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.

October 29, 2014

Shamed cleric Kieran Conry was ‘loved and admired’, says Bishop of Portsmouth

UNITED KINGDOM
Christian Today

Published 29 October 2014 | Mark Woods

Roman Catholics in Arundel and Brighton are devastated by the loss of their bishop who they “admired and loved” the Bishop of Portsmouth has said.

Writing to his diocese about Bishop Kieran Conry, who resigned as bishop of the adjacent diocese of Arundel and Brighton after admitting to sexual misconduct, Bishop Philip Egan said that chastity often involves a struggle but it is “a virtue to which every member of the Body of Christ is called”.

In a message included in a weekly electronic bulletin and reported by The Catholic Herald, Bishop Egan said: “Whenever we find out, unexpectedly, that someone has fallen from grace, our first reaction should be to ask God to have mercy upon us too for our own sins. Indeed, having spoken with priests and people from Arundel and Brighton, devastated by the loss of a bishop they admired and loved, I can only suggest we pray earnestly for God’s mercy and healing, and the renewal of Gospel hope.”

He continued: “Chastity is a virtue to which every member of the Body of Christ is called. It often involves a struggle. This is why we need constantly to ask Jesus for his grace, especially in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In Confession, we should be absolutely honest about our sins and candid about our weaknesses.”

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.

NV–Child sex case vs. Fernley priest settles

NEVADA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2014

For more information: David Clohessy of St. Louis, SNAP Executive Director 314 566 9790, SNAPclohessy@aol.com, Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, SNAP Outreach Director 314 503 0003

Child sex abuse and cover up case against Reno priest settles
Victims prod Catholic officials to alert the public & parishioners
Group to bishop: “Reach out to others who may have seen or suffered crimes”

A child sex abuse and cover up lawsuit involving a Fernley priest has settled. Now, a support group wants Reno Catholic officials to “warn parishioners, parents, police and the public” about the cleric and insist that he live “in a remote, secure, independent treatment center.”

In recent years, Fr. Thomas J. Cronin (tomcronin@prodigy.net) worked at three Reno area churches and a local hospital. But, according to the suit, he sexually assaulted a then-devout teenaged girl in the Kansas City diocese in the late 1970s.

Leaders of a support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, which exposed that Calvo was keeping Fr. Cronin on the job after and despite the abuse lawsuit.

[BishopAccountability.org]

The group wants the bishop to insist that Fr. Cronin stop trying to start a shelter for homeless or abused women.

[BishopAccountability.org]

During much of the last decade, Cronin worked in four Nevada towns: Reno (St. Therese Church of the Little Flower and Washoe Medical Center), Fernley (St. Robert Bellarmine), Empire (St. Joseph the Worker) and Virginia City (St. Mary’s of the Mountain). Around 2007, Cronin supposedly retired. But in 2010, he headed St. Mary’s.

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.

RCA Announces Committee To Review Conversion Process

UNITED STATES
Rabbinical Council of America

Committee Reflects Cross Section of Community, Including Women and Men, Converts, Mental Health Professionals, Rabbis and Other Professionals

Oct 29, 2014 — The Rabbinical Council of America (RCA) today announced the members of a committee that will review its current Geirus Protocol and Standards (GPS) conversion process and suggest safeguards against possible abuses. The RCA committed to forming this committee following the recent arrest of Rabbi Barry Freundel, of Washington, DC, which brought to light the need for a thorough review of GPS to identify changes that will ensure a more effective and appropriate conversion process.

Rabbi Leonard Matanky, President of the RCA, named the following individuals to the committee:

• Mrs. Evelyn Fruchter, a convert to Judaism and an attorney specializing in litigation;
• Rabbi Shmuel Goldin (chair), Honorary President of the RCA and Rabbi of Ahavath Torah, Englewood, NJ;
• Mrs. Abby Lerner, educator and teacher of family purity laws;
• Rabbi Haskel Lookstein, Rabbi of Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun, New York, NY;
• Mrs. Bethany Mandel, a convert to Judaism, former staff member at Commentary Magazine, and freelance writer who recently authored a column entitled, “A Convert’s Bill of Rights”;
• Rabbi Yona Reiss, Av Beit Din, Chicago Rabbinical Council; Dayan, Beth Din of America; and Chairman, GPS;
• Mrs. Bracha Rutner, Yoetzet Halacha (advisor in Jewish law) for the Riverdale, NY and Washington, DC communities;
• Mrs. Shana Yocheved Schacter, CSW, a psychotherapist in private practice;
• Rabbi Yaakov Shulman, Rabbi of Congregation Talmud Torah, Brooklyn, NY who is an experienced member of a rabbinic tribunal for conversions;
• Rabbi Adam Starr, Rabbi of Young Israel of Toco Hills, Atlanta, GA;
• Rabbi Kalman Topp, Rabbi of Beth Jacob Congregation, Beverley Hills, CA.

“Our hearts continue to go out to those victimized by the unconscionable actions of a Rabbi they trusted in the conversion process,” said Rabbi Matanky “The RCA recognizes the inherent sensitivities and vulnerabilities involved in the conversion process and will do all it can to ensure that such victimization will never be repeated. We believe the formation of this committee, reflecting a cross section of our community, is an important first step in this regard.”

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.

Ridgeview pastor charged with sexually abusing young boy

WEST VIRGINIA
Coal Valley News

CHARLESTON — A Ridgeview pastor has been arrest and accused of sexually abusing a young boy.

James Robert Smith, 23, also known as “J.R” is the pastor at Morning Star House of Prayer in Ridgeview.

A warrant was issued by the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office for Smith on Monday. He was charged with first-degree sexual abuse and sexual abuse by a parent or guardian.

The alleged abuse dates back to 2009, when the boy was 10-years-old, according to the criminal complaint.

WCHS-TV in Charleston broke the story, reporting the boy, now 15-years-old, came reported the alleged crimes in May.

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.

Fr Charles Fenech alleged sexual abuse case before Church Response Team for 8 years

MALTA
Malta Independent

Rachel Attard & Stephen Calleja

A case regarding sexual abuse on vulnerable women by Dominican priest Fr Charles Fenech has been before the Curia Response Team for at least eight years, The Malta Independent has learnt.

The case before the church tribunal is over and above the court case instituted by the police against Fr Fenech.

The Malta Independent this morning revealed that Fr Fenech, known for his organisation of volleyball marathons in aid of Dar Tal-Providenza, is facing charges of sexual abuse against at least five women. He was summoned to court on three occasions but did not turn up, citing illness.

The Malta Independent made a conscious and responsible decision to publish the name of the priest in full respect towards ethical standards. People who are not priests who are accused of similar crimes have always been named unless the victims were relatives and could be identified. In this case, the alleged victims are not relatives of Fr Fenech. The Malta Independent will not protect members of the clergy if they are accused of such crimes.

The case was brought before the Church Response team at the time that Mgr Joseph Mercieca was Archbishop of Malta. The Malta Independent has also learnt that when Mgr Paul Cremona was ordained Archbishop, some of the alleged victims approached him with their accusations against Fr Fenech.

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.

Updated | Kerygma director accused of sexual abuse, Church Response Team investigating

MALTA
Malta Today

Five alleged victims of sexual abuse will be testifying against the director of the Kerygma Movement, Fr Charles Fenech, a prominent cleric well known as the organiser of an annual charity volleyball marathon.
TVM.com.mt featured a censored photo of the 54-year-old on Tuesday, as Fenech is being accused of holding a woman against her will.

He is due to appear in court on 17 December after several sittings were cancelled, when the defendant’s lawyer claimed he was unavailable for the hearing due to a medical condition.

The Church’s Response Team is investigating the sexual abuse claims, a spokesman for the Curia has told The Times.

A victim who spoke to MaltaToday said the defendant’s delaying tactics were frustrating her need to seek justice in court.

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.

Francis: When Christians become a source of scandal, people choose atheism

VATICAN CITY
Vatican Insider

Today’s General Audience was dedicated to the Church as a “visible reality”: We are all sinners and it is right that this should provoke displeasure in us, especially when we set a bad example. But the Church can represent Jesus. The Pope also sent out an appeal against the Ebola virus

IACOPO SCARAMUZZI
VATICAN CITY

We are all sinners and “we experience our fragility and our limitations, which rightly provoke profound displeasure, especially when we give bad example and become a source of scandal.” Francis concluded today’s General Audience in St. Peter’s Square appealing to the international community to increase efforts to combat the Ebola virus and talked about the visible dimension of the Church, which is different from its “spiritual reality”. If Christians become a source of scandal, some may say: ‘If this is a Christian, I prefer to be an atheist! Because people go by our witness.”

“When we refer to the Church, however, our thoughts turn immediately to our communities, our parishes, our diocese, to the structures in which we usually gather together and, of course, of the component and institutional figures which guide and govern it,” Francis pointed out. “This is the visible reality of the Church. We must ask, then: Are they two different things or the One Church? And, if it is the One Church, how can we understand the relationship between its visible and spiritual reality?” the Pope began today’s reflection by acking.

First, when we speak of the visible reality of the Church we said there are two – the visible reality which we see and the spiritual one – we must not think only of the Pope, Bishops, priests and consecrated persons. The visible reality of the Church is made ​​up of the many baptized brothers and sisters around the world who believe, hope and love. [Moving from the prepared text] “Often, we hear people say: the Church doesn’t do this …the Church doesn’t do that!’ ‘Tell me who is the Church? – ‘Well the Church is the priests, the bishops, the Pope …’ We are all the Church! All of us all of us Baptized! We are the Church, the Church of Jesus’.” “Of all those who follow the Lord Jesus and, in His name, are close to the poor and the suffering, trying to offer some relief, comfort and peace.” Francis then set his prepared text aside and spoke off the cuff: “All of those who do these things, which the Lord sent us to do are the Church”. Thus we understand that the visible reality of the Church cannot be measured, it cannot be known in all its fullness: how can one know of all the good that is done?”

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.

Editor’s blog: Abuse priest: to name or not to name

MALTA
Times of Malta

Wednesday, October 29, 2014, 16:01 by Steve Mallia

Three days ago The Sunday Times of Malta broke a story on its front page about a priest who is facing sexual abuse allegations. Today, the Malta Independent chose to run the same story as its own.

However, the point of this blog is more fundamental: we knew the identity of the priest and opted not to publish it. They found out his identity after we ran the story and decided to splash it with his photo on the front page of their newspaper. Aside from the obvious gap in timeliness, the burning question is: who got it right?

For anyone who sits in an editor’s chair, this is an immensely difficult call to make. Do you go with your natural journalistic instinct to publish all the facts because you want to come out with the full story before anyone else, or do you observe the principles that ought to guide your decision making? Sometimes the call is black and white, but more often than not it tends to be invaded by those very annoying shades of grey.

As we wrestled with a potentially hot and shocking story the day before publication last Saturday, the issue of whether to name or not to name was pinged back and forth. We decided against naming him. But to avoid a situation where suspicion could be cast on every priest in Malta, we opted to release certain details. We said he is 54, that he is based in Rabat and listed the charges against him.

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

Mullah jailed for rape of 10-year-old girl

AFGHANISTAN
The Freethinker (UK)

Lawyers defending Mohammad Amin, who raped the girl in a mosque in Afganistan, argued that this was a case of ‘adultery’, and that, under sharia law, he should only be lashed, then freed.

But according to this report, judge Judge Mohammad Suliman Rasuli contemptuously dismissed this defence, saying that the victim:

Cannot commit adultery; she is a child. This is rape.

The judge then sentenced Amin to 20 years in prison.

The attack took place inside a mosque in a remote Afghan village back in May of this year. Amin had asked three young girls to clean for him, then began behaving inappropriately. The girls made a run for it. One tripped and fell in a stream. Amin dragged her back inside the mosque, where she was raped and left with serious injuries.

According to sharia Law, which the mullah tried to rely on in court, rape is considered a form of adultery for which both parties are responsible. Amin’s defence lawyers argued that he should be sentenced to 100 lashes and then released – but that would have meant the girl also receiving the same punishment.

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 search for teacher suspected of sexual abuse

FLORIDA
Sun Sentinel

By Erika Pesantes,
Sun Sentinel

Police are searching for a teacher suspected of sexually abusing students who attended a private Cooper City school.

The investigation centers on accusations against Tariq Ahmad, 35, in Pembroke Pines, said Sgt. Carlos Corretjer on Friday.

“There is an investigation, it’s still an open case,” Corretjer said. “We’re still trying to locate him.”

Ahmad was a former teacher at Nur-Ul-Islam Academy in Cooper City, school officials said.

Ahmad faces several sex-crime related charges, Corretjer said, but would not elaborate further. He said the case has been turned over to the Broward State Attorney’s Office, which would not comment on the case Friday.

The alleged sex acts did not occur on school grounds, said Yasir Billoo, an attorney representing Nur-Ul-Islam Academy, a pre-kindergarten through grade 12 Islamic school of more than 335 students.

School officials suspended Ahmad when police started investigating earlier this year, Billoo said, and terminated him in early October after an arrest warrant was issued.

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.

Islamic School Teacher Accused of ‘Horrific’ Sexual Abuse …

FLORIDA
The Blaze

Islamic School Teacher Accused of ‘Horrific’ Sexual Abuse Against Teen Girls — and School’s Alleged Response Has Sparked a Lawsuit

Oct. 28, 2014 9:20pm Jason Howerton

Police are currently searching for a Muslim man suspected of sexually abusing teen girls while working as a teacher at Nur-Ul-Islam Academy in Cooper City, Florida. The victims, now adults, have filed a civil lawsuit against the school over its alleged response to the reports of sexual abuse.

