ABUSE TRACKER

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

May 27, 2014

SBC official stands by criticism of SNAP

UNITED STATES
Associated Baptist Press

By Bob Allen

A Southern Baptist Convention official has refused to apologize for comments seven years ago that critics of the denomination’s handling of sexual abuse were not really advocating on behalf of children but rather were opportunists motivated by personal gain.

David Clohessy, executive director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, and Amy Smith, a Baptist SNAP leader in Texas, wrote SBC Executive Committee President Frank Page April 23 requesting an apology for his “hurtful comment” when the convention gathers for annual meeting next month in Baltimore.

Page, at the time a pastor and SBC president, wrote a Baptist Press commentary titled “Guarding Against Sexual Abuse” published April 2, 2007. Two weeks later — after Page appeared in an ABC News “20/20” story about the denomination’s shortcomings in curbing sexual abuse by clergy — the article appeared in the Florida Baptist Witness with a new paragraph.

“Let me also share one other word of clarification,” he wrote. “Please realize that there are groups who claim to be one thing when in reality they are another. It would be great if the many groups who are claiming to be groups of advocacy and encouragement in ministry were that which they claim. Please be aware that there are groups that are nothing more than opportunistic persons who are seeking to raise opportunities for personal gain.”

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

Former Parishioner Testifies Against Scranton Priest

PENNSYLVANIA
WNEP

May 27, 2014, by Stacy Lange

SCRANTON — A Roman Catholic priest was in Lackawanna County court Tuesday on charges of indecent assault for allegedly fondling a teen some 15 years ago.

That accuser testified during a preliminary hearing.

A magistrate decided that the case against Father Philip Altavilla will now go to trial. Altavilla was arrested back in April when a former parishioner came forward saying that when she was 13, Altavilla molested her feet and legs because he has a foot fetish.

Father Philip Altavilla had his day in court only blocks away from the cathedral parish he presided over in downtown Scranton. Altavilla has been suspended of his priestly duties since he was charged with indecent assault and corruption of minors.

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

Catholic Church Ousts Mexico Priest for Sex Abuse

MEXICO
ABC News

The Roman Catholic Church in Mexico has suspended a priest from the ministry after sexual abuse allegations against him were made public on a billboard.

The president of the Catholic Lawyers College of Mexico says Eduardo Cordova was stripped of his priesthood by the Vatican following an investigation of the allegations.

Armando Martinez Gomez said Tuesday that all the evidence has been forwarded to Mexican prosecutors.

Parents in the central state of San Luis Potosi complained in 2012 that their 16-year-old son had been sexually abused by Cordova. Activists posted a photo of Cordova on a billboard in San Luis Potosi with the slogan “Were you a victim? Report him.”

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

Who are the three bishops under Vatican review for sex abuse?

VATICAN CITY
Religion News Center

Josephine McKenna | May 27, 2014

VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Francis has warned he has “zero tolerance” for child sex abuse in the Catholic Church and revealed that three bishops are currently being investigated by the Vatican.

But the pope did not name names, and Vatican officials on Tuesday (May 27) declined to comment.

So who are the three bishops under Vatican investigation? The speculation is that the pope likely was referring to three clerics, including:

* Scottish Cardinal Keith O’Brien, who resigned in February 2013 on the eve of the conclave that elected Francis. O’Brien later admitted that “there have been times that my sexual conduct has fallen below the standards expected of me as a priest, archbishop and cardinal.”Cardinal Keith O’Brien
* Polish Archbishop Josef Wesolowski, who was accused of child abuse in Poland and during his period as papal nuncio in the Dominican Republic until his dismissal last August;
*Chilean Bishop Cristian Contreras, who has been accused of abuse by other priests in his diocese

Francis made his comments to journalists aboard his return flight to Rome on Monday as he wrapped up his first visit to the Middle East.

“Sexual abuse is such an ugly crime … because a priest who does this betrays the body of the Lord,” the pope said emphatically. “This is very serious. It is like a satanic Mass.”

When the pope said one of the three bishops had been found guilty, that led to immediate speculation he was referring to Bishop Robert Finn from Kansas City-St. Joseph, Mo., who was convicted in 2012 for failing to report a priest for child pornography. But so far there is little indication Finn — who remains in office — is facing Vatican review.

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

Eric Dejaeger ‘has a strong motive to lie:’ Crown

CANADA
CBC News

The Crown prosecutor questioned Eric Dejaeger’s credibility and character during his closing submission today in Iqaluit.

Dejaeger, 67, is on trial for dozens of charges of sex offences against children dating back to his time as a priest in Igloolik, Nunavut in the 1970s and ‘80s.

This morning, Crown Doug Curliss said Eric Dejaeger is a well-educated, relatively sophisticated person, who used his position of power as a priest to commit various criminal offences.

Curliss said Dejaeger cannot be trusted, and that he has a strong motive to lie.

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

McCaffrey: Bruised, hurting and dirty

MASSACHUSETTS
MetroWest Daily News

By Arthur McCaffrey
Guest Columnist
Posted May. 11, 2014

We don’t wear a stiff white collar, or dress up in fancy robes. We don’t drink expensive whisky and smoke cigars. We don’t fly the expensive seats to Rome. We are not obsessed with sexuality, and, for the most part, lead healthy, balanced lives. By geography, occupation, socioeconomic status, we are a diverse group in Massachusetts: from Lowell, Lawrence, Everett, and East Boston, to Quincy, Scituate, Wellesley, and Framingham, we are plumbers, landscapers, teachers, lawyers, doctors, academics.

Who are we? We are the accidental activists, parishioners of Vigil Parishes all around the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston (RCAB), like our own local parish, St. James in Wellesley. When ill-conceived diocesan policies threatened our religious patrimony and rich heritage of faith in 2004, we were forced to reconfigure our traditionally passive roles inside the Church. Long before there was Occupy Boston, we have been occupying our local churches for the last 10 years in vigils of protest against the misguided efforts of Cardinal O’Malley to close us. Our grass roots resistance movement is the first of its kind in the 200-year history of the diocese. You couldn’t find a less radical group of populist activists – we are middle-aged and elderly, predominantly women, with very few youth in our midst. When a criminal Church lost it moral authority, it lost a whole generation of young people for whom Rome no longer has credibility. When we go, we leave empty pews behind us.

So who are we and what are we up to? We are the Pope’s dirty dozen! In his recent, first apostolic document (“Joy of the Gospels”), Pope Francis said that he prefers “…. a church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security.” Well, we’ve been there, done that; not so much doing missionary work to spread the good news of the gospels out in the world as leading by example, through actively bearing witness to our faith and foundational beliefs by maintaining an evangelizing presence inside our threatened parishes. A visiting Jesuit called our vigiling a “charism of the Holy Spirit”. The public witness we began in Boston in 2004 has now spread around the country. A Fordham professor has even written a book about us.

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

Searching for Jesus in today’s Church

UNITED STATES
Religion News Service

Boz Tchividjian | May 23, 2014

Do you see?
Do you see?
All the people sinking down?
Don’t you care?
Don’t you care?
Are you gonna let them drown?
How can you be so numb?!
Not to care if they come
You close your eyes,
And pretend the job is done
– Keith Green

This past week I found myself grieving. I learned that a former volunteer of a large church was convicted of sexually victimizing three boys under his supervision.

I grieve that when the parents of one of the boys told a pastor about the abuse, he chose not to report the crime to the police and strongly discouraged the family from doing so. I grieve that the failure to report this dangerous sexual offender gave him two decades of freedom to find and victimize more little ones. I grieve that not even one pastor from the church came to court to support the brave victims who eventually came forward and testified. I grieve that many Christian leaders all around the country who don’t hesitate to express open condemnation for abortion, universal healthcare, and the firing of reality television stars who make derogatory statements about gays and African Americans are suddenly silent when it comes to open condemnation for other Christians who choose not to report child sexual abuse to the authorities.

I grieve that there are individuals within certain Christian communities who deliberately choose to remain silent out of a fear of alienating those who have the power to cancel speaking engagements and turn down book contracts. I grieve that friends of those responsible for not reporting this crime would rather spend their days (and nights) vilifying and marginalizing those who have stepped forward to express outrage then grieve over such a horrific failure. I grieve that Christian communities that preach humility and love are often unteachable and too eager to be defensive and condemning when rebuked, regardless of the consequences to human souls. I grieve that many within the Church prefer the sounds of conference speakers, blog posts and tweets about theological nuances to the cries of the abused and marginalized.

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

SBC leader enters Twitter fray

UNITED STATES
Associated Baptist Press

By Bob Allen

A Southern Baptist Convention official criticized bloggers commenting on a recent criminal trial for jumping to conclusions about allegations that a popular Calvinist speaker with ties to SBC leaders conspired to withhold reporting of child sex abuse to police.

Joe Carter, director of communications for the SBC Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, chastised bloggers in Twitter exchanges for slander and trying to exploit a tragedy by intimating that C.J. Mahaney — a co-founder of Together for the Gospel with Southern Baptists Albert Mohler and Mark Dever — was aware of unreported sex crimes while serving as senior pastor of Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Md., during the 1980s and 1990s.

Mahaney’s brother-in-law, Grant Layman, longtime executive pastor at Covenant Life Church, testified under oath that he failed to report sexual abuse by Nathaniel Morales, convicted May 15 of sexually abusing three boys at the church from 1983 until 1981, to police.

Critics said the admission supports allegations in an earlier civil lawsuit alleging that leaders of Covenant Life and other congregations affiliated with Sovereign Grace Ministries, a church-planting network started and formerly led by Mahaney, repeatedly responded to reports of sexual predation of children by teaching that no Christian should bring a brother to court but that the church should mediate through a process called church discipline.

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

„KIRCHE ERKENNT IHRE SCHULD NOCH NICHT AN“

DEUTSCHLAND
Westfalische Wilhelms-Universitat

[Summary: Dr. Julia Enxing, a theologian, said data published about abuse in the Catholic Church has shaken the church deeply. She said the church is still missing words and gestures of acknowledgment of debt as well as constructive theological approaches. In many cases forgiveness of abuse is required before guilt is admitted. The second step is being done before the first, she said. The church officials must acknowledge the guilt and integrate it into their self-image.]

Pressemitteilung des Exzellenzclusters vom 26. Mai 2014

Nach dem Missbrauchsskandal muss die katholische Kirche der Theologin Dr. Julia Enxing vom Exzellenzcluster „Religion und Politik“ zufolge einen neuen Umgang mit der Schuld lernen. „Die 2010 bekannt gewordenen Missbrauchsfälle haben die Kirche tief erschüttert. Die Auseinandersetzung mit ihrer Schuld fällt ihr aber immer noch schwer. Es fehlen Worte und Gesten der Anerkennung der Schuld ebenso wie konstruktive theologische Ansätze“, sagt die Theologin. In vielen Missbrauchsfällen sei Vergebung gefordert worden, bevor Schuld eingestanden worden sei. „Hier wurde der zweite Schritt vor dem ersten getan.“ Enxing kündigt eine Tagung des Exzellenzclusters für Ende Mai an, auf der sich katholische und evangelische Theologinnen und Theologen mit Schuld als Herausforderung für Theologie und Kirche befassen.

Die Kirche müsse ihre Schuld anerkennen und in ihr Selbstbild integrieren, fordert die Fundamentaltheologin. Anders gewinne sie verlorenes Vertrauen nicht zurück. Auch wenn Maßnahmen wie Telefon-Hotlines für Opfer und Runde Tische ergriffen und Entschädigungen bezahlt worden seien, bestünden weiter Tendenzen, eine kollektive Verantwortung der Kirche zu leugnen. Indem sie jedoch Schuld nur als Verfehlung Einzelner verstehe, relativiere sie deren Reichweite.

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

“Die Aufarbeitung ist erst am Anfang”

DEUTSCHLAND
Sueddeutsche

Reine Symbolik oder wichtige Geste? Papst Franziskus lädt Missbrauchsopfer in den Vatikan ein. Wie zäh allerdings die Reformbemühungen innerhalb der Kirche verlaufen, zeigt ein Blick auf die vergangenen Monate.

Als am 13. März 2013 aus Jorge Bergoglio Papst Franziskus wurde, waren die Erwartungen der Gläubigen an diesen schüchtern lächelnden Mann enorm. Besonders groß waren die Hoffnungen derjenigen, die in den vergangenen Jahrzehnten in kirchlichen Institutionen zu Opfern geworden waren.

In den Jahren vor Franziskus’ Pontifikat war die Kirche von etlichen Missbrauchsskandalen weltweit in ihren Grundfesten erschüttert worden. Vorgänger Benedikt XVI. entließ 2011 und 2012 etwa 400 Priester wegen des Verdachts auf Kindesmissbrauch. Doch Opferorganisationen beklagten direkt nach dem Amtsantritt des neuen Papstes, dass die katholische Kirche nach wie vor zu wenig tue, um die jahrzehntelange Politik der Vertuschung zu beenden. Eine Reform jener Strukturen, die Missbrauchsfälle begünstigen, Auseinandersetzung und Versöhnung mit den Opfern, verbesserte Prävention: Franziskus stand von Anfang an vor großen Herausforderungen.

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

Rome- Pope should reveal names of 3 accused bishops, SNAP says

UNITED STATES
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Tuesday, May 27, 2014

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

The New York Times is now reporting that Francis says Vatican officials are investigating three bishops for alleged child sexual crimes or cover ups and that one of them has been convicted. For the safety of kids, we call on the pope to disclose who those bishops are right now, especially the convicted one.

[The New York Times]

If he hasn’t yet – and we suspect that’s the case – Francis should give information about all three of these allegations to police and prosecutors right now, no matter when they may have occurred.

Again, for the sake of children’s safety, he must reveal who and where these three men are. If the allegations are serious enough to warrant Vatican investigations, they are serious enough to make public.

By delaying these disclosures, Vatican officials may be enabling prelates who have perpetrated or hidden child sex crimes to destroy evidence, intimidate victims, threaten whistleblowers, discredit witnesses, fabricate alibis, and flee overseas. It’s convenient but reckless for Catholic officials to secretly investigate those who commit and conceal sexual violence against kids and disclose their decisions months or years later while more sexual violence against kids happens and is hidden.

Regarding the convicted prelate, we strongly suspect and hope this is Kansas City Bishop Robert Finn. But since Francis refuses to name this bishop, we suspect that millions of Catholics are wondering “Could this be my bishop? Might he have been found guilty years ago somewhere else and no one knows about it?” In fairness to everyone, Francis should disclose the name of this convicted prelate.

Francis must disclose whether these allegations have been turned over to police and prosecutors. If they haven’t been, he must hand over that information immediately. If he doesn’t, he’s telling the world’s bishops that crimes and potential crimes must continue to be quietly dealt with “in house” by biased church staff instead of being addressed by independent, unbiased and experienced secular authorities.

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

Pope to Meet with Victims

UNITED STATES
BishopAccountability.org

Statement by Anne Barrett Doyle

May 27, 2014

Pope Francis’s announcement that he soon will meet with victims of clergy sexual abuse is a welcome and overdue change. As Cardinal Archbishop of Buenos Aires, the Pope refused to meet with victims of clergy abuse, and Benedict XVI’s brief and scripted meetings with victims were theatrical. Will Francis’s meeting with survivors be different? Will he open himself to be changed deeply by them, or will he use the encounter to promote the Church’s current message, i.e., that no institution has done more good than the Church in this area?

