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.

August 15, 2014

Sex abuse survivor’s ‘hope for new start’

IRELAND
Irish Examiner

By Claire O’Sullivan
Irish Examiner Reporter

The Irish representative on the Vatican’s new child protection council said “it would have been better” for the survivors of abuse by Brendan Smyth if Cardinal Sean Brady had resigned two years ago.

The Catholic Primate confirmed yesterday that Cardinal Brady offered his resignation to Pope Francis this week in advance of his 75th birthday, which falls today.

Coadjutor Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin will take over Cardinal Brady’s role as Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland when his resignation is accepted by the Pope.

Speaking in a personal capacity, clerical abuse survivor Marie Collins, who called for his resignation when his role in the Smyth canonical tribunal came to light two years ago, said the Cardinal’s failure to resign then “created a deeper wound for survivors of Brendan Smyth”.

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.

Phoenix pastor arrested for alleged sex crimes

ARIZONA
KTAR

PHOENIX — A Phoenix pastor was arrested Thursday on suspicion of molesting two children and having inappropriate sexual contact with two women, police said.

Jorge Vasquez, the pastor of Iglesia Pentecostales en el Desierto near Interstate 17 and Grant, is accused of committing the crimes between January 2007 and March 2014. Police said the alleged sexual contact and molestation happened during counseling sessions and other times when he was alone with the victims.

Police said there are two adult female victims and two juvenile female victims. None of the victims have been named.

Vasquez was charged with molestation of a child, sexual conduct with a minor, sexual abuse and sexual assault.

Anyone with more information on these crimes is asked to contact the Phoenix Police Department at 602-262-5151 or Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS.

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.

Phoenix pastor accused in 4 sex abuse cases

ARIZONA
KPHO

By Breann Bierman

PHOENIX (CBS5) –
Police say a pastor is in jail for allegedly sexually assaulting two girls and two women, and they’re investigating if there are more victims.

Detectives believe Jorge Vasquez, 47, had taken advantage of the victims through his position as a minister.

Phoenix police said the alleged abuse between January 2007 and May 2014 often happened at counseling sessions when he was alone with the victims.

Vasquez was arrested on Thursday at his home in the 8800 block of W. Pinchot Ave. and was booked into the Maricopa County Jail.

He is a pastor at Los Pentecostales en el Desierto in the 2100 block of W. Sherman Ave. in Phoenix. It’s a branch of the The Rock Church based in California.

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

Police: Phoenix pastor sexually abused 2 women, 2 girls

ARIZONA
Arizona Republic

Police have accused a Phoenix man of taking advantage of his position as a minister to sexually abuse at least two women and two girls in his congregation.

Jorge Vasquez, 47, was arrested Thursday and is being held in a Maricopa County jail on suspicion of six counts of child molestation, two counts of sexual conduct with a minor, four counts of sexual abuse, two counts of sexual assault and four counts of kidnapping, among other allegations.

Detectives from the Family Investigations Bureau of the Phoenix Police Department first learned about the allegations earlier this month, according to a police statement issued Friday.

Investigators say they developed probable cause to believe Vasquez engaged in sexual contact with females ages 12 to 33 against their will during counseling sessions or on other occasions during his 7-year tenure as pastor at La Roca, or the Rock Church, near 21st Avenue and Buckeye Road.

Vasquez has denied any of the allegations, police say.

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.

Phoenix pastor is accused of child molestation

ARIZONA
Beaumont Enterprise

PHOENIX (AP) — A Phoenix pastor is in custody for allegedly molesting two children and having inappropriate sexual contact with two women.

Phoenix police announced Friday that 47-year-old Jorge Vasquez is being held on suspicion of molestation of a child, sexual conduct with a minor, sexual abuse and sexual assault.

He’s the pastor of Iglesia Pentecostales en el Desierto. It’s unclear if he has a lawyer yet.

Police say the alleged sexual contact and molestation happened during counseling sessions and other times when Vasquez was alone with the victims between January 2007 and March 2014.

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

Ex-pastor pleads guilty to sex abuse case

WEST VIRGINIA
Charleston Daily Mail

A man accused of sexually abusing a family member about 25 years ago is set for sentencing in October after recently reaching a plea deal.

Christopher Mark Winnell, of Ripley, entered a Kennedy-Frazier plea to two counts of first-degree sexual abuse. In this plea, a person maintains innocence but concedes there is enough evidence to convict. The state dismissed Winnell’s other 10 counts.

Winnell, a former pastor, could face one to five years in prison on each charge and a $10,000 fine.

Assistant Special Prosecutor Jennifer Gordon said the evidence the state would present if the case were to go to trial is that when the victim was about 8 or 9 years old, Winnell inappropriately touched the victim and had the victim inappropriately touch him. This continued until the victim was 11, Gordon said.

Gordon was moved over from the Kanawha prosecutor’s office in June to assist Chief Special Prosecutor Don Morris. Bloom appointed Morris and other special prosecutors to handle certain cases involving children in light of Kanawha Prosecutor Mark Plants’ misdemeanor charges.

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.

Alvarado pastor arrested for allegedly sexually abusing second teen

TEXAS
Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Posted Friday, Aug. 15, 20140

BY DEANNA BOYD
dboyd@star-telegram.com

FORT WORTH — An Alvarado pastor already charged with indecency of a child for allegedly sexually abusing a teen boy in 2000 and 2001 was arrested again Friday, now accused of molesting a different teen in 2005.

Dan Haby Jr., pastor of the Cowboy Way Church, turned himself in Friday afternoon at the Tarrant County Jail on an arrest warrant accusing him of indecency with a child/fondling.

Haby, 51, had been charged last month with indecency of a child/fondling on allegations that he sexually abused a teen he had been mentoring while pastor of the now defunct Stockyards Community Church.

In that case, the alleged victim, now 29, told police that the abuse began in 2000, when he was 15, and occurred at Haby’s then Fort Worth home on Creston Avenue.

The second alleged victim, 25, contacted Fort Worth police Detective C.W. Daniels on July 31 after news articles about Haby’s arrest appeared in the Star-Telegram and Cleburne Times, according to a Fort Worth police report filed Thursday.

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

MO–SNAP applauds brave KC victims on historic win

MISSOURI
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Friday, Aug. 15, 2015

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 )

We applaud the 42 brave and determined men and women who were assaulted as kids by Kansas City priests. And joined the unusual “breach of contract” lawsuit against KC Catholic officials. Their ground-breaking effort has inspired child sex abuse victims across the country and have shown that civil lawsuits can bring reform, prevention, healing and justice in unexpected ways.

We also want to express our gratitude to two officials: arbitrator Hollis Hanover who awarded this historic judgment and Judge Bryan Rounds who upheld it, the only such award in the country. They are to be commended for doing their jobs justly, showing fairness but not favoritism to Catholic officials who, for far too long, have repeatedly been given every benefit of the doubt by the justice system.

Twice now, Bishop Robert Finn and his diocese have been ordered to pay $1.1 million to these victims because he repeatedly broke at least five of his pledges to improve how he deals with pedophile priest cases. With his legions of lawyers, he can of course find and file some “Hail Mary” appeal. We hope, however, that he chooses to avoid running up even more expensive lawyer bills. We hope he will resolve this without delay so that these courageous individuals can focus on their healing. He and his top staff have already spent millions defending crimes, cover ups and other misdeeds. It’s time to stop fighting and start reforming.

We also hope that for the safety of kids and as a sign of contrition, Finn permanently post on his diocesan website, the names of all proven, admitted and credibly accused child molesting clerics who are or have been in his diocese.

As best we can tell, there’s never been a case like this – anywhere – in which victims have successfully held a bishop responsible in court for breaking the promises he made during a settlement. And the amount of this award is significant because it may well deter more Catholic officials from breaking the promises they make 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.

Fitzgerald’s accuser tells her story of pastor’s alleged abuse

ILLINOIS
Oakpark.com

[with copy of her statement]

An interview with sex abuse survivor Gail Peloquin Howard
Friday, August 15th, 2014

By Ken Trainor
Staff writer

Gail Howard graduated from Ascension School in 1961 and Trinity High School in 1965. Recently she went public in accusing former Ascension pastor Monsignor John Fitzgerald of sexually assaulting her in the Ascension rectory. The incident took place in 1964 when she was 17.

Fitzgerald, now deceased, was pastor of the south Oak Park parish from 1951 to 1973.

In consideration of her mother, Dorothie Peloquin Cahill, who worked at the rectory for many years, Howard said she did not speak of the incident until 2002, when she met with the Voice of the Faithful, Bridgeport, Connecticut chapter (using an alias), and did not report the incident to the Archdiocese of Chicago until 2005, when she met with them in person.

While attending the annual conference of SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests), she appeared at a press conference July 31 outside the Archdiocese’s Chancery Office, 835 N. Rush St., and, for the first time, made her accusation fully public.

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.

International experts meet in London to discuss “UNDUE INFLUENCE” of extremist groups

UNITED KINGDOM
Advocates for Awareness of Watchtower Abuses

A group of international experts will come together in London on the weekend of August 22-23, 2014 to address some of the major concerns relating to the undue influence of extremist groups and cults. Scientology, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Islamic extremists are just some of the groups that will be considered. The context of their discussions will be the impact these groups have and the control they are able to maintain over people’s lives. This is an invitation only meeting. The meeting will be recorded and the information will be shared with a wider audience at a later date.

Undoing the damage of such groups is a huge task for governments and agencies who often struggle trying to understand their inner workings and cultures. Dealing with the fallout and damage is often left in the hands of professionals who are still trying to develop appropriate response and recovery techniques.

Some Government policy initiatives such as “social cohesion” are directed to the integration of such groups into mainstream society. But these policies do not directly address either the immediate or the ongoing impact of the beliefs and ideas disseminated by such groups. These cultish groups promote ideas that weaken or destroy family and societal relationships. The result is the creation of a continuum where mental health issues exist at one end – and extremism and terrorism at the other.

These groups operate using “undue Influence”

Undue influence is any act of persuasion that overcomes the free will and judgment of another person. People can be unduly influenced by urgent warnings, flattery, trickery, coercion and deception. In a court of law, “undue influence” is a legal term that applies when individuals or organizations take advantage of their position of power over other persons or groups.

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.

Clama justicia por su hijo, violado durante años por un cura en SLP

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

August 15, 2014

By Vicente Juárez

Read original article

El expediente se abrió en 2012, pero no se ha girado orden de arresto contra Castillo Ríos

El Cavic y la CEDH han incumplido sus promesas de ayuda, asegura la madre, Guadalupe Méndez

Guadalupe Méndez clama justicia para su hijo menor de edad, quien, asegura, fue violado durante años por el sacerdote Francisco Javier Castillo Ríos.

Méndez recordó en entrevista que cuando acudió ante las autoridades eclesiásticas a denunciar el caso de su hijo en 2012, no fue recibida; incluso jerarcas católicos negaron ante medios de comunicación que existiera el caso, a pesar de que ella había informado a la televisión local de la conducta del clérigo.

La mujer supo de los abusos de que fue víctima el joven durante al menos cuatro años, cuando en marzo de 2012 revisó su teléfono celular y entre los mensajes encontró amenazas del abusador, enviados cuando el niño amenazó con hablar de las agresiones que sufrió entre 2008 y 2012, en las que le decía que dañaría a sus padres.

El 20 de junio de 2012, Méndez y su hijo iniciaron ante el agente del Ministerio Público Especializado en Delitos Sexuales la denuncia penal 16/13/4 contra Castillo Ríos. En ella, el joven declaró que desde 2008, los fines de semana me dormía en su cuarto en el seminario y él se iba a otro cuarto, hasta una ocasión en la que despertó al momento que el sacerdote lo violaba. El muchacho comentó: No sé si antes haya abusado de mí.

A partir de entonces, el joven intentó evitar al religioso, pero al final me terminaba yendo con él (…) fueron al menos cinco veces cuando yo despertaba y veía al padre penetrándome con su pene y seguía igual sin poder reaccionar, y en otras ocasiones el padre me chupaba mi pene.

El muchacho comentó que si bien se percataba de los abusos de los que era víctima, no podía evitarlos ni resistirse, pues me sentía débil, cansado, como si el sacerdote le hiciera ingerir estupefacientes. Me sentía raro, en las noches normalmente tomaba café con pan o cereal, pero nada más; él me preparaba el café o el cereal, señaló.

El sacerdote dejó de buscar al joven y de llevárselo al seminario y a su domicilio particular luego de que éste comenzó a hacer pública su denuncia.

En entrevista, Méndez dijo no confiar en las autoridades judiciales, calificó de hipócritas a los integrantes de la Iglesia católica, e informó que el abogado Carlos Garrigos Esparza de modo altruista lleva este caso sin costo para ella.

Méndez afirmó que la semana pasada ella y su hijo vieron por casualidad a Francisco Javier Ríos, quien vive en esta capital. Iba manejando una camioneta blanca, se dejó crecer la barba, al principio no lo reconocí no lo reconocí y llegando a la casa mi hijo se puso mal por haberlo visto, pero le dije que no tuviera miedo.

