ABUSE TRACKER

PHILIPPINES
Rappler

MANILA, Philippines – A Filipino psychotherapist has been appointed to the Vatican’s child protection body, joining several others chosen from various parts of the world, including a British victim of pedophile priests.

The Philippines’ Dr Gabriel Dy-Liacco joins 7 new members of the Commission for the Protection of Minors who were chosen from 5 continents “to allow a broad representation of different situations and cultures,” the Vatican said on Wednesday, December 17.

The Holy See described Dy-Liacco as an “adult and adolescent psychotherapist and pastoral counsellor for various mental health concerns including of individuals, couples, families and groups, including victims and perpetrators of abuse.”

The commission of experts is tasked with advising Pope Francis on how to deal with a sex abuse scandal which rocked the Catholic Church in the 2000s.

Led by American cardinal Sean O’Malley, the body – set up a year ago – is now made up of 7 women and 9 men, from both the clerical and lay worlds, with new members hailing from Australia, Britain, Colombia, New Zealand, Philippines, South Africa, United States and Zambia.

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OREGON
The Spokesman-Review

Kip Hill
The Spokesman-Review

A federal judge gave the go-ahead Wednesday for the Catholic Diocese of Spokane to take its legal malpractice claim to trial against the law firm that handled its 2007 bankruptcy.

The ruling opens the door for former Spokane Bishop and now Archbishop of Chicago Blase Cupich to return in February, when he’ll testify about his choice to pursue $3.6 million in legal fees from Paine Hamblen.

“I have every reasonable expectation that he will testify in February,” said Robert Gould, who is representing the diocese in the bankruptcy proceedings.

Cupich accuses Paine Hamblen lawyers of underestimating how many more victims would continue to come forward with sex abuse claims after the bankruptcy was first resolved.

A $1 million fund to pay these people filing “future claims” was set aside based on Paine Hamblen’s estimates of how much it would cost the diocese to settle the claims. But more victims came forward and the fund quickly was depleted, raising the specter of foreclosures on some Catholic parishes that had been put up as collateral.

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OKLAHOMA
Fox 25

By: Phil Cross, Investigative Reporter

ALTUS –
We’re learning more about an Oklahoma pastor accused of sexually abusing a young girl. Police arrested Tommy Bailey Tuesday afternoon at his home in Altus. Bailey had been the pastor of the Elm & Hudson Church of Christ until his abrupt resignation two weeks ago.

Sources tell Fox 25, the victim in this case was put in state custody in 2007, and according to court documents the abuse began shortly after the Department of Human Services removed her from her home. The girl told police she was sexually touched and abused from the age of 14 until just about two month ago.

Court documents reveal Bailey was a foster parent, and sources tell Fox 25 he had a number of foster children in his care over the years. One of his former foster children told Altus police that Bailey called all his former foster children to apologize to them about his sexual relationship with a young girl.

A leader at Elm and Hudson Church of Christ told Fox 25 the church was unaware anything was wrong prior to Bailey’s resignation. The church said he simply told them he was not able to fulfill his duties as pastor. After his resignation the church began to hear details of his alleged sexual relationship with a teenager.

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OKLAHOMA
KSWO

[with video]

By Ivanna Williams, Reporter

ALTUS, Okla._A church in Altus is reeling following the news that their former pastor has been charged with sexually abusing a young girl over a period of seven years.

Tommy Lynn Bailey was arrested Tuesday at his home, and is already free on bond. Bailey was the pastor of the “Elm and Hudson Church of Christ’ for 14 years. He resigned two weeks ago, but didn’t give a reason. Now, the congregation is trying to come to grips with the accusations.

Daniel Ingram, interim minister, said he got a call before the Sunday morning service on November 30 that Bailey had stepped down and he would need to step in and preach. The rumors began to fly shortly after, but it wasn’t until the news broke Tuesday that they began to understand the seriousness of the situation.

“When it went on the news, we weren’t exactly expecting that. But we’re coping with the loss of a minister,” said Ingram.

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AUSTRALIA
ABC – PM

DAVID MARK: The Vatican has appointed an Australian social welfare worker with expertise in family and disability services and child protection to the Vatican’s Commission for the Protection of Minors.

The appointment comes one year after Pope Francis set up the special panel to examine the Catholic Church’s child protection policies and improve its response to victims of child sexual abuse.

Kathleen McCormack, from Wollongong, is the former director of Catholic Care and among eight new members of the 17-person panel.

She’s speaking here to PM’s Emily Bourke about the panel and how she hopes to influence its work.

KATHLEEN MCCORMACK: It’s really about particularly ensuring best practice and education, formation and training programs to respond to the prevention of abuse of minors.

EMILY BOURKE: It’s been 12 months since this commission was established, how do you think it’s been working so far and how do you think the church has changed, if at all, the way it’s handling the issue of child protection?

KATHLEEN MCCORMACK: What’s been encouraging to me is the Holy Father wants to reach out to all areas of the globe and to have, because some countries have got better practices than others, and he wants to make sure there’s a mutual sharing and that people are really about no longer a culture of silence, it’s about the protection of children.

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AUSTRALIA
ABC News

By Emily Laurence

A leading New South Wales welfare worker will advise Pope Francis on safeguarding children from sexual abuse.

The founding director of CatholicCare in the city of Wollongong, Kathleen McCormack, has been appointed to the Vatican’s child protection commission.

Ms McCormack provides support to victims of child sexual abuse in the Wollongong Diocese and helps shape child protection protocols in Australia.

She said she hoped to impress upon the commission the importance that victims of sexual abuse should be believed.

“When you work with a survivor of abuse the first thing you do is when they have the courage to speak out, you believe them, and I think that’s where we have to start,” Ms McCormack said.

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AUSTRALIA
The Australian

TASMANIA Police is investigating allegations of pedophilia against a former teacher who was believed to be dead until found alive in New Zealand by The Australian.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Abuse this morning advised that it would put the case of alleged pedophile teacher Ronald Thomas “to one side” in light of the police investigation.

“Tasmania Police intend to investigate the allegations against Mr Thomas and in order to avoid any risk of prejudicing that investigation this public hearing will not inquire any further into the allegations,” counsel assisting the commission, Angus Steward SC, said.

Earlier this month, The Australian revealed Thomas, accused of abusing two students at Hobart’s Hutchins School, was living in rural NZ, and was not dead, as previously believed by the Royal Commission and his alleged victims.

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AUSTRALIA
7 News

AAP

A Hobart schoolboy twice raped by a teacher was too scared to speak up about the abuse out of fear he would be labelled a homosexual and arrested.

Timothy Rowland, 68, said he was aged 15 or 16 when he was a student at the exclusive Hutchins school and abused by French teacher Lyndon Alfred Hickman.

He told a royal commission hearing in Sydney on Thursday about the fear which has kept him quiet for more than 50 years.

When Mr Rowland’s mother saw blood in his underwear at the time, he said he had been caned at school.

“I felt appalled and afraid. I thought that (if) anyone found out, people would think I was gay and I would be arrested,” Mr Rowland told the hearing.

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MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

Minnesota Public Radio has won a a prestigious national award for its series of investigative stories into how the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis attempted to cover up abuse of children by priests. It is the first time MPR has received the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award, which is considered to be on par with a Pulitzer Prize.

“We are honored and grateful to receive the duPont Award,” said Chris Worthington, MPR News’ managing editor. “While the stories can be difficult to hear, it’s important they be told. They were well-documented and carefully reported. We are proud of our journalism and community service.”

Judges called the pieces “a heartbreaking, exhaustive investigation,” one that “overcame the challenges rife in reporting this type of story.”

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MINNESOTA
Canonical Consultation

2/17/2014

Jennifer Haselberger

Congratulations to MPR for winning an 2015 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award for its investigative reporting on the child sexual abuse crisis in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

When I contacted the radio station in the early summer of 2013 I did so because I believed MPR would cover the story in an intelligent, sensitive, and responsible way. By and large, I was not disappointed.

To see a summer’s worth of interviews and additional reporting condensed into three and a half minutes, follow this link.

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MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

[with video]

Minnesota Public Radio News was named a recipient of an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award for the investigative series Betrayed by Silence. The award is one of the highest honors in broadcast, documentary and digital journalism. Here are excerpts from the Betrayed by Silence series:

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MICHIGAN
MLive

By John Tunison | jtunison@mlive.com
on December 17, 2014

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Ronald Moser, the man who set up sexual encounters with a 12-year-old boy for former Christian radio host John Balyo, has been sentenced to a minimum 35 years in prison.

“This is about as low as it can get” U.S. District Court Judge Robert Holmes Bell told Moser Wednesday, Dec. 17 before meting out the sentence.

Moser on three occasions earlier this year brought a 12-year-old boy to hotels in the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo areas for Balyo. Balyo paid for the rooms and paid Moser for the encounter, Bell said.

Investigators say Balyo, sentenced last week to 40 years in prison, restrained the boy in bed then sexually assaulted him. The boy’s family considered Moser a trusted friend.

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MICHIGAN
WZZM

John Hogan, WZZM December 17, 2014

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WZZM) – The Battle Creek man who provided a young boy for ex-Christian radio host John Balyo to molest was sentenced Wednesday to 35 years in prison.

Today’s sentencing in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids closes a chapter on one of West Michigan’s most visible and egregious child sexual abuse cases that involved a bondage kit, hotel rooms and hundreds of images of child pornography shared freely on the Internet.

Balyo, the disgraced morning host on WCSG radio in Grand Rapids, was sentenced last week to 40 years in prison stemming from the same investigation that snared Ronald Moser.

Moser in August pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography and sexual exploitation of children. He received 10 years on the first count and 25 years for the second count. The terms are to run consecutive.

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AUSTRALIA
Sky News

A royal commission will reconvene to hear more evidence of sexual abuse by teachers at an exclusive Hobart boys school.

Former Hutchins student Timothy Rowland is named on the witness list for Thursday when the hearing resumes in Sydney.

In November, four former students told the commission that in the 1960s they were abused by a group of male teachers, including then headmaster David Ralph Lawrence.

One man waited more than 20 years for the school to acknowledge his abuse and apologise.

Hutchins has now apologised for the hurt and distress caused to victims.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse is investigating how Hutchins and the Anglican Diocese of Tasmania dealt with reports of abuse at the school.

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SCOTLAND
Scotsman

by TOM PETERKIN
Published on the 17 December 2014

A PUBLIC inquiry is to be held to investigate historical abuse of children in care in Scotland, the Education Secretary Angela Constance has announced.

The Scottish Government has promised to meet demands made by abuse survivors for an investigation into crimes committed against children in the past.

Allegations of historical abuse have been made by former pupils at the Roman Catholic Fort Augustus School on the banks of Loch Ness. Other claims have been made by those who used to attend Nazareth House in Aberdeen and Larchgrove boys’ home in Glasgow.

In a statement to parliament, the newly appointed Education Secretary said the investigation would take the form of a statutory public inquiry and it would be given the power to compel witnesses to appear and give evidence.

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SCOTLAND
Holyrood

Written by Tom Freeman on 17 December 2014

A statutory public inquiry is to be held to examine historical cases of abuse of children in care in Scotland, Education Secretary Angela Constance has announced.

Appointments to the inquiry, including its chair, and further details of its remit will be made by April, the Cabinet Secretary told parliament.

“We must have the truth,” Constance said, “and as a society we have an opportunity to confront the mistakes of our past and to learn from them. It will not be easy but only by shining a light on the darkest recesses of our recent history will we fully understand the failures of the past, enabling us to prevent them happening again.”

Campaigners have been calling for an inquiry for some time, including the Scottish Human Rights Commission. The inquiry will be given the power to compel witnesses to appear and give evidence.

Scottish Labour’s new shadow education spokesman Iain Gray welcomed the announcement but said it had taken too long. “It is ten years since Jack McConnell apologised, on behalf of the Scottish people to the survivors of institutional child abuse,” he said.

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SCOTLAND
STV

[with video]

A full judge-led inquiry into historic sex abuse in Scotland has been announced.

The national public inquiry will be held to examine historical cases of abuse of children in care in Scotland, the Scottish Government announced.

The secretary for education Angela Constance revealed the inquiry in a statement to the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday.

She said the full remit and appointments for the inquiry would be confirmed by the end of April, following consultation with survivors of abuse.

Arrangements for meetings with survivors will begin in January.

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SCOTLAND
Herald Scotland

Education Secretary Angela Constance said the probe was necessary to help fully understand what happened and in turn “ensure a brighter future for every child”.

The inquiry will have the power to compel witnesses to attend and give evidence, she confirmed.

Ms Constance also pledged that where crimes are uncovered, the “full force of the law” would be used to bring those responsible to justice.

The Scottish Government had been considering if a national inquiry into historic abuse cases was the correct way to help survivors.

Announcing its decision, Ms Constance said: “This Parliament must always be on the side of the victims of abuse. We must have the truth of what happened to them and how those organisations and individuals into whose care the children were entrusted failed them so catastrophically.

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NORTHERN IRELAND
BBC News

The chairman of the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry (HIA) has paid tribute to almost 100 former child residents of care homes.

The inquiry has now completed its first year of public hearings into institutional abuse.

During that time, it has heard from 98 victims and survivors of abuse.

Most of them were in the care of the Catholic Church at homes in Londonderry and Kircubbin in County Down.

