan also would create a $500,000 fund to provide therapy for the lifetime of the victims and pays an estimated $5 million in legal and accounting fees associated with the Chapter 11 case.

Some of the $4 million could be used by eligible holders of sexual-abuse claims to pursue litigation against the church’s insurers, which could add to their compensation. The archdiocese says it would provide the money by taking out a loan on several of its properties.

The plan, which after it is filed must be approved by a judge, would allow the archdiocese to continue operations and eventually emerge from bankruptcy protection.

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.

MILWAUKEE (WI)
WFTV

By M.L. JOHNSON
The Associated Press

MILWAUKEE — The Archdiocese of Milwaukee said Wednesday it would set aside $4 million for clergy sexual abuse victims in its bankruptcy reorganization plan and that half the money would be borrowed from a controversial cemetery trust fund.

The archdiocese filed for bankruptcy in 2011, saying pending sexual abuse lawsuits could leave it with debts it couldn’t pay. Its creditors include hundreds of people who have filed sexual abuse claims, a fraction of which would be eligible for payments under the reorganization plan.

Eleven Catholic dioceses have filed for bankruptcy in the past decade, and others have set aside much larger sums to compensate victims of sexual abuse. The Milwaukee archdiocese itself agreed in 2006 to a nearly $16.7 million settlement for 10 victims in California who were abused by two of its priests while they were working there. Its total payments to victims before filing to bankruptcy came to $33 million.

Peter Isely, a spokesman for clergy sexual abuse victims, called the offer of $4 million “obscene,” noting the archdiocese spent much more on legal fees and paid considerable sums to pedophile priests it was removing from ministry.

“If lawyers are worth so much more to you than survivors, and if priests are worth so much more to you than children who are harmed … that is an organization that cannot be trusted in its public role,” Isely 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.

SOUTH CAROLINA
The American Conservative

By ROD DREHER • February 12, 2014

The Christian sexual abuse investigating team GRACE, which was abruptly fired by Bob Jones University on virtually the eve of its report on allegations against the fundamentalist college. This is the second time the team, led by Liberty University law professor Boz Tchividjian, has been dismissed by a Christian organization that hired it to investigate the organization. The first time was a year ago, when the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism (ABWE) did so. Back then, GRACE responded to the school’s startling action. Excerpt:

In addition to responding to the alleged investigative “flaws”, it is important to recount ABWE’s repeated failures to comply with the contractual obligations to GRACE. These contractual breaches included repeated objections to providing requested documents and the failure to provide such documents in a timely matter, if at all. ABWE further breached the contract by failing to provide GRACE with access to critical witnesses associated with your organization. ABWE’s contractual breaches needlessly delayed this investigation and impaired our ability to fully evaluate ABWE’s response to the crimes perpetrated by Donn Ketcham.

When placed in the context of ABWE’s conduct over the past 20 months, the termination of GRACE strongly suggests ABWE is unwilling to have itself investigated unless the investigation is within your control. We pray that is not the case.

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MILWAUKEE (WI)
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2014

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

The Milwaukee archdiocesan Chapter 11 maneuver today is breath-taking in its callousness, selfishness and arrogance.

Milwaukee Catholic officials have spent more than four times as much money fighting victims in court as they propose paying to victims. For decades, they’ve hidden and handled heinous crimes against kids quietly and unilaterally. And they’re doing so now as they cram this duplicitous scheme down the throats of hundreds of courageous, suffering child sex abuse victims.

Our hearts ache for the 570 men and women who were raped and sodomized as kids by Milwaukee area priests and nuns. At most, if this plan is approved, these brave, deeply wounded victims will get around $6,000 each for having their trust, faith, childhoods and emotional safety brutally stolen from them by child molesting clerics and corrupt church officials and for having the strength to step forward.

As best we can tell, current and former Milwaukee Catholic officials have done virtually nothing to expand the pool of funds that could be used to compensate victims while clearly doing all they can to deceitfully reduce that pool.

(A decade ago, America’s most disgraced Catholic prelate, Boston’s Cardinal Bernard Law, borrowed $25 million to help compensate victims. We’ve seen no evidence that Archbishop Dolan or Archbishop Listecki has even tried to borrow or raise more funds for this purpose.)

If Listecki were a father of a high school senior, he’d borrow money, get a second job and move heaven and earth to send that kid to college. (We all know that ‘where there’s a will, there’s a way,’ especially in the world’s largest, richest, oldest and only global monarchy.) But with adults who were sexually assaulted as kids by clerics, he rubs even more salt into already devastating and still infected wounds.

When it’s to their advantage (hiring lobbyists and public relations firms and funding papal visits), bishops pool their resources, talking about “the universal church.” When it’s to their advantage – like clergy sex cases – they pretend it’s “every man for himself,” claiming “we’re a small, independent diocese with limited resources.”

As one clergy sex abuse victim said “If bishops will lie to you about their predators and your kids, they’ll sure lie to you about their vast finances.”

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.

MILWAUKEE (WI)
WTMJ

[with video]

By Amy Burke

UPDATE: Abuse survivors will respond to the Archdiocese bankruptcy settlement plan at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday in front of the Cousins Center, 3601 S. Lake Drive.

***
MILWAUKEE — The Archdiocese of Milwaukee announced Wednesday morning a plan to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki told 620WTMJ’s Charlie Skyes the church is filing a plan for reorganization with the courts.

Once the plan is confirmed by a judge, a $4 million fund will not only provide a plan that will allow the Archdiocese to emerge from bankruptcy, but it will establish a lifetime therapy fund for clergy abuse survivors and compensate survivors with eligible claims.

“Nothing I can say or do can change the past. The abuse suffered by survivors sickens me,” Listecki said in a statement. “…I am sorry for what happened to abuse survivors and I understand our obligation to love and care for those who were harmed. ”

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.

MILWAUKEE (WI)
WUWM

By MARTI MIKKELSON

The Milwaukee Archdiocese has proposed setting aside $4 million to compensate victims of clergy sexual abuse in its bankruptcy reorganization plan.

