ABUSE TRACKER

AUSTRALIA
The Australian

CARDINAL George Pell has marked the end of his appearance before the royal commission into child sexual abuse with a public apology for the suffering endured by abused former altar boy John Ellis.

Reading from a statement, Cardinal Pell said the church had failed Mr Ellis and, as archbishop, he took ultimate responsibility for the suffering and the terrible impact on his life.

“At the end of this gruelling appearance for both of us at this royal commission, I want to publicly say sorry to him for the hurt caused him by the mistakes made,” Cardinal Pell said.

Observers in the room became agitated during Cardinal Pell’s statement, with some calling out, “Look at him”.

Cardinal Pell kept his eyes down while reading the statement but, after being excused, acknowledged Mr Ellis, who had sat in the front row throughout the hearing.

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UNITED STATES
dotCommonweal

Mollie Wilson O’Reilly March 25, 2014

The announcement over the weekend of the new Vatican Commission for the Protection of Minors made me think that at least I was asking the right questions at the panel discussion with Cardinal O’Malley last Wednesday. Leadership roles for women? They make up half the membership of this commission (so far), a good start. Will O’Malley be advising Francis on appointments to the commission, or sex-abuse-related policies and priorities? Obviously (as he must have already known).

As for accountability: it’s something the commission may (and should) decide to take up. I think Mark Silk has it right. After quoting the Vatican’s official description of the commission’s duties, he writes:

I would suggest to Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley, the big dog on the commission, that the key item on this list is “civil and canonical duties and responsibilities.” In the U.S.and many other places around the world, there’s been plenty of attention to education and the discipline of abusers, to say nothing of symbolic acts of ecclesiastical apology. What’s needed are binding and enforceable legal procedures.

All the best practices in the world aren’t going to be much help if there’s no visible, consistent, appropriate policy for dealing with bishops and others who ignore them. Silk is encouraged by the presence on the commission of Baroness Sheila Hollins, who, he says, “is notable for calling on the Vatican to punish church officials (read: bishops) who fail to implement or enforce church rules on pedophile priests.

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AUSTRALIA
WA Today

March 28, 2014

Josh Gordon, Catherine Armitage

Jeff Kennett has confirmed he bluntly warned Cardinal George Pell in the 1990s to resolve allegations of child sexual abuse or possibly face a royal commission.

The former premier said he recalled telling the cardinal to deal with abuse complaints or face significant consequences for the church. But Mr Kennett said he had made no judgment on the adequacy of the response at the time.

”I was reassured that George said ‘yes’, he’d get stuck into it,” Mr Kennett said. ”A couple of months later I was told that he had put together a response … and I just assumed that, right, he is on top of it and it’s not for me to sit in judgment … of whether the response was adequate or not.”

Cardinal Pell this week admitted he wanted to avoid big damages claims. As a result, he set up the ”Melbourne Response” to deal with complaints, which included a $50,000 cap on payouts.

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CHICAGO (IL)
WLS

The Archdiocese of Chicago agreed to pay $1.68 million to $2.1 million to settle a lawsuit that alleged former priest and convicted sex offender Daniel McCormack sexually abused a former fifth grade student at Our Lady of the Westside School, the plaintiff’s attorney announced Wednesday.

The agreement settles a suit brought against the archdiocese and Cardinal Francis George in December, 2011, the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting.

The suit was filed by a male Chicago plaintiff, now 23, who chose to remain anonymous and is identified as John Doe.

It alleged that at various times in the 2000 to 2001 school year, McCormack “inappropriately sexually touched, hugged, rubbed and/or abused” the plaintiff and “maintained a sexually abusive relationship with Doe, under the guise of counseling” him.

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NORTH CAROLINA
Fox 8

GASTON COUNTY, N.C. – A pastor in Gaston Co. has been charged with a sexual offense after police say he harassed a woman at a hotel Wednesday.

The woman told police that she was staying in a hotel when a man identified as Robert Harris knocked on her door and asked for sex.

According to WSOC, Harris is listed as pastor of Harriett’s Memorial Freewill Baptist Church in Forest City.

The woman refused his advances and the man left.

He then returned while she was on the phone with police, and they heard Harris make a vulgar request.
The woman then said he tossed a $20 bill at her.

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NORTH CAROLINA
WSOC

[with video]

By Ken Lemon
GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — A Gastonia pastor said the devil led him to a Super 8, where police said he asked a woman for sex.

Officers told Channel 9 that the pastor said he thought the woman was a prostitute and threw a $20 bill at her.

Robert Harris said Wednesday he will tell his congregation that he asked for sex from a woman in a Gastonia motel.

He said he will ask for their forgiveness and it will be up to them to decide if they keep him as their leader

Harris has been the pastor at Harriett Memorial Freewill Baptist Church in Forest City for the past 13 years.

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AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald

March 27, 2014

Louise Hall

The Salvation Army took a “largely litigious approach” towards victims of horrific physical and sexual abuse, especially those who sought compensation payments, a royal commission has heard.

A “matrix” was developed in 2005 to calculate the amounts to be offered to victims based on the age of the child at the time of the abuse, the length of time they spent in Salvation Army run homes, the kind of abuse suffered and impact it had on their lives.

Counsel Assisting the Commission, Simeon Beckett, said ex gratia payments made over the past two decades ranged from $5000 to $150,000, with an average of $50,758.

One claimant, known as EF, who had suffered multiple acts of anal rape by Major Victor Bennett, was offered $11,000.

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AUSTRALIA
Brisbane Times

March 27, 2014

Tony Moore
brisbanetimes.com.au senior reporter

A leader of the Salvation Army has apologised for breaching the ‘‘trust’’ of the community as he launched the Salvation Army’s Red Shield Appeal for 2014 in Brisbane.

Commissioner James Condon told more than 1000 people that he felt “shocked, ashamed and aggrieved” by what he heard at the February hearings of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses into Child Sexual Abuse.

The commission has been told boys were abused – both sexually and physically – while in the Salvation Army’s care.

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AUSTRALIA
The West Australian

BY ANNETTE BLACKWELL
March 27, 2014

A Salvation Army officer who was dismissed for abusing an eight-year-old girl in 1990 was allowed to rejoin, an inquiry has heard.

Three years after he admitted assaulting the girl, Colin Haggar rejoined the army which is only now conducting an internal investigation into his conduct following his forced retirement last year.

The second royal commission hearing into the Salvation Army, which opened in Sydney on Thursday, has also been told that abuse victims who went to the charitable group for help were not always believed.

Simeon Beckett, counsel advising the commission, said victims were offered payments varying between $5,000 and $100,000.

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AUSTRALIA
ABC News

[with audio]

The man at the centre of the landmark legal case involving the Catholic Church says he’s surprised by the open and personal apology from Cardinal George Pell. John Ellis has told PM that the last fortnight has been exhausting but the royal commission’s scrutiny of the Church’s actions has been meaningful.

Transcript

MARK COLVIN: It’s been an extraordinary week for the man at the centre of the legal case. Now it’s over John Ellis says he was taken aback by the Cardinal’s apology.

He spoke to Emily Bourke.

JOHN ELLIS: Well the last fortnight’s just been totally draining and now that it’s finished, I just feel exhausted is my primary feeling about it.

I think probably what I need to do is just sit back and reflect on some of that. It’s very meaningful to have all of the actions that were taken over those years put under scrutiny and to get some answers for the reasons why things went the way that they did.

And I was a bit surprised at the Cardinal’s apology at the end, and I’m just not sure how I feel about it. It’s better that he’s said he’s sorry than that he didn’t say that, but I just think I need to sit with that.

EMILY BOURKE: What do you think the future is for people like yourself who might be planning on bringing cases to court?

JOHN ELLIS: Well I hope that part of the future is that people don’t need to bring their cases to court, that they would be able to have a gentle and more compassionate process that still delivers justice to all parties, but it’s a very important part of that and this has been our experience over many years, that people need to have the right to bring actions in court if they can’t be sorted out otherwise, and that the Church needs to be told very publicly that it’s not above the law and that it’s subject to the same principles that apply to any other corporation.

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AUSTRALIA
Daily Telegraph

JANET FIFE-YEOMANS THE DAILY TELEGRAPH MARCH 27, 2014

HE had a history of sexually assaulting little girls but Colin Haggar was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Salvation Army, the child sex abuse royal commission has been told today.

The Salvos knew as long ago as 1989 what Mr Haggar had done and dismissed him from their ranks but readmitted him in 1993.

He got to know the first girl he sexually assaulted because her mum worked at the local Salvation Army’s op-shop in a central western NSW town. The girl told her parents what he had done and Mr Haggar met with them.

They were shocked when he told them: “It wasn’t that serious. I only fingered her.”

He has admitted his abuse to the Salvation Army and at one stage even went to the police, accompanied by another Salvation Army officer, Commander James Condon, the current Territorial head.

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AUSTRALIA
ABC News

[with audio]

During a third day of questioning of Cardinal George Pell at the royal commission, the departing Sydney Archbishop defended the Church’s decision to take ‘every proper legal defence,’ but he conceded the courtroom tactics were hurtful to abuse victim John Ellis. He denied that the Church put its own financial interests ahead of Mr Ellis’s needs. But he issued a personal and public apology to the man who first suffered at the hands of an abusive priest and then spent years of his life fighting the Church in court.
pics: child-abuse, catholic, royal-commissions, melbourne-3000, australia

Transcript

MARK COLVIN: The Archbishop of Sydney Cardinal George Pell finished giving evidence at the child abuse royal commission today. But despite his new job in the Vatican, it was au revoir rather than adieu.

And before he went, the Cardinal issued a personal and public apology to the abuse victim John Ellis whose case has dominated events at the commission this week.

It was the Archbishop’s third day trying to explain how and why the Church took such a hard line over so many years against Mr Ellis.

Despite the apology, Cardinal Pell defended the Church’s decision to take “every proper legal defence”. And he denied that the Sydney Archdiocese had put its own financial interests ahead of Mr Ellis’s needs.

The commission has also been told that without significant changes to the Church’s legal structure and insurance policies, abuse victims will continue to face a labyrinthine process of trying to seek justice through the courts and compensation from the Church.

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AUSTRALIA
Daily Telegraph

AAP

A FORMER altar boy preyed upon by a pedophile priest has been surprised by an apology from Cardinal George Pell.

Dr Pell concluded two-and-a-half days of evidence to the royal commission into child sex abuse on Thursday by apologising for what he had described as regrettable mistakes and misunderstandings over years of dealing with John Ellis.

Reading from a statement, Dr Pell said that, as the former archbishop of Sydney and speaking personally, the church had failed Mr Ellis in many ways.

Mr Ellis later said he had been “a bit surprised” by the cardinal’s apology.

“I am just not sure how I feel about it,” he told ABC.

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AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald

March 27, 2014

Saffron Howden
Reporter

Hours after apologising to the victim of a paedophile priest at the royal commission into child sex abuse, Cardinal George Pell made his final address to the faithful at a mass in St Mary’s Cathedral.
Cardinal Pell takes over as head of the Vatican’s finances in Rome on Monday after 13 years as the archbishop of Sydney.

Before hundreds of worshippers, including federal and NSW politicians, at a packed mass, he again apologised to the victims of child sex abuse.

“I apologise once again to the victims and to their families for the terrible suffering that has been caused to them by these crimes,” he said.

Cardinal Pell said he was “shedding one set of burdens for another” and called on the congregation to stay true to Catholic teachings – and to spread the word by going into politics and reaching out through schools and hospitals.