The homes were: St Joseph’s Home, Termonbacca, Derry; Nazareth House Children’s Home, Derry and De La Salle Boys’ Home, Rubane House, Kircubbin.

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MICHIGAN
MLive

By Barton Deiters | bdeiters@mlive.com
on December 16, 2014

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The Catholic schools tutor facing a decade or more in state prison for criminal sexual conduct with a 15-year-old boy could have taken a plea deal that would have resulted in her spending less than a year in the county jail.

Abigail Simon, 35, awaits sentencing next month.

In April, Simon, then a 33-year-old tutor with the Grand Rapids Catholic high schools, was arrested in Flint for having sex with a 15-year-old Catholic Central High School student.

Between April 2013 and the beginning of a probable cause hearing for Simon in Grand Rapids District Court in August, the Kent County Prosecutor’s Office offered Simon an agreement that would end the case and save her and the student from the spectacle of a lengthy hearing.

Chief Assistant Kent County Prosecutor Christopher Becker was handling the case at the time and he offered Simon the chance to plead guilty to second-degree criminal sexual conduct, a charge without penetration as an element. It carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

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MICHIGAN
Daily Mail (UK)

Catholic tutor facing decade or more in prison for having sex with her 15-year-old student REJECTED plea deal that would have given her just a few months behind bars

A former Michigan high school tutor convicted of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old male student is expected to be sentenced to at least a decade in prison after refusing to accept a plea deal and insisting her case go to trial.

Abigail Simon, 35, was last month found guilty on four of the five charges against her – three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and one count of accosting a minor for immoral purposes – and will be sentenced in January, with a maximum penalty of life in prison.

However, according to MLive, Simon turned down numerous opportunities to receive a lighter sentence in order to try and fight to clear her name, and could have gotten off with a few months behind bars.

Between April 2013 and the beginning of a probable cause hearing for Simon in Grand Rapids District Court in August, the Kent County Prosecutor’s Office gave Simon the chance to plead guilty to second-degree criminal sexual conduct, which would have ended her expensive, lengthy and at-times humiliating trial. …

Simon was fired from her position as a tutor and study hall supervisor at Catholic Central and West Catholic high schools after the boy’s mother found pictures of Simon in a garter belt on her son’s phone.

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VATICAN CITY
Catholic News Service

By Carol Glatz
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis expanded his papal commission on child protection to include a second survivor of abuse and more experts from around the world.

The Commission for the Protection of Minors, which Pope Francis established one year ago, adds four more women and four men from five continents to the now-17-member body.

The Vatican announced the new members Dec. 17.

One of the new members is Peter Saunders, the chief executive officer of the National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC), which he founded nearly two decades ago in the United Kingdom to help other survivors find support. He was one of six abuse survivors who spoke with Pope Francis in a private meeting at the Vatican July 7.

Also joining the commission are:

— Krysten Winter-Green, an expert in theology, human development, social work and pastoral psychology, who has served in a number of dioceses in the United States. Born in New Zealand, Winter-Green served as Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley’s chancellor when he was bishop of St. Thomas in the American Virgin Islands, and she also worked for him in Fall River and Boston. According to biographical information provided by the Vatican, her work in the field of child abuse includes “forensics, assessment and treatment of priest and clergy offenders.”

— Bill Kilgallon, national director of the Office for Professional Standards of the Catholic Church in New Zealand, which oversees the church’s response to accusations of abuse against clergy or religious. Before that, Kilgallon was a member of a review team into the protection of children and vulnerable adults in the Catholic Church in England and Wales, and in 2008, he was appointed as the first chair of the National Catholic Safeguarding Commission of England and Wales, which was responsible for setting policies and procedures for the Catholic Church and monitoring compliance by dioceses and religious congregations.

— Precious Blood Sister Hermenegild Makoro, the secretary-general of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference. She has served as provincial superior of the Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood and had been associate secretary-general secretary of the Pretoria-based bishops’ conference.

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UNITED STATES
National Catholic Reporter

Thomas C. Fox | Dec. 17, 2014

COMMENTARY

The apostolic visitation, which sowed much division and cast a dark shadow over the lives and work of U.S. women religious for nearly six years, is finally drawing to an end. Beleaguered as we are, for this we should express gratitude.

To quote from T.S. Eliot: “Not with a bang but a whimper.”

The head of the Vatican’s religious congregation, Cardinal João Bráz de Aviz, whose heart has never been in this investigation, an investigation he inherited, deserves praise for attempting as best he can to stop the bleeding.

More will be required if the deep wounds caused by this abuse of episcopal authority are to be attended to.

From all corners, we hear that this report — indeed, the entire six-year effort — has made a positive contribution to religious life. What we are witnessing here is a form of institutional cover-up.

We need to step back. Lacking an examination into the causes that led to this assault on women religious (yes, it has been an assault), the wounds will persist. Without substantive attitudinal and structural changes among not the women investigated but those who initiated the investigation, this grand mistake and others like it will be repeated. …

The apostolic visitation report itself is missing a couple of key elements that still must be addressed if full healing is to be achieved: The reports submitted to Rome as part of this process remain sealed, and there is no accounting for the origins of this investigation.

From the start of the apostolic visitation, women were not informed of how they came to be the objects of the investigation. Nor were they consulted on the process by which the investigation would be carried out. Nor were they allowed to be, in any meaningful way, agents in the formation of the content of the investigative reports.

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TEXAS
Daily Journal

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
First Posted: December 17, 2014

WACO, Texas — A former Waco Baptist Academy teacher has been sentenced to 80 years in prison after being convicted of molesting two students during piano lessons.

Sergio David Bezerra received the maximum penalty Tuesday a day after being convicted of four counts of indecency with a child by contact.

Prosecutors in Waco say Bezerra improperly touched two 9-year-old girls while giving them piano lessons in 2007.

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NEW ZEALAND
NZ City

A New Zealander living in the United States and a Briton living in New Zealand are among the new faces appointed to the Vatican body advising Pope Francis on how to deal with the Catholic Church’s sex abuse scandal.

Boston-based Krysten Winter-Green and Auckland-based Bill Kilgallon have been named on the 17-member Commission for the Protection of Minors, which comprises members from both the clerical and lay world.

It is led by American cardinal Sean O’Malley and other new members come from Australia, Britain, Colombia, Philippines, South Africa and Zambia.

Dr Winter-Green has a post-graduate degrees in theology, human development, social work, religion and pastoral psychology.

She has served in dioceses around the world with homeless people and those living with AIDS. She has expertise in child abuse, including forensics, assessment and treatment of priest/clergy offenders.

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OKLAHOMA
Weatherford Democrat

A former pastor in Oklahoma who has been accused of sexually abusing a young girl for years is now behind bars.

Tommy Lynn Bailey, 56, was arrested at his Altus, Okla. home Tuesday afternoon on a felony warrant issued by the Jackson County District Court.

According to the Altus Times, Police Chief Tim Murphy said his department received a referral from The Oklahoma Department of Human Services in early December concerning Bailey. An investigation was conducted by the police, which resulted in Bailey’s arrest.

Bailey’s accuser told investigators the sexual abuse occurred while she lived with Bailey and his wife as a foster child. The abuse, she says, began in September 2007, when she was 14 years old, and continued through February 2014, according to Murphy.

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UNITED STATES
Commonweal

Grant Gallicho December 17, 2014

This is the fifth in a series of posts on the Urrutigoity case. Read the first part here, the second here, the third here, and the fourth here.

John Doe had had enough. Enough see-sawing between career paths. Enough retail work. Enough physical labor. Enough aches from such work. Enough pain pills. Enough drinking. Enough wanting to die. Enough denial. He had had enough. So he went through detox, received therapy following his suicide attempts. And now that his head was clear, he was ready to talk.

The first person John told he had been sexually assaulted by priests was his girlfriend, according to his sworn testimony. The second person he told was a friend. Following his suicide attempts, John disclosed the allegations to his counselors. And in late 2001, a few months after he left recovery—before he talked to his parents—John told another person he’d been molested by clerics: Jeffrey Bond. He may have been shocked by John’s claims, but it’s unlikely that he was surprised.

In April 2000, Bond had been hired by Fr. Carlos Urrutigoity to establish the College of St. Justin Martyr. Three years earlier, Urrutigoity—originally from Argentina—approached Bishop James Timlin of Scranton, Pennsylvania, to see about setting up a community of clerics devoted to restoring liturgical traditionalism to the Catholic Church. In addition to the college, Urrutigoity told Timlin, now retired, that he hoped to build a seminary and an entire town for traditionalist Catholics. Urrutigoity and his associates, who would call themselves the Society of St. John, had come calling because they had just been ousted from the schismatic Society of St. Pius X—which rejects the reforms of Vatican II. Leaders of the SSPX were not happy about Urrutigoity’s plan to organize a new, more spiritually rigorous group within SSPX. Bishop Bernard Fellay, head of the SSPX, was also concerned about Urrutigoity’s “strange, abnormal” influence over seminarians and other priests, according to a letter he later sent Timlin.

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VATICAN CITY
Washington Post

By Josephine Mckenna | Religion News Service December 17

VATICAN CITY — A British survivor of clerical sexual abuse and a longtime aide to Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley are among nine new members appointed by Pope Francis to the Vatican’s sex abuse commission.

The Vatican on Wednesday (Dec. 17) announced the additions to the commission, which is led by O’Malley. The panel, which now has a total of 17 members, is expected to hold its first full meeting in Rome in early February.

Among the new members is Peter Saunders, who founded the National Association for People Abused in Childhood, a London-based support group.

Saunders was abused by family members and the clergy. He was one of six people who met Francis at the Vatican in July in the pontiff’s first formal encounter with victims.

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MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

[with audio]

Tom (last name withheld) reached a legal settlement several years ago after being abused by his priest, Fr. Cosmas Dahlheimer, as a child.

Now in his 50s, he still deals with lasting trauma.

Tom joins The Daily Circuit to tell his story. Dr. David Arredondo, a clinical psychiatrist specializing in child and adult trauma, also joins the discussion.

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VATICAN CITY
National Catholic Reporter

Joshua J. McElwee | Dec. 17, 2014

ROME
Pope Francis has added members to the new Vatican commission advising him on safeguarding children from sexual abuse, appointing an additional eight people to the commission from diverse global backgrounds and professional experience.

Among the new appointments, which the Vatican announced Wednesday: an English survivor of clergy sexual abuse, a woman religious who serves as the secretary general of an pan-African episcopal conference, and several psychologists and psychotherapists from different parts of the world.

The new appointments raise the total number of members of the commission to 17; eight are women. They also diversify the global spread of the group: seven members come from Europe, two from Latin America, three from Asia and Oceania, two from Africa, and three from the U.S.

The Vatican announced the commission, officially the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, in December 2013 in an effort to show the importance Francis is placing on stopping abuse and working pastorally with abuse survivors.

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VATICAN CITY
Telegraph (UK)

Pope Francis appoints British survivor of priestly sex abuse to church commission

By Nick Squires, Rome 17 Dec 2014

A British victim of sex abuse by Catholic priests was appointed by Pope Francis on Wednesday to a special commission set up to advise the church on child protection policies.

Peter Saunders, who as a child was abused by Jesuit priests at a school in Wimbledon, London, warned that the Vatican would face “big trouble” if it failed to “get its act together” by taking concrete measures to bring to justice priests accused of molesting and raping children.

He was among nine people appointed on Wednesday to the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, which was established by the Pope last year to address the scourge of sex abuse within the Catholic Church.

Mr Saunders said the Church had been “intimately involved in cover-ups and denials in the past” but now believes that Pope Francis is genuine in wanting to crack down on abusive priests.

Victims’ groups, in particular the US-based Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), have criticised the formation of the commission, which now totals 17 members, as a meaningless gesture, likening it to “offering a Band Aid to a cancer patient.”

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MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

2015 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award Winner
Honoring Excellence in Broadcast and Digital News

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/catholic-church/

MPR News’ yearlong investigation exposed how leaders of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis continued to cover up abuse of children by priests, despite decades of assurances that the Catholic Church was safe. Reporters found that bishops provided secret payments to pedophiles, hid the names of abusers, failed to notify police of alleged sex crimes and didn’t warn parishioners of priests’ sexual misconduct. The report included everything from interactive databases of allegations against priests and where they served, and a display of internal church documents, to police records, court records, and victim settlement documents all showing extensive cover ups. MPR’s reporting has led to numerous actions to protect the public such as the opening of a criminal investigation of the archdiocese itself, resignations, forced retirements, leaves of absences, firings, and the release of names of abusive priests. The investigative team overcame the challenges rife in reporting this type of story: understanding the church’s complex structure and legal system; verifying old events and claims; the lack of documents available digitally; and the insular, private world of the priesthood.

Madeleine Baran, lead reporter; Sasha Aslanian, Mike Cronin, Tom Scheck, and Laura Yuen, reporters/producers; Jennifer Simonson, Amanda Snyder, Jeff Thompson, photographers; Eric Ringham, copy editor; Meg Martin, web editor; Will Lager, web producer; Mike Edgerly, Jon Gordon, Regina McCombs, and Bill Wareham, editors; Chris Worthington, project editor.

Visit the website. Follow on Twitter: @mprnews.