The Archdiocese filed for bankruptcy in 2011, saying pending sexual abuse lawsuits could leave it with debts it’s unable to pay. It’s creditors include hundreds of people who were sexually abused by clergy.

In a statement Wednesday, the Archdiocese says the bankruptcy plan will include $4 million for sexual abuse victims. It also proposes borrowing $2 million from a controversial cemetery trust fund.

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.

MICHIGAN
The Detroit News

Detroit priest accused of defrauding fund for needy area families to be arraigned today

Detroit — An area priest and an accomplice accused of defrauding an inner-city charitable program are scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in 36th District Court.

The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office announced a warrant Tuesday charging the Rev. Timothy Kane, 57, who had been serving at St. Moses the Black Parish in Detroit, with six felony counts related to missing money from the Angel Fund, which provides aid to the needy in Detroit, Highland Park and Hamtramck.

According to Prosecutor Kym Worthy, Kane worked in connection with Dorreca Marvie Brewer, 34, of Jackson to allegedly steal money from the charity fund by filing and approving false applications. Between August 2008 and July 2012, the pair allegedly convinced others who did not need the money to supply their information in exchange for a cut of the profits, Worthy said.

Kane and Brewer, who was not believed to work for the archdiocese, received thousands of dollars from the fraudulent transactions, Worthy 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.

OHIO
Republic

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
February 12, 2014

CINCINNATI — An Ohio priest convicted of taking a 10-year-old boy to West Virginia for sex more than two decades ago is set to be sentenced.

Federal jurors found Robert Poandl (POHN’-duhl) guilty in September of transporting a minor in interstate commerce with the intent of engaging him in sex. Poandl could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison Wednesday in Cincinnati.

Prosecutors say the priest from the suburban Cincinnati-based Glenmary Home Missioners took the boy to Spencer, West Virginia, in 1991 and raped him while visiting a church there.

Poandl’s attorney denied those allegations.

The accuser, now 32, waited until 2009 before telling law enforcement officials in West Virginia that he’d been abused.

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.

SOUTH CAROLINA
The Raw Story

By Travis Gettys
Wednesday, February 12, 2014

A conservative Christian university abruptly dismissed the consulting firm it had hired to look into its handling of sexual assault investigations.

Until recently, students at Bob Jones University who sought counseling for sex abuse were told not to report their claims because turning in a fellow fundamentalist would damage Jesus Christ, reported the New York Times.

Most of the students reported sex abuse that happened when they were children but sought help later, as college students, and administrators branded the victims as liars and sinners, the paper reported.

“The person who supposedly counseled me told me if I reported (another fundamentalist Christian) to the police, I was damaging the cause of Christ, and I would be responsible for the abuser going to hell,” said Catherine Harris, who attended the university in the 1980s. “He said all of my problems were as a result of my actions in the abuse, which mostly took place before I was 12, and I should just forgive the abuser.”

Another former student said when she accused a graduate student of sexual assault in the 1990s, investigators asked what she had been wearing tightly fitted clothing and urged her to keep quiet to protect her reputation.

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
The Tablet (UK)

UN abuse recommendations should act as ‘an incentive’ for the Holy See, says Jesuit child protection expert

12 February 2014 12:45 by Christa Pongratz-Lippitt and Robert Mickens

The head of the International Centre for Child Protection at Rome’s Pontifical Gregorian University, said recommendations made in a damning UN report on the Church’s child protection record should be regarded by the Holy See as an “incentive”.

Fr Hans Zollner made his comments after the United Nations’ committee on children’s rights on 5 February published a report excoriating the Holy See for lack of compliance with parts of the international Convention on the Rights of the Child. The UN committee questioned Holy See officials for nearly six hours at a public hearing in Geneva three weeks earlier about its adherence to the convention.

Fr Zollner told Vatican Radio after the publication of the UN’s report that it was high time for the Vatican to face a UN evaluation. “I have the impression that the Holy See did itself no favours by not delivering the requested reports for 14 years,” he said.

The Holy See’s UN representatives “have now had to face purgatory and take all the fury, disappointment and justified annoyance upon themselves,” Fr Zollner said.

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MILWAUKEE (WI)
WTAQ

MILWAUKEE (WTAQ) – The Milwaukee Catholic Archdiocese wants to budget $4 million to compensate those molested by its priests.

The church planned to file its reorganization plan Wednesday for breaking out of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection it first sought in 2011.

Archbishop Jerome Listecki said the plan includes, “some financial compensation” to eligible victims — along with funds for their therapy and pastoral care.

About 575 people have filed claims for compensation, saying they’ve been scarred from sex abuse by various priests over a period of decades.

The Associated Press first reported the size of the $4 million compensation proposal. It’s only a quarter of what the Milwaukee Archdiocese paid 10 abuse victims by two of its priests in California in 2006.

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.

MINNESOTA
Jeff Anderson & Associates

Survivor, Attorneys Request the Diocese of New Ulm to Release List of Priests with Credible Allegations of Sexually Abusing Minors

New Ulm is the only remaining Minnesota diocese refusing to release its list
Diocese of Duluth urged to release documents on their list of 17 priests accused of sexual abuse

(Duluth, MN) – At a press conference today in Duluth, a courageous sexual abuse survivor, Doe 30, and his attorneys, requested the Diocese of New Ulm to release its list of priests with credible allegations of sexual abuse. They also asked the Diocese of Duluth to release documents on the 17 priests with credible allegations of sexual abuse, whose names were released on December 31, 2013, as part of a civil lawsuit.

“Right now, the Diocese of New Ulm stands alone in not releasing its list of credibly accused offenders,” stated attorney Mike Finnegan of Jeff Anderson & Associates, who represents Doe 30 in the civil lawsuit filed yesterday in Ramsey County District Court. “We applaud this brave survivor, and other survivors like him, in coming forward and for trying to expose this list. By keeping the list secret, children remain at risk and the Diocese of New Ulm continues to adhere to its decades-long practice of secrecy and silence.”

