ABUSE TRACKER

VATICAN CITY
National Catholic Reporter

John L. Allen Jr. | Jan. 31, 2014 …

By now, many people have commented on the Rolling Stone cover story on Pope Francis, particularly the “Benedict bad, Francis good” framework the piece adopted. (Words such as “dour” and “disastrous” about Benedict loomed large.) A Vatican spokesman called the contrast between the two pontiffs “superficial journalism” marked by “a surprising crudeness.”

To be fair, comparisons between Francis and his predecessor are inevitable, and there’s no getting around the point that Francis is more of a crowd-pleaser. For sure, too, there is a shift in tone under Francis in what could be described as a “moderate” direction, though it might better be expressed as the ascendancy of the church’s pastors and diplomats over its theologians and canon lawyers.

That said, it’s also clear that Francis tends to get credit for several perceived reforms that actually began on Benedict’s watch, especially in two chronic sources of scandal for the church: money and sex abuse.

On money, it was Benedict who created a new financial watchdog agency, who opened the Vatican for the first time to outside secular inspection through the Moneyval process (the Council of Europe’s anti-money-laundering agency), and who appointed a new president of the Vatican bank who just released its first independently certified financial statement.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
Riverfront Times

By Danny Wicentowski Fri., Jan. 31 2014

A former African Methodist Episcopal Church minister was hit with a lawsuit Wednesday over allegations of sexual harassment.

Filed in St. Louis Circuit Court, the suit alleges that Reverend Frederick McCullough brazenly harassed — and nearly raped — an associate female minister during the two years he headed the Wayman AME Church in St. Louis.

“The unspoken message for women and especially female preachers has been that we must either accept the sexual harassment…or risk being being expelled,” said the plaintiff, Brenda Jones, in written statement. “I am fighting this because it has to stop.”

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MONTANA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Friday, Jan. 312014

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)

Helena’s Catholic bishop is now seeking bankruptcy protection.

[Seattle PI]

It’s a selfish cop-out when Catholic institutions misuse the Chapter 11 process to protect their secrets and deny child sex abuse victims a chance to expose predators in court.

This isn’t about protecting church assets. It’s about protecting the power and reputations of powerful church officials who desperately want to keep their complicity in child sex cases under wraps.

We hope every single man, woman and child who is being or has been molested by Montana child molesting Catholic clerics steps forward, calls police and protects others. And we hope every single person who saw or suspected crimes by Christian Brothers will do the same.

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FLORIDA
New York Daily News

BY LEE MORAN / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2014

A Florida-based Christian missionary will spend the next 58 years behind bars after being busted sexually abusing young indigenous girls in the Amazon.

Warren Scott Kennell also filmed his sick sex acts which he secretly carried out as he tried to set up a church with the remote Katukina tribe in Brazil.

The 45-year-old, who worked for the Sanford-based New Tribes Mission, at first befriended the youngsters.

Then, after gaining their trust, he abused them over a number of years.

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VATICAN CITY
Gazzetta del Sud

Vatican City, January 31 – Pope Francis told the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on Friday that it may be directly linked with a new Vatican commission to protect children. “The possibility is being assessed,” he told the orthodoxy watchdog’s plenary session in Rome. Francis was referring to a special commission advising him on how the Catholic Church should protect children and help victims of sexual abuse by the clergy, launched last month in response to a worldwide scandal involving untold victims that has put the Church on the defensive for more than a decade. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has traditionally been tasked with overseeing reports of priests sexually abusing children, whereas the new commission deals specifically with preventing pedophelia and looking after victims.

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VATICAN CITY
Catholic News Service

By Carol Glatz
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Children and young people must always be protected against sexual abuse and always find adequate support in the church community, Pope Francis told the Vatican doctrinal office dealing with suspected cases of sexual abuse by clergy.

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith should also look at ways to collaborate with a new papal advisory commission on abuse, which, the pope said, he wants to be an exemplary model for child protection.

“I want to thank you for your dedication to dealing with the delicate set of problems concerning the so-called most grave crimes, in particular cases of sexual abuse of minors by clerics,” Pope Francis said in a written speech Jan. 31.

He called on the congregation, which was given exclusive jurisdiction over a number of these most serious crimes in 2001, to focus on “the well-being of children and young people, who in the Christian community must always be protected and supported in their human and spiritual growth,” he said.

The pope asked the doctrinal office to also study ways it could cooperate with the special commission for the protection of young people he established in December.

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VATICAN CITY
Vatican Information Service

Vatican City, 31 January 2014 (VIS) – The Press Office of the Holy See has announced the launch of a new Twitter account, @HolySeePress, to give notice when the Bulletin—which gives information in the various official languages of the Holy See on the important events occurring in the Vatican—is published daily. The notifications will also have a link to the Bulletin’s webpage on the Vatican site.

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VATICAN CITY
Vatican Information Service

Vatican City, 31 January 2014 (VIS) – “To promote and safeguard the doctrine on faith and morals in the whole Catholic world” is the duty that John Paul II’s Apostolic Constitution “Pastor bonus” assigns to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. This morning, at the end of their plenary session, Pope Francis received in audience the members of the dicastery.

The Holy Father emphasized that, “from the earliest days of the Church, there has been a temptation to understand doctrine in an ideological sense or to reduce it to a set of abstract and fossilized theories. In fact, doctrine has the sole purpose of serving the life of the People of God and seeks to ensure a firm foundation to our faith. Great indeed is the temptation to commandeer the gifts of salvation that come from God, to acclimate them—maybe even with the best intention—to the world’s viewpoints and spirit.”

The task of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith should “also always seek to keep in mind the needs of constructive, respectful, and patient dialogue with the authors. If truth demands precision, this always grows in charity and fraternal assistance for those called to deepen or clarify their beliefs.” Likewise, the Pope noted that the Congregation’s method of working is distinguished “by its practice of collegiality and dialogue. Effectively, the Church is a place of communion and, at all levels, each of us is called to cultivate and promote communion, each one with the responsibility assigned to us by the Lord.”

Then, mentioning their plenary session that was dedicated to the relationship between faith and marriage, he stated that “it is a reflection of great importance. It arises in the wake of the invitation already formulated by Benedict XVI regarding the need to question more deeply the relationship between personal faith and the celebration of the sacrament of marriage, especially in the changed cultural context.”

“On this occasion, I would also like to thank you for your efforts in dealing with sensitive issues regarding the most serious crimes, in particular, the cases of the sexual abuse of minors by clerics. Think of the welfare of children and the young, who in the Christian community must always be protected and supported in their human and spiritual growth. In this sense, the possibility is being looked into of connecting the specific Commission for the Protection of Minors, which I have established, to your dicastery. I hope it will be an example for all those who wish to promote the welfare of children.”

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IRELAND
BBC News

The High Court in Dublin has reserved its decision on an application by a Catholic bishop to dismiss cases being taken against him by three victims of paedophile priest Brendan Smyth.

The Bishop of Kilmore, Leo O’Reilly, is being sued as successor to the previous bishop, Francis McKiernan, as is Cardinal Sean Brady, formerly secretary to the bishop of Kilmore.

The victims accuse them of negligence.

They allege they did not take steps to prevent Smyth from abusing children.

Smyth abused children in the 1970s and the 1980s.

The victims said the churchmen did not report complaints made about Smyth in interviews conducted with two young boys in 1975.

One of the boys identified one of those taking the case as a victim of the priest during these interviews.

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MINNESOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Friday, Jan. 31

Statement by Barbara Dorris of SNAP ( 314-862-7688 home, 314-503-0003 cell, SNAPdorris@gmail.com )

On Thursday, one of Archbishop John Nienstedt’s public relations staffers said “We have continuously made ourselves available to law enforcement to address any outstanding questions they may have. . .”

[St. Paul-Minneapolis archdiocese]

On Wednesday, St. Paul’s police chief said “We have not had the opportunity to speak with Fr. McDonough.” (McDonough is a key figure in this scandal.)

[Pioneer Press]

Someone’s lying. We suspect it’s a Catholic official, not a law enforcement official. We suspect it’s Jim Accurso, not Captain Tom Smith.

It’s time for Nienstedt and his staff to fully cooperate, not just claim to cooperate, with police and prosecutor. There are two steps he should take immediately.

First, this week, Ramsey County prosecutors publicly begged victims, especially those who were forced or pressured to sign “gag orders” by church officials, to step forward.

Nienstedt should put this plea in every parish bulletin this Sunday, verbatim, and include contact numbers for local law enforcement agencies.

Second, Niestedt should issue a public statement today promising that he will not in any way retaliate against victims who break those “gag orders.”

Third, he should announce that he’s suspended Fr. McDonough and started defrocking him because of McDonough’s complicity in decades of cover up and his refusal to answer questions from police.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release Friday, January 31, 2014

Statement by Judy Jones of St. Louis, Assistant Midwest Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 314 974 5003, snapjudy@gmail.com )

By their own admission, St. Louis archdiocesan officials admit that only 8% of the child sex abuse reports they received about priests were turned over to police or Division of Family Services.

[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]

These reports span the years from 1993-2003, a time when even high school drop outs knew that suspected crimes, especially heinous crimes against kids, should be reported to law enforcement

It’s also very telling that in 35 cases, relatives or loved ones of victims reported abuse. Yet church officials apparently did little or no outreach, ostensibly because the victim himself or herself didn’t take the initiative. Had a third party reported a pastor stealing money, we seriously doubt that Catholic officials would have taken such a passive approach.

Finally, keep in mind that Archbishop Robert Carlson was forced to make even this vague and misleading disclosure, because a brave victim of Fr. Joseph D. Ross is seeking justice and endured years of hard-ball and stalling legal strategies by Catholic officials. If not for her courage and persistence, none of this information would ever have been made public. We are grateful to her and to every victim, witness and whistleblower who has helped peel back decades of secrecy by callous, reckless and deceitful church employees, at the top and the bottom of the Catholic hierarchy.