La mujer no pudo precisar la edad que su hijo tenía cuando conoció al sacerdote, si bien ella tuvo contacto con el prelado a partir de 2007, cuando el muchacho tenía 10 años, cuando iba a hacer su primera comunión. Él está muy mal sicológicamente, aunque está tomando terapia, creo que va a ser difícil que logre superarlo.

La madre señaló que supo de lo que le pasó a mi hijo luego de ver los mensajes (de Castillo Ríos) que recibió en su celular amenazándolo, y dijo ignorar cuántos niños y adolescentes habrían sido agredidos por Castillo Ríos, si bien podrían ser muchos, debido a que él se encargaba de atender a gran cantidad de menores en retiros y encuentros religiosos ofrecidos en los seminarios mayor y menor de la capital de San Luis Potosí.

Destacó que también en 2012 me voy enterando en la televisión que el vocero de la diócesis dijo que nadie se había acercado a exponer o denunciarles el caso, pues creo que eso era una mentira. Es más, cuando di la entrevista al Canal 7 (de la televisión local) ellos me dijeron que ya habían visto a la Iglesia y que sabían del caso.

Acotó que la juez Lesbia Martínez, del juzgado octavo del ramo penal, fue la primera que no creyó en las palabras de mi hijo, además sé que este tipo de casos se siguen de oficio y no lo hicieron, ellos debieron haberlo hecho y ahorita la agente del Ministerio Público salió de vacaciones 15 días y acudió a un curso, razón por la cual no sabemos cuál es la situación actual de este caso.

Otras deficiencias del proceso es que el año pasado, cuando acudió a una cita para que la víctima diera su versión, no hubo personal del Centro de Atención a Victimas (Cavic) que supuestamente le iba a auxiliar, por eso decidió no acudir a la siguiente cita, que además implicaba un careo con el agresor y no un interrogatorio, al que finalmente fue sometido el menor.

Reprochó que Francisco Javier Castillo anda muy feliz, o no tiene conciencia o cree que su dios lo perdona todo y eso a veces se lo pregunto a Dios, ¿por qué permite que esa persona siga ahí riendo? En la diócesis dicen que no sigue oficiando misa, y afirman desconocer dónde se encuentra, pero repito, lo vi el domingo pasado.

Ante su experiencia, Méndez piensa “que todo es hipocresía en la Iglesia, a todos los padres los veo igual, así, falsos, hablando de Dios, escudándose en una sotana. Para mí es muy difícil ir a misa, o sea, nunca he vuelto a misa porque no me cabe en la cabeza todas las porquerías que le hizo a mi hijo, porque si leyeran las declaraciones de mi hijo o platicaran con él, son cosas… No me cabe en la cabeza que una persona como él, sabiendo de la existencia de Dios le haya hecho tanto daño a mi hijo. Que lo haya torturado por tanto tiempo, amenazándolo de que nos iba a matar a nosotros si nos platicaba las cosas que le hacía, incluso a él mismo lo iba a matar”.

Sobre los avances de la averiguación penal número 16/13/4, de la cual La Jornada cuenta con copia, el abogado Carlos Garrigos informó que hace aproximadamente tres semanas se llevó a cabo una prueba de desahogo, con un interrogatorio a la víctima, en la que el menor señaló:

El Cavic me prometió que me iba a ayudar, no lo hizo, (la Comisión Estatal de Derechos Humanos también, hasta la fecha han transcurrido dos años y no me han ayudado.

El litigante comentó: No se ha girado orden de aprehensión para este caso, que tiene dos años. La misma juez ya nos negó una vez la orden de captura, pero seguimos aportando más elementos para que se castigue al depredador sexual con hábito de cura.

En su declaración ante el Ministerio Público del 20 de junio de 2012, la víctima afirmó: Cuando yo empecé a orar con él fue porque lo veía como un ejemplo a seguir, yo quería ser sacerdote, pero desde que me di cuenta de lo que el hacía ya no quise ser sacerdote, yo le tengo mucho odio, incluso pensé hacerle daño pero en realidad yo le tengo mucho miedo porque pienso que él es mucho más fuerte que yo.

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.

Commission: All Files Went to Rome

IRELAND
Patrick J. Wall

AUGUST 15, 2014

The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse in Ireland is a grand example of what needs to be done to put kids first.

One of the lessons the commission learned when they investigated the Irish Christian Brothers is that all roads lead to Rome AND all files on child sexual abuse are transported to Rome. Here is a section of the report and what the archivist found while reviewing the Roman archives of the Irish Christian Brothers:

Consistent with the American experience of Civil and Criminal Court litigation is the finding that the leadership of the Church is lethargic in producing or even making known the location of their files and knowledge of childhood sexual abuse. (emphasis mine)

6.168 The Rome Files make it impossible to contend that the issue of abuse and, in particular, sexual abuse of boys was not an urgent and continuing concern to the Congregation. In circumstances where the issue of abuse in institutions had been the object of so much media attention from 1995 onwards, it is surprising that these files were only discovered to the Committee in 2004.

Rome Files and documentary evidence

6.159In the Emergence hearings in July 2004, Br Gibson described how files, which came to be known as ‘The Rome Files’, came to the attention of the Leadership Team in Ireland.

6.160In 2003, the Leadership Team took the decision to employ an archivist to look at all the documents in the possession of the Congregation. This archivist was asked to go to Rome to look at the files there that related to the Irish Communities for any references to abuse. He explained that, in the early 1960s, a decision was taken to move the Congregation’s headquarters from Dublin to Rome. The management team brought with them the relevant archives for their own work, and left in Ireland the files and records that dealt with the Christian Brothers in Ireland.

6.161Br Gibson explained:

However, when our archivist went to Rome, she came across their minute books of their Council decisions, the General Council decisions. In those, she came across details of allegations of abuse in the institutions in Ireland that did not exist in our files … Yes, all of these dealt with incidents of child abuse in our institutions between, say, 1930 and when they closed.

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.

LCWR assembly draws one demonstrator protesting handling of abuse

TENNESSEE
National Catholic Reporter

Dan Stockman | Aug. 15, 2014

NASHVILLE, TENN.
The gathering of nearly 800 religious sisters here drew one protester Thursday.

Bob Hoatson, president of advocacy organization Road to Recovery, based in Livingston, N.J., stood outside the convention center where the Leadership Conference of Women Religious is holding its four-day assembly holding a sign that said, “Nuns abuse kids too.”

Hoatson said there had been another local protester with him, but he had left.

Hoatson said while abuse by priests may be more visible, it is a problem for women religious, too, and — more importantly — they have failed to address it.

“I’m dealing with a good number of men and women abused by nuns,” Hoatson said. “The nuns have been much better at burying it than the bishops.”

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.

Youth camp has fired teen counselor accused of sexually abusing 6-year-old campers

NEW JERSEY
NJ.com

By James Kleimann | NJ.com
on August 15, 2014

TENAFLY — A Jewish youth day camp has “instituted additional safeguards” and fired a 16-year-old camp counselor charged with sexually abusing three young campers, its president and CEO said following the arrest.

Officials at the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades learned that charges were filed against a 16-year-old camp counselor on Thursday, president Tina Guberman and CEO Avi Lewinson said in a joint press statement.

“This counselor, who is a minor, was immediately suspended by the camp upon learning of the alleged incident,” the statement read. “We continue to cooperate fully with the local authorities in their investigation.”

Prosecutors said the counselor, of Teaneck, sexually touched three campers under his supervision at the Neil Klatskin Day Camp. Another camp employee claims to have directly witnessed inappropriate touching, Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli said.

The accused was released to the custody of his parents and must wear an electronic monitoring device. He’s charged with three counts each of sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a minor.

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.

NJ- Camp counselor arrested for child sexual abuse, SNAP responds

NEW JERSEY
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Friday, August 15, 2014

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

A New Jersey teenaged camp counselor has been arrested for inappropriately touching several young boys under his supervision. We applaud the brave witness who came forward and reported to police. When those who see, suspect, or suffer child sex crimes speak up children are safer.

The counselor was working at Neil Klatsin Day Camp, which is run by Kaplen Jewish Community Center , when he allegedly inappropriately touched at least three 6 year old boys.

We are glad camp officials informed parents of the abuse and law enforcement were able to interview all the children the counselor had contact with. We urge officials from Kaplen Jewish Community Center and any other organizations the counselor was a part of to seek out victims.

Anyone who saw, suspects, or suffered abuse should immediately call police, help protect others and start healing.

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- Judge upholds “first-ever” award against diocese

KANSAS CITY (MO)
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

Unless Finn appeals, victims will share $1.1 million
Their message to bishop: “Accept justice, don’t appeal”
They urge Catholic officials: post predators’ names on church websites

WHAT
Holding signs and childhood photos at a sidewalk news conference, victims of clergy sex abuse and their supporters will discuss and give copies of a new court ruling upholding their unprecedented $1.1 million “breach of contract” award. They will also urge KC’s Catholic bishop to:

– stop waging an “incredibly expensive” legal defense battle, and instead honor his pledges by not appealing the ruling, and
– permanently post on his diocesan website, as a way to protect kids and show contrition, the names of all proven, admitted and credibly accused child molesting clerics who are or have been in the KC diocese.

And the group will:

– explain how their unprecedented lawsuit and the arbitrator’s historic decision impacts victims across the country, and
– urge those victims in other cities and states to consider filing similar suits to force bishops to live up to their child protection promises.

Finally, they will also prod everyone who sees, suspects or suffers clergy sex crimes to keep coming forward and calling police.

WHEN
TODAY, Friday, Aug. 15, 2:00 p.m.

WHERE
Outside Our Lady of Perpetual Help Redemptorist Catholic Church, 3333 Broadway Blvd. in Kansas City MO

WHO
Four-six individuals who were assaulted as kids by Kansas City priests, including at least one or two who are part of the unusual “breach of contract” lawsuit against KC Catholic officials. Most are members of a support group called SNAP (the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests)
WHY

Yesterday, a KC judge has upheld an unprecedented “breach of contract” award to 42 clergy sex abuse victims, the only such award in the country.

Bishop Robert Finn and his diocese have now been twice ordered to pay $1.1 million to these victims because he broke his pledges to improve how he deals with pedophile priest cases.

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.

Settlement talk set in friar abuse suits

PENNSYLVANIA
Indiana Gazette

HOLLIDAYSBURG (AP) — A judge has scheduled a settlement conference for civil claims by people who say a Franciscan friar molested them when he was an athletic trainer at a Johnstown Catholic high school from 1992 to 2001.

The Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown has said it may sell its bishop’s residence to raise money to settle the cases involving Brother Stephen Baker.

Baker committed suicide in January 2013 after abuse settlements with an Ohio diocese where he formerly worked were publicized.

That has prompted dozens of former students at Bishop McCort High School to come forward with similar allegations.

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

Central Pennsylvania bishop’s home listed for $995,000, money may be used for sex abuse cases

PENNSYLVANIA
Daily Journal

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
First Posted: August 15, 2014

ALTOONA, Pennsylvania — A spokesman for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown says the sale of the bishop’s home is pending and that money from the nearly $1 million asking price might be used to care for sexual misconduct victims.

The diocese has been named in several legal claims filed by former students at Bishop McCort High School in Johnstown, who claim they were molested by Brother Stephen Baker, a Franciscan friar, from 1992 to 2001. Baker committed suicide in January 2013 after the Youngstown Ohio diocese disclosed abuse settlements with 11 former students at a school in that state, which prompted many of the alleged McCort victims to come forward.

The Altoona Mirror (http://bit.ly/1oAfx8d ) reports the six-bedroom, seven-bathroom home is listed at $995,000.

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.

Ireland- Victims urge vigilance regarding Brady’s resignation

IRELAND
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Friday, August 15, 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 )

Whether the Vatican accepts Cardinal Sean Brady’s resignation sooner or later, we caution Irish citizens and Catholics to not become complacent about the safety of kids.

We agree with Irish victims who are urging Pope Francis to move quickly on this resignation. At the same time, however, we worry that when Brady’s gone, many will automatically assume that his successor will do a better job of safeguarding the vulnerable and helping the wounded. That’s a tempting assumption. But it may or may not be true.

Complacency protects no one. Only vigilance protects kids. So we urge everyone in Ireland who sees, suspects, or suffers clergy sex crimes or cover ups to contact law enforcement officials, not church officials. And we urge them to judge Brady’s successor by his deeds, not his words. No one should be impressed or mollified by symbolic gestures from a Catholic official on abuse. Only tangible steps that expose and punish those who commit or conceal child sex crimes really matter.

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Camp counselor, 16, sexually abused three campers, Bergen prosecutor says

NEW JERSEY
NJ.com

By James Kleimann | NJ.com
on August 14, 2014

TENAFLY — A 16-year-old counselor at the Neil Klatsin Day Camp was arrested Tuesday on charges he sexually touched a trio of 6-year-old male campers under his supervision.