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CHICAGO (IL)
NBC Chicago

The Archdiocese of Chicago has agreed to settle for $1.68 to $2.1 million a lawsuit alleging former priest Daniel McCormack sexually abused a Catholic school student.

The lawsuit filed against the archdiocese in 2011 alleged that during the 2000-2001 school year, McCormack maintained a sexually abusive relationship with a fifth-grader. The lawsuit also alleged the archdiocese was aware of McCormack’s history of sexual misconduct, but chose to place him in a ministry that gave him access to youth.

The plaintiff, who is choosing to remain anonymous, told the Chicago Sun-Times he’s pleased with the settlement.

McCormack pleaded guilty in 2007 to abusing five children. He was sentenced to five years in prison and removed from the priesthood. He’s currently confined to a state mental health facility.

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AUSTRALIA
Illawarra Mercury

By CATHERINE ARMITAGE March 27, 2014

In his last words at the child sex abuse Royal Commission, Cardinal George Pell apologised to the lawyer John Ellis for “the hurt caused him by the mistakes made, admitted by me and my Archdiocesan personnel”.

But he could not bring himself to look at the frail, exhausted Ellis, who sat three metres away.

On Monday the Cardinal takes up a new position in charge of Vatican finances in Rome. He went from the commission to speak to the faithful at Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral. So this was, in its way, a farewell to the Australian public.

But Cardinal Pell’s request to make a statement from the witness box in the final moments of the twelfth day of the hearing on Mr Ellis’ tragic case – “Might I say a few words in conclusion, have permission to, please?” – was refused by the Royal Commission chair, Justice Peter McClellan.

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MINNESOTA
St. Cloud Times

A Ramsey County judge reasserted Wednesday that Archbishop John Nienstedt’s deposition in a case involving former priest Thomas Adamson not be sealed.

“I had no intention of providing a protection order to the depositions coming up. … I thought that was pretty clear,” District Judge John Van de North told attorneys in court for another priest sexual abuse lawsuit.

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis had asked Van de North to prevent a plaintiff’s attorneys from questioning Nienstedt and his former deputy, the Rev. Kevin McDonough. Van de North denied that request.

In a memorandum filed Monday, the archdiocese asked that those depositions be sealed once completed unless the plaintiff “bring(s) a motion to show good cause as to why such information should be publicly disclosed.”

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ARGENTINA
La Manana de Cordoba

[Summary: Priest Jose Antonio Mercau was sentenced to 14 years is prison for abusing children in Tigre who were between ages 7 and 10.]

El sacerdote José Antonio Mercau fue condenado a 14 años de cárcel en 2011 por abusar sexulamente de menores de entre 7 y 10 años en Tigre. El 11 de marzo pasado fue liberado por la Justicia.

El cura José Antonio Mercau, condenado a 14 años de prisión por abusar de al menos cinco niños que estaban a su cargo en el Hogar San Juan Diego, en Tigre, fue excarcelado “irrazonablemente” por el Tribunal Oral Criminal 7 de San Isidro, denunciaron hoy las Madres del Dolor.

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NEW JERSEY
The Jersey Journal

By Rev. Alexander Santora/For the Jersey Journal
on March 27, 2014

The panelists were pumping the Prince of the Church about the Pope.

How will the Pope incorporate more women in the Vatican? What is one disagreement you have had with Pope Francis? What is one thing the Pope will do that will outlast him?

Sean Cardinal O’Malley of Boston wasn’t taking the bait. Even when asked whom will the Pope appoint to the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, O’Malley was tight-lipped. Then three days later, Pope Francis appointed O’Malley as the only cardinal and U.S. resident on the eight-member board. It’s almost certain that O’Malley knew that bit of information last Wednesday, March 19, when he addressed an overflow crowd of 200 at the American Bible Society in Manhattan talking about the first anniversary of Francis’ pontificate. …

O’Malley took a swipe at the media for elevating dissent in the church that he said was not there. But I think this is precisely why Francis is so popular: he has heard the people clamoring for a more humane church. And it’s taking a very human pope to win over people’s hearts and minds to at least listen, once again.

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AUSTRALIA
7 News

ABC

BY THOMAS ORITI
March 27, 2014

Cardinal George Pell has publicly apologised to a victim of child sexual abuse, saying the Catholic Church failed in its moral and pastoral responsibilities.

The former Archbishop of Sydney was called back to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Sydney, to answer more questions about his role in the case of former altar boy John Ellis.

Mr Ellis sued the Church after he was abused by a priest in the 1970s, but lost the case on a technicality in 2007.

Cardinal Pell has previously apologised to the victim in a statement tendered to the royal commission, and today he conveyed that in the hearing room.

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AUSTRALIA
SBS

By Greg Dyett
Source World News Radio

A lawyer who represented a clergy sex abuse victim who lost his case against the Catholic Church, says changes are needed to ensure the church cannot keep claiming immunity from legal action.

It’s known in legal circles as the Ellis defence and it’s been used by the Catholic Church in Australia when victims of clergy sex abuse have tried to sue.

This week Australia’s most senior Catholic cleric, Cardinal George Pell faced intense cross examination about the Ellis defence at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Sydney.

Former altar boy and sex abuse victim John Ellis tried to sue the Catholic Church trustees and Cardinal Pell.

But in 2007, the New South Wales Court of Appeal ruled the Church’s assets are held in property trusts and are protected from lawsuits against clergy sex abusers.

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AUSTRALIA
NEWS.com.au

Retired former western Sydney parish priest Richard St John Cattell appears in court on child sex charges

A RETIRED western Sydney parish priest appeared at Tweed Heads local court this week charged with allegedly molesting and having sex with an altar boy.

Richard St John Cattell — who know lives at Robina on the Gold Coast — was charged with three counts of aggravated indecent acts, including alleged fondling and sex with a minor.

The 73-year-old, flanked by Nyst Lawyers senior associate Ron Behlau and a supporter, did not enter a plea during his brief appearance on Monday.

Mr Cattell’s alleged offences occurred over three years between 1984 and 1987. Court documents show that police allege Mr Cattell touched and fondled the young boy’s genitalia during that period.

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MINNESOTA
CBS Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Prosecutors say they want St. Paul Police to reopen a sexual abuse case against Archbishop John Nienstedt, but not because of any new evidence.

The Ramsey County Attorney’s office said that it doesn’t want reports from the Nienstedt case being made public yet because of other elements that need to be investigated. They say those other elements don’t have anything to do with the archbishop.

A case involving former priest Curtis Wehmeyer was also reopened for similar reasons. Wehmeyer is in prison for child sexual abuse.

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CHICAGO (IL)
Daily Journal

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CHICAGO — The Archdiocese of Chicago has agreed to settle for $1.68 to $2.1 million a lawsuit alleging former priest Daniel McCormack sexually abused a Catholic school student.

The lawsuit filed against the archdiocese in 2011 alleged that during the 2000-2001 school year, McCormack maintained a sexually abusive relationship with a fifth-grader. The lawsuit also alleged the archdiocese was aware of McCormack’s history of sexual misconduct, but chose to place him in a ministry that gave him access to youth.

The plaintiff, who is choosing to remain anonymous, told the Chicago Sun-Times (http://bit.ly/P2u6BE) he’s pleased with the settlement.

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AUSTRALIA
7 News

ABC

BY THOMAS ORITI AND SARAH DINGLE
March 27, 2014

A victim of child sexual abuse burst into tears at a public hearing as he recalled being raped by a Salvation Army officer at a boys’ home.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse heard the man’s account at its 10th public inquiry in Sydney.

The new inquiry is set to examine how the charity handled complaints against its staff in the Salvation Army’s Eastern Territory from 1993 until now.

The man, known as JF, was nine when heand some of his siblings weresent to the Alkira boys’ home in the Brisbane suburb of Indooroopilly.

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MONTANA
Missoula Independent

Decades of abuse by the Catholic Church resulted in multimillion-dollar settlements and the bankruptcy of the Diocese of Helena, but it will take more than money to make things right for survivors.

by Jimmy Tobias

On a wall in the St. Ignatius Mission, amid periwinkle panels and gold-colored trim, a large mural depicts a pit of fire packed to the brim with agonized faces paying for their sins. Many of those faces are Native American, their brown complexion framed by black braids, surrounded by fire and brimstone.

“When we were bad, the nuns would bring us to that picture and say, ‘This is where you are going to go.’ And for me, I would just have nightmares. I believed it,” says SuSan Lefthand Dowdall, a member of the Kootenai tribe who attended boarding school at the St. Ignatius Mission for a year and a half as a small child. “So when the incident happened at the powwow grounds, I knew that—I hurt so bad that—you know, my starting to be in hell was starting that day.”

Dowdall’s hell began one early summer morning in 1963 when school was out and Arlee’s annual Fourth of July powwow was about to begin. She was a petite 5-year-old with chubby cheeks and a wide smile. Her parents left her and a little sister at their grandparent’s home while they partied at the powwow’s beer garden. The next morning, realizing that her mom and dad had not returned, Dowdall and her sister headed to the gathering.

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AUSTRALIA
The Guardian (UK)

Australian Associated Press
theguardian.com, Thursday 27 March 2014

Cardinal George Pell read out a formal apology to the victim of a paedophile priest at the royal commission into child sexual abuse on Thursday.

Pell marked the end of his appearance before the commission with a public apology for the suffering endured by former altar boy John Ellis as a result of his treatment by the church.

Reading from a statement, Pell said that, as the former archbishop of Sydney and speaking personally, the church had failed Ellis and that as archbishop he took ultimate responsibility for the suffering and the terrible impact on his life.

“At the end of this gruelling appearance for both of us at this royal commission, I want to publicly say sorry to him for the hurt caused him by the mistakes made,” Pell said.

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AUSTRALIA
ABC News

By Thomas Oriti

Cardinal George Pell has publicly apologised to a victim of child sexual abuse, saying the Catholic Church failed in its moral and pastoral responsibilities.

The former Archbishop of Sydney was called back to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Sydney, to answer more questions about his role in the case of former altar boy John Ellis.

Mr Ellis sued the Church after he was abused by a priest in the 1970s, but lost the case on a technicality in 2007.

Cardinal Pell has previously apologised to the victim in a statement tendered to the royal commission, and today he conveyed that in the hearing room.

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AUSTRALIA
Eureka Street

Frank Brennan | 27 March 2014

Prior to Cardinal Pell’s appearance before Justice McClellan at the Child Abuse Royal Commission, I wrote in the Fairfax press: ‘The spotlight on the Ellis case should lead to better church administration for the good of everyone, especially those abused or wronged by those in authority. Together, Pell and McClellan can provide us with a better-lit path through the thickets of past abuse and maladministration.’

It has been an excruciating week or two. But there can be no doubt that the Australian Catholic Church with the forced scrutinies of the State has been assisted in getting back to its mission and basic values, espousing truth, justice, compassion and transparency.

As an institution, we have been dragged kicking and screaming. Cardinal Pell has been put through the wringer, though admittedly nowhere near to the same extent as was John Ellis when the Church decided to unleash the legal attack dogs on him in litigation which was euphemistically described as vigorous and strenuous.

In his written statement to the Commission, Cardinal Pell was upfront in apologising again for the sexual abuse which Ellis had undoubtedly suffered at the hands of a priest. Pell wrote, ‘I acknowledge and apologise to Mr Ellis for the gross violation and abuse committed by Aidan Duggan, a now deceased priest of the Sydney Archdiocese. I deeply regret the pain, trauma and emotional damage that this abuse caused to Mr Ellis.’