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MONTANA
Montana Standard

The Diocese of Helena released the following statement this morning, and will hold a press conference this afternoon, Jan. 31, in Helena:

The Diocese of Helena has taken a major step toward bringing resolution to 362 claims of abuse of minors by diocesan priests, religious community priests, women religious and lay workers who have served in the diocese, primarily between 30 and 60 years ago.

On Friday, January 31, 2014, the Diocese will be filing a chapter 11 reorganization case before the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Montana to complete pre-bankruptcy mediated negotiations with known abuse survivors and the Diocese’s liability insurance carriers.

The Diocese chose a pastoral mode and entered into a confidential mediation process. The mediation resulted in the general parameters of proposed settlements with the victims and the insurance carriers. The details of written agreements are still being worked on by the parties. Under the supervision and ultimate approval of the Bankruptcy Court, $15 million would be available to compensate the currently identified victims with additional settlement funds for other and unknown victims. The process of obtaining Bankruptcy Court approval included the opportunity for victims and creditors to vote on the proposed settlement. The Diocese expects that its reorganization will be expedited by the pre-bankruptcy negotiations with all of the affected parties.

“On behalf of the entire Diocese of Helena, I express my profound sorrow and sincere apologies to anyone who was abused by a priest, a sister, or a lay Church worker,” said Helena Bishop, George Leo Thomas. “No child should experience harm from anyone who serves in the Church.”

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MONTANA
Seattle PI

By MATT VOLZ, Associated Press
Updated 7:38 am, Friday, January 31, 2014

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — The Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena filed for bankruptcy protection Friday in advance of proposed settlements for two lawsuits that claim clergy members sexually abused 362 people over decades and the church covered it up.

Diocese spokesman Dan Bartleson said in a statement Friday the Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization case came after confidential mediation sessions with the plaintiffs’ attorneys, resulting in the deals to resolve the abuse claims.

The settlement details are being worked out, but the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Montana would be responsible for approving and supervising the disbursement of $15 million to compensate the identified victims, plus an additional amount set aside for those who come forward later.

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AUSTRALIA
The Guardian

Australian Associated Press
theguardian.com, Wednesday 29 January 2014

A Salvation Army officer who allegedly raped boys and sent them to the homes of other people to be sexually assaulted had been acquitted when brought to trial, an inquiry has been told.

Detective Inspector Rick John Cunningham told the royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse on Thursday that the child protection enforcement agency investigated allegations made in 1996 about abuse at a boys’ home in the southern Sydney suburb of Bexley and at the Gill Memorial Home in Goulburn, New South Wales.

Both homes were run by the Salvation Army and the allegations were made during investigations arising out of the Wood royal commission into NSW police.

At the Wood hearing, a witness identified as EP gave evidence about being sexually assaulted by Captain Lawrence Wilson at Bexley and gave names of others who were allegedly assaulted by Wilson and Captain Russell Walker while at Bexley.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
Seattle PI

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Documents released by the Archdiocese of St. Louis as part of a civil lawsuit show that 16 church employees had at least five sex abuse complaints made against them in the decades before such cases were publicly known.

The archdiocese released the information while fighting demands for further disclosures in a lawsuit filed by an alleged victim of the since-defrocked Rev. Joseph Ross.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch bit.ly/1a6KEBQ reports that nearly half of the 240 abuse complaints against 115 priests and other church employees received over a 20-year period were made in 2002. The incidents dated back as far as the 1940s.

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MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

Article by: JEAN HOPFENSPERGER and TONY KENNEDY , Star Tribune staff writers
Updated: January 30, 2014

The Ramsey County attorney’s office and St. Paul police began reviewing documents Thursday that indicate that the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis failed to notify authorities of a child sex-abuse accusation against a St. Paul priest within 24 hours, as required by law.

The move comes a day after County Attorney John Choi announced he would not prosecute the archdiocese for its reporting of the abuse complaint against the Rev. Curtis Wehmeyer, now in prison for sexually abusing two boys.

Within hours of that announcement, however, authorities received an archdiocese document that appeared to indicate that the archdiocese waited more than two days to notify police. The document was made public by Minnesota Public Radio.

“We’ll be looking at the new information as to the impact it may have on the investigation,’’ said Dennis Gerhardstein, spokesman for the county attorney’s office. “We’re still in the early stages of discussion.’’

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IRELAND
Association of Catholic Priests

» Download the ACP Family Life Synod Survey Data Analysis

A version of the Vatican survey on Family Life was prepared by the Association of Catholic Priests and hosted on this website, and over 1,500 participated in it. The participants included priests, religious, lay people, parents and teachers.

Respondents generally welcomed the opportunity to participate but there was widepread criticism of the subject matter (emphasis on sexuality) and format (overly long, complicated, linguistically challenging).

The key findings from the overall responses is that those who participated consider the Church’s teaching on family life, sexual practice and sexual unions to be little understood, not relevant, of low influence and not agreed with, whether understood or not. These findings are consistent across all age groups and religious role (clergy, lay etc) where identified.

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AUSTRALIA
The Australian

DAN BOX THE AUSTRALIAN FEBRUARY 01, 2014

A SALVATION Army major suspended this week “in light of evidence tendered to the royal commission” is alleged in reports dating back to 1974 to have sexually and physically abused children.

Several years before the current commission hearing, the army paid compensation to two men who alleged they were sexually abused by Major John McIver, who has denied these claims.

Confidential correspondence tendered to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse shows Mr McIver criticising the army’s response to allegations of child abuse. “Every Tom, Dick and Harry who was ever unloved by his mother and ended up in an Army institution now feels emboldened to shift the blame because he/she thinks there might be money in it,” Mr McIver wrote.

The 2009 letter, sent after the Salvation Army received two separate allegations of sexual assault, concludes: “I have a rather satisfying and enjoyable life to lead and you won’t want to be troubled by me making any premature responses.”

The commission is investigating the alleged abuse of dozens of children by five Salvation Army officers at homes in Queensland and NSW between 1957 and 1975.

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AUSTRALIA
Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse

MEDIA RELEASE

Royal Commission to hear stories from the Parramatta Girls Home

The Royal Commission will hold a public hearing in Sydney commencing Monday 24 February 2014 into the experience of women who were sexually abused as children, between 1950-1974, while residing in two institutions which were within the responsibility of the NSW Government:

a. The Parramatta Girls Training School in Sydney, NSW
b. The Institution for Girls in Hay, NSW

The hearing will also consider any related matters.

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AUSTRALIA
Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse

The first public hearing to be held outside Sydney by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse will commence in Brisbane on 17 February. The purpose of the hearing will be to inquire into the response by the Catholic Education Office, of the Diocese of Toowoomba in Queensland, to allegations of child sexual abuse at St Saviour’s Primary School. The public hearing – the sixth since the Royal Commission was established – is scheduled to run for two weeks.

Royal Commission CEO, Ms Janette Dines, says the scope and purpose of the public hearing is to inquire into:

* The response by the Principal and other members of staff at St Saviour’s Primary School in Toowoomba, Queensland, to allegations of child sexual abuse made against a teacher at the primary school in September 2007.
* The response by officers of the Catholic Education Office, Diocese of Toowoomba, to information supplied by the primary school Principal at St Saviour’s Primary School regarding the allegations of child sexual abuse received in September 2007.
* The adequacy and implementation of systems, policies and procedures of the Catholic Education Office, Diocese of Toowoomba, and St Saviour’s Primary School for the prevention, detection, investigation and reporting of allegations of child sexual abuse since 2007.
* Any other related matters.

The venue for the hearing will be Court 17, Level 4, Brisbane Magistrates Court, 363 George Street, Brisbane. Ms Dines said, “The Royal Commission has a national focus and in the first half of 2014 there will also be public hearings in New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia and the ACT.”

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NORTHERN IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph

BY JACK BRENNAN – 31 JANUARY 2014

A former resident of a Church-run children’s home has told an inquiry how he was sexually abused by older boys while he slept.

He told the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry that St Joseph’s children’s home in Termonbacca, Co Londonderry, was “run on starvation”.

The man was handed over to a priest at St Joseph’s by his mother when he was a child and lived at the home in the 1950s and 1960s.

He told the inquiry which is investigating abuse claims against children’s residential institutions from 1922 to 1995 that responsibility for the younger boys was given over to the older boys by the nuns. The witness described how the older boys would call out the names of children at night, before having them stripped and sexually abusing them “for their own entertainment”.

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AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald

January 31, 2014

Catherine Armitage
Senior Writer

A government department has written to YMCA NSW expressing doubt that it is a child-safe organisation and imposing tough new conditions on its childcare licence based on evidence from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

A year after one of its staff Jonathan Lord was jailed for molesting boys as young as six in his care, and a month after scorching publicity and damning evidence about lax child-safety practices, an inspection last November revealed some childcare staff at YMCA Caringbah where Lord worked were still ignorant of child-protection laws and their obligation to comply with them, the commission has been told.

A compliance notice dated January 17 from the NSW Department of Education and Communities to YMCA NSW chief executive officer Phillip Hare sets out strict conditions for continuation of the YMCA’s childcare licence, which must be met by April 30. The letter was tendered as evidence at the commission.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

[with extensive chart]

By Jennifer S. Mann jmann@post-dispatch.com 314-621-58043

ST. LOUIS • As the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal exploded across the nation in 2002, St. Louis was exposed to seamy details that previously had been hidden behind local parish walls.

A cascade of complaints against priests and other church employees — some, of abuse kept secret for decades — poured in to the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Only recently has the archdiocese revealed the extent.

The number of abuse allegations made here that year, according to the archdiocese’s own record keeping, was 111 — nearly half of what church officials say they received in total over a 20-year period ending in 2003. Those incidents dated back as far as the 1940s.

It is one of several revelations found in a cryptic court filing that provides the clearest view yet of the scope of the crisis here. The archdiocese released the information while fighting demands for further disclosures in a lawsuit filed by an alleged victim of the since-defrocked Rev. Joseph Ross.