Prosecutor John L. Molinelli said the 16-year-old counselor from Teaneck, who has not been identified due to his age, was charged with three counts of sexual assault and three counts of endangering the welfare of a child. He was released to his parents’ custody and is required to wear an electronic monitoring device on his ankle, Molinelli said.

The prosecutor’s office initiated an investigation in late July after supervisors of the day camp, which is run by the Kaplen Jewish Community Center on the Palisades, told Tenafly police that another employee at the Neil Klatskin Day Camp came forward with the allegations, Molinelli said.

That employee directly witnessed the counselor touching a boy inappropriately, the prosecutor told NJ.com.

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Cardinal Seán Brady prepares to exit stage

IRELAND
The Irish Catholic

by Michael Kelly
August 14, 2014

Cardinal Seán Brady turns 75 on Saturday and, so, is obliged to send his resignation to Pope Francis. Few expect the resignation to take effect immediately, however, it’s believed that the cardinal will be relieved of his duties before Christmas.

When his resignation is accepted, it will mark the end of an often turbulent and tumultuous time for Seán Brady as Primate. As President of the Irish Bishops’ Conference since 1996, he has led the Catholic Church in Ireland during some of its darkest days. Dr Brady will surely breathe a sigh of relief as he steps down.

The past 25 years have been a period of monumental crisis for Catholics in Ireland as they have watched their Church and its leaders grapple to come to terms with the dreadful clerical abuse crisis.

Most fair-minded people acknowledge that there has been a sea-change in Church leaders’ approach and that real progress has been made to ensure that the Church is a safe place. While there have been admirable approaches at reconciliation and healing with victims, they will continue to carry the wounds of their abuse for the rest of their lives. And the Church in Ireland will – and should – continue to carry that wound.

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Editorial: Why wait to fire priest?

NEW YORK
Daily Gazette

Friday, August 15, 2014

Gazette Editorial

If you own a business and one of your employees is convicted of having sexual contact with a minor, the second that court case is over, that guy is fired.

But when you’re the Catholic Church, which has a history of dragging its sandals in dealing with pedophile priests, you tend not to be as efficient.

And so the pattern is repeated with Father James Taylor, a 30-year-old local priest who pleaded guilty Wednesday to a misdemeanor count of child endangerment for having sexual contact with a 15-year-old girl in his Clifton Park parish.

New Bishop Edward Scharfenberger says he has a zero-tolerance policy toward child abuse, and he has removed Taylor from all priestly duties, including contact with children. That’s fine. But why wait until civil legal proceedings have been completed before holding a hearing, to then determine whether Taylor should remain a priest?

Isn’t a confession and a conviction in the United States criminal justice system enough proof that this man is not worthy to serve the church anymore?

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Cardinal Sean Brady: I look forward to the day when my resignation will be accepted

IRELAND
Irish Independent

Denise Calnan Twitter

Published 15/08/2014

Cardinal Sean Brady has declared he is ‘looking forward to the day’ when his resignation as Archbishop of Armagh will be accepted.

Dr Brady, who faced criticism over his role in the Church’s handling of abuse claims against paedophile priest Fr Brendan Smyth, has spoken after clerical sexual abuse victims called on Pope Francis to accept his resignation immediately.

In a statement issued today, Dr Brady said he offered his resignation to Pope Francis last month with the ‘anticipation’ of his 74th birthday which he celebrates tomorrow.

“I look forward to the day when my resignation will be accepted and when Archbishop Eamon will take over as Archbishop, a position for which, I believe, he is excellently prepared,” he said.

“Last month I offered my resignation to Pope Francis in accordance with the requirement of Canon Law. I did so in anticipation of my seventy-fifth birthday which I will celebrate tomorrow.”

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Cardinal Seán Brady has offered to resign as Primate of All Ireland

IRELAND
The Journal

CARDINAL SEÁN BRADY has confirmed he has offered his resignation as Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland to Pope Francis.

In a statement issued this morning, Brady confirmed he offered his resignation to the Pontiff last month in accordance with the requirement under Canon Law that he retire at the age of 75 which he will turn tomorrow.

The statement confirms reports earlier this week that Brady had written to the head of the Catholic Church indicating he would step down.

It’s thought the Pope will accept Brady’s resignation despite often deciding to allow diocesan bishops to continue in their roles beyond the age of 75.

Brady has been the subject of controversy in recent years after the BBC alleged that he failed to protect children from the abuse of paedophile priest Father Brendan Smyth.

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Cardinal Sean Brady offers resignation to Pope Francis

IRELAND
Irish Mirror

Aug 15, 2014 By Brynmor Pattison

Cardinal Sean Brady has offered his resignation to Pope Francis.

The Primate of All Ireland and Archbishop of Armagh, who was made a cardinal in 2007, confirmed he had offered to step down in keeping with canon law.

The religious law states that bishops must resign by the age of 75 – and Cardinal Brady turns that age tomorrow, Saturday, August 16.

The move should see Archbishop Eamon Martin take both places in the hierarchy.

A statement by Cardinal Brady read: “Last month I offered my resignation to Pope Francis in accordance with the requirement of Canon Law.

“I did so in anticipation of my seventy-fifth birthday which I will celebrate tomorrow.

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Cardinal Brady confirms he has offered resignation to Pope Francis

IRELAND
Derry Journal

by Staff Reporter
editorial@derryjournal.com
Updated on the 15 August 2014

All Ireland Primate Cardinal Sean Brady has confirmed he has offered his resignation to Pope Francis.

The resignation of Cardinal Brady will lead to the elevation of Derry’s Eamon Martin, currently Coadjutor Archbishop of Armagh, to the cardinalship.

In a statement issued this morning, Cardinal Brady said: “Last month I offered my resignation to Pope Francis in accordance with the requirement of Canon Law. I did so in anticipation of my seventy-fifth birthday which I will celebrate tomorrow.

He added: “I look forward to the day when my resignation will be accepted and when Archbishop Eamon will take over as Archbishop, a position for which, I believe, he is excellently prepared.”

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Cardinal Brady offers resignation to Pope

IRELAND
Tyrone Times

Cardinal Sean Brady has confirmed that he offered his resignation as Archbishop of Armagh to Pope Francis last month.

In a statement Cardinal Brady said the offer was made to the pope in anticipation of his 75th birthday which occurred on Saturday.

The statement confirms reports last week that the Cardinal had written to the head of the Catholic Church indicating he would step down.

It’s believed the Pope will accept Cardinal Brady’s resignation despite often deciding to allow diocesan bishops to continue in their roles beyond the age of 75.

“I look forward to the day when my resignation will be accepted and when Archbishop Eamon will take over as Archbishop, a position for which, I believe, he is excellently prepared,” he said.

Dr Brady said that as soon as Pope Francis accepts his resignation Archbishop Eamon, who was appointed as Coadjutor Archbishop of Armagh in 2013 by Pope Benedict XVI will become Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland.

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Cardinal Brady ‘looking forward’ to retirement

IRELAND
The Anglo-Celt

Cardinal Sean Brady has tendered his resignation to Pope Francis in advance of his 75th birthday tomorrow (Saturday, August 16) and says he is ‘looking forward to the day’ when it is accepted.

However, a victim of clerical abuse says to allow Dr Brady to retire without sanction over his role in the Fr Brendan Smyth abuse would be part of a “cover up”.

The resignation letter is in accordance with Canon Law [church law] ahead of his 75th year.

The Archbishop of Armagh Diocese Dr Brady’s statement, who faced criticism over his role in the Church’s handling of abuse claims against paedophile priest Fr Smyth, comes after clerical sexual abuse victims called on Pope Francis to accept his resignation immediately.

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Cardinal Seán Brady confirms offering resignation to Pope

IRELAND
Irish Times

Genevieve Carbery

Fri, Aug 15, 2014

Catholic Primate of All Ireland, Cardinal Seán Brady, has confirmed that he offered his resignation as Archbishop of Armagh to Pope Francis last month.

In a statement Cardinal Brady said the offer was made to the pope in anticipation of his 75th birthday tomorrow.

Cardinal Brady said he did so “in accordance with Canon Law”.

As soon as his regination is accepted by Pope Francis, Archbishop Eamon Martin will become Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, he said.

Eamon Martin is Coadjutor Archbishop of Armagh and was appointed to the role in January 2013 by Pope Benedict XVI.

Cardinal Brady said he looked forward to “the day when my resignation will be accepted and when “Archbishop Eamon will take over”.

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Cardinal Brady offers resignation as Catholic leader

IRELAND
News Letter

Cardinal Sean Brady, the leader of the Catholic Church in Ireland, has confirmed he has offered his resignation.

Amid much speculation that he was to stand down, the senior churchman said he wrote to Pope Francis last month asking if he could resign as Archbishop of Armagh.

“I did so in anticipation of my seventy-fifth birthday which I will celebrate tomorrow,” he said in a statement on Friday.

Archbishop Eamon Martin will take over the role as Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland as soon as Pope Francis accepts the resignation.

“I look forward to the day when my resignation will be accepted and when Archbishop Eamon will take over as Archbishop, a position for which, I believe, he is excellently prepared,” added Cardinal Brady.

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Head of Ireland’s abuse-tainted Catholic Church retires

IRELAND
Yahoo! News

DUBLIN (Reuters) – The head of the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland, whose career was plagued by scandal over the sexual abuse of children by clergy, said on Friday he had tendered his resignation, confirming his plan to retire on his 75th birthday.

Brady, who turns 75 on Saturday, will leave office once his resignation has been accepted by Pope Francis.

Brady had resisted calls by three of Ireland’s four main parties to resign earlier over the sexual abuse scandal. Last year the Vatican appointed Monsignor Eamon Martin as “coadjutor” to run the day-to-day affairs of the Church in Ireland.

A BBC television documentary in 2012 reported that Brady had failed to warn parents their children were being sexually abused by a priest in 1975 after he had been given the information by one of the victims.

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Cardinal Brady offers resignation

IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph

15 AUGUST 2014

Cardinal Sean Brady, the leader of the Catholic Church in Ireland, has confirmed he has offered his resignation.

Amid much speculation that he was to stand down, the senior churchman said he wrote to Pope Francis last month asking if he could resign as Archbishop of Armagh.

“I did so in anticipation of my seventy-fifth birthday which I will celebrate tomorrow,” he said in a statement today.

Archbishop Eamon Martin will take over the role as Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland as soon as Pope Francis accepts the resignation.

“I look forward to the day when my resignation will be accepted and when Archbishop Eamon will take over as Archbishop, a position for which, I believe, he is excellently prepared,” added Cardinal Brady.

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Clergyman: I did not target fellow priest

SCOTLAND
Herald Scotland

Friday 15 August 2014

A PRIEST has denied he targeted a fellow clergyman after being offended at a controversial book that alleged a gay mafia was operating within the Catholic Church.

Father William Nolan, 60, replaced Father Matthew Despard at St John Ogilvie Church in High Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, after Father Despard was ordered out by the Bishop of Motherwell, Joseph Toal.

Father Despard had been suspended after writing the book, Priesthood In Crisis. It was later withdrawn after threats of legal action were made.

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Salvation Army dismisses whistleblower, Marina Randall, who raised concerns about commissioner

AUSTRALIA
ABC News

By Sarah Dingle
Updated 15 Aug 2014

The Salvation Army has abruptly dismissed a whistleblower, just months after her husband publicly aired concerns about the organisation’s commissioner, James Condon.

Major Marina Randall had been volunteering four days a week at the organisation’s Professional Standards Office, to assess the complaints of victims of child abuse.

The couple gave evidence in the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in February in Sydney.

In the 1970s Mrs Randall and her husband Major Cliff Randall had been houseparents at the Alkira Salvation Army boy’s home in Brisbane when they reported an incident of violence against a child involving a Salvation Army officer to Queensland’s Department of Children’s Services.

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Royal Commission publishes two research reports

AUSTRALIA
Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse

15 August, 2014

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has today published two research reports into aspects related to child sexual abuse:

Mandatory reporting laws for child sexual abuse in Australia; a legislative history
Child exploitation material in the context of institutional child sexual abuse

Royal Commission CEO Philip Reed said the information in the reports published today will fill gaps in the current body of research on child sexual abuse to assist others in their work in this area.

“While the findings and opinions contained in Royal Commission research reports are those of the authors and not the Royal Commission, the Royal Commission will use the results to inform its work and the development of final recommendations,” he said.

“The Royal Commission is investing significant resources to deliver research that will provide evidence to support our work and help us to make recommendations for strengthening the protection of children and institutional responses to child sexual abuse. …

Key findings of reports

Mandatory reporting laws for child sexual abuse in Australia: a legislative history – Queensland University of Technology

* This report provides an overview of the development of laws relating to mandatory reporting in each State and Territory.

* Every Australian jurisdiction now has some form of mandatory reporting law for child sexual abuse.

* Australian States and Territories have introduced laws relating to mandatory reporting at different times over a 40 year period. They were first enacted in 1969 in South Australia and the last State to enact them was Western Australia in 2009.

* Currently the laws share many features and have a similar approach however several significant differences remain particularly in relation to reporter groups

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Surrogacy is still available to paedophiles. This must change – but how?