Under cross examination on Wednesday, Cardinal Pell had to admit that he, his advisers and his staff had fallen well short of the standards expected of a model litigant, let alone a Christian organisation. He finally admitted to the vast chasm between Christian decency and the tactics employed in pursuing Ellis in the courts.

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AUSTRALIA
Newcastle Herald

CARDINAL George Pell has ended his time before the royal commission into child sexual abuse with a public acknowledgement of the wrongs done to John Ellis, a former altar boy preyed upon by a paedophile priest.

But acknowledging Mr Ellis himself, when he was sitting just metres away, seemed to prove too hard for the cardinal.

Dr Pell concluded two-and-a-half days of evidence to the commission by apologising for what he had described as regrettable mistakes and misunderstandings over years of dealing with Mr Ellis.

Reading from a statement, Dr Pell said that as the former archbishop of Sydney and speaking personally, the Church had failed Mr Ellis in many ways.

“I want to acknowledge his suffering and the impact of this terrible affair on his life,” Dr Pell told the commission.

“As the then archbishop, I have to take ultimate responsibility, and this I do.

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MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

Sasha Aslanian St. Paul, Minn. Mar 26, 2014

The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office has asked the St. Paul Police Department to reopen two cases related to its investigation into the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

A St. Paul police spokesman confirmed the cases pertain to Archbishop John Nienstedt, and Curtis Wehmeyer, a St. Paul priest serving time in prison for child sexual abuse.

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi announced earlier this month there was insufficient evidence to charge the archbishop, who in December was accused of groping a boy several years ago at a public event.

Nienstedt has denied any wrongdoing.

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MINNESOTA
Pioneer Press

By Emily Gurnon
egurnon@pioneerpress.com
POSTED: 03/26/2014

A Ramsey County judge reasserted Wednesday that the Archbishop John Nienstedt’s deposition in a case involving former priest Thomas Adamson not be sealed.

“I had no intention of providing a protection order to the depositions coming up … I thought that was pretty clear,” he told attorneys in court for another priest sexual abuse lawsuit.

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis had asked District Judge John Van de North to prevent a plaintiff’s attorneys from questioning Nienstedt and his former deputy, Rev. Kevin McDonough. Van de North denied that request.

In a memorandum filed Monday, the archdiocese asked that those depositions be sealed once completed unless the plaintiff “bring(s) a motion to show good cause as to why such information should be publicly disclosed.”

Van de North made it clear that he hoped the issue would not be rehashed Thursday morning, when attorneys in the Adamson case return to court.

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AUSTRALIA
The Guardian (UK)

David Marr
theguardian.com, Wednesday 26 March 2014

Amazing claims are fine in the pulpit. You expect to hear them any time in a cathedral. But not at a royal commission.

George Pell was being asked to explain how his absolute conviction that John Ellis was abused as a boy by Father Aidan Duggan – a belief based on a five-month investigation by a church assessor – squared with the instructions he gave to contest the abuse in the New South Wales supreme court.

His claim: to dispute is not to deny. “I made it quite clear to the lawyers that we could not deny that an offence had taken place,” he explained. All they did in court was dispute Ellis’s claims, “put the plaintiff to proof”.

So Ellis was cross-examined for four days about the most private details of his life: the abuse, his marriage breakdown and his humiliating sacking by the law firm Baker & McKenzie.

Would it feel any different to Ellis whether his abuse was denied or disputed, wondered the commissioner, Justice Peter McClellan. “We were dealing with Mr Ellis as a senior and brilliant lawyer,” replied the cardinal. “I think he, as a lawyer, would have understood the distinction.”

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AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald

March 27, 2014

Damien Murphy

”Do you understand now from your learning in the area of the effect and impact of child sexual abuse that the impact it had on John Ellis to have the very church he had gone back to dispute that he had ever been abused?”

The rain outside had streaked the windows with tears when Gail Furness, senior counsel assisting the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse suddenly turned the Catholic Church into a perpetrator.

In the public gallery, Mr Ellis, a man who long ago had been abused by his parish priest, raised a hand to his face like a shield and watched Cardinal George Pell start his penance without reconciliation.

Cardinal Pell, as the former Catholic archbishop of Sydney, had sanctioned a legal strategy that refused to recognise Mr Ellis had been abused, offered him derisory financial compensation, refused his offers of a settlement in the belief it would cause a rush of litigants demanding massive compensation payouts, and subjected him to a long demeaning legal case that eventually left him bankrupt.

Cardinal Pell: ”I regret that.”

Ms Furness: ”Only regret, Cardinal?”

Cardinal Pell: ”What else could I say. It was wrong that it [the court cross-examination of Mr Ellis] went to such an extent. I was told it was a legally proper tactic, strategy.”

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CHICAGO (IL)
Chicago Sun-Times

BY FRANCINE KNOWLES Religion Reporter March 26, 2014

The Archdiocese of Chicago agreed to pay $1.68 to $2.1 million to settle a lawsuit that alleged former priest and convicted sex offender Daniel McCormack sexually abused a former fifth grade student at Our Lady of the Westside School, the plaintiff’s attorney announced Wednesday.

The agreement settles a suit brought against the archdiocese and Cardinal Francis George in December, 2011.

The suit was filed by a male Chicago plaintiff, now 23, who chose to remain anonymous and is identified as John Doe.

It alleged that at various times in the 2000 to 2001 school year, McCormack “inappropriately sexually touched, hugged, rubbed and/or abused” the plaintiff and “maintained a sexually abusive relationship with Doe, under the guise of counseling” him.

It also alleged that the archdiocese was aware of McCormack’s past history of sexual misconduct stemming back to his time in a seminary but chose to place him in ministry service among youth.

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UNITED STATES
Washington Post

By David Gibson | Religion News Service, Updated: Wednesday, March 26

The news that Pope Francis fired — or “accepted the resignation of” — the German churchman known as “Bishop Bling” because of his big-spending ways has touched off speculation among Catholics that other dismissals could be in the offing.

Here’s the answer in four words: Perhaps, but probably not.

Recent history shows why: Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City, Mo., remains in office 18 months after his conviction — and $1.4 million spent on his defense — for failing to report a priest suspected of abuse. Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony enjoys a high-profile retirement in spite of the disapproval of his own successor over Mahony’s abuse record. Similarly, Cardinal Bernard Law, formerly of Boston, is still living a gilded existence in Rome years after he was plucked from the U.S. amid the clergy abuse scandal.

Not to mention Newark, N.J., Archbishop John Myers, who heads his diocese amid questions about his handling of abuse cases as well as pricey additions to his upscale retirement home.

Financially speaking, “Bishop Bling,” Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst of Limburg, Germany, was in a league of his own: He spent some $43 million on a luxurious new residence and office complex while cutting staff.

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GERMANY
Los Angeles Times

By Amy Hubbard
March 26, 2014

The cleric who became known as the “bishop of bling” has been removed from his ministry in Limburg, Germany, thanks to the conspicuously frugal Pope Francis.

The Vatican has accepted Monsignor Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst’s resignation, according to news reports. The announcement caps off the controversy swirling around the bishop over the $43 million spent on his residence complex in Limburg.

As the Los Angeles Times’ Carol Williams reported in November, Tebartz-van Elst broke the budget for renovations, overspending by 800% on items including a $20,000 bathtub, $620,000 in artwork and $1.1 million for landscaping.

He was placed on indefinite leave in October as a church inquiry was launched. Tebartz-van Elst said the hefty expenditures were actually for 10 projects and there were additional costs because the buildings were under historical protection.

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DEUTSCHLAND
Europe Online

Rom/Limburg (dpa) – Ob sexueller Missbrauch oder Geheimdienstkontakte – mehrere katholische Kirchenführer mussten nach heftiger Kritik auf ihr Amt verzichten. Beispiele:

Keith O‘Brien, Edinburgh (Schottland): Er legte das Amt des Erzbischofs von St. Andrews und Edinburgh im Februar 2013 nieder. Vorausgegangen waren Vorwürfe, O‘Brien habe sich jungen Priestern in «unangemessener» Weise genähert.

Walter Mixa, Augsburg: Nach wochenlanger Kritik bot er Papst Benedikt XVI. seinen Rücktritt im April 2010 an. Frühere Heimkinder hatten ihm körperliche Misshandlung vorgeworfen, zudem soll er Stiftungsgelder zweckentfremdet haben. Der Vatikan akzeptierte das Gesuch im Mai.

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DEUTSCHLAND
Sol

Rom/Limburg. Nach monatelangen scharfen Debatten um Amtsführung und Verschwendung des Limburger Bischofs Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst hat der Papst entschieden: Der beurlaubte Bischof darf nicht in sein Amt zurückkehren.

Franziskus stützte sich auf den Prüfbericht einer Expertenkommission, der am Mittwoch veröffentlicht wurde. Demnach trägt der 54-jährige Oberhirte maßgeblich Verantwortung für die Versechsfachung der Kosten für den millionenschweren Um- und Ausbau der Bischofsresidenz in Limburg, weil er kirchliche Vorschriften und Kontrollgremien umging und immer wieder Sonderwünsche hatte.

In der katholischen Kirche wurde die seit langem mit Spannung erwartete Entscheidung des Papstes mit Erleichterung aufgenommen und als Signal für einen Neuanfang gewertet. Der Skandal um Tebartz-van Elst hatte das Bistum zerrüttet und die katholische Kirche in ganz Deutschland in eine tiefe Vertrauenskrise gestürzt, in einigen Regionen traten mehr Gläubige als üblich aus der Kirche aus.

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DEUTSCHLAND
Evangelisch-lutherische Landeskirche Hannoversc

[Summary: The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hannovesr has adopted a policy of zero tolerance of sexual abuse.]

Hannover (epd). Die Evangelisch-lutherische Landeskirche Hannovers verfolgt nach eigenen Angaben im Blick auf sexuellen Missbrauch von Kindern und Jugendlichen weiterhin eine “Null-Toleranz-Strategie”. Die Kirche habe das Ausmaß der Prävention in jüngster Zeit erweitert, um einen größtmöglichen Schutz zu erzielen, sagte Oberlandeskirchenrätin Kerstin Gäfgen-Track dem epd. Am Montag hatte die katholische Deutsche Bischofskonferenz bekanntgegeben, Fälle von sexuellem Missbrauch in der katholischen Kirche durch ein interdisziplinäres Forschungsteam aufarbeiten zu lassen.

In der evangelischen Landeskirche sei es in den vergangenen Jahren in der Arbeit mit Kindern und Jugendlichen nur in wenigen Fällen zu sexuellem Missbrauch gekommen, sagte Gäfgen-Track. Inzwischen müssten Mitarbeiter über 18 Jahre, die eine Jugendfreizeit mit Übernachtung leiten, nach Art, Umfang und Dauer der Freizeit ein erweitertes Führungszeugnis vorlegen. “Wir verfolgen die Devise: Lieber ein Führungszeugnis zu viel als ein halbes zu wenig.”

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DEUTSCHLAND
Volksfreund

Sieben Professoren sollen Missbrauch in katholischer Kirche aufarbeiten

[Summary: Although the German bishops are going ahead with a second study of causes of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, members of We Are Church, a reform movement, said although they welcome the research project they are not sure a study funded by the episcopal conference can filter out the basic causes of abuse that arise of the hierarchical structure and celibate clergy of the church.]

Die katholische Kirche nimmt einen zweiten Anlauf, um den sexuellen Missbrauch in den eigenen Reihen wissenschaftlich aufzuarbeiten. Das hat der Missbrauchsbeauftragte der Deutschen Bischofskonferenz, Triers Bischof Stephan Ackermann, verkündet.