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RHODE ISLAND
Boston.com

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A group that advocates for victims of clergy abuse wants authorities to investigate the Legion of Christ, a disgraced Roman Catholic order.

Two lawsuits in Rhode Island claim the Legion of Christ deceived elderly donors into giving it millions at the same time its officials knew the church was investigating its founder, the late Rev. Marcial Maciel, for allegations including sex abuse. The order has said its actions in both cases were proper. A spokesman for the Legion did not return messages seeking comment this week.

The Vatican took over the order in 2010 after the investigation determined that Maciel had fathered three children and molested seminarians. In December, the Legion admitted a superior in charge of American priests-in-training sexually abused a minor at the Legion’s novitiate in Cheshire, Conn., where he was novice director from 1982 to 1994.

David Clohessy, executive director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said on Thursday that Rhode Island and Connecticut law enforcement should investigate.

‘‘The Legion’s known and suspected wrongdoing is so persistent and widely documented that we think action by law enforcement is warranted. No institution can or should be allowed to essentially police itself,’’ he said.

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NEW YORK
The New York Times

By ARIEL KAMINER
JAN. 30, 2014

A federal lawsuit accusing Yeshiva University of covering up the sexual abuse of dozens of high school students has been thrown out by the judge hearing the case.

The lawsuit sought to hold the school, former administrators and former trustees accountable for hundreds of acts of abuse by two rabbis and an alumnus during the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s. But the judge, John G. Koeltl of United States District Court in Manhattan, ruled on Thursday that it could not proceed because too many years had elapsed since the abuses took place.

The plaintiffs had sought to circumvent the statutes of limitations. They argued that the clock did not start ticking on their case until Yeshiva’s role in covering up the abuse was revealed in a December 2012 article in The Daily Forward.

But Judge Koeltl rejected that argument. “In this case,” he wrote, “the statutes of limitations have expired decades ago, and no exceptions apply.”

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AUSTRALIA
NEWS.com.au

A FEMALE teacher at an all-boys Catholic school in Sydney has resigned over reported inappropriate relationships with students.

The St Aloysius’ College teacher, who taught Drama and English and is aged in her late 20s, had sex last year with at least two Year 12 students who were over 16 years old.

The teacher’s behaviour was exposed when a parent found out about a relationship with her son, Fairfax Media reports.

The school sent a note home to parents this week, alerting them about the incident.

Other teachers at the school were shocked to learn of the allegations, news.com.au has learnt.

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AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald

January 31, 2014

Anne Davies

EXCLUSIVE

A teacher has resigned from one of the north shore’s leading Catholic boys schools, St Aloysius College, after an internal investigation revealed she had been having “inappropriate relationships” with a number of boys in year 12 last year.

It is understood the teacher had sex with at least two boys at the school, including one who was a member of the school’s leadership group.

The boys were over the age of 16 but, because of the student-teacher relationship, the alleged contact contravened the rules of the school and child protection legislation.

It is believed that the events came to light at the school after a parent became aware of the teacher’s relationship with the son.

The rector of St Aloysius, Peter Hosking, who is responsible for pastoral care at the Jesuit school, confirmed the teacher had left the school after an internal investigation into “inappropriate contact”.

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AUSTRALIA
9 News

January 31, 2014

A teacher has resigned from an elite Catholic boys school in Sydney amid claims she had sex with at least two Year 12 boys last year.

St Aloysius’ College confirmed that the teacher, who taught drama and English and is aged in her late 20s, had left the school after an internal investigation into “inappropriate contact”, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

The rector of St Aloysius, Peter Hosking, declined to say how many students were involved but said the Jesuit school was taking the matter very seriously and had written to parents.

The two boys understood to have had sex with the teacher were over the age of 16 at the time but the alleged acts still breached child protection legislation as well as school rules because of the teacher-student relationship.

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UNITED STATES
The Age of Blasphemy

This is crossposted from Eyes Right, the blog of Political Research Associates, where I will be doing a series of posts on the Christian Right and child sex abuse. — FC

The exposure of widespread sex abuse by Roman Catholic clergy–and of the subsequent cover-ups by church leaders–has rocked the Catholic church for more than a decade. Less well known, though closely analogous, is the issue of widespread abuse within Protestant evangelical churches. Such stories raise doubt that the evangelical/Catholic alliance that defines the contemporary Christian Right is, in any legitimate sense, a defender of “family values.”

Boz Tchividjian rattled the evangelical world in 2013, when he declared that the problem of child sex abuse in evangelicalism is “worse” than the problem in the Roman Catholic Church. The grandson of Billy Graham, a former child sex crimes prosecutor for the state of Florida, and now a law professor at Liberty University, Tchividjian has both the public profile to hold an audience, and the professional experience to back up his assertions.Tchividjian is not the only prominent evangelical speaking out. “Catholic and Baptist leaders have more similarities than differences on the child-abuse front,” wrote Robert Parnham, executive director of the Baptist Center for Ethics. “Both have harmed church members and the Christian witness by not swiftly addressing predatory clergy and designing reliable protective systems.”

The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), which currently claims 15.9 million members in 46,000 churches in the U.S., has acknowledged the problem of child sex abuse within member churches. Still, too many Baptist leaders–like their Catholic counterparts–have responded to the problem with denials, inattention, and cover-ups. Indeed, Rev. Peter Lumpkins of Georgia called for the SBC’s governing body to adopt “a zero-tolerance policy toward the sexual abuse of children in churches,” but now thinks church officials are ignoring his 2013 resolution.

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MISSOURI
CBS St. Louis

By: Christina Turner, State Capitol Bureau

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (MDN) – Missouri lawmakers considered a bill that would criminalize clergy sexual exploitation.

House Bill 1346 would create a class C felony of sexual exploitation by or of a clergy person. The bill would prevent any sexual conduct between a parishioner and religious leader within 120 days of first advisement.

Rep. Kathie Conway, R-St. Charles, is the bill sponsor and vice-chair of the House Committee on Crime Prevention and Public Safety. She says the bill was inspired by a woman whose pastor took advantage of her in the aftermath of a difficult pregnancy. After telling her husband what happened, the victim went to the police.

“The police of course said, ‘Well, there’s nothing we can do, it was consensual,’” Conway said. “Well her response was, ‘Well, it was consensual because she was so unduly influenced by this man.”

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ESTADOS UNIDOS
Terra

[Group seeks criminal probes of Catholic order]

Associated Press

Un grupo que defiende a las víctimas de abusos sexuales por parte del clero quiere que las autoridades investiguen a los Legionarios de Cristo, una orden católica desprestigiada.

En dos demandas interpuestas en Rhode Island se afirma que los Legionarios engañaron a personas de edad avanzada para que les donaran millones de dólares mientras sus autoridades sabían que la Iglesia católica investigaba a su fundador, el sacerdote mexicano Marcial Maciel, por denuncias de abuso sexual. Un portavoz de los Legionarios no devolvió un mensaje en busca de comentarios esta semana.

El Vaticano tomó control de la orden en el 2010 luego de que una investigación determinó que Maciel tuvo tres hijos y acosó sexualmente a seminaristas. En diciembre, los Legionarios admitieron que un superior a cargo de los sacerdotes en formación en Estados Unidos abusó de un menor en Cheshire, Connecticut, donde fue director de novicios de 1982 a 1994.

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AUSTRALIA
New South Wales Police Force

Catholic priest charged over alleged historical indecent assault – Strike Force Rufina

Friday, 31 January 2014

A Catholic priest has been charged following an alleged historical indecent assault in Croydon.

In 2013, Strike Force Rufina was formed to investigate an allegation of the indecent assault of a teenage boy at a Croydon parish in 2005.

About 12pm on Wednesday 29 January 2014, detectives attached to Strike Force Rufina arrested a 38-year-old man at Burwood Police Station.

He was charged with one count of aggravated indecent assault and granted conditional bail, to appear at Burwood Local Court on 20 February 2014.

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AUSTRALIA
NEWS.com.au

A CATHOLIC priest in Sydney’s inner west has been charged with the historical indecent assault of a teenage boy.

Last year a strike force was established to investigate allegations a teenage boy had been abused at a Croydon parish in 2005, police said.

A Catholic priest, 38, was arrested and charged with aggravated indecent assault.

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SCOTLAND
Herald Scotland

Friday 31 January 2014

A priest suspended for alleging a culture of homosexual bullying within the Catholic Church in Scotland has lost a legal challenge over access to his parish house.

Parishioners in Blantyre, Lanarkshire, have been told an interdict was granted at Hamilton Sheriff Court forbidding Father Matthew Despard, who has been suspended since last November, from preventing his replacement gaining access to the presbytery.

Father Despard, 48, had refused to leave the presbytery house of St John Ogilvie, High Blantyre, having changed the locks.

He continued to live in the property against the will of the interim Bishop Of Motherwell Joseph Toal. His temporary replacement, the Reverend William Nolan, has been unable to get into the property, leading to the court action against him.

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AUSTRALIA
The Satellite

Jessica Grewal 30th Jan 2014

THE royal commission is expected find that Anglican Diocese of Grafton failed in its handling of child abuse claims at Lismore’s North Coast Children’s Home and withheld information from the police.

In a damning report released on Thursday night, Counsel Assisting the Commissioner Simeon Beckett recommends that two Northern NSW priests – Reverend Morgan and Reverend Brown – be referred to the Anglican Church’s Professional Standards Committee to determine whether disciplinary proceedings should be initiated against them.

Final submissions arising from the November inquiry into abuse at the home closed on January 24.

Mr Beckett submitted there were 59 findings available to the commission – including that the Grafton Diocese put the interests of the Anglican Church ahead of providing financial support to victims.

He found former Grafton Diocese registrar Pat Comben was aware former Lismore Priest Allan Kitchingman had been convicted of sexual offences against a child but failed to commence disciplinary proceedings against him.

