ABUSE TRACKER

ILLINOIS
Patch

Posted by Shannon Antinori (Editor) , March 06, 2014

A former clergyman who worked in Joliet was included on a list of priests who have been credibly accused of child sexual abuse, according to a victim advocacy group.

Last month, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis released list of credibly accused priests, including Fr. Kenneth Gansmann, who was pastor of a Minnesota church from 1949 to 1959.

According to the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), Gansmann worked at the St. John the Baptist Friary in Joliet from 1945 to 1948. Back then, the church was still part of the Archdiocese of Chicago, according to Diocese of Joliet Director of Communications Edward Flavin.

“Kenneth Gansmann was not a diocesan priest in Joliet,” Flavin told Patch. “Our diocese was erected in 1949.” A spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Chicago also said it did not have any records on Gansmann, saying he was a member of the order of Franciscan friars.

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UNITED STATES
The New York Times

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD
MARCH 7, 2014

In his latest interview, Pope Francis did not mince words in declaring that “women must have a greater presence in the decision-making areas of the church.” What this means precisely remains to be seen, but the pope wisely took care to stress that women must be allowed to be a force for reform in the Roman Catholic Church. He said in an extensive interview on Wednesday with an Italian newspaper that a “theological deepening” of women’s role is under discussion, with a cardinal assigned to “working in this direction with many women experts in different areas.”

As usual, his words offered hope that there would be a new direction for the hidebound Vatican bureaucracy. Chauvinism clearly seemed at work in the continuing investigation ordered by Rome into the organizations of American nuns, many of which were mainstays in charitable church missions when local dioceses were brought low by the priest sexual abuse scandals. In the interview, the pope defended the church’s handling of the pedophilia scandal, contending it moved with “transparency and responsibility.” This was far from true in the United States, where too many in the hierarchy conspired to cover up crimes and keep secular authorities in the dark. One can only wonder how different this scourge might have been had women actually held decision-making positions.

On other subjects, he offered a fresher outlook, saying that while there was no change in the ban on artificial contraception, greater pastoral care was needed to take into account “people’s situations, and that which it is possible for people to do.” In the words of The National Catholic Reporter, the pope was “walking a bit of a tightrope.”

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AUSTRALIA
Newcastle Herald

AND so to one of my favourite Catholic stories, on the eve of another confronting royal commission public hearing into the church that will feature evidence from soon-to-leave-these-shores Cardinal George Pell.

This is the story about the Pope, the former Marist Brothers school student, and the 300 metres of red carpet.

The former Marist student is a friend of mine. We run together. Whenever we’re especially tired, or it’s raining, or it seems like our destination is too far away to bear thinking about, I ask him to tell me the story about the carpet, and suddenly we’re smiling again.

It started back in July 2008, a week before Pope Benedict XVI was due in Sydney for World Youth Day festivities, with a phone call to the former Marist student from a mate. The mate was plumbing-in thousands of port-a-loos at Randwick racecourse for the church event.

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UNITED STATES
BishopAccountability.org

Summary of Case: Marshall R. Larriviere was ordained a priest of the Lafayette, Louisiana diocese in 1963. He served in the diocese until around 1980, mainly as director of the Deaf Apostolate. From there he worked as a Navy chaplain based in California, Rhode Island, Florida, several Virginia locations and Washington state. He retired in 1994 and has been living in the Venice, Florida diocese since at least 2003. In 2003 Larriviere was accused of having sexually abused two girls in the 1960s in Abbeville, Louisiana. One of his accusers said the priest forced her to perform oral sex on him when she was 8 years-old, and raped her when she was 13. Larriviere’s accusers received settlements from the diocese in 2008.

Ordained: 1963
Retired: 1994

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
NBC 10

A jury has deliberated for two hours without reaching a verdict in the latest Roman Catholic priest-abuse case in Philadelphia.

The Rev. Andrew McCormick has testified that he never abused a 10-year-old altar boy in 1997.

The 57-year-old McCormick has been suspended from ministry since 2011 over other allegations involving pornography and his relationships with children.

The defense witnesses include former altar boys who say they traveled to Poland with McCormick and were not molested.

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TENNESSEE
WMC

[with video]

By Nick Kenney

MEMPHIS, TN –
(WMC-TV) – A COGIC pastor was sentenced to six years in prison on sexual battery charges on Thursday.

Michael Bryant, the former pastor of Hour of Restoration COGIC, admitted to inappropriately touching and exposing himself to a 16-year-old over the past two years.

“It was a lustful situation that basically overwhelmed me,” Bryant testified during Wednesday’s hearing. “Never happened to me before.”

Bryant pleaded guilty to the charges. He asked Criminal Court Judge Mark Ward to spare him prison time.

“I was embarrassed. I felt bad. I really didn’t feel right preaching every Sunday knowing what I was doing,” said Bryant. “I want probation so I can go out and get help and be able to work at the same time. I want to live. I want to live.”

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TENNESSEE
WREG

[with video]

March 6, 2014, by Jessica Gertler and George Brown

(Memphis) A now-former COGIC pastor told his story for the first time when he pleaded guilty to molesting an underage family member for the past two years.

Thursday, Michael Bryant was sentenced to six years in prison as part of a plea deal.

He had hoped to get probation instead so he could get psychological help and work.

“I take full responsibility with everything that has happened, and I regret that it happened,” said Bryant.

Bryant said he’s sorry for fondling a 16-year-old family member as many as two times a month for two years.

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TENNESSEE
Commercial Appeal

By Samantha Bryson
Posted March 6, 2014

A COGIC pastor who admitted to sexually abusing a teenage family member for two years was denied a suspended sentence by a Shelby County judge Thursday and will have to serve the six-year sentence handed down in February.

Michael Bryant, 48, pleaded guilty to sexual battery by an authority figure following his Dec. 12 arrest. He was the pastor of Hour of Restoration Church of God in Christ.

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UNITED STATES
Pope Francis the CON Christ.

Who’s the liar: Pope Francis or UN? Vatican secret thousands/files covered-up by Bishops versus UN open/thorough investigators. Francis Pinocchio nose getting bigger

Updated March 7, 2014

Paris Arrow

Who is more credible: Pope Francis or the UN?

Who would you rather believe? Pope Francis and the Vatican/Holy See – or – the United Nations and its secular dedicated members of the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child?

Pope Francis should have starred in the new movie, Son of God, because he is the “official” Vicar of Jesus Christ. With Rolling Stone and multi-magazines covers under his belt, Pope Francis should have also won the Oscars for Best Actor because he is a natural professional performer – the greatest Jesuit pretender and impostor of Jesus Christ. His fellow Jesuit, Thomas Reese, even boast of “The Francis Effect: Pope Francis is the most talked about person in the world. He has been on the cover of almost every magazine, he makes the news almost every week, and he is a Twitter and Facebook sensation. He drew huge crowds in Rio de Janeiro and continues to draw large crowds in Rome”. Obviously, the Jesuit measure for Christ and salvation is – fame and fiction.

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MILWAUKEE (WI)
SNAP Wisconsin

Statement by Peter Isely, SNAP Midwest Director
CONTACT: 414.429.7259

In a plan that could have been pulled from the archives of the old Soviet Union, Archbishop Jerome Listecki has filed in federal bankruptcy court a proposed church operated mental health “treatment fund” in lieu of providing financial restitution to hundreds of victims of childhood sexual assault by clergy in the Milwaukee Archdiocese.

Listecki had earlier stated that his treatment fund would total $500,000. With 575 victims filed into court this breaks down to about $900.00 of treatment costs per rape and abuse victim. But the new fund would only cover about 120 victims.

Last month, Listecki proposed a reorganization plan that averages about $6,000 per victim who filed a case in the bankruptcy. Average per victim settlements in all other church bankruptcies across the US are $400,000. The archdiocese has paid $12 million dollars in costs to bankruptcy lawyers since filing three years ago.

Accessing the fund according to Listecki’s plan would require the approval of the archdiocese who would then control all future mental health treatment as well. Victims would be required to surrender confidential therapy treatment records and notes. The archdiocese would also determine the length of treatment (which they have placed at 26 therapy sessions), approve clinical methods, and reserve the right of termination.

And if that’s not enough control ceded to the archdiocese over the lives and mental health care of the victims of their pedophile priests, the archdiocese, after the approval of the plan, could change any provision of it at will, without court approval or oversight.

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PUERTO RICO
El Nuevo Dia

Por Limarys Suárez Torres / lsuarez1@elnuevodia.com

Tras escuchar las argumentaciones del fiscal de distrito de Arecibo y de la defensa del exsacerdote Edwin Mercado Viera, el juez superior Manuel Orriola encontró causa para arresto contra el excura por actos lascivos en contra un menor de edad.

Cerca de las 10:15 a.m. el juez Orriola, que preside la sala 401 del Tribunal de Arecibo, inició la vista de Regla 6 contra el excura y allí recibió prueba documental presentada por el fiscal de distrito Wilson González Antongiorgi y prueba exculpatoria de la defensa.

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PUERTO RICO
El Nuevo Dia

[Summary: About 15 or 17 priests are being investigated for possible acts of pedophilia by state and federal authorities. Charges have been made against former priest Edwin A. Viera and against the evangelical pastor Pedro Santiago Marrero. Justice Secretary R. Cesar Miranda Rodriguez called on potential victims to seek justice regardless of the statute of limitations.]

Entre 15 y 17 sacerdotes católicos son investigados al presente como posibles implicados en actos de pederastia en medio de la pesquisa que realizan en conjunto las autoridades estatales y federales sobre el escándalo de abuso sexual en la iglesia.

El secretario de Justicia, César R. Miranda Rodríguez, y el fiscal general José Capó, informaron que esta mañana presentaron cargos contra el exsacerdote, Edwin A. Mercado Viera, y contra el pastor evangélico, Pedro Santiago Marrero, y confirmaron que se han reunido con las autoridades federales para evaluar si los religiosos investigados incurrieron en delitos bajo dicha jurisdicción.

Miranda hizo un llamado a posibles víctimas a acudir a la justicia, específicamente dentro de las diócesis investigadas de San Juan, Caguas, Mayagüez y Arecibo, no importa si piensan que ya el delito prescribió.

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PUERTO RICO
The Republic

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
March 06, 2014

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A defrocked priest in Puerto Rico has been charged with lewd acts in a case that prosecutors say involved a 13-year-old altar boy.

The charges filed Thursday against Edwin Mercado Viera come amid a criminal investigation into numerous allegations of sexual abuse involving at least four dioceses in the U.S. territory.

Prosecutors accuse 53-year-old Mercado of fondling the teenage boy in 2007.

Mercado did not enter a formal plea, but defense attorney Cesar Cerezo said Mercado did not commit any crimes and rejects the charges against him.

Mercado is the first of six defrocked priests from the Diocese of Arecibo to face criminal charges.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Seattle PI

By MARYCLAIRE DALE, Associated Press
Updated 1:10 pm, Thursday, March 6, 2014

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Philadelphia priest huddled and prayed with three Polish-order nuns in a courthouse hallway Thursday as he awaited a jury’s verdict in his child sex abuse trial.

The Rev. Andrew McCormick testified this week that he never molested a former altar boy whose mother had sought his counsel thinking her 10-year-old son was gay.

“If this guy’s a child molester, why is there only one victim?” defense lawyer William J. Brennan asked in closing arguments Thursday.

McCormick, though, has been suspended from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia since 2011 over other complaints, including allegations he was too close to another altar boy and ignored orders to steer clear of him. On the stand he also conceded he ignored church reprimands to keep children out of his private living quarters.

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RHODE ISLAND
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, March 06, 2014

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

We are grateful that a lawsuit against the scandal-ridden Catholic Legion of Christ will move ahead.

[TribTown]

In thousands of cases involving sexual or financial misdeeds, church officials have successfully exploited their status as religious figures to evade justice. That injustice and special treatment must end if more adults and children are to be protected from predatory priests, whether motivated by sheer greed or sexual compulsions.

If Legion officials stole nothing and misled no one, they shouldn’t fear this lawsuit. We strongly suspect, however, that this is not the case. And we hope that anyone who saw, suspected or suffered any misconduct by any Legion official will come forward and expose wrongdoing.

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CHILE
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, March 6, 2014

Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 314 862 7688 home, 314 503 0003 cell, SNAPdorris@gmail.com )

SNAP applauds the courage of survivors Juan Carlos Cruz, James Hamilton and Andrés Murillo who rejected the proposed settlement from the Archbishop of Santiago, Chile.

[La Tercera]

We find it disappointing that church officials would suggest that the victims would agree to a statement where all responsibility was denied, both in the cover up of the sexual abuse by Fr Fernando Karadima and the negligent way the archdiocese handled the situation for decades.