We’ll know which it will be by three signs. We’ll have some reason for hope if: 1) Activists and strong public critics are included in the guest list, 2) Before the meeting, action is taken to remove complicit bishops, to declare reporting to civil authorities a blanket church requirement, and to respond honestly to the UN calls for transparency and responsibility, and 3) the format for the meeting includes a frank and open press conference afterward, where differences can be publicly aired.

But Francis’s record in Argentina is not encouraging. Before he was pope, he “had declined to meet with victims of sexual abuse, according to the victims and a spokesman for the Buenos Aires archdiocese,” reported the Wall Street Journal last year.

More troubling, as cardinal, Francis showed a convicted priest exactly the kind of preferential treatment that he decried in his Monday interview. In 2010, he mounted a behind-the-scenes campaign to discredit the young victims of a famous priest recently sentenced to 15 years in prison for child molestation. Then-cardinal Bergoglio’s role in the case of Father Julio César Grassi was first revealed in 2011 in the Argentine news outlets Clarín and Página/12 and was confirmed after he became pope in articles in the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal and National Catholic Reporter.

The pope was Argentina’s most powerful Catholic leader from 1998 to 2013, a time when church officials in the US and Europe addressed the epidemic of child sexual abuse by priests, and even Popes John Paul II and Benedict made public statements. Yet the record shows that Bergoglio stayed silent, releasing no information and rarely mentioning the crisis. He released no abuse documents, no names of accused priests, no tallies of accused priests, no policy for handling abuse, not even an apology to victims.

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

POPE’S TRIP ENDS WITH MEDIA CIRCUS

UNITED STATES
Catholic League

Bill Donohue comments on how the pope’s trip to the Middle East ended:

Pope Francis spent three historic days in the Middle East trying to bring Christians, Jews, and Muslims together, and on the plane ride home he fielded 11 questions on nine issues. Two dealt with his trip: there was one question on Jewish-Muslim relations, and one on the status of Jerusalem. But there were three on sexual issues: priestly sexual abuse, celibacy, and divorced and remarried Catholics.

It’s actually worse than this. On the “Today Show” this morning, only two issues were discussed: sexual abuse and celibacy. In Nicole Winfield’s AP story last night, about half the article was on sexual abuse; in today’s version, this was the only issue covered. Almost all of CNN’s coverage was on sexual abuse. John Allen of the Boston Globe covered many topics, but most of his reporting was on sexual abuse. The Boston Herald showed no interest in anything but sexual abuse.

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

Is the Vatican preparing to punish bishops for covering up abuse?

UNITED STATES
Spiritual Politics

Mark Silk | May 27, 2014

If I were Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City, I’d be nervous. At his in-flight press conference on the way back from the Holy Land yesterday, Pope Francis had this to say when asked about the sexual abuse crisis in the church: “At the moment there are three bishops under investigation. One has already been convicted and the punishment needs to be decided.”

Finn, of course, is the one bishop on God’s green earth who has been convicted of failing to report a suspected case of child abuse by a priest. And so far, he has received not so much as a verbal rap on the knuckles from either the Vatican of his fellow bishops. Now, it seems, a punishment is in the works.

Unless, of course, His Holiness was referring not to bishops who cover up abuse, but to bishops who perpetrate it. But so far as I know, no bishop ever been convicted of child abuse in a secular court. Of course, the pope might have been referring to a canonical conviction, correcting himself on the fly. As in: Of three bishops whose cases have been taken up in Rome, one has already resulted in a conviction, punishment to be decided.

Which would still leave open the question of whether these are cases of bishops charged with covering up abuse. I think they are. The next sentence in the pope’s comment was: “There will be no preferential treatment when it comes to child abuse,” followed by a statement about how in Argentina those who receive preferential treatment are called “spoilt children.”

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

NEWS BULLETIN FOR POPE FRANCIS

UNITED STATES
Road to Recovery

MEDIA RELEASE
MAY 27, 2014

Pope Francis:

1) Hasn’t Cardinal O’Malley filled you in on the fact that the vast majority of clergy sexual abuse victims want nothing to do with Church Masses, prayers, and rituals because they are triggering for them? At least one of the clergy sexual abuse victims who met with Pope Benedict in Washington, DC told me that he felt re-victimized after the encounter with Pope Benedict because he felt it was more of a staged show than an outreach.

2) Don’t you understand that clergy sexual abuse victims do not want to meet you on Church grounds surrounded by reminders of their abusers and abuse? Clergy sexual abuse victims are not able to immerse themselves in the facilities and rituals that were used to abuse them.

3) Don’t you realize that comparing sexual abuse of children by clergy to the celebration of a black Mass is triggering and re-victimizing to those children who were sexually abused at black Masses and other eerie and weird liturgical celebrations by pedophile bishops, priests, deacons, and seminarians?

4) Haven’t you concluded yet that the terms and conditions usually used to resolve most the Church’s problems do not apply to clergy sexual abuse victims? You are not in charge of this area of the Church. It would be best for you to take a step back and allow survivors to instruct you, lead you, and convert you. Survivors know what they need; let them tell you.

5) You will be a better shepherd and leader if you say to clergy sexual abuse victims, “Teach me, lead me, and tell me what we have to do to resolve this?”

6) You should realize that the planned meeting with clergy sexual abuse victims should not be cosmetic, and it should be seen as a very small step in educating the Church about the immoral acts it has committed. Further action needs to take place in order to stop clergy sexual abuse, help victims heal, and make the world a safer place for children. Superficial and cosmetic meetings will only serve to re-harm the victims.

Contacts: Robert M. Hoatson, Ph.D., Road to Recovery, Inc. – 862-368-2800
Attorney Mitchell Garabedian, Boston, MA – 617-523-6250

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

Pope Francis’s cunning likening of paedophilia to a satanic mass

UNITED KINGDOM
The Guardian

Joanna Moorhead
theguardian.com, Tuesday 27 May 2014

Like every journalist who has ever been on a trip with the pope on board Shepherd One, as his plane is known, I am in no doubt as to the significance of the in-flight press conference. Being part of the Vatican press entourage means you’re up close to the pontiff, but you hardly ever get an unscripted quote – even Francis is very carefully handled by media managers.

But the traditional papal press conference in the clouds is a rare chance for him to speak off the cuff, and yesterday he did. “A priest who has sex with a child betrays God,” he told assembled journalists. “A priest needs to lead children to sanctity, and children trust him. But instead he abuses them, and this is terrible. I compare it to a satanic mass.”

This last comparison is significant. While Pope Francis is a man of gestures, he knows there are some issues on which words really count, and none more so than the vexed, and continuing, issue of child abuse.

The former Argentinian cardinal spelled it out in a way all clerics – however far from Rome and however out of touch with the current clean-up operation – will understand. No Catholic priest in his right mind would think of officiating at a satanic mass, a ritual that inverts the worship of God to pay homage instead to the devil. Satanic masses have their roots in medieval times, and have historically been a way of both ridiculing and undermining the authority of the church. They are also the biggest shock tactic imaginable to any Catholic cleric: they are diametrically opposed to everything the church stands for: the ultimate evil.

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

Pope Is to Meet Sex Abuse Victims

ROME
The New York Times

By ELISABETTA POVOLEDO
MAY 27, 2014

ROME — Pope Francis says he plans to meet soon with abuse victims to underscore the Vatican’s determination to “press forward” with “zero tolerance” toward clergy accused of abusing minors.

In an off-the-cuff news conference as he returned from the Holy Land on Monday night, the pope spent more than an hour addressing a variety of questions from reporters aboard his plane, on topics like papal retirement and priestly celibacy. He also said the Vatican was investigating three bishops over sexual abuse allegations and had found one guilty. “We are studying the penalty he will have to face,” Francis said. “There are no privileges.”

The pope announced that he would celebrate Mass with eight abuse victims in the small church inside the guesthouse where he lives at the Vatican. The victims, from various countries, including Britain and Germany, will be accompanied by Cardinal Sean O’Malley, the archbishop of Boston, one of the eight members of a Vatican commission created last year by Pope Francis to advise him on sex abuse policy. The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said Tuesday that no date for the meeting had been set.

It will be the first time that the pope meets personally with victims of clergy abuse, a gesture his predecessors Benedict XVI and John Paul II made several times. “The abuse of minors is a very ugly” and “serious” crime comparable to sacrilege, Francis said.

But Joelle Casteix, western regional director of a victims’ organization, the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, said in a statement that Pope Francis’ personal overture to victims would change nothing and would allow vulnerable children to remain at risk.

“No child rape will be prevented, no abuse cover-up will be prevented and no predator priest will be exposed by anything the pope said today or will do next month,” Ms. Casteix said. “His upcoming and self-serving meeting with victims is more of what we’ve seen for decades: more gestures, promises, symbolism and public relations.”

Bishop Accountability, a private Boston-based group that documents cases of sexual abuse by priests, called the meeting a “welcome and overdue change,” as long as the pope, who “refused to meet with victims of clergy abuse” as archbishop of Buenos Aires, would “open himself to be changed deeply” by the encounter.

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

Former pupil backs national inquiry into St Ninian’s School abuse claims

SCOTLAND
The Courier

By MICHAEL ALEXANDER, 27 May 2014

A West Lothian man who says he was abused at a residential school in Fife during the mid-1960s has backed calls for a full national inquiry into all institutional abuse across Scotland.

The man, who asked to be identified only as John, contacted The Courier after reading that six men with links to a notorious Irish Catholic brotherhood have been arrested and charged in connection with allegations of serious child abuse at the former St Ninian’s School in Falkland, which was run by the Irish Christian Brothers.

John, who said he had “bottled up” his experiences for more than 40 years, said he only now felt able to speak about the “hell” he went through having read on The Courier website that others have come forward.

John, whose family feel they have been “scarred” by those experiences decades ago, said it upset him greatly to recall the abuse but he wants to see justice done.

Born in Edinburgh, the 62-year-old married father-of-three and grandfather-of-five said he was 10 months old when he and his older brother were sent into the care of nuns at Nazareth House in Bonnyrigg — itself the focus of an abuse scandal — where he said conditions were “brutal”.

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

MO- Pope hints at discipline for Kansas City’s bishop, SNAP says

UNITED STATES
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Tuesday, May 27, 2014

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

Last night, Pope Francis claimed that three bishops are under investigation – one of whom has been convicted – regarding the child sexual abuse scandal. We believe and hope one of them is Bishop Robert Finn in Kansas City. (We in SNAP don’t know of another bishop who has been convicted of endangering kids who is still on the job, so we are fairly confident Francis is talking about Finn.)

[Irish Times]

[Vatican Insider]

Finn deserves to be fired or at least demoted because of his deceit, recklessness, callousness and selfishness in pedophile priest cases (Everyone knows about Finn’s wrongdoing in the Fr. Shawn Ratigan case. But he also kept Fr. Michael Tierney on the job in a parish for more than six months, despite multiple allegations against him in at least two civil lawsuits, and has mishandled numerous other cases.)

For decades, Catholic officials have excelled at saying the right things about abuse and cover up. They make grand speeches about how they are going to tackle the on-going crisis. And time and time again they refuse to take real action to stop those who are committing or concealing child sex crimes. This must end if kids are to become safer in the church.

In the past 25 years, we know of just four or five low level church staff who have been disciplined in anyway.

We know of no bishops who have been disciplined. And we’re convinced that this is why the cover ups continue – because those who enable this horror by stonewalling prosecutors, stiff-arming police, shredding documents, and transferring predators are promoted, not punished, in the church.

Almost two years ago, Bishop Finn was criminally convicted in a court of law for not reporting suspected child sex crimes, but he remains on the job today, with just as much power as before. Not one of the world’s 4,000 Catholic bishops and not even one of the Vatican’s hundreds of staffers have denounced Finn. Neither of the last two popes have done or said anything to hold Finn responsible for his egregious and deliberate wrongdoing.

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Mixed reviews on U.N.’s anti-torture report on Vatican

UNITED STATES
The Washington Times

By Meredith Somers-The Washington Times Monday, May 26, 2014

In February, the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child blasted the Holy See’s handling of the sex abuse scandal, and suggested that the Catholic Church revise its canon to approve homosexuality, abortion, birth control and premarital sex.

The U.N. Committee Against Torture applauded Pope Francis for several steps taken under his papacy, including the creation of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, and a statement he made last month that the church would “not take one step backward” with regards to dealing with the sex abuse cases.

According to the Central Office of Church Statistics in the Vatican Secretariat of State, the church has more than 400,000 priests and 5,000 bishops serving its 1.2 billion followers worldwide.

Archbishop Tomasi said during his appearance before the committee earlier this month that the Holy See had defrocked 848 priests and slapped 2,572 clergy members with lesser sanctions in the last 10 years.

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Church must do more to help protect children, Vatican’s chief prosecutor of abuse crimes says

SCOTLAND
Scottish Catholic Observer

The Vatican’s chief prosecutor of sex abuse crimes has said that the Church needs to do more to develop the process for punishing bishops who fail in their duty to protect children.

Fr Robert W Oliver, (above) promoter of justice in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said that the Church does have ‘procedures to deal with bishops who are negligent in supervision. It is a crime.’ However, he said more work needs to be done on the procedures.

“We need to move forward on this,” the American priest said. “The law itself is there, the process itself needs to be developed. It is clear that it is a crime, but how we deal with this crime needs to be developed.”

In an interview with an Irish newspaper while in Dublin to meet safeguarding representatives from dioceses and religious orders, Fr Oliver also said that he believed Pope Francis will work quickly on recommendations from the new Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.

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Popes ordered silence, former judge Kieran Tapsell claims in book

AUSTRALIA
Newcastle Herald

By JOANNE McCARTHY May 27, 2014

A FORMER NSW judge who studied to be a priest with a future notorious Hunter child sex offender has launched a devastating critique of the Catholic Church’s six popes, including two new saints, who covered up a global child sex abuse crisis for nearly a century.

Popes Pius XI, Pius XII, Paul VI, Benedict XVI and the recently named papal saints John Paul II and John XXIII ‘‘effectively facilitated child sexual abuse’’, retired acting NSW district court judge Kieran Tapsell argues in his new book, Potiphar’s Wife: The Vatican’s Secret and Child Sexual Abuse.

While canon law until 1917 required sex offender priests to be dismissed and reported to police, a series of canon law changes and papal decrees since imposed a ‘‘permanent silence’’ that continues to prohibit reporting of some matters in some Australian states even today, Tapsell said.

He reserved some of his most devastating criticism for Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, who blamed Irish bishops in 2010 after the release of damning reports into child sexual abuse in that country, but failed to mention bishops were prohibited from reporting cases to police.

‘‘The cover-up of child sexual abuse did not occur because of bad faith or incompetence on the part of bishops, albeit in some cases that existed, but because they were ordered to cover it up through canon law by six popes since Pius XI in 1922,’’ Tapsell said.

Benedict XVI ‘‘knew that he was part of the Roman Curia that was administering, confirming and entrenching a system of privilege of clergy that not only protected child sex offenders from going to jail, but that led to further sex attacks by them on children’’.