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AUSTRALIA
Fraser Coast Chronicle

Jessica Grewal 31st Jan 2014

ALLEGATIONS made against an accused pedophile priest during last year’s North Coast Children’s Home inquiry are now subject to a police investigation, documents before the royal commission have revealed.

Reverend Campbell Brown, a retired Grafton priest believed to be living in the Newcastle area, is accused of sexually assaulting children, including whistleblower Richard “Tommy” Campion, while he was in a position of trust at the Lismore home.

Documents tendered to the commission this week confirm Rev Brown was referred to the police in December last year.

He had previously been referred to the Child Abuse Squad in 2006.

At the time, the Grafton Diocese was told Rev Brown had not had any contact with the Church since the ordinance of women, was nearly 80 years old and vision impaired.

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AUSTRALIA
ABC News

Claims of child sexual abuse at Lismore’s North Coast Children’s Home are the focus of findings and recommendations just released.

Among them is that the Anglican Church put school funding ahead of settling child sexual abuse claims.

The Commission itself is yet to release its final report, but Counsel Assisting, Simeon Beckett, published 59 findings and 6 recommendations.

He found there was a long history of knowledge about child abuse, with Reverend Pat Comben and Peter Roland knowing since 2006 of at least 20 cases.

He found Rev Comben failed to refer the allegations to police.

Another finding was that former Grafton Bishop Keith Slater wrote hostile letters to abuse survivors.

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CALIFORNIA
KGO

[with video]

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — There are charges of lurid sex and cover-ups at the landmark St Francis of Assisi Church in San Francisco’s North Beach. The accuser is a former worker who just filed a lawsuit against the Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco. It’s a story you’ll only see on ABC7 News.

Jhona Mathews is a single mother in her 30s with a 2-year-old child. She worked in the administration office of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi.

Mathews says church trustee Bill McLaughlin, who has since been fired, became her supervisor. Her lawsuit charges that he forced her to have sex and spanked her with a wooden paddle.

“Many of these sex acts and demands and the spankings occurred inside the shrine premises, in the sacristy of the shrine,” said the plaintiff’s attorney, Sandra Ribera.

Mathews says the paddle was given to McLaughlin by his close friend, Monsignor James Tarantino. He’s charged in the lawsuit with covering up the alleged wrongdoings.

“The inscription BNO, which stands for boys night out,” Ribera said. “And it says To Bill M. from Father T. The sexual acts that Bill McLaughlin was basically threatening my client to engage in otherwise she would lose her job.”

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CALIFORNIA
The Raw Story

By Arturo Garcia
Thursday, January 30, 2014

The head of a San Francisco church is accused of covering up one of his former trustees’ sexual abuse toward an employee, including paddlings and coerced sexual activities, KGO-TV reported on Thursday.

“Many of these sex acts and demands and the spankings occurred inside the shrine premises, in the sacristy of the shrine,” the alleged victim’s attorney, Sandra Ribera, told KGO.

Ribera’s client, Jhona Mathews, claims that the incidents took place over the course of her year working at St Francis of Assisi Church, saying her supervisor, trustee Bill McLaughlin, forced her to have sex under threat of termination. The suit also accuses McLaughlin of using a paddle given to McLaughlin by Monsignor James Tarantino. Tarantino is also accused of hiding McLaughlin’s alleged activities. McLaughlin is no longer a trustee at the church.

The paddle, Ribera told KGO, bears “the inscription ‘BNO,’ which stands for ‘boys night out.’ And it says, ‘To Bill M. from Father T.’”

According to Ribera, Mathews eventually told McLaughlin she would not comply with his demands, only to be fired. St. Francis of Assisi released a statement saying Mathews was fired “for financial improprieties that are the subject of an ongoing police investigation.” It also called her lawsuit “full of lurid accusations but devoid of the truth.”

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IRELAND
The New York Times

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD
JAN. 31, 2014

For years, the government of Ireland has denied liability for child sexual abuse by teachers in state-financed schools managed by the Roman Catholic Church. The European Court of Human Rights punctured this denial Tuesday with a finding that the Irish government, in financing and regulating the education of youngsters, had “an inherent obligation” to protect them, and owed compensation to a victim whose case was rejected as groundless by Ireland’s highest court.

The European court pointed to the obvious: The Irish government is responsible for failing to act against inhuman and degrading treatment of citizens that is specifically barred under Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The court ordered more than $150,000 in compensation and court costs for Louise O’Keeffe, who had been repeatedly abused 40 years ago as a 9-year-old at the national school at Dunderrow, County Cork.

The abuser was a lay teacher, Leo Hickey, who was not charged for 20 years, even though parents had complained about him to a school administrator in the early 1970s. The scandal finally broke into the open in the 1990s and the abuser was sentenced to three years in prison after being charged with 386 criminal offenses involving 21 youngsters.

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NEW YORK
WIVB

[with video]

By Posted by: Eli George
Updated: Thursday, January 30, 2014

More than a dozen people have now come forward with allegations of sexual abuse against a local pastor.

A grand jury will review Reverend Roy Harriger’s case. At least 15 people in three states have now signed affidavits claiming that Harriger molested them as children.

The case first came to light last Thanksgiving, when State Police announced Harriger’s arrest. The 70-year-old pastor of Community Fellowship Church in the Town of Hartland was charged with incest, sodomy, and course of sexual conduct.

He’s accused of molesting a boy and a girl about 12 years ago when he was pastor of the Wesleyan Church in Lyndonville.

Those who know him from church came out to support him.

Church member Donna Kidney said, “I know he did not do it. He’s innocent. I know in my spirit, he’s innocent.”

His own son, George Harriger, told News 4 he was molested as a boy but never realized there were others.

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CALIFORNIA
Wall Street Journal

By TOM CORRIGAN
Jan. 28, 2014

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Stockton, Calif., which is the 10th Catholic diocese in the U.S. to enter Chapter 11 protection as a result of increasing sexual-abuse claims, has received a judge’s approval of its initial bankruptcy requests.

The ruling by Judge Christopher M. Klein of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Sacramento, Calif., on Friday will allow the diocese to continue to pay its 37 salaried employees and seven hourly employees, according to court papers. Judge Klein is also overseeing the Chapter 9 bankruptcy case for the city of Stockton.

These so-called first-day motions ease the company’s transition into Chapter 11 protection, allowing it to pay some debts, arrange financing and maintain existing operations. The bankruptcy filing will allow the diocese to discharge liabilities stemming from sexual-abuse allegations and set up a trust for victims to receive compensation.

Earlier this month, Bishop Stephen E. Blaire announced the diocese’s plan to file for bankruptcy.

“Very simply, we are in this situation because of those priests in our diocese who perpetrated grave, evil acts of child sexual abuse,” he said.

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ILLINOIS
Southwest News Herald

[documents]

By DERMOT CONNOLLY • Friday, January 31, 2014

The Jan. 21 release by the Chicago Archdiocese of 6,000 pages of documents relating to sexual abuse by priests dating back decades, reminded some area residents of the local connections to the scandal that continues to have repercussions.

Members of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests maintain
that the information does not go far enough, and point out that the
documents were released to plaintiffs’ lawyers to comply with a settlement agreement, rather than willingly.

The documents include information about 30 of at least 65 priests for whom the archdiocese has substantiated claims of child abuse.

Those not included belong to religious orders, and church officials said members of religious orders, unlike diocesan priests, are not under the control of Cardinal Francis George.

Few people contacted wanted to comment by name, but words such as “disgusting,” “disgraceful” and “sinful” were used to describe the scandal, which was uncovered on a national and international
scale in the 1990s.

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CHICAGO (IL)
NBC Chicago

[with video]

By MaryAnn Ahern | Thursday, Jan 30, 2014

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago has settled a civil lawsuit filed in connection with the sexual abuse of a boy by a former priest.

The $3.1 million settlement Daniel McCormack and a 25-year-old man who was 13 at the time of the abuse.

The boy met McCormack at St. Agatha’s Church.

“He came from a difficult family and gravitated toward St. Agatha and Father McCormack because Father McCormack was his basketball coach, his friend, his priest, his mentor,” attorney William Martin said.

Attorneys say the abuse took place over a period of four years. The accused the archdiocese of failing to promptly remove Daniel McCormack after claims he abused children had emerged.

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MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

[with video]

Madeleine Baran St. Paul, Minn. Jan 30, 2014

Victims’ attorney Jeff Anderson sued the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Thursday then immediately slammed Ramsey County Attorney John Choi for what he called a “defective and deficient” response to allegations that top archdiocese leaders covered up clergy sex abuse.

Anderson, who was the first to expose the archdiocese’s failure to report sex crimes nearly three decades ago, said Choi’s handling of the abuse scandal is putting children at risk.

Anderson’s remarks came at a news conference held at his St. Paul office to announce the filing of a lawsuit on behalf of a victim of the Rev. Curtis Wehmeyer. The lawsuit accuses the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis of deceiving the public by saying it has made every effort to protect children and for failing to protect the young boy from Wehmeyer.

Anderson sharply criticized Choi’s decision Wednesday not to charge anyone at the archdiocese for failure to promptly report sexual abuse by the Rev. Curtis Wehmeyer in 2012.

“If I have to publicly shame John Choi for making the decision, that’s what I’ll do,” he said.

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MINNESOTA
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul

Date:Thursday, January 30, 2014

Source: Jim Accurso

In response to questions seeking clarity regarding the Weymeyer case, we affirm the finding of law enforcement that we complied with the requirements of mandated reporting. We have continuously made ourselves available to law enforcement to address any outstanding questions they may have on the matter and we know, based on the body of facts of the case, that the findings announced yesterday by civil authorities are accurate.

With respect to the timeline associated with our reporting in June 2012, the earliest that any representative of the archdiocese became aware of the specific allegations of sexual abuse of a minor by Wehmeyer was on the morning of June 19, 2012. However, that information was provided to a priest of the archdiocese in the context of a pastoral relationship, which is considered privileged communication under Minnesota law. The archdiocese sought the waiver of the privilege so that we could report the matter to the police. The privilege was waived by the mother of the victim, the only person who could waive the privilege, on the afternoon of June 20. This then allowed the archdiocese to make a formal report to police the same afternoon regarding the allegations shared within the pastoral relationship. Undeniably, the report was made immediately thereafter.