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UNITED KINGDOM
The Guardian

Sandra Laville
Wednesday 17 December 2014

A British survivor of child sexual abuse who set up a charity to help other victims has been appointed by Pope Francis to his new commission to protect children and help people who have been abused.

Peter Saunders, 57, was telephoned by Cardinal Seán O’Malley and asked if he would consider joining the commission, which will report directly to Pope Francis. Saunders – who was abused as a child for more than five years by two priests, a teacher and a member of his family – said he agreed immediately. The invitation came six months after Saunders had a private meeting with the pope, which he said involved a no-limits discussion.

“I have been a thorn in the side of the Catholic church for some years. When I was called to see if I

“When I met him in July and started conversing with him, I told him the church needed to get its act together, that it needed to support survivors and to do more to protect children. I said to the pope I would be coming back to see him, but I never dreamed I would be invited back to join his commission.”

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UNITED STATES
Catholic League

Bill Donohue comments on what an innocent priest had to endure:

Fr. Ronald Domhoff is not known outside the Archdiocese of Louisville, but he should be known by every Catholic, and non-Catholic, in the nation. He is the latest priest to have his good name dragged through the mud by vicious accusers and their rapacious lawyers. That the latter proved to be rogues should matter to everyone.

In September, Fr. Domhoff was placed on administrative leave after he was accused of sexually molesting a minor. He was cleared of all charges yesterday and returned to active ministry today as pastor at St. Peter the Apostle in Louisville. What happened in the interim is the real story.

The accuser said he was molested between 1985 and 1989 at a local Catholic high school. The priest was investigated and subsequently cleared by the Louisville Metro Police Department Crimes Against Children unit. The archdiocese conducted two investigations: one by the Sexual Abuse Review Board and one by a private investigator. Both exonerated the priest.

Here is what the Valencia, California law firm of Owen, Patterson and Owen said when Fr. Domhoff was charged: “Our client is willing to share details of his abuse with the press in order to encourage other victims to come forward.” Attorney Gregory Owen added, “These monsters must be found and punished.” The law firm asked other alleged victims to contact them, not the police.

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OREGON
Willamette Week

December 17th, 2014 BETH SLOVIC

When it comes to football, Central Catholic High School has a lot to cheer about.

The Rams—with a long tradition of winning—finished the season with 12 wins and just one loss while outscoring opponents by a 3-to-1 ratio. And on Dec. 6, Central Catholic crushed Tigard High School in the 6A championship 49-0—giving the Rams their second state title in a row.

Off the field, however,there’s plenty about the football team that Central Catholic doesn’t want to celebrate.

On Nov. 24, Central Catholic President John Harrington announced that the program’s freshman coach, Jay Wallace, would not return next year. Harrington made the announcement after WW reported Wallace had been fired from David Douglas High School in 1997 following allegations of sexual misconduct with a 17-year-old female student (“Off-Field Pursuits,” WW, Nov. 19, 2014). Harrington had been the David Douglas principal who investigated Wallace—but at Central Catholic kept Wallace in his coaching job.

WW has now learned that a second Central Catholic football coach faced allegations of sexual misconduct with a student at a local public school.

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NEW MEXICO
Gallup Independent

Published in the Gallup Independent, Gallup, N.M., Dec. 16, 2014

Gallup Diocese posts names on website

By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Independent correspondent
religion@gallupindependent.com

GALLUP — Bishop James S. Wall released an updated list of abusers and published it on the Diocese of Gallup’s website Monday.

The list includes the names of 30 Catholic priests, both diocesan and religious order, and one lay religious education teacher. Thirteen of the men have never been publicly identified before. However, the list does not include the names of some Gallup clergy who have been named in clergy abuse lawsuits or named by confidential claimants in the Gallup Diocese’s bankruptcy case.

“The publication of these additional names does not mean that our vigilance and continued investigation ends here,” Wall said in a statement released along with the list. “The investigations remain ongoing. The survivors who have come forward should be commended for their bravery and courage, and I express my deepest apologies for the actions of those who violated the trust of the survivors and the parishioners within the Diocese by committing these terrible acts.”

The following 31 men are included on the diocese’s newly released list:

■ Rev. William Allison: Previously named by diocese
■ Rev. Michael Aten: Previously named by diocese
■ Rev. Michael Baca, O.F.M: Never publicly named before
■ Rev. George Baz: Never publicly named before
■ Rev. John Boland: Previously named by diocese
■ Rev. James Burns: Previously named by diocese
■ Brett Candelaria: Lay CCD teacher, never publicly named before
■ Rev. Santino Casimano: Previously named in clergy abuse lawsuits
■ Rev. Charles Cichanowicz, O.F.M: Previously named in clergy abuse lawsuits
■ Rev. David Clark, C.M.F: Previously named in clergy abuse lawsuits
■ Rev. Timothy Conlon, O.S.C: Previously named by his religious order
■ Rev. Joseph Coutu: Never publicly named before
■ Rev. John Degnan: Never publicly named before
■ Rev. Clement Hageman: Previously named by diocese
■ Rev. Julian Hartig, O.F.M: Previously named by diocese
■ Rev. Robert J. Kirsch: Previously named in clergy abuse lawsuit
■ Rev. Bruce MacArthur: Previously named in multiple national cases
■ Rev. Douglas McNeill: Previously named in clergy abuse lawsuit
■ Rev. Rene Messier: Never publicly named before
■ Rev. Lucien Meurnier: Never publicly named before
■ Rev. Francis “Frank” Murphy: Previously named by diocese
■ Rev. John Newton, C.P.P.S: Never publicly named before
■ Rev. Jose Rodriguez: Previously named by diocese
■ Rev. William Roper, C.M.F: Never publicly named before
■ Rev. Conran Runnebaum, O.F.M: Never publicly named before
■ Rev. Raul Sanchez: Previously named in clergy abuse lawsuit
■ Rev. Lawrence Schreiber, O.F.M: Never publicly named before
■ Rev. John Sullivan: Previously named in multiple national cases
■ Rev. Carl Todaro: Never publicly named before
■ Rev. David Enrique Viramontes: Never publicly named before
■ Rev. Samuel Wilson: Previously named in clergy abuse lawsuit

The Gallup bishop concluded his statement by encouraging anyone else “harmed by the sexual misconduct of an employee or clergy” to contact law enforcement or the diocese’s victim assistance coordinator.

Information:www.dioceseofgallup. org

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UNITED KINGDOM
The Tablet

17 December 2014 by Christopher Lamb

A leading campaigner against sexual abuse in England and Wales has been appointed to the Vatican commission for the protection of children.

Peter Saunders, Chief Executive of the National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac), is himself a victim of abuse.

Earlier this year he met Pope Francis in the Vatican where he urged him to provide practical steps to help abuse survivors.

The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors was set up in March and includes Baroness (Sheila) Hollins, and Marie Collins, an Irish abuse survivor and campaigner.

On 17 December the Vatican announced new members of the commission which, along with Mr Saunders, included Bill Kilgallon, former Chairman of the National Catholic Safeguarding Commission of England and Wales. Mr Kilgallon, who now lives in New Zealand, was among those safeguarding advisors who met with Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to Britain in 2010.

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PHILIPPINES
GMA

Pope Francis has named a Filipino as one of the new members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, the Vatican said Wednesday.

Vatican Radio said Dr. Gabriel Dy-Liacco is one of the new members chosen from different parts of the world, to have a full representation of diverse cultures.

The pontifical commission seeks to safeguard the welfare of minors, including improving sex abuse prevention and better care for victims.

Its next plenary session is scheduled in the Vatican from Feb. 6 to 8, 2015.

Vatican Radio, citing information from the Holy See Press Office, described Dy-Liacco as an adolescent psychotherapist and pastoral counselor for various mental health concerns “including of individuals, couples, families and groups, including victims and perpetrators of abuse.”

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AUSTRALIA
J-Wire

December 17, 2014 by J-Wire Staff

A public hearing will be held in Melbourne on February 2 to examine the response of Yeshivah Melbourne and Yeshiva Bondi to allegations of child sexual abuse.

The hearing will be before the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse .
On their website the Commission states:

The scope and purpose of the public hearing is to inquire into:

The response of the Yeshivah Centre and the Yeshivah College in Melbourne to allegations of child sexual abuse made against David Cyprys, David Kramer and Aaron Kestecher.

The response of the Yeshiva Centre and the Yeshiva College Bondi to allegations of child sexual abuse made against Daniel Hayman.

The systems, policies, practices and procedures for the reporting of and responding to allegations of child sexual abuse of:
a. Yeshivah Centre,
b. Yeshivah-Beth Rivkah Colleges,
c. The Yeshiva Centre – Chabad NSW, and
d. Yeshiva College Bondi.

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AUSTRALIA
Jewish Daily Forward

An Australian Royal Commission will investigate how rabbis and senior leaders of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement in Sydney and Melbourne handled the child sex abuse scandal.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse confirmed this week that Chabad in Sydney and Melbourne will be the focus of a public hearing, starting Feb. 2 in Melbourne. Some of Australia’s most senior Orthodox rabbis have already been subpoenaed to supply documents ahead of the hearing.

Streamed live online from the County Court of Victoria, the hearing will examine how rabbis and other senior officials dealt with allegations of sexual abuse against three former employees in Melbourne and one in Sydney.

David Cyprys, a former security guard at the Yeshivah Center in Melbourne, was sentenced to eight years in prison last year for multiple sex attacks – including one count of rape – on more than a dozen children.

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SCOTLAND
Daily Record

Dec 17, 2014 By Paul O’Hare

FORMER agony uncle Andy Monaghan, 72, has been banned from his Midlothian parish while the historic claims – which date back more than 36 years – are investigated.

A PRIEST who once worked as a radio agony uncle is under investigation after two women accused him of lewd behaviour.

Father Andy Monaghan, 72, was banned from his Midlothian parish by the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh while the historic claims – which date back more than 36 years – are investigated.

Police were alerted after the women complained that the former radio presenter behaved inappropriately towards them when they were young adults.

Prosecutors are now considering whether he should face charges.

A Crown Office spokesman said: “The procurator fiscal received a report relating to incidents involving a 72-year-old man said to have occurred in Edinburgh and Falkirk between October 1978 and December 1983.

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VATICAN CITY
Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) As anticipated, the Holy Father Pope Francis has named new members of the Commission for the Protection of Minors. The new members have been chosen from different parts of the world in order to have a full representation of diverse situations and cultures.

The next plenary session of the Commission will take place in the Vatican from 6-8 February 2015.

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LOUISIANA
The Times-Picayune

By Michelle Hunter, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
on December 16, 2014

A Terrytown pastor convicted and later pardoned of sexually abusing a teenage boy 17 years ago has been arrested, again, on similar charges. The Rev. Terry Reed, 54, of 503 Marlin Court, was booked Saturday (Dec. 13) with indecent behavior with a juvenile and sexual battery, according to a Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office arrest report.

Reed is accused of abusing a 15-year-old boy whom he had taken in, according to the report. Reed slept naked with the teen and had inappropriate contact with him. The teen told investigators he was also forced to shower with Reed and wash the pastor, the report said.

Sheriff’s Office detectives took Reed into custody Saturday at home and questioned him about the teen’s allegations. Reed admitted sleeping naked with the victim on several occasions and undressing the boy in his bed, the arrest report said.

Reed is listed as the director and registered agent of Vessels of Christ Ministry, a non-profit religious corporation that operates out of his residence and is in good standing with the Louisiana Secretary of State.

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SCOTLAND
Evening Times

Claims of sexual, physical, verbal or emotional abuse were made against seven members of the clergy and six others people working in the church community.

Six of the allegations related to historical abuse in the 1980s or earlier, the Church said.

No prosecutions have followed the 2013 allegations, although three people have been removed from ministry and one is no longer a volunteer.

Two cases are being reviewed by the procurator fiscal.

The allegations were contained in the Catholic Church’s annual Diocesan Safeguarding Audit, published today, which covers each of Scotland’s eight dioceses.

According to the audit, PVG (Protecting Vulnerable Groups) checks were carried out on 488 Clergy and 4,225 volunteers.

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SCOTLAND
Independent Catholic News

In accordance with best practice and in line with a commitment given in 2013, Scotland’s Catholic Bishops have today, 16 December 2014 published the Diocesan Safeguarding Audit for 2013.

The results of this Audit give a statistical breakdown of reported safeguarding allegations during that year. The statistics show how many allegations were reported in 2013, the category of the incident, the category of the reported perpetrator and the outcome of any investigation.

These statistics have been compiled by the Safeguarding Offices in each of Scotland’s eight dioceses, signed off by each Diocesan Bishop and collated by the Scottish Catholic Safeguarding Service. The Safeguarding Service has also collated
and published an annual statistical return on behalf of all religious congregations and orders working in Scotland.

A spokesman for the Church said: “The Catholic Church in Scotland seeks to safeguard the welfare of people of all ages who are involved in whatever capacity with the Church and its organisations. The publication of this audit is an example of the commitment to transparency and openness made previously by Scotland’s Catholic Bishops.”

“The external “Review of Safeguarding Protocols and Procedures” being conducted by Dr Andrew McLellan will report in 2015 and the Statistical Review of all Historic Cases of Abuse from 1947-2005 will be published at that time also.” The spokesman added: “The Catholic Church would support an evidence based inquiry into abuse in care in Scotland.”