AUSTRALIA
The Guardian (UK)

Richard Ackland
theguardian.com, Thursday 14 August 2014

As the baby Gammy story hit the headlines, Australians suddenly realised that a person with 22 child sex convictions, including unlawful and indecent dealing with girls as young as seven years old, can have a baby girl by surrogacy – and the law is silent.

So what can be done about it? One way of making children safe would be to licence intending parents. A great government agency handing out permissions for people to have children would be just the ticket.

Who will licence the licensers and what criteria or tests will be applied are difficulties that could be managed by skilfully drafted legislation. This uniform law would be administered by a reproductive management commission, safely housed in Kevin Andrews’ department of social services.

First and foremost the commission would be licensing quality people, people who are likely to produce superior children. The permitted progeny don’t necessarily have to have blond hair or blue eyes, but that would be a discretion left to the minister.

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Clergy sex abuse victim to take stand at Royal Commission’s Melbourne hearings

AUSTRALIA
Herald Sun

ALEX WHITE HERALD SUN AUGUST 15, 2014

A MAN will next week tell the Royal Commission into child sex abuse how a Catholic priest groomed and abused two generations of young men in his family over three decades.

Paul Hersbach, 37, will speak out against the late Father Victor Gabriel Rubeo at the inquiry’s first Melbourne hearings, starting on Monday.

Mr Hersbach suffered a decade of abuse from before the age of 10. Years later his father Tony revealed he had also been abused by the same priest.

The priest lived in the family home, accompanied them on holidays and even officiated at Mr Hersbach’s parents’ wedding and the baptism of four children — all the while perpetrating years of abuse.

Mr Hersbach says he triumphed over his attacker by breaking the cycle of abuse.

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Aust abuse policy not informed: report

AUSTRALIA
NT News

ANNETTE BLACKWELL AAP AUGUST 15, 2014

AUSTRALIA lacks the most basic research evidence about the prevalence of child sex abuse necessary to produce sound policy to fight the crime.

THE finding has been made in a research report on mandatory national reporting laws published by the ongoing federal royal commission into institutional responses to child abuse.

Author Ben Matthews from the Australian Centre for Health Law Research at the Queensland University of Technology looked at reporting approaches in states and territories across Australia and found inconsistencies.

There was also no rigorous overarching research evidence which could be used to bring about a decline in the abuse of children, he found.

“On a broad level, Australia lacks even the most basic rigorous evidence about the national prevalence, incidence and characteristics of child sexual abuse,” Prof Matthews said.

In an accompanying review of international crime health data Associate Professor Matthews said a substantial decline in the US, declared in 2012, was identified after “assiduous analysis of seven different sources of data” which took in state and community incidence studies and self report surveys.

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School employee accused of molesting children at Lancaster church

CALIFORNIA
Los Angeles Times

By STEPHEN CEASAR

An employee of Desert Christian Schools in Lancaster was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of child molestation, authorities said.

Jonathan Macy, 31, of Lancaster was arrested on suspicion of molesting two children at Grace Chapel Church, which is on the Desert Christian campus, as the children attended Sunday services, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Macy, who is also employed at St. Mary’s School in Palmdale, is being held in lieu of $1.2 million bail.

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Lancaster: Desert Christian Teacher Suspected of Molestation

CALIFORNIA
SCV News

LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT | THURSDAY, AUG 14, 2014

A Lancaster man was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of molesting two children in a chapel on the campus of Desert Christian School.

The investigation began Aug. 5 when detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Special Victims Bureau looked into an allegation of child molestation involving a young female child and an employee at the school in Lancaster.

Over the course of the investigation, a second victim of child molestation was identified. Both victims had come to know the suspect due to his employment at Grace Chapel Church, which is located on the campus of Desert Christian School in the 44600 Block of 15th Street West in Lancaster. The acts of molestation occurred while the children were at Grace Chapel for Sunday Church Services.

As a result of the investigation, the suspect, Jonathan Macy, a White male, 31 years old and resident of Lancaster, was arrested by Sheriff’s Special Victims Bureau Detectives during the morning hours on Wednesday, August 13, 2014. He is currently in the custody of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and being held in lieu of $1.2 million bail.

Detectives have learned that the suspect was also employed as a teacher at St. Mary’s School in Palmdale. School officials at both Desert Christian and St. Mary’s School have been cooperative with detectives.

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Christian School Employee Arrested In Molestations Of 2 Children in Lancaster

CALIFORNIA
CBS Los Angeles

LANCASTER (CBSLA.com) — A Christian school employee was in custody Thursday on suspicion of molesting two young children during weekend church services.

According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Jonathan Macy, 31, of Lancaster was arrested by detectives Wednesday morning.

Detectives said that an initial investigation began Aug. 5 after an allegation of child molestation involving a girl and an employee at the Desert Christian School, which is in the 44600 block of 15th Street West.

A second victim of child molestation was identified during the investigation, officials said. It was unclear if the second victim was also a girl.

According to authorities, both the victims knew Macy, as he was employed by the Grace Chapel Church, which is on the campus of the Desert Christian School.

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Christian School Employee Arrested After Allegedly Molesting Kids at Church in Lancaster

CALIFORNIA
KTLA

[with video]

AUGUST 14, 2014, BY TRACY BLOOM

An employee at Desert Christian School in Lancaster was arrested after allegedly molesting two children while they were at a chapel to attend Sunday church services, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department announced on Thursday.

Detectives began investigating an allegation of child molestation between a young girl and the employee, identified as Jonathan Macy, on Aug. 5, a release from the Sheriff’s Department stated.

A second child victim came forward during the investigation, according to the release.

Both victims knew Macy through his employment at Grace Chapel Church, which is located on the Desert Christian School’s campus, investigators said.

The alleged molestations occurred while the children were at Grace Chapel for Sunday church services, according to the release.

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Bay Area pastor accused of child sex abuse

CALIFORNIA
SF Gate

Kale Williams
Thursday, August 14, 2014

A pastor from Daly City who held services at a number of Bay Area churches has been charged with multiple counts of child sex abuse, prosecutors said.

Ventje Cornelis Singkoh, a 69-year-old pastor at the IPAFC Church at 18th Avenue and Geary Boulevard in San Francisco, was taken into custody by Daly City police around 8 a.m. and was charged with three counts of felony child molestation after allegedly abusing a victim younger than 13 for more than a year, starting in January 2013 and ending February 2014, said San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.

Singkoh also held services at the Golden Gate Christian Church on 18th Avenue in San Francisco and the First Presbyterian Church on Colfax Street in Concord, as well as at his residence in Daly City, police said. However, the First Presbyterian Church in Concord said it had no affiliation with Singkoh, and had only leased him a room at the church.

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Pastor facing child molestation charges

CALIFORNIA
Lompoc Record

DALY CITY, Calif. (AP) — A San Francisco Bay Area pastor is accused of child molestation.

Sixty-nine-year-old Ventje Cornelis Singkoh was arrested on Tuesday by police in Daly City. He has been charged with three counts of felony child molestation.

San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe tells the San Francisco Chronicle (http://bit.ly/1r9Pera) Singkoh abused a child younger than 13 between January 2013 and February 2014.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether Singkoh had an attorney. He was scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon.

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Evangelical child molester sentenced to 40 years

MARYLAND
Associated Baptist Press

By Bob Allen

A former youth worker convicted of sexually abusing boys in the 1980s at a Sovereign Grace Ministries church in Maryland was sentenced Aug. 14 to 40 years in prison.

Nathaniel Morales, 56, was found guilty in May of abusing three boys from 1983 to 1991 while working in youth ministries and leading Bible studies at Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Md.

Morales, who now lives in Las Vegas, Nev., is also named in a class-action lawsuit of numerous acts to conceal child sexual abuse by leaders at the church and SGM, a Calvinist church-planting network now based in Louisville, Ky. That case has been thrown out under a statute of limitations but is under appeal.

The case, described in media as the largest evangelical abuse scandal to date, drew attention in Southern Baptist circles because of close ties between C.J. Mahaney, founder and former head of Sovereign Grace Ministries, and denominational leaders including Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and prominent Washington pastor Mark Dever.

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Ex-deacon convicted, faces term of 14 years

NEW YORK
Albany Times Union

By Robert Gavin

Albany

First, Angel Garcia lost his congregation.

Now he’s lost his freedom.

Garcia, 61, who was defrocked as a deacon in 2010 for child molestation allegations, was convicted on Thursday of two counts of sexual abuse for victimizing a 6-year-old girl in 2003.

Each of the sex abuse counts could land the one-time deacon at the Church of the Holy Family on Central Avenue in prison for up to 7 years.

The trial was not related to the allegation that Garcia sexually abused a minor in the early 1990s before his ordination as a deacon. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, which found reasonable grounds to believe the earlier allegations, defrocked Garcia.

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Friday the deadline to file claims against Diocese of Stockton

CALIFORNIA
Stockton Record

Posted Aug. 14, 2014

STOCKTON – Friday is the deadline for claims to be filed alleging sex abuse by leaders of the Diocese of Stockton, which is undergoing bankruptcy proceedings.

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court had ordered that anyone planning to file a claim has until 4 p.m. Friday to submit the required forms.

The court needs to determine how the Catholic organization’s assets will be distributed and to which outstanding claims.

Stockton’s diocese filed for bankruptcy in January amid pending civil litigation in claims of child sexual abuse by priests.

Previous settlements to victims and other legal costs have set the diocese back $32 million over the past two decades.

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File Released Shows Priest Admitted to Sexually Abusing Boys

MINNESOTA
KSTP

[with video]

By: Cassie Hart

Lawyers released the file of another Minnesota priest Thursday as part of the civil lawsuit against the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

The documents, released by Jeff Anderson and Associates, show Fr. Thomas Stitts admitting he abused boys in every parish he worked in.

He also admitted to having a sexual relationship with two boys.

Before he died in 1985, the file says Stitts wrote a letter, outlining his sexual activity in the archdiocese; as well as other priests’ behavior.

The priests named in the letter, begged the archdiocese to keep it secret.

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Abuse victims urge Pope to let Cardinal go quickly

IRELAND
Irish Independent

Sarah McDonald
Published 15/08/2014

VICTIMS of clerical sexual abuse have called on Pope Francis to accept Cardinal Sean Brady’s resignation immediately.

They spoke out after the Cardinal confirmed he had asked to stand down from his role as Primate of All Ireland, traditional for cardinals on their 75th birthday.

Dr Brady has faced criticism over his role in the Church’s handling of abuse claims against paedophile priest Fr Brendan Smyth.

Abuse survivor Marie Kane, who met Pope Francis last month, said she would be surprised if the Pontiff didn’t allow the cardinal to leave his position soon.

“I would hope for a quick response from Pope Francis. I would be so disappointed if it even took months,” she said.

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Cardinal Pell to explain abuse response

AUSTRALIA
SBS

Source AAP 15 AUG 2014

When the Australian Catholic church was hit with a tidal wave of sexual abuse allegations in the 1990s, its bishops – barring George Pell – were like rabbits caught in the headlights.

Their reaction was described by the Catholic Archbishop of Brisbane, Mark Coleridge, when he appeared before the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

Archbishop Coleridge was explaining why an internal church process – Towards Healing – set up to provide support for abuse survivors, sometimes failed badly.

In those days, the bishops just didn’t know what to do, said Archbishop Coleridge, so when lawyers and insurance brokers showed the way, the pastors were relieved.

But Cardinal Pell, who went on to become the Vatican’s supreme bean counter and the third most powerful clergyman in its bureaucracy, was definitely not among the rabbits.

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Church congregations have role in healing abuse victims

AUSTRALIA
Eureka Street

Neil Ormerod | 17 August 2014

Child Abuse Royal Commission hearing

On Monday (18 August), we are beginning Round 8 of the Royal Commission’s investigation into the Catholic Church’s handling of sexual abuse allegations. While some of these have passed without significant media attention, and in one case the Wollongong church came out looking not too bad, this upcoming round, like the Sydney based investigation into the John Ellis case, promises to be explosive in its content.

We received a preview of the matters likely to be investigated in the ABC’s Four Corners on 11 August. The program aired material relating to the Melbourne Response established by then Archbishop Pell to be the Melbourne Archdiocese alternate response to the national protocols being developed at that time by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Towards Healing. The program dealt with a number of specific cases of abuse including the case of Chrissie and Anthony Foster, whose two daughters Emma and Katie were assaulted by serial abuser Fr Kevin O’Donnell.

Their case was one of the first to be processed by the Melbourne Response process and has already been subject to investigation by a Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into the handling of child abuse by religious and other organisations. That inquiry involved some feisty, if not heated, exchanges between the parliamentarians and Cardinal Pell. His subsequent appearances at the Royal Commission on the John Ellis case were more circumspect.

At the closure of the Commission investigation of that case the Cardinal was asked to make himself available for this coming round into its investigation into the Melbourne Response, to which he agreed he would if possible. So we can expect another probing process of question and answer with Cardinal Pell the star witness. Once again we will have the spectacle of a cardinal of the Church humbled before a secular authority.