Sgt. Carlos Corretjer, of the Pembroke Pines Police Department, told the Sun Sentinel that an investigation is ongoing into the disturbing allegations against Tariq Ahmad, 35. So far, officers have been unable to locate him.

Ahmad is accused of forcing two teen girls, who were aged 14 and 15 at the time, into sexual relationships.

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 hunt former head teacher of Florida Islamic school…

FLORIDA
Daily Mail (UK)

Police hunt former head teacher of Florida Islamic school accused of raping students and leaving one needing ‘surgical repair’

By JENNY AWFORD FOR MAILONLINE

Police are hunting the former head teacher of a private Islamic school accused of the sexual abuse and rape of two middle school female students.

Tariq Ahmad, 35, who worked at Nur-Ul-Islam Academy, Florida, has been charged with five first degree counts after the alleged abuse which left one student needing ‘substantial surgical repair’.
The girls were aged 14 and 15 when Ahmad allegedly forced them into sexual relationships, according to a lawsuit.

Their attorneys said Ahmed would use text messages, social media and even code on the chalk boards in the classroom to set up meetings with the girls.

They also claim the Academy officials knew of Ahmed’s illegal conduct for years and did nothing until now.

Pembroke Pines police said the alleged incidents occurred between 2006 and 2008, but the pupils only came forward after years of therapy.

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

Florida Islamic School Teacher Allegedly Abused Two Female Students…

FLORIDA
Opposing Views

[with video]

Florida Islamic School Teacher Allegedly Abused Two Female Students; One Girl Needed ‘Substantial Surgical Repair’ (Video)

By Khier Casino, Tue, October 28, 2014

The search is on for a former teacher wanted in connection with the sexual abuse and rape of two female students at a private Islamic school in Florida.

Tariq Ahmad, 35, who worked at Nur-UI-Islam Academy in Davie, Fla., since August 2006, has been charged with five first degree counts after the alleged abuse which left one student needing “substantial surgical repair,” according to the Daily Mail.

“There was significant sexual abuse, intercourse and other inappropriate behavior such that one of the students had to have substantial surgical repair of that (private) area. It’s horrific,” attorney Scott Mager said.

The Daily Mail notes that Ahmad’s LinkedIn profile says he recently served as the “head of high school” at the academy.

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.

Tariq Ahmad, Teacher Accused of Raping Students at Islamic Private School, Previously Worked

FLORIDA
New Times

By Kyle Swenson Wed., Oct. 29 2014

New details are shaking out over the alleged off-limits activities of one Broward private school teacher and his students. Last week, Pembroke Pines Police announced they were looking for Tariq Ahmad, a teacher and head of school at the Nur-Ul-Islam Academy in Cooper City. The 35-year-old is facing sex-crimes-related charges stemming from alleged abusive relationships with students in the late 2000s.

Reports of the police search were followed by news of a lawsuit claiming a cover-up at the school.
Right now, a manhunt is on for Ahmad. But what hasn’t been reported until now is that before the teacher’s tenure at Nur-Ul-Islam Academy, Ahmad worked for the Broward County Public School District.

Nur-Ul-Islam Academy is a kindergarten-through-12-grade college prep school with around 335 students. The facility boasts a “complete education that emphasizes excellence in academics and Islamic morals and values,” according to its website.

On his own LinkedIn page, Ahmad (some news reports and court documents have spelled the name “Ahmed,” although it’s spelled “Ahmad” on the site) claims he’s worked at the school since August 2006. He lists his current job title as “head of school.” Before that, Ahmad says he worked for the Broward County Public Schools.

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.

Italian Priest Commits Suicide after Pedophilia Accusation: Reports

ITALY
RIA Novosti

MOSCOW, October 29 (RIA Novosti) – A Roman Catholic priest from the northern Italian province of Trieste committed suicide after being accused of child abuse, local media reported Wednesday.

Maks Suard, a 48-year-old priest, reportedly hanged himself after being accused of carrying out sexual abuse against a 13-year-old girl some 17 years ago.

According to the Messaggero Veneto newspaper, the priest had admitted his guilt and asked the Bishop of Trieste Giampaolo Crepaldi for two days to prepare a letter asking for forgiveness from God, the Church and the victim.

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.

Church investigating sex abuse claims against priest

MALTA
Times of Malta

The church is investigating sexual abuse claims made by a woman against a priest who is due to appear in court to face criminal proceedings over the allegations.

A spokesman for the church said the matter was being investigated by the Church’s Response Team, which was set up to deal with such allegations.

The spokesman said the Curia was not going to comment further on the case so as not to interfere or in any way influence the proceedings, both before the Response Team and those in court.

Times of Malta, which broke the story last Sunday, decided not to name the priest involved – in line with what it believes is an accepted norm in ethical journalism, save for truly exceptional circumstances – because he has not yet been charged with the offences in court. This media organisation will not deviate from this position even though it has been aware of the priest’s identity all along.

The 54-year-old priest from Rabat is due in court to face charges of violent sexual abuse against a mentally unstable patient.

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.

Texas pastor arrested for soliciting prostitute: Christ’s love allowed me to get caught

TEXAS
San Antonio Express-News

BY JOSHUA FECHTER : OCTOBER 27, 2014

A pastor at an Amarillo church could face up to six months in prison after getting caught with a prostitute in a Motel 6.

Texas Department of Public Safety officers arrested Cameron Tate Reeves, a 34-year-old pastor at Hillside Christian Church’s Hillside Canyon campus since 2009, on Thursday at the hotel at 2032 Paramount Blvd. in Amarillo, Myhighplains.com reported.

Reeves resigned from his post after the arrest, the Amarillo Globe-News reported.

The pastor penned a letter to be read to the church’s congregation on Sunday, according to the Globe-News. In it, Reeves admitted to knowingly booking an appointment for an “inappropriate sexual encounter.”

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

More US Christians are becoming ‘churchless’

UNITED STATES
Crux

By Cathy Lynn Grossman
Religion News Service October 28, 2014

If you’re dismayed that one in five Americans (20 percent) are “nones” — people who claim no particular religious identity — brace yourself.

How does 38 percent sound?

That’s what religion researcher David Kinnaman calculates when he adds “the unchurched, the never-churched, and the skeptics” to the nones.

He calls his new category “churchless,” the same title Kinnaman has given his new book. By his count, roughly four in 10 people living in the continental United States are actually “post-Christian” and “essentially secular in belief and practice.”

If asked, the “churchless” would likely check the “Christian” box on a survey, even though they may not have darkened the door of a church in years.

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.

Schweiz in Strassburg verurteilt

SCHWEIZ
Luzerner Zeitung

[The human rights court at Strasbourg has ruled that the rights of a Catholic priest who was accused of sexual abuse were violated and Switzerland must pay 14,400 francs in damages.]

MENSCHENRECHTSGERICHTSHOF ⋅ Die Schweiz hat im Falle eines katholischen Priesters, der des sexuellen Missbrauchs von Abhängigen verdächtigt war, das Recht auf ein faires Verfahren nach Europäischer Menschenrechtskonvention verletzt. Sie muss dem Priester 14’400 Franken Schmerzensgeld zahlen.

Zudem muss die Schweiz einen Teil der Verfahrenskosten in Höhe von 18’000 Franken übernehmen. Dies hat der Menschenrechtsgerichtshof in Strassburg entschieden.

Der Priester war Anfang 2008 vom damaligen Offizial des Bistums Lausanne-Genf-Freiburg wegen Verdachts auf Pädophilie bei der Genfer Justiz angezeigt worden. Dabei ging es um Hinweise, wonach zwei Personen von einem Angehörigen der Kirche sexuell missbraucht worden waren.

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.

Schweiz muss Pädo-Priester 14’400 Fr zahlen

SCHWEIZ
Blick

Die Schweiz hat im Falle eines katholischen Priesters, der des sexuellen Missbrauchs von Abhängigen verdächtigt war, das Recht auf ein faires Verfahren nach Europäischer Menschenrechtskonvention verletzt. Sie muss dem Priester 14’400 Franken Schmerzensgeld zahlen.

Zudem muss die Schweiz einen Teil der Verfahrenskosten in Höhe von 18’000 Franken übernehmen. Dies hat der Menschenrechtsgerichtshof in Strassburg entschieden.

Der Priester war Anfang 2008 vom damaligen Offizial des Bistums Lausanne-Genf-Freiburg wegen Verdachts auf Pädophilie bei der Genfer Justiz angezeigt worden. Dabei ging es um Hinweise, wonach zwei Personen von einem Angehörigen der Kirche sexuell missbraucht worden waren.

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.

**TheMediaReport.com SPECIAL REPORT** Star Witness In Church Abuse Trial SLAMS Kansas City Star:…

KANSAS CITY (MO)
TheMediaReport

David Pierre

The Kansas City Star may not have been officially listed as a party in the recent high-profile clergy abuse trial in Kansas City, but the credibility of the Star was certainly on trial. And by all accounts, it lost.

A splashy, three-part series in 2011, entitled, “The altar boys’ secret,” by the Star’s Judy L. Thomas, relayed the shocking charges of a man named Jon David Couzens, who claimed that an abusive priest, Msgr. Thomas O’Brien (who died in 2013), had forced Couzens and three other altar boys thirty years earlier to perform sex acts upon each other and upon him only minutes before Mass was to begin at the Catholic school where the boys attended.

And according to the Star, Couzens claims that this episode happened not just once, not twice, but on three separate occasions.

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.

Vatican defrocks 3 Archdiocese of Cincinnati priests accused of harming children

OHIO
TheIndyChannel

[with video]

Maxim Alter

The Vatican permanently removed three priests in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati Tuesday due to allegations of improper behavior involving minors.

The three priests – Thomas Kuhn, Thomas Feldhaus and Ronald Cooper – have each been on administrative leave for more than a decade. They were dismissed Tuesday from the clerical state by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) at the Vatican.

Kuhn, Feldhaus and Cooper were permanently removed from both the rights and the obligations of the priesthood after a canonical process. A panel of three judges made the decision, which was affirmed by the CDF.

The decision constitutes the Catholic Church’s “ultimate penalty” and is commonly referred to as being “defrocked,” Archbishop of Cincinnati Rev. Dennis M. Schnurr said.

Barbara Dorris, outreach director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), said she is thankful the three priests were “ousted,” but wishes more could be done.

She said the ultimate punishment is “excommunication,” not defrocking. She said defrocking is less about safeguarding children and more about “damage control.”

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.

Italian sex abuse priest hangs himself in sacristy

ITALY
The Sun Daily

Posted on 29 October 2014

ROME: An Italian priest who admitted to sexually abusing a young teenage girl hanged himself in the sacristy — the cleric’s changing room in his church — the diocese of Santa Croce in northern Italy said Wednesday.

The priest, 48, who belonged to the Slovenian community in Trieste, had been accused of committing “grave acts” years earlier with a then 13-year-old girl.

He confessed to his bishop Giampaolo Crepaldi that the reports were true and asked for two days to prepare a letter asking for the forgiveness of God, the Church and the victim.

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.

When Judges Screw Up And Prosecutors Cheat

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Big Trial

By Ralph Cipriano
for Bigtrial.net

When Assistant District Attorney Peter Carr stood to begin oral arguments today in Superior Court, Presiding Judge Anne E. Lazarus let him know before he said a word that he was facing an uphill climb.

“You’ve got your work cut out for you,” she warned Carr.

During the hearing, allegations of judicial errors and prosecutorial misconduct were piling up as defense lawyers for Father Charles Engelhardt and former Catholic school teacher Bernard Shero argued that their clients deserved a new trial.

Carr attempted to blow off most of the accusations as a “harmless error” here, a “not consequential” error there, and, best of all, “certainly not a “reversible error.”

But Judge Lazarus cut him off and said she agreed that when weighed individually the errors might indeed be minor. But her concern was that the “quantitative effect” of the errors might have fundamentally compromised the defendants’ rights to a fair trial.

It was the most powerful moment of the hearing. A half-dozen blocks away, at the district attorney’s office, you could almost hear Seth Williams screaming.

In the D.A.’s self-described “historic” prosecution of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the Superior Court has already reversed the conviction of Msgr. William J. Lynn. In court today, defense lawyers were seeking reversals for two more defendants in that historic prosecution — Father Charles Engelhardt and Bernard Shero. Would hitting the trifecta on reversals make appellate history?

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.

Local Rabbis Sweep The Mikvah For Bugs

NEW YORK
The Jewish Week

10/28/14
Hannah Dreyfus
Staff Writer

Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld, spiritual leader of Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills, received an urgent phone call this week from a young woman in his community.

“She told me her mikvah day had arrived, but she couldn’t go because she was ‘nauseous,’” said Rabbi Schonfeld, who spent significant time calming her fears. Her response was provoked by what happened in Washington D.C, he said.

Rabbi Schonfeld was referring to the arrest of Rabbi Barry Freundel of Congregation Kesher Israel on Oct. 14. He is facing six charges of voyeurism after allegedly planting recording devices in the local mikvah.

“Now, some of my congregants are terrified to go to mikvah,” said Rabbi Schonfeld. “They’re taking this scandal personally.”

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RCA forms committee to review conversion process in wake of Freundel scandal

UNITED STATES
JTA

(JTA) – The Rabbinical Council of America has formed a committee to review its conversion process in the wake of the arrest on voyeurism charges of one of its leading conversion rabbis.

The RCA announced Wednesday the men and women appointed to a committee to review its current Geirus Protocol and Standards conversion process and suggest safeguards against possible abuses.