We have provided a detailed timeline to law enforcement with clear supporting documentation and stand ready to provide any additional information they may need.

With respect to the decree document that states the archdiocese received a complaint regarding Wehmeyer on June 18, the following information is important to know: first, the decree was written by the former Chancellor for Canonical Affairs and provided to Archbishop John Nienstedt to sign, and so reflects her perception of the timeline; second, the date reference is inaccurate, based on all of the detailed and substantial information and documentation we have provided to the police; and third, the decree, which is a canonical document, was filed with other documents submitted to the Holy See and not included in the priest file.

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MINNESOTA
KARE

Boua Xiong, KARE

ST. PAUL, Minn.–For three decades attorney Jeff Anderson has been filing clergy sex abuse lawsuits. This is the first time he’s publicly criticized law enforcement.

Anderson doesn’t believe Ramsey County attorney John Choi and St Paul Police Chief Tom Smith didn’t do their jobs.

“They didn’t seize one piece of evidence. They didn’t execute one search warrant,” Anderson said.

That’s why Anderson filed a new lawsuit against the Archdiocese. The suit alleges the Archdiocese destroyed evidence and failed to report abuse by Reverend Curtis Wehemeyer. Anderson says the evidence of cover-up is there, pointing to a document first obtained by MPR which showed church leaders knew about Wehemyer but delayed reporting.

The county attorney’s office and St. Paul Police are reviewing the document, which they did not have on Wednesday when they announced no criminal charges would be filed against the Archdiocese. Howie Padilla, with St. Paul Police, wrote in an email to KARE 11 they will not reopening the case at this time.

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MINNESOTA
Pioneer Press

[Documents via Jeff Anderson & Associates:

Complaint
Criminal Complaint 1
Criminal Complaint 2
Wehmeyer Timeline
Emails Between Archdiocese and SPPD June 20-21, 2012
Wehmeyer Docs – Highlighted
Photo of Nienstedt
Photo of Wehmeyer ]

By Emily Gurnon
egurnon@pioneerpress.com
POSTED: 01/30/2014

St. Paul attorney Jeff Anderson said officials of the Twin Cities archdiocese Thursday hid evidence and obstructed an investigation into child sexual abuse by the Rev. Curtis Wehmeyer.

Anderson also blasted Ramsey County Attorney John Choi for choosing not to prosecute church officials on charges of failure to report sexual abuse, obstruction of legal process or aiding an offender.

“Law enforcement and John Choi chose to give them a pass,” Anderson said. “They did not treat them nor have they treated them like ordinary suspects in a criminal enterprise.”

Anderson’s assertions about the archdiocese are “false, inflammatory and misleading,” archdiocese spokesman Jim Accurso said in a written statement Thursday. “We take particular exception to his unfounded assumptions regarding the intent and actions of Archbishop (John) Nienstedt, who has been resolute in his commitment to strictly adhering to both canon and civil laws.

“We wish to reassert that we have cooperated with civil authorities and will continue to do so,” the statement said.

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CHICAGO (IL)
WGN

[with video]

by Julie Unruh
Reporter

As the stories keep on surfacing, the settlements with the Chicago Archdiocese just keep on coming. On Thursday– another case accusing disgraced former Priest Daniel McCormack.

John Doe was abused between 2001 and 2005. He was in 8th grade when it started and the nightmare with McCormack did not end until he was a junior in high school.

On Thursday he walked away with over $3 million– but his nightmare is far from over. The healing process can take a lifetime.

Bill Martin is describing his 25-year old African American client– once a Lawndale teen abused for four years by Daniel McCormack– a priest, teacher and mentor he trusted from st. Agatha in Chicago. Bill Martin described how McCormack preyed on the boy during those years and violated the child’s trust.

Three lawyers alone have handled or are working through a minimum of 10 sexual abuse claims related to the disgraced priest. Thursday’s settlement of $3.15 million took five years to reach. Just last week, another group of lawyers unveiled 6,000 pages of documents revealing sexual misdeeds by 30 or so other priests. Those lawyers claim the archdiocese should have done more to protect children rather than their own reputation. These lawyers say Cardinal George specifically ignored the suggestions of the archdioceses’ review board to remove McCormack from proximity to children –yet he sent him back to St. Agatha again.

The archdiocese released a statement today that says in short:

“The abuse of any child is a crime and a sin. The Archdiocese encourages anyone who has been sexually abused by a priest, deacon, religious or lay employee, to come forward?

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UNITED STATES
USA Today

Tom Krattenmaker, USATODAY
January 30, 2014

It’s a scourge as old as the ages, yet sexual violence against women and children is fresh in the headlines as President Obama launches an initiative to address sexual assaults on college campuses, while the military tries to fix its own problem and newly released documents shed galling light on the Catholic Church’s pattern of abuse and coverup in the Chicago diocese.

As the priests’ crimes remind us, religious institutions, at their worst, have often proved complicit and sometimes out-and-out guilty when it comes to sexual advances against vulnerable people. As real as that problem is, however, there’s a counterstory emerging that could redeem religion’s role in this ugly dynamic:

Faith organizations are beginning to address sexual abuse with a new energy and earnestness — a welcome step toward the fulfillment of their enormous potential to do good on this front.

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MASSACHUSETTS
Telegram & Gazette

By Bronislaus B. Kush TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
bkush@telegram.com

LANCASTER — The Rev. Thomas Hultquist, the pastor of the former St. Joseph Parish in Barre, has been named the temporary administrator at Immaculate Conception Parish on Main Street.

He will fill in until a pastor is named to replace the Rev. Edward Lettic, who was relieved of his pastoral duties last weekend after an allegation of sexual misconduct was made against the longtime clergyman.

Rev. Hultquist, a native of Northbridge, was pastor at St. Joseph’s from 1992 until last year when that congregation was merged with St. Thomas-a-Becket Parish to form St. Francis of Asissi Parish.

Ordained in 1976, he has served as associate pastor at St. Joseph’s in North Brookfield, the former St. Camillus Parish in Fitchburg, St. Peter’s Parish in Worcester, and St. Cecelia’s Parish in Leominster.

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ESTADOS UNIDOS
Metro

WASHINGTON (AP) — Philomena Lee describió tristemente cómo perdió a su hijo cuando fue adoptado y cómo lo busco 50 años después, una historia retratada en la película nominada al Oscar, protagonizada por la actriz ganadora del Premio de la Academia Judi Dench.

Su experiencia es un argumento poderoso para que Irlanda abra los archivos de adopción para miles de madres más cuyos hijos terminaron en ciudades estadounidenses como San Luis, Filadelfia, Boston y Nueva York, dijo la senadora Claire McCaskill el jueves después de una reunión con Lee.

Las dos mujeres, acompañadas por la hija de Lee, Jane Libberton, hablaron ante reporteros en el Capitolio sobre el Proyecto Philomena y sus esfuerzos para reunir familias. La película ha puesto la atención en las adopciones, al igual que la conmovedora historia de Lee.

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UNITED STATES
Toronto Sun

IAN SIMPSON, REUTERS

FIRST POSTED: THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2014

WASHINGTON – The 80-year-old Irish woman who inspired the Oscar-nominated film “Philomena” took her campaign for access to adoption records to the U.S. Congress on Thursday, and a senator said lawmakers might urge Ireland to act on the issue.

Philomena Lee, who searched for 50 years for the son she was forced to give up as a teenager, launched a campaign last week calling on Dublin to pass laws for the release of more than 60,000 adoption files held by the state, private adoption agencies and the Catholic Church.

Like thousands of other children, Lee’s son was adopted by an American family, and she said she was overwhelmed by the support her story has generated in the United States. “Philomena” received four Academy Award nominations this month, including one for actress Judi Dench, who plays Lee.

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UNITED STATES
CBS St. Louis

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill today met with Philomena Lee to discuss Irish adoption laws and Philomena’s work to reunite American children separated from their Irish families through forced adoption. The story of Philomena’s decades-long search for the son who was forcibly adopted and raised by a family in St. Louis, Mo., is the subject of a recent book and Oscar-nominated film.

“Philomena’s story is heart-wrenching, and she has one of the most just causes you could possibly have—the simple premise that if a child is taken from a mother against her will, there should be an easy way to reconnect with that child,” McCaskill said. “Unfortunately in Ireland, for many years there was a repugnant practice of children taken from their young mothers, put in a home, and when the child got a certain age, shipped off to America to new parents. I have a blended family of seven children. All of my husband’s children from his first marriage are adopted, and we are fortunate in that his oldest son has reconnected with his birthmother—we know and socialize with her, and they have a wonderful relationship. So I know firsthand how important it is to keep those doors open and to allow the transparency and availability of adoption records so that children and parents can have the opportunity to reunite when it is their life’s wish.”

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UNITED STATES
KSDK

WASHINGTON (AP) – Philomena Lee wistfully described her search for her son 50 years after his adoption, a quest captured in an Oscar-nominated film.

Missouri Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill said Lee’s experience was an argument for adoption rights and an incentive for Ireland to open its records.

The two women met Thursday and spoke to reporters about the Philomena Project and efforts to reconcile families. They were joined by Lee’s daughter, Jane Libberton, who helped in the search.

The movie starring Judi Dench has drawn attention to Lee’s story and what transpired in Ireland for decades. Children were adopted by Americans, and their birth mothers were unable to find out what happened to them.

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UNITED STATES
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Nancy Cambria nancy.cambria@post-dispatch.com 314-340-82387

The Oscar-nominated movie “Philomena,” which highlights children adopted out of Irish convents against their birth mothers’ wishes, has inspired Sen. Claire McCaskill to press the Irish government to open its adoption records.