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August 14, 2014

Detienen a sacerdote de San Luis Potosí; quinto religioso acusado de abuso sexual

SAN LUIS POTOSí (MEXICO)
El Sol de Nayarit [Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico]

August 14, 2014

By Redacción

Read original article

El sacerdote de la parroquia de Fátima de San Luis Potosí, José de Jesús Cruz Rodríguez, fue acusado y detenido por abusar sexualmente de un joven de 20 años. Este es el cuarto religioso de la Arquidiócesis de San Luis Potosí que se ve envuelto en un problema de este tipo.

Cruz Rodríguez fue arrestado la noche del lunes junto con otro joven, identificado como Juan Gerardo Mejía García, de 21 años, quien habría tratado de impedir la detención del sacerdote.

Información dada a conocer por las autoridades policiacas que arrestaron al religioso, de 39 años de edad, señala que éste y dos jóvenes más habían llegado del municipio de Salinas y estaban ingiriendo bebidas alcohólicas en el interior de la parroquia.

Fueron tres jóvenes los que consumieron bebidas embriagantes y continuaron haciéndolo en el área de dormitorios de la parroquia, cuando el afectado decidió dormir en una de las habitaciones.

El denunciante relató que se quedó dormido, pero dos horas después despertó, pues el sacerdote le estaba practicando sexo oral, por lo que de inmediato salió y pidió auxilio a unos agentes de la Policía Municipal que pasaban a bordo de la patrulla número 2990, posteriormente hizo la denuncia.

Los policías detuvieron a Cruz Rodríguez y Mejía García, éste por tratar de impedir la captura del cura. Ambos fueron traslados a las instalaciones de la Dirección General de Seguridad Pública Municipal para ser consignados ante el Ministerio Público.

Al sacerdote se le acusó de abuso sexual, mientras que a Mejía García de ultrajes y obstrucción de la ley.

La Procuraduría General de Justicia del Estado confirmó los hechos y Cruz Rodríguez fue puesto a disposición del Ministerio Público, ya que el afectado denunció lo ocurrido.

Actualmente existen denuncias por abuso sexual en contra de tres sacerdotes potosinos, incluido el ex asesor jurídico de la Arquidiócesis de San Luis Potosí, Eduardo Córdova Bautista, quien se encuentra prófugo tras haber sido acusado de ser responsable de un centenar de casos de abuso sexual, y a partir del cual se han venido denunciados más casos de esta índole.

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Judge affirms $1.1 million award against Kansas City-St. Joseph diocese in abuse case

KANSAS CITY (MO)
The Republic

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
August 14, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — A judge has affirmed an arbitrator’s $1.1 million breach-of-contract award against the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City and St. Joseph for violating a 2008 settlement with victims of sexual abuse by priests.

In his ruling late Wednesday, Jackson County Circuit Judge Bryan Round wrote there could “be no doubt that the Diocese, through its leadership and higher-level personnel, failed in numerous respects to abide by the terms of the non-monetary commitments” of the settlement, The Kansas City Star reported (http://bit.ly/1vOMfqc ).

The breach-of-contract lawsuit was filed in 2011 by several of the plaintiffs in the 2008 case, which was resolved with a $10 million judgment and 19 specific conditions for the diocese. Among them was a requirement that any suspected abuse by priests be reported immediately to authorities.

The lawsuit accused the diocese and Bishop Robert Finn of violating the settlement through such actions as waiting nearly a year to report suspected abuse by the Rev. Shawn Ratigan and withholding evidence of possible child pornography for months.

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Fortune magazine praises Francis as an “elite manager” with an “elite managerial skill set”

UNITED STATES
Catholic World Report

August 14, 2014

By Carl E. Olson

In a lengthy feature article, “This pope means business” (Aug. 14, 2014), Fortune magazine offers a detailed look at what Francis has done to “restructure the Vatican’s scandal-plagued finances.” It’s an informative, if occasionally annoying, piece. For instance, the author, Shawn Tully, drags out many of the tired and not-so-helpful storylines about Francis being the “people’s pope” whose gentle (even carefree) approach to doctrine contrasts with the harsh and dogmatic approach of Benedict. And:

The church has often promoted issues that tended to divide Catholics more than unite them. And the backlash made Rome look defensive, as many bishops and cardinals viewed their role as defending Catholic doctrines against a hostile culture of secularism.

Also, in a rather misleading paragraph:

By contrast, Francis’s upbeat, quotable approach and emphasis on charity over doctrine have quickly made him perhaps the most talked-about and admired person on the planet. (Fortune named him No. 1 on its World’s Greatest Leaders list earlier this year.) His famous “Who am I to judge?” declaration on homosexuality distanced him from Benedict’s severe criticism of gays. Francis could be called the first modern pope. His Twitter account, @Pontifex, boasts 4.3 million followers in nine languages. And his message is universally appealing: The paramount duty of the church and its faithful is to aid those in need.

Because, as we all know, Benedict never talked about charity—that is, if you discount his first encyclical, which was about charity. And most of his other writing and addresses. And, no, the paramount duty of the Church and the faithful is not to aid those in need, but to bring all men into communion with God, through Christ, and into the fullness of the Kingdom. But, hey, theology is boring and ultimate questions don’t grab headlines.

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Why Predators Are Attracted to Careers in the Clergy

UNITED STATES
Psychology Today

by Joe Navarro

The eye-catching headline read, “Which Professions Have The Most Psychopaths?” (The Week, October 30, 2013) What ensued was quite a dialogue on the internet, as everyone seemed to have their own favorite picks or a personal horror story. The article stimulated debate, but unfortunately did not add clarity to a worthy subject. And that subject is: Why would a so-called “psychopath” be found in greater numbers in one profession versus another?

According to the article, CEO positions attract the most psychopaths. Perhaps so, if one considers the history of Enron, Bernard Madoff, and movies such as “The Wolf of Wall Street” (2013). But the one career that caught my eye, and that 30 years ago probably would have escaped me, is that of the clergy (8th in line behind law enforcement, according to the article). I say 30 years ago because prior to the revelations relating to Catholic priests abusing children, one would not think of predators going into the clergy, yet that is a reality. Which begs the question, why a so-called “psychopath” would be attracted to the clergy? As it turns out, there are good reasons for this; that predators understand all too well—but first some caveats.

Unfortunately, the term psychopath is bandied about too much, making things murkier. There is a huge difference between a psychopath as defined by Robert Hare, a sociopath, someone with antisocial personality disorder, someone with conduct disorder, an aggressive narcissist, or someone with dissocial personality disorder. Unfortunately most people, even many clinicians, don’t differentiate, and we should. Too often these terms are lumped together, as in the above captioned article, and that can be confusing. There are distinctions between all these terms, and so rather than use this vague and overused term (psychopath), I will call these individuals predators, which encompasses all of the above noted disorders and pathologies.

I should also note that I am not writing this article to criticize any particular religion, because any religious group, as history has taught us, can be taken advantage of by predators or malignant zealots. Rather, it is an analysis of why predators would choose to imbed themselves within a religious organization or seek to be part of the clergy—so that we can be more aware in order to protect our loved ones and ourselves. Knowing what we do now, it is fitting that we examine predators among the clergy and how they would use their office or a religious organization to take advantage of others.

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USA: LCWR Stupid Catholics nuns meet in Nashville but for 10 years now, they refuse to meet SNAP demand to reveal their abusive nuns

UNITED STATES
POPE FRANCIS the CON-Christ.

Paris Arrow

According to SNAP “It’s now been 10 years since we first began prodding the largest group of U.S. nuns to take action on abuse by women religious. It’s been a frustrating and fruitless decade. Almost every August since 2004, we have shown up at and held news conferences outside the annual gathering of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, America’s largest organization of nuns. We’ve begged LCWR to expose the truth about child sex crimes and cover-ups by women religious. We’ve politely but firmly urged it to take simple steps to protect the vulnerable from abusive nuns and heal those wounded by abusive nuns. And we’ve been politely but repeatedly rebuffed. (Our website lists each of our interactions with the LCWR over the past decade.)

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The Curious Case of Carlos Urrutigoity (I)

UNITED STATES
dotCommonweal

Grant Gallicho August 14, 2014

In early July the Vatican announced that it would send investigators to the Diocese of Ciudad del Este in Paraguay. The apostolic visitation was prompted by complaints from local bishops and laypeople following news reports that an Argentine priest accused of molesting high-school students in Pennsylvania had been welcomed into Ciudad del Este by Bishop Rogelio Livieres—and promoted to vicar general.

Weeks later, the Vatican revealed that it had removed Fr. Urrutigoity from his position as vicar general and—in an unusual step—barred Bishop Livieres from ordaining anyone for the time being. (A final decision will be made after the Vatican studies the investigators’ report.) In response, the Diocese of Ciudad del Este published a long, forceful defense of Urrutigoity and Livieres. The statement, posted to the diocese’s website, claims that Urrutigoity is innocent, that he and his bishop have been the victim of a smear campaign, that his previous bishop approved his transfer to Paraguay, and that he came with the recommendation of several cardinals—including Joseph Ratzinger.

In a 2002 federal lawsuit, a plaintiff claimed that Urrutigoity and another priest, Eric Ensey, had molested him under the guise of “spiritual direction.” He accused Ensey of abusing him while he was a high-school student in the Diocese of Scranton, Pennsylvania, and he accused Urrutigoity of sexual misconduct after he graduated and was preparing for the priesthood. (No criminal charges were filed because the statute of limitations had run.) In addition to the abuse accusations, several depositions and affidavits taken in connection with the suit allege that the priests often supplied alcohol to underage boys and regularly shared their beds with them. The bishop at the time, James Timlin, suspended both clerics, and the diocese eventually settled out of court for about four hundred thousand dollars. The case rocked the diocese for years, not only because of the plaintiff’s shocking allegations, but also because the accused priests were not local to Scranton. Bishop Timlin had invited them in.

A review of hundreds of pages of court documents—including private correspondence, depositions, and affidavits—makes it clear that the Urrutigoity case is one of the most complicated to emerge during the 2002 wave of sexual-abuse scandals. It spans three decades, two continents, three countries, and two states. It involves multiple bishops—some schismatic—several dioceses, and numerous high-ranking Vatican officials. The priest’s rise to prominence tracks closely with the church’s growing awareness of the gravity of clerical sexual abuse. Accusations of misconduct have followed him from Argentina to Pennsylvania. That’s what makes his reappearance in Ciudad del Este—where the bishop had him helping with seminary formation before promoting him to vicar general—so difficult to understand. How could a Catholic priest with such a history end up as second in command of a diocese—in 2014?

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Two parenting must reads

UNITED STATES
The Worthy Adversary

Posted by Joelle Casteix on August 14, 2014

1) Call the cops, not your college president.

There has been a ton of press about the problem of sexual assaults on campus. Recent government intervention—telling universities that they must have better “policies” and “procedures” to handle the crime—is ALL wrong.

Why? Check out this article from (the most unlikely of places) the Harvard Gazette. Funny that the author didn’t put two and two together about universities’ investigations of sexual assault. But I have, so consider yourself warned …

The same goes for ANY internal investigation of sexual abuse, whether it be a high school, the Boy Scouts, a church, or sports club.

An institution’s first job is to protect itself. If you need an example, take a look at the cover-up of sexual abuse in the Catholic church. The very recent scandal in St. Paul, MN is a good place to start. This isn’t from 10 or 20 years ago, this is right now.

The moral of the story? If you or someone you love is a victim of sexual assault or child sexual abuse, call the police, not your college president or bishop. And read the article above.

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Judge Upholds Arbitration Award Involving the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph

KANSAS CITY (MO)
Jeff Anderson & Associates

(Kansas City, Missouri) – Circuit Court Judge Bryan E. Round has affirmed in its entirety an arbiter’s award of more than $1.1 million against the Diocese of Kansas City-St Joseph. The judge also awarded interest on the judgment.

The case was an unprecedented breach of contract action brought by Jeff Anderson & Associates of St. Paul, MN and others against the Diocese for failing to report an abusive priest, Shawn Ratigan, when it became known that he was creating child pornography using children of the Diocese. Bishop Robert Finn was criminally convicted and given probation for his failure to report.

The contract being enforced was a 2008 settlement between the Diocese and 47 plaintiffs who were themselves abused by priests or other agents of the Diocese. Those victims enforced the commitments the Diocese had agreed to in resolving their claims. “The Diocese paid less in damages for agreeing to the non-economic terms demanded by the Plaintiffs. When the Diocese reached the non-economic commitments, it effectively received the benefits without paying for it,” the judge wrote.

The commitments to protect children in the Diocese remain in place and the Plaintiffs remain able to hold the Diocese accountable for following them in the future.

Contact – Attorney Gregg Meyers: Office: 651.227.9990 Cell: 843.324.1589

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Judge confirms diocese must pay $1.1 million in breach of contract case

KANSAS CITY (MO)
The Kansas City Star

BY JUDY L. THOMAS
THE KANSAS CITY STAR
08/14/2014

The Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese must pay the $1.1 million ordered by an arbitrator last spring for violating the terms of a 2008 settlement with priest sexual abuse victims, a judge has ruled.