Doe 30 was a young boy attending St. Thomas More Parish in Lake Lillian, MN, a parish within the geographical boundaries of the Diocese of New Ulm, when he met Father J. Vincent Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald brought Doe 30 on a trip to Squaw Lake, MN where he proceeded to sexually abuse Doe 30 at St. Catherine’s parish, a church in the Diocese of Duluth. Fitzgerald was participating in a program held at the Willmar State Hospital in Willmar, MN and while participating in the program, worked at St. Thomas More.

The Diocese of New Ulm has admitted to possessing a list of 12 priests with credible allegations of sexual abuse but to-date has refused to release it. On September 16, 2013, survivors Lori Stoltz and Kimberly Schmit filed lawsuits involving sexual abuse by Father David Roney and also requested the New Ulm Diocese to release its list.

Fr. Fitzgerald’s name was included on lists released by both the Diocese of Duluth and the Diocese of Crookston and Fitzgerald was accused of sexually abusing a minor male at the Tekakwitha Orphanage on the lake Traverse Indian Reservation while he worked in the Diocese of Sioux Falls. Now deceased, Fitzgerald also worked in parishes in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Diocese of Springfield (IL), Diocese of Belleville (IL), and the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau (MO).

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OHIO
Fox 19

Posted by Kelly Taylor

CINCINNATI, OH (FOX19) –
An Ohio priest convicted of taking a 10-year-old boy to West Virginia for sex more than two decades ago was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison on Wednesday.

Federal jurors found Robert Poandl, of the Fairfield-based Glenmary Home Missioners, guilty in September of transporting a minor in interstate commerce with the intent of engaging him in sex.

Prosecutors said the priest took the boy to Spencer, W.Va., in 1991 and raped him while visiting a church there. The Associated Press reported that Poandl’s attorney denied those allegations.

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OHIO
Cincinnati Enquirer

Written by
Brenna R. Kelly

A longtime Catholic priest was sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison Wednesday after he was convicted last year of taking a Cincinnati boy to West Virginia and assaulting him in 1991.

Rev. Robert F. Poandl, 73, who is dying of cancer, could have been sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.

Federal jurors found him guilty in September of transporting a minor in interstate commerce with the intent of engaging him in sex.

Before Judge Michael Barrett handed down the sentence, Poandal, who maintains he is innocent, said he will pray for the victim and all victims of sexual abuse.

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IOWA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2014

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

A former youth pastor from Des Moines has entered a guilty plea under charges that he sexually molested 2 teenage girls. Now, officials at Heritage Assembly of God church must mount a serious outreach effort to find others he may have hurt.

[KCCI]

[The Republic]

Ryan McKelvey was the youth pastor at Heritage Assembly church in Des Moines. Law enforcement officials began investigating him after one of the girls and her parents reported the abuse. A second victim later came forward. McKelvey first entered a not-guilty plea.

We strongly encourage anyone else who has been sexual abused or witnessed abuse to come forward and report to law enforcement. Healing can begin when the truth is revealed.

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VATIKAN
Katholisches

[Summary: If you only look at official reactions, then one would come to the conclusion that the Holy See considers the frontal attack by the United Nations as an industrial accident and one should not pay much attention. In reality, a lot is at stake.]

(Vatikan) Hält man sich nur an die offiziellen Reaktionen, dann müßte man zum Schluß kommen, daß der Heilige Stuhl den Frontalangriff durch die Vereinten Nationen als einen Betriebsunfall betrachtet, dem nicht allzu viel Bedeutung beizumessen sei. In Wirklichkeit steht die gesamte Schöpfungsordnung auf dem Spiel. Umso unverständlicher erscheint die unangemessene Reaktion des neuen Kardinalstaatssekretärs Pietro Parolin auf den Angriff. Ein weiteres wenig positives Signal für die Bischofssynode zum Thema Familie, die einige in der Kirche offensichtlich zu einer späten Revanche für die Enzyklika Humanae vitae umfunktionieren wollen.

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OSTERREICH
HPD

WIEN. (hpd) Das Kinderrechtskomitee der UNO erhebt schwere Vorwürfe gegen die katholische Kirche. Bis heute habe der Heilige Stuhl das Ausmaß an Kindesmissbrauch und struktureller Gewalt an Kindern nicht anerkannt und setze Kinder bis heute einem “hohen Risiko” aus.

Dutzende Pfarrer, die sich an Kindern vergangen haben, sind nach wie vor im Dienst, kritisiert das Kinderrechtskomitee der UNO. Und sie haben nach wie vor Kontakt zu Kindern. Die Kirche setze so “Kinder in vielen Ländern einem hohen Risiko von sexuellem Missbrauch aus”.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Christian Today

Published 12 February 2014 | Michael Trimmer

The Church of England General Synod has voted to strengthen procedures to prevent the abuse of children and vulnerable adults in its care.

The Bishop of Durham, the Right Reverend Paul Butler, who brought the motion forward, said: “This is just one step towards the Church making itself a safer place for all while acknowledging that effects of abuse on survivors can be lifelong.

“The most important change required in our safeguarding remains the transformation of our very DNA in relation to our theology, thinking and practice in the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults.

“We can never be complacent and we continue to urge any victims or those with information about church-related abuse to come forward knowing that they will be listened to in confidence.”

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OHIO
WKRC

Updated: Wednesday, February 12 2014

CINCINNATI (WKRC) — A federal judge sentences a priest who molested a boy to 7 and a half years in prison. Father Robert Poandl was convicted of federal sex abuse charges back in September.

Prosecutors successfully argued that Poandl abused a boy during a visit to a church in Spencer, West Virginia in 1991. The victim was ten-years-old at the time. Poandl had served as a priest with the Glenmary Home Missioners in Fairfield between 1998 and 1994.

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OHIO
Journal-News

By Ed Richter
Staff Writer

CINCINNATI — A priest who was found guilty of taking a 10-year-old boy to West Virginia and molesting him more than two decades ago was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati.

A U.S. federal court judge sentenced Fr. Robert (Bob) Poandl to 7½ years behind bars today.