These brave victims have spoken up not only to seek justice and healing for themselves, but also to protect children everywhere. There can be no safety for children in the future without a complete and honest acknowledgment of the past.

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UNITED STATES
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

Catholic officials hastily cry “media bias” at many stories about clergy sex crimes and cover ups.

So how do they explain the fact that the Pope has just made his most extensive comments yet on the abuse crisis – widely perceived to be negative comments – but no articles about it apparently appeared in the print editions of the New York Times, Washington Post or Los Angeles Times?

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RHODE ISLAND
TribTown

By MICHELLE R. SMITH Associated Press
First Posted: March 06, 2014

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island — A federal judge in Rhode Island has agreed to let a lawsuit move forward against the Roman Catholic religious order the Legion of Christ, turning down an attempt by the disgraced order to end the lawsuit brought over a late Yale University professor’s $1 million bequest.

U.S. District Judge Ronald Lagueux signed an order last week to adopt a magistrate judge’s recommendation that the lawsuit be allowed to proceed. The decision does not address the merits of Paul Chu’s claims, only whether he has standing to sue.

It’s the second lawsuit making its way through the courts in Rhode Island that raises questions about how the Legion secured large donation from elderly supporters. The other is in state court and involves around $60 million left by a wealthy widow. It was dismissed because the judge found the woman’s niece did not have standing to sue, but a state Supreme Court appeal is pending.

In the federal lawsuit, Chu, the son of retired mechanical engineering professor James Boa-Teh Chu, says his father was wrongly coerced, defrauded and deceived into signing over $1 million to $2 million to the Legion before he died in 2009. He says his father, who lived in East Providence, Rhode Island, was led to believe the Legion’s founder, the late Rev. Marcial Maciel, was a saint, even as the Vatican was investigating serious sexual abuse allegations about him.

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UNITED STATES
Catholic League

Bill Donohue comments on how the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), and BishopAccountability.org, are reacting to Pope Francis as he nears his first anniversary, which is one week from today:

Almost everyone loves Pope Francis, but not among his admirers are SNAP and BishopAccountability.org, two of the most hate-filled activist outlets in the nation.

SNAP condemns the pope for doing “nothing—literally nothing—that protects a single child, exposes a single predator or prevents a single cover up.” Not a single example, anywhere in the world, was cited, of the pope’s alleged delinquency.

Terence McKiernan of BishopAccountability.org condemns the pope for his “tired and defensive rhetoric,” saying the pope’s rigorous, and wholly justified, account of the Catholic Church’s reaction to sexual abuse is “breathtaking.” He cites one bishop, Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City-St. Joseph, “who was convicted in 2012 of failing to report suspected child abuse,” as an example of the pope’s alleged intransigence.

What McKiernan did not tell the Associated Press is that the case did not involve child sexual abuse: no child was ever abused, or touched, by a disturbed priest, Shawn Ratigan. Nor did the case involve child porn: it involved crotch-shot pictures of children (one showed a girl’s genitals, determined by the police to be of a “non-sexual” nature).

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UNITED KINGDOM
Independent Catholic News

By: Dan Bergin
Posted: Thursday, March 6, 2014

A priest based in London has admitted downloading more than 5,000 images of child abuse from the internet. Timothy Gardner, 41, is facing jail after he pleaded guilty at Southwark Crown Court on Monday to 10 counts of downloading the images. The collection was discovered when police searched his home at St Dominic’s Priory in Haverstock Hill and seized computers in August, after receiving information from the public.

Gardner taught RE at Maria Fidelis Catholic School in Euston for six years from 2006 to 2012. Headteacher Helen Gill said she was “shocked and saddened” by the revelations, but said none of the allegations related to his time at the school. “Since learning of the charges I have written to parents to provide this reassurance and we will, of course, provide necessary support to pupils and parents if required,” she added.

Gardner’s barrister, Louise Sweet, told the court he was of previous good character but said reports were needed regarding an alcohol problem.

Camden council said Gardner had undergone a full CRB check and there were no doubts about his behaviour during his time at the school, nor was there any suggestion that the images related to people from Camden.

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NEW YORK
The Jewish Week

03/06/14
Staff Report

A rabbi identified as a teacher at an unnamed girl’s seminary on Brooklyn has been charged with distributing child pronography via the Internet, a federal offense.

Samuel Waldman, 52, was arrested Wednesday at his Kensington, Brooklyn home by agents of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations unit, according to Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, who announced the arrest and will prosecute the case.

Rabbi Waldman appeared Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge James L. Cott in Manhattan federal court and was released on $10,0000 bond. He faces one count of transporting or distributing child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

“Samuel Waldman’s position of trust in the community, as both a rabbi and a teacher, makes his alleged distribution of child pornography all the more disturbing,” said Bharara in a statement. “As we have said repeatedly, we have zero tolerance for the exploitation of children and we will prosecute and punish those who engage in this conduct.”

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NEW YORK
New York Post

By Aaron Feis
March 6, 2014

A Brooklyn rabbi has been busted for allegedly distributing child pornography to undercover federal agents online, prosecutors announced Wednesday.

Samuel Waldman, 52, used a file-sharing program last November to send three illicit videos to a computer run by Homeland Security agents as part of a sting operation, authorities said.

One sick video showed girls engaging in sex acts with adult men, according to the criminal complaint. They appeared to range in age from 4 to 11.

Waldman, who also teaches at a girl’s seminary, was busted Wednesday morning at his Kensington home and charged with distribution of child pornography, prosecutors said. The rabbi copped to possessing kiddie porn, including the videos he sent to feds, according to the criminal complaint.

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NEW YORK
News 12

BROOKLYN – A Brooklyn rabbi and teacher at a girls seminary has been arrested for alleged distribution of child pornography.

According to prosecutors, 52-year-old Samuel Waldman, of Kensington, is accused of distributing the illegal material over the Internet by enabling others to download videos that show minors engaged in sexual acts.

News 12 was first to speak with Waldman following the arrest. He said the accusations are false and hurtful.

Authorities say they established a connection to Waldman’s computer back in November, and were able to download several videos that he allegedly made available through file sharing software, which include clips of children as young as 4 years old.

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NEW YORK
Tablet

By Stephanie Butnick
March 6, 2014

Samuel Waldman, a 52-year-old Brooklyn-based rabbi who teaches at a girls seminary, has been arrested on the charge of distributing child pornography, the AP reports.

A criminal complaint in federal court in Manhattan charged Waldman with distributing child pornography over the Internet in November by enabling others to download multiple videos depicting children in sexual acts, including girls ages 4 to 11.

Waldman was charged with one count of transporting or distributing child pornography. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison.

According to the Forward, Waldman admitted to obtaining and viewing child pornography, including disturbing videos of young girls being raped.

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NEW YORK
My Fox New York

Posted: Mar 06, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) – A Brooklyn rabbi and teacher at a girls’ seminary has been arrested on a child pornography distribution charge.

Prosecutors announced the arrest Wednesday of 52-year-old Samuel Waldman at his Brooklyn residence.

A criminal complaint in federal court in Manhattan charged Waldman with distributing child pornography over the Internet in November by enabling others to download multiple videos depicting children in sexual acts, including girls ages 4 to 11.

Waldman was charged with one count of transporting or distributing child pornography. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison.

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UNITED STATES
National Catholic Reporter

Thomas P. Doyle | Mar. 6, 2014 Examining the Crisis

Pope Francis has astounded, thrilled, encouraged — and disappointed people from the moment he walked out onto the balcony of St. Peter’s attired in a white cassock and not in the layers of pontifical finery as has been customary for newly elected popes.

He has said and done much in his first year that has given encouragement to those hoping the institutional church will finally start to look and act like the Body of Christ. But everything he has done is muted by the reality that as far as the church’s most profound problem and greatest challenge is concerned, he has done almost nothing.

His comments about clerical sex abuse reported March 5 in the Italian daily Corriere della Sera make it clear that he is using the same tired and irrelevant playbook the bishops have worn out over the past few years.

The worldwide scourge of sexual violation and abuse by clergy of all ranks, publicly revealed since the mid-1980s, is a blight on the face of the church that makes the other problems pale by comparison. Money laundering and the related financial scandals are certainly sensational and scandalous but they are nothing compared to the lying, manipulation and harsh response to victims that have marked the sexual abuse issue since it first became public knowledge.

A year has passed and Pope Francis’ moves have been minimal. He made sex abuse a crime in the Vatican City State, a move so meaningless it is almost comical. He has not made a major or even a minor pronouncement about the problem and he has done little about bishops who have enabled perpetrators. In July of last year a bishop accused of violating minors was quickly laicized (Auxiliary Bishop Gabino Miranda of Ayacucho, Peru), a sound move for sure, but what of the bishops who have continued to harbor criminal abusers and punish innocent victims by encouraging brutal tactics in the civil courts?

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CALIFORNIA
The Raw Story

By David Ferguson
Thursday, March 6, 2014

The arrival of a new conservative Catholic bishop in the diocese of Berkeley, California has meant that a popular, gay, progressive priest has been ousted from his job. The East Bay Express reported that neither the clergy nor the parishioners at Newman Hall Holy Spirit Parish in Berkeley were given any say in the matter.

On Sunday, Feb. 16, said the Express, Father Bernard Campbell delivered a sermon on anger, sadness and bitterness. He then made the abrupt announcement that he and openly gay priest Father Bill Edens would be leaving Newman Hall on the orders of newly installed bishop Michael Barber.

Barber reportedly dismissed Campbell and one other priest and has announced that worship at Newman Hall will be taking on a “major redirection,” a phrase parishioners find ominous.

Campbell and Ednes are favorites among members of Newman Hall. Edens is open about his gay orientation, although he, like all Catholic priests, purports to maintain a celibate lifestyle.

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UNITED STATES
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, March 6, 2014

Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 314 862 7688 home, 314 503 0003 cell, SNAPdorris@gmail.com )

In a little-noticed talk with some Italian priests yesterday, Pope Francis offered tender words for clerics he calls “falsely accused” of abuse (according to Gazzetta del Sud). But those sympathetic words are apparently left out (and replaced by ellipses) in the official version of his talk in four summaries or official versions of the speech that are accessible from the Vatican’s website. (See below.)

We’ve already voiced our disappointment and concern about the content of his comments:

[SNAP]

But having learned – from a staffer at BishopAccountability.org – about apparent Vatican efforts to hide the pontiff’s comments, we are even more troubled.

We can’t help but wonder what other potentially controversial remarks this pontiff may have made – on all kinds of topics – that may have been scrubbed from official Vatican outlets.

It’s depressing that Pope Francis thinks about abuse the same way many Catholic officials do. It’s more depressing if Pope Francis – or his backers – act about abuse the same way many Catholic officials do – by being deceptive. …

BACKGROUND / ANALYSIS

Here is the summary of his talk on the Vatican Radio website. It has no mention of his “falsely accused” remarks:

[news.va]

Here’s a slightly longer summary, on the website of the Vatican Information Service. No mention here:

[news.va]

Here’s another version, accessible via the Press Bulletin tab on the Vatican website. No mention of falsely accused priests:

[Vatican web site]

Here is the longest available version of his speech on the Vatican website:

[news.va]

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UNITED STATES
TheMediaReport

It is an ugly American bigotry as old as the hills.

Know-Nothingism was a widespread bias against Catholicism in this country, stemming from the suspicion that Catholics were not sufficiently patriotic or trustworthy, as they were controlled by the Pope and a secret Vatican cabal.

Now courtesy of your tax dollars, Know-Nothingism has made a 21st century comeback on PBS’s flagship Frontline investigative program.

Last week, in a documentary entitled “Secrets of the Vatican,” Frontline managed a remarkable feat: to haul out every old anti-Catholic canard that would make a Klansman beam. It was a 90-minute orgy of bigotry indulging every stereotype about the Church: criminal cover-ups, monetary corruption, gay clergy, and, of course, the ever-favorite and never-ending sex abuse storyline.

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UNITED STATES
National Catholic Reporter

NCR Editorial Staff | Mar. 6, 2014

The editors of NCR offer this open letter to Pope Francis:

Dear Pope Francis,

Warmest greetings from the heartland of the United States.

We, like so many others, are taken with your very human and pastoral approach to life’s difficult issues, with your deep compassion that you don’t hesitate to demonstrate and with your insistent exhortation to move out of our comfortable churches and go encounter the rest of humanity, especially those on the margins.

You have become an inspiring and challenging example of genuine humility and authority.