Calling the award a “scathing indictment of the defendant,” Jackson County Circuit Judge Bryan Round said in his ruling that “there can be no doubt that the Diocese, through its leadership and higher level personnel, failed in numerous respects to abide by the terms of the non-monetary commitments” of the 2008 agreement.

Round issued the ruling late Wednesday, three weeks after hearing arguments from both sides in the case. The plaintiffs asked him to confirm the arbitrator’s order, while the diocese argued that the order be vacated.

“The order is once again an indictment of the way the diocese has handled issues of childhood sexual abuse,” said Rebecca Randles, an attorney for the plaintiffs. “We are so proud and so honored to stand side by side with these men and women who have done so much to try to protect children from the kind of abuse they experienced.”

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MO- 2nd judge upholds “first-ever” breach award of $1.1 million to victims

MISSOURI
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, Aug. 14, 2014

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

A judge has ruled against Bishop Robert Finn and for 42 victims of clergy sex crimes in an unprecedented “breach of contract” case, the only one like it in the country.

Because he broke his pledges to improve how he deals with abuse cases, his diocese has now been twice ordered to pay $1.1 million to the victims.

In June, in a virtually-unnoticed court filing by Finn’s lawyers, the award was disclosed. Finn wanted it nullified. So his lawyers appealed to Judge Bryan Round, who ruled against Finn today.

Church officials have the option to appeal. We hope they choose to avoid running up even more expensive lawyer bills and resolve this without delay so these brave, wounded victims can focus on their healing.

As best we can tell, there’s never been a case like this in which victims have successfully held a bishop responsible in court for breaking the promises he made during a settlement. And the amount of this award is significant because it may well deter more Catholic officials from breaking the promises they make to victims.

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PRIEST FILE OF FATHER THOMAS STITTS

MINNESOTA
Jeff Anderson & Associates

The secret priest file of Father Thomas Stitts was released today as part of a civil lawsuit filed in Ramsey County. Stitts was assigned to multiple parishes, abusing boys everywhere he worked. Eventually, Stitts admitted to having a sexual relationship with two boys.

Upon his death in 1985, Stitts wrote a letter outlining not only his own, but other priest’s sexual activities in the Archdiocese. The priests implicated in the letter begged the Archdiocese to keep the letter secret and eventually the letter was destroyed.

A summary of the Stitts documents, a timeline, and a summary of Stitts’ priest file are available below.

Father Thomas Stitts Summary and Timeline
Thomas Stitts Hot Docs
Thomas Stitts Priest File Part 1
Thomas Stitts Priest File Part 2
Stitts pics

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Documents surrounding former Hastings priest, Thomas Stitts, released

MINNESOTA
Hastings Star Gazette

By Chad Richardson Today at 1:59 p.m.

Documents regarding former Guardian Angels pastor Thomas Stitts were released to the public on Thursday. The documents were released following a ruling in other cases relating to the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Stitts was an assistant pastor at the Church of Guardian Angels in Hastings from 1966 to 1970. The suit alleges Stitts abused boys at several of the parishes he worked at. Stitts later admitted to have a sexual relationship with two boys.

Twin Cities law firm Jeff Anderson & Associates has filed lawsuits on behalf of 12 victims who say they were abused by Stitts.

“We applaud the courageous survivors who have come forward and who helped make today possible,” Anderson said. “We are working with 16 survivors of Stitts who have been suffering in secrecy, silence and shame and all have fought hard to make sure this file was made known to the public to help protect children in the future.”

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Don’t Mess With the Pope When It Comes to Money

VATICAN CITY
Newser

By Jenn Gidman, Newser Staff
Posted Aug 14, 2014

(NEWSER) – It’s obvious by now that Pope Francis is a practical guy who’s trying to keep up with modern society, help the poor, and make inroads with issues that have plagued the church, all while humbly shrugging off his rep as a rock star among religious leaders. Based on an extensive article in Fortune, it also appears Jorge Bergoglio is pretty good in the boardroom, too. Highlights from the article that show Francis’ business savvy include:

* He’s not there to schmooze anyone: In his first meeting in 2013 with finance experts tasked with helping remedy the Vatican’s money issues, the pope set up a no-nonsense meeting in an unadorned conference room instead of the more ostentatious palace where popes traditionally meet with visitors
A participant called his meeting persona, which started with little small talk, as “highly managerial.”

* He knows what he wants and how to ask for it: Francis seemed hyperfocused at that get-together on the Vatican’s “unpredictable budgets” and “fat” administration that were keeping him from his main goal of helping the underprivileged. “You are the experts, and I trust you,” the pope reportedly said. “Now I want solutions to these problems, and I want them as soon as possible.” The panel’s chair tells Fortune that “in finances, he’s not a micromanager but an inspirational leader.”

* He cleans house: The pontiff, who apparently doesn’t think money matters are the clergy’s forte, according to the magazine, turned out the “old guard of cardinals and bishops” who went over the books when he took over and started replacing them with expert outsiders—including KPMG and Deloitte & Touche— who actually handle or analyze financial matters for a living.

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International Arrest Warrant Issued Against Fugitive Rabbi

SOUTH AFRICA
Arutz Sheva (Israel)

By Chaim Levi, Ari Yashar
First Publish: 8/14/2014

South African police have confirmed that they nearly nabbed the fugitive “Shuvu Banim” Hassidic leader Rabbi Eliezer Berland on Sunday, and further revealed that an international arrest warrant has been issued against him.

Plainclothes police were hiding among attendees at a wedding ceremony Berland was preparing for one of his followers. Local hassidim hid the rabbi at the last moment before police arrested him, a source close to the sect told Arutz Sheva.

“We do confirm that the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (also known as the Hawks) is working with the Israeli government to track Rabbi (Berland),” Captain Paul Ramaloko, National Spokesperson for the Hawks, told the South African Jewish Report on Wednesday.

Ramaloko elaborated that Berland “is a wanted person in Israel. An international warrant of arrest has been issued against him, and his name has been red flagged.”

Berland’s followers claim that the fugitive rabbi, who is on the run after facing sexual assault charges in Israel, is legally allowed to stay in Johannesburg, and one follower said “from the first moment we got here, senior figures in the Jewish community were trying to exile the Rabbi.”

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South African Police Confirm International Arrest Warrant …

SOUTH AFRICA
Failed Messiah

Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com

According to a report in the Zionist Orthodox news website Arutz Sheva, South African police have confirmed that they tried to arrest Breslov hasidic rabbinic leader Rabbi Eliezer Berland Sunday. They also confirmed that an international arrest warrant has been issued for the rabbi, who fled Israel almost two years ago after Israeli police opened a criminal investigation into alleged sexual abuse committed by Berland against several of his female followers, some of them minors.

Plainclothes police mingling with wedding guests tried to grab Berland but missed him when Berland’s followers shoved a hasid who resembles Berland at police and secreted Berland in side room.

After the confusion subsided, Berland went into hiding.

“We do confirm that the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation [HAWKS]is working with the Israeli government to track Rabbi [Berland],” Captain Paul Ramaloko, Hawks’ National Spokesperson reportedly told the South African Jewish Report yesterday.

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Researchers tell faith communities to let trauma survivors forgive in their own time

UNITED STATES
Christian Century

Aug 14, 2014 by David Briggs

The women came seeking healing. Many of these survivors of the Rwandan genocide had lost family members and some had been raped and infected with HIV. More than a few were struggling just it to make it to another day before they found Solace Ministries.

Sometimes it took a month or a full year before they spoke about their experiences with other survivors. When they did, even if it was only to say a few words before they broke down in tears, other survivors gathered around, embracing one another.

The passage from the Book of Isaiah—“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God”—was the mantra for this ministry. Envisioning a future with a sense of hope was nurtured among a loving community that reinforced their belief in a God who had not abandoned them.

One sermon topic was off limits, however, for the Solace ministers.

“They never, ever, ever preached forgiveness” until a survivor was able to go through a healing process, said Donald Miller, professor of religion and sociology at the University of Southern California. He has visited Rwanda 16 times and conducted more than 260 interviews with widows and orphans of the 1994 genocide. …

Pope Francis drew mixed reactions recently after he asked for forgiveness for “the grave crimes of clerical sexual abuse” and the sins of church leaders in their response to victims.

David Clohessy of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests referred to Francis “as a humble, brilliant, unpretentious pope.” But Clohessy said the pontiff must follow through with reforms such as holding bishops accountable and turning records over to civil authorities.

“We endanger boys and girls if we confuse words with deeds,” Clohessy said.

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Arrestan a cura violador de SLP

MEXICO
Vanguardia

[San Luis Potosi – The parish priest of Fatima in this capital city, Jose de Jesus Cruz Rodrigues, 39, was arrested and charged with sexually abusing a 20-year-old. He is the fourth religious of the archdiocese to be involved in a problem of a sexual nature.]

SAN LUIS POTOSÍ.- El sacerdote de la Parroquia de Fátima en esta Capital, José de Jesús Cruz Rodríguez, de 39 años de edad, fue acusado y detenido por abusar sexualmente de un joven de 20 años. Éste sería el 4° religioso de la Arquidiócesis de esa Entidad que se ve envuelto en un problema de carácter sexual.

Cruz Rodríguez fue arrestado la tarde-noche de ayer, junto con el joven, Juan Gerardo Mejía García, de 21 años, quien intentó impedir la detención del cura.

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NC- Former pastor faces additional charges, SNAP responds

NORTH CAROLINA
Surivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, Aug. 14, 2014

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

A North Carolina ex-pastor has been charged with an additional 26 child sexual abuse charges after more victims came forward. We are grateful to the victims who have come forward and reported to police. Their bravery will help others who are suffering in silence and self-blame.

Orlando Augusto Caldera was a minister at Memorial United Methodist Church. A 6 year old, a 10 year old and one of the children’s mother reported to police that Caldera had sexually abused them. Their bravery encouraged an additional 5 victims to come forward.

We hope anyone else who was hurt by Caldera, or any other church officials, will find the courage to speak up, report what they know to police, protect others, and start healing.

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NV- Las Vegas man, part of odd church, is sentenced on child abuse

NEVADA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, Aug. 14, 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 )

A Las Vegas man, who is a former Maryland megachurch leader, has been sentenced to 40 years in jail, after being found guilty of sexually abusing three boys. We are glad he has been given such a long sentence. Children are safer when predators are locked up, where they can’t hurt another innocent child.

Nathaniel “Nate” Morales was the youth leader at Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, MD, but currently resides in Las Vegas. By using his position of trust and authority he was able to sexually assault at least three boys, the youngest being only 11 years old.

We are grateful to the brave victims and whistleblowers who came forward and helped with this case and to the jury for finding him guilty Their bravery will keep a dangerous man away from kids for the next 40 years.

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This Pope means business

UNITED STATES
Fortune

by Shawn Tully @FortuneMagazine AUGUST 14, 2014

The wildly popular Francis is more than a pontiff of the people. He’s an elite manager who’s reforming the Vatican’s troubled finances.

The new pope wanted to talk about money. That was the message that went out to a group of seven prominent financiers—major Catholics all—from around the world in the summer of 2013. Barely five months after the shocking resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis had summoned them to assemble at the seat of holy power, the Vatican. They knew their general assignment: to create a plan to restructure the Vatican’s scandal-plagued finances. And like Catholics everywhere, they knew that Francis had already signaled that he was a new kind of pontiff, a “people’s pope” who championed charity and tolerance over dogma. Still, they didn’t know what to expect when they arrived at the Vatican for a meeting with the pope on the first Saturday in August. How interested was he in finance, really? And how serious was he about changing business as usual inside the Vatican?

A major hint came from a change in tradition upon their arrival: The visitors didn’t report to the Apostolic Palace, the Renaissance showplace where for centuries past popes had received visitors in high style. Instead they entered Vatican City on the other side of the colonnade of St. Peter’s Square and took a 150-yard stroll through the hilly enclave to the new pope’s place of business—Casa Santa Marta, a five-story limestone guesthouse that could be mistaken for a newish hotel. There they were ushered into a nondescript meeting room on the first floor with no paintings or religious ornaments and took their seats around a conference table. The members—including Jean-Baptiste de Franssu, ex-chief of asset-management giant Invesco in Europe; Jochen Messemer, a top executive at ERGO, a large German insurer; and George Yeo, former foreign minister of Singapore—chatted nervously as they waited.

After 15 minutes, Pope Francis entered the room—and got right down to business. Attired in a simple white cassock and plain metal cross, he took his place standing at the head of the table. With little preamble, he began outlining his strategic vision, in an approach described by one participant as “highly managerial.” Speaking in fluent Italian and taking frequent pauses while a translator repeated his words in English, the pope explained to the group that for his spiritual message to be credible, the Vatican’s finances must be credible as well. After centuries of secrecy and intrigue, it was time to open the books to the faithful. Strict rules and protocols must be adopted to end the cycle of scandals that had plagued the Vatican in recent years.