Bonn. Der erste Versuch, den 2010 hochgekochten Missbrauchsskandal in der katholischen Kirche wissenschaftlich aufzuarbeiten, war Anfang 2013 unter gegenseitigen Vorwürfen des damaligen Projektleiters Christian Pfeiffer und der Bischöfe gescheitert. Im zweiten Anlauf haben die Bischöfe nun ein Team aus sieben Professoren mit einem neuen Forschungsprojekt zum sexuellen Missbrauch durch Priester und andere Kirchenverantwortliche beauftragt. Triers Bischof Stephan Ackermann stellte gestern in Bonn das Forscherteam um den Neurowissenschaftler Harald Dreßing vom Zentralinstitut für Seelische Gesundheit in Mannheim vor.

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VATICAN CITY
Boston Globe

By John L. Allen Jr. | GLOBE STAFF MARCH 26, 2014

Though at first glance the two things may seem utterly unrelated, there’s something oddly fitting about the fact that Pope Francis accepted the resignation of the controversial bishop of Limburg, Germany, just 24 hours before his much-anticipated first meeting with President Barack Obama of the United States.

Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst became infamous last fall as the “bling bishop” who spent more than $40 million remodeling his own residence. When Francis ousted him in October it was a shot heard round the Catholic world, signifying that the new pope’s call for a “poor church for the poor” was more than mere rhetoric. Today’s formal denouement to the Limburg saga cements that impression.

The impression of a grand alliance on behalf of the world’s poor is, of course, very much at the heart of what Obama would like to get out of tomorrow’s session – both as part of his eventual legacy, and with an eye towards the mid-term elections looming this fall.

It’s tempting to augur that Obama and Francis ought to be able to do business, since both are identified with what Christians call the “social gospel,” meaning concern for the poor and for peace. Obama, who began his career as a community organizer with a group founded with the support of some Chicago Catholic parishes, is a great admirer of the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin of Chicago, who had a passion for the kind of Catholic social teaching enjoying a renaissance on Francis’ watch.

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CHICAGO (IL)
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Wednesday, March 26, 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 )

Another settlement has been reached in a clergy sex abuse and cover up lawsuit involving the now-defrocked Fr. Daniel McCormack and the Chicago Catholic archdiocese.

[Digital Journal]

It’s time for Cardinal Francis George to show real leadership and disclose all his files about the McCormack case. It’s time for George to settle these cases quickly so that all of those who were hurt by McCormack can begin moving forward. And it’s time for every single person who saw, suspected or suffered crimes by McCormack or cover ups by church officials to step forward, expose wrongdoers, and deter more cover ups.

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AUSTRALIA
SBS

AAP

The Salvation Army is set to come under public scrutiny for a second time at the royal commission into child sexual abuse.

The second public hearing by a royal commission into how the Salvation Army handled allegations of child sexual abuse opens in Sydney on Thursday.

The inquiry follows one in January, which revealed extensive abuse at four homes run by the Christian organisation in NSW and Queensland.

Thursday’s public hearing will inquire into the policies, practices and procedures of the Salvos eastern territory division between 1993 and 2014, for responding to claims of child sexual abuse at children’s homes it operated.

The experience of people who made complaints to The Salvation Army between 1993 and 2014 will be examined in the hearing, which may run for two weeks.

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IRELAND
Herald

BY SAM GRIFFIN – 26 MARCH 2014 03:30 PM

THE former Magdalene Laundry in Donnybrook has been placed on sale with a starting price tag of €3m slapped onto the D4 property.

Also on sale is part of an original wing of the Sister’s of Charity Convent, who ran the laundry from 1883 until 1992, as well as another adjoining building meaning the total area for sale extends to 0.615 of an acre.

It is expected the laundry and other buildings will be entirely demolished and replaced with high-spec apartments with a huge demand for residences in the Dublin 4 area.

The property was sold to a businessman in 1992 but was operated for over a century by the Sisters of Charity who were gifted the site in 1883 by two lay people. Up to 120 women were accommodated at any one in point in the facility.

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UNITED KINGDOM
The Guardian

Sam Wollaston
The Guardian, Tuesday 25 March 2014
…

Secrets of the Vatican (Channel 4) are more sinister ones. When a puff of white smoke signalled that the reforming Pope Francis had been chosen last year it was barely discernable through the black cloud that hung heavily over the Vatican. A cloud of paedophilia and child abuse, corruption, lying and cheating, financial scandal, cover-ups and hypocrisy: the cloud that saw the eventual resignation of Pope Francis’s predecessor, Benedict XVI, the first pope to do so for 600 years.

This documentary isn’t really breaking anything new. But still, presented and packaged like this, with firsthand testimony – from insiders, victims, investigative journalists and police – it paints an extraordinary and damning picture of a rotten institution. Basically it’s The Borgias, Neil Jordan’s drama series with Jeremy Irons as Pope Alexander, only in the 21st century and all real. The Church of the Poisoned Mind by Culture Club, if we’re still playing suitable soundtracks … We’re not? OK, and I’m giving away my enormous age.

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VATICAN CITY
National Catholic Register

by EDWARD PENTIN 03/26/2014

VATICAN CITY — A woman who was sexually abused by a clergyman when she was a child is now in a position to prevent similar crimes against the young.

Marie Collins, who was sexually abused by a hospital chaplain in her native Ireland when she was 13, is one of eight experts from eight countries that Pope Francis has chosen to make up the new Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.

“My appointment to the commission came as a complete surprise,” said Collins. “I felt strongly that survivors should have a voice on this commission, but had no idea I would be asked.”

The newly appointed members, who include Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston, four women and two Jesuit priests, will now be tasked with drawing up the commission’s final structure. In a March 22 statement announcing the establishment of the commission, the Vatican said other members will be added from “various geographical areas of the world.”

Giving more details, Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said the new anti-abuse body would take “a multipronged approach” to promoting the protection of minors, including “education regarding the exploitation of children; discipline of offenders; civil and canonical duties and responsibilities; and the development of best practices as they have emerged in society at large.”

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UNITED KINGDOM
Catholic Herald

Channel Four’s latest documentary on the Vatican presents the Church as the scarlet woman of ancient propaganda

By FRANCIS PHILLIPS on Wednesday, 26 March 2014

If you put together the words “Secrets”, “Vatican” and “Channel 4”, what do you get? A late night programme heavy on “crime, corruption and cover-ups” as the narrator put it, in which any attempt at objectivity has largely gone out the window. For an hour last night viewers were treated to shots of the majestic interior of St Peter’s and flash pictures of Pope Emeritus Benedict, wearing red vestments, processing wearily down a long corridor, flanked by a posse of senior churchmen. Naturally enough, the subliminal message of this “docudrama” was the Church as the scarlet woman of ancient propaganda, flaunting her pomp and power like a Renaissance court.

Channel 4 built its investigation around three main indictments: the paedophile sex abuse scandal in the Church, in which it focused on the record of the founder of the Legionaries of Christ, Fr Marcial Maciel; homosexual behaviour among Vatican clergy; and the activities of the Vatican Bank. Of the first, it is worth pointing out that the scandal was real enough – the secret double life of a man publicly revered, who was also unfortunately trusted by the late Pope John Paul II – but it is not a new story. As soon as he was elected pope in 2005, Benedict XVI investigated the rumours of scandal surrounding Maciel and as a result ordered him to “embrace a life of prayer and penance”. Channel 4 thought this was letting Maciel off the hook. Actually his fall from grace and public punishment was absolute and the Order he began has been struggling to cope with its founder’s heavy shadow ever since.

Although the programme showed that in this case the Pope acted swiftly to sort out an appalling scandal when he had the power to do so, it did not commend the Church for putting its house in order. It was keen to move on to its second charge: that the Vatican’s personnel is rife with homosexuality. This was the weakest link in Channel 4’s case. It seemed to be based on a single, undercover, rather blurred and grainy film taken at a gay night club in Rome in which we were informed that “half the people at the party were priests.” Unlike the Maciel case no hard evidence was produced; just unsubstantiated insinuations, allegations and sweeping statements such as “many bishops and archbishops are gay” of the kind that would appeal to an evening audience of hostile Rome-bashers.

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UNITED STATES
dotCommonweal

Grant Gallicho March 26, 2014

Today the Vatican announced that Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst of Limburg, Germany. The bishop was suspended in October, after it came to light that the new residential complex he was building for himself would cost a cool $43 million, including a $20,000 bathtub (cheaper than the $27,000 fine he had to pay for lying under oath), a $35,000 table, and $500,000 wardrobes. Nothing but the best for the man who flew first class to visit the poor of India.

To be sure, $43 million is a lot more than the $500,000 the outgoing Archbishop of Newark is spending to renovate his retirement home. (Take comfort, Newark Catholics, your new bishop is on this. Try to focus on the fact that for a long time Myers was willing to live in the actual city of Newark, which, is, you know, Newark.) And it’s still a lot more than the $2.2 million Archbiship of Atlanta is reportedly shelling out for his own residence, on top of another $2.2 million to renovate a rectory (all paid for with a $15 million bequest from the nephew of the author of Gone with the Wind). Newark and Atlanta Catholics may not be quite as offended by their archbishops’ reno bills as are their co-religionists in Limburg, but it looks like the pope is really not kidding about wanting a church that is poor and for the poor.

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AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald

March 27, 2014

Damien Murphy

”Do you understand now from your learning in the area of the effect and impact of child sexual abuse that the impact it had on John Ellis to have the very church he had gone back to dispute that he had ever been abused?”

The rain outside had streaked the windows with tears when Gail Furness, senior counsel assisting the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse suddenly turned the Catholic Church into a perpetrator.

In the front row of the public gallery, John Ellis, a man long ago abused by his parish priest, raised his left hand to his face like a shield as Cardinal George Pell began.

Cardinal Pell, as Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, had sanctioned a legal strategy that refused to recognise Mr Ellis had been abused, offered him derisory financial compensation and refused his offers of a settlement in the belief it would cause a rush of litigants demanding compensation payouts and subjected him to a long, demeaning legal case that left him bankrupt.

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VATICAN CITY
National Catholic Reporter

Joshua J. McElwee | Mar. 26, 2014 NCR Today

Pope Francis on Tuesday effectively fired a German bishop who had attracted controversy for extraordinary expenses on a new diocesan center, sending a signal that he is willing to oust bishops who do not align with his vision of a “poor church for the poor.”

The Vatican announced Wednesday the pontiff had accepted the resignation of Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, who had reportedly spent some 31 million euro ($43 million) on a new residence and complex in his Limburg diocese in western Germany while at the same time reducing salaries for staff in the name of financial austerity.

Francis had suspended Tebartz-van Elst from his role in October while the Vatican’s Congregation for Bishops studied the matter. Wednesday’s statement says the pope on Tuesday decided that the German diocese had “come to a situation that prevents a fruitful exercise of the ministry” of the bishop.

The statement said Tebartz-van Elst will receive another assignment in a “timely manner” and asks the German diocese to “accept the decisions of the Holy See with docility and wanting to commit to finding a climate of love and reconciliation.”

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AUSTRALIA
NEWS.com.au

Cardinal George Pell’s sex abuse peace offer: the Catholic Church should pay for bad priests

VICTIMS of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church should be able to sue priests, or their estates if they have died, and the church should pick up the bill, Cardinal George Pell said yesterday in a major shift of attitude.