Support independent Catholic journalism. Subscribe to NCR.
You must feel that the entire world is tugging at your sleeve with endless expectations. So it is only out of a sense of extreme urgency that we seek to intrude on your busy schedule and raise the issue of the sex abuse crisis. In a recent response to an inquiry, you acknowledged that the abuse is awful because it leaves “profound wounds.”

Then, you added: “The statistics of the phenomenon of violence against children are staggering, but show clearly that the vast majority of abuse happens in the family setting and neighborhood.

“The Catholic church is maybe the only public institution to have moved with transparency and responsibility. No one else has done more. Yet the church is the only one to be attacked.”

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

UNITED STATES
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, March 6, 2014

Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 314 862 7688 home, 314 503 0003 cell, SNAPdorris@gmail.com )

A newspaper in southern Italy reports that Pope Francis told a group of priests he considers “falsely accused” that he “shares their pain.”

[Gazzetta del Sud]

If true, the pontiff is now rubbing even more salt into the wounds of suffering victims and betrayed Catholics. Hundreds of thousands of children have been sexually violated by clergy. A tiny fraction of clergy have been “falsely accused.” A number of Catholic officials have made this clear.

“Fewer than two percent of sexual abuse allegations against the Catholic church appear to be false,” according to BishopAccountability.org

[BishopAccountability.org]

The Pope should have made this clear. He should do so now. Until he does, he is again moving backwards on abuse and making the crisis worse by mischaracterizing and minimizing it.

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

UNITED STATES
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

POSTED BY BARBARA DORRIS ON MARCH 06, 2014

The Associated Press’ Rome bureau reports that Pope Francis is now “using the defensive rhetoric of the Vatican from a decade ago.”

[NPR]

Like “no one’s done more” on abuse than the church. And only the church is “attacked” over child sex crimes.

With the pope recycling old, discredited myths about the abuse crisis, what’s next? Will he trot out these silly but hurtful claims too:

–Pope Benedict’s 2010 claim that the crisis is “petty gossip.”

[The Guardian]

–Pope Benedict’s 2002 claim that “In the United States, there is constant news on this topic, but less than 1% of priests are guilty of acts of this type.”

[Zenit]

(The truth: “The U.S. bishops have reported receiving allegations of abuse by 6,275 priests in 1950-2011, or 5.7% of the 109,694 U.S. priests active since 1950,” according to BishopAccountability.org)

–Cardinal Edward Egan 2012 gems like “I don’t think we did anything wrong” and “I’m very proud of how this thing was handled” and “I believe the sex abuse thing was incredibly good” and “There really wasn’t much . . . hidden” and “I do think it’s time to get off this subject.”

[Connecticut Magazine]

–The now-retired Milwaukee Archbishop Rembert Weakland’s claim that “some adolescent sex abuse victims were ‘not so innocent’ and were sexually active, streetwise and aggressive.”

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

PHILIPPINES
Philippine Daily Inquirer

By Daxim L. Lucas
Philippine Daily Inquirer
4:25 am | Wednesday, March 5th, 2014

(First of a series)

A deal between San Miguel Corp. (SMC) and healing priest Fr. Fernando Suarez to build a “mega-shrine” to Mother Mary with a statue that would be taller than the 30-meter-high Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro has collapsed, the Inquirer has learned.

SMC’s concerns about the management of the project and financial issues involving the priest’s Mary Mother of the Poor (MMP) Foundation derailed what on paper was supposed to be a one-of-a-kind project rivaling some of Christendom’s grandest religious sanctuaries.

Suarez is on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and cannot be reached for comment.

The agreement for the donation of SMC’s 33-hectare property in Alfonso, Cavite, was reached four years ago. The shrine was to be called “The Healing Center of the Blessed Virgin Mary at MonteMaria.” From all indications, however, this plan will no longer push through, or at least not on the same site.

SMC and the MMP are set to announce this week that they will dissolve their agreement on the donation located in SMC’s 125-hectare property.

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CANADA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, March 6, 2014

For more info: Melanie Jula Sakoda 925-708-6175 cell, melanie.sakoda@gmail.com, Cappy Larson cappy@rlarson.com, David Clohessy 314-566-9790 cell, SNAPclohessy@aol.com

Victims blast Ottawa bishop
He professes “neutrality” in clergy sex case
But group says that “helps criminals & hurts kids”
They want diocese-wide ban on backing predators

A support group for clergy sex abuse victims is blasting an Ottawa bishop for claiming to be neutral in a dispute over a fundraising event for a convicted archbishop.

Last week members of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, wrote to the leader of the Archdiocese of Canada of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), asking him to denounce a proposed March 5th fundraiser in Ottawa for Archbishop Seraphim Storheim. The group also asked the bishop to order church employees and to urge parishioners to refrain from publicly supporting Storheim. The archbishop was convicted in January of sexually abusing an 11 year old altar boy.

[SNAP]

In an email to SNAP on March 04, 2014, Bishop Irenee Rochon (613-223-7780, bishopirenee@archdiocese.ca), the bishop of Québec City, refused to help. He wrote, “This painful affair is still before the courts and until the process is complete, the Church will continue its position of neutrality. … The Church has not engaged in any fundraising activities, but it cannot condemn the activities of parishioners while the matter is still before the courts.”

(The complete text of the email is pasted below.)

Rochon was appointed as the administrator of the Archdiocese of Canada after Storheim’s arrest in November, 2010, on charges of abusing 11 year old twin boys.

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NEW JERSEY
The Record

THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 2014

BY JEFF GREEN
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD

TEANECK – Outraged over a pricey expansion of the Newark archbishop’s retirement home, a coordinated group of churchgoers is writing letters of protest to the pope and withdrawing financial support for an important archdiocese annual fundraiser.

In perhaps the most vocal and organized response to date, parishioners at the Church of St. Anastasia in Teaneck formed a 10-member committee to oppose the use of $500,000 in archdiocese funds for an add-on to Archbishop John J. Myers’ home on a sprawling estate in Hunterdon County. The 3,000 square-foot addition will include an indoor exercise pool, three fireplaces and a fifth bedroom.

The founder of the committee, Dr. Raul Caceres, 72, a plastic surgeon who has started charities in Peru and Bolivia, said he has collected more than 100 letters from parishioners angered by the expense. If the group doesn’t get answers from Myers about why a 3,000-square-foot extension to his home is necessary, he said the committee will hand-deliver the letters to the Vatican.

“We’re not going to just be outraged. We have to do something,” Caceres said in an interview Wednesday.

The committee is encouraging parishioners to withhold contributions to the archbishop’s annual appeal, which collects funds to support schools, Catholic Charities, youth and campus ministries and other programs. The archdiocese has stressed that contributions to the annual appeal are not funding the retirement home expansion, but Caceres said the upscale living quarters has called into question Myers’ financial stewardship.

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AUSTRALIA
Chronicle

Chris Calcino 6th Mar 2014

THE child sex abuse scandal at a Toowoomba Catholic school may have claimed another scalp.

It is believed former student protection officer Catherine Long has been stood down on full pay pending the results of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

Ms Long, who is still employed by the school at the centre of the 2007 scandal, made headlines when she admitted she had no idea what “grooming” was.

Her ignorance came despite the fact she was the school’s child protection contact.

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AUSTRALIA
ABC News

Information sessions are being held across Western Australia for people interested in testifying at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Abuse.

The royal commission is due to hold its first Western Australian public hearings in April.

Hearings may then be scheduled for regional centres later in the year.

Relationships Australia, which has been funded by the Federal Government to provide support and counselling to people who give evidence, is visiting Broome, Northam and Hedland in coming weeks.

Geraldton, Albany and Kalgoorlie are scheduled for later in the year.

Royal commission support service manager Charmaine Kennedy says it is an open invitation and attending does not mean people will then have to testify.

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NORTHERN IRELAND
Derry Journal

A confidential forum established as part of the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry will stop accepting applications at the end of April.

The Acknowledgement Forum has thus far interviewed 308 people who say they suffered childhood abuse or neglect in one of the Northern Ireland institutions covered by the Inquiry’s terms of reference between 1922 and 1995.

Speaking this morning, the Chairman of the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry, Sir Anthony Hart announced April 30 at 5pm as the closing date for applications to the Forum.

“It is necessary to bring the Acknowledgment Forum application process to a close to facilitate the Forum informing the work of the Statutory Inquiry.

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NORTHERN IRELAND
BBC News

The inquiry examining abuse claims in NI’s children’s homes and juvenile justice institutions has announced a closing date of 30 April for anyone wanting to speak in private to the inquiry.

The Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry (HIA) was set up to investigate allegations dating from 1922 to 1995.

It is investigating claims of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, as well as childhood neglect.

It began hearing evidence in January.

The closing date of 30 April at 17:00 BST for anyone wishing to speak to the forum was announced by the inquiry’s chairman, Sir Anthony Hart, at Banbridge Courthouse on Thursday.

In announcing the closing date, the Sir Anthony said: “It is necessary to bring the acknowledgment forum application process to a close to facilitate the forum informing the work of the statutory inquiry.

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UNITED STATES
Washington Post

Pope Francis is making more Catholics excited about faith, but actions slow to follow

By Michelle Boorstein, Published: March 5

In the year since he was elected, Pope Francis has become the most talked-about person on the Web. Millions are riveted by his words, and, to many, his very name signifies humanity and compassion in a world rife with divisions.

Still, he appears not to have had much impact on the number of Americans attending Mass, converting to Catholicism, giving to Catholic charities and other conventional measures, according to interviews with a wide range of U.S. church leaders, experts and other Catholics as well as early data released Thursday by the Pew Research Center.

It’s not clear that “there has been a so-called ‘Francis effect,’ a discernible change in the way American Catholics approach their faith,” according to the report.

And yet, his effect is undeniably everywhere.

Forty percent of U.S. Catholics polled by Pew say they’ve been praying more often in the past year, 21 percent say they’re reading the Bible “and other religious materials” more often and 26 percent say they’ve become “more excited” about their faith. Majorities say they haven’t changed their behaviors.

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UNITED STATES
dotCommonweal

Mollie Wilson O’Reilly March 5, 2014

If there’s an area in which Pope Francis has been a disappointment, it’s in responding to the sex-abuse crisis. In most ways he strikes me as a hierarch who is unusually aware of how the Church is perceived by the broader world, and he has done a lot indirectly to repair the damage to the church’s credibility that resulted from the sex-abuse scandal. But he has said and done little about the scandal itself, despite his refreshing frankness on so many other issues. And now that he has spoken about the issue, in the interview just published in the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, his take is not exactly encouraging.

Here’s the relevant excerpt, as reported in Vatican Insider’s account:

Speaking about the horrific abuse of children by priests, Francis said “the cases of abuse are terrible because they leave very deep wounds”. Benedict XVI “was very courageous and opened a road, and the Church has done a lot on this route, perhaps more than all others”, he stated. He noted that the statistics reveal the tremendous violence against children, but also that the vast majority of abuse takes place in the milieu of the family and those close to them. The Church is the only public institution to have moved “with transparency and responsibility”, he said; no one else has done as much as it, “but the Church is the only one to be attacked”.

Oh brother.

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AUSTRALIA
Broken Rites

By a Broken Rites researcher (article posted 5 March 2014)

Until 1994, Father Richard Cattell was a senior Catholic priest in western Sydney. A boy told Cattell about having been sexually assaulted by a Catholic lay teacher, but (according to police evidence in court) Father Cattell then committed a similar crime on this boy. This 1994 court case, researched by Broken Rites, demonstrates that church victims should report sexual crimes to the civil authorities — not to the offending organisation, the church.

Richard St John Cattell was ordained as a Catholic priest on 18 July 1964 for the Sydney diocese. He was in the same graduating group as another New South Wales priest, Vincent Kiss, of the Wagga Wagga diocese. (Vincent Kiss was eventually jailed.)

Broken Rites has ascertained that some of Cattell’s early parishes in the Sydney diocese (this might not be a complete list) were: Concord West and Lakemba in the 1960s; and Liverpool and Windsor in the 1970s.

A church website has stated that, from 1982 to 1991, Cattell was the parish priest in charge of the “Our Lady of the Rosary” parish in the outer-western Sydney suburb of St Marys, near Penrith. The “Our Lady of the Rosary Parish” includes the suburbs of Claremont Meadows, Colyton, Oxley Park, St Mary’s and Werrington.

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AUSTRALIA
Broken Rites

By a Broken Rites researcher (article posted 6 March 2014)

A senior priest at a prominent Australian Catholic school has admitted accessing and possessing child pornography.

Father Stanislaus John Hogan, 69, who has long been associated with Saint Ignatius College in Adelaide (plus prominent Catholic schools in Sydney and Melbourne), appeared in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on 6 March 2014.