The RCA committed to forming the committee following the arrest two weeks ago of Rabbi Barry Freundel of Washington’s prominent Kesher Israel congregation. Freundel, who was arrested at his Washington home and charged with voyeurism after a witness allegedly saw him installing a clock radio with a hidden camera in the women’s showers of the congregation’s mikvah, not guilty to voyeurism District of Columbia Superior Court.

Freundel, who was suspended from his position at the synagogue, also was suspended by the RCA, which extended the ban to his activities with the Beth-Din of America, suspending his functions as one of the leading conversion rabbis in the United States.

“The RCA recognizes the inherent sensitivities and vulnerabilities involved in the conversion process and will do all it can to ensure that such victimization will never be repeated. We believe the formation of this committee, reflecting a cross section of our community, is an important first step in this regard,” RCA President Rabbi Leonard Matanky said in a statement announcing the committee.

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Parroco suicida in canonica, trovato dal vescovo: «Aveva ammesso atti di pedofilia su una tredicenne»

ITALIA
Il Gazzettino

[A priest who was well-known throughout the Trieste province and in neighboring Slovenia, committed suicide today in Trieste. The priest, 48, hanged himself in the rectory of Holy Cross church. The diocese said the priest had admitted to sexually abusing a 13-year-old.]

di Elisabetta Batic

TRIESTE – Tragedia con clamorosi risvolti sul Carso triestino: un parroco molto noto in tutta la provincia e nella vicina Slovenia si è suicidato oggi a Trieste. Il sacerdote, che aveva 48 anni, si è impiccato in canonica di Santa Croce. Sulla vicenda indagini sono in corso da parte della questura di Trieste. La diocesi ha chiarito in serata che il parroco aveva fatto ammissioni su gravi fatti di pedofilia ai danni di una tredicenne. Stava per essere rimosso.

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Minnesota man charged with luring boy …

MINNESOTA
New York Daily News

Minnesota man charged with luring boy for sex through Craigslist, wanted to be his ‘mentor’: defense attorney

BY RACHELLE BLIDNER

A Minnesota man who is accused of trying to lure a minor for sex through Craigslist was trying to protect the boy from the same kind of abuse he suffered as a child, his attorney said Monday.

Stephen Joseph Schulz, 56, is on trial in Ramsey County District Court after allegedly arranging to meet up with someone he thought was a 15-year-old boy, but who was really an undercover St. Paul police officer.

Schulz was charged with sexual soliciting a child via the Internet in April 2013.

Defense attorney Paul Engh said Schulz “wanted to meet the child, mentor him and prevent another tragedy” after being molested by a priest as a child, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Engh said Schulz was sexually abused when he was about 13 or 14 by a Roman Catholic priest from his family’s church in Milwaukee. The priest allegedly molested Schulz and a friend on a trip to Geneva, Wisc., and tried to have anal sex with Schulz at a later date.

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Victim’s advocate glad to see 3 Tri-State priests defrocked by Vatican

OHIO
WLWT

[with video]

CINCINNATI —Three Cincinnati priests were defrocked Tuesday and WLWT News 5 spoke with the man who took on the Catholic Church to protect a teenage boy.

The Vatican has permanently removed three Archdiocese of Cincinnati priests from the priesthood.

It was an unpopular choice for Mike Knellinger. It was one that came with a lot of criticism and backlash, but 12 years later, finally some justice.

A phone call from Knellinger’s son in 2002 sparked the investigation that brought down Father Thomas Kuhn, who was a former principal at Elder High School.

“The thought that was on my mind was that could have been my son,” said Knellinger.

One of Kuhn’s victims confided in Knelliger’s son, which led to some of the public indecency charges that he was convicted of two years later.

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Threatened with excommunication, Tony Flannery holds firm to his beliefs

UNITED STATES
Crux

Margery Eagan
On Spirituality columnist
@MargeryEagan

October 29, 2014

Tony Flannery has done what few of us could. He sacrificed his career and his passion for his principles. It’s been anything but easy.

All four of the Galway Flannerys joined religious orders. The three priests and one nun were the children of an ambitious Irish mother who well understood that an affordable religious education was her best hope of saving them from poverty.

“So I was third on the conveyor belt,” says Flannery, now 67, who grew up to love his Catholic faith, his Church, and his work as a Redemptorist preacher traveling from Irish parish to Irish parish holding revivals to renew that faith. He would have celebrated 50 years in religious life this year, save for this: For years now, he has very publicly spoken out against the Church’s stands on the origins of the priesthood, ordaining women to it, contraception, and gays – some of the same issues cardinals debated and commented on publicly at the synod in Rome.

But Francis was not yet pope when Flannery’s Vatican superiors began their investigation.

When they insisted he sign a paper renouncing those views, he refused. When they told him to keep silent, he refused again.

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‘Peeping Rabbi’: What To Do — And Not Do — Next

WASHINGTON (DC)
The Jewish Week

10/28/14
Hannah Dreyfus
Staff Writer

This past Shabbat, members of Congregation Kesher Israel in Washington, D.C., filled the synagogue’s social hall for a synagogue-sponsored dinner.

The meal, according to longtime congregant Elliot Lowenstein, was an ad-hoc attempt to pull together a community rocked by the arrest of their spiritual leader, Rabbi Barry Freundel, less than two weeks ago.

Police led Freundel, 62, out of his Georgetown home in handcuffs on Oct. 14. He was charged with six counts of voyeurism after secret video cameras were found in the community mikvah disguised as clock radios.

Lowenstein described the Kesher community’s reaction to the allegations as “rallying around the flag.”
“It’s brought our community closer,” he said. “I feel like a part of something bigger.”

Amidst the media hubbub and growing list of accusations against Rabbi Freundel, the shul has sought to keep congregants informed and united. Over the holiday of Simchat Torah, just days after the arrest, informal discussion groups were held for women and specifically for female converts, giving potential victims a first chance to process their shock and dismay, congregants said.

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Updated: Prominent priest who worked for years with young people …

MALTA
Malta Independent

Updated: Prominent priest who worked for years with young people facing charges of sex abuse

Kerygma Movement director Father Charles Fenech, famous for his organisation of volleyball marathons in aid of the needy some years back and a prominent figure within the church as an active agent amongst youths, is the priest accused of sex abuse, The Malta Independent is informed.

Father Fenech, who is also accused of holding one of the women against her will, is next due to appear in court on 17 December.

At least five victims alleging sexual abuse are expected to be testifying in court during the proceedings, which are being held behind closed doors. Fr Fenech is reportedly denying the accusations.

So far, Fr Fenech has failed to make an appearance in the courtroom for the three times the case was due to be heard, citing illness. He was first charged on 22 May last year.

The priest was allegedly also a long-time partner of one of the victims, however things took a bad turn and the relationship stopped. At least one of the victims is known to have accompanied Fr Fenech in a visit to Lourdes. This newsroom is informed that a number of those testifying in court possess several affectionate phone messages allegedly sent by Fr. Fenech.

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October 28, 2014

St. Paul sex-sting suspect says memory of priest’s abuse caused him to contact ‘boy’

MINNESOTA
Pioneer Press

By Emily Gurnon
egurnon@pioneerpress.com
POSTED: 10/28/2014

A Golden Valley man charged with soliciting someone he thought was a 15-year-old boy for sex broke down on the witness stand Tuesday as he described molestation he said he suffered at the hands of a priest.

Stephen Joseph Schulz, 56, testified at his trial that he drove to meet the boy — who turned out to be an undercover St. Paul police sergeant — to warn him away from the fate he had suffered.

He has been charged with felony online solicitation of a minor for sex. Testimony in the Ramsey County District Court trial began Monday.

Schulz was 13 when the Rev. Franklyn Becker became pastor at Holy Family Church in Whitefish Bay, Wis., where Schulz lived with his mother and two younger siblings.

His father “walked out” on the family when he was 7, Schulz testified. He mother, a devout Catholic, felt the new priest was the kind of father figure her children needed, he said.

So when Becker proposed an overnight trip to Lake Geneva, Wis., in the summer of 1972 for Schulz and another teenage boy, Schulz’s mother readily consented.

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New trial sought in sex abuse case at Catholic parish

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Inquirer

MARIA PANARITIS, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
POSTED: Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Citing newly discovered evidence and errors made at trial, lawyers for a Catholic priest and an ex-parochial school teacher jailed for sexually abusing a 10-year-old altar boy made their case to an appellate panel Tuesday for overturning the men’s convictions.

Attorneys Burton A. Rose, representing former St. Jerome teacher Bernard Shero, and Michael McGovern, representing the Rev. Charles Engelhardt, alleged prosecutorial misconduct and “abuse of discretion on the part of the trial judge” who sentenced the men to prison terms in June 2013 for abuse that occurred in the late 1990s.

The lawyers said the prosecutor repeatedly made a factual error during closing arguments, and that despite defense objections, Common Pleas Judge Ellen Ceisler refused to correct the record before sending the case to the jury.

In another instance, prosecutors questioned a pediatrician as though he were an expert on child sexual abuse, but without presenting him to the jury as such or allowing defense lawyers to question his credentials, Engelhardt’s and Shero’s attorneys said.

That doctor testified of a link between testicular pain, which the victim complained of after the assaults, and sexual abuse.

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Pa. priest, ex-teacher appeal abuse verdicts

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Seattle PI

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Lawyers for a priest and former Catholic school teacher have argued to a Pennsylvania appeals court that their clients were wrongly convicted of child sexual assault.

The Philadelphia case is linked to that of Monsignor William Lynn, the first U.S. church official ever prosecuted over his handling of abuse complaints. Lynn has been granted bail while he appeals his child-endangerment conviction.

Now two of his co-defendants are appealing their convictions last year. They involve the same accuser.

Lawyer for the Rev. Charles Engelhard and former teacher Bernard Shero say they have new evidence about the accuser and a key witness who corroborated some of his story.

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Alleged victim of Alto Pass pastor sex assault speaks out

ILLINOIS
KFVS

Allison Twaits

Last week, a former southern Illinois pastor accused of sexually abusing foster children will likely spend the rest of his life locked in mental hospital.

76-year-old Bill Vandergraph was indicted on several sex crimes back in 2010

He was later found mentally unfit to stand trial.

A woman, who claims she was a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of her foster father and former pastor, is speaking out.

She says she doesn’t feel the punishment is harsh enough.

“I went through a lot more than what he is going through,” says she doesn’t want her identity revealed.

Now 18, this woman claims she was sexually abused by Bill Vandergraph from the age three to 13.

“A lot of kids will talk about their childhood and my childhood is not a good childhood. My childhood is getting raped,” she says.

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Diocese: Fairbanks Priest Held on Federal Child-pornography Charges was Screened

ALASKA
KUAC

[with copy of the indictment]

A Fairbanks Catholic priest accused of trying to produce child pornography underwent a two-stage screening process as part of his hiring and ordination.

57-year-old Clint Michael Landry was arrested Friday after a federal grand jury indicted him earlier last week on one count of attempted production of child pornography and one count of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to participate in the production of the porn.

According to the indictment, the latter charge stems from Landry’s alleged attempt to get a youth to, quote, “engage in sexually explicit conduct” on May 18th and 19th. The indictment states that Landry planned to transmit a live depiction of that conduct.

Ronnie Rosenberg is director of human resources for the Catholic Diocese of Fairbanks, and she’s also its legal coordinator. Rosenberg says officials with the diocese responded immediately when they learned about the alleged incidents.

“As soon as we thought that there may be a problem with computer usage, the computers were secured and we called the Alaska State Troopers. They in turn turned it over to the FBI,” she said.

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Church failed victims of child sex abuse, says outspken priest Father Kevin Dillon

AUSTRALIA
The Courier

By NICK PAYNE Oct. 29, 2014

OUTSPOKEN Catholic priest Father Kevin Dillon believes the church has dismally failed victims of child sex abuse.

During a visit to Ballarat on Tuesday, Father Dillon, of Geelong, spoke with members of the Moving Towards Justice group.

Father Dillon believes that the church actively avoided bringing victims together to support each another.

“There’s nothing organised by the church why not?,” he said.

More than 150 members and supporters turned up at the Ballarat Specialist School hall for a fund-raising morning tea.

Moving Towards Justice was formed in 2013 as a support group for victims of church sexual abuse.

Father Dillon praised the group for its efforts and called for the Catholic church to take greater responsibility.

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Vatican defrocks 3 priests over sexual misconduct

OHIO
Cincinnati Enquirer

Dan Horn, dhorn@enquirer.com 3:46 p.m. EDT October 28, 2014

The Vatican defrocked three Greater Cincinnati priests Tuesday because of sexual misconduct with children that occurred more than a decade ago.

The decision permanently removes the men from the priesthood and is the final step in the Roman Catholic Church’s slow, methodical process of evaluating abuse cases and handing out discipline.

All three priests — Thomas Kuhn, Thomas Feldhaus and Ronald Cooper — had been on administrative leave for years and had been barred from saying Mass and performing any priestly acts. The Vatican’s move to dismiss them “from the clerical state” means they can never again present themselves as priests.

“I hope that this resolution will bring some measure of closure and healing to anyone harmed by these priests,” said Cincinnati Archbishop Dennis Schnurr.

Schnurr said the decision Tuesday resolves the last of the clergy abuse cases from Greater Cincinnati pending before the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The cases came to light a decade ago after the clergy abuse scandal exploded nationwide.

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Investigators Set Up Hotline For Potential Voyeurism Victims of Georgetown Rabbi

WASHINGTON (DC)
DCist

Authorities investigating Barry Freundel, the Rabbi at Georgetown’s Kesher Israel synagogue, accused of voyeurism, have set up a hotline number and email for any potential victims to come forward.