He told the royal commission he would like some legal clarification on whether that could operate retrospectively, in a move that would finally open up the church’s billions for court-ordered verdicts.

He also pledged to put up as much of the church’s wealth as was needed to fund any government-sponsored compensation scheme that may be set up in the wake of the commission, even if individual sums of $2 million were handed out.

It has been revealed in the commission this week that the Sydney Archdiocese alone controls funds of more than $1.238 billion.

The country’s highest-ranking Catholic, Cardinal Pell has consistently said he believed the church could be held legally liable by the courts for sex abuse claims — despite winning a landmark 2004 case in Sydney that ruled the church was not a legal entity and therefore could not sued.

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AUSTRALIA
The Australian

DAN BOX THE AUSTRALIAN MARCH 27, 2014

CARDINAL George Pell fought a child sex-abuse victim through the courts in order to encourage other victims to “think clearly” about suing the Catholic Church, a royal commission has heard.

The former archbishop of Sydney said yesterday he regrets the way the litigation was handled and had been motivated by a desire to protect the church’s trustees, who control its wealth.

During his second full day in the witness box, the cardinal said he had long been concerned that the Australian church might face similar abuse claims to those that had bankrupted several dioceses in North America.

In 2004, he endorsed his lawyers’ decision to dispute whether the victim, John Ellis, had ever been abused by a Sydney priest, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse heard. This was done despite the cardinal having accepted the fact of the abuse, and the resulting court case was “harmful and painful” to Mr Ellis, he said.

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CALIFORNIA
Orange County Weekly

By Gustavo Arellano
Wed., Mar. 26 2014

The buzz going around the Diocese of Orange is that California governor Jerry Brown is considering general counsel Maria Rullo Schinderle as a judge. And if ever you needed a laugh, it’s in that possibility.

Schinderle has worked for the Orange diocese since 1998, basically at the beginning of the regime of former Bishop Tod D. Brown. She was his point person on how to confront legally pedophilia among his priests, and what to do with all those pesky survivors who wanted justice–and we all saw how good THAT went for county Catholics.

Schinderle is about as qualified to be a judge as I’d be qualified to be John Holmes’ stunt double, and Schinderle’s foes are righteously up in arms about it. Famed sex-abuse survivor’s advocate Joelle Casteix has a lengthy post on the subject enumerating the many reasons why Brown should throw Schinderle’s resume in his compost bin, which y’all should read over here. Meanwhile, here’s what famed attorney John Manly posted on his Facebook page:

Governor Jerry Brown is trying to appoint Maria Rullo Schinderle, the General Counsel/Human Resorces Director of the Diocese of Orange (1998-2014) as a Superior Court Judge in Orange County. Her name has been submitted to JNE Commission as a nominee by him for consideration. Ms. Schinderle was one of only 2 or 3 individuals in the Diocese of Orange who had access to what the Church called its “secret archives”. These files documented the victimization of countless children by priests and worse that many of these pedophile priests were allowed to remain in ministry through 2002 until our clients forced them out through lawsuits. She was actively involved in efforts to dismiss or minimize our clients claims and I have numerous troubling stories about her views on child protection. This is a stunning development and I urge all my friends to call the Governors office and protest this appointment. The number is 916 445 2841. Tell the Governor and his staff that an attorney involved in this type of activity has no business being a judge.

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AUSTRALIA
lewisblayse.net

Posted on March 25, 2014 by lewisblayse

Hi,

I was informed by the Royal Commission today that I will not be required to appear as a witness in the up-coming Salvation Army Case Study 10 hearings.

I’m quite okay with that for a number of reasons.

The first reason is that the Commission’s decision that they don’t need me to appear as a witness indicates to me that the story I have to tell of how my father and my family were treated by the Salvation Army is perhaps nothing particularly new to the Commission. It may even indicate that as badly as we were treated, others were treated even worse and rightfully have priority; if this is the case, it’s more important that these people’s stories be told to the public.

The second is that I have been granted “leave to appear”, even though I don’t actually appear. What this means is that the statement that I wrote for the Commission will be on the public record, so our family’s story (or part of it, anyway) still gets to be told. It’s my understanding that this statement will be available publicly at some point in the future, although perhaps not for a long time – I’m not sure. I’m a little disappointed about the quality of what I wrote, as I was very emotional when I wrote it and it’s a bit incoherent in places. It’s also not as comprehensive an account as I would like to have made, but I was focussing on matters the Commission seemed to be most interested in hearing about when I wrote it. But that doesn’t really matter, as I can write further about such matters whenever I like.

This leads into the third reason that I’m okay with not appearing as a witness. And that is that by being granted “leave to appear”, I get the right to make a formal, written submission to the Commission at the end of the Case Study 10 hearings. This I can write better, and I’m pleased to have the opportunity to make a written submission. I’ve decided to leave off on finishing the “deconstruction” of the Salvation Army response to the first lot of Salvation Army hearings I keep talking about until the conclusion of the Case Study 10 hearings. It will be better informed by what I learn from these hearings.

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NEW JERSEY
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Preists

For immediate release: Wednesday, March 26, 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 judge has ruled that a lawsuit against a predator priest and his church supervisors may move ahead.

[Courier-Post]

We applaud Lisa Syvertson Shanahan, a courageous child sex abuse victims, for continuing to seek justice and winning this important ruling that will help child sex abuse victims across all of New Jersey.

Shame on Camden Bishop Dennis Sullivan for trying to hide behind a legal technicality and deny dozens or even hundreds of child sex abuse victims a chance to expose their predators by attacking the constitutionality of New Jersey’s statute of limitations law.

If the bishop thinks that he and his predecessors are innocent – and did not hide or enable the child sex crimes of Fr. Thomas M. Harkins, then let the bishop fight on the merits, not on the technicalities.

Just once it would be so refreshing to see a Catholic official directly address allegations of hiding child sex crimes, and not duck and dodge, using every self-serving legal maneuver imaginable.

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UNITED STATES
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Wednesday, March 26, 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 )

Francis’ new pick to head his financial team admits he tried to discourage victims from suing church officials.

[The Guardian]

Here’s how a Guardian article begins today:

The “vigorous” defense against abuse victim John Ellis was seen as an opportunity to show future claimants they should think twice before litigating against the Catholic Church, Cardinal George Pell has admitted.

The full article is worth reading.

To many clergy sex abuse victims, Pell’s promotion feels like a kick in the gut and another case in which an obvious and egregious church wrongdoer gets rewarded instead of getting punished.

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VATICAN CITY
Vatican Information Service

Vatican City, 26 March 2014 (VIS) – The Holy Father has:

– appointed Bishop Manoel Joao Francisco of Chapeco, Brazil, as bishop of Cornelio Procopio (area 6,715, population 216,000, Catholics 183,000, priests 38, religious 40), Brazil. He succeeds Bishop Getulio Teixeira Guimaraes, S.V.D., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese, upon reaching the age limit, was accepted by the Holy Father.

– accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Limburg, Germany, presented by Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.

Yesterday, Tuesday 25 March, the Holy Father appointed Bishop Nunzio Galantino of Cassano all’Jonio as secretary general of the Italian Episcopal Conference.

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VATICAN CITY
Vatican Information Service

Vatican City, 26 March 2014 (VIS) – The Holy See Press Office today issued the following communique:

“With reference to the administration of the diocese of Limburg in Germany, the Congregation for Bishops has carefully studied the report of the Commission instituted by the bishop and by the Cathedral Chapter to undertake further investigations in relation to the responsibility for the construction of the ‘St. Nikolaus’ diocesan centre.

Awaiting the diocese of Limburg to ascertain a situation that impedes the fruitful exercise of his ministry on the part of Msgr. Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, the Holy See has accepted the resignation presented by the prelate on 20 October 2013 and has appointed Msgr. Manfred Grothe as apostolic administrator “sede vacante”.

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UNITED STATES
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Wednesday, March 26, 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 pope has ousted an extravagant German bishop. He continues to act to protect church funds but refuses to act to protect vulnerable kids. That may sound harsh but it’s true.

[CTV]

One must assume Francis is ousting the “Bishop of Bling” to deter future financial waste. But he does nothing to deter future abuse cover ups.

He’s sending a signal to prelates, basically saying “Don’t selfishly misuse your power by using church resources to enhance your comfort by building fancy homes.” But he sends no signal to prelates basically saying “Don’t selfishly misuse your power by using church resources to enhance your reputation – by hiding clergy sex crimes.”

When it comes to finances and governance, Francis moves quickly and boldly. When it comes to children and crimes, Francis most slowly and timidly.

Every single step Francis takes towards improving the health of church’s finances is a painful reminder that he’s taking no steps to improve the safety of the church’s children.

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GEORGIA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Wednesday, March 26, 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 )

Now that a Life Teen International youth director has been sentenced for child porn, the attention shifts from the offender to his employer. What, if anything, is Life Teen International doing to seek out others who may have seen, suspected or suffered child sex crimes by Kevin Hickey?

[Atlanta Journal-Constitution]

It’s not enough for church officials to let law enforcement do its job and then pretend it’s all over. Life Teen International hired Hickey. By doing so, they gave him access to children. And they gave him respect and credibility. Some of the participants, volunteers and staff in Life Teen International may have been hurt or their loved ones may have been hurt.

And some of the participants, volunteers and staff in Life Teen International may have ignored or concealed some of Hickey’s crimes.

Life Teen officials must take aggressive action now to reach out to others who may be in pain and to help police and prosecutors by determining whether any current or former staff might be prosecuted for failure to report suspected abuse, destruction of evidence, intimidation of witnesses, or similar offenses.

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UNITED STATES
The Kansas City Star

March 25
BY MIKE HUNTER AND DAVID CLOHESSY
Special to The Star

The recent first anniversary of the election of Pope Francis provides an occasion for us to reflect on what he has accomplished in the past year.

Francis has captivated the imagination and inspired the hopes of millions. He has done so by making moves that are more than symbolic — carrying his luggage, washing others’ feet, making “cold calls.” He’s also taken real steps to improve Vatican governance and finances.

And so it’s difficult for us as members of the community of survivors to write: On the church’s central crisis — the cover-up of clergy sex crimes, Pope Francis is moving backward.

It stirs great sadness in us to come to this conclusion, but the facts speak for themselves.

Last August, the pope named a prominent member of the bizarre, scandal-ridden, and cultlike Legion of Christ to the number two position in the Vatican City State.

Pope Francis reappointed Cardinal Gerhard Müller, a known enabler of a convicted pedophile priest, to head the powerful Vatican watchdog office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), which oversees the handling of abuse cases for the entire church.

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GERMANY
Deutsche Welle

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Germany’s Bishop of Limburg, Tebartz von Elst, the notorious ‘bling bishop’ who squandered millions in church funds on an extravagant residence. DW looks back at the case.

What are the allegations?

As early as the beginning of 2012, Limburg Bishop Tebartz van Elst made headlines with a flight to India. He had said that he had flown there to support charity projects to help children in Bangalore, working in quarries. A noble cause, but “Spiegel” magazine soon found some interesting details about the trip: The bishop flew first class. “First class to the slums” was the headline the magazine ran. A trip to the tune of 7,000 euros ($9580), partly paid through bonus miles and the bishops private coffers.

In summer 2013, however, it was the details about the bishop’s new residence in Limburg that got him into hot water. Instead of the initial 5.5 million euros, the price tag was rumored to be around 10 million. Several German media began to investigate and came to the conclusion that, in fact, the cost must be even higher than that.