Summary of 2013 Audit:

PVG Checks (previously Disclosures) have been carried out on 488 Clergy and 4,225 volunteers.

Training: There are currently over 6,000 volunteers trained in Safeguarding and 170 Clergy

There were 15 allegations made in 2013 (of which six were historical – 1980’s or earlier)

The allegations were made against seven members of the clergy and six members of the laity (this represents 13 individuals as some had more than one allegation against them)

10 of the allegations made were of sexual abuse in some form, three also involved physical abuse. Two were of physical abuse and one of emotional abuse, and two were allegations of verbal abuse.

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SCOTLAND
Scotsman

by CHRIS MARSHALL
Published on the 16 December 2014

IF, AS expected, the Scottish Government announces an inquiry into historical sex abuse today, it will mark the culmination of a decades-long fight for justice for survivors.

But while it is an undeniably significant step, the setting up of an inquiry is nothing more than that – a step in the right direction.

The difficulties faced by Home Secretary Theresa May in getting a similar inquiry off the ground to look at, among other things, the existence of a paedophile ring at Westminster have been well documented.

That inquiry has already seen the resignation of two chairs – Lady Butler-Sloss and Fiona Woolf – and the Scottish Government would do well to learn the lesson of properly listening to victims from the outset.

At the time of writing, it is unclear what powers a Scottish inquiry will have and what it will look at.

There is an expectation it will investigate allegations of historical abuse such as those made by former pupils at the Roman Catholic Fort Augustus School on the banks of Loch Ness and those who spent time in Nazareth House, a children’s home in Aberdeen.

Tied to scandals like these is the issue of record-keeping and whether those in positions of authority were complicit – unwittingly or otherwise – in the abuse.

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VATICAN CITY
Vatican Information Service – Bolletino

Testo in lingua italiana

As anticipated, the Holy Father has nominated new members of the Commission for the Protection of Minors, chosen from various parts of the world, so as to allow a broad representation of different situations and cultures.

The complete composition of the Commission is therefore as follows:

Cardinal Seán O’MALLEY, OFM Cap., president
Mons. Robert OLIVER (United States), secretary
Rev. Luis Manuel ALI HERRERA (Colombia)
Dr. Catherine BONNET (France)
Marie COLLINS (Ireland)
Dr. Gabriel DY-LIACCO (Philippines)
Prof. Sheila the Baroness HOLLINS (England)
Bill KILGALLON (New Zealand)
Sr. Kayula Gertrude LESA, RSC (Zambia)
Sr. Hermenegild MAKORO, CPS (South Africa)
Kathleen McCORMACK AM (Australia)
Dr. Claudio PAPALE (Italy)
Peter SAUNDERS (England)
Hon. Hanna SUCHOCKA (Poland)
Dr. Krysten WINTER-GREEN (United States)
Rev. Dr. Humberto Miguel YÁÑEZ, SJ (Argentina)
Rev. Dr. Hans ZOLLNER, SJ (Germany)
The next plenary session of the Commission will take place, as previously stated, in the Vatican on from 6-8 February 2015.

Brief information on members of the Commission is given below.

Cardinal Seán O’MALLEY, OFM Cap. (United States) is the Archbishop of Boston and serves as the President of the Commission and a member of the Council of Cardinals which advises His Holiness, Pope Francis.

Mons. Robert OLIVER (United States) serves as the Secretary of the Commission, following many years in child protection work for the Archdiocese of Boston, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith as the Promoter of Justice.

Rev. Luis Manuel ALI HERRERA (Colombia) is the Director of the Department of Phychology, professor of pastoral psychology in the Conciliar Seminary of the Archdiocese of Bogotá, and as a parish priest.

Dr. Catherine BONNET (France) is a child psychiatrist, psychotherapist, researcher, and author on child sexual abuse and perinatal violence and neglect.

Marie COLLINS (Ireland) is a survivor of child sexual abuse. A founder Trustee of the Marie Collins Foundation she served on the committee which drafted the Catholic Church’s all-Ireland child protection policy, “Our Children Our Church.”

Dr. Gabriel DY-LIACCO (Philippines) is an adult and adolescent psychotherapist and pastoral counselor for various mental health concerns including of individuals, couples, families and groups, including victims and perpetrators of abuse.

Prof. Sheila the Baroness HOLLINS (England) has worked as a psychiatrist and psychotherapist with children and adults with intellectual disabilities including those who have been sexually abused, and is a life peer in the House of Lords.

Bill KILGALLON (New Zealand) is Director of the National Office for Professional Standards of the Catholic Church in New Zealand where he has lived for the last four years. Prior to that he had a long career in social work and health services in the UK.

Sr. Kayula Gertrude LESA, RSC (Zambia) is a Development Professional, trainer and author on child protection, human trafficking, refugee rights and the right to information. She served as a member of the African Forum for Church Social Teaching (AFCAST).

Sr. Hermenegild MAKORO, CPS (South Africa) is a member of the Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood in the Diocese of Mathatha in South Africa. She works as a high school teacher and for several years in the diocese as a trainer in pastoral work. After serving as an Associate Secretary General of the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference for six years, Sr. Hermenegild was appointed as the Secretary General of the SACBC in 2012.

Kathleen McCORMACK AM (Australia) is a social welfare worker who served as Director of Welfare of CatholicCare in the Diocese of Wollongong for 29 years and held leadership roles in Family Services, Child Protection, Out Of Home Care and Ageing and Disability Services.

Dr. Claudio PAPALE (Italy) is a canon lawyer and a civil lawyer, professor of canon law at the Pontifical Urban University, and an official of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Peter SAUNDERS (England) was abused throughout his childhood in Wimbledon, South West London. Later in life, after earning a Business Studies degree, Peter discovered that he was one of millions who had suffered such abuse and who could not find any appropriate support. So he set up NAPAC, the National Association for People Abused in Childhood, for supporting all survivors and for developing greater resources for responding to child abuse.

Hon. Hanna SUCHOCKA (Poland) is a professor of constitutional law and specialist in human rights at the University of Poznan, and was formerly Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland and Ambassador of Poland to the Holy See.

Dr. Krysten WINTER-GREEN (United States) is a New Zealander with post-graduate degrees in Theology, Human Development, Social Work, Religion and Pastoral Psychology. She has served in dioceses around the world with homeless persons and those living with AIDS. Krysten’s concentration in the areas of child abuse include forensics, assessment and treatment of priest/clergy offenders.

Rev. Dr. Humberto Miguel YÁÑEZ, SJ (Argentina) is Director of the Department of Moral Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University, professor of moral theology at the Gregorian and the Pontifical Urban University, and former Director of the Center of Research and Social Action in Argentina.

Rev. Dr. Hans ZOLLNER, SJ (Germany) is President of the Centre for Child Protection of the Pontifical Gregorian University and Director and Professor of the Institute of Psychology. He was Chair of the organizing committee for the Symposium “Towards Healing and Renewal” on sexual abuse of minors (February 2012).

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VATICAN CITY
ABC News

VATICAN CITY — Dec 17, 2014

Associated Press

A second survivor of sexual abuse has been appointed to Pope Francis’ sex abuse commission.

The Vatican on Wednesday released the names of the final nine members of the commission, which is expected to hold its first full meeting at the Vatican in February.

Among the new appointees is Peter Saunders, who founded the Britain-based National Association for People Abused in Childhood, or NAPAC, which is run by survivors of all kinds of childhood abuse to help other survivors.

Saunders was abused throughout his childhood by both family members and members of the clergy, and was one of the six people who met Francis last summer at the Vatican to tell their stories.

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OKLAHOMA
KFOR

ALTUS, Okla. – A former Oklahoma pastor was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly sexually abusing a foster child.

The Altus Police Department arrested 56-year-old Tommy Lynn Bailey on Tuesday for a complaint of child sexual abuse.

The victim allegedly told authorities the sexual abuse started when she was just 14-years-old and in the custody of the state.

She told officers that she was living with Bailey at the time of the abuse.

The police department began an investigation and revealed that the alleged abuse started around September 2007 and continued through February 2014.

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OKLAHOMA
Altus Times

A former Altus pastor was arrested on a felony warrant Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 16, on a complaint of Child Sexual Abuse.

According to Police Chief Tim Murphy, after a referral from The Oklahoma Department of Human Services in early December, an investigation was conducted by Altus Police which resulted in the arrest of Tommy Lynn Bailey, 56, of Altus.

Murphy said that the warrant was issued from the Jackson County District Court on a complaint of Child Sexual Abuse after the female victim told investigators the sexual abuse began while she 14 years old and living in the Bailey home.

“The investigation has revealed that the sexual abuse started on or around September 2007 and continued through February 2014 when the victim was in the custody of the State of Oklahoma as a foster child,” said Murphy.

Until recently, Bailey served nearly 15 years as the pastor of the Elm and Hudson Church of Christ in Altus. Bailey was also a former employee at Open Arms behavioral center in Lawton.

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ARIZONA
Eastern Arizona Courier

SAFFORD — After calling him a “great danger to society,” Graham County Superior Court Judge R. Douglas Holt sentenced pastor Dennis Wayne McGinnis, 67, to the maximum allowable penalty of 24 years in prison.

McGinnis previously pleaded no contest to molestation of a child — a class-2 felony — and attempted sexual conduct with a minor — a class-3 felony. On Monday, Judge Holt accepted the plea agreement and found McGinnis guilty of both charges.

“There is a significant need to deter you from future conduct like this, so I need to have you in prison for as long as I can,” Holt said as he sentenced McGinnis.

Allegations first arose against McGinnis in February 2012, when he was employed by the Mt. Graham Hospice as its chaplain. He also previously served as the visitation chaplain for the Victory Fellowship Church from November 2007 to March 2011, according to his resumé.

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NEW MEXICO
San Antonio Express-News

BY RUSSELL CONTRERAS, ASSOCIATED PRESS : DECEMBER 16, 2014

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The Roman Catholic Diocese of Gallup has released a list of clergy members it considers to have been credibly accused of sexually abusing children in cases that stretch back decades in New Mexico and Arizona.

The list made public Monday includes 30 priests and one lay teacher assigned to parishes from the 1950s to last year.

In a statement, Bishop James Wall said he released the names of accused clergy online to be transparent and protect children. “The survivors who have come forward should be commended for their bravery and courage,” Wall said.

He said he sent letters to each parish, mission and school within the diocese territory — which stretches from northwest New Mexico to northeast Arizona and encompasses a large portion of the Navajo Nation — where church officials have determined there was a legitimate accusation of sex abuse against a minor. …

Previously, the diocese released the names of 11 priests linked to such cases. The new list adds 20 other names, but does not include other details.

The Associated Press has not published the names because the allegations have not been independently verified, and it’s not clear whether any of those accused have been charged.

In his statement, Wall said victims should contact police if they recognized their abusers on the list. He also said the diocese’s investigation into molestation claims wasn’t finished.

Diocese spokeswoman Suzanne Hammons said no one on the list is working in the Gallup territory. “If they were transferred somewhere else, it’s because no one knew of the allegations, and we are looking into that,” Hammons said.

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NEW MEXICO
Albuquerque Journal

By Olivier Uyttebrouck / Journal Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: Wednesday, December 17, 2014

The Diocese of Gallup this week published a list of 30 priests and one lay teacher accused of “credible allegations” of child sexual abuse while assigned to parishes in New Mexico and Arizona, Gallup Bishop James Wall said in a written statement.

The new list marks the first time since 2005 that the diocese has named additional priests to those previously identified as “credibly accused clergy.” The 2005 list identified 11 priests.

“The publication of these additional names does not mean that our vigilance and continued investigation ends here,” Wall wrote in a statement published with the list.

Wall apologized for “the actions of those who violated the trust of the survivors and the parishioners with the Diocese by committing these terrible acts.” He also commended the “bravery and courage” of victims who have come forward.

At least seven of the priests identified in the list were assigned to New Mexico parishes for at least a portion of their careers with the diocese. They include the Rev. John Boland, who served at a total of 13 parishes in the diocese, including eight in New Mexico, from 1975 to 2009.

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NEW MEXICO
The Daily Times

By Hannah Grove The Daily Times

FARMINGTON — The Diocese of Gallup has released more information about sexual abuse allegations against some of its clergy.

On Monday, the diocese published on its website the names of 30 priests and one lay teacher it determined have had “credible allegations of sexual abuse of a minor” against them since the 1950s. The affected congregations were notified during Mass on Sunday.

Five priests on the list — John Boland, Charles “Chuck” Cichanowicz, Joseph Coutu, Conran Runnebaum and Lawrence “Larry” Schreiber — served in San Juan County, as did the only lay person, Brett Candelaria.

“It always surprises me that there would be credible allegations against a priest,” said Father Tim Farrell, the pastor at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Farmington. “It not only surprises me, it disturbs me.”

Farrell was among dozens of priests in the diocese who stood in front of their parishes Sunday to read a letter from Bishop James S. Wall naming the priests accused of sexual abuse and stating the diocese’s commitment to transparency and creating a safe environment for families. Runnebaum and Schreiber served at Sacred Heart, and Boland was chaplain of the church’s school, according to the diocese’s list.

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NIGERIA
Daily Post

By Omotola Filani on December 17, 2014

Wife of Psquare’s Peter Okoye, Lola Omotayo has revealed how she was molested and sexually abused as a teenager.