The Post reports that Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier said today that “the investigation is expected to take a long time as forensic experts comb through computer storage devices seized in the case.” Freundel was arrested on October 14 after it was discovered that he had set up hidden cameras in a room where people change and shower in preparation for a mikveh. The number that the U.S. Attorney’s Office has set up is 202-252-7585, and an email address has also been set up.

Police found images of at least six members of Freundel’s congregation and has been charged on six counts of voyeurism. Since then, the Rabbinical Council of America released reports of past allegations against Freundel, including conversion candidates who felt “coerced to perform clerical work for him in his home office (there is no office at the synagogue) and to contribute financially,” as well as a trip Freundel took to Chicago in a sleeper train with a woman who was not his wife.

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Two former local priests defrocked

OHIO
WDTN

By Jill Drury
Published: October 28, 2014

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – Two former local priests are among three in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati to be permanently removed of their clerical duties by the Vatican.

Thomas Kuhn was put on leave in 2002 after police seized his computer from St. Henry Parish where he was pastor.

He was convicted two years later of misdemeanor charges of public indecency and providing alcohol to minors. He served a 30 day jail sentence after violating his probation.

He also served Incarnation Church in Dayton from 1989 until 2001 before his tenure at St. Henry.

Thomas Feldhaus and Ronald Cooper were also defrocked. Both men were accused of inappropriately touching children. Cooper served as associate pastor at St. Albert the Great in Dayton from 1989-1990. Feldhaus mostly served in the Cincinnati area.

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Three local priests defrocked

OHIO
WVXU

By BILL RINEHART

The Vatican has removed three priests in the Cincinnati Archdiocese over allegations of improper conduct involving minors.

Before Tuesday’s announcement, Thomas Kuhn had been on administrative leave since 2002. He was convicted of public indecency and providing alcohol to minors while serving as pastor of St. Henry’s Parish in Dayton. Kuhn served as the principal of Elder High School in the 80’s.

Thomas Feldhaus was suspended in 2003 after he was accused twice of touching a child. At the time, he was serving as an associate pastor in Mount Airy.

Ronald Cooper had been on administrative leave since 2004, after a man said he had been molested by Cooper in Bridgetown between 1983 and 1984.

“I hope that this resolution will bring some measure of closure and healing to anyone harmed by these priests,” said Dennis Schnurr, Archbishop of Cincinnati. “As Archbishop, I deeply regret that any representative of the local Church has ever harmed a child under our care.”

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Vatican defrocks three Archdiocese of Cincinnati priests

OHIO
Fox 19

(FOX19) –
The Vatican permanently removed three priests in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati Tuesday due to allegations of improper behavior involving minors.

Three priests- Thomas Kuhn, Thomas Feldhaus, and Ronald Cooper have been permanently removed from both the rights and the obligations of the priesthood after a canonical process. The decisions were made by a panel of three judges in another diocese and affirmed by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) at the Vatican.

The canonical process is described on the Archdiocese’s website.

“I hope that this resolution will bring some measure of closure and healing to anyone harmed by these priests,” said the Most Reverend Dennis M. Schnurr, Archbishop of Cincinnati, in a news release. “With this decision, all of the cases presented to the CDF have been dealt with and we have no more priests of the Archdiocese on administrative leave.

According to a release, Kuhn was put on administrative in 2002 after law enforcement officers seized the office computers at St. Henry Parish in Dayton, where he was pastor. In 2004, he was convicted of 11 misdemeanor charges of public indecency and providing alcohol to minors. He violated terms of his probation on those charges and served 30 days in jail.

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Vatican defrocks 3 Archdiocese of Cincinnati priests accused of harming children

OHIO
WCPO

CINCINNATI – The Vatican permanently removed three priests in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati Tuesday due to allegations of improper behavior involving minors.

The three priests – Thomas Kuhn, Thomas Feldhaus and Ronald Cooper – have each been on administrative leave for more than a decade. They were dismissed Tuesday from the clerical state by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) at the Vatican.

Kuhn, Feldhaus and Cooper have been permanently removed from both the rights and the obligations of the priesthood after a canonical process . A panel of three judges made the decision, which was affirmed by the CDF.

The decision constitutes the Catholic Church’s “ultimate penalty” and is commonly referred to as being “defrocked,” Archbishop of Cincinnati Rev. Dennis M. Schnurr said.

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OH–Three predator priests are defrocked

OHIO
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Tuesday, Oct. 28

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 )

Decades too late, three Cincy area predator priests have been defrocked. This is a tiny, long-overdue step that is more about protecting church officials than innocent kids.

[WCPO]

Thomas A. Kuhn, Thomas F. Feldhaus and Ronald C. Cooper were suspended more than a decade ago (in 2002, 2003 and 2004, respectively). How can Catholic officials justify such irresponsible delays?

We suspect that two of these decisions were made months ago – perhaps even years ago – but were kept quiet by Cincy church officials so that all three could be announced at the same time. If so, that’s a cynical, irresponsible and self-serving public relations maneuver.

When church officials defrock predator priests it’s less about safeguarding kids. It’s more about church damage control. Still, we are grateful these priests are now, finally, ousted from the priesthood. Without that Roman collar and the respect that accompanies it, they will find it a bit harder to win the trust of parents, gain access to kids, and sexually assault them.

It’s crucial to remember that basically no Catholic supervisors have been punished, worldwide, for enabling and hiding horrific clergy sex crimes. The Pope must start defrocking clerics who cover up sex crimes, not just clerics who commit them. Until that happens, little will change.

So why the alleged increase in defrocked pedophile priests in recent years? It’s likely because more victims across the globe are gaining the strength and courage to come forward and are reporting to (and pressuring) church officials because archaic, predator-friendly secular laws prevent most victims from seeking justice in court. And it’s likely because more bishops are convincing Vatican officials that defrocking predators is a smart public relations and legal defense strategy. Cutting all ties with the most egregious serial sex offender clerics helps convince Catholics that progress is being made.

Catholic officials pretend that once a child molesting cleric is defrocked, their duty is over. It’s not. Bishops’ duty to protect others from these dangerous men does not end when they are defrocked.

It’s irresponsible for Catholic officials to recruit, educate, ordain, train, transfer and protect predator priests, then defrock them when they’re caught (and the heat gets too intense) and stop there. Catholic officials should help make sure child molesting clerics are criminally prosecuted. If that can’t happen, then Catholic officials should house them in remote, secure treatment centers. And Catholic officials should lobby for, not against, reforming outdated, secular laws that enable many who commit and conceal child sex crimes to escape punishment.

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Levenslang door seksueel misbruik (2 en slot)

CURACAO
Caraibisch Uitzicht

door Mineke de Vries
Na de ervaringsverhalen van seksueel misbruik in de katholieke kerk op Curaçao (deel 1, zie hieronder) roept journalist Robert Chesal – die het misbruik grootschalig aan het licht bracht in 2010 – op tot de erkenning van de slachtoffers. Zelf slachtoffer van misbruik weet hij dat erover praten de enige mogelijkheid is tot herstel.

Kinderen die martelingen ondergingen terwijl een broeder naast ze een boek zat te lezen. Of kinderen die wekenlang in eenzame opsluiting in de kelders van een internaat doorbrachten. De intense eenzaamheid maakte dat ze bijna blij waren met het gezelschap van een geestelijke die ze ‘s nachts bezocht en liefkoosde, zo verlangend naar menselijke nabijheid in hun eenzame opsluiting. De onvoorstelbare verwarring, het schuldgevoel en het emotionele drama waaraan een kind wordt blootgesteld, betekent een levenslange lijdensweg.

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Seksueel misbruik massaal door de vingers gezien (1)

CURACAO
Caraibisch Uitzicht

[When journalist Robert Chesal unveiled many reports of people who had been abused in the Catholic Church of the Netherlands, reports of abuse started coming in from Curacao.]

door Mineke de Vries
Toen journalist Robert Chesal het seksueel misbruik in de katholieke kerk op grote schaal onthulde in 2010, kwamen vele meldingen binnen van mensen die waren misbruikt in Nederland, maar per direct waren er ook meldingen uit Curaçao. Een golf van publiciteit was het gevolg. In Nederland welteverstaan, niét op Curaçao. In zijn recent verschenen boek Een verzwegen leven doet Chesal verslag van de gruwelijkheden, ook op Curaçao. Maar wie denkt dat het misbruik is gestopt, heeft het mis: met financiële vergoedingen en in die zin afhankelijkheid van de kerk worden momenteel veelal arme gezinnen het zwijgen opgelegd.

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Schweiz muss Pädo-Priester 27’000 Franken zahlen

SCHWEIZ
Blick

[A Swiss priest accused to sexual abuse.]

Die Schweiz hat im Falle eines katholischen Priesters, der des sexuellen Missbrauchs von Abhängigen verdächtigt war, das Recht auf ein faires Verfahren nach Europäischer Menschenrechtskonvention verletzt. Sie muss dem Priester 14’400 Franken Schmerzensgeld zahlen.

Zudem muss die Schweiz einen Teil der Verfahrenskosten in Höhe von 18’000 Franken übernehmen. Dies hat der Menschenrechtsgerichtshof in Strassburg entschieden.
Der Priester war Anfang 2008 vom damaligen Offizial des Bistums Lausanne-Genf-Freiburg wegen Verdachts auf Pädophilie bei der Genfer Justiz angezeigt worden. Dabei ging es um Hinweise, wonach zwei Personen von einem Angehörigen der Kirche sexuell missbraucht worden waren.

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Jewish group calls for safeguards against child abuse at ritual baths

AUSTRALIA
The Jerusalem Post

Stricter oversight is required at ritual baths, known in Hebrew as tmikvaot, in order to prevent child molestation, according to one Australian Jewish organization. Tzedek, which advocates for members of the Jewish community who have been sexually abused, issued a set of recommended guidelines on Tuesday which it hopes will find widespread acceptance and which would overhaul the manner in which such religious facilities are managed.

Tzedek and its founder Manny Waks, himself a former victim, have been embroiled in a number of high profile disputes with orthodox educational institutions accused of covering up past abuses and protecting the guilty parties.

In a PDF document available in both English and Hebrew, Tzedek recommended that youths attending the mikve should be accompanied by their fathers or a designated supervisor, that “alleged or convicted perpetrators” not be allowed within the facility while children are present and defining procedures for the admittance of children so that “their whereabouts are always known.”

At least two adult monitors should be present and within line of sight of children during their visit, there should be no “unrestricted hours” of operation and no “opportunity for concealment,” the document further recommended.

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Authorities set up hotline…

WASHINGTON (DC)
Washington Post

Authorities set up hotline number for potential victims of rabbi in voyeurism case

By Peter Hermann October 28

Authorities investigating a Georgetown rabbi accused of secretly recording women in a ritual bath in Northwest Washington have set up a hotline number for people who think they might have been victimized.

D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier, in her first public comments on the arrest of Rabbi Barry Freundel, said Tuesday that the investigation is expected to take a long time as forensic experts comb through computer storage devices seized in the case.

“It’s really a tragic case and it is going to take some time for all the details to unfold,” Lanier told Bruce DePuyt on her monthly appearance on NewsChannel 8. “I think this case will be rolling out for some time.” She added, “For people who are potential victims, that is agonizing.”

The number at the U.S. attorney’s office is 202-252-7585. There is also an e-mail address — usadc.bernardfreundelcase@usdoj.gov and a web site with updated information: http://www.justice.gov/usao/dc/programs/vw/bernard_freundel.html.

Lanier said it is important that potential victims “who are part of this larger family can follow what is going on.”

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Activists Warn Of Abuse Allegations Against Ex-Priest Who Lives In Yonkers

NEW YORK
Yonkers Daily Voice

by Dina Grace Zoe Sciortino

YONKERS, N.Y.– The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) is demanding the Archdiocese of New York warn its parishioners about child molestation claims against Roger Vaughn, one of its former priests.

“We call on New York Catholic officials to tell parents, parishioners warn the public about him and beg anyone who may have been hurt by him to come forward and get help,” said David Clohessy, SNAP’s national director.

Vaughn, 66, is believed to have worked at a Westchester grammar school and college, as well as various assignments in New York for more than a decade. Vaughn lives in Yonkers, according to the Archdiocese of Saint Paul & Minneapolis.

SNAP, a self-help group with chapters across the country for those who’ve been sexually assaulted by clergy, wants church officials to use parish bulletins, press releases, websites and other announcements to advise the public of Vaughn’s past.

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DANIEL O’CONNELL TRIAL POSTPONED

ST. LOUIS (MO)
Berger’s Beat

October 28, 2014 9:18 am | Author: berger

Judge Phil Heagney has postponed the case against ex-SLU prez Daniel O’Connell set for trial next week. The Jesuit priest reportedly sexually violated a 20 year-old female student.

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Prete frustava fedeli, legali vittime: “La Curia si costituisca parte civile”

ITALIA
TGCOM24

14:31 – I legali delle vittime si augurano che la Curia si costituisca parte civile nel processo contro il prete di Lanciano (Chieti) che frustava i fedeli con il rosario. Don André Luiz Facchini, 39 anni, finirà sul banco degli imputati il 19 maggio 2015 con le accuse di violenza privata, lesioni aggravate, ingiurie, minacce, violazioni di domicilio contro alcuni ex adepti dell’associazione religiosa da lui fondata.