Poandl, a priest with the Fairfield-based Glenmary Home Missioners, had faced up to 10 years in federal prison. A federal jury found Poandl guilty in September of one count of transporting a minor in interstate commerce with the intent of engaging him in sex. Poandl took the boy to Spencer, W. Va., in Aug. 3, 1991 and raped him during a visit to a church there.

His accuser, who now in his 30s, waited until 2009 to report the incident to police in West Virginia.
Poandl was indicted on charges in a West Virginia court for sexually abusing the boy. However, a judge dismissed those charges.

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OHIO
Twinsburg Bulletin

LISA CORNWELL Associated Press Published: February 12, 2014

CINCINNATI (AP) — An Ohio priest convicted of taking a 10-year-old boy to West Virginia for sex more than two decades ago has been sentenced to seven and a half years in prison.

Robert Poandl (POHN’-duhl) was convicted in September of transporting a minor in interstate commerce with the intent of engaging him in sex. He could have received up to 10 years.

Prosecutors say the priest from suburban Cincinnati took the boy to Spencer, W.Va., in 1991 and raped him while visiting a church there.

Poandl continued to deny those allegations even as a federal judge sentenced him Wednesday.

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OHIO
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Priest who worked in Ohio goes to prison for abuse
Over nearly half century, he was transferred 30 times
Group urges Catholic officials in ten dioceses to “reach out to other victims”

A Catholic priest who worked in Ohio and molested a Cincinnati boy is going to prison.

A US federal court judge in Cincinnati has sentenced Fr. Robert (Bob) Poandl to 7.5 years behind bars for taking a ten year old Ohio boy to Spencer, WV and sexually abusing him in 1991.

Fr. Poandl worked in the Cincinnati diocese at least three times (see below). Catholic officials transferred him about 30 times in 44 years.

“That alone is a serious red flag,” said Judy Jones of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, a Chicago-based support group. “A number of bishops and other church officials have acted dreadfully in this case, even in recent years, despite this victim’s credible abuse report, Catholic officials put Fr. Poandl back on the job as recently as 2012.”

“This brave victim and his family should be praised for their courage and their determination,” said Jones. “Their compassion and bravery has put this child predator in jail and away from innocent children. It was a long ordeal, but they did not give up.”

“We fear there could be many others who have been hurt by Fr. Poandl and are still suffering in silence and shame,” she emphasized “Victims often stay trapped and quiet unless they’re gently but firmly encouraged to speak up, get help, expose wrongdoers, protect kids and start healing. That’s what bishops in each diocese where Fr. Poandl worked should have done years ago and should do now.”

SNAP is calling on Catholic officials to:

–visit each parish where Fr. Poandl worked and beg anyone who may have knowledge of or suspicions about clergy sex crimes or cover ups – involving Fr. Poandl or other priests – to contact police, and

–post his guilty verdict and sentence on parish and diocesan web sites and in diocese newspapers and church bulletins.

Fr. Poandl belongs to a Fairfield Ohio-based Catholic religious order called the Glenmary Missioners and also had church assignments in PA, TX, KY, LA, MS, OK, GA., and WV.

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PENNSYLVANIA
We Are Central PA

JOHNSTOWN, CAMBRIA COUNTY – Bishop McCort’s Board of Trustees named Thomas Fleming as their next principal and chief administrative officer Tuesday.

Fleming recently announced his retirement as superintendent of schools for the Richland School District.

Former McCort principal Ken Salem was put on leave in February 2013 following sexual abuse allegations against Brother Stephen Baker.

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MINNESOTA
KEYC

By Mitch Keegan, Anchor, KEYC News 12 Midday

A news conference will be held in Duluth to announce a civil lawsuit against the Dioceses of New Ulm and Duluth.

The lawsuit is being filed on behalf of a man, Doe 30, who claims he was sexually abused by Father J. Vincent Fitzgerald, who is now deceased.

The man met Father Fitzgerald as a young parishioner at St. Thomas More in the Diocese of New Ulm.

Fitzgerald later brought Doe 30 to another parish in the Diocese of Duluth, where was abused.

the lawsuit claims the defendants should have known that Fitzgerald was a risk to children and failed to protect Doe 30.

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MILWAUKEE (WI)
SNAP Wisconsin

Settlement offer in plan to 570 survivors is 4 million or appx $6,000 per survivor. We will be responding to this and other elements of the reorganization plan filed today…Peter

SNAP/SCLA Press Conference TODAY 2:30

When: TODAY, Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Where: In front of the Cousins Center, 3601 S. Lake Drive

CONTACT:
Peter Isely, 414.429.7259 (peterisely@yahoo.com)
Monica Barrett 414.704.6074 or 744-3680 (1mlbarrett@gmail.com)

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MILWAUKEE (WI)
WISN

[with video]

MILWAUKEE —The Archdiocese of Milwaukee will file documents Wednesday to outline their plan to emerge from bankruptcy.

Officials at the Archdiocesan office tell WISN 12 news that the documents are expected to be filed Wednesday morning.

Archbishop Jerome Listecki said last month that the reorganization plan would include a therapy fund for all survivors of clergy sexual abuse.

In documents released Wednesday, the Plan of Reorganization establishes:

* $500,000 therapy fund to provide lifetime therapy payments to those abused by priests

* Provides financial settlements for abuse survivors with eligible claims

* Outlines an operational plan for the archdiocese to continue its ministry in the community

* Affirms commitment to prevention of child sexual abuse within the church

* Ensures no priest with substantiated allegations of sexual abuse of a minor can ever serve in public ministry within the archdiocese

WISN 12 News reporter Kent Wainscott sat down with Archbishop Listecki Wednesday morning. Watch for his interview tonight on WISN 12 News.

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MILWAUKEE (WI)
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee

February 12, 2014

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ,

Today, we will file our Plan of Reorganization, the next major step toward ending the bankruptcy and returning our focus to the primary mission of the Church; proclaiming the Gospel, worshipping more fully, and serving our sisters and brothers in need.