While addressing a group of young ladies at a Kinabuti event, which held recently in Lagos, the mum of two and career woman said she was molested when she was in high school – by a priest – and for the longest time she blamed herself and kept quiet about it because she did not think anybody will believe her.

“When I was a young girl in my early teens in high school, I was molested by a catholic priest, I blamed myself, I didn’t tell anyone because I was ashamed, couldn’t tell anyone because everyone would blame me, so I carried on the guilt and bitterness with me for years. I was filled with hate and I became an angry person, I was rebellious, I didn’t want to listen to anybody…and because I wanted to be expelled from school to avoid seeing this person, I would do so many terrible things, everything around me was just so negative, I felt I wasn’t good enough”.

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KENTUCKY
WLKY

LOUISVILLE, Ky. —This week, Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz is writing to parishioners of St. Peter the Apostle Parish to inform them that the Reverend Ronald Domhoff will return to ministry as its pastor, effective Dec. 17.

Domhoff had been placed on administrative leave as pastor by Archbishop Kurtz on Sept. 25, after the Archdiocese received information from the police that an individual had made an accusation of sexual abuse by Fr. Domhoff dating from the 1980s.

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ARIZONA
AZCentral

Stephen Root, 12 News | azcentral.com

The Catholic Diocese of Gallup New Mexico, the area of which reaches into parts of northern Arizona, has released 22 new names on a list of priests it says have been “credibly accused” of sexually abusing minors.

The additions bring the total number to 31 on a list of cases dating back to 1950. Some of the accused are already deceased, but at least one was working as a priest in Arizona as recently as last year.

“It brings back bad memories,” said abuse survivor Joseph Baca on a 2013 trip to his boyhood church in Winslow, a place where he’s believed to be one of at least 15 boys sexually abused by then-priest Father Clement Hageman.

“My abuse started when I was about 9 years old,” Baca said. “I told my mom and she said no, I’m lying.”

Tuesday’s announcement was another small victory for victims like Baca. Seventeen of those named worked in churches across northern Arizona, in communities such as Flagstaff, Prescott, Holbrook and Show Low.

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NEW MEXICO
KRQE

[with video]

By Aaron Drawhorn
Published: December 16, 2014

GALLUP, N.M. (KRQE) – The Diocese of Gallup has taken a major step and released a new list of 30 Catholic priests who are linked to sex abuse cases in New Mexico and Arizona.

The diocese released the list of “credibly accused clergy.” Last year the Diocese of Gallup filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in large part due to lawsuits over pedophile priests.

The list released Monday includes 30 priests and one lay teacher assigned to parishes from the 1950s to last year.

“The list is rather large, and a lot of people think wow, 30 priests is quite a large number, and unfortunately, that’s the case,” said Suzanne Hammons, media coordinator for the diocese.

Hammons said the most recent priest to serve the diocese on the list was Timothy Conlon who was removed this year as sexual abuse accusations from decades ago recently surfaced.

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NEW MEXICO
Albuquerque Journal

[with list of the accused priests]

By Olivier Uyttebrouck / Journal Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: Tuesday, December 16, 2014

The Diocese of Gallup has published a list of 30 priests and one lay teacher accused of “credible allegations of sexual abuse of a minor” assigned to parishes in New Mexico and Arizona, according to a statement written by Bishop James Wall.

The new list marks the first time since 2005 that the diocese has identified additional priests among those accused of sexual abuse. The 2005 list identified 11 priests as “credibly accused clergy.”

The diocese filed chapter 11 reorganization bankruptcy in 2012 in response to 13 lawsuits filed against the diocese by alleged victims of sexual abuse by priests who worked within the diocese from the 1950 until as recently as 2013. The bankruptcy case remains unresolved.

“The publication of these additional names does not mean that our vigilance and continued investigation ends here,” Wall wrote in a statement published with the list.

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MICHIGAN
WOOD

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The man who arranged meetings for sex between former Christian radio host John Balyo and a boy around the age of 12 is scheduled to be sentenced in a federal courtroom in Grand Rapids on Wednesday.

Ronald Moser, 43, pleaded guilty in August to possession of child pornography and sexual exploitation of a child. Moser admitted that he and Balyo took graphic photos of the boy at Moser’s Battle Creek home and that he then put those photos on the Internet.

The prosecution’s pre-sentencing memorandum has been sealed, but Moser’s defense attorney’s has not. In the memo, defense attorney Paul Mitchell says that claims by an unnamed source that Moser took one of his 4-year-old children on extended semi-truck trips are “incredible” and untrue. Mitchell also said statements claiming Moser made $100,000 in two weeks from selling child porn is “equally incredible.”

Mitchell goes on to say Moser is “a largely unsophisticated defendant. At 43 years of age he can hardly be described as having been a success in life; indeed the opposite is true, as evidenced by his appearance in this court.”

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UNITED STATES
Christian Catholicism

Jerry Slevin

1. President Obama, like all national US Democratic Party leaders since the early 1980’s, appears to calculate carefully his dealings with the Vatican. Given the Vatican’s influence over some US voters, this makes political sense. Nevertheless, his conflicts with the Vatican are likely to increase sharply sooner, rather than later.

2. Since at least 1984, the Vatican and its subordinate US bishops have worked closely politically with right wing US Republican leaders and their “low tax” wealthy donors. This political strategy appears to involve a “trade” of Vatican political support for protection by, and subsidies from, the US government, as well as substantial Church donations from high income Republican donors. This evident political alliance between conservative Catholic and fundamentalist Christian voters has been an essential part of the right wing’s electoral strategy since at least 1984. And it surely has contributed to the obscene and growing income disparity in the USA since 1984. The poor sheep seem easily fleeced, especially when episcopal shepherds work opportunistically with the ravenous high income wolves.

3. Consequently, Obama will take on the Vatican, it appears, only when larger segments of his voting base, especially women, gay folks and liberal Catholics would likely approve, as he did in 2012. He then successfully pushed his Obamacare contraception mandate and his public support for the “Nuns on the Bus” in their struggle with the Vatican. He had their leader, Sr. Simone Campbell, give a prime time speech at the 2012 Democratic national convention, which certainly had to have upset the Vatican.

4. So far, however, President Obama has been able mostly to avoid the “elephant in the room”, the priest child abuse scandal that has challenged other national leaders, for example in Australia, the UK and Ireland. Current events, including in Minneapolis relating to Obama’s Chief of Staff’s brother, Fr. Kevin McDonough, and the upcoming 2016 US presidential campaign, may compel Obama, however, finally to take a public stand soon on the greatest church scandal in US history. He recently in a well publicized meeting with the UK’s Prince William spoke up on the need to protect rhinoceros. Will Obama now speak up for children at high risk of being abused by clerics?

5. Pope Benedict had launched a disastrous Vatican investigation of American nuns. It had prompted protests from outraged US Catholics. It ended in Rome on Tuesday (12/16/14) with the release of generally appreciative Vatican findings; the report on the investigation stressed the achievements and efforts of the US nuns. A related Vatican investigation is still ongoing, though.

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KENTUCKY
WHAS

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) — A Louisville priest placed on administrative leave of absence after an accusation of sexual abuse is cleared of all allegations Tuesday night.

Father Ron Domhoff was placed on leave in September.

The Louisville Achdiocese confirms that Father Domhoff will return to ministry. A statement by the Archdiocese says the LMPD Crimes Against Children unit has ended its investigation.

Furthermore an Archdiocese Review Board said there was no report or evidence that any abuse had ever occurred.

In a letter to his parishioners, Father Domhoff wrote the following: “The last few months have been the most terrifying experience of my 42 years as a priest. It has been a sheer emotional rollercoaster with deep lows and affirming highs…Constantly, I received texts and letters and hugs on the street and convinced me that I was never alone.”

A former Louisville man, John David Gregory, made the claims against Domhoff. He said the abuse took place in the 1980s.

Gregory’s attorney told WHAS11 news, on Tuesday, they had no comment regarding Domhoff being cleared of all the accusations.

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KENTUCKY
WAVE

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) – A priest who was removed from his parish after being accused of sexual abuse will be returning in time for Christmas services.

Fr. Ronald Domhoff was serving as pastor of St. Peter The Apostle on Johnsontown Road when the accusation against him was made. Archbishop Joseph Kurtz placed Domhoff on administrative leave on Sept. 25 after being informed by Louisville Metro police of the allegation. The person making the accusation said the abuse occurred in the 1980s.

According to a statement released to WAVE 3 News by the Archdiocese, the decision to return Domhoff to his parish came after the claim against him could not be substantiated and the investigation was ended by the LMPD Crimes Against Children Unit.

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PARAGUAY
ABC

[The prosecutor is investigating an allegation of abuse of children by a priest in the Divine Spirit parish in Asuncion. The incident occurred a year ago when the children were attending catechism classes. The complaint was made by the children’s parents.]

En poder del Ministerio Público obra una denuncia contra un sacerdote de la parroquia Divino Espíritu, debido a que supuestamente abusó de dos menores.

La fiscala Viviana Patricia Riveros es quien investiga una denuncia realizada por los padres de los menores que supuestamente fueron víctimas de abuso. El presunto agresor es Estanislao Arévalos Pedrozo.

Según se relata en el documento que obra en la Fiscalía, el hecho ocurrió hace un año, cuando los menores concurrían al catecismo. Las clases se desarrollaban en la parroquia ubicada sobre la calle Teniente Rojas casi Teniente Raúl Buzarquis Real, de Asunción.

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IRELAND
Sunday World

An ex-priest who abused 18 boys over an 18 year period has lost an appeal against his 10 year prison sentence

Peter Kennedy (75), with a former address at Ballinahown, Co Westmeath pleaded guilty to 27 counts of indecent assault in various areas of the country between 1968 and 1986.

He was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment on one count with all other counts taken into consideration by Judge Martin Nolan at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on July 8 2013.

Dismissing Kennedy’s appeal against sentence today Mr Justice George Birmingham said there was criticism of the judge’s approach to sentencing on one count while taking all other counts into consideration.

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LAGOS
360nobs

Lola Omotayo let out a part of her past at the recently held Kinabuti Dare2Dream Project in Lagos where she was invited to address young girls.

She explained what she went through at the hands of a priest. How she met another man in life, and the story repeated itself before finally meeting Peter of P-Square and …..

“You shouldn’t let your past determine what your destiny will be, we all have our past whether good or bad or makes us unhappy, we all had a life that we lived that we are not happy about, you shouldn’t let it bother you from succeeding.

When I was a young girl in my early teens in high school, I was molested by a catholic priest, i blamed myself, i didn’t tell anyone because i was ashamed, couldn’t tell anyone cos i felt everyone would blame me, so i carried on the guilt and bitterness with me for years. I was filled with hate and i became a angry person, i was rebellious, i didn’t want to listen to anybody…and because i wanted to be expelled from school to avoid seeing this person, i would do so many terrible things, everything around me was just so negative, i felt i wasn’t good enough….

Anyway i moved on to the university, met the love of my life and i’m like, okay this guy is cool, he loves me…and then he started to abuse me….i was beaten black and blue all the time, in front of friends, in public and at a point i felt, you know what I am not worthy enough, there is nothing about me that is nice, nobody loves me but i hid this from my family….i felt like a loser..so it was hard for me to focus..so one day i woke up and said i am going to change my story and i dumped that person, focus on my education and decided to be serious and be something….i decided to get a job and go to school full time in America…

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UNITED STATES
Catholic Philly

BY DENNIS SADOWSKI
Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON (CNS) — U.S. women religious welcomed the conciliatory tone of a Vatican report on religious life and appreciated acknowledgement of the important ministry that they practice day in and day out in the life of the church.

They also said the report, released Dec. 16, opens a new beginning for women religious, who have continued their work despite the questions about the status of religious life in the U.S. that were raised by the apostolic visitation process that ran from 2009 to 2012.

“The positive tone and the clear affirmation found in the document gives us new energy to move on in our critical role for the sake of the mission of the church in the United States,” said Sister Mary Johnson, a member of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur who is professor of sociology and religious studies at Trinity Washington University.

“I see great good coming out of this in that through the media, the laity and clergy and bishops will now have heightened understanding of our way of life in the church and hopefully will help us respond to the yearnings of women who are interested in religious life,” she told Catholic News Service.

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WISCONSIN
Stevens Point Journal

Alison Dirr, Daily Herald Media
December 16, 2014

WAUSAU – A priest of the Diocese of La Crosse is being removed from public ministry after an incident in which he is accused of asking for sex favors at a Wausau massage parlor.

McGarty, 89, was given a municipal citation in Wausau on Thursday after a massage therapist told police that McGarty had demanded that she rub oil on his genitals, according to the disorderly conduct citation. The municipal code recommends a fine of $250 for that offense, but it was unclear from the citation whether McGarty had paid a fine as of Monday.

The therapist was working on McGarty’s leg during a massage when he lifted a blanket around his groin area and told her to rub oil on his genitals. The therapist told police that she refused and ran out of the room. As she was leaving, he yelled a derogatory term after her, according to the citation.