Mass-circulation tabloid Bild revealed the pricelist of a number of special requests by the bishop: 15,000 euros for a freestanding bathtub, 100,000 for a chandelier advent wreath, 450,000 for art objects, 800,000 for a garden and 2.3 million for an atrium. A number of those things, Elst had only asked for late in the construction process so that floors and ceilings that had already been finished had to be torn up again. By now, the cost was estimated to be around 31 million euros, though even this doesn’t seem to be the final bill quite yet.

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VATICAN CITY
BBC News

Pope Francis has formally accepted the resignation of a senior German Church leader suspended over his alleged lavish spending.

The Vatican made the announcement in a statement on Wednesday.

Bishop of Limburg Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst has been accused of spending more than 31m euros (£26m) on renovating his official residence.

The cleric, dubbed the “bishop of bling” by the media, offered to resign when the scandal broke last October.

In response, Pope Francis temporarily suspended Bishop Tebartz-van Elst and instructed a Church commission to investigate the matter.

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DEUTSCHLAND
Bistum Limburg

Papst nimmt Amtsverzicht von Bischof Dr. Tebartz-van Elst an

LIMBURG – Weihbischof Manfred Grothe ist Apostolischer Administrator im Bistum Limburg. Diese Entscheidung hat der Heilige Stuhl am Mittwoch, 26. März 2014, bekannt gegeben. Der 74-jährige Weihbischof in Paderborn tritt mit sofortiger Wirkung die Leitung der Diözese Limburg an. Gleichzeitig wurde bekannt, dass Papst Franziskus den Amtsverzicht von Bischof Dr. Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst angenommen hat. Damit beginnt im Bistum Limburg die Sedisvakanz, die Zeit, in der der Bischofsstuhl in einer Diözese nicht besetzt ist. Damit endet auch die Amtszeit von Wolfgang Rösch als Generalvikar und der beiden Bischofsvikare Prälat Dr. Dr. Franz Kaspar und Prälat Dr. Günther Geis. Weihbischof Grothe wird Wolfgang Rösch zu seinem Ständigen Vertreter ernennen. Laut der Mitteilung des Heiligen Stuhls wird Tebartz-van Elst zu gegebener Zeit mit einer anderen Aufgabe betraut.

Gemeinsamen Weg für einen Neuanfang gehen

“Ich danke dem Heiligen Vater für das Vertrauen, das er in mich setzt. Mit der Entscheidung ist eine Phase der Unsicherheit für das Bistum Limburg beendet. Jetzt gilt es im Geist der Offenheit, in Aufrichtigkeit und Barmherzigkeit einen gemeinsamen Weg für einen Neubeginn zu gehen”, so Manfred Grothe in einer ersten Reaktion. Die Geschehnisse der vergangenen Monate hätten viele Menschen verletzt. “Als Diözese sind wir nun gefordert, auf das Wort Gottes zu hören und daraus Kraft zu gewinnen, um Verletzungen zu heilen und die Herausforderungen, vor denen wir stehen, anzupacken. Wir werden das Geschehene sorgfältig und umsichtig aufarbeiten und uns dabei natürlich auch auf den Prüfbericht zum Bauvorhaben auf dem Domberg stützen, den eine Kommission unter meinem Vorsitz in den vergangenen Monaten erarbeitet hat”, so Grothe.

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VATICAN CITY
Evening Telegraph (UK)

By PRESS ASSOCIATION, 26 March 2014

Pope Francis has permanently removed a German bishop from his Limburg diocese after his 31 million euro (£26 million) new residence complex caused an uproar among the faithful.

Francis had temporarily expelled Monsignor Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst from Limburg in October pending a church inquiry into the affair.

The Vatican has said that the inquiry found that he could no longer exercise his ministry and that Francis had accepted his resignation, which was originally offered on October 20.

A replacement, Monsignor Manfred Grothe, will take over for now, the Vatican said citing a statement from the diocese.

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VATICAN CITY
The Tablet (UK)

26 March 2014 12:27 by Abigail Frymann

Pope Francis has permanently removed the high-spending Bishop of Limburg following an investigation by the German bishops’ conference.

Rome said on Wednesday that the inquiry found that Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst could no longer exercise his ministry and Francis had accepted his resignation, which he had offered in October.

Bishop Tebartz-van Elst was dubbed the “bishop of bling” in the media after details of the €31m refurbishment of his residence were reported, sparking outrage from the faithful.

Francis ordered him to take time out from his diocese in October pending the inquiry. In November he admitted to two counts of perjury. He had hoped to return to Limburg.

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VATICAN CITY
Reuters

VATICAN CITY Wed Mar 26, 2014

(Reuters) – The Vatican on Wednesday said it had accepted the resignation of a German Roman Catholic prelate known as the “bishop of bling” because he spent 31 million euros ($43 million) of Church funds on his residence.

Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst of Limburg was ordered to leave his diocese last October while an investigation and audit into cost over-runs was made. He offered his resignation at the time.

The Vatican said the investigation was completed and that an apostolic administrator, Mons. Manfred Grothe, had been appointed to run the diocese for the time being. Another position would be found for Tebartz-van Elst eventually.

A statement said Pope Francis was asking the faithful of the diocese of Limburg to accept the decision “with docility” and to work to restore what it called a “climate of charity and reconciliation”.

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GERMANY
The Local

Germany’s most controversial clergyman, who earned the nickname the “bling bishop” for spending €31 million on a new headquarters, has resigned from his post.

A statement posted on the Vatican website at midday on Wednesday confirmed the Pope had accepted a letter of resignation from the Bishop of Limburg, Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst.

Tebartz-van Elst was summoned to see Pope Francis in Rome in October last year and was then sent on leave.

But at the time it was unclear how long the 54-year-old would be relieved of his duties for and if he would return.

The bishop caused controversy for spending millions of euros on his new headquarters in Limburg, central Germany, which included a bath that cost €15,000 euros, a conference table for €25,000 and a private chapel that cost €2.9m.

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VATICAN CITY
International Business Times

By Gianluca Mezzofiore March 26, 2014

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of German Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, dubbed the “Bishop of Bling”, over a scandal regarding his €31m (£26m, $40m) project to renew a sumptuous diocesan residence in the western small city of Limburg.

Tebartz-van Elst, whose resignation the Pope has accepted, will be given another assignment in due course according to Vatican sources.

The Vatican said an inquiry found that he could no longer exercise his ministry. The pope reportedly said that he hoped that the faithful of Limburg would accept the decision with “docility and willingness to rediscover a climate of charity and reconciliation”.

The 53-year-old bishop, who will be replaced by Monsignor Manfred Grothe, indulged on £30,000 for built-in cupboards and carpentry, £83,000 for the windows of the chapel and more than £371,000 on works of art, using revenue from a religious tax in Germany. He even splurged £12,000 for a bathtub, causing indignation in Germany.

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VATICAN CITY
Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) The Holy See has accepted the resignation of Bishop Franz-Peter Tebarts van Elst of the diocese of Limburg, Germany. A statement issued Wednesday by the Vatican Press office to the administration of the diocese of Limburg , Germany said the Congregation for Bishops has “carefully studied the report of the Commission requested by the Bishop and by the Cathedral Chapter, to undertake thorough investigations about the responsibilities involved in the construction of the Diocesan Centre ‘St. Nikolaus.’”

The statement further acknowledges that the diocese of Limburg has come to “a situation that prevents a fruitful exercise of the ministry of Bishop Franz -Peter Tebartz -van Elst.” The statement says the Holy See has accepted the resignation presented by the Bishop on October 20, 2013, and has appointed a sede vacante Apostolic Administrator in the person of Bishop Manfred Grothe .

The Vatican Press Office states that Bishop Tebartz -van Elst , “in due course will receive another
assignment.”

The statement also says the Holy Father asks the clergy and faithful of the diocese of Limburg to accept the decisions of the Holy See and to commit themselves to rediscovering a spirit of charity and reconciliation.

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VATICAN CITY
Gazetta del Sud

Vatican City, March 26 – The Holy See on Wednesday announced it had accepted the resignation of German Bishop Franz Peter Tebartz-van Elst from the Limburg diocese. Dubbed the ‘gold-plated bishop’ for allegedly spending 31 million euros to remodel his residence next to the cathedral, Tebartz-van Elst was suspended by the Vatican in October, when he tendered his resignation. The Vatican said he is to be assigned a new post. According to some reports, the so-called ‘bishop of bling’ outfitted his residence with a $20,000 bathtub, $500,000 built-in closets and a $35,000 conference table.

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GERMANY
New York Times

By MELISSA EDDY
MARCH 26, 2014

BERLIN — Pope Francis on Wednesday accepted the resignation of Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, the bishop of Limburg, whose extravagant spending on renovations for his personal residence angered his congregation and ran afoul of the pontiff’s message of humility and modesty for the Roman Catholic Church.

The Holy See accepted the bishop’s offer to resign “given that it has come to a situation in the Limburg diocese that prevents Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst from fruitfully carrying out his duties,” the Vatican said in a statement on Wednesday.

German news reports said that Tebartz-van Elst, 54, poured more than 31 million euros, or about $43 million, into the renovation of his residence and other church buildings, including spending €15,000, or about $20,000, on a bathtub, and ordering an expensive reopening of the roof of his personal chapel to allow for the suspension of a cross.

As the allegations and the discontent mounted last fall, the bishop travelled to the Vatican in October and offered the pope his resignation. Francis only suspended him at the time, pending the outcome of an investigation by Germany’s conference of bishops.

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VATICAN CITY
TIME

Sam Frizell @Sam_Frizell

An inquiry into Monsignor Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst’s $43 million residence has ended with the Vatican demanding his resignation

Pope Francis has replaced a German bishop whose $43 million new residence complex sparked outrage among Catholics.

The so-called ‘Bishop of Bling,’ Monsignor Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst from Limburg was temporarily expelled during a church inquiry in October, the Associated Press reports. Tebartz-van Elst spent lavishly renovating his residence, including a reported $20,000 on a bathtub and $620,000 on artwork.

That inquiry has now found him incapable of holding his diocese and demanded his resignation, the Vatican said Wednesday.

Tebartz-van Elst will be replaced by Monsignor Manfred Grothe. Tebartz-van Elst will get a new job, said the Vatican, adding that the pope hoped that residents of Limburg would accept the decision with “docility and willingness to rediscover a climate of charity and reconciliation.”

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GERMANY
Expatica

Pope Francis has formally accepted the resignation of Germany’s controversial bishop of Limburg, the Vatican said in a statement Wednesday.

Franz-Peter Terbartz-van Elst, nicknamed the “bling bishop” by the international media, had been under fire for his luxury lifestyle and was indefinitely relieved of his clerical duties by Francis last year.

The Roman Catholic bishop had faced outrage over an ostentatious building project at his official residence, which included a museum, conference halls, a chapel and private apartments, in the ancient town of Limburg in central Hesse state.

The project was initially valued at 5.5 million euros ($7.5 million) but the cost ballooned to 31 million euros, including a 783,000 euro garden and a 15,000 euro bathtub — using the revenue from a religious tax in Germany.

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VATICAN CITY
Rappler

BY ELLA IDE, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
POSTED ON 03/26/2014

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis has formally accepted the resignation of Germany’s controversial bishop of Limburg, who had come under fire for his luxury lifestyle.

Franz-Peter Terbartz-van Elst, nicknamed the “bling bishop” by the international media, had been indefinitely relieved of his clerical duties by Francis last year after details emerged of his high-roller lifestyle.

The Roman Catholic bishop had faced outrage over an ostentatious building project at his official residence, which included a museum, conference halls, a chapel and private apartments, in the ancient town of Limburg in central Hesse state.