It’s been over three years since our Chapter 11 petition was filed, but we are turning a corner. A Plan of Reorganization is what allows the archdiocese to emerge from bankruptcy once it is confirmed by the court. This Plan demonstrates both our commitment to abuse survivors and our commitment to serving the people of God in southeastern Wisconsin. It’s time for us to get back to what the Church is supposed to be doing. It’s time for the archdiocese to return its focus to its ministry. Outreach to and the support of abuse survivors will always be part of that ministry.

Nothing I can say or do can change the past. The abuse suffered by survivors sickens me. When I arrived in Milwaukee four years ago, I found a faithful community of Catholics who were angry and ashamed that trusted priests abused innocent children, and embarrassed about how some Church leaders responded.

But I also found a Catholic community committed to making sure nothing like this could ever happen again. For years now, and continuing with my unyielding commitment, rigid protections have been put in place, which we strictly follow. Education, training and safe environment initiatives have been implemented. Stringent policies and procedures have been rigorously observed and audited annually for compliance. Documents and information about abusive priests have been publicly shared. I promise to remain vigilant to all of these commitments.

Abuse survivors have consistently told me this is not about the money and I believe them. No amount of money could ever be enough to restore what was taken from them. People were robbed of a part of their lives and I understand that nothing we do today can change that; nonetheless, I want to do the best I can to help abuse survivors.

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MILWAUKEE (WI)
Biz Times

The Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee is filing documents today to outline its financial reorganization plan to emerge from bankruptcy.

Officials at the Archdiocese office told WISN-Channel 12 News, a media partner of BizTimes, that the documents were expected to be filed this morning.

A statement the Archdiocese provided to The Associated Press said the bankruptcy plan will include $4 million for sexual abuse victims. Some of that also could be used to file suit against the Archdiocese’s former insurers to compel them to pay victims.

The reorganization plan also includes money to provide sexual abuse victims with therapy for the remainder of their lives. Archbishop Jerome Listecki also said the church would use “anything that’s unrestricted,” including some unused property, to fund any settlement. The plan would include five properties and a loan from the archdiocese’s cemetery trust fund.

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MILWAUKEE (WI)
Fox 6

February 12, 2014, by Trisha Bee

MILWAUKEE (WITI) — The Archdiocese of Milwaukee will file its Plan of Reorganization in its Chapter 11 proceeding February 12th, according to a press release.

The Plan will establish a Lifetime Therapy Fund for abuse survivors; compensating abuse survivors with eligible claims; and provide a feasible operation plan to allow the archdiocese to emerge from bankruptcy once the plan is confirmed by the bankruptcy judge.

“This is a major step toward ending the bankruptcy and returning our focus to the primary mission of the Church; namely, proclaiming the Gospel, worshipping more fully, and serving our sisters and brothers in need,” Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki said. “This Plan makes sure abuse survivors continue receiving the assistance they need, while allowing the archdiocese to return its focus to its ministry.

The Plan sets aside approximately $4 million from the non-restricted assets of the estate of the archdiocese to distribute to abuse survivors and to pursue litigation for the recovery of additional funds from the archdiocese’s insurance companies. To provide the money, the archdiocese will use its remaining property as collateral for a loan.

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MILWAUKEE (WI)
Milwaukee Business Journal

Sean Ryan
Reporter-Milwaukee Business Journal

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee Wednesday will file a plan to emerge from its Chapter 11 bankruptcy case, and wants to reserve about $4 million for victims of sexual abuse.

The Archdiocese filed its Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January 2011 in response to claims stemming from the priest sex-abuse scandal. Archbishop Jerome Listecki on Wednesday released a statement saying the reorganization plan is “the next major step toward ending the bankruptcy and returning our focus to the primary mission of the Church.”

“It’s time for us to get back to what the Church is supposed to be doing,” the letter said. “It’s time for the Archdiocese to return its focus to its ministry. Outreach to and the support of abuse survivors will always be part of that ministry.

“Nothing I can say or do can change the past. The abuse suffered by survivors sickens me.”

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MILWAUKEE (WI)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee will set aside $4 million as part of a reorganization plan it intends to file today.

Archbishop Jerome Listecki told talk radio host Charlie Sykes of WTMJ-AM (620) this morning that the plan would include “some financial compensation” for those with eligible claims, funds for therapy and funds to continue the pastoral care of its flock, including victims who are still faithful members of the church.

A statement the archdiocese provided to The Associated Press says the bankruptcy plan will include $4 million for sexual abuse victims. Some of that also could be used to sue the archdiocese’s former insurers to get them to pay victims.

The reorganization plan also includes money to provide victims with therapy for the remainder of their lives.

Listcki said on WTMJ that the church would use “anything that’s unrestricted,” including some unused property, to fund any settlement.

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MILWAUKEE (WI)
HNGN

By Bianca Facchinei b.facchinei@hngn.com | Feb 12, 2014

The Milwaukee Archdiocese has set aside $4 million for victims of sexual abuse by members of the clergy, WBAY-TV reported.

In 2011, the archdiocese filed for bankruptcy, claiming the pending sexual abuse cases would leave it in debt they couldn’t pay. In the cases, hundreds of people claimed members of the clergy sexually assaulted them, who were then allegedly protected by the church and assigned to new positions without warning parishioners.

On Wednesday, Milwaukee archbishop James Listecki said the bankruptcy plan will be filed later in the day.

This is not the first time the archdiocese has run into legal battles. In 2006, they paid $16.7 million to 10 victims in California who were abused by two priests while working there.

Listecki added the archdiocese would provide therapy for the victims as well.

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NORTHERN IRELAND
Irish Times

The first witness to waive her right to anonymity has told the Historical Institutional Abuse inquiry of allegations of beatings and sex abuse at the hands of senior girls and two priests at a care home in Derry.

Kate Walmsley, now in her late fifties, further alleged that a nun facilitated the abuse by one of the priests. She said when the girls at Nazareth House residential care home queued for confessions on a Saturday, this nun would ensure she was at the end of the line.

She alleged that the priest brought her into his side of the confessional and abused her.

One sister spoke of the fear they felt when they were taken from their home and left at Nazareth House at Bishop Street in Derry. Sisters recount despair of Derry care home trauma

The witness repeatedly broke down and was very distressed. At one point, inquiry chairman Sir Anthony Hart suspended proceedings for a time to allow Ms Walmsley to recover.