Il rinvio a giudizio dell’ex parroco della chiesa di Sant’Agostino è stato deciso dal gup Marina Valente, su richiesta del pm Rosaria Vecchi. Don Andrea aveva avuto questi comportamenti nei confronti degli adepti della Legio Sacrorum Cordium, associazione religiosa: li picchiava e li frustava sulla schiena nuda con grandi corone del rosario.

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Lanciano, “frustava col rosario e faceva leccare il pavimento”: prete a processo

ITALIA
Il Fatto Quotidiano

di Maurizio Di Fazio | 27 ottobre 2014

Rinviato a giudizio l’ex parroco della chiesa di Sant’Agostino di Lanciano don André Luiz Facchini. Il processo partirà il 19 maggio del 2015. Il sacerdote 39enne, di origine brasiliana, è accusato di violenza privata aggravata, lesioni, molestie, ingiurie e minacce ai danni di una decina di giovani facenti parte della Legio Sacrorum Cordium, un’associazione da lui stesso fondata in seno alla parrocchia lancianese. Alcuni ragazzi del gruppo hanno infatti raccontato, prima sul web, poi alla Procura, fatti tutt’altro che cristiani: secondo il loro racconto don Facchini li avrebbe, tra le altre cose, frustati col rosario, costretti a leccare i pavimenti della chiesa con la lingua, obbligati a estenuanti e morbosi sondaggi sulla loro vita sessuale. “Punizioni” servite a mo’ di penitenza “per liberare le anime dal purgatorio”. Ma parecchi ex adepti non si sono più ripresi da queste “cure spirituali” non prescritte in nessun Vangelo e son finiti sotto cura psichiatrica.

Le indagini, condotte dal pm Rosaria Vecchi con il coordinamento della polizia giudiziaria, hanno preso le mosse da un’inchiesta per violenza sessuale che il prete avrebbe commesso su un parrocchiano di 27 anni: l’indagine per questa accusa deve essere ancora chiusa. La presunta pressione di don André nei confronti del giovane sarebbe stato scoperta dai genitori del ragazzo, proprio fuori dalla loro abitazione; eppure, per niente contrito, li avrebbe anche minacciati: “Vi distruggo”. In precedenza c’erano state 26 telefonate rapide e mute al cellulare del ragazzo e al telefono fisso della sua famiglia. La violenza carnale si sarebbe invece consumata durante un viaggio all’estero. Il giovane, anche lui iscritto alla Legio Sacrorum Cordium, a quel punto si era allontanato dalla parrocchia ma don André avrebbe continuato l’assedio: per questo, al momento, dovrà rispondere al momento almeno di molestie telefoniche, ingiurie e minacce.

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Italy: Catholic Priest Who ‘Abused and Flogged Parishioners During Purification Rituals’ Faces Trial

ITALY
International Business Times

By Umberto Bacchi
October 28, 2014

A town priest in central Italy flogged parishioners with a rosary and forced some to lick the floor of his mediaeval church during abusive purification rituals, local prosecutors have alleged.

Father André Luiz Facchini is facing trial in Lanciano, Abruzzo on a series of charges including private violence, bodily harm, harassment, slander and making threats, dating from 2013.

The 39-year-old clergyman was reported to police by a group of local youths who claimed he “punished” them as a penance “to free their souls from purgatory”, Il Fatto Quotidiano newspaper reported.

The alleged victims were members of a Roman Catholic sect named Legio Sacrorum Cordium, which was founded by Facchini.

A former member of the group told local television channel Abruzzolive that the purification sessions were, usually, held around midnight in the 13th-century Chiesa di Sant’Agostino church in Lanciano.

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4 priests charged with child pornography

UNITED STATES
Catholic Culture

Catholic World News – October 28, 2014

In recent weeks, four US priests have been arrested or indicted on separate child pornography charges. Father Mark Haynes, a 59-year-old priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, was charged with six counts of possessing and disseminating child pornography. According to the local district attorney, he posted the images online using his Instagram account. Father Joseph Maurizio, a priest of the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown (PA), was indicted on sex tourism charges after he allegedly traveled to Honduras each year for a decade and money or candy to boys at an orphanage in exchange for sexual activity. The 69-year-old priest was also charged with child pornography on a computer hard drive.

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An Alleged Victim Speaks

UNITED STATES
The Jewish Week

Tue, 10/28/2014
Stephanie Doucette
Special To The Jewish Week

Many in the Jewish community seem to be transfixed at the moment with the ongoing voyeurism scandal concerning Rabbi Barry Freundel. A flood of articles has been published throughout the United States and Israel focusing on the details of the police investigation or debating mikveh politics and Orthodox Judaism. These are important issues, but they’re a bit abstract. They can’t answer the question of what it feels like to be a potential victim of Rabbi Freundel. What was it like to go through a conversion with him?

I can answer that question. My name is Stephanie. I am a 22-year-old graduate student in the Washington, D.C., area and I began converting with Rabbi Freundel over a year and a half ago. I was one of the conversion students who did ‘practice dunks.’ Now I’m waiting to find out if he videotaped me in the mikveh.

I grew up celebrating my maternal Jewish heritage; then, as an undergraduate, when I found myself becoming more traditional in my observances, I decided to do an Orthodox conversion. I thought I was fortunate to be living in the same city as Rabbi Freundel, who was well known for his conversions.

At first my experiences with him were positive, and I was delighted with my decision. However, as time progressed I began having more difficulties. I started to see him as being very judgmental. He wouldl disaparage surrounding communities as not being truly Orthodox or comment on an individual congregation member’s observance level. I chose to keep my personal life to myself for fear of what he may say about me to others.

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Church of England to examine 1950s records in child abuse investigation

UNITED KINGDOM
The Guardian

Michael White and Rajeev Syal
The Guardian, Monday 27 October 2014

The Church of England is examining the personnel files of thousands of clergymen and women dating back to the 1950s as part of a wide-ranging investigation into historical allegations of child abuse, the archbishop of Canterbury has confirmed.

The Most Rev Justin Welby, the principal leader of the Church of England, said that the move is part of a renewed effort to ensure that there are no allegations of abuse which have been ignored, overlooked or covered up.

Following recent disclosures of evidence of child abuse within the church, Welby conceded that the investigations would show that “there is more that has not been revealed”.

He also spoke for the first time about plans by the church to launch a study which will examine the confidentiality of the confessional – a move which could overturn 1,800 years of tradition.

Last week, the archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, said he was deeply ashamed of the church’s failure to protect vulnerable children after an independent inquiry found “systematic failures” in its attempts to stop the Very Rev Robert Waddington, the former dean of Manchester, who died seven years ago.

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Phase 2 of the Pope Francis era: The honeymoon is over

UNITED STATES
Crux

By John L. Allen Jr.
Associate editor October 28, 2014

A kerfuffle broke out last week over a lecture given by Philadelphia’s Archbishop Charles Chaput and sponsored by First Things magazine, generally considered the smartest journal of conservative Catholic opinion in America.

In itself it may not loom especially large, but it’s illustrative of something broader. We are entering Phase Two of Francis’ papacy, in which a period of good feelings has given way to an era of edge.

Before moving on, a caveat: This analysis largely applies to the West. People in, say, Ukraine or Nigeria or the Philippines – all with large Catholic populations – aren’t necessarily having the same conversation.

Though Chaput’s speech was not on the 2014 Synod of Bishops in Rome, he took a question about it from the audience. Stressing that he hadn’t been there and wanted to talk to bishops who had before reaching conclusions, Chaput nevertheless said that the “public image” of the event had created confusion, and that “confusion is of the Devil.”

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Ex-Fairbanks priest pleads not guilty in porn case

ALASKA
Juneau Empire

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

FAIRBANKS — A former Fairbanks priest has pleaded not guilty to charges of trying to produce child pornography and attempting to coerce and entice a minor.

Clint Landry, 57, entered the plea on Friday The Fairbanks Daily News Miner reported.

Landry, dressed in a navy shirt and brown slacks, was subdued and spoke softly when he appeared in a courtroom in Fairbanks and spoke by video conference with a judge and prosecutor in a courtroom at the federal building in Anchorage.

A grand jury indicted Landry on Wednesday. Charging documents don’t specify the age of the victim or the specific actions that Landry is accused of committing on May 18 and 19. The Catholic Diocese of Fairbanks placed him on leave that week.

Ronnie Rosenberg, director of human resources and legal coordinator for the diocese, said the juvenile identified only by initials in the indictment is not part of the Fairbanks church and is not a Fairbanks resident.

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Bishop Egan: Faithful ‘devastated’ by Bishop Conry’s resignation

UNITED KINGDOM
Catholic Herald

By DAVID V BARRETT on Tuesday, 28 October 2014

The people of Arundel and Brighton are devastated by the loss of their bishop who they “admired and loved” the Bishop of Portsmouth has said.

In a message to the members of his diocese concerning Bishop Kieran Conry, who resigned as bishop of next door diocese Arundel and Brighton after admitting to being “unfaithful to (his) promises as a Catholic priest”, Bishop Philip Egan said that chastity often involves a struggle but it is “a virtue to which every member of the Body of Christ is called”.

In a message included in the diocesan weekly ‘e-news bulletin’, Bishop Egan said: “Whenever we find out, unexpectedly, that someone has fallen from grace, our first reaction should be to ask God to have mercy upon us too for our own sins. Indeed, having spoken with priests and people from Arundel and Brighton, devastated by the loss of a bishop they admired and loved, I can only suggest we pray earnestly for God’s mercy and healing, and the renewal of Gospel hope.”

He continued: “Chastity is a virtue to which every member of the Body of Christ is called. It often involves a struggle. This is why we need constantly to ask Jesus for his grace, especially in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In Confession, we should be absolutely honest about our sins and candid about our weaknesses.”

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Orthodox yeshiva argues for greater privacy in conversions

UNITED STATES
JTA

(JTA) — In the wake of voyeurism allegations against a prominent Orthodox rabbi, the head of an Orthodox yeshiva for women is arguing that male rabbis needn’t be present for a female convert’s ritual immersion.

Rabbi Jeffrey Fox, the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Maharat in New York, is preparing a teshuva, or Jewish legal opinion, arguing that Jewish law does not require a male rabbi to be present in the room of the ritual bath, or even for the door to be ajar, to witness the immersion of a female convert. Fox expects to publish the teshuva within the next week through Yeshivat Maharat, which focuses on training and ordaining women as Orthodox clergy.

The issue of privacy for female converts has taken on new urgency in the wake of allegations that Rabbi Barry Freundel, a high-profile Washington D.C., rabbi, used hidden cameras to watch female conversion candidates as they immersed themselves in the mikvah.

Fox said that he and others at Yeshivat Maharat would also push to give highly trained women a greater role in preparing and shepherding women through the conversion process, rather than leaving such preparation as the sole province of male rabbis.

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Mother of youth pastor’s victim breaks silence

TEXAS
Click2Houston

[with video]

By Jace Larson, Investigative Reporter, jlarson@click2houston.com
Published On: Oct 27 2014

HOUSTON –
The mother of a girl who was targeted by her youth pastor says the pastor exposed himself online via Skype during secret video-chat sessions. For the first time, the girl’s mother spoke publicly and only to Local 2 Investigates.

“It began with texting several times a day and then it went into Skyping,” the girl’s mother said.

She said she had no idea her daughter was being preyed upon.

“He would expose himself,” the mom told investigative reporter Jace Larson.

The woman, who asked that she and her daughter not be identified, has filed a lawsuit against two churches where former pastor Chad Foster worked. She is suing Second Baptist and Community of Faith churches. The mother says the churches are partially responsible.

Foster is currently in prison after being found guilty of online solicitation of a minor and sex assault involving another girl.

“After that, my daughter no longer believed in God,” the mother said.

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Warrant says accused priest used smartphone app to communicate with boys

PENNSYLVANIA
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

By Liz Zemba
Monday, Oct. 27, 2014
Updated 8 hours ago

A Somerset County priest accused of traveling to Honduras to have sex with a boy used a translation app on a smartphone to ask Spanish-speaking boys whether they were sexually active or wanted to come to the United States with him, according to a search warrant application.

A federal grand jury indicted the Rev. Joseph Maurizio Jr., 69, former pastor of Our Lady Queen of Angels in Central City, on charges of traveling to Honduras to have sex with an orphaned teen boy and possessing material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor.

Defense attorney Steven Passarello has repeatedly said that the suspended priest is innocent.

A federal magistrate will hold a hearing at 1:30 p.m. Thursday in Johnstown to determine whether Maurizio will be detained while awaiting trial. He has been held in the Cambria County Jail since his arrest Sept. 25.

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Archbishop of Canterbury: My mission to root out child abuse

UNITED KINGDOM
Northern Echo

by Robert Merrick, Parliamentary Correspondent

THE Archbishop of Canterbury has revealed his mission to root out historic child abuse in the Church of England, by trawling every clergy personnel record dating back more than 60 years.

More than 800 “blue files” are being examined in Durham diocese alone, in an exhaustive nationwide inquiry being overseen by the Bishop of Durham, Paul Butler.

The Archbishop – who said he broke down in tears at harrowing accounts of abuse – vowed there would be no hiding place for any clergy “however distinguished or well-known”.

And he suggested he was braced for further scandals to emerge, saying: “There’s more that’s not been revealed.”

On the impact of abuse, he said: “It is beyond description – terrible. When you abuse a child or a vulnerable adult, you mark them for the rest of their lives.”

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Child abuse still rife in the community

AUSTRALIA
Australian Women’s Weekly

By Michael Sheather
Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Australians have never needed to be more aware of child abuse and it traumatic effects than now, says Dr Cathy Kezelman, president of national support group, Australian Survivors of Child Abuse (ASCA).