The project was initially valued at 5.5 million euros ($7.5 million) but the cost ballooned to 31 million euros, including a 783,000 euro garden and a 15,000 euro bathtub – using the revenue from a religious tax in Germany.

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VATICAN CITY
CTV

Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press
Published Wednesday, March 26, 2014

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis on Wednesday permanently removed a German bishop from his Limburg diocese after his $43-million new residence complex caused an uproar among the faithful.

Francis had temporarily expelled Monsignor Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst from Limburg in October pending a church inquiry.

At the centre of the controversy was the price tag for the construction of a new bishop’s residence complex and related renovations. Tebartz-van Elst defended the expenditures, saying the bill was actually for 10 projects and there were additional costs because the buildings were under historical protection.

But in a country where Martin Luther launched the Reformation five centuries ago in response to what he said were excesses and abuses within the church, the outcry was enormous. The perceived lack of financial transparency also struck a chord since a church tax in Germany brings in billions a year to the German church.

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VATIKAN
Radio Vatikan

[Francis: “A bishop who does not serve his community, is wrong”]

Ein Bischof, Priester oder Diakon, der seine Herde nicht mit Liebe führt, ist nicht hilfreich. Das hat Papst Franziskus an diesem Mittwoch bei der Generalaudienz gesagt. In seiner Katechesenreihe zu den sieben Sakramenten ging es diesmal um die Weihe. Diese sei in ihren drei Graden Bischof, Priester und Diakon das Sakrament, das zur Ausübung des Amtes befähige, welches Jesus den Aposteln anvertraut habe. „In diesem Sinn tragen die ausgewählten und geweihten Männer die Gegenwart und das Wirken Christi in der Welt fort“, sagte Franziskus. Was das für das Leben des Geweihten bedeutet, fasste der Papst in drei Punkten zusammen: Dienst, Liebe zur Kirche und Gebet.

„Jene, die geweiht werden, sind an die Spitze der Gemeinde gestellt. Ah, ich bin ein Chef! Ja, aber an der Spitze stehen bedeutet für Jesus, die eigene Autorität in den Dienst zu stellen, so wie er selbst es seine Schüler gelehrt hat: Der Menschensohn ist nicht gekommen, um sich dienen zu lassen, sondern um zu dienen und sein Leben hinzugeben als Lösegeld für viele. Ein Bischof, der seiner Gemeinde nicht dient, handelt falsch. Ein Priester, der seiner Gemeinde nicht dient, handelt falsch.“

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VATIKAN
Radio Vatikan

Papst Franziskus hat seine Entscheidung zur Causa Limburg getroffen: Bischof Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst kehrt nicht in seine Diözese zurück. Das gab der vatikanische Pressesaal an diesem Mittwoch bekannt. Franziskus nahm ein Rücktrittsgesuch des Bischofs an, das dieser den Vatikanangaben zufolge bereits vor fünf Monaten eingereicht hatte. Zugleich entsandte der Papst den Paderborner Weihbischof Manfred Grothe als Apostolischen Administrator nach Limburg. Zur Begründung hieß es, in der Diözese sei es zu einer Situation gekommen, die „eine fruchtbare Ausübung des bischöflichen Amtes“ durch Bischof Tebartz-van Elst verhindere.

Franziskus traf seinen Entschluss nach eingehenden Beratungen mit der Bischofskongregation und der Lektüre eines – noch nicht veröffentlichten – Prüfberichtes einer Kommission der Deutschen Bischofskonferenz. Die Erstellung dieses Berichtes hatte Weihbischof Grothe geleitet. Erzbischof Robert Zollitsch, der damalige Vorsitzende der Bischofskonferenz, hatte das Papier Anfang März im Vatikan überreicht. Der neue Vorsitzende der Bischofskonferenz, Kardinal Reinhard Marx von München, wird sich am frühen Nachmittag von Berlin aus zur römischen Entscheidung äußern. In Limburg selbst treten im Lauf des Nachmittags der Administrator Weihbischof Grothe und Generalvikar Wolfgang Rösch vor die Presse.

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DEUTSCHLAND
Zeit

[Summary: Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst as so-called “bling bishop” of Limburg. In due time he will get a new task.]

Der umstrittene Bischof Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst wird nicht wieder in Limburg als Bischof tätig sein. In der Diözese Limburg sei es zu einer Situation gekommen, die eine fruchtbare Ausübung des bischöflichen Amtes durch Tebartz-van Elst verhindere, teilte der Vatikan mit. Deshalb habe der Heilige Stuhl den im Oktober 2013 angebotenen Amtsverzicht angenommen, hieß es. Damit bestätigten sich Informationen der ZEIT.

Im Vatikan stand nach Informationen der ZEIT bereits seit Wochen fest, dass Franziskus eine Rückkehr des umstrittenen Bischofs ablehnt. Franziskus ist verärgert über die Uneinsichtigkeit von Tebartz angesichts des luxuriös sanierten Bischofssitzes. Er hoffte, keine harte Absetzung des Bischofs durchsetzen zu müssen.

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AUSTRALIA
Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Cardinal George Pell on Wednesday testified before an Australian commission on child sexual abuse, and said Church institutions did not deal fairly, from “a Christian point of view,” in dealing with a sexual abuse victim.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has been working in Australia since last year to examine the history of abuse in educational institutions, religious groups, sporting organizations, state institutions and youth organizations. The Commission has been for the past two weeks looking at Case Study #8, which deals with the case of John Ellis, who was abused in the 1970’s by Father Aidan Duggan.

Cardinal George Pell testified before the Commission for a second day on Wednesday. He said, under the advice of his lawyers, he endorsed a decision not to enter mediation when the legal action in 2004, but now says that was a mistake.

“From a Christian point of view, leaving aside the legal dimension, I don’t think that we did deal fairly [with Mr. Ellis],” he said.

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AUSTRALIA
ABC News

[with audio]

The child abuse Royal Commission has exposed the moral failings of the Sydney Archdiocese in fighting the case brought by former altar boy and abuse victim John Ellis. The outgoing Archbishop of Sydney, George Pell, has conceded that he endorsed the overall strategy of the church’s legal team, but he admitted that Mr Ellis was not treated fairly from a Christian point of view and the compensation offers to Mr Ellis were mean and grotesque.

Transcript

MARK COLVIN: The Catholic Church has admitted that a conflict between its own moral values and its legal and financial interests was at the heart of its battle with abuse victim John Ellis, and in the fight between secular and Christian values, it was the law and the money that won.

The Archbishop of Sydney, George Pell, told the Royal Commission today that he overcame his own moral doubts to endorse the strategy of the church’s legal team.

That included the tactic of disputing Mr Ellis’s story of abuse in court.

While preparing his departure for the Vatican, Cardinal Pell has spent a second day in the witness box defending the church’s legal position when Mr Ellis tried to sue.

Cardinal Pell admitted that Mr Ellis was not treated fairly from a “Christian point of view” and the compensation offers to him were mean and grotesque.

Emily Bourke reports.

EMILY BOURKE: The moral and the legal positions taken by the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney came into sharp focus and then collided at the Royal Commission today.

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UNITED STATES
POPE FRANCIS the CON Christ

[7 MUST DO’s for President Obama and Michelle Obama for their visit to Pope Francis in the Vatican.]

Paris Arrow

John Paul II, Benedict XVI, Francis are the worst pathological liars on the planet that they surpass the Devil! The new Commission for Protection of Minors is founded on specific citations from these three popes whose words are total contradictions of their actions.

Today is the feast of the Annunciation of Mary. In the Angelus, it is robotically recited: “The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit”. Jesuit priest Mr. Lombardi is making these three popes resemble angels by using the same word “declared” as in the Angelus – especially for John Paul II’s few 41 words about pedophile priests in 2002 which is an irony coming from the pope who has written the most number of books, encyclicals and speeches more than all popes combined. The main reason for JP2’s hasty canonization is because all priests are now required to preach on their Sunday homilies only what John Paul II wrote and said. When the UN condemned the Vatican for its crimes against children, they indirectly condemned John Paul II who was the pope most responsible for its cover-up for more than a quarter of a century.

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VIRGINIA
Richmond Times-Dispatch

BY MARK BOWES
Richmond Times-Dispatch

A once-popular youth minister for the now-defunct Trinity Assembly of God in Chesterfield County pleaded no contest Monday to taking indecent liberties with two teenage female parishioners in the 1990s after gaining their trust and affection as a father figure and spiritual counselor.

The years-long sexual abuse began when both girls were just 14, and Troy A. Mitten, now 53, was an engaging youth minister who a former pastor told authorities “seemed to reach out to the young ladies who had no father figure” in their lives, according to a prosecutor’s summary of evidence in Chesterfield Circuit Court.

The victims, now 32 and 35, only recently came forward to police, and one of them was so attached to Mitten and his family that she initially destroyed evidence and helped him develop a defense involving the other victim.

But on the eve of Mitten’s scheduled trial last year, the woman emailed Chesterfield prosecutor B.J. McGee to talk and later told a detective that Mitten had, in fact, also molested her.

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CHILE
Cooperativa

[Summary: Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati said priest Fernando Karadima is guilty of abuse and that all bishops have acknowledged theoffenses for which the Vatican has condomned as being a reality.]

El arzobispo Ricardo Ezzati, investido cardenal por el papa Francisco, aseguró que el cura Fernando Karadima es “culpable de abusos” y que todos los obispos han reconocido que los delitos por los que el Vaticano lo condenó son “una realidad”.

Consultado durante una entrevista en “El informante” de TVN si es que pertenece a los sacerdotes que están convencidos de la culpabilidad de Karadima, Ezzati respondió: “Totalmente, porque estoy convencido de lo que se hizo en la investigación, lo que determinó la Santa Sede”.

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CANADA
Vermilion Standard

Bryan Myers
Tuesday, March 25, 2014

For days, four people made their way on foot across the prairies from Stony Knoll, Saskatchewan to Edmonton, Alberta, a 500-kilometer journey to honour the memories of indigenous children who fled from residential schools but never returned home.

Last Thursday, the group stopped at the United Church in Vermilion for the night.

The group originally met in Winnipeg has decided to traverse the prairies by foot for the National Truth and Reconciliation Event on Residential Schools in Edmonton. Along they way, they’ve been taken in by various groups both First Nation and Christian.

“We’ve been hosted by a number of First Nations communities,” said Laurens Van Esch, originally from the Netherlands, has taken on the journey after having lived in Canada for only three months. “Their survivors share their stories with us, it’s incredibly powerful. It’s unimaginable to be taken away from your parents, and everything you know and have your identity taken away by priests in these very loveless environments.”

The group walks five to 10 hours each day and roughly 30 kilometers on average.

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CANADA
BC Local News

by Karl Yu – Nanaimo News Bulletin
posted Mar 25, 2014

The Tillicum Lelum Aboriginal Friendship Centre is hosting a pair of reconciliation sessions Thursday and Friday (March 27-28).

The reconciliation process in Canada stems from physical, mental and sexual abuse committed against aboriginal students in residential schools, and workshops will include videos, testimony from survivors and discussion.

“It’s to bring and share awareness and acknowledgement to the many aspects of residential schools experienced and how it’s currently impacting people within our community,” said Claudio Aguilera, part of the Tillicum Lelum centre management team.

According to organizer Randy Fred, himself a survivor of Alberni Indian Residential School, the sessions will pose some basic questions to participants: What are our expectations of reconciliation? What does reconciliation mean to us? What can I do to help work towards true reconciliation in central Vancouver Island?