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Child sex abuser from Gaithersburg-area…

MARYLAND
Washington Post

Child sex abuser from Gaithersburg-area sentenced to 40 years in prison

By Dan Morse August 14

Nathaniel Morales, who was recently convicted of sexually abusing boys he met in a Gaithersburg church decades ago, was sentenced to 40 years in prison Thursday.

In two trials in May, jurors found Morales guilty of a series of counts of sex abuse and sex offense. Victims gave powerful testimonies of what Morales did to them and the lasting effect it had.

“Mr. Morales you are a pathetic human being,” Judge Terrence J. McGann said as he announced the sentence.

Morales, now 56, was an active adult member of Covenant Life Church in the 1980s – singing on stage during services and helping with a teenage youth group. The youth group had Bible studies that were combined with sleepovers, some of which were attended by Morales. He fondled teenage boys for several years, according to court records, before leaving the church and eventually settling in Las Vegas.

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Tulsa Pastor Indicted For Embezzling More Than $900,000

OKLAHOMA
Newson6

Richard Clark, NewsOn6.com

TULSA, Oklahoma – The pastor of the Greater Cornerstone Church in west Tulsa has been indicted for financial fraud.

Pastor Willard Lenord Jones, 63, is charged with three counts of wire fraud and one count of filing a false tax return.

Jones is the executive director of the Greater Cornerstone Community Development Project, located on 41st West Avenue. The community center offers a range of social services, ranging from help with food and clothing to health services.

Court documents say as executive director, Jones solicited millions of dollars in donations for the center, then diverted $933,507.80 of those funds for his own use.

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Nathaniel Morales, former Covenant Life Church leader convicted …

MARYLAND
WJLA

[with video]

Nathaniel Morales, former Covenant Life Church leader convicted of sexual abuse, sentenced to 40 years in prison

ROCKVILLE, Md. (WJLA/AP) – A Las Vegas man convicted of sexually abusing boys while he was a youth leader at a church in Maryland in the 1980s was sentened Thursday to 40 years in prison.

Nathaniel Morales received the sentence in Montgomery County Circuit Court.

A jury found him guilty in May on three counts of sexual abuse of a minor and two counts of sexual offense. He had faced up to 85 years in prison.

Prosecutors said Morales worked with youth ministries and conducted Bible studies for Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg.

He was convicted of abusing three boys from 1983 to 1991 at group sleepovers and in their homes.

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Police: Minister accused of sex assault faces more charges

NORTH CAROLINA
WSOC

By Tina Terry

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Detectives with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s Youth Crimes Unit have charged Orlando Agusto Caldera, 64, with 26 additional felony charges involving Caldera allegedly sexually assaulting victims while serving as an associate minister at his church.

Youth Crimes detectives were able to identify five additional female victims who they said had been sexually assaulted by Caldera, according to CMPD.

In a news conference, police said it took a lot of courage for those five little girls to speak up about alleged sex abuse by Caldera.

They told police Caldera, a former pastor at Memorial United Methodist Church, offered them gifts and candy to gain their trust then sexually assaulted them at the church.

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Charlotte ex-pastor faces 26 more sex charges

NORTH CAROLINA
Charlotte Observer

By Steve Lyttle
slyttle@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Thursday, Aug. 14, 2014

Orlando Agusto Caldera, 64, faces 26 additional charges involving sexual abuse of children, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg police.

A former minister at an east Charlotte church faces more than two dozen additional charges of sexual assault involving children, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg police.

Authorities said Orlando Augusto Caldera, 64, is accused of assaulting children between ages 6 and 10. He was charged with 26 felonies, in addition to the two indecent liberties with a child charges that were filed last week.

Caldera served for about five years as a minister at Memorial United Methodist Church, in the 4000 block of Central Avenue. He is no longer listed by the church as a staff member.

The first arrest came Aug. 4, after police were called to the church to deal with a disturbance. They were met by a 10-year-old girl, a 6-year-old girl and the mother of one of the children. The three accused Caldera of inappropriately touching the children, and after being interviewed by detectives, Caldera was charged.

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LCWR speakers: Failure to listen leads to judgment, cynicism, fear

TENNESSEE
National Catholic Reporter

Dan Stockman | Aug. 13, 2014

NASHVILLE, TENN. The largest leadership organization for U.S. women religious began its first full day of its annual assembly Wednesday by focusing on one of the criticisms leveled against it: the contemplative, collaborative process for making decisions.

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious, made up of Catholic sisters who are leaders of their orders in the United States, represents about 80 percent of the 51,600 women religious in the United States. Nearly 800 of the group’s 1,400 members have gathered here for their four-day annual conference.

Wednesday morning’s session began with an examination of the decision-making process LCWR uses: contemplation, observation and exploration, reflection and dialogue, and finally, decision and action. The process is in stark contrast to the hierarchical decision-making process used by the Catholic church.

Seattle Archbishop J. Peter Sartain listened intently as facilitators Catherine Bertrand of the School Sisters of Notre Dame and Mary Jo Nelson of Our Lady of Victory Missionary Sisters explained how truly listening to others and reflecting on their thoughts can change your thinking from individualistic to what is best for the community. Failure to listen, they said, leads to judgment, cynicism and fear.

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MD- Church leader to be sentenced in child sex abuse case, SNAP responds

MARYLAND
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, Aug. 14, 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 )

A Maryland megachurch leader will be sentenced today after being found guilty of sexually abusing three boys. We hope he gets the harshest sentence. Children are safer when predators are locked up, where they can’t hurt another innocent child.

Nathaniel “Nate” Morales was the youth leader at Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, MD. By using his position of trust and authority he was able to sexually assault at least three boys, the youngest being only 11 years old.

We are grateful to the brave victims and whistleblowers who came forward and helped with this case. Their bravery will keep a dangerous man away from kids. Morales could face an 85 year prison sentence and we hope he gets it.

We hope anyone else who may have seen, suspects or suffered child sex crimes by Morales, or any other church officials, will find the courage to speak up, report what they know and start healing.

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NY- Ex-Brooklyn priest sued for child sex abuse, SNAP responds

NEW YORK
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Wednesday, August 13, 2014

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

A new child sex abuse lawsuit has been filed against Fr. William Authenrieth who is originally from the Diocese of Brooklyn, abused in New York and Florida, and now lives in Massachusetts.

We urge Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio to urge his colleagues in Massachusetts to warn the public and their parishioners about Fr. Authenrieth, who has been accused of or sued for child sex crimes at least five times. Since Fr. Authenrieth was recruited, ordained, and trained in Brooklyn (before he was transferred to Orlando), Brooklyn Catholic officials should at least warn unsuspecting families about him.

Some might argue that, given his age (about 80), Fr. Authenrieth isn’t likely assaulting children now. They would be wrong.

It takes only seconds for a man to shove his hands down a boy’s pants or his tongue down a girl’s throat. And who would parents or kids trust more than an elderly, balding, stoop-shouldered, grandfatherly-looking figure?

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Sinead O’Connor’s “Take Me to Church”

UNITED STATES
Cranach: The Blog of Veith

[with video]

August 12, 2014 by Gene Veith

Sinead O’Connor is a singer perhaps best known for ripping up the pope’s picture on Saturday Night Live, but her latest song shows a realization of what church is for. It’s called “Take Me to Church.” Here is the refrain:

Oh, take me to church
I’ve done so many bad things it hurts
Yeah, take me to church
But not the ones that hurt
‘Cause that ain’t the truth
And that’s not what it’s for
Yeah, take me to church
Oh, take me to church
I’ve done so many bad things it hurts
Yeah, get me to church
But not the ones that hurt
‘Cause that ain’t the truth
And that’s not what it’s for

Hear the song–which is quite good–and see the video after the jump.

Go here for the rest of the lyrics. Note the self-repudiation of the first stanza. I’m not saying she has her theology all together, but her distinction between churches that “hurt” and that churches that offer forgiveness is surely a good one.

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Attorney Who Sued Diocese Shows Support For Fr. Dutel

LOUISIANA
KATC

Abbeville attorney Tony Fontana made a name for himself representing priest sex abuse victims and their families. A lifelong catholic, Fontana says the lawsuits against the diocese shook the foundation of his church, but not his faith. Now he’s showing support for the current Lafayette priest, whose name surfaced in the latest media reports on the scandal.

When the priest sex-abuse scandal was put back into the spotlight by an investigation by Minnesota Public Radio, so too was newly-discovered evidence, including an affidavit signed by Fontana back in 1995. The statement details what Fontana knew and when. In that affidavit, Fontana brought up a name never before mentioned in the scandal, Father Gilbert Dutel, the current priest at St. Edmond in Lafayette.

“The accusations, had nothing to do with children,” said Fontana. “It had to do with young adults.”

Dutel’s name was also mentioned in a deposition by Bishop Gerard Frey in 1995. Frey said he never heard about any problems with Dutel concerning children, but there was one complaint concerning an adult. Frey said Dutel denied the accusation, and he was “transfered and sent somewhere for treatment.”

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Diocese of Wilmington Pays High Price for Bankruptcy

DELAWARE
Delmarva Public Radio

By DON RUSH

The Catholic Diocese of Wilmington paid out $15.8 million to lawyers, financial advisors and others who worked on its 2011 bankruptcy.

That’s according to a final report filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court this week.

Anthony Flynn, an attorney for the diocese told the Wilmington News Journal, it was the third highest of around 10 diocesan bankruptcies nationwide.

The diocese paid $77.4 million into a trust fund to resolve the claims of victims in the priest sex abuse scandal that has rocked the church.

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Wilm. Diocese paid $16M in bankruptcy fees

DELAWARE
WDEL

By Associated Press

A 2009 bankruptcy filing by the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington cost $15.8 million in lawyers’ fees and other expenses.

The diocese filed for bankruptcy in 2009 in the face of lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by a former priest. It emerged in 2011 after paying $77 million into a trust fund for victims.

The News Journal says a report this week in U.S. Bankruptcy Court detailed the overall costs of the filing.

More than $12 million of the money went to lawyers’ fees and expenses.

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Opinion: Cardinal George Pell’s mean spirit…

AUSTRALIA
Courier-Mail

Opinion: Cardinal George Pell’s mean spirit in dealings with child abuse victims lives on after his transfer to Rome

TERRY SWEETMAN THE COURIER-MAIL AUGUST 15, 2014

THE Catholic Church has moved another embarrassing priest to a new parish.

I refer, of course, to Cardinal George Pell who has been transferred from Australia where his ineffectual, sometimes insensitive, oversight of dealings with abused children and their parents was fast becoming an insupportable embarrassment. He became the public face of a church beset with putrid crimes and clumsy cover-ups.

He has been posted to Rome to oversee the reform of the Vatican’s finances, a process that will lead to a church that is not “sloppy or inefficient’’ with its money, he assured the Catholic Herald.

He seems eminently qualified given he was so efficiently parsimonious in dealings in his own archdiocese. Pope Francis wanted a “poor Church for the poor,” but that “doesn’t necessarily mean a Church with empty coffers”, said Pell.

Events suggest that much of Pell’s life as a bishop has been preparation for guarding those coffers.

Pell might have gone to a more tranquil place but his spirit lives in television repeats of interviews and unimpressive appearances at the Victorian parliamentary inquiry into abuse and the royal commission into institutional responses to the scourge.

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The bump out and the smush

ILLINOIS
Oakpark.com

Opinion: Columns
Tuesday, August 12th, 2014 12:52 PM

By Dan Haley
Editor and Publisher

Odds and ends with some a bit odder than others:

Name in the news: Had not thought about Monsignor John Fitzgerald in a good long time. Like many active or deactivated Catholics, I suppose I live with the dull dread that the next time I hear a name from the past it will not be in connection with a blessing but with a sin.

And so it was on Sunday with the news that Fitzgerald, the long-dead pastor of Ascension Church, has now been accused of sexual abuse by a woman, then a teen, who says that the priest sexually attacked her while she sought counseling from him back in 1964. While reports are still sketchy, some of the details we have were rightly provided in the parish bulletin by Larry McNally, the current pastor.

As usual, there are questions about how the archdiocese has handled this information.

More will be learned. That’s the usual pattern. But until we know more, here are a few recollections of Fitzgerald that neither endorse him nor convict him but just offer some context for a person who was a major force in south Oak Park — well beyond his church — in the 1950s, 1960s and into the early 1970s:

He is credited with using his clout in the 1950s to stop the building of an additional entry and exit to the under-construction Congress Expressway (now the Ike) just a block south of his East Avenue church. In the 1960s he was visible in Oak Park’s early open-housing efforts, lending his name to petitions and, as the Journal has reported, working to help an African-American family purchase a home in the parish in part because he wanted his school integrated.

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Former Ascension pastor accused in abuse incident

ILLINOIS
Oakpark.com

By Ken Trainor
Staff writer

By KEN TRAINOR
Staff Writer

Ascension Catholic Church parishioners found the following message from Rev. Larry McNally in the church bulletin on Sunday:

“In the spirit of transparency and the parish family’s right to know … I received a phone call from the Archdiocesan Office of Youth and Protection. At a SNAP [Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests] press conference, an adult female spoke and said she was sexually abused by Monsignor John Fitzgerald in 1964. Msgr. Fitzgerald (now deceased) was pastor at Ascension from 1951 until 1973. The Archdiocese has paid for her therapy.”