When she returned, the witness confirmed various allegations contained in a lengthy statement which has been submitted to the inquiry.

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MINNESOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2014

Statement by Frank Meuers of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 952-334-5180, frankameuers@gmail.com )

We’re grateful that a judge today ordered St. Paul Catholic officials to be deposed and turn over records about clerics who commit or conceal heinous crimes against kids.

The need for more disclosure by church figures has been clear for years. Many rightly believe that church officials have not, and are not, being held accountable for irresponsible deeds and crimes that other officials in other organizations would be.

[Star Tribune]

For decades, our justice system has erred on the side of protecting church officials in these cases, sometimes treading lightly for fear of alienating a large institution. The results have been – and continue to be – disastrous.

We must, for the safety of children, err on the side of protecting those who are vulnerable, not those who seem powerful or popular.

St. Paul’s archbishop claimed that he and his disgraced top aide should not be deposed. We are glad these complicit clerics lost.

Their excuse was that they supposedly didn’t handle the case of this notorious predator priest, Fr. Thomas Adamson. Even if this is true, it’s irrelevant.

Many church officials have access to many records about many predator priests. Nearly all of these officials endanger kids by keeping this information secret. All of these officials could (like Jennifer Haselberger) protect kids by speaking up.

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MINNESOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Wednesday, Feb. 12

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’re glad two top Catholic officials will be deposed about clergy sex crimes and cover ups. But there’s something wrong when police cannot question them but civil lawyers can.

We have the deepest respect for law enforcement personnel. But as of just a couple of weeks ago, St. Paul’s police chief said his staff have been unable to talk with Fr. Kevin McDonough, who is perhaps the most clearly implicated wrongdoer over his decades of deceit in the archdiocese.

Why not?

We again call on Twin Cities police and prosecutors to step up their efforts to go after Catholic officials who conceal sex crimes against kids.

And less than a week ago, a Ramsey County grand jury indicted a murder suspect. But when we pushed for a grand jury to investigate cover ups of child sex cases by Catholic officials, we were told that in Minnesota, grand juries are “not typically used” in situations like this. (It’s not “typical” to have such obviously long standing, widespread and continuing complicity by top officials in covering up child sex crimes as is happening in the archdiocese.)

[Star Tribune]

[Minnesota Public Radio]

We beg Ramsey County’s prosecutor to re-consider his position and set up a grand jury.

We first asked for one almost six months ago. We renew this plea now.

[SNAP]

We hope we’ll soon be proven wrong, but we remain skeptical of claims that law enforcement is doing “everything possible” to investigate and pursue Catholic officials who clearly have – and still are – endangering kids, concealing crimes, stonewalling police, protecting wrongdoers and deceiving parishioners and the public.

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CALIFORNIA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Wednesday, Feb. 12 2014

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

Two of three child sex abuse and cover up lawsuits against the San Bernardino Diocese have been settled for $3.8 million. The third case is still going through the trial process.

[San Bernardino Sun]

The cases are against Fr. Alejandro “Alex” Castillo, who has several abuse allegations against him. A veteran clergy sex abuse attorney says that diocesan officials “actively worked with Father Castillo to silence the victims.”

We are grateful for the brave victims, whistleblowers, and law enforcement personal who worked to expose these allegations and to hold those responsible accountable. We believe others who saw, suspected or suffered Fr. Castillo’s crimes are still struggling in silence. We beg them to find the courage to speak up, get help, expose wrongdoers, protect kids and start healing.

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SOUTH CAROLINA
The New York Times

By RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA
FEB. 11, 2014

GREENVILLE, S.C. — For decades, students at Bob Jones University who sought counseling for sexual abuse were told not to report it because turning in an abuser from a fundamentalist Christian community would damage Jesus Christ. Administrators called victims liars and sinners.

All of this happened until recently inside the confines of this insular university, according to former students and staff members who said they had high hopes that the Bob Jones brand of counseling would be exposed and reformed after the university hired a Christian consulting group in 2012 to investigate its handling of sexual assaults, many of which occurred long before the students arrived at the university.

Last week, Bob Jones dealt a blow to those hopes, acknowledging that with the investigation more than a year old and nearing completion, the university had fired the consulting group, Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment, or Grace, without warning or explanation. The dismissal has drawn intense criticism from some people with ties to Bob Jones, and prompted some victims and their allies — including many who were interviewed by Grace investigators — to tell their stories publicly for the first time, attracting more attention than ever to the university’s methods.

On Friday, Stephen Jones, president of the university and great-grandson of its founder, addressed students and employees, saying, “We grew concerned that in the process, Grace had begun going beyond the originally outlined intentions,” but he would not elaborate. He said the university had not told Grace what its concerns were and wanted to discuss them with the consultant but could do so only face to face and felt compelled to fire the firm first.

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SOUTH CAROLINA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2014

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

A Christian university has fired a group it hired to investigate campus sexual abuse reports.

[The New York Times]

We are deeply worried by this poor decision to halt an independent probe into the handling of sex abuse cases at Bob Jones University (BJU). School officials have many questions to answer. Perhaps the most important one is this: “Why was GRACE fired just days before it was scheduled to start its final report?”

We hope that BJU will reconsider their decision to stop the outside investigation of sexual abuse. We feel that no institution can investigate itself adequately.

Our hearts go out to those brave students who participated in this study. Two hundred and thirty-six surveys were filled out and 80 interviews were completed. By abruptly stopping this study, these brave students have been hurt again.

[Associated Baptist Press]

We urge the students and parents to demand that school officials let GRACE complete and release its report. Students will be safe only when the truth is exposed and concrete steps are taken to correct the problems that allowed the sexual assault of students.

We strongly encourage anyone who has been sexual abused on campus to contact the local authorities so that other students will be protected and they can begin to heal.

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MISSOURI
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Wednesday, Feb. 12 2014

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

Yesterday afternoon, St. Louis City Judge Phil Heagney delayed the high profile child sex abuse and cover up lawsuit against St. Louis Archbishop Robert Carlson and Fr. Joseph D. Ross (whose whereabouts are allegedly unknown).