He pleaded guilty to one count of using a carriage service to access child pornography and one aggravated count of possessing child pornography.

The offences happened at Athelstone (the Adelaide suburb where the St Ignatius College is located) between April 2012 and August 2013.

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IRELAND
Association of Catholic Priests

At the invitation of Theresa Devlin, a meeting took place on 5 March between three members of the NBSCCC and two members of the Leadership Team of the ACP, Sean McDonagh and Tony Flannery.

The following items were raised by the ACP members:

1. Audits of dioceses and Religious Communities. We stressed that this put the members of the NBSCCC in a very powerful position, since, because of the publicity each tranche of audits receives, they amount to a public rating of the bishop or superior. And the content of the audit can have major impact on the lives of individual priests. We attempted to impress on them the seriousness of their role, and encouraged them to act with compassion.

2. We raised the difficulties around historical allegations, and the fact that many older priests are excluded from ministry because of a mistake or mistakes they made in their earlier life, and where there was no pattern of re-offending. We questioned the justice of this, and the witness it gives from a Church, one of whose core teachings is mercy and forgiveness.

3. We brought up once again the reality of false allegations, as we are experiencing them in our work with the ACP.

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VATICAN CITY
Gazzetta del Sud

(Updates previous) Vatican City, March 6 – Pope Francis told a group of Rome priests Thursday that he “shared the pain” of priests suffering “unjust wounds” caused by allegations against some of them. “Lots of people have been injured, by material problems, by scandals, including in the Church,” the pope said during a meeting with priests inside the Vatican. He was referring to an incident in March 2013 when former priest Patrizio Poggi was convicted and sent to prison for five years for pedophilia, and also denounced other priests, saying they were involved in a child prostitution ring. Police later said his claims were unfounded and Poggi was charged with aggravated slander. According to police, his accusations were driven by “resentment tied to personal reasons”. The pope said the case hurt many in the Church. “I shared the pain of some of you, of the entire priesthood, for the accusations made against a group of you,” Francis told the meeting.

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VATIKAN
Spiegel

Rom – Die sexuellen Übergriffe auf Kinder seien “furchtbar, weil sie sehr tiefe Wunden hinterlassen”, sagte Papst Franziskus der italienischen Zeitung “Corriere della Sera”. Eine Verfehlung der katholischen Kirche bei der Aufklärung des Missbrauchsskandals sieht er aber nicht. Im Gegenteil: “Die katholische Kirche ist vielleicht die einzige öffentliche Institution, die sich mit Transparenz und Verantwortung bewegt hat. Kein anderer hat mehr getan. Und doch ist die Kirche die einzige, die angegriffen wird”, sagte er.

Die Statistiken zeigten, dass sich “die große Mehrheit” der Missbrauchsfälle in der Familie und der Nachbarschaft ereigne, sagte Franziskus. Er lobte seinen Vorgänger Benedikt XVI, der sehr mutig gewesen sei und habe einen guten Weg eingeschlagen habe.

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DEUTSCHLAND
Spiegel

[Summary: The Catholic Church has their next big scandal. George Hupfauer, national chairman of the Catholic Worker movement, has admitted to visiting web sites that contain child pornography. Hupfauer announced his resignation and retirement on Wednesday.]

Köln – Nach Ermittlungen der Staatsanwaltschaft wegen des Verdachts auf Besitz von Kinderpornografie ist der Chef der Katholischen Arbeitnehmer-Bewegung (KAB), Georg Hupfauer, zurückgetreten. Er habe seinen Rücktritt bereits am Mittwoch erklärt, teilte die Sozialorganisation auf ihrer Internetseite mit. Hintergrund sei ein Ermittlungsverfahren der Staatsanwaltschaft Aachen gegen den langjährigen Bundesvorsitzenden. Mit Bestürzung und Fassungslosigkeit habe der KAB-Führungskreis aus der Presse von den Vorwürfen erfahren.

Der Sprecher der Staatsanwaltschaft Aachen, Jost Schützeberg, sagte auf Anfrage, nach einer Strafanzeige sei im März 2013 ein Ermittlungsverfahren gegen Hupfauer eingeleitet worden. Bei den anschließenden Durchsuchungen im Mai wurden demnach Festplatten und USB-Sticks sichergestellt, deren Auswertung noch andauere. Es bestehe jedoch kein Zusammenhang zu der Operation kanadischer Behörden, in deren Verlauf der Name des damaligen SPD-Bundestagsabgeordneten Sebastian Edathy aufgetaucht sei, sagte Schützeberg. Zuvor hatte die “Bild”-Zeitung über den Verdacht gegen Hupfauer berichtet.

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DEUTSCHLAND
Frankfurter Allgemeine

Von REINER BURGER, DÜSSELDORF

Gegen den Bundesvorsitzenden der Katholischen Arbeitnehmer-Bewegung (KAB), Georg Hupfauer, wird wegen des Verdachts auf Besitz von Kinderpornografie ermittelt. Der 59 Jahre alte Hupfauer legte am Mittwochabend alle seine Ämter mit sofortiger Wirkung nieder und gab zu, im Internet auf Seiten mit kinderpornografischem Inhalt gesurft zu haben. Die Zeitung „Kölner Express“ zitierte ihn mit den Worten: „Was soll ich ‘rumeiern wie andere? Ich räume ein, dass ich über Jahre hinweg im Internet frei zugängliche, pornographische Seiten querbeet besucht habe. Darunter hat sich auch Kinderpornographie befunden.“

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UNITED STATES
New York Times

By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
MARCH 6, 2014

One year into the era of Pope Francis, a new poll has found that a broad majority of American Catholics say he represents a major change in direction for the church, and a change for the better. But his popularity has not inspired more Americans to attend Mass, go to confession or identify as Catholic — a finding that suggests that so far, the much-vaunted “Francis effect” is influencing attitudes, but not behavior.

Francis is more popular among American Catholics than Pope Benedict XVI was in February of last year, when he suddenly resigned, according to the poll, which is to be released Thursday by the Pew Research Center. But Francis has not reached the sky-high ratings that Pope John Paul II commanded at the height of his papacy in the 1990s, when he was credited with helping to bring down the Communist government in his native Poland.

Francis, who draws giddy teenagers to his Wednesday audiences and generates Twitter traffic with every public remark, has clearly invigorated the church. But the poll finds that Francis has raised expectations of significant change, even though he has alluded that he may not alter the church’s positions on thorny doctrinal issues.

Nearly six in 10 American Catholics in the poll said they expected the church would definitely or probably lift its prohibition on birth control by the year 2050, while half said the church would allow priests to marry. Four in 10 said it would ordain women as priests, and more than two-thirds said it would recognize same-sex marriages by 2050. Large majorities of American Catholics said they wanted the church to change on the first three matters, and half wanted the church to recognize same-sex marriages.

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UNITED STATES
Pew Research Religion & Public Life Project

Views of the Pope After His First Year

One year into his pontificate, Pope Francis remains immensely popular among American Catholics and is widely seen as a force for positive change within the Roman Catholic Church. More than eight-in-ten U.S. Catholics say they have a favorable view of the pontiff, including half who view him very favorably. The percentage of Catholics who view Francis “very favorably” now rivals the number who felt equally positive about Pope John Paul II in the 1980s and 1990s, though Francis’ overall favorability rating remains a few points shy of that of the long-serving Polish pope.

Seven-in-ten U.S. Catholics also now say Francis represents a major change in direction for the church, a sentiment shared by 56% of non-Catholics. And nearly everyone who says Francis represents a major change sees this as a change for the better.

But despite the pope’s popularity and the widespread perception that he is a change for the better, it is less clear whether there has been a so-called “Francis effect,” a discernible change in the way American Catholics approach their faith. There has been no measurable rise in the percentage of Americans who identify as Catholic. Nor has there been a statistically significant change in how often Catholics say they go to Mass. And the survey finds no evidence that larger numbers of Catholics are either going to confession or volunteering in their churches or communities.

But there are other indications of somewhat more intense religiosity among Catholics. About a quarter of Catholics (26%) say they have become “more excited” about their Catholic faith over the past year (outnumbering the one-in-ten who have become less excited). Four-in-ten Catholics say they have been praying more often in the past 12 months (compared with 8% who say they have been praying less often). And somewhat more Catholics say they have been reading the Bible and other religious texts more frequently (21%) than say they have been doing so less frequently (14%). None of these questions about religious practices were explicitly tied in the survey to Francis’ papacy; the questions dealing with attitudes toward Francis came elsewhere in the questionnaire.

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UNITED STATES
National Catholic Reporter

Thomas Reese | Mar. 6, 2014 Faith and Justice

Pope Francis is the most talked about person in the world. He has been on the cover of almost every magazine, he makes the news almost every week, and he is a Twitter and Facebook sensation. He drew huge crowds in Rio de Janeiro and continues to draw large crowds in Rome.

But what impact is he actually having on the life of the church? In an attempt to answer that question, the Pew Research Center Religion & Public Life surveyed Americans’ views of Pope Francis in February.

People overwhelming like the pope. Eighty-five percent of Catholics and 60 percent of non-Catholics view the pope favorably, numbers that would make politicians green with envy. Among Catholics, Pope Francis’ ratings are up there with those of Pope John Paul II, who had favorable ratings between 91 and 93 percent in 1987, 1990, and 1996.

The favorable ratings are across generations, with the youngest cohort (18-39 years) just slightly less enthusiastic than the oldest cohort (60-plus). One would have expected exactly the opposite, with the more liberal young people more favorable to Francis than their conservative elders. Those who attend church weekly are also more favorable (89 percent) toward Francis than those who attend less often (84 percent). Again, we might have expected the opposite. Perhaps the young and those attending church less are simply paying less attention to Francis.

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UNITED KINGDOM
The Guardian

Lucy Hughes-Hallett
The Guardian, Thursday 6 March 2014

In 1938, Pope Pius XI addressed a group of visitors to the Vatican. There were some people, he said, who argued that the state should be all-powerful – “totalitarian”. Such an idea, he went on, was absurd, not because individual liberty was too precious to be surrendered, but because “if there is a totalitarian regime – in fact and by right – it is the regime of the church, because man belongs totally to the church”.

As David Kertzer demonstrates repeatedly in this nuanced book, to be critical of fascism in Italy in the 30s was not necessarily to be liberal or a lover of democracy. And to be antisemitic was not to be unchristian. The Pope told Mussolini that the church had long seen the need to “rein in the children of Israel” and to take “protective measures against their evil-doing”. The Vatican and the fascist regime had many differences, but this they had in common.

Kertzer announces that the Catholic church is generally portrayed as the courageous opponent of fascism, but this is an exaggeration. There is a counter-tradition, John Cornwell’s fine book, Hitler’s Pope, on Pius XII (who succeeded Pius XI in 1939) exposed the Vatican’s culpable passivity in the face of the wartime persecution of Italian Jews. But Kertzer describes something more fundamental than a church leader’s strategic decision to protect his own flock rather than to speak up in defence of others. His argument, presented not as polemic but as gripping storytelling, is that much of fascist ideology was inspired by Catholic tradition – the authoritarianism, the intolerance of opposition and the profound suspicion of the Jews.

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UNITED STATES
New Tang Dynasty Television

WASHINGTON, March 06, 2014 (AFP) –

A year after being chosen Pope Francis is very popular with American Catholics though his handling of the pedophile priests’ scandal left many underwhelmed, a new study found.

More than eight in 10 surveyed in the Pew Research Center study of 1,821 adults 18 or older — fully 85 percent — had a favorable opinion of the pope a year after his elevation, it found.

Francis, born in Argentina, is the first pope born in the Americas, and the first from Latin America.

While a strong majority approves of Francis’ work on behalf of the poor and disenfranchised, the new pope earned lower marks for his handling of the sex abuse crisis, the study found.

“Fifty-four percent of Catholics giving him an excellent or good rating for his handling of the issue. One year ago, 70% of US Catholics said that addressing the sex abuse scandal should be ‘a top priority’ for the new pope, far more than said the same about standing up for traditional moral values, spreading the Catholic faith or other issues,” the study stressed.

Francis has defended the Catholic Church’s record on tackling the sexual abuse of children by priests, saying “no one else has done more” to root out pedophilia.

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AUSTRALIA
Herald Sun

Father Stanislaus John Hogan pleads guilty to accessing and possessing child pornography

A SENIOR priest who worked at one of the state’s most prominent Catholic schools has admitted accessing and possessing child pornography.

Father Stanislaus John Hogan, 69, who has long been associated with Saint Ignatius College at Athelstone, appeared in the Adelaide Magistrates Court today.

He pleaded guilty to one count of using a carriage service to access child pornography and one aggravated count of possessing child pornography.