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THE POPE RETURNS TO THE VATICAN AND SPEAKS TO JOURNALISTS ON THE FLIGHT

VATICAN CITY
Vatican Information Service

Vatican City, 27 May 2014 (VIS) – At the end of his trip, during the flight from Tel Aviv to Rome, Pope Francis spoke for over 40 minutes with the journalists who accompanied him on the flight, answering their questions on various issues linked not only to his pilgrimage to the Holy Land, but also in relation to the abuse of minors, remarried divorcees, his upcoming trips, priestly celibacy, and so on. Below is a summary of some of the Pope’s answers.

The Holy Land and the prayer meeting in the Vatican with Shimon Peres and Mahmoud Abbas.

The most authentic gestures are those that we don’t think about, those that come to us, aren’t they? I thought about suggesting it during the trip, but there were many logistical problems, because each one has to consider the territory, and it’s not easy. So I thought about a meeting, and at the end, I came up with this invitation. It will be an encounter to pray, not for the purposes of mediation. We will pray with the two presidents; prayer is important, it helps. Afterwards, each person will return home. There would be a rabbi, a Muslim, and myself.

Abuse of minors

At the moment there are three bishops under investigations: one has already been found guilty and we are now considering the penalty to be imposed. There are no privileges. … A priest who does this betrays the Body of the Lord, because this priest must lead this child, this boy, this girl, to sanctity, and this boy or girl trusts in him; and instead of leading them to sanctity he abuses them. This is very serious. It is like, by way of comparison, holding a black Mass. You are supposed to lead them to sanctity and instead you lead them to a problem that will last their entire lives. In a few days’ time there will be a Mass at the Domus Sanctae Marthae with some survivors of abuse, and then a meeting with them. … But we must move forward on this issue, with zero tolerance!

Contradiction between the poor and austere Church and the financial scandals within

The Gospel tells us that Lord Jesus once said to His disciples that it is inevitable that there will be scandals, because we are human and we are sinners. And there will be scandals. The key is trying to avoid that there are more of them! Economic administration calls for honesty and transparency. The two Commissions, the one which has studied the IOR and the Commission that has studied the Vatican as whole, have reached their conclusions, and now the ministry, the Secretariat for the economy directed by Cardinal Pell, will carry out the reforms that the two Commissions have advised. … For instance, in the IOR I think that around 1,600 accounts have been closed, belonging to people who were not entitled to hold an account at the IOR. The IOR exists to help the Church, and accounts can be held by bishops, Vatican employees, and their widows or widowers, to draw their pensions. … But other private individuals are not entitled to accounts. It is not open to all.

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“Abusing a minor is like celebrating a black mass”

Vatican Insider

ANDREA TORNIELLI
ON THE FLIGHT FROM TEL AVIV TO ROME

Pope Francis speaks to journalists on board the flight from Tel Aviv to Rome, answering questions off the cuff for an hour despite his exhausting trip.

Abuse against minors

“At the moment there are three bishops under investigation. One has already been convicted and the punishment needs to be decided. There will be no preferential treatment when it comes to child abuse. In Argentina we call those who receive preferential treatment “spoilt children”. There will be no “spoilt children” in this case. It is a very serious problem. When a priest commits abuse, he betrays the Lord’s body. A priest must guide children towards sainthood. And the child trusts him. But instead, he abuses him or her. This is very serious. It’s like celebrating a black mass! Instead of steering him or her towards the sainthood you create a problem that will stay with him or her for all of his or her life. Soon there will be a mass with some abuse victims in St. Martha’s House. Then I will hold a meeting with them. A zero tolerance approach needs to to be adopted with regards to this issue.”

The 15 million Euros that were embezzled from the IOR and given to Lux Vide and the financial scandals

“The Lord Jesus once told his disciples: scandals are inevitable, we are humans and all of us are sinners. The issue is preventing more from happening. Economic administration requires honesty and transparency. The two commissions, the one which investigated the IOR and the one which looked into the financial and economic situation of the Vatican as a whole, have now reached their conclusions and will carry forward the recommended reforms, along with the ministry and Secretariat for the Economy headed by cardinal Pell. But there will still be incongruities, there always will be because we are humans. And the reform process needs to be ongoing. The Church’s fathers said the Church must be “simper reformanda”. We are sinners, we are weak. The Secretariat for the Economy will help prevent scandals and problems. For example, 1600 illegitimate accounts have been closed down in the IOR. The IOR is there to help the Church, bishops, dioceses, Vatican staff, their widows and embassies have the right to an account with the IOR, but no one else. It is not an open thing. And this was work well done, closing down the accounts of those who were not entitled to have one. I would like to say one thing: the question regarding the 15 million Euros is still being looked into; it is not yet clear what happened.”

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Pope Francis to meet with sexual abuse victims

UNITED STATES
CNN

By Dana Ford, CNN

(CNN) — Pope Francis spoke out against sexual abuse by Catholic clergy on Monday and said he plans to meet with victims in early June.

Stressing that such abuse constitutes a horrific crime, he told reporters aboard the papal plane that three bishops are under investigation.

It was not clear whether the bishops are under investigation for alleged abuse, or for purported involvement in some sort of cover-up.

A priest who abuses a child betrays the body of the Lord, the Pope said, according to pool reports. He called for zero tolerance.

Among the expected invitees to the meeting are abuse victims from Germany, England and Ireland, and Cardinal Sean O’Malley, the archbishop of Boston.

Terrence Donilon, a spokesman for the cardinal, said the time and date of the meeting have not been finalized.

“Cardinal O’Malley has been asked by the Holy Father to assist with the planning for a meeting with survivors of sexual abuse in the coming months,” said Donilon. “The cardinal looks forward to supporting this effort by Pope Francis in whatever manner will be most helpful.”

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MEMORIAL DAY IN THE UNITED STATES

UNITED STATES
Road to Recovery

MEDIA RELEASE
MAY 26, 2014

Pope Francis announced on the day we in the United States “remember” those whose lives were lost in war, that he will meet with survivors of clergy sexual abuse even though:

1) It has been revealed that approximately 800 babies’ bodies have been discovered on or near the grounds of a facility for unmarried women and their babies in Tuam, County Galway, Ireland run by the Bon Secours nuns.

2) Bishops who covered up and enabled clergy sexual abuse of hundreds of thousands of children are still in office and administering dioceses all over the world.

3) Sexually abusive priests continue to serve in ministry, have not been defrocked, and pose an ongoing danger to children, teenagers, and vulnerable adults.

Road to Recovery calls on Pope Francis to:

1) Have more than “cosmetic” meetings with survivors of clergy sexual abuse and get down to the real business at hand, such as firing bishops who covered up and enabled sexual abuse, defrocking priests who sexually abused children, encouraging governments to enact legislation that will strengthen laws against pedophiles, calling on local law enforcement agencies to arrest and prosecute any priest or religious person who has broken law or covered up clergy sexual abuse, and providing every resource available to help heal sexual abuse victims.

2) Travel to Tuam, County Galway, Ireland, and preside at the exhumation of every one of the 800 babies who died at what was supposed to be a Catholic home for unmarried women and their babies. He should then meet with every family of those babies and offer them whatever resources they need to heal from the trauma.

3) Close every Catholic institution that houses children, teenagers, or vulnerable adults, even temporarily, until independent investigators complete thorough evaluations of each and every institution and declare them safe for children, teenagers, and vulnerable adults.
Road to Recovery, Inc. is a non-profit charity based in New Jersey that assists victims of sexual abuse and their families.

Contacts: Robert M. Hoatson, Ph.D., Road to Recovery, Inc. – 862-368-2800
Attorney Mitchell Garabedian, Boston, MA – 617-523-6250

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Boston’s O’Malley Plans Meeting Between Pope, Abuse Victims

BOSTON (MA)
WBUR

By The Associated Press May 27, 2014

BOSTON — Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley is organizing a meeting between Pope Francis and a group of sex abuse victims at the Vatican that will mark the first such encounter for the pope.

Francis announced the meeting on Monday and declared “zero tolerance” for any member of the clergy who would violate a child.

The Archdiocese of Boston said in a statement that the details of the meeting haven’t been finalized yet, and that O’Malley “looks forward to supporting this effort by Pope Francis in whatever manner will be most helpful.” The Archdiocese said the meeting is expected to take place “in the coming months.”

The Catholic Church clergy sex abuse crisis broke nationally in 2002 after The Boston Globe wrote a series of stories revealing that church officials in Boston shifted pedophile priests between parishes without disclosing their alleged crimes.

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Curtain closing on former Nunavut priest’s long, sordid trial

CANADA
Nunatsiaq Online

DAVID MURPHY

The final installment of the Eric Dejaeger trial began May 26 with Dejaeger’s defence lawyer, Malcolm Kempt, destroying the credibility of dozens of witnesses by suggesting they lied, colluded and fabricated absurd stories at the seven-month trial.

Justice Robert Kilpatrick, who is presiding over the trial without a jury at the Nunavut Court of Justice in Iqaluit, has so far heard a multitude of stories about child rape, inappropriate touching and even bestiality — the bulk of which allegedly occurred at St. Stephen Catholic Church in Igloolik between 1978 and 1982.

But most of these stories never happened, argues Kempt.

“These allegations might sell newspapers, but they’re not the truth,” he told Kilpatrick.

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Pope will meet with abuse victims; O’Malley to have role

Boston Globe

by John L. Allen Jr. | GLOBE STAFF MAY 26, 2014

ROME — Pope Francis said Monday that he plans to celebrate a Mass with a small group of victims of sexual abuse in the coming weeks and to hold a private meeting to hear from them, a session in which Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley of Boston will also take part.

Francis also revealed that three Catholic bishops are under Vatican investigation for matters related to sexual abuse, citing those inquiries as proof that there will be no “daddy’s boys” in the clergy who enjoy special privileges on his watch.

Francis did not make it clear whether those three bishops are being investigated for abuse they are alleged to have committed or for an alleged failure to respond properly to possible abuse by others.

The pope made the comments in a press conference during his return flight from Jerusalem to Rome, at the conclusion of a three-day trip to the Middle East.

Francis used strong language to denounce the sexual abuse of children by clergy, calling it a “very grave crime” and saying that when a priest subjects a child to abuse, it is as if the priest has celebrated a “black Mass” as part of a Satanic ritual.

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Pope says three bishops under investigation over child abuse

Irish Times

Paddy Agnew

Tue, May 27, 2014

Three Catholic bishops are currently under investigation over allegations of child abuse and one has already been convicted, Pope Francis has said.

Speaking as he returned to Rome after a historic three-day visit to the Holy Land, the pontiff called for a “zero-tolerance” approach to sex abuse within the church.

He also criticised “a global economic system that is centred on money, rather than the human person”.

Not for the first time, Francis’s remarks showed that the Argentine ‘Pope From Afar’ is not just a spiritual leader, he is also a shrewd and informed socio-political analyst.

Asked about the sex abuse question, the pope revealed that three bishops are currently under investigation.

“One has already been convicted and the punishment needs to be decided. There will be no preferential treatment when it comes to child abuse,” the pope said during a press conference on his plane to Rome.

“When a priest commits abuse, he betrays the Lord’s body. A priest must guide children towards sainthood. And the child trusts him. But instead, he abuses him or her.

“This is very serious. It’s like celebrating a black Mass! And you create a problem that will stay with (the victim) for all of his or her life.

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Assistant Newark archbishop’s remarks invite a look at Myers’ retirement residence

NEW JERSEY
The Record

MAY 26, 2014

BY JEFF GREEN
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD

MAHWAH – After urging people during a Memorial Day Mass to sacrifice for the poor, assistant Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda of Newark said the church needs to reevaluate its spending amid a controversy over lavish upgrades to the retirement home of the prelate he stands to succeed.

The archdiocese has been besieged by criticism, some of it directed at Hebda, for a $500,000 expansion under way at the 8.2-acre property in rural Hunterdon County used by Archbishop John J. Myers. The 4,500-square-foot house is getting a 3,000-square-foot addition complete with fireplaces, a “therapeutic whirlpool” and a second office.

While Hebda did not directly criticize Myers or the use of church money for the archbishop’s personal residence, he said in an interview that Myers and the archdiocese must pay close attention to the words of Pope Francis, who has over the past year used the world stage to focus on the suffering and the impoverished. Asked if Myers needed all the new amenities, Hebda said, “Clearly, all of us have to hear what the Holy Father is saying – that’s not just for priests and bishops, either. It’s for all of us.

“We have to find those ways of being really faithful to the Gospel and figuring out what it is that we need,” he said. “Not always what we want, but what it is that we need.”

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Ex-youth pastor jailed weekends for possessing child pornography

CANADA
The Chronicle-Herald

STEVE BRUCE COURT REPORTER
Published May 26, 2014

A former youth pastor has been sentenced to 90 days in jail for having child pornography on his computer.

Aaron Kenneth Hudgins, 31, of Timberlea pleaded guilty recently in Halifax provincial court to a charge of possession of child pornography.

Judge Bill Digby accepted a joint recommendation from lawyers to allow Hudgins to serve his jail time intermittently.

Hudgins will do his time at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Dartmouth on weekends beginning June 6.

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Forbes digs deep for Red Shield Appeal

AUSTRALIA
Forbes Advocate

The community of Forbes deserves a pat on the back after helping the Salvation Army reach their target of $7,000 during this year’s Red Shield Appeal.

The Red Shield Appeal doorknock was held yesterday, with about 45 volunteers, including 30 school students, coming together to help raise much-needed funds for the Salvos.

Over $7,000 was raised in Forbes from the doorknock on Sunday, as well as at collection points set up in the week leading up to it, which Forbes Salvation Army officer Troy Munro said was a fantastic achievement.

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Papa Francisco compara abusos sexuales con ‘misa satánica’

El Tiempo

Por: REUTERS
.
El papa Francisco dijo ayer (lunes) que los abusos sexuales cometidos por sacerdotes eran un crimen comparable a una “misa satánica” y dijo que tendrá cero tolerancia con quienes abusaron de niños en el interior de la Iglesia Católica, incluidos obispos.

En una conversación con periodistas a bordo del avión que lo trasladó de regreso a Europa luego de una visita a Oriente Medio, el papa también anunció que se reunirá por primera vez con un grupo de víctimas de abusos en el Vaticano a inicios de junio.

Ante la pregunta de si tomaría medidas contra los obispos acusados de abusos sexuales, dijo que “no habrá hijos de papá” ni privilegios, agregando que tres obispos están actualmente bajo investigación. “El abuso sexual es un crimen tan horrendo (…) porque un sacerdote que hace esto traiciona el cuerpo de Dios. Es como una misa satánica”, dijo, en las declaraciones más duras que ha dado respecto a una crisis que sacudió a la Iglesia Católica por más de una década.

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Pope, Cardinal Sean O’Malley plan Vatican meeting with sex abuse victims

BOSTON (MA)
Boston Herald

Monday, May 26, 2014

By: Chris Cassidy

Pope Francis will meet with a group of clergy sex abuse victims next month at the Vatican as the pontiff declared “zero tolerance” for any priest who would violate a child.

“On this issue we must go forward, forward. Zero tolerance,” Francis said on his papal plane today while returning from Jerusalem.

The meeting with a half-dozen victims will mark the first such encounter for the new pope, who has been criticized by victims for not expressing personal solidarity with them.

Terrence Donilon, spokesman for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, said Cardinal Sean O’Malley will help plan the meeting.