We are saddened by this callous decision. Once again, justice is being delayed because Catholic officials refused, time and time again over months, to obey a court order and because, at the very last minute, they brought in more expensive lawyers to battle a case first filed more than two years ago. Irresponsible, secretive defendants shouldn’t be rewarded for moving slowly and selfishly.

It’s ironic that Catholic officials so often insist in court that victims have come forward too late. But then those same Catholic officials deliberately drag their feet and expect and experience few consequences.

Catholic officials claim “We’re changing how we deal with abuse.” In truth, however, they act nearly the same as they always have. For decades, they’ve exploited every delay tactic they could imagine, and they still do so now. For decades, they’ve made litigation as tough as possible on victims, and they still do so now. For decades, they’ve zealously held onto their secrets for as long as possible, and they still do so now.

Meanwhile, Joseph D. Ross walks free, living (and perhaps working) among unsuspecting families and vulnerable kids. And Catholic officials make no effort whatsoever to help police or warn parents, choosing instead to focus their energies and spend their money evading their moral responsibility and hiding their irresponsible actions.

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CALIFORNIA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

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

The Monterey Catholic Diocese has succeeded, at least temporarily, in keeping documents about a predator priest sealed.

[Monterey Herald]

This is yet another case which church officials choose to protect their reputations over children and secrecy over transparency.

We are very disappointed in this ruling of the 6th District Court of Appeals. It goes against the interest of public safety. We are also disappointed in the diocese’s continued efforts to keep hidden information that Monterey Superior Court Judge Thomas Wills has deemed relevant to the sexual abuse of a child.

We feel the arguments made by the diocese in its defense of secrecy are invalid, self-centered, and dangerous.

We are grateful for the courageous and unselfish survivor in this case and his attorney for pressing for the disclosure of documents that would protect children and expose enablers of child abuse. It is a shame this type of legal battle is still necessary more than a decade after the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop promised to be open and transparent in cases of child sexual abuse.

We urge the Court of Appeals to immediately lift the stay it has placed on Judge Wills’ court order and allow the public to read what Monterey Catholic officials so badly want to keep hidden. Additionally, we urge the victim to continue to fight for truth, justice, and the protection of children. Finally, we ask the Monterey’s bishop to explain why he’s choosing continued secrecy instead of openness.

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NORTHERN IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph

BY CLAIRE WILLIAMSON – 12 FEBRUARY 2014

The emotional distress of life in a children’s home run by nuns left a woman feeling as if she had “descended into hell,” an inquiry has been told.

Three former residents of Nazareth House in Londonderry gave evidence yesterday to the Historical Abuse Inquiry (HIA) at Banbridge Court House in Co Down.

The inquiry is investigating abuse claims against children’s residential institutions in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 1995.

They spoke of the physical, mental and sexual abuse they were subjected to as children living in the home.

A female witness described to the inquiry how she was sexually abused by a nun when she was aged just three or four. The woman, now in her 50s, claimed she had been sexually and physically abused by nuns and older girls and said she had prayed she would never have children herself.

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NORTHERN IRELAND
RTE News

A witness in Northern Ireland’s Institutional Abuse Inquiry has waived their right to anonymity for the first time.

Kate Walmsley, 57, spent five years in Derry’s Nazareth Home.

Her parents had separated, her father was struggling to bring up his four children and they were taken into care.

As well as the five years in the Derry home, she was also placed in a number of other residential institutions and foster homes.

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AUSTRALIA
Queensland Times

THE Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse will hold public meetings for the first-time in Queensland next week.

The hearing will inquire into the response by the Catholic Education Office in Toowoomba to allegations of child sexual abuse at St Saviour’s Primary School.

The public hearing in Brisbane is scheduled to run for up to two weeks.

Royal Commission CEO Janette Dines said today the scope and purpose of the public hearing was to inquire as to whether the response by the principal and other members of staff at St Saviour’s Primary School to allegations of child sexual abuse made against a teacher at the primary school in September 2007.

Ms Dines said the commission would also investigate the response by officers of the Catholic Education Office in Toowoomba to information supplied by the primary school principal regarding the allegations of child sexual abuse received in September 2007.

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SOUTH CAROLINA
Christian Post

BY MORGAN LEE , CHRISTIAN POST REPORTER
February 7, 2014

Bob Jones University (BJU) abruptly terminated its year-and-a-half relationship with a sex abuse ombudsman group last month.

Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment (GRACE) had partnered with the university since January 2013. Led by Boz Tchividjian, Billy Graham’s grandson, the organization was charged with providing oversight and accountability to BJU in its efforts to “identify any cases in which we need to exercise authentic repentance and demonstrate biblical love to those we have always desired to serve to the best of our ability for the Lord’s sake.”

BJU’s actions followed students’ claims of sexual abuse in 2011. That year, a CNN IReport article stated that the university had reported “nine cases of forcible sex offenses.” It also quoted television channel WSPA as claiming that the university’s number was “significantly higher than any other institution in the area,” pointing to Clemson University, which had three cases, by comparison. BJU, a private Christian college out of Greenville, S.C., has 2,500 students, while the nearby state school has 20,000.

While acknowledging those allegations, Randy Page, the director of public relations at BJU, denied that they influenced the college’s decision to invite GRACE to campus.

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SOUTH CAROLINA
Associated Baptist Press

By Bob Allen

Bob Jones University has pulled the plug on an independent investigation into the school’s handling of allegations of sexual abuse, the group hired to conduct the probe announced Feb. 6.

Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment (GRACE) said they received the “notice of termination” of an agreement signed in November 2012 just days before the group planned to conduct final interviews and begin drafting a report.

“Despite repeated requests, GRACE has not been informed of why the agreement was terminated,” the GRACE team said in a press release. “However, due to the fact that GRACE certainly wishes to keep all options on the table in order to complete what has been started, we have spent the last week in communication with BJU and we remain open to continued dialogue.”