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WISCONSIN
WSAW

The Director of Communications and Public Relations for the Diocese of La Crosse issued a statement Monday saying, “We are saddened to learn of a recent situation involving Msgr. Bernard McGarty, a priest of the Diocese of La Crosse. According to diocesan policy as stated in the pastoral letter On Sexual Misconduct for the Diocese of La Crosse, Msgr. McGarty, from this moment forward, is not to have any public ministry while this current situation is investigated.”

Viterbo College also issued a statment regarding the investigation, stating, “Effective immediately, Msgr. Bernard McGarty will not be serving as Viterbo’s Visiting Scholar in Ecumenical Studies or presenting occasional guest lectures.” The statement was send to media outlets by Pat Kerrigan, Vice President of Communications and Marketing.

As NewsChannel 7 first reported Friday, Monsignor Bernard McGarty was cited with disorderly conduct after he reportedly asked a massage therapist to touch his genitals.

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SCOTLAND
The Courier

The Catholic Church in Scotland received 15 allegations of abuse last year.

Claims of sexual, physical, verbal or emotional abuse were made against seven members of the clergy and six others people working in the church community.

Six of the allegations related to historical abuse in the 1980s or earlier, the Church said.

No prosecutions have followed the 2013 allegations, although three people have been removed from ministry and one is no longer a volunteer.

Two cases are being reviewed by the procurator fiscal.

The allegations were contained in the Catholic Church’s annual Diocesan Safeguarding Audit, published today, which covers each of Scotland’s eight dioceses.

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SCOTLAND
STV

By Matt Coyle
16 December 2014

The Catholic Church in Scotland faced 15 allegations of sexual and physical abuse in 2013, it can be revealed.

The allegations were made against seven priests, three volunteers, two parishioners and one other person.

Some of those had more than one allegation made against them, a new audit report has found.

Six of the 15 allegations made against the church were historical, dating back to the 1980s or earlier.

Ten of the claims made related to sexual abuse in some form, three involved physical abuse, two were of physical abuse and one of emotional abuse with two further allegations of verbal abuse.

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SCOTLAND
Scotsman

by CHRIS MARSHALL
Published on the 16 December 2014

THREE members of the Catholic Church have been removed from their posts amid allegations of abuse, it has emerged.

The Church said 15 allegations had been made against clergy and lay members last year, ten of which related to sexual abuse.

Three of the individuals have been removed from the ministry, and two cases are with the procurator fiscal.

The details emerged as the Scottish Government prepares to announce an inquiry into historical sexual abuse, a move the Church said it supported.

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SCOTLAND
Scottish Catholic Observer

The Church has said it would support a Scottish Government inquiry into abuse in care homes in Scotland, as it published details of safeguarding breaches within it own diocese in 2013.

The Scottish Government is expected to announce a wide-ranging inquiry into abuse of children in care later this week and a Church spokesman said they would support ‘an evidence-based inquiry into abuse in care in Scotland.’

The Church today published details of their the Diocesan Safeguarding Audit for 2013.

The results of this audit show that 15 allegations were made of which seven were against members of the clergy. Six dated to the 1980s or earlier and ten of the allegations were of sexual abuse, of which three also involved physical abuse.

These statistics have been compiled by the Safeguarding Offices in each of Scotland’s eight dioceses, signed off by each diocesan bishop and collated by the Scottish Catholic Safeguarding Service.

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ARIZONA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

At least 17 predator priests worked in AZ; SNAP responds

For immediate release: Tuesday, Dec. 16

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

According to disclosures today by a Catholic bishop, at least 17 credibly accused predator priests worked and lived in at least 26 Arizona towns (Chinle, Winslow, Holbrook, Page, Prescott, St. Johns, Concho, Kingman, Clarksdale, Ash Fork, Flagstaff, Seligman, Yarnell, Springerville, Lukachukai, Ft. Defiance, Tuba City, St. Michaels, Cottonwood, Camp Verde, Humboldt, Mayer, Leupp, Show Low, Cibecue and McNary).

[KVOA]

Bishop James S. Wall of the Gallup Catholic Diocese revealed a list of 31 alleged child molesting clerics this morning. About half of them also spent time Arizona. Their names and Arizona assignments are below.

Now, we call on Arizona’s __ bishops to do more to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded and expose the truth.

By disclosing names of 31 credibly accused predator priests, Wall has done the bare minimum. He and his Arizona colleagues must now:

— reveal the predator priests’ photos, current whereabouts and detailed work histories
— put all this information in every parish bulletin, along with an emphatic plea for anyone who saw, suspected or suffered clergy sex crimes or cover ups in Arizona or New Mexico to call police.
— personally visit the parishes where these priests worked (starting with the predator who faces the most recent allegations) and beg victims, witnesses and whistleblowers to contact law enforcement.
— write – and publicly disclose – letters to their brother bishops in whose dioceses some of these potentially dangerous men now live or work.
— post their own lists of proven, admitted and credibly accused child molesting clerics on their own diocesan websites.

Many of these 31 child molesting clerics now live or work around unsuspecting neighbors. Having been suspended from active parish ministry does not “cure” them of their frightening sexual attraction to children.

If an Arizona manufacturer knew of dozens of potentially dangerous sites where its toxic waste was hidden, but kept most of this information concealed for decades, there would justifiably be a huge public outcry. And if, belatedly and grudgingly, the CEO had finally disclosed those sites, there would justifiably be pressure for him or her to do more.

So we beg Tucson Bishop Gerald Kicanas and Phoenix Bishop Thomas Olmstead to take these simple, proven, and inexpensive steps to warn parents, parishioners and the public about predator priests.

NOTE – According to BishopAccountability.org, there are 34 publicly accused predator priests in the Tucson diocese and 27 in the Phoenix diocese.

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ESPANA
El Periodico

JULIA CAMACHO / SEVILLA
VIERNES, 12 DE DICIEMBRE DEL 2014

El juzgado de Cádiz que investiga los presuntos abusos sexuales cometidos por el director del colegio Salesianos, Francisco Javier López Luna, a 27 menores ha dado por concluida la investigación y, tras sostener que existen indicios de delito por parte del sacerdote, pide a las partes que se pronuncie sobre la apertura de juicio oral o el sobreseimiento de la causa.

El instructor mantiene la imputación por dos delitos continuados de abusos sexuales a menores de 13 años, siete delitos continuados de abusos sexuales a mayores de 13 años, tres delitos de abusos sexuales a mayores de 13 años, 23 faltas continuadas de lesiones y cuatro faltas de lesiones. Así, ordena que se sigan las actuaciones contra el ya exdirector del centro por trámite de procedimiento abreviado, aunque declara prescritas las faltas de lesiones y acuerda del sobreseimiento libre. El auto ordena además sobreseer las actuaciones contra J.S.A, un trabajador del centro que fue inicialmente imputado por un supuesto delito de encubrimiento.

El sacerdorte F.J.L.L. fue detenido en julio del 2013 por supuestos delitos contra la integridad moral e indemnidad sexual de varios alumnos de entre 12 y 14 años, cuyos padres denunciaron los hechos. Según explicaron los alumnos, todos varones, los citaba habitualmente en su despacho, incluso en fin de semana, y allí, como si fuera un juego les invitaba a pegarse entre ellos o él mismo les golpeaba, realizando además tocamientos en zonas con connotaciones sexuales. Todo ello a cambio de subir las notas, jugar en el ordenador del religioso o saltarse algunas clases. Lo sucedido fue descubierto por unos progenitores cuyo hijo les mostró las conversaciones privadas que mantenían por mensajes de telefonía.

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NIGERIA
Pulse

[with video]

Lola Omotayo-Okoye has made a shocking revelation that she was once a victim of child molestation in the hands of a Catholic Priest.

Lola made this revelation while she was addressing young ladies at the Kinabuti Dare2Dream event. The mother of two told the girls that while she was in high school, she was molested by a Catholic priest, but couldn’t tell anyone because she thought no one was going to believe her.

“When I was a young girl in high school I was molested by a catholic priest and blamed myself. I was a child, I didn’t know any better, I didn’t know what to think, I didn’t know what to believe, I didn’t know how to feel. I blamed myself, I didn’t tell anyone, I was embarrassed, I was ashamed. I didn’t know if anyone was going to believe me and I didn’t even know if anybody was going to believe me. I felt like I did something wrong. For many years, that incident stuck with me, I became rebellious, I was filled with hate, I didn’t want to listen to anyone and it turned me into a very angry person,” Lola Omotayo-Okoye said during a speech which was themed around not letting your past define you.

She further revealed that she was also in an abusive relationship while she was in the university in America before breaking out to start a new life of her own.

She also told the girls that she was questioned and mocked when she started dating a then up and coming musician in the person of her husband and music star, Peter Okoye of the PSquare fame.

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VATICAN CITY
Yahoo! News

By Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – A keenly-awaited Vatican report on Roman Catholic nuns in the United States struck a conciliatory tone on Tuesday, praising them for their social and educational work but urging them to stick to Church teachings.

The report is the result of an investigation launched in 2008 after some Vatican officials and U.S. bishops voiced concern that some American nuns had adopted a secular mentality and been infiltrated by what one official at the time called “radical feminism”.

The inquiry, begun during the papacy of former Pope Benedict, involved 341 religious orders and about 50,000 nuns.

Sister Sharon Holland, a leading U.S. nun, told a news conference presenting the 12-page report that while many sisters at the time reacted with “apprehension and suspicion”, the final report had “an encouraging and realistic tone”.

The Vatican officials at the time of the investigation said some nuns did not sufficiently espouse Church teachings against abortion and homosexuality and that some had become too involved in political issues.

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NEW MEXICO
NewsWest 9

By RUSSELL CONTRERAS
Associated Press

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – The Diocese of Gallup has released a list of “credibly accused clergy” linked to decades-old sex abuse cases in New Mexico and Arizona.

The list released Monday includes 31 priests and one lay teacher assigned to parishes from the 1950s to last year.

Gallup Diocese Bishop James Wall says he was making the new list public to protect children and in the spirit of transparency.

In a statement, Wall apologized for the actions of those who committed “these terrible acts.”

Wall says that if victims recognize the names of the priests on the diocese’s website they should contact law enforcement.

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NEW MEXICO
Roman Catholic Diocese of Gallup

To the Laity, Religious and Clergy of the Diocese of Gallup

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ Jesus:

When I became the Bishop of the Diocese of Gallup, I committed to ensuring that the children in this Diocese and in the Parishes, Missions or Schools that operate within the Diocese were protected. The Diocese published names of those working within the Diocese against whom there were credible allegations of sexual abuse of a minor. In my ongoing commitment to protection of children and to further my goal of transparency within this Diocese, we have determined that there are additional priests against whom there have been credible allegations of child abuse who worked in various places within the Diocese. I have sent letters to each Parish, Mission or School within the territory of the Diocese of Gallup where each of the priests or others served advising them that there was a priest who was ministering in that Parish, Mission or School against whom we have determined there were credible allegations of sexual abuse of a minor.

As part of my ongoing commitment, we are now putting all the names, places and dates of service of credibly accused priests here on the Diocese’s website. This list will include the priests previously named as well as those who are being named now.

The publication of these additional names does not mean that our vigilance and continued investigation ends here. The investigations remain ongoing. The survivors who have come forward should be commended for their bravery and courage, and I express my deepest apologies for the actions of those who violated the trust of the survivors and the parishioners within the Diocese by committing these terrible acts. I reaffirm my commitment to protect our children and my commitment to continue to assist those who have been harmed.

If you or a loved one were harmed by the sexual misconduct of an employee or clergy within the Diocese of Gallup, we strongly encourage you to contact law enforcement. We also welcome you to contact the victim assistance coordinator at the Diocese, at 505-906-7357.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Bishop James S. Wall

The following is a list of clergy identified by the Diocese of Gallup as having credible allegations of sexual misconduct made against them.