“The universal Church and the international community are blessed by Pope Francis continuing a leadership role in the response to the tragic events concerning the sexual abuse of minors by clergy. At this time the date of the meeting and other details have not been finalized. The Cardinal looks forward to supporting this effort by Pope Francis in whatever manner will be most helpful.”

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Victims call for public inquiry into historical sex abuse allegations in residential schools across Scotland

SCOTLAND
Daily Record

May 27, 2014 00:01 By James Moncur

RECENT revelations in the Daily Record about St Ninian’s school in Fife have reinvigorated the call for action into allegations of attacks on children in the 1960s, 70s and 80s.

PRESSURE is growing on the Scottish Government to launch a full public inquiry into historical institutional abuse across Scotland.

Victims have joined forces with politicians to demand action into allegations of attacks on children in the 1960s, 70s and 80s.

They want a full and transparent probe identical to the HIA – Historical Institutional Abuse inquiry – which is currently taking place in Northern Ireland.

Recent revelations in the Record about St Ninian’s school, in ­Falkland, Fife, have reinvigorated the campaign to bring those responsible to justice and discover how much the state knew.

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Fliegende Pressekonferenz: Papst spricht über Missbrauch, Nahost und Reisepläne

VATIKAN
Radio Vatikan

Papst Franziskus ist von seinem dreitägigen Besuch im Nahen Osten nach Rom zurückgekehrt. Am späten Montagabend kurz vor 23.00 Uhr landete er mit einer Sondermaschine der israelischen Fluggesellschaft El Al auf dem römischen Flughafen Ciampino. Damit endet die zweite Auslandsreise von Papst Franziskus.

Nach seiner dreitägigen Nahost-Reise hat Franziskus während des Rückflugs von Tel Aviv am Montagabend vor mitreisenden Journalisten zu verschiedenen Themen Stellung bezogen. Dabei ging er u.a. auf die Themen Kindesmissbrauch durch Geistliche, den Zölibat, den Rücktritt seines Vorgängers Benedikt XVI. und Reisepläne für 2015 ein. Das Gespräch dauerte gut 40 Minuten. Bereits im vergangenen Jahr hatte Franziskus auf dem Rückflug vom Weltjugendtag in Rio de Janeiro eine stundenlange „fliegende Pressekonferenz“ gegeben.

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Helfen statt Beten!

DEUTSCHLAND
netzwerkB

[Summary: Norbert Denef, who chairs a network of those affected by sexual violence, said the victims no longer pray but want to negotiate on equal terms for compensation and the pope should understand this.]

netzwerkB Pressemitteilung vom 27. Mai 2014

Papst Franziskus hat auf dem Rückflug von seiner Reise durch den Nahen Osten vor Journalisten gesagt:

“Sexueller Missbrauch ist eine schreckliche Straftat (…), weil ein Geistlicher, der so etwas tut, Verrat begeht am Leib des Herrn. Das ist wie eine satanische Messe.“

Der Papst kündigte an, mit acht “Opfern sexuellem Missbrauchs“ in der ersten Juni-Woche im Vatikan eine Messe zu feiern. Anschließend wolle er sich mit ihnen in privaten Gesprächen über ihre Erfahrungen unterhalten.

Norbert Denef, Vorsitzender des Netzwerks Betroffener von sexualisierter Gewalt e.V., kurz netzwerkB, nimmt hierzu wie folgt Stellung:

Wenn Papst Franziskus ankündigt mit “Opfern sexuellem Missbrauchs“ eine „Messe“ feiern zu wollen, dann mag das für gläubige „Missbrauchsopfer“ ein wichtiges Ereignis sein, gemeinsam mit dem Papst beten zu dürfen.

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Papst lädt Missbrauchsopfer in Vatikan ein

Sueddeutsche

Seinem Vorgänger Benedikt XVI. werfen Kritiker vor, zu lange geschwiegen zu haben. Papst Franziskus kündigt nun “null Toleranz” gegenüber Kindesmissbrauch in der Kirche an und verurteilt sexuelle Übergriffe scharf. In Rom will er mit Betroffenen sprechen.

Papst Franziskus hat ein entschiedenes Vorgehen der Kirche gegen Verantwortliche sexueller Übergriffe auf Minderjährige versprochen. Der Missbrauch Schutzbedürftiger sei “ein Sakrileg” und vergleichbar mit einer “satanischen Messe”, sagte das Oberhaupt der katholischen Kirche am Montagabend auf der Rückreise von einer mehrtägigen Reise im Nahen Osten nach Rom vor Journalisten.

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Fliegende Pressekonferenz nach Nahost-Reise: Papst nennt Kindesmissbrauch “satanische Messe”

Spiegel

Überraschend deutlich hat sich Papst Franziskus zu Fällen von Kindesmissbrauch in der katholischen Kirche geäußert. Auch der Zölibat und ein möglicher Rücktritt kamen bei einer Fragerunde über den Wolken zur Sprache.

Rom/Jerusalem – Nach seiner dreitägigen Nahost-Reise hat Papst Franziskus während des Rückflugs nach Rom zu einigen kontrovers diskutierten Themen der katholischen Kirche Stellung bezogen. Ungewohnt deutlich äußerte er sich unter anderem zu Fällen von Kindesmissbrauch durch Geistliche. Zur Sprache kamen auch der Zölibat sowie der Rücktritt seines Vorgängers Benedikt XVI.

Pädophile Übergriffe seien ein großes Problem, bei dem es für die Kirche nur eine Null-Toleranz gebe, bekräftigte er. “Sexueller Missbrauch ist ein schreckliche Straftat, weil ein Geistlicher, der so etwas tut, Verrat begeht am Leib des Herrn. Das ist wie eine satanische Messe”, sagte Franziskus.

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Abuse royal commission chief executive Janette Dines to quit

AUSTRALIA
The Australian

NICOLA BERKOVIC THE AUSTRALIAN MAY 27, 2014

THE chief executive running the royal commission into child sexual abuse will quit her position at the end of next week.

Janette Dines was appointed to the role in late 2012 and has been a commonwealth public servant for 20 years.

Royal Commission chair Justice Peter McClellan said Ms Dines had been the driving force behind the establishment of the office of the Royal Commission since its announcement in late 2012.

“Ms Dines has successfully created the structure and facilities that have enabled the Royal Commission to achieve a large amount in a short time,” Justice McClellan said.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse will deliver its Interim Report on 30 June.

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Royal commission chief Janette Dines resigns from child abuse inquiry

AUSTRALIA
The Guardian (UK)

Australian Associated Press
theguardian.com, Monday 26 May 2014

The chief executive of the royal commission into child sexual abuse, Janette Dines, has resigned.

Dines will leave her position on 6 June.

Justice Peter McClellan, who chairs the royal commission, said Dines had been the driving force behind establishing the commission since its inception in late 2012, but gave no reason for her departure.

“Ms Dines has successfully created the structure and facilities that have enabled the royal commission to achieve a large amount in a short time,” McClellan said in a statement.

“On behalf of the commissioners, I express our great appreciation to Ms Dines for the contribution she has made to our work.”

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Janette Dines resignation: Chief executive of royal commission into child sexual abuse steps down

AUSTRALIA
7 News

ABC

BY THE NATIONAL REPORTING TEAM’S DAN OAKES, WITH THOMAS ORITI
May 27, 2014

The chief executive of the royal commission into child sexual abuse has resigned.

Janette Dines was appointed to the commission in late 2012 and was previously the director-general of Emergency Management Australia.

Ms Dines, who has been a Commonwealth public servant for 20 years, will leave the position on June 6.

While the circumstances surrounding her departure remain unclear, the ABC understands Ms Dines will be returning to a previous role.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse began hearing evidence from victims of child sexual abuse early last year and has heard from more than 1,500 witnesses, with more than 150 cases of abuse being referred to police for investigation.

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Pope’s ‘zero tolerance’ vow on abuse will now need action

UNITED KINGDOM
BBC News

By Jeremy Bowen
BBC Middle East editor

On the plane back to Rome after his Middle East tour, Pope Francis said that the sexual abuse of children by priests was as bad as performing a satanic mass.

Scandals involving priests abusing children sexually and in other ways have caused enormous damage to Catholicism.

Secular people might say that paedophilia is actually much worse than a satanic rite.

But for a pope to compare crimes carried out by Catholic priests to worshipping the devil counts as strong language.

The Pope is saying what many Catholics who have been horrified by repeated child sex abuse scandals want to hear.

But he will have to follow his words with actions if he wants to stop scandals doing any more damage to the Church.

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Pope Francis to meet with surviving clerical sexual abuse victims

AUSTRALIA
Christian Today

By: Rachel Ford
Tuesday, 27 May 2014

Pope Francis has announced plans to meet with survivors of clerical sexual abuse.

In a press conference on Monday, the Holy Father said that he plans to celebrate Mass with the survivors in Rome next month, while declaring ‘zero tolerance’ for any member of the clergy who abused a child.

CEO of the Catholic Church’s Truth Justice and Healing Council, Francis Sullivan, has welcome the announcement, saying that meeting directly with survivors is the best way to get a true understanding of the devastation caused by child sexual assault crimes.

“This meeting sends yet another very clear message that sexual abuse within the Church is at the very forefront of the Pope’s thinking,” he said.

“Working with his new Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, the Pope is taking real action to address the horror of clerical sexual abuse.”

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Head of abuse survivors’ group criticizes pope’s meeting …

UNITED STATES
Newser

Head of abuse survivors’ group criticizes pope’s meeting with victims as ‘another gesture’

By The Associated Press

Pope Francis says his plans to meet with a group of sex abuse victims at the Vatican is part of an effort to “go forward” with “zero tolerance” in confronting and preventing clergy abuse. But the head of a U.S. victims’ group has dismissed the upcoming session as “another gesture, another public relations coup” that could prove meaningless.

The meeting with a half-dozen victims, announced on Monday, is being organized by Cardinal Sean O’Malley, the archbishop of Boston. It will mark the first such encounter for the pope, who has been criticized by victims for not expressing personal solidarity with them when he has reached out to other people who suffer.

“On this issue we must go forward, forward. Zero tolerance,” Francis said, calling abuse of children an “ugly” crime that betrays God. He said the meeting and a Mass at the Vatican hotel where he lives would take place early next month.

The Archdiocese of Boston said in a statement that the details of the meeting haven’t been finalized yet, and that O’Malley “looks forward to supporting this effort by Pope Francis in whatever manner will be most helpful.” The Archdiocese said the meeting is expected to take place “in the coming months.”

David Clohessy, executive director of the main U.S. victims’ group, Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, said the pope has shown himself to be capable of making real change in other areas such as church governance and finance but hasn’t done so in dealing with sex abuse by Catholic clergy.

“The simple truth is this is another gesture, another public relations coup, another nice bit of symbolism that will leave no child better off and bring no real reform to a continuing, scandal-ridden church hierarchy,” he said.

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Pope says three bishops being probed in abuse cases

Gazzetta del Sud

Rome, May 27 – Pope Francis says three bishops are being investigated in connection with sexual abuse cases, adding that the Church “must go forward with zero tolerance” for abuse and no special treatment for perpetrators. During a press conference as the pope returned from a three-day visit to the Holy Land, Francis said he will meet with sexual abuse survivors from the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Germany in the coming weeks. He described abuse at the hands of Church officials, including priests, as a “grave crime” comparable to a “black Mass” by Satanists.

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Pope Francis’s rollicking plane ride home…

Washington Post

Pope Francis’s rollicking plane ride home: Rule of celibate priests ‘always open’ to change

BY TERRENCE MCCOY
May 27

Even for a pope widely recognized as ebullient and spry, the three-day trip to the Holy Land must have been exhausting. It included helicopter rides, hand-kissing, tomb visits, gentle diplomacy that may boost peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis, and even an argument with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over what language Jesus spoke.

So when Francis finally climbed aboard his plane Monday night to return to Rome, a Vatican spokesman told reporters to keep the questions short. The pope had to rest.

But 77-year-old Francis, looking alert, was having none of that. And in what turned into one of the more freewheeling exchanges of Francis’s 15 months as pontiff, he took an hour of questions that touched on sexual assault victims, celibate priests and whether he had plans for retirement. Both the candor and the impromptu nature with which he responded is likely to expand his growing reputation as the most tolerant, iconoclastic pope of the past 40 years.

The church has “zero tolerance” for sexual abuse: Francis revealed the Vatican is investigating three bishops for abuse-related crimes against minors. He said he is planning on meeting a half-dozen sexual assault victims early next month, the first time he has done so.

“There will be no preferential treatment when it comes to child abuse,” he said, adding that one of the bishops under investigation has already been convicted. “It is a very serious problem. When a priest commits abuse, he betrays the Lord’s body. A priest must guide children towards sainthood. And the child trusts him. But instead, he abuses him or her. This is very serious. It’s like celebrating a black mass.”

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The Law Firm of Owen, Patterson & Owen Files a Child Sexual Abuse Lawsuit in Kern County, California

CALIFORNIA
Herald Online

BAKERSFIELD, CALIF. — The attorneys at the law firm of Owen, Patterson & Owen have filed suit in the Superior Court of the State of California, County of Kern on behalf of a four-year-old minor by way of her guardian. According to court documents, the young girl was allegedly sexually abused on multiple occasions while in the care of First United Methodist Church of Bakersfield’s First Experiences Preschool in Bakersfield, California.

As recently reported by KERO-TV in Bakersfield, California, and Kern Golden Empire the plaintiff suffered sexual abuse during naptimes that were unsupervised. According to court documents, the abuse also occurred at lunchtime, in restrooms, in the classrooms and/or on the playground. The school staff was allegedly made aware of the occurrences but failed to communicate the sexual abuse to the plaintiff’s parents or to authorities. Teachers and school staff members fall into a category of people that are legally required to report negligence or abuse to law enforcement.

“We ask that the parents of children who attend and/or have attended First United Methodist Church of Bakersfield and First Experiences Preschool contact our office with any information immediately,” said lead attorney Greg Owen of Owen, Patterson & Owen.

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Counterpoint: Clergy sex abuse is serious, but the church is also a target

MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

Article by: KATHERINE KERSTEN Updated: May 23, 2014

The sexual abuse of children is profoundly evil. Over the years, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has mismanaged clergy sexual abuse in a way that has led to grievous suffering.

News reports and commentary about the problem may lead some Minnesotans to conclude not just that we’ve seen a grave and reprehensible failure of leadership by a handful of church officials, but that there is an unprecedented epidemic of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church (“How could this happen? A window into the culture that protected pedophile priests,” April 23).

There’s an untold story behind this barrage of headlines.

Sexual abuse of children is an appallingly widespread phenomenon. Studies suggest that as many as 2 million American children ages 2 to 17 are victimized every year. Sexual abuse is indeed rampant, but where is it occurring?

A substantial share of abuse — estimates range as high as 60 percent — takes place in the family setting, with stepfathers and a mother’s live-in boyfriend frequently responsible. Children in foster care are at special risk. Studies suggest they may be four times more likely to be sexually abused than other children.

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Pope Francis likens child sex abuse to a ‘satanic Mass’ – and vows ‘zero tolerance’ of paedophile priests

Mirror (UK)

May 27, 2014 02:31 By Chris Richards

Pope Francis has likened sex abuse by Catholic clergy to a “satanic Mass” – and has vowed to take a “zero tolerance” approach to paedophile priests.