In a Washington press conference this morning with the namesake of the movie, Philomena Lee, McCaskill said the Irish government needs to immediately pass legislation to help these children and birth parents reconnect. Many of those records remain closed despite the thousands of adoptions that took place.

Lee spent nearly 10 years trying to find her son who was adopted out of a convent without her consent in the 1950s and given to an American couple from St. Louis. Lee was blocked by nuns at the convent from obtaining vital information to find him. She later learned her son, Michael Hess, had also been trying to find her and had made trips to the convent begging the nuns to give him information to find his birth mother.

Hess, who had risen through the ranks of the Republican party and was a chief legal adviser in the Reagan Administration, died of AIDS without ever finding Lee. His dying wish was to be buried at the convent.

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CANADA
APTN

APTN National News

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has been extended by a year.

The commission was expected to end this summer, but is now scheduled to come to a close June 30, 2015 after being extended Thursday.

It doesn’t come a surprise as the TRC had to fight the government twice to release documents it was withholding.

That includes thousands held at the Library of Archives Canada, and most recently documents involving a police investigation into the former St. Anne’s Residential School.

The TRC needs the documents before writing its final report.

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CANADA
Digital Journal

Canada NewsWire

OTTAWA, Jan. 30, 2014

Harper Government’s request to extend the operating period of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission is approved by the supervising court

OTTAWA, Jan. 30, 2014 /CNW/ – Further to the Statement on November 14, 2013, the Honourable Bernard Valcourt, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, announced that the British Columbia Supreme Court has approved, on consent of the parties to the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, Canada’s request that the operating period of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) be extended for a period of one year ending June 30, 2015.

This additional year will allow the Commission sufficient time to fulfill its mandate, including writing its final report and receiving those documents held at Library and Archives Canada that Canada provides during this period.

Quick Facts

On November 14, 2013, AANDC Minister Bernard Valcourt announced that the Government of Canada would work with the TRC and parties of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, as well as the British Columbia Supreme Court, to extend the operating period of the TRC until June 30, 2015.

All parties, including the Government of Canada, legal counsel for former students, legal counsel for the Churches, the Assembly of First Nations and the Inuit representatives, agreed to seek the court’s permission for the extension.

On January 30, 2014 the British Columbia Supreme Court approved the request to extend the mandate of the TRC, to June 30, 2015.

Quotes

“I am pleased that the supervising court has approved an Order that the operating period of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission be extended by one year. Our government remains committed to achieving a fair and lasting resolution to the legacy of Indian Residential Schools, which lies at the heart of reconciliation and the renewal of the relationship between Aboriginal people and all Canadians.”

Bernard Valcourt
Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development

“I commend the parties to the Settlement Agreement for requesting the extension to the mandate, and the court for granting their request. This additional year will enable the Commission to continue to receive the documents held at Library and Archives Canada and to write its final report. The Commission is glad of the opportunity to finish the work it was mandated to do under the Settlement Agreement.”

The Honourable Justice Murray Sinclair
Chair of Truth and Reconciliation Commission

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MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

[Documents via Jeff Anderson & Associates:

Complaint
Criminal Complaint 1
Criminal Complaint 2
Wehmeyer Timeline
Emails Between Archdiocese and SPPD June 20-21, 2012
Wehmeyer Docs – Highlighted
Photo of Nienstedt
Photo of Wehmeyer ]

Article by: ASSOCIATED PRESS

ST. PAUL, Minn. — A teenage boy who was molested by the Rev. Curtis Wehmeyer from 2008 through 2011 sued the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis on Thursday, alleging it conspired to protect the priest from criminal prosecution and conceal his history of sexual misconduct from the public.

The lawsuit comes one day after Ramsey County prosecutors said they wouldn’t charge members of the archdiocese for the way they handled allegations against Wehmeyer because there was insufficient evidence to prove anyone failed to immediately report the abuse. Wehmeyer pleaded guilty in 2012 and is serving a five-year prison sentence.

However, a document obtained Wednesday by Minnesota Public Radio News raised questions about when church leaders knew about the accusations against Wehmeyer and about the timing of the report to police. St. Paul police and prosecutors said Thursday they didn’t have that document in their initial investigation, but they are now reviewing it to see if it warrants reopening the case.

“At this point, we are not reopening anything,” said police spokesman Howie Padilla.

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NEW YORK
Jeff Anderson & Associates

News Release

January 30, 2014

Judge dismisses 32 sexual abuse claims based on the statute of limitations

(New York, NY) – Judge John G. Koeltl issued an order today dismissing a civil lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York on behalf of 32 former students of Yeshiva University High School in New York. The defendants named in the lawsuit were Yeshiva University, Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy-Yeshiva University High School for Boys, Rabbi Norman Lamm, Rabbi Robert Hirt and various members of the Board of Trustees for Yeshiva University.

“The dismissal of these cases is a serious set-back for the child protection movement,” said attorney Jeff Anderson of St. Paul, Minnesota-based law firm Jeff Anderson & Associates. “This is a sad reminder how the law in New York protects offenders and those institutions who protect offenders. We encourage the courts and lawmakers in New York to pay attention to these laws and to make the necessary changes. This is a sad day but it is not the end of the journey of help, hope and healing for these survivors and others hurt at Yeshiva University High School and in the state of New York.”

The complaint states that the 32 Plaintiffs were sexually abused while students at Yeshiva University High School by perpetrators including the school’s former Principal George Finkelstein, who targeted vulnerable students, used his power as an administrator to silence the victims and lowered their grades thus affecting their scholastic futures.

J. Michael Reck, from the New York office of Jeff Anderson & Associates, who was one of the attorneys handling the litigation on behalf of some of the Plaintiffs said, “We are saddened and disappointed that these survivors of institutional abuse were turned away from their day in court. However, our resolve is hardened and we will continue to advocate on their behalf.”

Soon after the lawsuit was brought, the defendants filed motions to dismiss alleging that the claims were too old to be adjudicated in the New York courts. The ruling is currently being analyzed and an appeal is being considered.

A copy of the complaint and order are available at: www.AndersonAdvocates.com.

Contact: Attorney Mike Reck: Mobile 714.742.6593
Contact: Attorney Jeff Anderson: Office: 651.227.9990 Mobile 612.817.8665

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MINNESOTA
National Catholic Reporter

Brian Roewe | Jan. 30, 2014

Prosecutors in two Minnesota counties announced Wednesday that they will not pursue criminal charges against the St. Paul-Minneapolis archdiocese for failure to report clergy sex abuse allegations of two priests.

The investigations pertained to whether the archdiocese fulfilled its mandatory reporter duties in regard to two much-publicized cases: Fr. Curtis Wehmeyer and Fr. Jonathan Shelley. Details related to both men surfaced through documents and files provided to Minnesota Public Radio by former archdiocesan chancellor Jennifer Haselberger.

According to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Washington County Prosecutor Pete Orput said at a press conference he has closed the investigation into whether Shelley’s computer contained pornographic images of minors after determining that none of the files met the statutory definition of what constitutes “pornographic work involving a minor.” The investigation, which had previously closed in February 2013, reopened in October when the parishioner who originally reported the files to the archdiocese provided police an additional cache of photos.

It was Haselberger who had alerted police and who, in February 2012 and again that May, urged the archdiocese to report to police the files on Shelley’s computer that a private investigator in 2004 had determined “could be considered borderline illegal, because of the youthful male image.” The archdiocese has contended that the images in question were unsolicited pop-up ads that attached to the hard drive without permission.

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TENNESSEE
Courthouse News Service

By JEFF D. GORMAN

(CN) – A Tennessee priest was properly convicted of criminal sexual abuse and aggravated rape related to decades-old attacks, a state appeals court ruled.

An altar boy at St. Dominic’s Church in Kingsport testified that his pastor, William Casey, starting abusing him in 1975 when he was 10. The abuse included oral sex and anal penetration, according to the victim’s testimony.

The victim said he had been reluctant to speak out because his mother told him that she was in love with Casey, who was supposedly going to leave the priesthood to marry her. He also felt nobody would believe him and that he had been taught that priests were God’s representatives on Earth.

Casey meanwhile professed to love the boy, with whom he claimed to have a “special” relationship, the victim later testified. Casey gave him a medallion and 10 shares of Piedmont Airlines stock, he said.

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PUERTO RICO
El Nuevo Dia

[Summary: Archbishop Roberto Gonzalez Nieves of San Juan responded this afternoon to an offer of financial aid to a victim of sexual abuse and confirmed that his lawyer yesterday asked the victim to conclude the agreement. Gonzalez Nieves said the priest who sexually assaulted the victim was suspended in 2010.]

El arzobispo de San Juan monseñor Roberto González Nieves, reaccionó esta tarde al ofrecimiento de ayuda económica a una víctima de abuso sexual y confirmó que su abogada le pidió ayer a la víctima concluir con el acuerdo.

En un comunicado de prensa González Nieves señaló que el sacerdote que agredió sexualmente a la víctima entrevistada por El Nuevo Día está suspendido. Todavía el Vaticano no ha emitido un decreto de expulsión.

“En una investigación preliminar el sacerdote admitió el abuso al entonces menor. Fue suspendido, quedando relevado de sus funciones ministeriales el 7 de septiembre de 2010. El día 30 de diciembre de 2011 el Tribunal Metropolitano culminó la investigación preliminar y el 4 de enero de 2012, el Tribunal Metropolitano remitió el expediente de este asunto a la Congregación para la Doctrina de la Fe, dando cumplimiento al trámite requerido por el orden jurídico canónico”, aceptó González Nieves.

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NEW YORK
Jewish Daily Forward

By Paul Berger
Published January 30, 2014.

Citing New York State’s statute of limitations, a federal judge has dismissed a $380 million lawsuit brought by former students of Yeshiva University’s High School for Boys in Manhattan.

“Statutes of limitations strike a balance between providing a reasonable time for victims to bring their claims while assuring that defendants have a fair opportunity to defend themselves before evidence is lost or memories fade,” United States District Judge John G. Koeltl, wrote in a 52-page decision that was published January 30. “In this case, the statutes of limitations have expired decades ago, and no exceptions apply.”