Bob Jones contacted the group founded by Basyle “Boz” Tchividjian, a law professor at Liberty University and grandson of Billy Graham, after nine cases of sexual assault were reported on the campus in Greenville, S.C., in 2011.

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SOUTH CAROLINA
Wonkette

Nothing looks the least bit suspicious about this, right? Back in January 2013, fundamentalist Pod-People incubator Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina, hired an independent third-party consulting group to investigate claims of long-running sexual abuse at the school, as well as ineffective administration responses to reports of abuse. They were to prepare a report, and make recommendations on how BJU should respond to cases of sexual abuse. And then, after almost a year, and just a couple months before the group was supposed to issue its report, BJU fired the investigators with no explanation, citing only vague “concerns” about how the group was conducting its investigation. But they will definitely be praying for any students who may have been abused. If any. No need to dig into it too much, because ultimately God knows the truth and will take care of things in His own time.

You also have to love the name of the group that was hired to do the investigation: GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment), which sounds like something from a bad Christian adventure comic book (Nick Stigmata, Agent of GRACE). But apparently, despite the silly name, GRACE is supposed to be a reputable, independent group that doesn’t sugar-coat its reports, according to blogger John Shore:

By all accounts, GRACE was and is an integrity-based organization that could be counted upon to be honest, thorough, fair, and above all protective of the BJU students with whom it would necessarily speak in the course of its investigation.

That last part is crucial.

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SOUTH CAROLINA
Religion News Service

Sarah Pulliam Bailey | Feb 7, 2014

(RNS) Bob Jones University has fired an independent firm hired to investigate sex abuse reports just one month before the group planned to release its 13-month review findings.

The university had contracted with Lynchburg, Va.-based GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment) in November 2012.

“Over the last several months, we grew concerned about how GRACE was pursuing our objectives, and on Jan. 27, 2014, BJU terminated its contract with GRACE,” the university said in a press release. “It is BJU’s intention to resolve its differences with GRACE, and we are disappointed a resolution could not be reached before our differences were made public.”

In December, BJU president Stephen Jones announced his resignation due to health concerns, a point made in its termination letter to GRACE.

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SOUTH CAROLINA
The American Conservative

By ROD DREHER • February 11, 201

The fundamentalist college fired GRACE, the investigator it hired to look into allegations of sexual abuse there — this, as the investigative report was nearing completion. RNS reports:

In December, BJU president Stephen Jones announced his resignation due to health concerns, a point made in its termination letter to GRACE.

“This ‘Notice’ took GRACE by complete surprise as there had been no prior indications from BJU that termination was even being considered,” a press release from GRACE said.

The investigation was led by Boz Tchividjian, Billy Graham’s grandson, who said he has no further comment. Tchividjian, who blogs for Religion News Service, wrote Friday on why Christians struggle to report sex abuse claims.

“At the heart of the struggle is a fear that is rooted in the need to self-protect,” he wrote. “All such ‘fears’ are usually masked by a rationale that the reporting of such abuse may ‘damage the reputation of Christ.’”

GRACE was similarly fired last year by an independent Baptist missions agency shortly before it could conclude another abuse investigation of missionary children.

A spokesperson for the university said the school was committed to moving forward – either with GRACE or another third party – to finish the project and publish a public report.

We can’t know at this point, but BJU’s actions make it sound like GRACE was getting too close to the truth. Former BJU student Erin Burchwell, who claims she was molested at least 40 times, believes so, and told a Greenville, SC, TV station that there was a cover-up at the religious college:

Burchwell said the GRACE investigation would have validated her claim.

“I’ve been told for 15 years not to talk about it, but now I’m allowed to talk about it to somebody who’s validating me and telling me that I was wronged.” Burchwell said.

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SOUTH CAROLINA
Chronicle of Higher Education

Bob Jones University, a nondenominational Christian university in Greenville, S.C., recently fired without explanation the consulting group it hired in 2012 to investigate its handling of sexual-assault complaints.

That decision, according to an article in The New York Times, dealt a blow to former students and staff members who had hoped that the study would improve a campus climate that they regarded as hostile to victims.

The university’s president, Stephen Jones, said administrators were concerned that the consultant—Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment, or Grace—”had begun going beyond the originally outlined intentions.” He said the university wanted to discuss its concerns with Grace but felt compelled to fire the group first. He vowed to complete the investigation, with or without Grace.

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SOUTH CAROLINA
World Magazine

By JAMIE DEAN
Posted Feb. 6, 2014

The Christian organization GRACE announced that Bob Jones University (BJU) has terminated an agreement with the group to investigate the way the school has responded to victims of adult or childhood sexual abuse.

GRACE (an acronym for Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment) announced late Thursday that officials from the Greenville, S.C., school sent a notice of termination to the organization on Jan. 27. The announcement said BJU officials had not informed the group based in Lynchburg, Va., why they terminated the agreement.

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SOUTH CAROLINA
Christianity Today

UPDATED) News ‘took GRACE by complete surprise,’ while university ‘disappointed a resolution could not be reached before our differences were made public.’
Kate Tracy [ POSTED 2/7/2014 10:25AM ]

Bob Jones University drew praise in 2012 for proactively investigating allegations of sex abuse and whether the school responded adequately. But approximately one month before the results of the 13-month investigation were due to be published, it has fired the private firm it hired, GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment), and requested that the investigation halt and remain confidential.

GRACE, which was similarly fired last February shortly before it could conclude another abuse investigation, revealed the news yesterday on its Facebook page.

“This ‘Notice’ took GRACE by complete surprise as there had been no prior indications from BJU that termination was even being considered,” stated GRACE in a press release. “Furthermore, this termination occurred days before GRACE was to conduct the last interviews of this 13-month investigation and begin drafting the final report scheduled for publication in March.”

BJU promptly responded. “Over the last several months, we grew concerned about how GRACE was pursuing our objectives, and on Jan. 27, 2014, BJU terminated its contract with GRACE,” the university stated in a press release. “It is BJU’s intention to resolve its differences with GRACE, and we are disappointed a resolution could not be reached before our differences were made public.”

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