The pontiff, 77, said three bishops were under investigation by the Vatican, although it is not clear if they were accused of committing abuse itself or of having covered it up.

He was speaking on board the papal plane after visiting Jerusalem, and ahead of a meeting with a group of sex abuse victims at the Vatican next month.

The Argentine-born pope said: “Sexual abuse is such an ugly crime … because a priest who does this betrays the body of the Lord.

“It is like a satanic Mass.

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Pope Francis Declares Zero Tolerance for Clergies Who Violate Minors; Compares Child Sex Abuse to Satanic Mass

International Business Times

By Vittorio Hernandez | May 27, 2014

Fresh from his trip to the Holy Land, Pope Francis announced a renewed war against sex abuse, particularly of minors. He declared to media while aboard a plane returning to Rome that he has a zero tolerance for members of the clergy involved in child abuse scandals.

He disclosed that the Vatican is investigating three bishops on abuse-related charges, but the pontiff did not clarify if the bishops were the perpetrators or tried to cover it up.

As part of his zero tolerance policy, the pope has scheduled a meeting with half-dozen sex abuse victims, which would be a first for Pope Francis. The meeting, which would include a Mass, would be held in June at the Vatican dorm where the pontiff is staying.

Boston Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley, who heads a commission the pope established to study ways of dealing with the problem, will attend the event.

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Pope pledges no tolerance of sex abuse

Radio New Zealand

The Pope says he will meet a group of sex abuse victims in June after comparing the “ugly crime” to performing “a satanic Mass”.

Speaking after his three-day tour of the Middle East on Monday, Pope Francis said he would show zero tolerance for anyone in the Roman Catholic Church who abuses children.

“Sexual abuse is such an ugly crime … because a priest who does this betrays the body of the Lord,” he said.

The 77-year-old spoke to journalists for nearly an hour on his flight to Rome, the BBC reports, but it was not clear if the zero tolerance policy would extend to bishops accused of turning a blind eye to abuse by priests in their dioceses.

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Pope Francis announces meeting with abuse survivors

VATICAN CITY
Vatican Radio

[with audio]

(Vatican Radio) Despite the grueling schedule of his three day pilgrimage to the Holy Land, on Monday evening Pope Francis held an hour long in-flight question and answer session with the journalists who had accompanied him. The Pope responded to their questions on issues that ranged from the Churches’ efforts in combatting the sexual abuse of minors by clergy, to the reform of the Curia. The Pope addressed questions that have arisen ahead of October’s Synod on the family, regarding the situation of divorced and remarried Catholics, he spoke of future papal travels and dwelt the modern day reality of Christian martyrs for the faith.

Responding to a question on the Churches handling of the abuse crisis, Pope Francis stated that there will be no preferential treatment when it comes to child abuse. That three bishops are currently under investigation for and one has been convicted with punishment pending. Such abuse is a betrayal of the Lord’s body, he said. He then announced that next week he will hold a two day meeting with survivors of abuse and celebrate mass with them at his residence in Casa Santa Marta.

Responding to a question on the issue of communion for divorced and remarried Catholics, which has arisen ahead of next October’s Synod on the Family, Pope Francis lamented that the entire Synod should be boiled down to this one issue. He noted the real issue is the crisis that the family is undergoing today with a drop in the number of young people choosing to marry. However, the Pope did add that the procedure of preparation for marriage and annulments of marriage needed further reflection. He also concluded that divorced Catholics must not be treated as if they had been excommunicated.

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Pope says 3 bishops under investigation, sees overemphasis on question of Communion for the remarried

UNITED STATES
Catholic Culture

On his return flight from the Holy Land to Rome, Pope Francis told reporters that the sexual abuse of minors is a “very grave crime” and that three bishops are under investigation for matters related to abuse.

“We must go forward with zero tolerance,” the Pope said, as he compared the clerical abuse of minors to a priest taking part in a satanic ritual.

Pope Francis also said he would celebrate Mass for a group in abuse victims.

According to summaries of the press conference published by Vatican Radio and by John Allen of the Boston Globe, the Pope also confirmed that Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican’s former Secretary of State, is under investigation for financial irregularities and that priestly celibacy, while not a “dogma of the faith,” is a discipline “that I value very much and see as a gift for the Church.”

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GUILTY HOLY SEE -Vatican worse than Nazis. Vatican Theft worse than Nazis loot. Set Jesus free from Vatican, popes & priests Mass sorcery

UNITED STATES
PopeCrimes& Vatican Evils.

Paris Arrow

To understand the UN Report, go to SNAP and The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) who livestreamed their discussion of the UN report on the Vatican hearing that the Committee Against Torture (CAT) released earlier today:
http://ccrjustice.org/files/CAT_C_VAT_CO_1_17271_E.pdf

CCR and SNAP respond to UN CAT report – YouTube
► 55:05► 55:05
www.youtube.com/watch?v=okE21mDm_wo
3 days ago – Uploaded by SNAPnetwork
CCR and SNAP respond to UN CAT report. … CCR and SNAP respond to UN CAT report. SNAPnetwork·4 …

On May 23, 2014, should the (UN CAT) United Nations Committee Against Torture hand the judgement that the Vatican a.k.a. Holy See is ‘guilty of torture’, it will make an unprecedented declaration that will change forever the course of history for mankind and trump over religion like never before. It will announce the birth of justice for hundreds of thousands of silent Catholic survivors sexually tortured by thousands of pedophile priests of the bestial Vatican JP2 Army worldwide in the 20th century due to the Vatican culture of sexual abuse.

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May 26, 2014

Pope says favors celibacy for priests but door open to change

Reuters

(Reuters) – Pope Francis on Monday said he believed that Roman Catholic priests should be celibate but the rule was not an unchangeable dogma, and “the door is always open” to change.

Francis made similar comments when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires but his remarks to reporters on a plane returning from a Middle East trip were the first he has made since becoming pope.

“Celibacy is not a dogma,” he said in answer to a question about whether the Catholic Church could some day allow priests to marry as they can in some other Christian Churches. …

There has been pressure for change, particularly in the wake of recent sexual abuse scandals with proponents of optional celibacy in the Church arguing that sexual frustrations could drive some priests to sexually abuse children.

But the Church has rejected this argument, saying that paedophilia, whether in the Church or outside of it, is carried out by people with psychological problems.

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Pope Francis says papal retirements could become normal in Church

Thomson Reuters Foundation

ROME, May 26 (Reuters) – Pope Francis said on Monday he would be open to retiring eventually like his predecessor, Benedict XVI, instead of ruling for life, adding that the concept of a “pope emeritus” could someday become normal in the Church

“I will do what the Lord tells me to do,” he told reporters on the plane returning from a trip to the Middle East, when asked if he someday would retire if his health did not permit him to rule the 1.2 billion-member Church properly.

“I think that Benedict XVI is not a unique case. I think we should see him as an institution who opened a door, the door of emeritus popes,” the 77-year-old pontiff said.

He said the fact that people were living longer had made the possibility of popes resigning for health reasons in the future more likely.

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Residential school students honoured with monument in Winnipeg

CANADA
CBC News

[with video]

A monument to honour those who attended residential schools in Canada was unveiled on Monday near the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg.

The engraved stone monument, located at the Peace Garden outside the museum, was first suggested by an elder who was a residential school survivor.

Nelson James of Roseau River had called on the federal government to erect something in tribute to those who attended residential schools before his death five years ago.

James said such a monument needed to be in a public place where many would see it and gain an understanding of what happened in that dark part of Canada’s history.

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In Israel, Pope Francis clones Christ’s flesh & pleas for children’s protection …

UNITED STATES
POPE FRANCIS the CON-Christ.

In Israel, Pope Francis clones Christ’s flesh & pleas for children’s protection after canonizing 2 popes who protected JP2 Army pedophile priests in 20th century

Paris Arrow

Updated May 25, 2014 Pope Francis says Mass in Manger Square where Jesus was born after 9-months in Mary’s womb and born by natural birth vs. his 9-seconds reincarnation in the Eucharist sorcery by Pope Francis and priests

Amazing how Jesus has lose his Middle East roots and Jewish identity (albeit born in Bethlehem, Palestine, a Muslim country) and lose His Biblical mission as a poor itinerant preacher for He has become Roman Catholic and hostage of the most tiny country – the Vatican City where He is also the most caged captive in gold tabernacles by tyrant evil popes – those 2,000 year old chameleons Pretenders and Impostors of Jesus and con-artists CON-Christ popes. From mass murderers, thieves, pedophiles, gays, adulterers like the Borgias, to John Paul II the Great Saint of Pedophiles, to Pope Francis the Worst Thief of Mankind – all popes use Christ as their mask, disguise and bait to serve one master alone –the Vatican Mammon Beast a.k.a. Opus Dei Beast ruling in the Vatican Palace – with only one goal – to preserve the Vatican Billions in secret Vatican Swiss Banks because the Vatican owns Switzerland.

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Sexual assault victims calling for Catholic Church boycott

CANADA
CJAD

Victims who were sexually abused by priests as children are calling on Quebecers to boycott the Catholic Church.

Represented by former justice minister and lawyer Marc Bellemare, the victims are asking Quebecers to stop giving the Catholic Church donations because they say it isn’t recognizing the damage the abuse brought to their lives by using the statute of limitations as an excuse not to pay them compensation.

By law, the statute of limitations sets the maximum time after an event that legal proceedings based on that event can be initiated.

“They want to teach the moral to all of us but they are using the law totally immorally to destroy us in front of the trial,” victim Frank Tremblay said.

“I want the population of Quebec to think before they give,” he continued.

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Pope compares sexual abuse to “satanic Mass”, says will meet victims

ROME
Chicago Tribune

(Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Eric Walsh)
Reuters
May 26, 2014

ROME – Pope Francis on Monday branded sexual abuse of children by priests a crime comparable to a “satanic Mass” and said he would show zero tolerance for anyone in the Catholic Church who abused children, including bishops.

Speaking to reporters on the plane taking him back from a visit to the Middle East, the pope also announced that he would have his first meeting with a group of abuse victims at the Vatican early next month.

Asked about whether he would move against bishops who were accused of sexual abuse, he said “there will be no daddy’s boys” and no privileges, adding that three bishops were currently under investigation.

“Sexual abuse is such an ugly crime … because a priest who does this betrays the body of the Lord. It is like a satanic Mass,” he said in some of the toughest language he has used on a crisis which has rocked the Church for more than a decade.” We must go ahead with zero tolerance” he said.

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Pope to meet with sex abuse victims

The Dallas Morning News

By NICOLE WINFIELD The Associated Press
Published: 26 May 2014

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE — Pope Francis announced Monday he would meet with a group of sex abuse victims next month at the Vatican and declared “zero tolerance” for any member of the clergy who would violate a child.

Francis also revealed that three bishops are currently under investigation by the Vatican for abuse-related reasons, though it wasn’t clear if they were accused of committing abuse itself or of having covered it up.

“There are no privileges,” he said.

The meeting with a half-dozen victims, which will include a Mass celebrated by Francis at the Vatican hotel where he lives, will mark the first such encounter for the pope, who has been criticized by victims for not expressing personal solidarity with them when he has reached out to other people who suffer.

In a press conference Monday aboard the papal plane returning from Jerusalem, Francis said he would travel to Sri Lanka and the Philippines in January 2015. And he suggested that he might follow in emeritus Pope Benedict XVI’s footsteps and retire if he no longer had the strength to do the job.

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Pope Francis To Meet With Sex Abuse Victims, Investigating Bishops

Huffington Post

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Pope Francis has announced he will meet with a group of sex abuse victims next month at the Vatican and declared “zero tolerance” for any member of the clergy who would violate a child.

Francis also revealed that three bishops are currently under investigation by the Vatican for abuse-related reasons, though it wasn’t clear if they were accused of committing abuse itself or of having covered it up.

The meeting with victims marks the first for this pope.

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Pope: Zero tolerance for clergy who abuse children

ITV (UK)

Pope Francis has branded sexual abuse of children by priests an ugly crime comparable to a “satanic Mass” and said he would show zero tolerance for anyone in the Catholic Church who abused children, including bishops.

Speaking to reporters on the plane taking him back from a visit to the Middle East, the pope also announced that he would have his first meeting with a group of abuse victims at the Vatican early next month.

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Pope says ‘no privileges’ for bishops on abuse

The West Australian

ABOARD PAPAL PLANE (Undefined) (AFP) – Pope Francis on Monday warned there were “no privileges” for bishops when it came to child sex crimes and said he would hold a special mass with victims next week in the Vatican.

“Three bishops are being investigated,” Francis told reporters on his return flight from the Middle East when asked about the thousands of scandals that have rocked the Catholic Church.

“One of them has already been convicted. There are no privileges. Priests who do this are betraying the Lord,” said the Argentine pontiff, who has set up a new committee to root out abuse.

Francis also said he would be celebrating a mass next week at his Vatican residence, St Martha’s, with “six or eight victims” and would then meet with them privately to talk about their ordeal.

The pope last month personally asked forgiveness for the “evil” of abuses and promised more action in response to accusations of cover-ups and excessive leniency by the Vatican.

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Pope Francis to meet with sex abuse victims

ISRAEL
KY 3

(CNN) –
Pope Francis spoke out against sexual abuse by Catholic clergy on Monday and said he plans to meet with victims in early June.

Stressing that such abuse constitutes a horrific crime, he told reporters aboard the papal plane that three bishops are under investigation.

It was not immediately clear whether the bishops are under investigation for alleged abuse, or for purported involvement in some sort of cover-up.

A priest who abuses a child betrays the body of the Lord, the Pope said, according to pool reports. He called for zero tolerance.

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Pope Francis to meet with sex abuse victims

ISRAEL
USA Today

[with video]

Michele Chabin, USA TODAY May 26, 2014

JERUSALEM — Pope Francis said Monday he will meet with a group of sex abuse victims next month at the Vatican and declared “zero tolerance” for any member of the clergy who would violate a child.

Francis also said that three bishops are under investigation by the Vatican for abuse-related reasons, though it wasn’t clear if they were accused of committing abuse itself or of having covered it up.

The meeting with victims marks the first for this pope. He disclosed the plan in a press conference aboard the papal plane returning from a three-day trip to Jerusalem.

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Pope to meet with sex abuse victims for first time in June

Catholic News Service

By Francis X. Rocca
Catholic News Service

ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM JERUSALEM (CNS) — Pope Francis will meet with a group of sex abuse victims for the first time in June, he told reporters May 26.

During an inflight news conference on his return to Rome from the Holy Land, the pope also confirmed reports the Vatican is investigating charges its former secretary of state misappropriated $20 million from the Vatican bank. And he announced he plans to visit the Philippines and Sri Lanka in January.

The pope described the abuse of children by priests as “such an ugly crime” and a “very grave” problem, the betrayal of a priest’s duty to lead young people to holiness, comparable to performance of a Black Mass.

“We must move ahead, ahead, zero tolerance,” he said.

As an indication of how seriously he takes the problem, the pope said he would meet in the first week of June with a group of six to eight sex abuse victims from various countries, including Germany, England and Ireland. He also will celebrate a private Mass with the group in the Vatican guesthouse, where he lives. Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley of Boston, a member of the recently established Vatican commission on child protection, will be present at the gathering, the pope said.