Kevin Mulhearn, a lawyer for the students, vowed to appeal, calling the judge’s decision “a disgrace and an abomination.”

“My clients deserve far better than this,” Mulhearn said. “The court basically is congratulating Yeshiva University High School for succeeding in its multi-decade cover-up of sexual abuse.”

A Y.U. spokesman said the university is “gratified that the federal court recognized the validity of our arguments in dismissing the case against Yeshiva University, which has been an incredibly trying process for all involved.”

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NEW YORK
New York Daily News

BY DANIEL BEEKMAN / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2014

A federal judge Thursday tossed out the $680 million sexual abuse lawsuit brought by 34 former Yeshiva University prep school students against the Washington Heights institution.

Manhattan Federal Judge John Koeltl said the claims in the lawsuit are barred by statutes of limitation because the alleged incidents of abuse by Yeshiva University High School for Boys staff members occurred several decades ago.

“My clients are men who have been suffering for years,” fumed Kevin Mulhearn, lawyer for the plaintiffs. “They deserve justice, not this perversion of justice.”

Yeshiva University didn’t immediately return a request for comment Thursday.

Mulhearn said the plaintiffs will “prosecute a vigorous and effective appeal.”

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NEW YORK
New York Post

By Rich Calder
January 30, 2014

A federal judge on Thursday tossed a scathing $680 million lawsuit filed by 34 ex-students of Yeshiva University’s prestigious all-boys high school who allege honchos there covered up decades of sexual and physical abuse.

Manhattan federal Judge John Koeltl in his 52-page legal opinion said the victims — who range in age from late-30s to early-60s and reside as far as Israel – simply waited too long to speak up.

“Statutes of limitations strike a balance between providing a reasonable time for victims to bring their claims while assuring that defendants have a fair opportunity to defend themselves before evidence is lost or memories fade,” Koeltl said “In this case, the statutes of limitations have expired decades ago, and no exceptions apply.”

After the written decision, Kevin Mulhearn, the plaintiffs’ lawyer, called Koeltl’s decision an “abomination and a disgrace” and said he plans to appeal.

“The court has stood up and said to Yeshiva University, ‘Congratulations, you have succeeded in your cover-up of the sex abuse!” he said.

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IRELAND
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, Jan. 30

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 )

It was gracious for Enda Kenny to offer and Louise O’Keefe to accept his apology for her suffering.

[Kildare Nationalist]

That gesture, however, in a real sense, changes nothing. Irish Catholic and governmental officials have a moral and civic duty to take four simple, long-overdue steps.

First, they must aggressively seek out and help those who were hurt in institutions, especially those who have moved oversease.

Second, they must offer tangible and generous compensation to all who were injured and betrayed in these institutions.

Third, they must expose every wrong doer involved (living or dead, high level or low level, on the state payroll or the church payroll).

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RHODE ISLAND
Fox News

Published January 30, 2014

Associated Press

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A group that advocates for victims of clergy abuse wants authorities to investigate the Legion of Christ, a disgraced Roman Catholic order.

Two lawsuits in Rhode Island claim the Legion of Christ deceived elderly donors into giving it millions as its officials knew the church was investigating its founder for allegations including sex abuse. The order has said its actions were proper.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests says the suspected wrongdoing is so persistent that Rhode Island and Connecticut law enforcement should investigate.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
Business Insurance

Judy Greenwald

A Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co. unit is not obligated to pay for settlement of a wrongful death claim filed against the Archdiocese of St. Louis in connection with a man’s suicide allegedly caused by a priest’s sexual abuse because the archdiocese could not be held legally liable for the claim, says an appellate court.

Allen Klump, the father of Christopher Klump, filed a wrongful death suit against the Archdiocese of St. Louis in state court in June 2003, charging that a priest employed by the archdiocese had sexually molested his son, which eventually led to Christopher’s suicide, according to Wednesday’s ruling by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis in Chicago Insurance Co. v. Archdiocese of St. Louis; Robert J. Carlson, Archbishop, Father Michael S. McGrath.

According to a news report, Mr. Klump charged in his suit that his 30-year-old son killed himself as a direct result of the sexual abuse he had suffered as a preteen in the 1980s at the hands of a priest during outings billed as spiritual counseling. The report said the accused priest was suspended by the archdiocese in 1997.

The parties subsequently entered into a settlement for an undisclosed amount that released the archdiocese from any future liability associated with the alleged misconduct, according to the ruling. The archdiocese then sought indemnification for its loss.

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OSTERRICH
Die Presse

Franziskus: Expriester in die Kirche einbinden

Der Innsbrucker Bischof, Manfred Scheuer, zieht eine Bilanz des Ad-limina-Besuchs im Vatikan. Dem Papst, sagt Scheuer, gehe es nicht so sehr um Moral als um die Gottesfrage.

30.01.2014 | 18:21 | Von Paul Kreiner (Die Presse)

Vatikanstadt. Keine konkreten Rezepte, keine Ankündigung unmittelbar bevorstehender Reformen, aber die Gewissheit, dass Papst Franziskus „sehr offen für den Dialog“ ist und dass zukunftsträchtige Dialogprozesse auch tatsächlich angestoßen sind. Das ist es, was der Innsbrucker Bischof, Manfred Scheuer, vom fünftägigen Ad-limina-Besuch im Vatikan „erfreut und ermutigt“ mit nach Hause nimmt.

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CHICAGO (IL)
Post-Bulletin

Associated Press

When he turned 75, Cardinal Francis George did what the Roman Catholic Church expects of its bishops. He submitted his resignation so the pope could decide how much longer the cardinal would serve.

George said he hoped Pope Benedict XVI would keep him on as Chicago archbishop for two or three more years. “But, it’s up to him, finally,” George told WLS-TV in Chicago.

Two years and one surprise papal retirement later, the decision now belongs to Pope Francis. The pontiff’s choice will be closely watched as his first major appointment in the U.S., and the clearest indication yet of the direction he will steer American church leaders.

“Many signals for this relationship between the pontificate and the U.S. church will come from Chicago,” said Massimo Faggioli, a professor at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota who studies the Vatican and the papacy. “I think this is going to be the most important decision by Pope Francis for the U.S. church.”

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IRELAND
Kildare Nationalist

Abuse survivor Louise O’Keeffe has accepted the Taoiseach’s apology on behalf of the Irish State.

The Cork woman won a case earlier this week that she brought to the European Court of Human Rights over abuse she suffered at a school in the 1970s.

In a statement, she says she’s grateful for the speed of the Taoiseach’s apology and she graciously accepts it.

“I appreciate very much his apology and I suppose I appreciate the fact that he did it quickly,” she said.

“I would never have looked for an apology for myself.

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IRELAND
Laois Nationalist

The Taoiseach has issued an apology to abuse victim Louise O’Keeffe.

The Cork woman won a case earlier this week in the European Court of Human Rights over abuse she suffered at a school in the 1970s.

The European court overturned a ruling from the Supreme Court which found the State could not be liable as the teacher responsible, Leo Hickey, was not in its direct employment.

Enda Kenny said the judgement was exceptionally complex and would be studied by the Government.

However the Taoiseach said he apologised for the horrendous experience Ms O’Keeffe had to go through.

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IRELAND
National Catholic Reporter

Jennifer Collins Religion News Service | Jan. 29, 2014

DUBLIN — For years, many Irish parents sought to school their children outside the Roman Catholic Church, which dominates the country’s education system. Now a ruling could force the Irish government to do just that.

On Tuesday (Jan. 28), the European Court of Human Rights found the government was liable in a case in which a principal sexually abused a student, then 9 years old, when she attended a state-funded Catholic school in the 1970s. An Irish court had rejected her claims on the grounds that the school wasn’t public, but the European court decided the government had failed in its duty to protect children.

The ruling touched on an issue that has taken on greater urgency in recent years as sexual abuse scandals have rocked the church and more nonreligious people have immigrated to the staunchly Catholic country: Who should run Ireland’s schools?

The Catholic Church runs 90 percent of primary schools in Ireland. The rest are mainly Protestant, and about 4 percent are managed by the nonprofit Educate Together, which is nonsectarian.

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CHICAGO (IL)
Chicago Tribune

By Deanese Williams-Harris
Tribune reporter
1:30 p.m. CST, January 30, 2014

A $3.15 million settlement has been reached in a sexual abuse claim of a victim who said he was abused by the then-Rev. Daniel McCormack, who pleaded guilty in 2007 to multiple counts of criminal sexual assault.

The victim filed the lawsuit in 2010 against the Archdiocese of Chicago and Cardinal Francis George alleging that both failed to remove McCormack and allowed him access to children despite complaints that he had sexually abused minors, according to a news release from the victim’s attorneys.

McCormack, who has since been defrocked, was arrested and charged with multiple counts of criminal sexual abuse in 2006 and later pleaded guilty to the crimes. McCormick was sentenced to five years in prison, and remains confined while a petition to keep him committed to state custody under the Sexually Violent Persons Commitment Act is considered by a Cook County judge.

The victim in the suit said McCormack abused him while he was in eighth grade in 2002 at Our Lady of the West Side Catholic School. The abuse continued while he was in a junior and senior playing in a basketball league for McCormack, who pastor at St. Agatha’s Parish and also a basketball coach, according to the complaint, according to the lawsuit.

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CHICAGO (IL)
CBS Chicago

CHICAGO (CBS) — A nearly $3.2 million settlement has been reached with the Archdiocese of Chicago in a lawsuit alleging sexual abuse with a minor by former priest Daniel McCormack, attorneys in the case said Thursday.

The identity of the plaintiff was not released, but the abuse was alleged to have occurred while the victim was between eighth and 11th grades, according to the plaintiff’s attorneys.

The victim sued the archdiocese and Cardinal Francis George in 2010 alleging they failed to remove McCormack from access to children although they had knowledge that he had sexually abused minors.