“Childhood trauma directly affects an estimated five million adult Australians”, says Dr Kezelman. “It also affects their family, including their children and their communities. It’s like the ripples on the surface of a pond that reverberate out to the edge after someone throws in a pebble. It affects every one of us in one way or another.

“The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in 2013, and the recent extension for an additional two years of investigation, shows Australia’s commitment not just to survivors of child sexual abuse but to survivors of all forms of childhood trauma and abuse, be it physical, psychological or emotional.”

ASCA has just launched its national campaign for awareness about childhood abuse, known as Blue Knot Day. But it is not just a single day. The campaign continues until November 2 with a variety of activates – everything from morning teas to speeches at parliament House and even a photography competition – aimed at focussing on how individuals can recover from abuse that may have dogged them all their lives.

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Church child safety board needs to be independent, says ex-CEO

IRELAND
Irish Independent

Sarah MacDonald
PUBLISHED
28/10/2014

The independence of the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church’s review process has been called into question by its former CEO.

Safeguarding consultant, Ian Elliott, who headed up the NBSCCCI for six years, has called on the catholic bishops and the other bodies sponsoring the National Board to create a means through which safeguarding practice in the church “can be independently examined”.

Mr Elliott told the Irish Independent that the issue of the National Board’s independence was “a critical one”.

Writing in his blog ‘The Basis for Trust’, Ian Elliott also questioned the current requirement for the NBSCCCI to get consent from the diocese or congregation it is investigating.

“It cannot be forced on them,” he explains as the National Board has no right of entry or power to inspect if it is not invited to do so by the subject.

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Justin Welby: I broke down in tears at horror of Church child abuse

UNITED KINGDOM
Telegraph

By Georgia Graham, and John Bingham
27 Oct 2014

The Archbishop of Canterbury has told how he broke down in tears at learning of the horror of child abuse within the Church of England.

The Most Rev Justin Welby said the details of sexual abuse dating back decades are “beyond description – terrible” and that he had been profoundly moved by the “shredding effect” of survivors’ experiences.

He also said the full scale of the abuse has not been revealed and that the failure of the Church was greater than other institutions such as children’s homes and the media because it purports to hold itself to a “far, far higher standard”.

Speaking to members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery in Westminster, he said the Church of England had “failed terribly”.

But he insisted that the Church is now taking the issue as seriously as possible, including trawling through 60 years of clergy personnel files searching for evidence of abuse which had gone unnoticed.

Last week the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, said he was “deeply ashamed” of the Church’s failure to protect vulnerable children after an independent inquiry found “systematic failures” in its attempts to stop the Very Rev Robert Waddington, the former Dean of Manchester, who died seven years ago.

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Archbishop of Canterbury reveals how he broke down in tears …

UNITED KINGDOM
Daily Mail

Archbishop of Canterbury reveals how he broke down in tears after hearing ‘horror’ of child abuse in Church of England

By Tom McTague, Deputy Political Editor for MailOnline

The Archbishop of Canterbury has told how he broke down in tears after hearing first hand the ‘horror’ of child abuse in the Church of England.

The Most Rev Justin Welby said the sexual abuse in the Church was ‘beyond description – terrible’ and that he had been profoundly moved by his meetings with survivors.

He revealed that all Church of England clergy will be audited for signs they are abusers.

The Archbishop conceded that investigations into clergy going back more than 60 years would show that ‘there is more that has not been revealed’.

He said the harrowing accounts he heard at one face-to-face meeting with a victim still haunted him later in the day when he was asked about the issue at a talk at a theological college.

Speaking at a Westminster lunch this afternoon he said: ‘To my intense surprise, because I don’t normally do this kind of thing, I broke down completely.

‘It was the shredding effect of hearing what we did, what we did, to those people and the sense of total failure and betrayal.

‘So we are taking it, and I am passionate about this, as seriously as we are able to do.’

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Report a victory, says abuse victim

AUSTRALIA
Daily Examiner

Chris Calcino | 28th Oct 2014

VINDICATION comes in many forms and does not always wipe the slate clean.

For a victim who led the campaign to expose sexual abuse forced upon kids at North Coast Children’s Home, it came in the shape of a damning 92-page report.

Richard “Tommy” Campion says he will never recover from the years of cruelty he endured as a child.

But the Royal Commission’s condemnation of the Anglican Church’s response to the depravity he suffered has justified his eight-year fight to unveil the truth.

“They lied and they knew they lied. They were just avoiding the situation to not pay compensation,” he said.

“They denied people their complete rights and disturbed a lot of people’s lives.

“The Church, in all their glory, decided to make it worse for them, not knowing that it was going to a Royal Commission.”

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Cleric ‘broke down’ at abuse toll

UNITED KINGDOM
Belfast Telegraph

27 OCTOBER 2014

The Archbishop of Canterbury has spoken of how hearing directly from the victims of the Church of England’s “total failure and betrayal” over historic sexual abuse caused him to break down in public.

In a frank assessment of the scale of the scandal, the Most Rev Justin Welby conceded that investigations into clergy going back more than 60 years would show that “there is more that has not been revealed”.

The Archbishop said he was “passionate” about exposing past failings after telling the mother of three boys sexually abused by the head of a CofE school that there was undoubtedly a “very significant legacy of unacknowledged cases”.

Abuse had been “rampant” across many institutions and the church was taking “all necessary steps”, he said in the letter seen by the Exaro News investigative website, adding that the historic “failure to face the misdeeds of those in its service is inexcusable”.

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Six claim they were molested as kids by Jehovah’s Witness elders

TEXAS
Fox DFW

[with video]

By: Dionne Anglin

Six people have filed a civil lawsuit, saying that when they were children, they were sexually abused by church elders within some North Texas Jehovah’s Witness kingdom halls.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs, who are now adults, say the lawsuit involves a major cover up that spans decades.

The lawsuit was filed Thursday. It speaks of years’ worth of abuse to five girls and one boy, and their Dallas attorney thinks there are more cases.

The lawsuit alleges that the children were fondled, groped, molested and exposed to sexual acts during the 1990s while spending time with the elders.

A kingdom hall in Dallas is named as a defendant in the suit, along with one in Plano and another in Greenville.

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Abuse ‘shame’ will remain with Church

AUSTRALIA
Daily Examiner

Chris Calcino | 28th Oct 2014

THE Anglican Diocese of Grafton has accepted a Royal Commission’s damning conclusions about its failure to properly respond to decades of child sexual abuse at the North Coast Children’s Home.

A spokesman said the disgraces of the past would stay with the Church but that all efforts would be made to put things right.

“Whatever shortcomings and failures there may have been dealing with these issues in the past, our Diocese has made major changes in attitude, protocol and response,” he said.

“The Diocese is totally committed to facing its responsibilities and responding appropriately to any reports of abuse experienced by persons for whom we have a duty of care.

“The weight and the shame of past failures will remain with us for a long time and regrettably we cannot undo what has been done.”

The Royal Commission found the Diocese had disregarded its own policies in its handling of abuse claims and failed to take action against pedophile priests.

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Survivors of historic child abuse slam ministers for failing to commit to full-scale public inquiry into scandal

SCOTLAND
Daily Record

Oct 28, 2014 00:01 By Dan Warburton

SURVIVORS of historic child abuse yesterday blasted ministers for failing to commit to a full-scale public inquiry into their treatment.

Education Minister Michael Russell said the Scottish Government would help develop a support fund for those who were abused in care.

Victims of sexual assaults dating back decades criticised “repeated refusals” to stage a national review of the scandal.

Academic Alan Draper, who advised the Catholic Church on child protection, said: “We keep hearing this word ‘commitment’ but these are just words.

“Organisations are afraid because it will expose past bad practice and individuals may be prosecuted.”

More than 70 representatives from the Scottish Government, local authorities, churches and care providers staged talks with survivor groups yesterday.

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Fmr. Henderson youth pastor expected to go on trial Tuesday

KENTUCKY
14 News

Posted by Kenny Douglass, Digital Content Producer

HENDERSON CO., KY (WFIE) –
45-year-old John Brothers, Jr. is facing two counts of sexual abuse in Henderson Co. after an incident that happened in 2011 while working at Hyland Baptist Church.

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Church hostile to Lismore abuse victims: report

AUSTRALIA
Echo Netdaily

While the Anglican Church is still digesting a damning report on its handling of abuse allegations, an abuse survivor says it still needs to admit it lied and schemed to protect itself.

In the report handed to the federal government on Monday, the sex abuse royal commission found the Anglican Diocese of Grafton caused even more distress to survivors of extreme abuse at the North Coast Children’s Home in Lismore.

In 28 findings the commission noted the diocese failed to follow its own policies in dealing with abuse complaints and instead was hostile and insensitive to victims.

At first it denied liability for the home and then lied about the state of its finances to survivors who came forward.

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Once-Secret Documents Released on Convicted Minn. Catholic Priest

MINNESOTA
KSTP

By: Megan Stewart

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis released the once-secret file of a priest convicted of sexual abuse in the 1980s.

The revealing was part of a settlement of a case that accused Catholic Church leaders in Minnesota of creating a public nuisance by failing to warn parishioners about an abusive priest.

Rev. Gilbert Gustafson pleaded guilty to third-degree criminal sexual conduct in 1983. He was placed on probation for 10 years.

Following the conviction, Gustafson was allowed to remain working in the archdiocese, collecting disability payments.

Archbishop John Nienstedt’s testimony about when he knew about Gustafson contradicts information in letters he exchanged with a parishioner six years ago.

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St. Paul: On trial in underage sex sting, man argues he was really trying to prevent abuse

MINNESOTA
Pioneer Press

By Anne Millerbernd
amillerbernd@pioneerpress.com
POSTED: 10/27/2014

A 56-year-old Golden Valley man went online last year and lured someone he thought was a 15-year-old boy to meet him for sex, a Ramsey County prosecutor told a jury Monday.

Stephen Joseph Schulz posted more than 10 personal ads on Craigslist, posing as males of different ages, but only one got a response, said defense attorney Paul Engh. The reply was from a St. Paul police officer who was posing as a minor.

But Engh argued that Schulz actually was trying to spare another child from the type of abuse and pain he experienced at a young age, when he says he was molested by a priest.

Schulz, who is being tried in Ramsey County District Court on charges of sexual solicitation of a child via the Internet, was arrested in April 2013 after the undercover officer arranged a meeting in St. Paul. …

But Engh said the past abuse Schulz suffered affected his decision to try to arrange the meeting. He said Schulz was the victim of sexual abuse perpetrated by the Rev. Franklyn Becker and was hoping to protect the “boy” from experiencing similar abuse.

Engh told the jury that after Schulz’s father left his family when he was a child, his mother became active in the Roman Catholic Church. Becker, a priest in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, became close to the family. When Schulz was 13 or 14 years old, Becker took Schulz and a friend on a trip to Geneva, Wis., where he shared a bed with the two boys and molested them, Engh said.

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October 27, 2014

Documents cast new doubt on Nienstedt testimony over abusive priest

MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

Madeleine Baran St. Paul, Minn. Oct 27, 2014

Hundreds of pages of legal documents released Monday provide more evidence that Archbishop John Nienstedt gave false testimony about a Twin Cities priest who pleaded guilty in 1983 to sexually assaulting a child.

Nienstedt in April had claimed under oath that he first learned of the Rev. Gilbert Gustafson’s criminal conviction within the previous six months. The latest documents show the archbishop received yearly monitoring reports on Gustafson that mentioned the priest’s criminal conviction from 2009 to 2013.

The archdiocese’s attorney also told Nienstedt about the conviction in a 2008 memo. That year, the archdiocese allowed Gustafson to travel to Orlando, where the priest would be “in an area where there are often many children,” one archdiocesan official wrote, adding, “He prepares every time he is around kids but feels that the fascination is waning.”

Monday’s 812-page document release by St. Paul attorney Jeff Anderson offers the closest look yet at how Nienstedt handled the Gustafson case. Most of the documents from Nienstedt’s predecessors had already been made public through past lawsuits or news reports.

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis turned over the documents to Anderson as part of a lawsuit filed by a man who said he was sexually abused by the Rev. Thomas Adamson in the 1970s. The lawsuit, which was settled earlier this month, accused the Twin Cities archdiocese and the Diocese of Winona of creating a public nuisance by keeping information on abusive priests secret.

The claim forced the archdiocese to turn over the files of dozens of priests accused of sexually assaulting children. Anderson released several files earlier this year and said he plans to release others in the next few weeks.

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Boone Pastor Accused Of Sex Crimes Against Young Boy

WEST VIRGINIA
WCHS

[with video]

CHARLESTON, W.Va. –A Boone County pastor is arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a young boy.

James Robert Smith, 23, also known as “J.R” is the pastor at Morning Star House of Prayer in Ridgeview.

On Monday, he was charged with first degree sexual abuse and sexual abuse by a parent or guardian on a warrant out of Fayette County issued by the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office.

He is also under investigation by the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office for the same crimes because deputies have reason to believe the alleged sexual abuse happened not only in Fayetteville, but also Clendenin.

The allegations go back to 2009, when the alleged victim was 10-years-old.

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Diocese ‘hostile’ in handling child abuse claims

AUSTRALIA
News Mail

VICTIMS of child sex abuse were met with hostility and denied compensation by a church that failed to discipline predator priests or report their actions to the police, a royal commission has found.

Almost a year after decades of abuse at Lismore’s North Coast Children’s home was uncovered at a series of hearings in Sydney, the commission has condemned the Anglican Diocese of Grafton for its handling of the claims which were dealt with “contrary to the spirit” of pastoral care guidelines.