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Eric Dejaeger not an ‘evil monster:’ defence lawyer

CANADA
CBC News

Eric Dejaeger’s defence lawyer argued today that the former Oblate priest is not guilty of most of the allegations against him.

Dejaeger, 67, is on trial for dozens of charges of sex offences against children dating back to his time in Igloolik, Nunavut three decades ago.

In his closing argument this morning, defence lawyer Malcolm Kempt said the Crown has painted Dejaeger as an “evil monster.”

Kempt says his client is a sex offender and has admitted he touched eight boys in a sexual and inappropriate manner. He pleaded guilty to those charges in November.

But Kempt says Dejaeger is not guilty on the other counts.

More than 40 people testified during Dejaeger’s trial.

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Charlotte’s Catholic diocese faces big needs, deep divisions

NORTH CAROLINA
Charlotte Observer

By Tim Funk
tfunk@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Sunday, May. 25, 2014

The Catholic Diocese of Charlotte, whose flock is more than 10 times larger than when the diocese was created in 1972, has embarked on a $65 million fundraising campaign that organizers say would address an increased demand for services and sacred space that shows no signs of letting up as more Catholics relocate here.

The campaign is by far the most ambitious in the history of the 46-county diocese. And if the goal is reached, the money would be used for, among other things, renovating Catholic schools, expanding Catholic charities, shoring up the priest retirement fund, boosting building plans, and ramping up ministries geared to the growing immigrant population – especially Hispanics. They make up about half of the more than 340,000 Catholics in the diocese.

Catholicism is now the largest single religious denomination in Mecklenburg County, which has 15 Catholic churches.

But at a time when Charlotte-area Catholics appear divided over the conservative leadership style of Bishop Peter Jugis, 57, the campaign could be imperiled – at least in Mecklenburg County, home to the diocese’s three largest parishes.

Many parents of Charlotte Catholic High students are still angry over his and the diocese’s handling of two recent controversies at the school, including last week’s resignation of popular principal Jerry Healy. That came amid questions about the school’s financial accounts.

And some well-heeled parishioners are boycotting the campaign to protest a $4 million earmark for additions at St. Patrick Cathedral in Dilworth – the bishop’s church – that they call a wasteful throwback to a traditionalist Catholicism that’s out of step with Pope Francis’ calls for more humility and less pageantry.

The focus of their ire: Plans to build a crypt, a part of the church used for burial of bishops, and an additional dressing room, or sacristy, this one reserved for the bishop to put on his vestments before Mass at St. Patrick. Currently, Jugis, like his predecessors, “vests” at the rectory next to the church.

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Gospel Coalition Council Member Suggests …

UNITED STATES
Christian Post

Gospel Coalition Council Member Suggests That Tone of Online Discourse Keeps Focus Off Sex Abuse Victims

BY MORGAN LEE , CHRISTIAN POST REPORTER
May 26, 2014

The recent online sparring between leaders within and outside the Gospel Coalition because of new revelations in the Sovereign Grace sex abuse scandal and Tullian Tchividjian’s departure from the Reformed movement unfortunately keeps the attention off the the sexual abuse victims, says a coalition council member.

Gospel Coalition council member K. Edward Copeland, who is the pastor of Zion Baptist Church in Rockford, Illinois, told The Christian Post that “situations like this kind of show something about the Christian community that we need to work on and that is finding ways in our disagreement to be more gracious and to be more willing to listen to what each other are saying before we respond.”

“I think [that victims of sex abuse] deserve more from all parties involved since they are the actual victims and they’re the ones who need our support and understanding even while all the facts are being ferreted out,” Copeland said.

The Illinois pastor clarified that his words were “coming from somebody who has not been intimately involved in terms of personal knowledge in relationship to what has been going at Sovereign Grace or with Tullian and various debates that he has had with various members,” but that it seemed to him “that a lot of the blogosphere from whichever angle you want to look at it from has not been very gracious.”

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EIN KATHOLISCHER PRIESTER IN PORTO RICO …

PORTO RICO
Apocalisse Laica

Ein katholischer Priester IN PORTO RICO ARRESTED mit der Staatsanwaltschaft DER SEXUELLE Handel mit Minderjährigen

(RIVERFLASH) – HAPPENING IN PUERTO RICO, EINEM UNABHÄNGIGEN STAAT MIT DEN USA ASSOZIIERT, EIN KATHOLISCHER PRIESTER WURDE AM 13. MAI UNTER DEM VORWURF DES SEX-HANDEL MIT MINDERJÄHRIGEN UND KINDESMISSBRAUCH VERHAFTET. UM DIE GÜLTIGKEIT DER NACHRICHTEN BESTÄTIGEN, MIGUEL PEREIRA, DER SPRECHER DES JUSTIZMINISTERIUMS VON PUERTO RICO.

DER PRIESTER, ISRAEL BERRÍOS, PUERTO RICO 58 JAHRE, IST JETZT UNTER HAUSARREST IN SEINER RESIDENZ IN NARANJITO, EINER KLEINEN STADT IM ZENTRALEN BEREICH DER INSEL. AUF SEINEM FACEBOOK-PROFIL DON BERRÍOS EIN BILD VON IHM, WÄHREND DIE HÄNDE SCHÜTTELN MIT DEM VERSTORBENEN PAPST JOHANNES PAUL II., WURDE ABER SOFORT VON DEN AUFGABEN, DIE ICH DURCHGEFÜHRT, IN DER DIÖZESE VON CAGUAS ANGEHOBEN. DIE MASSNAHME WIRD, SOBALD DIE KIRCHE HAT GELERNT, DASS DER PRIESTER WAR IN UNTERSUCHUNG FÜR DAS VERBRECHEN DER PÄDOPHILIE GEMACHT.

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Schwyzer Regierung trifft Abklärungen zu Missbrauchsvorwürfen

SCHWEIZ
Blick

[Summary: Basel writer Claude Cueni, who said he was abused by priests at the College of Schwyz, speaks out about the abuse in his latest novel. The Schwyzer education department said it is taking the allegations seriously and some preliminary investigations have been started.]

Der Basler Schriftsteller Claude Cueni hat in seinem neusten Roman «Script Avenue» Vorwürfe gegen die frühere Internatsführung am Kollegium Schwyz geäussert. Es soll zu sexuellen Übergriffen durch Priester gekommen sein. Die Regierung will nun die Faktenlage klären.

Das Bildungsdepartement und die Kantonsschule Kollegium Schwyz würde die Vorwürfe ernst nehmen, teilte das Schwyzer Bildungsdepartement heute mit. Es fordert den Schriftsteller auf, die Vorwürfe zu konkretisieren. Gleichzeitig wurden interne Vorabklärungen eingeleitet, um die Faktenlage zu klären.

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Missbrauchsfall Admont wird neu verhandelt

OSTERREICH
Der Standard

[Summary: The civil lawsuit by a former pupil of Admonter, who said he was abused by two friars, must be renegotiated according to the Vienna supreme court. The man is asking 410,000 euros.]

Leoben/Graz/Wien – Die zivilrechtliche Klage eines ehemaligen Zöglings gegen zwei Admonter Patres und das Stift muss in Leoben neu verhandelt werden. Das hat der Oberste Gerichtshof (OGH) in Wien entschieden, wie am Freitag bekannt wurde. Die dritte Instanz hat damit das Urteil aus Leoben und den Beschluss des Oberlandesgerichts Graz aufgehoben. Nun müssen erst einmal die rechtlichen Rahmenbedingungen eindeutig geklärt werden.

Der frühere Zögling hat nach Übergriffen in den 1960er-Jahren auf 410.000 Euro Schadenersatz geklagt, nachdem er bereits von der sogenannten Klasnic-Kommission 25.000 Euro und 100 Therapiestunden zugesprochen bekommen hatte. Der frühere Schüler soll von den beiden Paters nach eigenen Angaben in der Freizeit im Internat u.a. bis zur Bewusstlosigkeit geschlagen und auch mehrmals vergewaltigt worden sein. Laut Klage leide das Opfer noch heute an den Folgewirkungen wie etwa dauerhafte Verletzungen sowie teilweisen Hörverlust.

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Heiliger Stuhl sieht sich im Kampf gegen Folter bestätigt

GENF
Kipa

Rom, 23.5.14 (Kipa) Der Vatikan sieht sich durch eine Stellungnahme des Uno-Antifolterkomitees weitgehend in seiner Linie bestätigt. Der am Freitag, 23. Mai, von dem Gremium in Genf veröffentlichte Text würdige umfassend die Bemühungen der Kirchenleitung im Kampf gegen Folter und sexuellen Missbrauch Minderjähriger, heisst es in einer Erklärung des Heiligen Stuhls. Dies betreffe auch die finanzielle Entschädigung und andere Hilfen für Missbrauchsopfer.

Insgesamt bescheinige das Uno-Anti-Folter-Komitee der Kirchenleitung viele «ernsthafte und substanzielle Reformen» entsprechend den Zielen der Antifolterkonvention, die der Heilige Stuhl 2002 unterzeichnete, so die Erklärung weiter.

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Zur Exkommunikation durch Bischof Scheuer

OSTERREICH
Wir Sind Kirche

[We Are Church in Austria has commented on the excommunication of Martha Heizer and her husband.]

– mit Stellungnahme von Wir sind Kirche Deutschland

> Basisinfo > Stellungnahme> Pressemeldungen > Grundsätzliche Fragen

neu
Stellungnahme der KirchenVolksBewegung Wir sind Kirche Deutschland
„Aufforderung zum Sinneswandel, nicht Ausschluss aus der Kirche“
> hier

Bischof Scheuer: Selbst-Exkommunikation ist immer auch Niederlage für die Kirche
> Webseite Bistum Innsbruck 22.5.2014

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Bond set at $250,000 for president of Cathedral Bible College with Myrtle Beach campus

SOUTH CAROLINA
The State

BY DAVID WREN
The Sun News (Myrtle Beach, S.C.)
May 23, 2014

Reginald Wayne Miller, the president and founder of Cathedral Bible College, is not allowed to set foot on the college campus in Marion or communicate with any of the school’s current or former foreign students as an investigation continues into allegations that Miller threatened to cancel foreign students’ visas if they did not work long hours for little pay.

Those terms are part of a $250,000 secured bond that Magistrate Judge Thomas Rogers set for Miller during a detention hearing Friday in federal court. In addition, Miller will be on home detention and will be required to wear an electronic monitoring device.

“I don’t think we’ve identified all of the potential victims yet,” said Carrie Fisher, the assistant U.S. attorney prosecuting the case. Fisher said some victims may have already left the country and some may be former students who have yet to come forward. “Our investigation just started this week.”

Miller, who wore shackles and orange prison garb at the hearing, did not speak except to tell Rogers that he understood and agreed to the bond requirements. His public defender, William Nettles, said Miller’s friends and family will attempt to raise the money needed for bond. Miller also turned over his passport to court officials. He was still booked into the Florence County Detention Center as of Friday afternoon.

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SC pastor accused of turning Bible college into forced labor camp for foreign students

SOUTH CAROLINA
The Raw Story

By David Edwards
Sunday, May 25, 2014

The president of a South Carolina Bible college was charged last week with essentially treating foreign students as slaves by forcing them to perform work for little or no pay.

According to The Sun News, federal prosecutors filed a criminal complaint against Cathedral Bible College President Reginald Wayne Miller, accusing him of forced labor.

An affidavit included with the complaint said that students “described a pervasive climate of fear in which their legal status as non-immigrant students was in constant jeopardy, at the sole discretion of Dr. Miller, who threatened expulsion and therefore termination of their legal presence in the United States for noncompliance with his demands.”

Students told investigators that classes at the school “were not real,” and that the real purpose of the school was to force them to work over the maximum of 20 hours per week that federal law allows for student visas. The students alleged that Miller often forced them to live in substandard conditions without hot water, heat or air-conditioning.

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Royal Commission in Canberra

AUSTRALIA
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn

26 May 2014

The way in which Marist Brothers responded to child sexual abuse in schools in the ACT, NSW and Queensland will be the subject of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse’s next public hearing, in Canberra.

The hearing, to be held from Tuesday 10 June, will examine the way the brothers dealt with Brother John Chute (aka Brother Kostka) while he was in a Canberra school.

The commission will also examine abuse perpetrated by another convicted former brother known as KA. The abuse by both brothers took place before 1993.

Truth Justice and Healing Council CEO Francis Sullivan said this latest hearing will require the Marist leadership to explain and to be fully transparent about what happened at the time and about what has been put in place since to ensure the safety of children within their care.

“This latest hearing will again bring into sharp focus the past failing of Catholic Church organisations in dealing with child sexual abuse,” Mr Sullivan said.

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The 9 at 9: Sunday

IRELAND
The Journal

EVERY MORNING, TheJournal.ie brings you the nine stories you need to know as you kick off your day. …

5. #MASS GRAVE: A mass grave beside a former home for unmarried mothers may contain the bodies of almost 800 babies, reports the front page of the Irish Mail on Sunday. As many as 796 children are believed to have been interred in the concrete tank in Tuam in Galway between 1925 and 1961.

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Mass grave of up to 800 dead babies exposed in County Galway

IRELAND
Irish Central

Cahir O’Doherty @irishcentral May 26,2014

According to a report in the Irish Mail on Sunday, a mass grave has been located beside a former home for unmarried mothers and babies in County Galway. The grave is believed to contain the bodies of up to eight hundred babies, buried on the former grounds of the institution known locally as “The Home” in Tuam, north of Galway city, between 1925 and 1961

Run by the Bon Secours nuns, “The Home” housed thousands of unmarried mothers and their “illegitimate” children over those years.

According to Irish Mail on Sunday the causes of death listed for “as many as 796 children” included “malnutrition, measles, convulsions, tuberculosis, gastroenteritis and pneumonia.”

The babies were usually buried without a coffin in a plot that had once housed “a water tank,” the report claims. No memorials were erected, the site was left unmarked and unmourned.

The staggering mortality rate of “The Home” was apparently replicated elsewhere in Ireland.

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Salvos doorknock donations drop nearly 20% in wake of abuse inquiry

AUSTRALIA
The Guardian (UK)

Helen Davidson
theguardian.com, Monday 26 May 2014

The Salvation Army’s annual doorknock appeal saw an almost 20% drop in donations this year, according to interim estimates, with potential donors citing damaging allegations about the organisation raised in the royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse.

The Red Shield Appeal doorknock – which sees scores of volunteers visit homes and public places across the country – raised just $4.97m on the weekend, according to the interim Sunday evening tally, well short of the $10m goal.

It was a drop of just under 20% on last year’s count, taken at the same time, of $6.17m. Previous appeals have also seen a decline year on year, but only of between 5% and 6%.

There was also a significant drop in the number of volunteer collectors signing up.

A spokesman for the Salvation Army, Bruce Harmer, told Guardian Australia there were a number of reasons for the reduced donations, not necessarily just the focus on the organisation in multiple hearings by the royal commission.

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‘Bling bishop’ garden opens to public

GERMANY
IOL

May 26 2014
By SAPA

Limburg – A revamped garden attached to the residence of a bishop who resigned in disgrace this year because of the amount of money he spent on his own home was opened to the public in the western German city of Limburg.

Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, who became known internationally as the “bling bishop,” resigned in March after months of criticism for the 31-million euros spent on renovating his residence, including the fitting of a 15-million-euro bathtub.