The offences happened at Athelstone between April 2012 and August 2013.

A St Ignatius school magazine — dated winter 2013 — lists Hogan as the school’s rector.

Hogan’s identity was suppressed under state law until now, but that order has automatically lapsed with his plea.

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UNITED STATES
National Survivor Advocates Coalition

Kristine Ward

Pope Francis waited as long as he could – especially when courage was not the option he would choose.

From the beginning he kept his distance, even when pushed by the phantom commission of one of the Council of Eight Cardinals, Sean O’Malley — especially when the survivors were not the ones around whom he would circle the wagons.

He waited as long as he could to address sexual abuse – especially since his personality and style reviews have been boffo.

But he must be given this, he does have a sense of timing.

At the one year mark, he knew the string had run out.

It was just a matter of how to do it.

He chose to walk into his declaration of how the largest crisis in the Roman Catholic Church in 500 years will be handled in his papacy through the lead of a reporter’s question – and he was smart enough to let the reporter shape the backdrop against which he spoke.
Here is the excerpt from the English translation of the interview Pope Francis gave to the Italian daily Corriere della Sera:

Question: The scandals that rocked the life of the Church are fortunately in the past. A public appeal was made to you, on the delicate theme of the abuse of minors, published by (the Italian newspaper) Il Foglio and signed by Besancon and Scruton, among others, that you would raise your voice and make it heard against the fanaticisms and the bad conscience of the secularized world that hardly respects infancy.

Answer: I want to say two things. The cases of abuses are terrible because they leave extremely deep wounds. Benedict XVI was very courageous and he cleared a path. The Church has done so much on this path. Perhaps more than anyone. The statistics on the phenomenon of the violence against children are shocking, but they also show clearly that the great majority of abuses take place in the family environment and around it. The Catholic Church is perhaps the only public institution to have acted with transparency and responsibility. No other has done

Like it or not, and in this space we do not like it, he is clear: he has chosen clerics over children.

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TEXAS
Valley Central

by Ashly Custer

After Ricardo Rodriguez’s victory against longtime incumbent, Rene Guerra, in the Hidalgo County race for District Attorney, Irene Garza’s family speaks out.

“We talked about making a change, Mr. Guerra has done what he’s done for 32 years and the 34 years that he’ll be there, but we have things we want to implement,” Ricardo Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said he is looking to strengthen the public integrity division, create strong relationship with law enforcement, and help those with mental health problems.

Many supporters like Irene Garza’s cousin, Dr. Linda De La Vina, couldn’t agree more.

She said even though Rodriguez has made no promises to prosecute the Garza case, De La Vina is excited to have a new D.A.

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NEW JERSEY
The New Civil Rights Movement

by CASEY MICHEL on MARCH 5, 2014

While Pope Francis calls on clergy worldwide to forgo “living like princes,” it appears at least one American archbishop has decided to ignore the Vatican’s dictates. Archbishop John Myers, leading the congregation of Newark, New Jersey, has decided to add $500,000 renovations to his weekend home, which he plans on moving into full-time upon retirement in two years. The home is already valued at $800,000, according to property records, but the archbishop has apparently determined that the worth and stretch — it sits at 4500-square-feet on a sprawling, 8.2-acre plot — don’t suit all of his needs for pastoring.

The Newark Star-Ledger helped bring the archbishop’s cushy needs to light last month, breaking the story that the archbishop is set to expand his already sweeping home by another 66 percent over the coming months. And the price tag they’ve discovered — half a million dollars, set to come from property sales and donations — doesn’t even cover furnishing or landscaping.

Of course, it would be one thing if this renovation were set to create, say, low-income schooling rooms, or homeless services, or even additional rooms for worship. Unfortunately, Myers determined his archdiocese must have been sufficiently stocked with low-income services, because he’s opted to instead stock the new expansion with amenities solely for his enjoyment:

The addition will house a large first-floor study and a smaller, attached library. A bedroom and sitting room — matching the footprint of the first-floor layout — are planned for the second floor. The third floor will house a 28-foot by 28-foot gallery with sweeping views of the property. Plans call for a fireplace on each level.

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NEW YORK
Failed Messiah

Hasidic child sex abuse whistleblower Samuel Kellner may – finally – see the specious criminal charges against him dropped on Friday. But even if that happens, is that enough? Or should Brooklyn DA Ken Thompson investigate and prosecute the people who allegedly set up Kellner and tried to have him wrongly convicted?

Hasidic child sex abuse whistleblower Samuel Kellner may – finally – see the specious criminal charges against him dropped on Friday.

Prosecutors working for the previous DA, Charles J. Hynes, tried to drop the case before this but were overruled by Hynes and Michael Vecchione, Hynes’ Rackets Bureau chief who, along with Hynes, just happens to be a close friend of Arthur Aidala, the attorney for an accused hasidic pedophile, Rabbi Baruch Lebovits, whose family – and Aidala and another Lebovits attorney, Alan Dershowitz – are allegedly behind what many say are the false accusations against Kellner.

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UNITED STATES
BishopAccountability.org

By Terence McKiernan

As the first anniversary of his election approaches, the interview of Pope Francis in Corriere della Sera and La Nacion helps us understand the Pope’s long silence and inaction regarding the sexual abuse of children in the Catholic church. It is not that he has been slowly preparing a major initiative; it is that he doesn’t get it. In the interview, Francis does not offer an apology to the hundreds of thousands of children abused by priests and religious – he doesn’t even express sorrow. Instead, he is triumphalist about clergy abuse of children and silent about the complicity of bishops and major superiors: “The Catholic Church is perhaps the only public institution to have moved with transparency and accountability.” The chutzpah of this self-assessment is breathtaking, coming as it does immediately after Francis refused to provide data to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child and refused to extradite Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski.

By the end of the Pope’s remarks, the Church itself has become the victim: “No one else has done more. Yet the Church is the only one to be attacked.” It is astonishing, at this late date, that Pope Francis would recycle such tired and defensive rhetoric, apparently blaming the survivors and the journalists who have informed us about these crimes. What little transparency and accountability the Church has shown, has been compelled by survivors, journalists, advocates, and activists. Pope Francis, who is famous for his humility, should have acknowledged this crucial contribution.

This interview is not a good sign. One year into his photogenic papacy, we are still waiting for Pope Francis to take action regarding the sexual abuse of children by priests and members of religious orders. Sexual abuse is acknowledged to be the gravest crisis the Catholic church has faced since the Reformation, but it is not even mentioned by Francis in his lengthy Evangelii Gaudium. Yet the sexual abuse of children by clergy is a serious impediment to the evangelization that Francis seeks.

Pope Francis has met with drug addicts, immigrants, prisoners, and the physically disadvantaged. But he has not met with clergy sexual abuse survivors, who have been directly harmed by the Pope’s brother priests and by his brother bishops. The victims of sexual abuse should be the Pope’s first priority, because the Church’s responsibility to them is immediate and her ability to remedy the harm is greatest. “The thing the church needs most today is the ability to heal wounds,” Pope Francis said in his interview with Antonio Spadaro, S.J., editor-in-chief of La Civiltà Cattolica. Pope Francis has this ability already but he has yet to extend it to the church’s own wounded.

Pope Francis is a master of the humble expression, and in those terms, it is time for him to “fish or cut bait.” We urge him to take the following steps, using the energy of his first anniversary to correct his feckless response to abuse in the past year. Children worldwide, both Catholic and non-Catholic, have been put at risk by his inaction.

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ROME
New York Times

By JIM YARDLEY
MARCH 5, 2014

ROME — Declaring his frustrations with being portrayed as a superman or a star, Pope Francis used an interview to depict himself as a normal person who laughs, cries and misses his ailing sister, while defending the Roman Catholic Church’s handling of the clerical sexual-abuse scandal and reiterating his belief that women should play a larger role in church decision making.

Ahead of the first anniversary of his election to the papacy later this month, Francis spoke with two Italian and Argentine newspapers this week about his personal life, and also discussed issues like the family, civil unions, the Vatican’s relationship with China and the role of his retired predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI.

Francis’ latest statements did not break new ground or signal any new positions, but he did offer his most public defense of the church’s handling of the clerical pedophilia scandal, even as victims’ advocacy groups continue to criticize the Vatican’s response as inadequate. Last month, a United Nations panel sharply criticized the Vatican and called on church officials to rid the priesthood of all abusers and hold accountable any bishops who covered up crimes.

Vatican officials strongly criticized the United Nations report as outdated and ideologically biased in how it went beyond the issue of pedophilia to challenge church doctrine on issues such as abortion. Francis has established a special Vatican commission to address the sexual-abuse crises, and in the interview, he acknowledged the horror of pedophilia, saying, “The cases of abuse are terrible because they leave very profound wounds.” …

Terence McKiernan, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a victim’s advocacy group, criticized Francis’ remarks as insensitive and “triumphalist.” He said the pope should have apologized to victims rather than praise the church’s response.

“The chutzpah of this self-assessment is breathtaking,” Mr. McKiernan said in a statement.

Francis has now granted a handful of interviews to Italian newspapers, and analysts say he has skillfully used them to invite discussion of delicate social issues such as same-sex marriage, atheism, divorce or contraception, even as he usually remains unspecific about what concrete changes he endorses.

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UNITED STATES
Bilgrimage

William D. Lindsey

Today, Corriere della Sera (Milan) and La Nación (Buenos Aires) published an interview in which Pope Francis reflects on his first year as pope. Joshua McElwee reports on the interview for National Catholic Reporter. As he notes, Francis defends Paul VI’s ban on artificial contraception, while stating that this ban needs to be applied pastorally; and he states that on the issue of sexual abuse of children, the Catholic church “has done so much. Perhaps most of all.”

For Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP), Barbara Dorris responds to the claims about sex abuse:

We are deeply disheartened by Pope Francis’ remarks on the church’s horrific, on-going sexual abuse scandal. His comments reflect an archaic, defensive mindset that will not make kids safer.
For a year, we’ve been saying that while Pope Francis is making progress on church finances and governance, he’s done nothing – literally nothing – that protects a single child, exposes a single predator or prevents a single cover up. Now we know why.
It’s because this pope – who talks of change in much of the church – is apparently satisfied with the status quo on clergy sex abuse and cover ups. (Months ago, he did, in fact, tell Vatican officials who deal with abuse cases to “keep doing what you’re doing.”)
His central claim – that no one has “done more” on abuse than the Catholic church – is disingenuous.
No one has done more to clean up the Gulf of Mexico than British Petroleum. That’s because BP caused the devastating damage itself. It’s more than a little disingenuous.
It would be far more accurate to say that no one has done more to deny, minimize and hide child sex crimes than the church.*

As Jerry Slevin has repeatedly and persuasively maintained, on the issue of child abuse, it appears Francis doesn’t get it–and doesn’t intend to get it. Jerry insists that lay Catholics need to press church officials–but, above all, secular ones–on this issue, and to do so as strongly as possible.

I agree. And it goes without saying that I agree wholeheartedly with Barbara Dorris’s assessment of Francis’s remarks about the church’s response to child abuse as deeply disheartening and as reflecting “an archaic, defensive mindset that will not make kids safer.”

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AUSTRALIA
SBS

AAP

An Adelaide Catholic priest has pleaded guilty to accessing and possessing child pornography.

Father Stanislaus Hogan, 69, of Sevenhill, appeared in the Adelaide magistrates court on Thursday.

He pleaded guilty to an aggravated count of possessing child pornography and to a count of using a carriage service to access child pornography at Athelstone between April 20 and June 10 2012.

Hogan will be arraigned in the District Court on April 7.

Saint Ignatius’ College in Adelaide later confirmed that Father Stan Hogan was a former member of its staff.

In a statement, it said neither charge was connected with anyone within the college, including past or present students.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Bolton News

A ROMAN Catholic priest has been suspended while an accusation he had a secret affair with a vulnerable parishioner is investigated.

Father Stephen Cooper is alleged to have admitted having a two-year affair with Kathleen Lardner before she took a fatal overdose 10 years ago.

Her son Matthew Higgenson contacted the Archdiocese of Liverpool earlier this year following an email allegedly sent to him by Father Cooper, aged 58, in which he confesses to the affair.

Father Cooper was working at St Richard’s RC Church in Atherton at the time and conducted Miss Lardener’s funeral.

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MINNESOTA
WCCO

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A judge has denied the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ appeal in a clergy sexual abuse case.

The decision Wednesday clears the way for attorneys representing an alleged victim to interview.

The interviews are scheduled for next month.

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AUSTRALIA
ABC News

By court reporter James Hancock

A Jesuit priest and teacher at Saint Ignatius College in Adelaide has admitted to child pornography offences.