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PENNSYLVANIA
Times-Tribune

BY DAVID FALCHEK (STAFF WRITER)
Published: March 26, 2014

A group representing abuse victims demands Bishop Joseph Bambera release documents about an accused former Diocese of Scranton priest who is now second-in-command at a South American diocese.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, SNAP, asked Bishop Bambera to release diocesan documentation concerning Monsignor Carlos Urrutigoity, accused more than a decade ago of abusing children when he worked at the St. Gregory’s Academy in Elmhurst, a residential school sponsored by the Society of St. John, a religious order.

“Scranton’s bishop must take action now to protect kids in Paraguay,” said David Clohessy, director of the Chicago-based SNAP. “I can’t think of a case where a priest, after these sorts of accusations, went on to rise through the church hierarchy as this one has.”

Monsignor Urrutigoity in February was named the vicar general of the Diocesis de Ciudad del Este in Paraguay. That diocese’s bishop, the Rev. Rogelio Livieres, said Monsignor Urrutigoity was never found guilty of a crime and was a victim of a “campaign of defamation … orchestrated by one source.”

By releasing documents, Bishop Bambera could provide clear and convincing evidence that Monsignor Urrutigoity is unfit for priesthood or service in the church, Mr. Clohessy said.

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GEORGIA
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

By Alexis Stevens

A former director of a youth outreach program was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for distributing child pornography, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Tuesday.

Kevin Hickey, 39, of Atlanta, was also sentenced to lifetime supervised release and was ordered to pay $1,000 in restitution, U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said. Hickey is a former church youth director and director of parish outreach for Life Teen International, a group focused on “leading teens closer to Christ,” according to its website.

“This defendant was entrusted with counseling and protecting children, but instead collected and distributed highly graphic images portraying their sexual exploitation and abuse,” Yates said in an emailed statement. “We will to continue to aggressively prosecute those who pose such a great threat to our children.”

In June 2013, using his online screen name “funguyatl77,” Hickey engaged in an online communication in which he stated that he was watching “perving vids” and offered to share child pornography, Yates’ office said. Federal agents monitored the communication of Hickey, she said.

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UTAH
The Spectrum

Written by
Kevin Jenkins

ST. GEORGE — A child custody battle between an exiled member of a Southern Utah polygamous church and his church-faithful wives took a turn during the first day of a trial Tuesday when the father was allowed to introduce testimony about alleged sexual abuse by the church’s prophet.

Colorado City resident Lorin Holm filed the civil action in September 2011, eight months after he was informed he had been judged unfaithful by the leadership of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and would have to leave his home and family, which included three wives and more than a dozen children.

Holm is seeking sole custody of his underage children out of concern that his estranged “spiritual wives” could be influenced by religious leaders to allow the children to experience sexual abuse, forced labor or forced exile.

His ex-wives have stated they would not allow harm to come to their children. Court proceedings during the past two years have focused on whether Holm and the women could cooperate in raising Holm’s minor children despite the perception by the FLDS ex-wives that Holm had become a bad influence as an apostate.

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GEORGIA
Patch

By Kristal Dixon

A former youth church director and has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for distributing child pornography.

Kevin Hickey, former church youth director and director of parish outreach for Sandy Springs-based Life Teen International, on Tuesday, March 25 was sentenced to 10 years followed by a lifetime of supervised by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy C. Batten Sr., according to a press release from the United States Attorney’s Office.

Hickey, 39 of Atlanta, was also ordered to pay $1,000 in restitution and a $100 special assessment. Once he’s released from prison, Hickey will be required to register as a sex offender.

“This defendant was entrusted with counseling and protecting children, but instead collected and distributed highly graphic images portraying their sexual exploitation and abuse,” said United States Attorney Yates. “We will to continue to aggressively prosecute those who pose such a great threat to our children.”

According to Yates, information presented in court identified Hickey as a man “with a sexual interest in children and who collected and distributed child pornography.”

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CALIFORNIA
Escalon Times

A grand jury in Fresno returned three separate indictments on Thursday, March 20 alleging offenses involving the sexual exploitation of minors, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

One of those indictments was handed up against an Escalon man. …

In another indictment, Tyler Bliss, 26, of Oakdale, was charged with one count of receiving and distributing child pornography from October 2013 through February 2014. According to a previously filed criminal complaint, Google reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) that on December 3, 2013, an image of suspected child pornography had been uploaded to a Google account. NCMEC referred the matter to law enforcement, and a detective with the Ceres Police Department discovered that the same Google account had been connected with the transmission of hundreds of other images of suspected child pornography. Additional investigation revealed that the account had been accessed from a residence in Oakdale as well as from a church (Bethel Assembly of God) in Oakdale. Computers and a cellphone were obtained through search warrants for both locations, and investigators found images related to the sexual exploitation of minors on these items. Bliss had been serving as Supervisor of Student Ministries at the church.

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AUSTRALIA
Herald Sun

WENDY TUOHY HERALD SUN MARCH 26, 2014

HEARING and reading Cardinal George Pell’s words in the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, you may wonder where his lofty role as His Eminence Catholic Archbishop of Sydney and his day-to-day vocation as a caring leader of children, adults and families intersected — if at all.

He held responsibility for the spiritual wellbeing of millions of Australians, yet his demeanour when discussing the devastation of the victims of paedophile priests — and also by church legal action — has been nothing more than clinical.

In all of his defence of the “strenuous” and “vigorous” action by his hierarchy aimed at dissuading childhood sex abuse victims from going to court, Pell has appeared via his own testimony and that of other church officials as a hard-headed strategist, an unyielding tactician and an aggressive protector of the church’s wealth. He seems to have excelled at all of those; on Tuesday the inquiry revealed that Sydney’s Catholic archdiocese is sitting on assets worth $1 billion.

But victims and their families have every right to ask, as they are doing, where is George Pell’s compassion? Where is his human empathy and, even more importantly, when will they hear his sincere and believable expression of remorse.

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MILWAUKEE (WI)
National Catholic Reporter

Marie Rohde | Mar. 26, 2014

MILWAUKEE For 30 years, the Milwaukee archdiocese has provided therapy for the victims of clergy sex abuse. The plan it released as part of its bankruptcy reorganization plan is a continuation of that program.

“The protocols have their roots back to Project Benjamin days and have proven to be an effective and responsible way to administer the therapy program which abuse survivors have benefited for decades and which remains a priority for the archdiocese,” Jerry Topczewski, chief of staff for the archbishop, said in an email.

The archdiocese established Project Benjamin in 1989 to deal with the growing sex abuse scandal. While the Milwaukee archdiocese said it served as a template of providing therapy for victims, it fell under heavy criticism by survivors who maintain that any program should not be run by the church.

Survivors of clergy sex abuse and their supporters point out parts of the bankruptcy plan that give the Milwaukee archdiocese unilateral control over how much therapy is provided, who will get it, and which therapists to use, as well as requiring victims to turn over treatment records to the archdiocese. It also provides that the archdiocese can change the plan without court permission or oversight.

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MINNESOTA
Bring Me The News

March 26, 2014 By Ben Grove

With a court deadline looming Thursday, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has asked for an extra 90 days its effort to gather and disclose new documents related to priests suspected of sexual abuse.

The archdiocese is also seeking new protections that would limit public access to the documents, the Star Tribune reports.

At issue are documents on about 40 priests who had been credibly accused of sexually abusing children from 1970 to the present.

“This is an exhaustive, time consuming and extremely expensive and burdensome process,” lawyers for the archdiocese said a court document filed this week.

A Ramsey County District Court judge on Thursday is expected to hear arguments from archdiocese lawyers about why they need more time, and why they seek to keep under wraps the sworn testimonies of Archbishop John Nienstedt and former vicar general Kevin McDonough, the archdiocese’s point person on priest abuse, the Star Tribune reports.

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MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

Madeleine Baran St. Paul, Minn. Mar 25, 2014

Ramsey County Judge John Van de North has selected a retired jurist to serve as special master in a contentious legal battle over the release of internal church documents on Catholic priests accused of child sexual abuse.

Retired Minnesota Court of Appeals Judge Robert Schumacher has accepted the appointment, Van de North said in a letter to attorneys.

Schumacher will preside over discovery disputes in a lawsuit filed against the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the Diocese of Winona by a man who claims that the Rev. Thomas Adamson sexually abused him when he was a boy. The lawsuit has already led to the release of names of priests deemed credibly accused of child sexual abuse by church officials.

Van de North recommended the appointment because of lengthy and complicated disputes between lawyers about the church’s internal files.

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PENNSYLVANIA
CBS Pittsburgh

Ross Guidotti

UNIONTOWN (KDKA) – A preliminary hearing for a local church pastor, charged with molesting a girl in his congregation, was continued Tuesday because new alleged victims came forward.

Ray Teets, 66, is the pastor of Fallen Timbers Community Chapel in Fayette County.

Teets was originally charged with molesting an 11-year-old girl that was a member of his congregation.
Today, two more female victims came forward and are relatives of Teets.

He allegedly started molesting them sometime in 1999, when they were around 7 or 8-years-old. They also claimed the alleged abuse continued for several years.

Police said the original victim’s family left the church last November after her mother said Teets became fixated on her daughter.

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PENNSYLVANIA
WPXI

[with video]

POINT MARION, Pa. — Ray Teets, a pastor at Fallen Timbers Church outside of Point Marion, was about to face two girls police said he had inappropriate sexual contact with when he decided to pass on having a preliminary hearing Tuesday.

Police said the latest two accusers claim the inappropriate contact with Teets happened over the course of several years. Some of the alleged abuse is said to have happened more than 15 years ago.

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CALIFORNIA
San Bernardino Sun

By Lori Fowler, The Sun
POSTED: 03/25/14

SAN BERNARDINO >> The Muscoy pastor accused of child molestation is scheduled to return to court in May.

Stephen James Howard, 54, of Fontana was present and in custody Tuesday at the San Bernardino Superior Courthouse for a pre-preliminary hearing, which was continued until May 16, according to court records.

Howard, the pastor at Muscoy United Methodist Church, was arrested March 13 on suspicion of molesting two boys who at one time attended the church, San Bernardino County sheriff’s detectives said.

He was originally booked into the Central Detention Center in San Bernardino for suspicion of lewd acts with a child under 14, oral copulation with a person under 18, and sodomy with a person under 18.

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MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

Article by: JEAN HOPFENSPERGER , Star Tribune Updated: March 25, 2014

Facing a key court hearing Thursday, the Twin Cities archdiocese has asked the court to give it more time to turn over its church files on sexually abusive priests and to limit the files’ public disclosure.

“This is an exhaustive, time consuming and extremely expensive and burdensome process,” said a memorandum filed Monday by archdiocese attorneys in Ramsey County District Court.

The archdiocese was ordered in February to give the court its records on about 40 priests who had been credibly accused of sexually abusing children from 1970 to the present. It was given a March 31 deadline.

The church has asked Judge John Van de North to extend the deadline by 90 days. On Thursday, Van de North will hear their arguments in court, along with renewed requests to seal the sworn testimonies of Archbishop John Nienstedt and former vicar general Kevin McDonough, the archdiocese’s point person on abuse for decades.

Meanwhile, Van de North on Tuesday appointed retired Judge Robert H. Schumacher as a special master for the case, to address disputes over the likely hundreds of documents and depositions, as well as to make recommendations about unsealing information. Schumacher served 12 years in Hennepin County District Court and 18 years on the Minnesota Court of Appeals.

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