The diocese decided that the residence’s Garden of Mary – which received a 790 000-euro investment under the bishop – should be open to everyone.

About 700 people showed up on the first day, reported the diocese. Tebartz-van Elst’s lavish lifestyle was a public embarrassment to the Catholic Church, which has returned its focus to charity and the poor under Pope Francis.

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Paedophile priest Frank Klep targeted sick boys

AUSTRALIA
The Australian

A JUDGE has broken down while jailing a Victorian paedophile priest who plummeted the “depths of evil hypocrisy” in his abuse of 15 schoolchildren.

Frank Klep preyed on sick and vulnerable boys while running the infirmary at Salesian College in Rupertswood, telling one of his victims that what he was doing was “natural”.

Victorian County Court Judge Frank Gucciardo choked back tears and had to briefly leave the courtroom after describing the impact of Klep’s crimes.

“The young men you have abused were broken by your conduct,” Judge Gucciardo told Klep on Monday.

“There is no doubt your conduct plummets the depths of evil hypocrisy.” Judge Gucciardo jailed Klep for 10 and a half years, setting a non-parole period of six and a half years.

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Paedophile priest jailed for 10 and half years in Australia

AUSTRALIA
The Sun Daily

SYDNEY: A paedophile Catholic priest convicted of 15 sex offences against boys as young as 11 was jailed for 10 and a half years Monday.

Frank Klep, aged 70, was in charge of a Melbourne school’s sick bay in the 1970s and 1980s and abused more than 20 boys who went to the infirmary when they were ill.

Judge Frank Gucciardo became so upset during the sentencing he had to leave the room to compose himself for a few minutes, the Herald-Sun newspaper reported.

“Your conduct exemplified the depth of evil hypocrisy,” the judge told Klep.

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Frank Klep, former Victorian Catholic priest and teacher at Salesian College, sentenced to 10 years in prison

AUSTRALIA
ABC News

By Peta Carlyon

Paedophile Victorian priest Frank Klep has been sentenced to 10 and a half years in prison for sex offences.

Klep taught at Salesian College Rupertswood in Sunbury, north of Melbourne, in the 1970s and ’80s.

He pleaded guilty to 15 sex offences involving many boys, including siblings at the school aged between 11 and 15.

The court heard Klep was in charge of the school’s sick bay and abused the boys when they came to him unwell.

Judge Frank Gucciardo described the 70-year-old’s conduct as appalling, predatory and vile, and said it had created devastating lifelong consequences for Klep’s victims and their families.

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Child abuse victim Gordon Grant wants the scene of his ‘hell’ kept open

AUSTRALIA
Herald Sun

EMILY MOULTON PERTHNOW MAY 26, 2014

YOU would think that, after enduring years of unimaginable abuse at Bindoon, Gordon Grant would want the former Christian Brothers orphanage razed to the ground.

For four years he was brutally beaten, sexually assaulted and forced to work as a farm labourer despite being a child.

He says he has no pleasant memories of the Catholic-run agricultural college yet he wants the school to thrive, to become a beacon of vocational education, even though it serves as a constant reminder of the suffering hundreds of children endured at the hands of the Christian Brothers.

“Some say the school should be closed down,” the 80-year-old explains after a trip to the place he referred to as “hell” during the recent Royal Commission hearings into child sexual abuse.

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Church launches new service for victims of abuse

IRELAND
Irish Independent

SARAH MACDONALD – PUBLISHED 26 MAY 2014

A NEW initiative launched by the Catholic Church in Ireland is to offer survivors of clerical and religious abuse a chance to re-engage with their faith and re-connect with the church.

Towards Peace was launched in St Joseph’s parish in Wilton, Cork, yesterday by Bishop John Buckley of Cork and Ross and Una Allen, who is chair of the new service.

The service is being rolled out across the church regionally over the coming months and will be unveiled in Knock next month followed by Dublin and Armagh.

It offers survivors a “spiritual companion” to accompany them in a journey towards healing their faith which may have been damaged by the abuse they suffered.

It also seeks to help survivors find forgiveness towards the institutional church for its failings.

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‘Evil hypocrite’ Vic priest Klep jailed

AUSTRALIA
SBS

Frank Klep, a former priest and Victorian school principal, has been sentenced for 10 years for sexually abusing 15 boys in the 1970s and ’80s.

A judge has choked back tears as he condemned a pedophile priest for plunging to “the depths of evil hypocrisy” by abusing vulnerable schoolboys.

Victorian County Court Judge Frank Gucciardo said Frank Klep used vulnerable young men for his “vile sexual gratification”.

Klep preyed on boarders and sick children sent to his care at the infirmary he controlled at Salesian College, Rupertswood, and continued the abuse when he returned to the school as principal.

He abused more than two dozen boys at the school in the 1970s and 1980s, knowing his position of authority would keep his victims silent.

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‘Your conduct plumbs the depths …

AUSTRALIA
Daily Mail (UK)

‘Your conduct plumbs the depths of evil hypocrisy’: Judge breaks down in TEARS and has to leave court during sentencing of paedophile priest who abused 15 boys

A judge was forced to halt his sentencing of a Victorian paedophile priest after he became visibly upset while speaking about his ‘evil’ crimes.

Judge Frank Gucciardo choked back tears and had to briefly leave the courtroom after describing the impact of Frank Klep’s abuse of 15 schoolchildren during his sentencing on Monday morning.

He remained outside the courtroom for several minutes before he came back in, apologised and continued to hand down the sentence.

Klep, 70, was jailed for 10 and a half years after preying on sick and vulnerable boys while running the infirmary at Salesian College Rupertswood in Sunbury more than 30 years ago.

‘The young men you have abused were broken by your conduct,’ Judge Gucciardo said.

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Family of sex abuse victim urges other victims to come forward

AUSTRALIA
ABC Ballarat

By Lily Partland

Peter Watson’s life was torn apart when his school priest sexually abused him. Now Peter’s brother, Mick, is calling on other victims of the former Ararat priest to come forward.

Mick and Peter Watson were raised as Catholics and attended a Catholic secondary school in Ararat, Marian College.

“It was just a normal childhood out on the farm. We played sport, did all the usual things,” Mick Watson told ABC Ballarat’s Steve Martin.

That was until 1991, when a relatively young priest arrived at the school. He “wasn’t a stereotypical priest”, and a lot of the kids got on well with him. One of those who became friendly with Father Paul David Ryan was Peter.

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May 25, 2014

La arquidiócesis potosina sabía de actos pederastas de Eduardo Córdova Bautista

SAN LUIS POTOSí (MEXICO)
La Jornada [Mexico City, Mexico]

May 25, 2014

By Sanjuana Martínez

Read original article

Las madres de 17 menores abusados denunciaron ante el arzobispo desde 2004

La jerarquía católica permitió la carrera delictiva del sacerdote por más de 30 años: activista

San Luis Potosí

Durante su estancia en la parroquia de Nuestra Señora de la Anunciación, el sacerdote Eduardo Córdova Bautista abusó de 17 menores del grupo juvenil de acción católica de la colonia El Paseo, delitos que fueron denunciados ante la arquidiócesis de San Luis Potosí desde abril de 2004.

La documentación que expone lo anterior esta en poder de La Jornada y consiste en un intercambio epistolar entre las madres de los menores y otros testigos de los delitos sexuales con el entonces arzobispo de San Luis Potosí, Luis Morales Reyes, quien estuvo al frente de esa diócesis durante 13 años, hasta 2012.

El vocero de la arquidiócesis, Jesús Priego Rivera, primero declaró que los testimonios de las víctimas publicados en este diario eran difamaciones, luego reconoció, hace unos días, que efectivamente había un proceso eclesiástico contra el sacerdote por denuncias presentadas en 2008, y que el tribunal emitió la sentencia de inocente el 15 de julio de 2009.

Sin embargo, esta documentación demuestra que el arzobispado sabía desde antes, es decir, hace 10 años, que el sacerdote era denunciado por abusos sexuales cometidos contra un grupo de menores.

Pese a estas denuncias, con nombres y apellidos –cuyas identidades se reservan para proteger a las víctimas– presentadas ante la jerarquía católica en abril de 2004, el arzobispo Morales Reyes contestó a las angustiadas madres, 17 meses después, en septiembre de 2005, para informarles que el asunto se había resuelto pues el sacerdote, finalmente, lo habían removido de su puesto y enviado de capellán a una comunidad de religiosas.

Abusos en El Paseo

Durante su estancia en la colonia El Paseo, Córdova Bautista fue primero eligiendo a sus víctimas de manera cuidadosa y discreta, aunque después fue abusando de la mayoría de los menores sin disimulo: Agarró parejo, abusó de 17 muchachos o tal vez más. Se quedaban a dormir con él y los fines de semana venían sus dos sobrinos y no dudo que esos pobres niños también hayan sufrido abusos, dice en entrevista una madre, que firma una de las cartas, relatando lo sucedido a su hijo mientras apoyaba en las labores de la parroquia.

Las cartas de las denuncias de los jóvenes de El Paseo, fechadas en 2004, tienen el sello y la firma de recibido del entonces vicario de la arquidiócesis, Antonio Torres Herrera, actual encargado de la catedral de San Luis Potosí.

El arzobispo dijo por escrito a las madres que Torres Herrera sería el encargado de dar seguimiento a las denuncias. Sin embargo, hace unos días defendió al sacerdote Córdova Bautista afirmando que no se habían presentado pruebas fehacientes y que para acusar hay que probar. El pasado viernes 23 de mayo reiteró que la jerarquía católica no ha encubierto al sacerdote, actualmente con paradero desconocido.

Delito contra las buenas costumbres

La carta con membrete del arzobispado de San Luis Potosí del primero de septiembre de 2005 está firmada por el arzobispo Luis Morales Reyes, quien informa a las madres de los jóvenes que instruyó un tribunal con el propósito de llevar la investigación correspondiente.

Dicho tribunal, en su reunión del 26 de abril de 2006, determinó que al tener acusaciones verbales y por escrito en contra del P. Eduardo Córdova Bautista, sobre un delito contra las buenas costumbres, era necesario citarlo al tribunal; sin embargo, por su situación de salud se decidió que Mons. Antonio Torres Herrera lo interrogara en su propio domicilio.

El interrogatorio finalmente se hizo el 30 de abril de 2004, a las 17:30 horas, y la información fue enviada al Vaticano el 29 de junio del mismo año, pidiendo sus indicaciones a seguir en el caso tratado.

Los delitos contra las buenas costumbres que el sacerdote cometió, según el arzobispo, fueron en realidad abusos sistemáticos durante varios años contra menores de edad, desde violación, sexo oral, tocamientos, tortura sicológica, amenazas y humillaciones.

Lo que el padre hacía con los niños era un secreto a voces, dice una de las ex empleadas administrativas de la parroquia, que al darse cuenta de las agresiones sexuales lo denunció ante el arzobispado y luego renunció a su puesto: Yo no podía seguir viendo aquello. Intenté que las mamás de los menores interpusieran denuncias judiciales, pero no quisieron, tenían mucho miedo.

La arquidiócesis dispuso que el doctor Carlos González Hernández ofreciera tratamiento siquiátrico a los menores afectados, sin garantía de continuidad. Algunos sólo recibieron una sesión.

El método utilizado por el sacerdote Córdova Bautista para acercarse a los menores hace 30 años en el Instituto Potosino de los Hermanos Maristas es el mismo que utilizó durante cinco años en la parroquia de Nuestra Señora de la Anunciación en la colonia El Paseo, según los testimonios. Primero se ganaba la confianza de los adolescentes de entre 14 y 17 años, luego los invitaba a quedarse a dormir con él, argumentando que necesitaban relajarse, y finalmente algunos lo acompañaban en su viaje al Distrito Federal.

El sacerdote vivía en una casa parroquial con tres habitaciones que eran utilizadas para hospedar a los menores. Una de las víctimas entrevistadas fue abusada a las 16 años durante tres años consecutivos. Relata que el sacerdote le daba whisky o caribe cooler y que después perdía el conocimiento: Yo no podía contárselo a nadie. Me sentía muy culpable. En esa época le hacía lo mismo a unos 10 compañeros del grupo. Es un sicópata; si no lo detienen, nunca va a parar, dice sin contener el llanto.

La personalidad de esta víctima fue cambiando; se convirtió en un muchacho retraído, silencioso, deprimido, incluso abandonó la preparatoria. El sacerdote lo tenía absolutamente sometido y lo convirtió en su favorito. e incluso era señalado como su mano derecha en cuestiones de la parroquia. Dormía en la habitación del sacerdote: “Al principio me tenía prohibido masturbarme, me advirtió que no podía tener relaciones sexuales con mi novia hasta que me casara, porque era pecado. Pero luego me di cuenta que todo era una farsa. Él, en cambio, sí me podía tocar y hacer cosas. Me decía que era un mandato divino para conservar la semilla de la vida.

Jornadas parroquiales

Durante las llamadas pascuas juveniles había más de cien jóvenes en la parroquia. Eran jornadas de 12 horas y al terminar, a las 10 u 11 de la noche, elegía a los chicos que iban a dormir en la casa: “Dicen que abusó de cien; no es cierto, fueron cientos. Ya ni siquiera le despistaba; una vez, al levantarse dijo al que se había quedado en su habitación: Entonces, ¿cuántos lunares tenemos en el cuerpo?

Los abusos eran un secreto a voces en la colonia El Paseo y en el arzobispado, dice una de las trabajadoras de la parroquia, quien igualmente decidió denunciarlo por escrito ante el arzobispo Morales Reyes: Poco a poco me fui enterando de más cosas, la forma en cómo el padre envolvía a los niños para lograr su fin; los encerraba en su oficina con el pretexto de confesarlos, les empezaba a hablar de la masturbación y les decía que los tenía que tocar para ver si no se masturbaban. Por eso era común que los niños huyeran cuando el padre comenzaba a confesar, pero aun así los mandaba llamar: esto ocurría, según sé, los días que les pagaba, porque la mayoría de ellos trabajaba ahí por lo general barriendo o haciendo el aseo. Hubo un tiempo en que los muchachos y los niños se quedaban a dormir y llegue a oír comentarios de que el padre en la noche los molestaba, pero nunca me imaginé de qué forma.

Más del potosino

Mientras el arzobispado niega los hechos, cada día surgen nuevas víctimas. El arquitecto Alberto Ayala Gallegos, ex alumno del instituto potosino recuerda que hace 32 años, cuando estaba en primero de secundaria, en el salón 23, cuyo titular era Eduardo Córdova Bautista, un día se lastimó la rodilla jugando basquetbol: “Me dijo que tenía una pomada en su casa; vivía a cuatro cuadras del colegio. Salimos de la escuela, me lleva a su casa y me introduce a la cochera. Extendió una alfombra y me dijo: Recuéstate. Estira las dos piernas. Me dio un masaje, me aplicó la pomada famosa y subió la mano al muslo, hasta llegar a mi zona de genitales.

Alberto tenía 12 años. Desconcertado, asustado, se sintió paralizado: Me dijo: estás muy tenso, relájate, la lesión te pudo haber llegado hasta arribaNo, fue sólo la rodilla, le dije. Luego me dice que me va a dar una pastilla para tranquilizarme. Se fue a buscarla y en eso aproveché para levantarme, abrir la puerta y salir corriendo”.