(Spanish translation coming soon)

Fr. William Allison
Assignments:
Previously Published – Assignments to be Updated

Fr. Michael Aten
Assignments:
Previously Published – Assignments to be Updated

Fr. Michael Baca, OFM (Deceased)
Assignments:
Immaculate Conception Parish, Cuba NM (1953)
St. Joseph the Worker Parish, San Fidel NM (1961)
Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Chinle AZ (1978)

Fr. George Baz
Assignment:
St. Joseph Parish, Winslow AZ (07/1968-09/1968)

Fr. John Boland
Assignments:
Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Holbrook AZ (1975)
St. Philip Parish, Church Rock NM (1977)
Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Page AZ (1978)
Madre de Dios Parish, Winslow AZ (1980-1983)
St. Jerome Parish, Gallup NM
St. Mary Parish, Bloomfield NM (1987)
Sacred Heart School Chaplain, Farmington NM (1994)
Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, Cebolleta NM (1995)
Our Lady of Light Mission, Cubero NM (1995)
St. Joseph the Worker School Chaplain, San Fidel NM (1995)
St. Paul Parish, Crownpoint NM (1999)
Risen Savior Mission, Bluewater NM (1999)
Immaculate Conception Parish, Cuba NM (2002)

Fr. James Burns
Assignments:
Previously Published – Assignments to be Updated

Brett Candelaria (Lay CCD Teacher)
Assignment:
Holy Trinity Parish, Flora Vista, NM (1991-1992)

Fr. Santino Casimano
Assignments:
Previously Published – Assignments to be Updated

Fr. Charles Cichanowicz, OFM
Assignments:
St. Michaels Parish, St. Michaels AZ (1980)
Christ the King Parish, Shiprock NM (1983)

Fr. David Clark, CMF
Assignment:
Sacred Heart, Prescott AZ (06/1960 – 07/1960)

Fr. Timothy Conlon
Assignments:
St. John the Baptist Parish, St. Johns AZ (11/2011 – 12/2013)
San Rafael Parish, Concho AZ (11/2011 – 12/2013)

Fr. Joseph Coutu
Assignments:
St. Mary Parish, Farmington NM (05/1981 – 12/1981)
Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Holbrook AZ (12/1981 – 1983)
Sacred Heart Cathedral, Gallup NM (1983 – 06/1984)

Fr. John Degnan (Deceased)
Assignments:
St. Mary, Kingman AZ (1951)
St. Cecilia, Clarksdale AZ (1952 – 1961)
St. Ann, Ash Fork AZ (1952 – 1961)
Madre de Dios Parish, Winslow AZ (06/1961 – 09/1961)

Fr. Clement Hageman
Assignments:
Previously Published – Assignments to be Updated

Fr. Julian Hartig
Assignments:
Previously Published – Assignments to be Updated

Fr. Robert J. Kirsch (Deseased)
Assignments:
Our Lady of Guadalupe, Flagstaff AZ (1957)
Santo Nino de Atocha Parish, Aragon NM (1958 – 1959)
St. Francis, Seligman AZ (1959 – 1962)
Madre de Dios Parish, Winslow AZ (1963 – 1964)

Fr. Bruce MacArthur
Assignmenst:
Previously Published – Assignments to be Updated

Fr. Douglas McNeill
Assignments:
Previously Published – Assignments to be Updated

Fr. Rene Messier
Assignments:
St. Mary Mediatrix of all Graces, Yarnell AZ (1961-1963)
St. Anne, Ashfork AZ (1963)

Fr. Lucien Meurnier (Deceased)
Assignment:
St. Joseph Parish, Winslow AZ (08/1972 – 06/1973)

Fr. Francis Murphy
Assignments:
Previously Published – Assignments to be Updated

Fr. John Newton, CPPS
Assignments:
St. Joseph Parish, Winslow AZ (10/1955 – 1957)
St. Peter Parish, Springerville AZ (05/1957 – 1959)

Fr. Jose Rodriguez
Assignments:
Previously Published – Assignments to be Updated

Fr. William Roper, CMF
Assignment:
Sacred Heart, Prescott AZ (1964-1965)

Fr. Conran Runnebaum, OFM (Deceased)
Assignments:
St. Teresa of Avila Parish, Grants NM (06/29/55 – 07/1958)
Sacred Heart Parish, Farmington NM (07/1958 – 07/1964)
St. Joseph the Worker Parish, San Fidel NM (07/1964 – 1973)
Sacred Heart Parish, Farmington NM (07/1975 – 1978)

Fr. Raul Sanchez
Assignments:
Madre de Dios Parish, Winslow AZ (07/1975 – 10/1976)
Chancellor, Gallup Diocese (1979 – 11/1986)

Fr. Lawrence Schreiber, OFM
Assignments:
St. Isabel Parish, Lukachukai AZ (1961 – 1962)
St. Michaels Parish, St. Michaels AZ (1962 – 1963)
Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Parish, Ft. Defiance AZ (1963 – 1968)
Christ the King Parish, Shiprock NM (1968 – 1969)
St. Jude Parish, Tuba City AZ (1969 – 1976)
Christ the King Parish, Shiprock NM (1977 – 1981)
St. Isabel Parish, Lukachukai AZ (1981 – 1983)
St. Michaels Parish, St. Michaels AZ (1983 – 1986)
Sacred Heart Parish, Farmington NM (1986 – 1990)
Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Parish, Ft. Defiance AZ (1990 – 1991)

Fr. John Sullivan
Assignments:
Previously Published – Assignments to be Updated

Fr. Carl Todaro
Assignment:
Mount St. Mary’s of the West Seminary (1951 – 1952)

Fr. David Enrique Viramontes (Deceased)
Assignments:
Santo Niño de Atocha Parish, Aragon NM (06/1957 – 06/1958)
Our Lady of Guadalupe, Flagstaff AZ (06/1958 – 07/1959)
St. Joseph Parish, Winslow AZ (07/1959 – 07/1960)
Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Holbrook AZ (07/1960 – 01/1961)
St. Pius X, Flagstaff AZ (01/1961)

Fr. Samuel Wilson (Deceased)
Assignments:
Church of the Nativity, Flagstaff AZ (1952)
Santo Niño de Atocha Parish, Aragon NM (08/1952 – 1957)
Church of the Nativity, Flagstaff AZ (1958)
St. John the Baptist Parish, St. Johns AZ (10/1958 – 1960)
Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Holbrook AZ (1961)
St. Cecelia Parish, Clarkdale AZ (07/1961 – 1962)
Immaculate Conception, Cottonwood AZ (07/1961 – 1962)
St. Francis Cabrini, Camp Verde AZ (1962 – 1964)
St. Lawrence, Humboldt AZ (1963 – 1964)
St. Joseph, Mayer AZ (1963 – 1964)
Madre de Dios Parish, Winslow AZ (08/1964 – 12/1965)
Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Flagstaff AZ (09/1968 – 1969)
Tolani Lake Indian, Leupp AZ (1970 – 1971)
San Rafael Parish, San Rafael NM (1972)
Our Lady of Sorrows Mission, Cebolleta NM (1973)
St. Rita Parish, Show Low AZ (1974 – 1975)
St. Catherine Parish, Cibecue AZ (1976 – 1979)
St. Anthony Parish, McNary AZ (1980)
RMCH and GIMC Hospitals; McKinley Manor, Gallup NM (1985-1986)

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NEW MEXICO
KVOA

The Diocese of Gallup has released a list of “credibly accused clergy” linked to decades-old sex abuse cases in New Mexico and Arizona.

The list released Monday includes 31 priests and one lay teacher assigned to parishes from the 1950s to last year.

Gallup Diocese Bishop James Wall says he was making the new list public to protect children and in the spirit of transparency.

In a statement, Wall apologized for the actions of those who committed “these terrible acts.”

Wall says that if victims recognize the names of the priests on the diocese’s website they should contact law enforcement.

Previously, the diocese released the name of 10 priests linked to such cases. The new list adds 22 new names.

Click here for the list.

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SCOTLAND
Daily Record

THE Catholic Church in Scotland received 15 allegations of abuse last year.

Claims of sexual, physical, verbal or emotional abuse were made against seven members of the clergy and six others people working in the church community.

Six of the allegations related to historical abuse in the 1980s or earlier, the Church said.

No prosecutions have followed the 2013 allegations, although three people have been removed from ministry and one is no longer a volunteer.

Two cases are being reviewed by the procurator fiscal.

The allegations were contained in the Catholic Church’s annual Diocesan Safeguarding Audit, published today, which covers each of Scotland’s eight dioceses.

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SCOTLAND
Scottish Catholic Safeguarding Service

Introduction

Each year the Scottish Catholic Safeguarding Service through the office of the National Coordinator presents a report to the Bishops of Scotland at their November meeting which details an Audit of the eight dioceses in Scotland in relation to the work of safeguarding in the previous calendar year.

The Audit contains details of how safe environments are created with a rigorous recruitment which includes an Application Form, references and PVG Scheme membership (previously Disclosures) for those involved with children and vulnerable adults in a Church setting.

As well as PVG, Training plays an important role in creating safe environments. The current national safeguarding training programme developed by professionals within the Catholic Church is called “Awareness and Safety in Our Catholic Communities”. The training programme includes a Welcome Guide for all volunteers in the parishes with clear guidance about appropriate safeguarding procedures and good practice. This training is mandatory and delivered by experienced and trained Diocesan safeguarding Trainers. The Audit contains details about the training undertaken annually. Training has been further enhanced during 2013-14 to include important issues such as managing sex offenders in our parish communities, information on the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009 and the impact of Child Sex Exploitation.

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SCOTLAND
BBC News

The Catholic Church in Scotland has revealed details of abuse allegations made in 2013, of which seven were made against members of the clergy.

In total, 15 allegations were made, of which six were historical (from the 1980s or before).

Ten of the allegations were of sexual abuse, of which three also involved physical abuse.

The Catholic Church said it was publishing the audit to show that it was being transparent and open.

The Diocesan Safeguarding Audit for 2013 showed that the remainder of the allegations involved physical abuse alone, emotional abuse and verbal abuse.

Ten of the allegations were reported to the police.

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VATICAN CITY
The New York Times

By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
DEC. 16, 2014

A Vatican investigation of American nuns started under the previous pope, which prompted protests from outraged Catholics, ended in Rome on Tuesday with the release of a generally appreciative report that acknowledged the achievements and the challenges the nuns face given their dwindling ranks.

The relatively warm tone in the report, and at the Vatican news conference that released it, was a far cry from six years ago when the investigation was announced, creating fear, anger and mistrust among women in religious communities and convents across the United States.

“Sorry, folks, this is not a controversial document,” Mother M. Clare Millea, an American nun who directed the investigation, said at the news conference. Instead, she said, it was “a challenge for all of us.”

Pope Francis celebrated Mass on Tuesday with some of the women and men in religious orders who were involved with the long investigative process. Mother Millea said that Francis told them he knew that it was an “arduous experience,” and said of the nuns in the United States, “Please give them all my blessing.”

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VATICAN CITY
The Pilot

12/16/2014, BY CINDY WOODEN

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — A massive, detailed Vatican-ordered investigation of U.S. communities of women religious ended with a call to the women themselves to continue discerning how best to live the Gospel in fidelity to their orders’ founding ideals while facing steeply declining numbers and a rapidly aging membership.

Although initially seen by many religious and lay Catholics as a punitive measure, the apostolic visitation concluded with the publication Dec. 16 of a 5,000-word final report summarizing the problems and challenges the women themselves see in their communities and thanking them for their service to the church and to society, especially the poor.

The visitation process, carried out between 2009 and 2012 with detailed questionnaires and on-site visits, mainly by other women religious, “sought to convey the caring support of the church in respectful, sister-to-sister dialogue,” says the final report by the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.

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SPAIN
The Olive Press

THE former director of a Salesian college in Cadiz is to stand trial for abusing 12 children.

Francisco Javier Lopez, a Roman catholic priest of the Salesian order of Don Bosco, was held by police for a month in 2013 following sexual abuse complaints from up to 30 children from Cadiz’s Salesian San Ignacio College.

Judge Miguel Angel Lopez Marchena charged the priest with sexual abuse of 12 children between the ages of 12 and 14 and 15 counts of assault.

Up to 30 students testified against the former director. The judge, however, has estimated that only 12 cases amount to abuse.

The abuses allegedly occurred in Lopez’s office when he summoned students from class or made them go to school at evenings and weekends.

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VATICAN CITY
ABC News

VATICAN CITY — Dec 16, 2014, 6:46 AM ET
By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press

The Vatican went out of its way Tuesday to mend fences with American religious sisters, thanking them for their selfless work caring for the poor and promising to value their “feminine genius” more while gently suggesting ways to survive amid a decline in numbers.

The report, the long-awaited results of the Vatican’s controversial three-year investigation into U.S. women’s religious orders, was most remarkable for what it didn’t say. After years of tension and distrust, there was no criticism of American nuns, no demands that they shift their focus from social justice issues to emphasize Catholic teaching on abortion, no condemnation that a feminist, secular mentality had taken hold in their ranks.

Rather, while offering a sobering report on the difficult state of American congregations, the report gave a positive view of the sisters’ contributions to the church and reflected a merciful and encouraging tone that is characteristic of Pope Francis, the first Jesuit pope.

The report, as a result, offered a radically different message, in both tone and content, to the 50,000 sisters living and working in the U.S. than that of another Vatican office investigating an umbrella group of their leaders.

That investigation, conducted by the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, resulted in a Vatican takeover of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious in 2012. The doctrine office determined that the LCWR, which represents the leaders of 80 percent of U.S. sisters, took positions that undermined church teaching and promoted “radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith.”

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VATICAN CITY
National Catholic Reporter – Global Sisters Report

by Joshua J. McElwee

The final report of a controversial and unprecedented six-year Vatican investigation of tens of thousands of U.S. Catholic sisters takes a roundly positive, even laudatory, tone towards their life and work but also includes several couched but barbed criticisms of them.

Using some form of the word “gratitude” eight times over its 12 pages, the report also acknowledges the suspicion many sisters had over the launching of the investigation and says the Vatican is seeking “respectful and fruitful dialogue” with those who refused to collaborate in the process.

The Vatican’s congregation for religious life, which wrote the report, states at one point: “We express the hope that together we may welcome this present moment as an opportunity to transform uncertainty and hesitancy into collaborative trust, so that the Lord may lead us forward in the mission he has entrusted to us on behalf of the people we serve.”

The Vatican investigation, known formally as an apostolic visitation, was launched by the religious congregation in 2008 with the approval of Pope Benedict XVI. Likely the largest such investigation in church history, it involved inquiry into some 341 female religious institutes in the U.S. that include some 50,000 women.

Both U.S. women religious and lay people have been keenly awaiting release of the final visitation report after several years with little information about the state of the investigation, one of two separate inquiries of U.S. women religious launched by different Vatican offices in recent years.