The commission found the physical, psychological and sexual abuse suffered by children at the home had “profound, long-lasting impacts on their lives and mental health”.

Last year’s public hearings examined the response of senior Grafton clergy members to a group claim between 2005 and 2013.

Giving evidence before the commission, former Grafton registrar Pat Comben insisted that for much of that period, the diocese was asset rich but “cash poor”.

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Philadelphia priest arrested on child pornography charges, put on leave

PENNSYLVANIA
National Catholic Reporter

Matthew Gambino
Catholic News Service
Oct. 27, 2014

PHILADELPHIA

Fr. Mark J. Haynes, 55, a Philadelphia archdiocesan priest and parochial vicar at a West Chester parish, was placed on administrative leave immediately after he was charged with six counts of possessing and disseminating child pornography.

Chester County police arrested Haynes, who had been at SS. Simon and Jude Parish in West Chester since 2013, on Oct. 22.

The Philadelphia archdiocese called the charges “serious and disturbing” in a statement Friday. Besides being placed on leave, Haynes no longer lives at the parish rectory.

The statement said no allegations of sexual abuse of a minor have ever been lodged against the priest, and there were no prior indications he was involved with child pornography.

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Man with Forest Lake ties on new accused priest list

MINNESOTA
Hometown Source

A former priest who worked in the Forest Lake area and reportedly still lives in town is on a new list of Roman Catholic priests that the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis says have had allegations of sexual abuse of a minor filed against them.

John Owens, 85, provided what the archdiocese called “temporary weekend assistance” in and around Forest Lake from 1999 to 2004. He spent most of his priestly career (1960-1999) in the Diocese of Bismarck in North Dakota, where the allegations of abuse originate from.

According to the list of 17 names released by the Twin Cities-based archdiocese on Oct. 23, there have been no substantiated claims of child abuse against Owens stemming from his time in Forest Lake.

The archdiocese also reported that Owens still lives in Forest Lake, but the Forest Lake Times could not obtain contact information for him before this story was published.

As part of legal action and increased investigations into its past treatment of the victims and alleged perpetrators of sexual abuse in the archdiocese, local church officials have released a number of names over the last several months of priests who have served in the archdiocese who have been accused of sexual misconduct.

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St. Mary’s school in Tokyo to investigate child sex abuse after teacher’s rape confession

JAPAN
Japan Times

BY SIMON SCOTT

St. Mary’s International School is setting up a panel to conduct an internal investigation into reported cases of child sexual abuse — including one confirmed case of rape — at the school in Tokyo, according to a letter issued to alumni earlier this month.

In the letter, dated Oct. 4, Headmaster Saburo Kagei says he has recently heard from “several alumni who shared stories of abuse.” He continues: “It is very distressing to hear these accounts. . . . I want to make sure something like this never happens again.”

The letter says the school is focusing on making sure there are policies, procedures and training in place to ensure the safety of its students.

The letter was the third issued by the school addressing allegations of past child sexual abuse at St. Mary’s. In the second, issued on Sept. 11, Kagei writes, “In the spirit of transparency, I want to tell you what we know and ask for your help in uncovering the truth about what occurred.”

This letter primarily addresses what the school refers to as “allegations” made by a former student against a Catholic Brother and former principal and teacher at the school, Lawrence Lambert. It also mentions another former teacher, Brother Benoit Lessard, now deceased, who has also been accused of sexually abusing students while working at St. Mary’s.

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Former St. Mary’s teachers faced child sex abuse charges in U.S.

JAPAN
Japan Times

BY SIMON SCOTT
OCT 27, 2014

Catholic Brother and St. Mary’s International School teacher Benoit Lessard, who has been accused of molesting boys on annual school trips to Yamanashi Prefecture, died of cancer in 1980 aged 64.

The summer tradition of sixth-grade students from St. Mary’s in Tokyo spending a few days at the Seisen-Ryo complex, aka the KEEP Camp, in the Yamanashi resort area of Kiyosato died with him.

Lessard’s replacement as sixth-grade homeroom teacher was a man named Don Andrews.

Andrews, a layman rather than a Catholic Brother like Lessard, had worked under Lessard as a student teacher until the latter’s death, after which Andrews was instated as a full-time teacher.

Although there have been no allegations of sexual abuse made against Andrews by former St. Mary’s students, his record after leaving the school is far from pristine.

Between 1991 and 1992 Andrews was hired as principal of St. Patrick Catholic School in Spokane, Washington. He also taught English literature to seventh- and eighth-grade students.

In 1995 an allegation surfaced that he had sexually abused a 13-year-old male student at the school. He was fired from his position and charged with second-degree child molestation, but his case initially ended in a mistrial in 1996, local media reports and official state documents show. To avoid a retrial on the same charges, Andrews pled guilty to the lesser charge of third-degree assault against a minor in March 1997.

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MN–New records show “dangerous situation”

MINNESOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Monday, Oct. 27

Statement by Frank Meuers of Plymouth MN, SNAP’s Twin Cities director

Newly released Twin Cities Catholic church records show that, as of 2012, a convicted predator priest

–lives alone,
–has discontinued therapy,
–admits he’s still attracted to boys,
–works as a consultant for Catholic religious orders,
–is no longer required, by Catholic officials, to attend therapy,
–can travel anywhere without asking permission from his church supervisors or letting them know &
–knows of two or three of his victims who apparently have not yet come forward.

All of this comes “straight from the horse’s mouth” – from the last ten pages of “Gilbert Gustafson Key Documents” on the website of Jeff Anderson’s law firm: AndersonAdvocates.com. And let us stress again: Fr. Gustafson is a convicted child molester. And he is still a priest. He has not been defrocked.

Fr. Gustafson belongs in jail. Archbishop John Nienstedt and his colleagues, we believe, could likely help law enforcement put him there, by aggressively seeking out those who may have seen, suspected or suffered more recent crimes by Fr. Gustafson.

And until Fr. Gustafson is prosecuted and convicted, Nienstedt should insist that he live in a remote, secure, independent treatment facility, not live alone in West St. Paul. (Other employers could not force employees to do this. Catholic officials do, however, have this power.)

Just a few pages back from the most recent ten or twelve of these just-disclosed records and there are other stunning revelations:

–An undated memo says that Fr. Gustafson can be the “conscience” of Fr. Kevin McDonough, a high ranking archdiocesan official who long dealt with clergy sex cases.

–As recently as May 2008, Nienstedt admits he knows Fr. Gustafson appears to be presenting himself as clergy. But he takes no steps to warn the public about him.

–As recently as July 2008, church officials were aware that Fr. Gustafson was acting as a priest.

–As recently as 2011, church officials admit he continues to receive compensation from the archdiocese (and we believe this is still the case today).

–As recently as 2012, the files contain a handwritten note saying “Gil is very smart and is, I am sure, capable of fooling others and himself.” It seems the note is by Fr. Kevin McDonough.

As best we can tell, the only time church officials even talk of potentially changing anything about Fr. Gustafson’s situation is when they fear more civil lawsuits might be coming.

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A Three-Ring Circus Starring Billy Doe

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Big Trial

By Ralph Cipriano
for Bigtrial.net

How many courtrooms does it take to unravel a lie?

In the case of “Billy Doe,” the answer these days is three.

Billy Doe is a grand jury’s pseudonym for the former altar boy turned heroin addict who told an incredible and constantly-changing story about supposedly being raped by two priests and a school teacher.

It’s a story that defies all logic and common sense, a story that was thoroughly disproved by evidence gathered by the district attorney’s own detectives. The Billy Doe case also contradicts established patterns of abuse over 40 years as exposed in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s formerly confidential secret archive files.

But in a triumph of absurdity, the three-ring legal circus starring a clown named Billy plays on.

Tomorrow, defense lawyers for Father Charles Engelhardt and former teacher Bernard Shero will be in state Superior Court, arguing that their clients, convicted of sexually abusing Billy, deserve a new trial

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Archbishop reinstates deacon after review finds kids not at risk

MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

Matt Sepic St. Paul, Minn. Oct 27, 2014

Archbishop John Nienstedt has reinstated a deacon after a clergy review board determined there was no risk to children.

In June, Nienstedt temporarily removed Joseph Damiani from his deacon’s post after Damiani’s younger brothers alleged he sexually abused them in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

The review board looked at a variety of legal documents, and because of “distinct differences in the recollections of witnesses,” the board was unable to determine if the allegations were valid, Nienstedt said in a statement released by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

No one has accused Damiani of misconduct in the five years he’s been a deacon, Nienstedt added.

Last year, Damiani sued his brothers and the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests for defamation, arguing that his brothers falsely accused him of abuse because they were unhappy with his management of a family trust fund.

His brothers filed counterclaims, and a judge dismissed all the claims last year after SNAP agreed to remove all references to Damiani from its website.

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NEWS RELEASE: GILBERT GUSTAFSON PRIEST FILE RELEASED TODAY

MINNESOTA
Jeff Anderson & Associates

OCT 27 2014

As part of the recent settlement of the Doe 1 vs. Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis and Diocese of Winona civil lawsuit, the once-secret priest file of Gilbert Gustafson was publicly released on October 27, 2014, which included many documents that have never been public.

In 1983, Gustafson was criminally convicted of sexually abusing a minor boy and was placed on probation for ten years. Following the conviction, Gustafson was allowed to remain working in the Archdiocese, collecting disability payments. One of Gustafson’s major projects was the revision and reissuance of the Archdiocese’s policy on sexual misconduct in 2000. Gustafson was monitored by the Archdiocese because of his conviction and prior history of sexually abusing minors and every year Gustafson’s monitoring report was signed by the Archbishop.

“There is a sad, painful, and sorrowful story told inside these documents,” stated Attorney Jeff Anderson. “Releasing this information today sheds light on the past so children and our communities can be better protected in the future.”

The entire priest file of Gilbert Gustafson and key documents are available below.

Gilbert Gustafson Key Documents
Gilbert Gustafson Priest File for Release

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Call for Catholic priests to deny absolution to abusers …

UNITED KINGDOM
The Tablet

Call for Catholic priests to deny absolution to abusers as Church of England explores theological basis for breaking seal

27 October 2014 15:11 by Liz Dodd

Priests should refuse absolution to people who confess to abusing children, a Catholic academic has said, days after the Church of England announced it would be examining whether abuse admitted in the confessional should remain confidential.

John Cornwell, who has written a book on confession and is a contributor to The Tablet, warned that withholding absolution would dissuade abusers from seeking the sacrament at all.

But he said that withholding absolution instead could bring to an end cycles of abuse and absolution.
The Cambridge academic, who was sexually propositioned by a priest during confession as a child, told The Times: “Catholic priest abusers appeared to use confession routinely to square their pastoral and offending lives. In one court case in Australia a priest admitted to confessing his abuse 1,400 times.”

Last week a report revealed that an independent inquiry into abuse by a former Anglican dean of Manchester, Robert Waddington, found that the Church of England failed to act adequately to stop the abuse.

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SWEETIE – BROŃ W WALCE Z PEDOFILIĄ/ SWEETIE — A WEAPON AGAINST PEDOPHILIA

POLSKA/POLAND
Ocaleni

10-letnia Filipinka o imieniu Sweetie została wygenerowana komputerowo by wabić pedofilów w internecie. Przez 10 tygodni Sweetie przyciągnęła ok. 20 tysięcy pedofilów z 71 krajów. Twórcom awatara udało się namierzyć 1000 przestępców internetowych i przekazać ich dane Interpolowi (na liście znajdują się też polskie nazwiska). Terre des Hommes, organizacja dzięki której Sweetie zaistniała w cyberprzestrzeni, przestrzega przed wzrastającą skalą problemu “dziecięcej seksturystyki przez kamerę internetową” — mieszkańcy wysoko rozwiniętych krajów płacą dzieciom żyjącym w ubóstwie, aby te wykonywały czynności seksualne przed kamerą. Zjawisko dotyczy już nawet 6 latków. Do tej pory za sprawą Sweetie skazano jednego pedofila z Australii –to 37-letni Scott Robert Hansen z Brisbane. Gratulujemy pomysłu i życzymy dalszych sukcesów w walcje z pedofilią, Terre des Hommes! Czy wiesz, co robi Twoje dziecko, gdy zostawiasz je przed komputerem? Pamiętaj o ustawieniach kontroli rodzicielskiej. Regularnie sprawdzaj historię przeglądarki. Rozmawiaj z dzieckiem o niebezpieczeństwach czyhających na nie w Internecie.

Więcej o Sweetie przeczytasz na stronie TVN24

Have you heard of Sweetie? She was created to track down pedophiles all around the world:

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OD OFIARY DO OCALONEGO …

POLSKA/POLAND
Ocaleni

OD OFIARY DO OCALONEGO – HISTORIA NASZEGO LIDERA, STANISŁAWA / FROM VICTIM TO SURVIVOR — THE STORY OF STANISŁAW, OUR LEADER

Nazywam się Stanisław Rychowiecki i pragnę podzielić się z wami moją historią przechodzenia z ze stanu ofiary molestowania do pozycji OCALONEGO.

Abyście zrozumieli przez co musiałem przejść muszę zacząć od początku.