Para el activista de derechos humanos Martín Faz, quien recibió las primeras denuncias contra el sacerdote y ha ido articulando de manera generosa y comprometida el trabajo con las víctimas, la carrera delictiva de Córdova Bautista durante más de 30 años, fue posible por la permisividad del arzobispado, el gobierno y la misma sociedad potosina: Se suma un contexto de impunidad. Era un secreto a voces y, sin embargo, el sacerdote siguió contando con el apoyo de la gente de ciertos sectores y de la clase política. Este caso habla de la patología social que hay en San Luis Potosí.

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Greens MP calls for release of Special Commission report

AUSTRALIA
ABC News

Greens MP David Shoebridge is urging the State Government not to delay the release of a report on the NSW Special Commission of Inquiry into child sexual abuse in the Hunter.

Commissioner Margaret Cunneen is due to hand her report to the governor this week after being granted three extensions, due to a growing witness list and extra hearings.

The inquiry looked at claims police and the Catholic Church covered up abuse by two Maitland-Newcastle paedophile priests, James Fletcher and Denis McAlinden

Green MP David Shoebridge says the report should be made public as soon as possible.

“I look forward to reading the report, but I have to say I think the real business of uncovering child abuse and the institutional failures in response to child abuse the real business of that hasn’t been conducted in this Hunter inquiry, it’s been done in the federal royal commission which many people have a great deal more comfort with,” he said.

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‘Meldpunt misbruik moet langer open blijven’

NEDERLAND
Omroep Gelderland

[Summary: Victims of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church should be able to make reports on abusive priests after the July 1 notification deadline, according to the chairman of KLOKK, a victims advocacy group.]

BEUNINGEN – Slachtoffers van seksueel misbruik in de katholieke kerk moeten ook na 1 juli melding kunnen blijven maken van misbruik door priesters. Dat zei voorzitter Klabbers van Stichting KLOKK (Koepel Landelijk Overleg Kerkelijk Kindermisbruik) zondag in het programma In Gelderland Live.

Het meldpunt werd geopend nadat het misbruik in het Achterhoekse ‘s-Heerenberg aan het licht kwam. Uit onderzoek van een commissie onder leiding van oud-minister Deetman bleek dat op veel meer plaatsen mensen seksueel misbruikt werden binnen Katholieke instellingen.

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Überarbeitete und aktualisierte Arbeitshilfe „Dokumente zum Umgang mit sexuellem Missbrauch im Bereich der Deutschen Bischofskonferenz“

DEUTSCHLAND
Deutsche Bischofskonferenz

[Summary: The Germany Bishops’ Conference has updated its guidelines of handling cases of sexual abuse.]

Seit der Frühjahrs-Vollversammlung der Deutschen Bischofskonferenz im Februar 2010 hat die Deutsche Bischofskonferenz eine Vielzahl von Dokumenten zum Umgang mit sexuellem Missbrauch im kirchlichen Bereich herausgegeben. Diese Dokumente wurden im Januar 2012 in der Arbeitshilfe Nr. 246 „Aufklärung und Vorbeugung – Dokumente zum Umgang mit sexuellem Missbrauch im Bereich der Deutschen Bischofskonferenz“ veröffentlicht. Die Arbeitshilfe wurde nun völlig überarbeitet und aktualisiert.

Im Vorwort zur Neuauflage schreibt der Vorsitzende der Deutschen Bischofskonferenz, Kardinal Reinhard Marx: „Ich bin dankbar, dass jetzt alle Dokumente der Deutschen Bischofskonferenz in einer aktualisierten Neuauflage dieser Arbeitshilfe zu finden sind.“ Neben der Überarbeitung der Grundlagentexte seien unter anderem wichtige Ergänzungen hinzugekommen. „Wir deutschen Bischöfe machen uns zu eigen, was Papst Franziskus den Opfern sexuellen Missbrauchs im Jahre 2013 sagte, als er betonte, seine ‚Gedanken allen jenen zuzuwenden, die unter Missbrauch gelitten haben und leiden. Ich möchte ihnen versichern, dass ich sie in meine Gebete einschließe, aber ich möchte auch eindringlich betonen, dass wir alle uns klar und mutig dafür einsetzen müssen, dass jeder Mensch, vor allem die Kinder, die zu den verwundbarsten Gruppen gehören, immer verteidigt und geschützt werden.‘

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Missbrauchsvorwürfe gegen Kollegi-Priester

SCHWEIZ
Bote

[Summary: Basel author Claude Cueni was for a short time at a boarding school in the Schwyz canton. He has now written about pedophile priests, sexual assault and inquisitional rigor at the school.]

Schwyz. – Der Basler Autor Claude Cueni war in den 1970er-Jahren für kurze Zeit im Internat im Schwyzer Kollegi. Über 40 Jahre später erhebt er in seinem autobiografischen Roman «Script Avenue» schwere Missbrauchsvorwürfe.

Er schreibt von pädophilen Geistlichen, Erniedrigung, sexuellen Übergriffen und inquisitorischer Strenge. So seien die Schüler beispielsweise beim kollektiven Waschen betatscht oder auf dem Zimmer des Präfekten gestreichelt worden. (cc)

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La arquidiócesis potosina sabía de actos pederastas de Eduardo Córdova Bautista

SAN LUIS POTOSí (MEXICO)
La Jornada [Mexico City, Mexico]

May 25, 2014

By Sanjuana Martínez

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Las madres de 17 menores abusados denunciaron ante el arzobispo desde 2004.

La jerarquía católica permitió la carrera delictiva del sacerdote por más de 30 años: activista.

Durante su estancia en la parroquia de Nuestra Señora de la Anunciación, el sacerdote Eduardo Córdova Bautista abusó de 17 menores del grupo juvenil de acción católica de la colonia El Paseo, delitos que fueron denunciados ante la arquidiócesis de San Luis Potosí desde abril de 2004.

La documentación que expone lo anterior esta en poder de La Jornada y consiste en un intercambio epistolar entre las madres de los menores y otros testigos de los delitos sexuales con el entonces arzobispo de San Luis Potosí, Luis Morales Reyes, quien estuvo al frente de esa diócesis durante 13 años, hasta 2012.

El vocero de la arquidiócesis, Jesús Priego Rivera, primero declaró que los testimonios de las víctimas publicados en este diario eran difamaciones, luego reconoció, hace unos días, que efectivamente había un proceso eclesiástico contra el sacerdote por denuncias presentadas en 2008, y que el tribunal emitió la sentencia de inocente el 15 de julio de 2009.

Sin embargo, esta documentación demuestra que el arzobispado sabía desde antes, es decir, hace 10 años, que el sacerdote era denunciado por abusos sexuales cometidos contra un grupo de menores.

Pese a estas denuncias, con nombres y apellidos –cuyas identidades se reservan para proteger a las víctimas– presentadas ante la jerarquía católica en abril de 2004, el arzobispo Morales Reyes contestó a las angustiadas madres, 17 meses después, en septiembre de 2005, para informarles que el asunto se había resuelto pues el sacerdote, finalmente, lo habían removido de su puesto y enviado de capellán a una comunidad de religiosas.

Abusos en El Paseo

Durante su estancia en la colonia El Paseo, Córdova Bautista fue primero eligiendo a sus víctimas de manera cuidadosa y discreta, aunque después fue abusando de la mayoría de los menores sin disimulo: Agarró parejo, abusó de 17 muchachos o tal vez más. Se quedaban a dormir con él y los fines de semana venían sus dos sobrinos y no dudo que esos pobres niños también hayan sufrido abusos, dice en entrevista una madre, que firma una de las cartas, relatando lo sucedido a su hijo mientras apoyaba en las labores de la parroquia.

Las cartas de las denuncias de los jóvenes de El Paseo, fechadas en 2004, tienen el sello y la firma de recibido del entonces vicario de la arquidiócesis, Antonio Torres Herrera, actual encargado de la catedral de San Luis Potosí.

El arzobispo dijo por escrito a las madres que Torres Herrera sería el encargado de dar seguimiento a las denuncias. Sin embargo, hace unos días defendió al sacerdote Córdova Bautista afirmando que no se habían presentado pruebas fehacientes y que para acusar hay que probar. El pasado viernes 23 de mayo reiteró que la jerarquía católica no ha encubierto al sacerdote, actualmente con paradero desconocido.

Delito contra las buenas costumbres

La carta con membrete del arzobispado de San Luis Potosí del primero de septiembre de 2005 está firmada por el arzobispo Luis Morales Reyes, quien informa a las madres de los jóvenes que instruyó un tribunal con el propósito de llevar la investigación correspondiente.

Dicho tribunal, en su reunión del 26 de abril de 2006, determinó que al tener acusaciones verbales y por escrito en contra del P. Eduardo Córdova Bautista, sobre un delito contra las buenas costumbres, era necesario citarlo al tribunal; sin embargo, por su situación de salud se decidió que Mons. Antonio Torres Herrera lo interrogara en su propio domicilio.

El interrogatorio finalmente se hizo el 30 de abril de 2004, a las 17:30 horas, y la información fue enviada al Vaticano el 29 de junio del mismo año, pidiendo sus indicaciones a seguir en el caso tratado.

Los delitos contra las buenas costumbres que el sacerdote cometió, según el arzobispo, fueron en realidad abusos sistemáticos durante varios años contra menores de edad, desde violación, sexo oral, tocamientos, tortura sicológica, amenazas y humillaciones.

Lo que el padre hacía con los niños era un secreto a voces, dice una de las ex empleadas administrativas de la parroquia, que al darse cuenta de las agresiones sexuales lo denunció ante el arzobispado y luego renunció a su puesto: Yo no podía seguir viendo aquello. Intenté que las mamás de los menores interpusieran denuncias judiciales, pero no quisieron, tenían mucho miedo.

La arquidiócesis dispuso que el doctor Carlos González Hernández ofreciera tratamiento siquiátrico a los menores afectados, sin garantía de continuidad. Algunos sólo recibieron una sesión.

El método utilizado por el sacerdote Córdova Bautista para acercarse a los menores hace 30 años en el Instituto Potosino de los Hermanos Maristas es el mismo que utilizó durante cinco años en la parroquia de Nuestra Señora de la Anunciación en la colonia El Paseo, según los testimonios. Primero se ganaba la confianza de los adolescentes de entre 14 y 17 años, luego los invitaba a quedarse a dormir con él, argumentando que necesitaban relajarse, y finalmente algunos lo acompañaban en su viaje al Distrito Federal.

El sacerdote vivía en una casa parroquial con tres habitaciones que eran utilizadas para hospedar a los menores. Una de las víctimas entrevistadas fue abusada a las 16 años durante tres años consecutivos. Relata que el sacerdote le daba whisky o caribe cooler y que después perdía el conocimiento: Yo no podía contárselo a nadie. Me sentía muy culpable. En esa época le hacía lo mismo a unos 10 compañeros del grupo. Es un sicópata; si no lo detienen, nunca va a parar, dice sin contener el llanto.

La personalidad de esta víctima fue cambiando; se convirtió en un muchacho retraído, silencioso, deprimido, incluso abandonó la preparatoria. El sacerdote lo tenía absolutamente sometido y lo convirtió en su favorito. e incluso era señalado como su mano derecha en cuestiones de la parroquia. Dormía en la habitación del sacerdote: “Al principio me tenía prohibido masturbarme, me advirtió que no podía tener relaciones sexuales con mi novia hasta que me casara, porque era pecado. Pero luego me di cuenta que todo era una farsa. Él, en cambio, sí me podía tocar y hacer cosas. Me decía que era un mandato divino para conservar la semilla de la vida.

Jornadas parroquiales

Durante las llamadas pascuas juveniles había más de cien jóvenes en la parroquia. Eran jornadas de 12 horas y al terminar, a las 10 u 11 de la noche, elegía a los chicos que iban a dormir en la casa: “Dicen que abusó de cien; no es cierto, fueron cientos. Ya ni siquiera le despistaba; una vez, al levantarse dijo al que se había quedado en su habitación: Entonces, ¿cuántos lunares tenemos en el cuerpo?

Los abusos eran un secreto a voces en la colonia El Paseo y en el arzobispado, dice una de las trabajadoras de la parroquia, quien igualmente decidió denunciarlo por escrito ante el arzobispo Morales Reyes: Poco a poco me fui enterando de más cosas, la forma en cómo el padre envolvía a los niños para lograr su fin; los encerraba en su oficina con el pretexto de confesarlos, les empezaba a hablar de la masturbación y les decía que los tenía que tocar para ver si no se masturbaban. Por eso era común que los niños huyeran cuando el padre comenzaba a confesar, pero aun así los mandaba llamar: esto ocurría, según sé, los días que les pagaba, porque la mayoría de ellos trabajaba ahí por lo general barriendo o haciendo el aseo. Hubo un tiempo en que los muchachos y los niños se quedaban a dormir y llegue a oír comentarios de que el padre en la noche los molestaba, pero nunca me imaginé de qué forma.

Más del potosino

Mientras el arzobispado niega los hechos, cada día surgen nuevas víctimas. El arquitecto Alberto Ayala Gallegos, ex alumno del instituto potosino recuerda que hace 32 años, cuando estaba en primero de secundaria, en el salón 23, cuyo titular era Eduardo Córdova Bautista, un día se lastimó la rodilla jugando basquetbol: “Me dijo que tenía una pomada en su casa; vivía a cuatro cuadras del colegio. Salimos de la escuela, me lleva a su casa y me introduce a la cochera. Extendió una alfombra y me dijo: Recuéstate. Estira las dos piernas. Me dio un masaje, me aplicó la pomada famosa y subió la mano al muslo, hasta llegar a mi zona de genitales.

Alberto tenía 12 años. Desconcertado, asustado, se sintió paralizado: Me dijo: estás muy tenso, relájate, la lesión te pudo haber llegado hasta arribaNo, fue sólo la rodilla, le dije. Luego me dice que me va a dar una pastilla para tranquilizarme. Se fue a buscarla y en eso aproveché para levantarme, abrir la puerta y salir corriendo”.

Para el activista de derechos humanos Martín Faz, quien recibió las primeras denuncias contra el sacerdote y ha ido articulando de manera generosa y comprometida el trabajo con las víctimas, la carrera delictiva de Córdova Bautista durante más de 30 años, fue posible por la permisividad del arzobispado, el gobierno y la misma sociedad potosina: Se suma un contexto de impunidad. Era un secreto a voces y, sin embargo, el sacerdote siguió contando con el apoyo de la gente de ciertos sectores y de la clase política. Este caso habla de la patología social que hay en San Luis Potosí.

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Pope makes West Bank plea for protection of children

ISRAEL
Rappler

AFP

JERUSALEM, Israel – Pope Francis made an impassioned plea Sunday, May 25, for the protection of children at a mass in Bethlehem’s Manager Square in the West Bank, where rights groups say minors are mistreated by Israel.

“Children are crying, they are crying a lot, and their crying challenges us,” the Argentine pontiff told thousands of Roman Catholic pilgrims in Bethlehem, revered as the birthplace of Jesus, on the second day of his Middle East pilgrimage.

“All too many children continue to be exploited, maltreated, enslaved, prey to violence and illicit trafficking. Still too many children live in exile, as refugees,” said the pontiff, famed for defending the sick, poor and downtrodden.

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