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MINNESOTA
Canonical Consultation

12/15/2014

Jennifer Haselberger

I am hearing rumors that another investigation is underway in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, with people being contacted for questioning by William McNab of Winthrop & Weinstine. However, in this case it does not appear as though the topic is the conduct or misconduct of Archbishop Nienstedt. Rather, what I am hearing is that the questions asked relate to Father Kevin McDonough.

McDonough has, of course, been under fire before. The docsociety (founded in the aftermath of the 2002 murder of Dan O’Connell and James Ellison by Reverend Ryan Erickson), began calling for his resignation from Archdiocesan duties as early as 2006 (see the organization’s ‘Founding Document’).

And, those who have been ordained in recent years or who have taken prominent positions within the Chancery will recall that the publication of those events in The Catholic Spirit would almost always result in the receipt of an anonymous letter, purportedly from members of an SA group, alleging misconduct by Father McDonough and several other priests and bishops. These letters arrived with such predictability that I could guess what had occurred even before responding to the frantic emails and calls from the stunned recipients, who were, as would be expected, horrified by what the letters contained. I think at one point the Chancellor for Civil Affairs, Andy Eisenzimmer, made some sort of effort to have the letters traced, but other than that I don’t recall any action being taken about them or any investigation taking place as to what was alleged.

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VATICAN CITY
Vatican Information Service – Bolletino

Press Conference for the presentation of the Final Report on the Apostolic Visitation of Institutes of Women Religious in the United States of America, 16.12.2014

Press Conference for the presentation of the Final Report on the Apostolic Visitation of Institutes of Women Religious in the United States of America

Opening remarks of Fr. Thomas Rosica, C.S.B.

Statement of Cardinal João Braz de Aviz

Italian translation (Statement of Statement of Cardinal João Braz de Aviz)

Statement of Archbishop José Rodríguez Carballo, O.F.M.

Italian translation (Statement of Archbishop José Rodríguez Carballo, O.F.M.)

Statement of Sr. M. Clare Millea, A.S.C.J.

Statement of Sr. Sharon Holland, I.H.M.

Statement of Sr. Agnes Mary Donovan, S.V.

Closing remarks of Fr. Thomas Rosica, C.S.B.

At 11.30 this morning in the Aula Giovanni Paolo II of the Holy See Press Office a press conference will take place to present the Final Report of the Apostolic Visitation of Institutes of Women Religious in the United States of America.

The speakers in the press conference are: His Eminence Cardinal João Braz de Aviz, prefect of the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life; Archbishop José Rodríguez Carballo, O.F.M., secretary of the same Congregation; Sr. M. Clare Millea, A.S.C.J., director of the Apostolic Visitation in the United States; Sr. Sharon Holland, I.H.M., president of the “Leadership Conference of Women Religious” (LCWR); Sr. Agnes Mary Donovan, S.V., coordinator of the “Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious” (CMSWR); Fr. Thomas Rosica, C.S.B., assistant to the Visitation Committee.

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VATICAN CITY
Vatican Information Service – Bolletino

Final Report on the Apostolic Visitation of Institutes of Women Religious in the United States of America

Introduction

At the conclusion of the Apostolic Visitation of Institutes of Women Religious in the United States of America, conducted “to look into the quality of the life of religious women in the United States”, this Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (CICLSAL) presents this report to the women religious themselves as well as to the Church’s Pastors and faithful. In addition to this general report, it is foreseen that individual reports will be sent to those Institutes which hosted an onsite visitation and to those Institutes whose individual reports indicated areas of concern. Letters of thanks will also be sent to those Institutes which participated in the first two phases of the Visitation.

The Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life is sincerely grateful for the presence of women religious in the United States and for all that they contribute to the Church’s evangelizing mission. Since the early days of the Catholic Church in their country, women religious have courageously been in the forefront of her evangelizing mission, selflessly tending to the spiritual, moral, educational, physical and social needs of countless individuals, especially the poor and marginalized. Throughout the nation’s history, the educational apostolate of women religious in Catholic schools has fostered the personal development and nourished the faith of countless young people and helped the church community in the USA to flourish. In addition, a great majority of the Catholic healthcare systems in the United States, which serve millions of people each year, were established by congregations of women religious.

In response to the appeal of Perfectae Caritatis to return to the Gospel, “the ultimate norm of religious life” and to “their founder’s spirit and special aim” (PC, 2 a & b) women religious sought to adapt their life style and mission in ways that might enable them to more effectively respond to contemporary needs. In a spirit of creative fidelity to their charisms, they branched out in new ministries to those most on the margins of the Church and society. Women religious in the United States also notably pursued ongoing theological and professional formation seeking to further their ability to serve the Church’s evangelizing mission and to prepare others to collaborate in it as well. Women religious typically engage in volunteer ministry well beyond the normal retirement age and even in their later years sustain the life and ministry of their sisters through their prayerful support.

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MALTA
Times of Malta

A magistrate this morning started hearing evidence in the case of Dominican friar Charles Fenech who is facing sex abuse charges.

The first to take the witness stand was the woman who is making the allegations against Fr Fenech. She testified behind closed doors before Magistrate Tonio Micallef Trigona.

The woman is claiming Fr Fenech sexually abused her during the course of a relationship spanning a number of years.

She alleges that the abuse started while she was being treated at Mount Carmel Hospital.

Two women later also testified behind closed doors. Sources said they were asked to confirm the testimony of the main witness.

It is not yet clear whether the remaining witnesses will be heard in open court when the case resumes on February 23.

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UNITED STATES
Leadership Conference of Women Religious

The report of the apostolic visitation of US women religious will be posted here on the morning of December 16, 2014. We anticipate receiving this and posting it by 7 AM EST.

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UNITED STATES
Washington Post

By Abby Ohlheiser December 16

The Vatican will release a much-anticipated report on Tuesday examining the lives of American nuns.
The report, known officially as an Apostolic Visitation, angered many American Catholics when it was announced in 2008 — many viewed it as an attack on the mission of American women religious – the proper Catholic term for nuns – who often work with marginalized communities, and in education and hospitals. But, according to some leading U.S. nuns, attitudes changed during the investigation and, on the eve of the report’s release, many sisters were feeling less defensive.

“We still feel pretty hurt, bewildered, angry and betrayed,” said Sister Simone Campbell, who is executive director of the group Network and is best known for leading “Nuns on the Bus” road trips. “But what happened as a result of it is Catholic sisters came together and we’re more connected. Out of the pain and hurt comes a greater sense of solidarity.”

At this point, it’s not clear what the report will say or what recommendations — if any — it will make. But the number of nuns has plummeted in recent decades: Georgetown’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate estimates that there are now 49,883 women religious in the United States, compared with about 180,000 in the mid-’60s. The potential topics addressed, however, are broad: For instance, one Vatican leader has said the report would potentially look at American nuns’ “secularist mentality.” The report could touch on topics from religiosity to recruiting.

Although Sister Simone said late Monday that she was “holding her breath” until the report emerged, she noted that many were “hopeful” about its content in part because of the way in which the Vatican has chosen to announce the results: during a news conference at the Vatican, with the full report released online shortly after. The Rev. Thomas Rosica, who serves as an English-language spokesman for the Vatican and who participated in the review as a site visitor, told the Detroit Free Press that the report “will hopefully be a very positive message for women religious in the United States.”

The investigation involved questionnaires and site visits to organizations representing about half of the 50,000 women religious in the United States. Although in 2008, Cardinal Franc Rodé, the leader of the Vatican’s committee on religious life – which includes nuns and priests — initially said that the report was simply designed to “look into the quality of the life of religious women in the United States,” he later said that the report was also concerned with what he termed a “secularist mentality” among nuns. The visitation had the backing of then-Pope Benedict XVI.

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AUSTRALIA
SBS

An 88-year-old Catholic priest who sexually abused an alter boy in Melbourne in the 1970s will walk free from jail within weeks, after successfully appealing the length of his sentence.

The now-retired priest, James Henry Scannell, had served 138 days of his two year sentence when the Victorian Court of Appeal reduced his jail time to 15 months, with 10 months of this suspended.

Scannell was found guilty of a single charge of buggery by a Victorian County Court jury in July, and he continues to deny committing the assault.

The joint ruling by Justices Mark Weinberg, Phillip Priest, Lex Lasry on Tuesday rejected Scannell’s bid to have his conviction overturned but did allow a reduction in his prison term.

Scannell’s was originally required him to serve at least 12 months before being eligible for parole.

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WASHINGTON
The Spokesman-Review

Kip Hill
The Spokesman-Review

Spokane’s former Bishop Blase Cupich disputes the testimony of a now-resigned top lieutenant, saying he never directed attorneys to sling mud at the law firm that guided the Spokane Diocese through bankruptcy.

In a declaration filed earlier this month with the federal Bankruptcy Court in Eastern Washington, Cupich said he directed diocese attorneys to “put pressure” on Spokane law firm Paine Hamblen by naming two of its top attorneys and their spouses in a legal malpractice lawsuit. But he didn’t advise them to throw mud at the firm “to see if any mud sticks,” as Steve Dublinksi, Cupich’s vicar general until his resignation last summer, testified in October.

“At no time did I say that we were filing the case as a way to throw mud at this law firm or besmirch their reputation,” Cupich wrote in a declaration, filed by the diocese’s legal counsel Dec. 3. “It was always a matter of trying to let them know we were serious and hoping that some aspect of our case would get their attention and stick with someone in the firm who could provide some common sense.”

The diocese, with the assistance of Paine Hamblen, filed for bankruptcy 10 years ago. It reached an agreement in 2007 to pay people who claimed abuse at the hands of priests dating back decades.

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UNITED STATES
International Business Times

By Zoe Mintz

Melissa Tanis knows the “abstinence speech” very well. She heard it at home, in church and in high school. And it didn’t stop when she reached college.

“Ladies, you’re princesses, and when you give pieces of your heart away to boys, you only have half a heart left. And what kind of prince wants half of a heart? No, you need to keep yourself pure. You need to keep yourself whole. Because you can’t get those pieces of your heart back. So think twice before you kiss a boy,” Tanis, 25, said, remembering the sermon she heard as a student at Ozark Christian College in Joplin, Missouri.

On conservative Christian campuses across the U.S., the refusal to admit that their students have sex is hurting victims of sexual abuse.

According to a recently released report by an independent watchdog group, Bob Jones University, a leading conservative Christian university in South Carolina, discouraged victims from filing police reports, rarely punished the abusers and blamed victims for their “involvement” in the crime. “Deal with your own sin” and do “not be selfish” were some of the comments students said they heard from school counselors when denouncing sexual assault.

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ZIMBABWE
ZimEye

Josephine Mbunekwe
Published: December 16, 2014

A POPULAR MARRIED UNGUZA PASTOR has admitted having a series of intimate sessions with his own teenage niece for a period of over twelve months.

Pastor Lemison Moyo, 33, had sex with his 17 year old niece with his hypnotised wife’s permission for the lengthy period as he bought the victim gifts such as underwear, soap and lotion.

These issues were revealed as Pastor Moyo was yesterday acquitted of rape.

Pastor Moyo, was over the moon when regional Magistrate Chrispen Mberewere said it was clear that he had consensual sex with his 17-year-old Form Three niece on several occasions and that at law he could not be charged.

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MALTA
Malta Today

Matthew Agius 16 December 2014

Fr. Charles Fenech, 54, from Rabat, appeared in the dock before Magistrate Tonio Micallef Trigona this morning, accused of sexually abusing a woman in her 40s.

Fenech’s lawyer, Michael Scriha, requested the case be heard behind closed doors, “as this was the practice in such cases”, however the magistrate was clearly not going to be influenced by this argument, saying that he, “does not care what happened in similar cases, there is no established practice”.

The magistrate said he would ask the public to leave the courtroom for the testimony of the victim and psychiatrist David Cassar. It is unclear whether the other witnesses will be heard in open court, however.
Inspector Louise Calleja, leading the prosecution, said the they would like the victim to testify behind closed doors and the court agreed to this.

The Dominican priest had missed his previous three sittings over the abuse charges, citing poor health.
Fenech is facing charges of violent sexual abuse against a mentally unstable patient, holding the woman against her will and committing indecent acts in public.

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MALTA
Malta Independent

Updated: Court starts hearing Fr Charles Fenech case, victim’s testimony given behind closed doors

A court this morning started hearing evidence in the case against Dominican priest Fr Charles Fenech, 54, who faces sexual abuse charges.

At the start of today’s sitting, defence lawyer Michael Schriha asked the court to hear the case behind closed doors and said the courts usually did so in similar cases. Magistrate Tonio Micallef Trigona, however, said he was not interested in what usually happened and said he needed a good reason to bar the media from covering the proceedings.

The prosecution, led by Inspector Louise Calleja, said she was asking the court to hear the first witness behind closed doors but said she had no objections to the rest of the case being heard in public. There are around ten witnesses scheduled to give evidence today.

The court decided that the first witness, a victim, should testify behind closed doors. It is not yet clear if the rest of the witnesses will also be heard behind closed doors.

Fr Fenech was stopped from administering his responsibilities as a priest after The Malta Independent published a story naming him as the priest who is charged with alleged sexual abuse. He has also been removed from the post of director of the Kerygma Movement.

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