Father Stan Hogan, 69, has pleaded guilty to accessing child pornography and an aggravated count of possessing child pornography.

The offences happened between April-June 2012 and last August at suburban Athelstone.

Hogan was suspended from the college after his arrest last August.

A publication by the Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide said Hogan was ordained in 1976 and also taught at schools in Victoria and New South Wales.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
Berger’s Beat

March 5, 2014 5:19 pm | Author: berger

A Missouri Lawyers Weekly headline proclaims: “Archdiocese shows Greensfelder the door,” replacing its long-time lawyers in sex cases with Gerard Carmody of Clayton and a Colorado-based firm. . .If you believe the Associated Press’ Rome bureau, Kansas City Bishop Robert Finn has replaced St. Louis Archbishop Robert Carlson. The error came in a story today about Pope Francis’ latest comments about sexual abuse. “Three months after the Vatican announced a commission of experts to study best practices on protecting children, no action has been taken, no members appointed, no statute outlining the commission’s scope approved,” reports the AP. “Francis hasn’t met with any victims, hasn’t moved to oust a bishop convicted of failing to report a problem priest, and on Wednesday insisted that the church has been unfairly attacked on abuse using the defensive rhetoric of the Vatican from a decade ago.”

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Big Trial

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5, 2014

By Ralph Cipriano
for Bigtrial.net

It’s the tighty-whitie defense.

When the prosecution presented its case against “Father Andy” McCormick, the alleged victim testified that the priest wore “blue plaid boxers” under his black priestly cossack. The alleged victim said he got a good look at those boxers 17 years ago when Father Andy allegedly attacked the victim, then a 10-year-old altar boy, in the priest’s bedroom in the rectory at St. John Cantius Church in Bridesburg.

Today, the defense called two witnesses who testified that Father Andy always wore white briefs.

First, Father Andy’s 87-year-old mother told the jury that she’s been buying the priest’s underwear for decades, and she always bought white briefs.

Then the longtime maintenance man at the church, Mark Pasternak, testified that for years he had seen the woman who did the priests’ laundry lay out the underwear on a table in the church basement. Pasternak told the jury that Father Andy, as well as every other priest at St. John Cantius, wore “tighty-whities.”

But on a day when Father Andy testified in his own defense, he was upstaged by what longtime maintenance man Pasternak had to say out in the hallway to reporters. The jury never heard a word of it.
“I sent a priest to jail,” Pasternak said out in the hallway. So he wouldn’t hesitate to send Father Andy to jail, he said, if he knew he was guilty.

“If a kid’s molested, I don’t care who you are, you’re going to jail,” Pasternak said.

There’s a reason why Pasternak looked familiar today to reporters covering Father Andy’s trial. The longtime maintenance man at St. John Cantius was Juror No. 5 in the 13-week trial of Msgr. William J. Lynn. Pasternak was one of the jurors who convicted Lynn on June 22, 2012 of one count of endangering the welfare of a child.

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UNITED STATES
The Worthy Adversary

Posted by Joelle Casteix on March 5, 2014

One of the chapters of my upcoming book deals with what I call Institutional Rot, that is, why “good” people do and say bad things in the name of the institution and how children are caught in the crossfire. For an institutional culture to have this kind of crisis, the direction—or I should say, misdirection—has to come from the top.

For the sake of comparison, let’s look at a hypothetical:

Auto Company X is the leading automaker in the United States. For more than 100 years, Company X’s cars have been a part of American’s lives and a well-loved and trusted brand. But civil lawsuits filed by victims have unearthed the fact that Company X has knowingly been making and selling defective cars that veer off the road and kill people.

Hundreds of victims sue the company. In the process of the litigation, it’s discovered that many of the corporate officers knew about the defects and did nothing. Instead of being fired, the executives are allowed to keep their jobs.

The news gets worse and worse. In some areas of the country, anywhere from one in ten to one in 20 cars were killing people. While many of the cars were taken off the road, the company refuses to disclose how many cars still on the road have the potential to kill. In some cases, Company X took their emblems off of certain killer cars and now claims that they are no longer responsible for what those cars do.

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MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

Article by: JEAN HOPFENSPERGER , Star Tribune Updated: March 5, 2014

Archbishop John Nienstedt must testify under oath about the Archdiocese of St. Paul- Minneapolis’ response to child sex abuse charges against local priests, the state appeals court affirmed Wednesday.

The Minnesota Court of Appeals refused to consider an appeal by the archdiocese and the Diocese of Winona, which were court-ordered in February to make Nienstedt and former vicar general Kevin McDonough testify under oath about abuse complaints.

The action came in response to a lawsuit filed earlier this year by an alleged victim of former priest Tom Adamson. Ramsey District Judge John Van de North had ruled that Nienstedt and McDonough must provide sworn testimony on that case, as well as others.

It was the first time a Minnesota archbishop had been ordered to testify under oath about more than one abuser, the victim’s attorneys said, allowing for questions about multiple cases over time.

Church officials had argued that Van de North overstepped his authority in ordering the depositions, and in ordering the disclosure of the names of priests accused of sexual misconduct since 2004, regardless of whether the accusation was deemed “credible” by the church.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Daily News

MENSAH M. DEAN, DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER DEANM@PHILLYNEWS.COM, 215-568-8278
LAST UPDATED: Wednesday, March 5, 2014

His face turning red, the Rev. Andrew McCormick Wednesday turned toward the nine women and three men who will decide his fate and blurted out: “I want the jury to know that I never molested. I want to convince you of that.”

Moments later, when asked by defense attorney William J. Brennan if he had ever molested any of the estimated 700 altar boys he came in contact with over 14 years at a Bridesburg church, McCormick, 57, was succinct: “Never,” he simply said, bringing his attorney’s brief questioning to a sudden conclusion.

Thursday morning, the Common Pleas Court jury will hear closing arguments from Brennan and Assistant District Attorney Kristen Kemp. The jurors will then begin deliberating after receiving legal instructions from Judge Gwendolyn N. Bright.

McCormick, who rejected a guilty-plea offer from Kemp’s office, is being tried for involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, sexual assault, child endangerment, indecent exposure and related counts for allegedly attempting to force a 10-year-old altar boy to perform oral sex on him in 1997.

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NEW YORK
The Jewish Week

03/05/14
Hella Winston
Special Correspondent

While it would seem a good bet that Sam Kellner’s dizzying, three-year legal odyssey may finally come to an end this week with a dismissal of his criminal case, the chasidic abuse whistleblower is not holding his breath. It’s easy to understand why. The way things have been going, there probably isn’t a bookie in Vegas who would take any action on that wager.

“The former trial prosecutors twice wanted to dismiss my case and were overruled. And now we have a new [Brooklyn] district attorney in office [Kenneth Thompson], and he is taking almost six weeks to review it. And so I am still an indicted person. How do you like it?” Kellner, 52, asks matter of factly, before tallying up how many judges, prosecutors and district attorneys have presided over his case — four, five and two respectively, with a new judge expected this week. (At a hearing scheduled for Friday, prosecutors are expected to let the judge know whether they are moving to dismiss the case or will take it to trial.)

“I must be a very dangerous guy,” he adds, his sense of the absurd fully intact.

Dangerous, indeed. In 2011, a year after helping the district attorney convict a serial chasidic child molester named Baruch Lebovits, whose alleged victims include Kellner’s own son, Kellner found himself under arrest. He was charged with having several years earlier paid one young man to falsely testify in a grand jury that he was abused by Lebovits, and with sending emissaries to attempt to extort the Lebovits family for hundreds of thousands of dollars in exchange for a promise he could persuade the witnesses against him to drop their charges.

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UNITED STATES
The American Conservative

By ROD DREHER • March 5, 2014

You may have heard that the influential Christian pastor Bill Gothard has been placed on leave by the organization he heads pending an investigation into sex abuse charges against him — a scandal that, if the allegations prove true, stretches back decades, and involves cover-ups. A reader who is a graduate of Bob Jones University, and who is upset over that school’s alleged history of covering up sex abuse within its community, sent this link to a piece exploring the role BJU professors played in masterminding an alleged Gothard cover-up. Excerpt:

In 1980, two BJU officials (only one is named, a Rev. Van Gelderen) were summoned by Gothard to help him downplay a scandal that was about to overwhelm his multi-million dollar ministry. You can read more about that scandal on Recovering Grace, but suffice to say that the two BJU men were used by Gothard in his attempt to hush up accusations of sexual harassment against Gothard’s brother. Gothard asked the two BJU officials to help convince the IBYC board not to send a letter to supporters admitting the scandal and apologizing, and they obliged. Their plot failed, however, and when the board overruled Gothard and the BJU staffers and demanded that the sexual harassment be dealt with, Van Galderen reportedly reversed his stance and regretted coming at all. This incident is a fascinating parallel to BJU’s current PR troubles, as the school clearly still clings to a strategy of withholding potentially damaging information until the story has already exploded in the media.

Most damaging in this narrative, though, is a remark Van Gelderen made to the IBYC board when trying to dissuade them from properly handling sexual abuse:

They explained that “this kind of thing had happened also at [Bob Jones] University and this is how they have always handled it there.”

This ominous declaration can only mean one thing: in the 1980s, BJU already had a firm process in place for dealing with cases of sexual harassment and scandal within its administration. Whatever else that process might entail, it’s clear from Van Gelderen’s testimony here that covering up information and keeping supporters in the dark was key.

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UNITED STATES
Patrick J. Wall

Pope Francis missed an opportunity to not repeat his predecessors’ failures on the crimes of clerical sexual abuse of minors.

Last month the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child sharply denounced the Vatican’s failure since 2001 to report data to the United Nations on sexual abuse by priests.

“The Holy See has consistently placed the preservation of the reputation of the Church and the protection of the perpetrators above children’s best interests…”

“The Holy See has not acknowledged the extent of the crimes committed, has not taken the necessary measures to address cases of child sexual abuse and to protect children, and has adopted policies and practices which have led to the continuation of the abuse by and the impunity of the perpetrators.”

In response to this harsh critique, the Holy See thought it prudent to correct the UN’s “lack of understanding,” justify its policies, claim the Vatican is “a reality different” than other countries, and complain of moral intervention into “doctrinal positions of the Catholic Church.” This response only served to underscore the Committee’s findings on the Holy See’s conduct- the Vatican places its reputation over concerns for survivors of sexual abuse by priests.

Today Pope Francis again dodged, weaved and wobbled on criticisms of the Vatican’s handling of child sexual abuse and went so far as to defend the Church’s record. In an interview with Corriere della Sera, the Holy Father spoke in defense of the Vatican’s actions in dealing with child sexual abuse, saying “no one has done more” to address the issue. “The Catholic Church is perhaps the only public institution to have acted with transparency and responsibility… Yet the Church is the only one to have been attacked.”

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NORTHERN IRELAND
Irish Times

Dan Keenan

Wed, Mar 5, 2014

A boy was physically punished so often by a nun in a Derry care home he ran away three times.

This incident triggered intense attention by social services, the Historical Institutional Abuse inquiry heard.

The witness, who cannot be named, said the nun at the centre of his allegations “throttled” him on one occasion and repeatedly punished and humiliated him in front of others and he had to get away.

“I couldn’t get on with her because she just hated the ground I walked on, she beat me at every opportunity,” he alleged.

“She put me down, she denigrated me in front of everybody. I ran away from the place three times. On one occasion she actually throttled me and left marks on my neck. I ran away to my mother and my mother took me to the doctor and then across the Border. I think there was a notice put in the paper about me missing.”

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MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

Madeleine Baran St. Paul, Minn. Mar 5, 2014

The Minnesota Court of Appeals has cleared the way for attorneys representing an alleged victim of clergy sexual abuse to interview Archbishop John Nienstedt.

In a three-page order issued Wednesday, Chief Judge Edward Cleary denied requests by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the Diocese of Winona to block depositions of Nienstedt and former vicar general Kevin McDonough.

Victims’ attorney Jeff Anderson has scheduled Nienstedt’s deposition for April 2 and McDonough’s deposition for April 16. He had scheduled the depositions for March but postponed them because of the appeal.

“We’re glad that we can move this thing forward, and that they saw this as the judge did,” Anderson said.

A spokesman for the archdiocese did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Court of Appeals’ decision came in a lawsuit brought by a man who claims he was sexually abused as a child by the Rev. Thomas Adamson in 1976 and 1977.

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MINNESOTA
SF Gate

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Court of Appeals has cleared the way for attorneys representing an alleged victim of clergy sexual abuse to interview Archbishop John Nienstedt.