The accuser is Gail Peloquin Howard, who now lives in Norwalk, Connecticut. According to the SNAP website (SNAPnetwork.org), “In 2005, [Ms. Howard] reported to Chicago archdiocesan officials that in 1964, as a teenager, she sought guidance from her pastor at Ascension parish in Oak Park, Msgr. John D. Fitzgerald, who sexually attacked her during that meeting and later he offered to pay her for one year of therapy. … The archdiocese has paid for Howard’s therapy.”

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Gitxsan First Nation healers urge residential-school survivors to open up and reflect

CANADA
Straight

by TRAVIS LUPICK on AUG 13, 2014

Gary Patsey’s Gitxsan First Nation name is Kaliskalan. Loosely translated, it means “last man up the river”, he told the Georgia Straight recently over coffee in Hazelton, in northwestern B.C.

In a separate interview, Dimdiigibuu, whose English name is Ardythe Wilson, told a story that revealed the path on which Patsey was set when he was given that title upon his birth.

“We’ve had a generation of people Gary’s age who have died,” Wilson began. “Most of his friends are gone. He struggles, almost alone, as a lone voice of his generation, calling out for some kind of recognition of the impacts of residential schools. And he’s doing that because that goes a long way in starting the healing process.”

Wilson, a program coordinator for the Gitxsan Child and Family Services Society, explained that First Nations people still feel the psychological trauma inflicted on them through Canada’s residential schools. The last such facility designed for assimilation, in Saskatchewan, closed in 1996, she said, and many former students died when they were still young. Depression, chronic alcoholism, drug abuse, suicide, and degenerative diseases remain common problems among survivors.

At the Historic B.C. Cafe, Patsey recalled years he spent trying to suppress memories of his time at a residential school outside Edmonton.

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Priest pleads guilty to endangering the welfare of a child

NEW YORK
Troy Record

Clifton Park >> A Catholic priest arrested in April pleaded guilty Wednesday afternoon in Clifton Park Town Court to one count of endangering the welfare of a child.

Dressed in a dark suit, white shirt, and dark tie, Rev. James Michael Taylor, 30, stood with his attorney before Judge James Hughes and calmly and clearly said, “Guilty, your honor” when Hughes asked for his plea.

Taylor, who was a youth minister at Corpus Christi Church in Clifton Park at the time of the incident, was arrested in April, accused of engaging in inappropriate conduct with a 15-year-old Clifton Park girl. He is said to have met the girl while serving as deacon and leader of the church’s youth ministry program. Taylor is said to have had physical contact but not forced contact, and shared telephone calls, text messages, and inappropriate photos with the girl.

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Priest avoids jail time in plea

NEW YORK
Albany Times Union

By Robert Gavin

Clifton Park

A Niskayuna priest who carried on a seven-month relationship with a 15-year-old girl admitted he endangered the minor Wednesday — but will spend no time behind bars.

The Rev. James Michael Taylor, who was serving as an associate pastor at St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish in Niskayuna, pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor that carries no more than a year in jail.

But Taylor, 30, known as “Father Michael,” will receive no jail time when he is sentenced Oct. 8, according to people familiar with the case.

A five-year order of protection prevents Taylor from contacting the victim.

Saratoga County District Attorney James A. Murphy III said via Twitter that the victim was satisfied with the conviction and it serves justice. Murphy noted it was not a plea bargain, and Taylor pleaded guilty to the charge he faced.

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Diocese …

NEW MEXICO
Dow Jones & Company

Diocese of Gallup Seeks More Time to Reach Deal With Victims

Tom Corrigan
August 13, 2014

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Gallup, N.M., has asked a federal judge for an additional eight months under bankruptcy-court protection to continue negotiations with more than 100 individuals who allege they were sexually abused by clergy members.

The church’s exclusivity period, during which sexual-abuse claimants or others are barred from filing their own reorganization proposals, is set to expire Sept. 8.

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Cardinal Sean Brady highly regarded until abuse cover-up scandal

IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph

BY SARAH MACDONALD – 14 AUGUST 2014

Cardinal Sean Brady was the only churchman from Ireland or Britain at the conclave that elected Pope Francis in March 2013.

Highly regarded in the Catholic Church, the revelation that he was linked to the cover-up of child sex abuse in the 1970s was the first time he had faced major criticism from the faithful.

Dr Brady was ordained a priest in 1964, after studying for the priesthood in Maynooth and Rome. As a seminarian he played at minor football for Cavan in GAA football and was even selected for senior level. However, he had to pass it up when he was sent to Rome to study for a doctorate in canon law.

In 1975, he was present when children signed a vow of silence after they accused paedophile priest Fr Brendan Smyth of sexually abusing them.

Smyth continued abusing children and was not jailed until 1994.

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Pope likely to approve decision by Cardinal Sean Brady to step down

IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph

BY SARAH MACDONALD – 14 AUGUST 2014

Pope Francis is expected to accept the resignation of Cardinal Sean Brady as Primate of All Ireland in the coming months.

The leader of the Catholic Church in Ireland wrote to the Vatican several weeks ago indicating that he is prepared to step down, it has been learned.

The decision by Cardinal Brady, who became Primate in 1996, to submit his notice almost a month before his birthday has been seen as surprising in religious circles.

Cardinal Brady, who turns 75 on Saturday, does not automatically abdicate the role as he can only retire with the Pope’s permission.

A spokesperson for the Catholic Communications Office confirmed: “When Pope Francis accepts the retirement, Coadjutor Archbishop Eamon Martin will become Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland.”

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Brady’s exit gives church here a chance for a fresh start

IRELAND
Irish Independent

Michael Kelly
Published 14/08/2014

As Cardinal Sean Brady sends his retirement letter to Pope Francis this week, he’ll surely breathe a sigh of relief – and hope it’ll be swiftly accepted.

As Primate of All Ireland for almost 20 years, he has been responsible for guiding the Catholic Church through some of its darkest days and most turbulent times. It has rarely been out of choppy waters and often on the rocks.

He has been the subject of sharp criticism and intense anger from many people over his own failures in the case of the notorious abuser-priest Brendan Smyth.

Dr Brady has stubbornly resisted calls for his resignation over his failure to save further victims by reporting Smyth’s crimes to the police.

Dr Brady and his supporters point out that he was only a note-taker during the canon law investigation into Smyth, that his role was periphery. But that misses the point: as Archbishop of Armagh he presented himself as the leader of a church which had learnt the lessons of the past and had cleaned up its act on child abuse. Yet, every time the cardinal appeared, he was a potent – and for survivors, a painful – reminder of a corrupt church culture which put the avoidance of scandal and the reputation of the church ahead of the rights of children.

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Victor Barnard, Minnesota sect leader, reportedly seen in Washington

MINNESOTA/WASHINGTON
Pioneer Press

A former minister from Minnesota wanted on child-molestation charges reportedly was spotted Wednesday in Washington state.

Victor Arden Barnard, 52, was charged in April in Pine County (Minn.) District Court with 59 counts of criminal sexual conduct. Barnard, who led a cult-like religious sect, is accused of abusing numerous girls and young women who lived apart from their families at the congregation’s compound in northern Pine County.

According to a news release from the Washington State Patrol, a witness reported seeing Barnard leaving a McDonald’s restaurant Wednesday in Raymond, in western Washington, heading toward the city of Aberdeen.

The patrol said that Barnard was believed to be driving a dark blue, two-door Audi with tinted windows and a spoiler and that he had a female passenger. Additional information placed Barnard in the Raymond and Aberdeen areas for about the previous week, the patrol said.

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“Calvary” star Brendan Gleeson reveals he was abused by Christian Brothers

IRELAND
Irish Central

Jane Walsh @irishcentral August 14,2014

Beloved Irish star Brendan Gleeson revealed, on US national radio, that he was molested by a Christian Brother as a young boy, in school.

Gleeson, who is in the United States to promote the movie “Calvary” said a brother had “dropped the hand” on him once but that he was not traumatized by it and never told his parents.

He told National Public Radio’s Bob Edward’s Weekend show it was “just one of those things where something odd happened.”

He said “Yeah, it’s odd…I remember a particular Christian Brother dropped the hand on me at one point. It wasn’t very traumatic and it wasn’t at all sustained, it was just one of these things where something odd happened.

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Gay mafia row priest booby-trapped house: Bishop tells sheriff device was left to dump liquid or powder on anyone opening door

SCOTLAND
Daily Record

Aug 14, 2014 By Stuart Macdonald

BISHOP Joseph Toal told a court that Father Matthew Despard rigged up a device to shower “liquid or powder” on anyone who opened one of the doors.

A CATHOLIC bishop yesterday accused a rebel priest of booby-trapping a church house.

Bishop Joseph Toal told a court that Father Matthew Despard rigged up a device to shower “liquid or powder” on anyone who opened one of the doors.

It’s the latest bizarre twist in the long battle between Despard and Toal over a book the priest wrote alleging that a gay mafia were operating at the top of the Church.

Bishop of Motherwell Toal removed Despard from his parish last year over the book and ordered him to get out of the parish house. But Despard refused to leave and Toal is taking court action to evict him.

Toal told Hamilton Sheriff Court that the booby trap was found in January by the priest he appointed to replace Despard at St John Ogilvie church in High Blantyre, Lanarkshire.

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Book row priest ‘booby-trapped home’ amid row about eviction

SCOTLAND
Herald Scotland

Thursday 14 August 2014

A Bishop has claimed a priest at the centre of a row with the Catholic Church booby-trapped his parish house.

Father Matthew Despard refused to leave his home at St John Ogilvie in High Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, despite being ordered out by the Bishop of Motherwell, Joseph Toal.

He had been suspended by senior church figures after writing a controversial book alleging a gay mafia was operating in the Catholic clergy.

Bishop Toal ordered Fr Despard to leave the house in November 2013 after disciplinary measures were taken against him, but the priest refused to comply.

The Church took legal action against him and yesterday a civil hearing at Hamilton Sheriff Court heard Bishop Toal allege a hidden device that let out liquid had been placed near a door in the property.

Father William Nolan was appointed to replace Fr Despard at the parish, and it was claimed he discovered the device in January this year.

Bishop Toal said: “My memory is that there was some door that once you got it open, some sort of liquid or powder would come down on the person who opened it.

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Md. church leader to be sentenced for child sex abuse

MARYLAND
WUSA

GAITHERSBURG, Md. (WUSA9) — A former Montgomery County megachurch leader will be sentenced Thursday for sexually abusing three boys in the 1980s and 1990s.

Nathaniel “Nate” Morales was found guilty on three counts of sexual abuse of a minor and two more counts of sexual offense in the second degree in May.

He was a youth leader at Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg when he sexually abused boy at group sleepovers and in their homes from 1983-1991.

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Church Calls For National Victims Scheme

AUSTRALIA
Pro Bono

Thursday, August 14, 2014

A submission from the Catholic Church’s Truth Justice and Healing Council to the child abuse Royal Commission has called for a mandatory national victims’ redress scheme operated by Government but funded by the institutions responsible for the abuse.

CEO of the Truth Justice and Healing Council, Francis Sullivan, said the scheme needed to be non-adversarial, low cost to claimants and provide just, compassionate and fair compensation for victims.

“The days of the Catholic Church investigating itself are over,” Sullivan said.

“For the sake of the survivors of clerical sexual abuse within the Church and all other institutions the development of an independent national victims’ redress scheme is a giant step forward in delivering justice for people suffering the devastating impacts of child sexual abuse.

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Justice Denied for Abused Children

NEW YORK
The New York Times

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD
AUG. 13, 2014

Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill last week that adds compensated public school coaches to the list of professionals, including teachers, required to report to authorities suspected cases of child sexual abuse and other maltreatment. This leaves uncovered some (but not all) private and parochial school coaches, volunteer coaches and college-level coaches. And it does nothing to elevate New York’s low ranking when it comes to providing justice to the victims of child sexual abuse. That shabby distinction is directly related to the state’s failure to extend its severely short statute of limitations in child-sexual-abuse cases.

Serious abuse cases involving institutions like Yeshiva University High School for Boys, Horace Mann and Penn State show that it can take years before victims are emotionally and psychologically ready to come forward. Many states have made changes to better align their statutes of limitation with that practical reality. But not New York, where people have just until age 23 in most circumstances to bring a claim against their abusers.

By comparison, Hawaii, in 2012, extended its time limit for civil lawsuits by child victims from 20 to the age of 26, or to three years from the time the victim realizes the abuse caused harm. The Hawaii reform also created a two-year window to allow victims to file claims even if the statute of limitations under the old law had expired. Hawaii lawmakers recently tacked on another two-year window. And, just a few week ago, the Massachusetts governor, Deval Patrick, signed a law raising the limit for filing civil lawsuits against abusers from age 21 to 53.

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.