Urodziłem się w Warszawie w roku 1979. Moje dzieciństwo w niczym nie odbiegało od normy normalnych dzieciaków. Rodzina normalna, chodząca do kościoła. Po Pierwszej Komunii Świętej postanowiłem zostać ministrantem w swojej parafii. Tam poznałem największy swój autorytet ówczesnego proboszcza ks. Tadeusza. W ciągu 26 lat naszej znajomości był dla mnie kimś więcej niż dziadek czy nawet ojciec. Zawsze mogłem na niego liczyć. Skromny, mądry, wymagający od innych ale przede wszystkim od siebie. Bardzo lubiłem słuchać, kiedy opowiadał o swoim życiu, o swoim powołaniu. Wrócę jeszcze do momentu Pierwszej Komunii. Po kazaniu proboszcza już wtedy (mając 9 lat) postanowiłem zostać księdzem. I z tą myślą zgłosiłem się do parafii zapisując się do grona ministrantów. Moje postanowienie dojrzewało wraz ze mną. Ogromną rolę odegrał także Ojciec Święty Jan Paweł II. Jego nauczanie, życie wywarło na mnie ogromne wrażenie. Dla mnie osobiście te dwie osoby był filarami mojego powołania. Na początku lat 90 do parafii jako wikariusz został skierowany ks. Mateusz.

Proboszcz przydzielił mu funkcję opieki nad ministrantami. Już na pierwszej zbiórce można było odczuć że jest znawcą historii liturgii. Wiele można było się od niego nauczyć. Niestety, w roku 1993 doszło do pewnego wydarzenia, które dało o sobie znać ponad 20 lat później. Bardzo często bywałem na plebanii. Jako zaufany ministrant, księża prosili mnie żebym szedł opłacać rachunki na poczcie czy ewentualnie robić jakieś zakupy. Kiedy po mszy wieczornej Ks. Mateusz zaprosił mnie do siebie, myślałem, że będzie trzeba iść do sklepu. Niestety, cel wizyty był inny. Ks. Mateusz chciał mi pokazać jak radzić sobie z popędem seksualnym. Nie chcę wdawać się w szczegóły — chodzi o masturbację. …

My name is Stanisław Rychowiecki and I would like to share my story of transformation from a victim of clergy sexual abuse to a survivor.

To help you realize what I have been through, I need you to learn this story from its very beginning.

I was born in 1979 in Warsaw. My childhood was no different from other kids’ who lived in ‘normal’ families. By normal family I mean a family that goes to church. After the First Communion, I decided that I wanted to become an altar server. This is where I met my greatest authority of that time – father Tadeusz. During 26 years of our acquaintanceship he was more than a grandfather or a father to me. I could count on him. Modest, wise, demanding from others, but most of all, from himself. I would love to listen to him speaking about his life and his calling. Coming back to my First Communion. After hearing the sermon of our rector, even though I was only 9 years old, I decided that one day I would become a priest. This is why I joined the group of altar boys. My decision was growing with me. Another decisive factor was the figure of John Paul II. I was greatly influenced by his words and the testimony of his life. These two figures were two pillars of my own calling. Back in the 90s, a new vicar joined our parish; his name was father Mateusz.

Our rector assigned him to take care over altar boys. At the very first meeting you could sense that he is specialized in the history of liturgy. You could have learned a lot from him. Unfortunately, back in 1993 he allowed an event which returned to me 20 years later. I used to come to a manse very often. As a trusted altar boy, I was asked by priests to help them with daily issues e.g. paying their bills at the post office or helping with groceries. When after the evening mass I was invited over by father Mateusz, I thought he needed my help with shopping. Unfortunately, the aim of this visit was different. Father Mateusz wanted to show me how to deal with sex drive. I don’t want to get into details. It was all about masturbation.

I was shocked when I was walking back home. The only thing I knew was that it shouldn’t have happened, but I wasn’t even able to call what “it” was. I decided to keep it quiet and try to forget it. And so I did. I graduated from a primary school, high school and I was bothered by flashbacks from time to time, but I managed to silence them. When I joined the seminary, I made a decision that I would not let that past event abuse my life and my decision. I tried very hard not to dwell on that subject, but my thoughts became more and more persistent. The only way was to stifle them. I would go to the seaside on my motorbike to watch the sunset or I would go to the mountains to buy some cheese. Physical exhaustion and nature admiration would calm me down. I didn’t even notice when such an attitude became my own way of dealing with problems.

My problems were not connected with my thoughts, but with my painful disillusionment with the Church. The institutuon which I perceived as ideal when I was a child turned out to be suffused in hipocrisy. I would repeat to myself over and over again that I became a priest to serve other people. But then, more and more clergy sexual abuse scandals were revealed. When victims in America won their battles and received compensations from parished it all appeared distant. I told myself: it is way too far away and it does not concern you. Denial was a way to cope. More victims have become survivors, but I was protecting myself from coming back to this subject. My happiness was a delusion.

In fall 2013 Tarachomin case was revealed. (Tarachomin is a district of Warsaw, and a part of my diocese of Warszawa-Praga). It was overwhelming. I felt was being ripped on the inside. My wound started to bleed, my eyes could not stop crying. My escaping was over. I remember my thougts at that time: If you cannot be a priest anymore, you should end this miserable life. What else can you live for? I cried like a child on that night. In the morning, I would wake up and try to pick myself up. It took days, but finally I began to think: Stachu, you were hurt, but this is not the end of the world. You need to be stronger than your pain. I began my research on how to cope with trauma. This is when I heard about a therapy for the first time. At the beginning of 2014, I decided that I need to start my healing. I have reached this point of mandess when I associated a cassock not with God, but with a pedophile. How ironic is that taking into consideration that I was wearing a cassock myself? I needed to take it off and put it on a “hanger of time”.

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Commission: Bishop Herft knew of indecent child assaults by former priest Allan Kitchingman

AUSTRALIA
Newcastle Herald

By SAM RIGNEY Oct. 27, 2014

THE Royal Commission into child sexual abuse has found former Newcastle Anglican Bishop Roger Herft knew about a priest’s convictions but did nothing to discipline him.

The damning third case study by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse was tabled Monday in Federal Parliament, with findings including that both Grafton and Newcastle dioceses could have taken action against convicted child abuser and former clergyman Allan Kitchingman.

The report found Archbishop Herft, then Bishop of Newcastle, became aware that Kitchingman had been convicted of five counts of indecent assault of a child at an Anglican home in the Diocese of Grafton. But between August 2002 and February 2004, Herft did not start disciplinary proceedings against the reverend.

Between those years the dioceses of Newcastle and Grafton had only an informal agreement about who would take responsibility for action, the report found, and Archbishop Herft said he did not take action to discipline Kitchingman because he believed he did not have the power to and that Grafton would do it.

The royal commission also found Philip Gerber, of the professional standards unit for both Newcastle and Grafton dioceses, was also aware of the child abuse convictions and did nothing.

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OPINION: We can overcome trauma

AUSTRALIA
Newcastle Herald

By CATHY KEZELMAN Oct. 27, 2014

WITH the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse well under way, the issue of child sexual abuse now turns its attention towards the Anglican Church in Newcastle.

The recent announcement of a police investigation, Strike Force Arinya-2, will address allegations of child sexual abuse by members of the Newcastle Diocese of the Anglican Church during the 1970s.

This will build upon the findings of the Special Commission of Inquiry into child sexual abuse in the Maitland-Newcastle Diocese of the Catholic Church earlier this year.

The issue of child sexual abuse is at the forefront of Newcastle’s agenda as the institutions that were, and arguably still are, complicit in the repeated abuse, neglect and cruelty towards children in their care are being brought to justice.

We are finally beginning to see a unified response for the estimated 5million adult survivors of childhood trauma nationwide.

The recent announcement by the Abbott government to extend the royal commission by the recommended two years gives everyone hope for real and sustained change.

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Mikveh of Cards: How in the world did Rabbi Freundel get away with it?

WASHINGTON (DC)
Harretz

By Allison Kaplan Sommer | Oct. 27, 2014

Barry Freundel was a rabbi with a big problem. If police reports cited in the press are to be believed, he was a compulsive voyeur who exploited his position as a senior rabbi and university professor. His utter control over his synagogue and adjacent mikveh allowed him to feed a need to surreptitiously and criminally watch women undress. Allegedly, of course.

Yes, it is true that his particular – alleged – fetish had the advantage of utter secrecy and total distance from his victims. That’s the difference between the Freundel affair and other sex abuse scandals: Freundel is charged with crimes, in which the victims were, until now, oblivious.

But as the scandal widened in the time since his arrest, with the revelation that Freundel had been under investigation in 2012 by the Rabbinical Council of America, the umbrella organization for Orthodox rabbis for whom he served as national chairman of the group’s conversion system for, as described in the RCA statement on Freundel, “allegations of impropriety” regarding his treatment of converts which include coercing them into doing secretarial work for him and soliciting donations from them both before and after their conversions.

How in the world did this man stay at the helm of the prestigious and savvy Orthodox congregation that included senators, congressmen and cabinet members, and, most famously, the first Jewish vice-presidential candidate, in the heart of nation’s capital for 25 years? When I began talking to current and former Kesher congregants looking for answers to that question, I expected to find people who were shocked and devastated that their longtime beloved senior rabbi was capable of treating anyone badly.

But I was surprised. The way Freundel treated converts, it seems, was not terribly different from the way he treated members of his own congregation and many rabbinical colleagues.

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Support group urges victims of abuse by priests to seek help from independent sources

MINNESOTA
Grand Forks Herald

By Pamela Knudson on Oct 26, 2014

A small support group representing the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) handed out leaflets at a Catholic church in Crookston on Sunday urging anyone who has been a victim to seek out help from independent sources.

Holding signs that read “transparency” and “healing” at the entrance to The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception parking lot, SNAP members offered leaflets to parishioners as they drove in to attend a morning mass.

The group is calling for the bishop of the Diocese of Crookston, the Rev. Michael Hoeppner, to “permanently post the names of all proven, admitted and credibly accused predator priests on church and parish websites,” the leaflet stated.

SNAP members “want victims to come forward … especially because a legal ‘window’ will close in 2016, barring many child sex abuse victims from seeking justice and exposing wrongdoers in court,” according to the leaflet.

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Keeping the faith in Scituate

MASSACHUSETTS
Patriot Ledger

By Jessica Trufant
The Patriot Ledger
Posted Oct. 27, 2014

SCITUATE – When the Friends of St. Frances started their around-the-clock vigil at the closed church on Oct. 26, 2004, Saddam Hussein was still alive, Apple had yet to release the iPhone and the Red Sox were still one win away from their first World Series title in 86 years.

“I was 70 then, and I just turned 80,” parishioner Barbara Nappa said from the church foyer as she reflected on the last decade. “My granddaughter Natalie was 4 years old. I remember her coming here to help clean, and she would always notice the fingerprints on the glass doors. Now she’s a freshman in high school.”

Parishioners of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Church gathered Sunday to celebrate 10 full years of holding a continuous vigil. While the archdiocese has considered the church a deconsecrated building since October 2004, parishioners have kept its doors open for 3,652 days. Several longtime members take turns holding a service each Sunday. They use host that has been consecrated by a sympathetic priest whose identity is kept a secret.

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Censured priest finds support in W. Warwick

RHODE ISLAND
Providence Journal

BY RICHARD SALIT
Journal Staff Writer
rsalit@providencejournal.com

WEST WARWICK, R.I. — An Irish priest censured by the Vatican for supporting the ordination of women and challenging church teachings on homosexuality received a warm welcome when speaking at Emanuel Lutheran Church on Sunday afternoon.

About 75 people turned out to hear Father Tony Flannery, who is on an 18-city, three-week tour of the United States after being suspended from priestly ministry in 2012.

Thin, short and graying, the 67-year-old priest, while mild-mannered and prone to making occasional jokes, recounted the life-changing episode that began when the Vatican came after him. While he had expressed views critical of the church in articles for Reality magazine, he said he figured that since he was just a Redemptorist preacher from Galway, Ireland, “the Vatican couldn’t care less about me.”
“I never considered myself a radical,” he said.

But when he refused to sign and publish a statement agreeing that women will never be ordained and embracing church orthodoxy on such matters as contraception and homosexuality, Flannery found himself on the outside of the Catholic Church looking in.

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‘He destroyed my life’: Fourth alleged victim of priest settles sex abuse case with Trenton Diocese

NEW JERSEY
NJ.com

By Mark Mueller | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on October 27, 2014

The Diocese of Trenton has settled a fourth sex abuse claim against a former director of the diocese’s youth group, paying $180,000 to a Florida man who says the priest molested him for three years in the 1980s.

John Tominus, who grew up in Keyport and who now lives in Seminole, Fla., reached agreement with the diocese in September, one month after another alleged victim of the priest, the Rev. Terence McAlinden, settled a lawsuit for $610,000.

Tominus, 48, said McAlinden sexually assaulted him more than 50 times, beginning when he was 14 and continuing until his family moved out of state when he was 17.

“He introduced me to my first drink — made me drink Scotch,” said Tominus, who has struggled with alcoholism for decades. “He sodomized me. He threatened me. He destroyed my life. My life could have been perfect. He took it away from me.”

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Abuse commissioner to urge financial redress for victims

AUSTRALIA
The Australian

OCTOBER 27, 2014

Dan Box
Crime Reporter
Sydney

THE chair of the child abuse royal commission will today say that thousands of people who have been sexually abused as children should receive financial compensation, potentially awarded by an independent national redress scheme funded by governments and other institutions.

In a speech at Parliament House in Canberra today, Peter McClellan will say the commission is due to formally report on the issue next year but “everyone accepts there should be an effective response available to all survivors”.

This response should include an opportunity to “engage with the institution where they were abused”, the provision of counselling or psychiatric care and “a lump-sum payment which marks the abuse.”

“One of the difficulties faced in providing effective redress is that some of the institutions in which children were abused have ceased to exist. Others have no money,” Justice McClellan will say.

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