Chief Judge Edward Cleary denied requests by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the Diocese of Winona to block depositions of Nienstedt and former vicar general Kevin McDonough.

Minnesota Public Radio (http://bit.ly/NV2MEC ) reports the plaintiff’s attorney, Jeff Anderson, has scheduled Nienstedt’s deposition for April 2 and McDonough’s deposition for April 16. Anderson had scheduled the depositions for March but postponed them because of the appeal.

The archdiocese had no immediate comment.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
CBS Philly

By Tony Hanson

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — An accused Philadelphia priest took the witness stand today to say he never sexually molested a former altar boy who is now 26 years old.

Father Andrew McCormick this afternoon told the jury that he never molested the alleged victim in this case nor any of the hundreds of altar boys he supervised. In his words, “None — none whatsoever.”

McCormick, speaking directly to the jury, said, “I want to convince you of that. It has certainly been a devastation to me.”

The alleged abuse happened at St. John Cantius Church in 1997 (see related stories).

Then, in an attempt to undermine the defendant’s credibility, prosecutor Kristen Kemp got McCormick to acknowledge he had been reprimanded by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for having young boys up to his living quarters. And even after the reprimands, he admitted, he repeatedly had boys up to his quarters.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
CT Post

By MARYCLAIRE DALE, Associated Press
Updated 4:41 pm, Wednesday, March 5, 2014

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Roman Catholic priest accused of molesting an altar boy has briefly taken the stand in Philadelphia and denied the charge.

The Rev. Andrew McCormick acknowledges that he knew the accuser in 1997 at his parish.

And he says he was later warned twice not to have children in his living quarters, as new church rules took effect.

But he calls the criminal case “a devastation.”

Jurors are set to hear closing arguments Thursday.

Their deliberations could include talk of boxers versus briefs. The defense suggests the accuser misidentified the type of underwear that McCormick wears.

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

MINNESOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Wednesday, March 05, 2014

Statement by Frank Meuers of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 952-334-5180, frankameuers@gmail.com )

A Minnesota appeals court has ruled against Twin Cities Catholic officials who want to further delay the deposition of top church staffers in a clergy sex abuse and cover up case. We are grateful this brave victim has moved a step closer to learning the truth about how Archbishop John Nienstedt and Fr. Kevin McDonough may have ignored or concealed heinous child sex crimes.

[Pioneer Press]

Judge Van de North’s decisions in the case, we feel, have been very reasonable. But of course the church hierarchy continues to exploit every possible avenue to keep their cover ups covered up. (It’s ironic that while this happens, Pope Francis is claiming the church is “transparent” on clergy sex crimes)

We hope this ruling will prod others who were assaulted by clergy into stepping forward, seeking justice, protecting kids and exposing cover ups.

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

DEUTSCHLAND
RP

[Summary: Georg Hupfauer, national chairman of the Catholic Workers Movement, had admitted to surfing the internet sites containing child pornography and has resigned.]

Aachen. Die Staatsanwaltschaft Aachen ermittelt gegen den Bundesvorsitzenden der Katholischen Arbeitnehmer-Bewegung (KAB), Georg Hupfauer, wegen des Verdachts auf Besitz von Kinderpornografie.

Einen entsprechenden Bericht der “Bild”-Zeitung bestätigte Behördensprecher Jost Schützenberg am Mittwoch der Katholischen Nachrichten-Agentur (KNA). Hupfauer räumte auf Anfrage ein, auf Internet-Seiten mit Kinderpornografie gesurft zu haben. Er lege den KAB-Vorsitz nieder.

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MINNESOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Wednesday, March 05, 2014

Statement by Frank Meuers of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (952-334-5180, frankameuers@gmail.com)

A Minnesota appeals court has ruled against Twin Cities Catholic officials who want to further delay the deposition of top church staffers in a clergy sex abuse and cover up case. We are grateful this brave victim has moved a step closer to learning the truth about how Archbishop John Nienstedt and Fr. Kevin McDonough may have ignored or concealed heinous child sex crimes.

[Pioneer Press]

Judge Van de North’s decisions in the case, we feel, have been very reasonable. But of course the church hierarchy continues to exploit every possible avenue to keep their cover ups covered up. (It’s ironic that while this happens, Pope Francis is claiming the church is “transparent” on clergy sex crimes)

We hope this ruling will prod others who were assaulted by clergy into stepping forward, seeking justice, protecting kids and exposing cover ups.

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

CHILE
La Tercera

[Summary: The victims of priest Fernando Karadima have rejected proposed compensation offered by the Santiago archbishop. Negotiations will continue.]

por Karen Soto – 05/03/2014

No hubo acuerdo, pero sí voluntad de negociar. Las víctimas del sacerdote Fernando Karadima rechazaron la propuesta compensatoria del Arzobispado de Santiago y accedieron a fijar una nueva fecha para llegar a un trato, ante la demanda civil presentada en contra del ente eclesiástico.

Tras la audiencia, el abogado de las víctimas, Juan Pablo Hermosilla, manifestó que las partes acordaron seguir conversando para llegar a una negociación y de no ser así enfrentarán un juicio.

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MINNESOTA
Pioneer Press

[Order – Granting or Denying Mandamus Prohibition ]
[Timeline of efforts to have Winona’s list released ]

By Emily Gurnon
egurnon@pioneerpress.com
POSTED: 03/05/2014

The Minnesota Court of Appeals has rejected an attempt by the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis to prevent the deposition of Archbishop John Nienstedt and a former top deputy.

The court refused to consider an appeal by the archdiocese and the Diocese of Winona that sought to halt discovery in the case of John Doe 1, a man who alleged sexual abuse by former priest Thomas Adamson, according to an order filed Wednesday by Chief Judge Edward J. Cleary.

Ramsey County District Judge John Van de North had ruled in the case that the church agencies must turn over names of priests accused of sexual abuse of minors since 2004. And Van de North ordered the depositions of Nienstedt and Kevin McDonough should go forward.

But church officials balked at those orders, saying among other things that Van de North may have exceeded his authority.

“Our read of this (order) and the language in it is that they have ruled that we are able to move forward with discovery … that the trial court was right,” said plaintiff’s attorney Jeff Anderson.

Anderson said the deposition of Nienstedt is now scheduled for April 2; that of McDonough is set for April 16. The location has not yet been determined, he said.

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UNITED STATES
Boston Globe

By John L. Allen Jr. | GLOBE STAFF MARCH 05, 2014

Pope Francis may have won hearts and minds around the world with his simplicity and common touch, but he offered proof today that he’s also not afraid to put his approval ratings on the line when he thinks there’s a point to be made.

In an extended conversation with the Italian paper Corriere della Sera, which was also published in the Argentine daily La Nacion, the pontiff not only vigorously defended the Catholic church’s record on its child sexual abuse scandals, but also complained that “the church is the only one attacked.”

While the pope touched on many other points in the interview, from divorced and remarried Catholics and birth control to some of the urban myths that have grown up around him, it was his comments on the abuse scandals that seemed most destined to spark reaction.

It wasn’t long in coming.

Within minutes, one advocacy group for victims of clerical abuse had blasted the pope’s rhetoric as “archaic and defensive,” while another styled it as proof that “he doesn’t get it.” Many Catholic voices, however, hailed the comments as a long-overdue rebuttal to a biased habit of ignoring the strides the church has taken, as well as making it a scapegoat for a broader social problem.

What to make of the stark contrast over what Francis had to say? The truth of it is that both sides probably have a point.

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UNITED STATES
Pope Francis the CON Christ.

Updated March 4, 2014

Paris Arrow

New Jersey’s ‘Bling’ Bishop Myers is infuriating his parishioners to close their pocketbooks and stop donating to his annual appeal fund. Myers is also attracting international attention these days from neighboring New York City to across the Atlantic Ocean in the United Kingdom where the well-known Daily Mail entitled its article, ‘They’re not going to get another penny out of me’: Parishioners outraged over Archbishop’s $500,000 home renovation project, see news compilation below. If Myers thought he was going to retire quietly into the sunset in his dream house – now described in detail for the world to see – he was mistaken.

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UNITED STATES
Catholic League

Bill Donohue comments on remarks made today by Pope Francis on the sexual abuse scandal:

No one has done more to check the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church than Pope Benedict XVI, but he receives very little credit for doing so. That is why what Pope Francis said today matters: he singled Benedict out for his yeoman efforts. “Benedict XVI was very courageous and has opened a new way.” Because of Benedict, he said, “the Church has done much, perhaps more than all the others.”

Pope Francis is twice right. Long before Benedict became pope, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, as head of the Vatican’s doctrinal congregation, called for swifter and stronger procedures to punish molesting priests. That was in 1988. In 2001, he was given exclusive jurisdiction over these matters, and in 2003 he was awarded the power to police priestly sexual abuse. When he became pope, he made it more difficult for practicing homosexuals to enter the priesthood, the net effect of which has been a sharp decline in the number of abuse cases.

In his interview today, Pope Francis said, “The Catholic Church is perhaps the only public institution that has moved with transparency and responsibility. No one has done more, and yet the Church is the only one that is being attacked.” The pope was obviously referring to the highly politicized, and maliciously conceived, United Nations report on the Vatican’s response to this issue.

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UNITED STATES
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Wednesday, March 5, 2014

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

The pope said he is “offended.” Apparently, he’s not really offended by Catholic officials who transfer predators and keep secrets and endanger kids. He’s offended by the “hype” around his papacy.

We feel the same way, even more now that he has shown his ‘true colors’ on the church’s on-going clergy sex abuse and cover up crisis.

The Associate Press reports that:

“Pope Francis is coming under increasing criticism that he doesn’t get it on sex abuse. Three months after the Vatican announced a commission of experts to study best practices on protecting children, no action has been taken, no members appointed, no statute outlining the commission’s scope approved.

Francis hasn’t met with any victims, hasn’t moved to oust a bishop convicted of failing to report a problem priest, and on Wednesday insisted that the church had been unfairly attacked on abuse, using the defensive rhetoric of the Vatican from a decade ago.”

[Telegraph]

When he says that abuse has left “very deep wounds” on victims, the pope is deliberately framing the scandal as something that’s largely in the past – by focusing on already hurt victims, not on still-vulnerable children. This is good public relations but it’s not reality. While many clergy sex crimes have been disclosed in the West, far fewer cover ups have been, and little of either has been disclosed in the developing world. No matter how hard Catholic officials may try to depict this scandal as “in the past,” it’s very much a part of the church right now.

Inadvertently, Pope Francis has done our movement to protect children a service. For months, many have assumed he would sooner or later get around to taking action to safeguard the vulnerable in the church. Over and over, we heard well-meaning Catholics and commentators say “Give him time, he’s new,” “He’s improving Vatican governance first,” “He’s got to tackle internal leaks first,” “Streamlining church bureaucracy is his top priority,” and “He can’t do everything at once.”

Now, there’s more clarity and less doubt about his intentions on abuse. He’s willing to discuss change in several parts of the church. But not when it comes to pedophile priests and complicit bishops.

Many consider the pope as a moral authority. He says that only the Catholic Church has been attacked on abuse. If he honestly believes that other institutions are dealing with abuse in reckless ways, we would welcome him exposing and denouncing them.

On a personal level, as a parent, and the brother of a predator priest, I am very upset by Pope Francis’ comments. My brothers (three of them) and I became victims of child sex crimes because a Catholic prelate (Bishop Michael McAuliffe) sent a predator priest (Fr. John Whiteley) to our parish with no warning.

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MINNESOTA
Jeff Anderson & Associates

Order – Granting or Denying Mandamus Prohibition
Timeline of efforts to have Winona’s list released

(St. Paul, MN) – The Court of Appeals issued two orders denying the Archdiocese’s and Diocese of Winona’s attempt to review Judge Van de North’s decisions and delay the case. These decisions permit us and this courageous survivor to move forward with full discovery including taking the depositions of the decision makers and advancing efforts to unearth the long-kept secrets. We are grateful to Doe 1 for having the courage to stand up to expose the truth.

The orders are attached and the Doe 1 complaint and other documents can be found on our website at www.andersonadvocates.com.

Contact Jeff Anderson: Cell/612.817.8665

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
CBS Philly

By Tony Hanson

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — The defense began presenting its case today in the trial of a Philadelphia priest accused of sexually assaulting a ten-year-old altar boy in 1997 (see related story).

The alleged victim testified earlier in the trial that he was sexually assaulted by Father Andrew McCormick in the rectory after an evening mass (see previous story).

But the defense has presented testimony from several men who also served as altar boys and knew Father McCormick, beginning in the mid-1980s.

They have testified they spent time with Father McCormick, serving masses or alone in the rectory, even going on social outings with him, never sexually molested them or did anything that made them uncomfortable.

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VATICAN CITY
Boston.com

By NICOLE WINFIELD / Associated Press / March 5, 2014

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis is coming under increasing criticism that he simply doesn’t get it on sex abuse.

Three months after the Vatican announced a commission of experts to study best practices on protecting children, no action has been taken, no members appointed, no statute outlining the commission’s scope approved.

Francis hasn’t met with any victims, hasn’t moved to oust a bishop convicted in 2012 of failing to report a suspected abuser, and on Wednesday insisted that the church had been unfairly attacked on abuse, using the defensive rhetoric of the Vatican from a decade ago.

Victims’ advocates cried foul, saying his tone was archaic and urging Francis to show the same compassion he offers the sick, the poor and disabled to people who were raped by priests when they were children.

‘‘Under Pope Francis the Vatican continues to deny its role in creating and maintaining a culture where upholding the reputation of the church is prioritized over the safety of children,’’ said Maeve Lewis, executive director of the Irish abuse support group One in Four. …

The former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio has said that while he was archbishop of Buenos Aires, he never dealt with a case of sex abuse, and indeed the scandal has yet to explode in Argentina on the scale that it has elsewhere, including recently in neighboring Chile.

But the online database BishopAccountability.org has cited several cases of Argentine bishops siding with abused clerics and imposing gag orders on victims — practices that were common in the U.S. before American bishops changed their tune amid an avalanche of lawsuits.

Terrence McKiernan of BishopAccountability.org said it was ‘‘breathtaking’’ that Francis had made the church the victim of the scandal, rather than express sorrow to the hundreds of thousands of victims or acknowledge the complicity of bishops in covering up the crimes.

‘‘It is astonishing, at this late date, that Pope Francis would recycle such tired and defensive rhetoric,’’ McKiernan said in a statement.

The Vatican has in the past decade overhauled its internal procedures to make it easier to oust rapists. But it still has no blanket policy telling bishops to report abusers to police or risk being sanctioned themselves, and to date no bishop has been punished for a cover up. In addition, the harshest penalty the church hands out to abusers is the ecclesial equivalent of firing the priest.

McKiernan called for Francis to remove bishops who enabled abuse, citing St. Louis, Mo., Bishop Robert Finn, who was convicted in 2012 of failing to report suspected child abuse. A group of Catholics from his diocese recently sent a letter to Francis urging Finn to be removed.

McKiernan also questioned the usefulness of the pope’s new commission since bishops’ conferences around the world have already identified best practices. ‘‘What the Vatican needs now is a tough enforcer, not another study group,’’ he said.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Inquirer

Joseph A. Slobodzian, Inquirer Staff Writer
POSTED: Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Three former Philadelphia altar boys told a Common Pleas Court jury Wednesday of trips to Poland with accused priest Andrew McCormick and all maintained that the cleric never acted improperly toward them.

The witnesses – now adults – were called by McCormick’s lawyers on the first day of the defense case. All described a Catholic priest who freely socialized with boys while assigned to the St. John Cantius parish in Bridesburg.

They said McCormick, now 57, routinely “hung out” with them at the church rectory, invited them alone and in groups to his private room on the second floor, took them out for fast-food and movies and, ultimately, on two-week tours of Poland.

Two witnesses said their parents accompanied them and McCormick; another said he went with his mother’s approval.

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DEUTSCHLAND
Focus

[Summary: Aachen authorities are investigating the national chairman of the Catholic Workers Movement – George Hupfauer – on suspicion of possessing child pornography. Computer hard drives and USB sticks were seized.]

Die Staatsanwaltschaft Aachen ermittelt gegen den Bundesvorsitzenden der Katholischen Arbeitnehmer-Bewegung, Georg Hupfauer, wegen des Verdachts auf Besitz von Kinderpornographie. Computer-Festplatten und USB-Sticks wurden beschlagnahmt.

Das bestätigte Staatsanwaltschaftssprecher Jost Schützeberg gegenüber der “Bild”-Zeitung (Donnerstagausgabe). “Gegen die genannte Person ist nach einer Strafanzeige seit März 2013 ein Ermittlungsverfahren wegen des Verdachts auf Besitz von Kinderpornographie anhängig.” Bei der Durchsuchung von Hupfauers Privathaus im März 2013 seien verschiedene Datenträger beschlagnahmt worden. Speichermedien wie Computer-Festplatten und USB-Sticksdes KAB-Chefs würden derzeit noch ausgewertet.

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INDIA
IBN Live

A 12-year-old girl was allegedly molested by a temple priest at Bateshwar town in Agra, police said on Wednesday.

The girl, who sells wood-apple (belpatra) leaves near the temple, was allegedly lured to a lonely place and molested by the priest on Tuesday, police said.

The priest has been identified as Ajit Goswami. The girl, however, managed to escape from the clutches of the priest and inform her parents, who along with locals gathered in front of the temple. The priest fled the spot and an investigation is on, said police.

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VATICAN CITY
Catholic News Agency

Vatican City, Mar 5, 2014 / 11:35 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Find below an English translation, by CNA’s Alan Holdren, of the March 5 interview of Pope Francis with Italian daily “Corriere della Sera”.

Holy Father, every once in a while you call those who ask you for help. Sometimes they don’t believe you.

Yes, it has happened. When one calls, it is because he wants to speak, to pose a question, to ask for counsel. As a priest in Buenos Aires it was more simple. And, it has remained a habit for me. A service. I feel it inside. Certainly, now it is not that easy to do due to the quantity of people who write me.

And, is there a contact, an encounter that you remember with particular affection?

A widowed woman, aged 80, who had lost a child. She wrote me. And, now I call her every month. She is happy. I am a priest. I like it.

The relations with your predecessor. Have you ever asked for the counsel of Benedict XVI?

Yes. The Pope emeritus is not a statue in a museum. It is an institution. We weren’t used to it. 60 or 70 years ago, ‘bishop emeritus’ didn’t exist. It came after the (Second Vatican) Council. Today, it is an institution. The same thing must happen for the Pope emeritus. Benedict is the first and perhaps there will be others. We don’t know. He is discreet, humble, and he doesn’t want to disturb. We have spoken about it and we decided together that it would be better that he sees people, gets out and participates in the life of the Church. He once came here for the blessing of the statue of St. Michael the Archangel, then to lunch at Santa Marta and, after Christmas, I sent him an invitation to participate in the consistory and he accepted. His wisdom is a gift of God. Some would have wished that he retire to a Benedictine abbey far from the Vatican. I thought of grandparents and their wisdom. Their counsels give strength to the family and they do not deserve to be in an elderly home. …

The scandals that rocked the life of the Church are fortunately in the past. A public appeal was made to you, on the delicate theme of the abuse of minors, published by (the Italian newspaper) Il Foglio and signed by Besancon and Scruton, among others, that you would raise your voice and make it heard against the fanaticisms and the bad conscience of the secularized world that hardly respects infancy.

I want to say two things. The cases of abuses are terrible because they leave extremely deep wounds. Benedict XVI was very courageous and he cleared a path. The Church has done so much on this path. Perhaps more than anyone. The statistics on the phenomenon of the violence against children are shocking, but they also show clearly that the great majority of abuses take place in the family environment and around it. The Catholic Church is perhaps the only public institution to have acted with transparency and responsibility. No other has done more. And, the Church is the only one to be attacked.

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PHILIPPINES
Philippine Daily Inquirer

By Ramon Tulfo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Thursday, March 6th, 2014

San Miguel Corp. (SMC) could well have underwritten the construction of the proposed P1-billion shrine to Mother Mary, a project of Fr. Fernando Suarez in Cavite province.

But the business conglomerate discovered massive unnecessary spending by the healing priest, according to an SMC insider, and thus withdrew its support from the project.

“Before, Father Suarez would come to RSA’s office wearing only a T-shirt and sandals, but now he wears expensive clothes and watches, stays in five-star hotels and attends tennis matches like the Wimbledon Classic and the French Open,” said the SMC insider.

Ramon S. Ang, president and CEO of San Miguel Corp. is “RSA” to his subordinates.

RSA, who wears an ordinary collared shirt to work, has faith in the healing power of Father Suarez, but he was reportedly “shocked” at the priest’s change of lifestyle.

Ang is a devout Catholic and his wife is a member of Opus Dei, an organization of ultraconservative Catholic laymen.

When SMC, as a principal benefactor, ordered an audit of Father Suarez’s Mary Mother of the Poor Foundation, the business conglomerate discovered that the foundation had spent money left and right without supporting documents.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Albany Times Union

By MARYCLAIRE DALE, Associated Press
Updated 1:20 pm, Wednesday, March 5, 2014

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A string of former altar boys are testifying on behalf of a Philadelphia priest accused of molesting one of their peers in 1997.

The defense witnesses include young men who traveled to Poland as boys with the Rev. Andrew McCormick.

They say nothing sexual occurred, although one shared a room with McCormick, and the other says the priest gave him beer there.

The testimony comes on Ash Wednesday, a holy day that starts the Lenten season in the Roman Catholic church.

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UNITED STATES
Frontline

[Secrets of the Vatican – Frontline]

March 5, 2014, 1:23 pm ET by Jason M. Breslow

In one of his first public comments on the issue of clergy sex abuse, Pope Francis defended the Catholic Church’s response to the crisis, telling an Italian newspaper, “no one else has done more.”

The pope’s statements marked one of his boldest replies yet to criticism of the church’s handling of abuse cases, and came a month after a highly critical United Nations report found cause for alarm with the Vatican’s past and present practices.

“The cases of abuse are awful because they leave profound wounds,” Francis said. But, he added: “The Catholic Church is maybe the only institution to have moved with transparency and responsibility. No one else has done more. Yet the church is the only one to be attacked.”

One year into his papacy, Francis has taken several steps to address the abuse scandal. In July, he overhauled Vatican law to specify sexual violence against children as a crime. Five months later, he established a commission to advise him on how to protect children from pedophile priests and on how to counsel victims.

At the same time, the Vatican declined to cooperate with the U.N. investigation, which concluded “that the Holy See has not acknowledged the extent of the crimes committed, has not taken the necessary measures to address cases of child sexual abuse and to protect children, and has adopted policies and practices which have led to the continuation of the abuse by and the impunity of the perpetrators.”

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UNITED STATES
when religion fails

When I first started hearing about the sexual abuse scandal within Roman Catholic community I hoped that it might present a perfect opportunity for the religious institution to address this secretive and universal issue out of the dark into God’s healing light’. What a disappointed it has turned out to be and unfortunately still is.

So what are the obstacles that the Church still needs to overcome? Only an independent expert who understands the workings of the Roman Catholic institution could answer that question. Such an expert is A.W. Sipe a much respected & recognized Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor who earlier spent 18 years as a Benedictine monk and priest. He was trained specifically to deal with the mental health problems of Roman Catholic Priests.

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UNITED STATES
Under Much Grace

It has been an interesting few weeks for the survivors of spiritual abuse and those who have suffered the “extra special” kind of spiritual abuse that comes with sexual advances made by clergy.

After years of suffering in silence and scorn, many have cause for hope. Bob Jones University reinstated the Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment Group to complete their investigation of unreported assaults. And… Bill Gothard was placed on administrative leave by the board of his parachurch organization, the Institute in Basic Life Principles. These matters have even caught the attention of the secular press including the New York Times and the Washington Post.

It has been said of critics that people like me are dancing with glee over these new developments with Gothard in particular, as somehow it means that there will be no consequences for sinful activities. (I can’t connect any of those dots at all!) I wish to see the abusers come to justice so that restitution can be made to the survivors. And in many ways, that is impossible. It would be nice, however, if places like Sovereign Grace would at least pay for therapy to help their victims can recover. It would be something. It is a starting place. – But it makes me anything but happy. Part of me cringes, half anticipating that all of these efforts will result in no change at all, despite all of the work and the public scrutiny that the victims have suffered in the process. Or it may be change that no one will see tangibly in quite a long time. That’s often how these things work.

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VATICAN CITY
The Telegraph

BY NICOLE WINFIELD
Associated Press
March 5, 2014

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis is coming under increasing criticism that he doesn’t get it on sex abuse.

Three months after the Vatican announced a commission of experts to study best practices on protecting children, no action has been taken, no members appointed, no statute outlining the commission’s scope approved.

Francis hasn’t met with any victims, hasn’t moved to oust a bishop convicted of failing to report a problem priest, and on Wednesday insisted that the church had been unfairly attacked on abuse, using the defensive rhetoric of the Vatican from a decade ago.

Victims’ groups cried foul, saying his tone was archaic and urging Francis to show the same compassion he shows to the sick, poor and disabled to people who were raped by priests.

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