“We are pleased to have reached this settlement because it marks one more step toward bringing justice to the victim and his family,” plaintiff attorney Willliam F. Martin said in a statement.

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MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

Madeleine Baran St. Paul, Minn. Jan 30, 2014

Attorney Jeff Anderson has filed a lawsuit against the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis today on behalf of a victim of the Rev. Curtis Wehmeyer. He claims in the suit that the archdiocese was negligent in allowing Wehmeyer access to children.

The victim he’s representing is one of the boys that Wehmeyer pleaded guilty to abusing, he said. Wehmeyer is serving a five-year prison sentence for sexually abusing two boys, ages 12 and 14, and possessing child pornography. Some of the abuse took place in a camper that the priest parked outside his church.

The lawsuit comes one day after Ramsey County Attorney John Choi declined to file charges against anyone at the archdiocese for failure to promptly report child sexual abuse. The law requires a priest to report suspected child abuse within 24 hours unless he learned the information as part of confession.

Soon after Choi announced his decision not to file charges, MPR News reported that Archbishop John Nienstedt signed a church document in June 2012 that said the archdiocese knew of the sexual abuse claims for two days before contacting police.

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MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

Article by: JEAN HOPFENSPERGER , Star Tribune Updated: January 30, 2014

Hours after clearing Archdiocese, Ramsey County officials received a document that is prompting the review.

The Ramsey County Attorney’s office said Thursday it is reviewing documents that appear to indicate that the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis failed to report an allegation of child sex abuse within the time frame required by law.

County Attorney John Choi Wednesday announced his office would not file charges against the archdiocese, because it could not prove beyond reasonable doubt that it hadn’t responded in a timely way to abuse allegations against the Rev. Curtis Wehmeyer, a former St. Paul priest now in prison.

Within hours of that announcement, however, authorities received an archdiocese document that called into question whether the archdiocese acted “immediately.” The document made public by Minnesota Public Radio is a statement by Archbishop John Nienstedt describing a complaint against Wehmeyer days before church officials reported it to police.

“We’re reviewing the documents we received from police,” said Dennis Gerhardstein, spokesman for the county attorney’s office. “It’s new information.”

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NEBRASKA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, Jan. 30 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 )

An accused predator priest who worked in Nebraska has been suspended from ministry in New Mexico because of credible allegations of child sex crimes.

[ABQ Journal]

He is Fr. Timothy Conlon.

We hope every single person who may have seen, suspected or suffered crimes by Conlon – or cover ups by his church colleagues or supervisors – will call police, expose wrongdoing, and protect kids.

We hope every single current or former Catholic employee – in Nebraska, New Mexico or North Dakota – will do everything they can to seek out and help anyone who was hurt by Fr. Conlon. We hope every single Catholic parishioner does likewise.

Of course, Fr. Conlon was given access to Nebraska kids because one or more Nebraska bishops let him work in his diocese. So these bishops have a clear choice. They can split hairs, make excuses and do nothing (acting like cold-hearted CEOs). Or they can step up, show compassion and aggressively seek out others Fr. Conlon may have hurt. We hope they choose the responsible course.

Specifically, we hope they use their diocesan websites and parish bulletins and pulpit announcements to beg anyone who may have seen, suspected or suffered Fr. Conlon’s crimes to call police and prosecutors.

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VATICAN CITY
Boston.com

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Dozens and perhaps hundreds of widows and Vatican pensioners recently came in for a rude surprise: The Vatican bank told them they had to close their accounts or risk losing access to their money — all in the name of Pope Francis’ reform efforts, The Associated Press has learned.

The bank now says it was all a ‘‘technical error’’ and that the widows and pensioners are being kept on as clients, amid the bank’s highly-publicized plan to close so-called ‘‘lay accounts’’ as it tries to mend relations with Italian authorities who have suspected that Italians were using the bank as a tax haven.

It’s all come as a big embarrassment for an institution that is trying to fend off accusations of mismanagement and corruption.

‘‘In some cases old ladies got nasty letters,’’ Max Hohenberg, spokesman for the Institute for Religious Works — or IOR — told The AP. ‘‘The fact that a few dozen people were categorized in the wrong way and hence got a letter which was incorrect is a mistake which we have apologized for.’’

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AUSTRALIA
lewisblayse.net

SPECIAL NOTE: The Australian Broadcasting Corporation television (ABC 2 / Ch. 24 digital) will be re-screening the “Four Corners” program from 2003, detailing abuses by the Salvation Army at its Children’s Homes – titled “The Homies”.

The program will run at 8 p.m. (daylight Saving time – 7.p.m. Queensland time) on this coming Saturday night – 1st February, 2014. The author and one of the men who gave evidence this week, Wally McLeod, were interviewed in the program by top ABC investigative journalist, Quentin McDermott, along with a few other men and women.

The program was ground-breaking at a time when there was little public awareness of the issues. Now that the royal commission is revisiting four Salvation Army Boys’ Homes, Alkira, Bexley, Gill, and Riverview, it again becomes particularly relevant. People will soon realize just how far ahead of its time this program was.

Special thanks are also due to prominent ABC radio journalist, Emily Bourke, for her efforts in getting the ABC to agree to re-run the program. Emily does the AM, PM, Radio National and World Today programs, and has helped the author cope with the disappointment of not being given permission by chief commissioner, Peter McClellan, to appear before the commission.

Readers are strongly urged to watch the program, and to tell as many other people as possible about it.

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MINNESOTA
Bring Me The News

January 30, 2014 By Liz O’Connell

A day after the Ramsey County attorney announced there was insufficient evidence to file criminal charges against the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in the sex abuse case involving Rev. Curtis Wehmeyer, the archdiocese is now facing a civil lawsuit related to the former St. Paul priest.

The Pioneer Press reports the suit naming both the archdiocese and Wehmeyer was filed on behalf of an unidentified youth, “Doe 31.” The lawsuit claims the archdiocese knew the priest posed a risk to children yet failed to protect Doe.

Wehmeyer is currently serving a five-year prison sentence for molesting two boys in a St. Paul church parking lot in 2010 and also possessing child pornography.

St. Paul police and the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office had been investigating whether the archdiocese failed to report the abuse to authorities within 24 hours of learning about it. Ramsey County Attorney John Choi announced Wednesday that there is not enough evidence to show that the archdiocese violated the state’s mandatory reporting law.

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CHICAGO (IL)
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, Jan. 30 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 )

Another clergy sex abuse and cover up lawsuit against the Chicago archdiocese has settled.

We applaud the brave victim of Fr. Daniel McCormack who sought justice through our court system. He was smart to get independent help – from an attorney – instead of begging for crumbs from Catholic officials. We are grateful that he persisted through legal delays and that he chose to announce this resolution. Every time Fr. McCormack’s name appears in the public limelight, kids are safer because parents are reminded of how reckless, callous and deceitful Catholic officials can be.

We hope, however, that at least one of the McCormack lawsuits goes to trial. If that happens, we predict many will be shocked to learn that top archdiocesan officials acted even worse than is commonly believed in this horrific case.

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MISSOURI
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, Jan. 30 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 )

We in SNAP are grateful for Rev. Brenda Jones’ strength and courage. She has wisely realized that our courts are the best place to expose sexual predators and protect vulnerable congregations. We applaud her for her bravery.

[SNAP]

But this is about more than a sexual predator. It’s also about a very unhealthy, self-serving church hierarchy that rallies around the accused, attacks the accuser, and deters victims, witnesses and whistleblowers from speaking up. Bishop Kirkland and other AME officials should be deeply ashamed of how they misused their power and position to scare others with information about clergy sex crimes and cover up into staying silent.

The AME church has an inspiring history. AME church officials and members played key roles in the civil rights movement. The Selma to Montgomery voting rights march started an AME church. Rosa Parks’ memorial service was held at an AME church. In fact, the AME church grew out of an anti-segregation protest in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1787.

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VATICAN CITY
Vatican Information Service

Vatican City, 30 January 2014 (VIS) – The Holy Father:

– accepted the resignation presented by Bishop Michele Russo, M.C.C.I. from the pastoral government of the diocese of Doba, Chad, in conformity with canon 401 paragraph 2 of the CIC, and has named Bishop Miguel Angel Sebastian Martinez, M.C.C.I., as apostolic administrator “sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis” of that same diocese.

– accepted the request presented by Cardinal Attilio Nicora to step down as president of the Financial Intelligence Authority of the Holy See and Vatican City State (AIF), and has named Bishop Giorgio Corbellini as interim president of that office. Bishop Corbellini will maintain his positions at the Labour Office of the Apostolic See and the Disciplinary Commission of the Roman Curia.

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VATICAN CITY
Reuters

* Break with past financial establishment almost complete
* Pope replaced cardinals on bank supervisory commission mid-Jan
* Vatican reforms expected to intensify in coming months

By Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY, Jan 30 (Reuters) – Pope Francis on Thursday replaced a cardinal who played a senior role in Vatican finances for more than a decade, in his latest move to clear out the old financial guard associated with his predecessor.

The Vatican said the pope had accepted the resignation of Cardinal Atillio Nicora as president of the Vatican’s Financial Information Authority (AIF), its internal regulatory watchdog.

Nicora, 76, held high-level roles in Vatican finances since 2002. He was replaced by Bishop Giorgio Corbellini, 66, who has a track record of reform within the Vatican bureaucracy.

The move, which follows the replacement of four cardinals connected to the Vatican bank on Jan. 15, came as Francis is approaching the first anniversary of a pontificate marked by austerity and sobriety.

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CHICAGO (IL)
WLS

A nearly $3.2 million settlement has been reached with the Archdiocese of Chicago in a lawsuit alleging sexual abuse with a minor by former priest Daniel McCormack, attorneys in the case said Thursday.

The identify of the plaintiff was not released, but the abuse was alleged to have occurred while the victim was between eighth and 11th grades, according to the plaintiff’s attorneys.

The victim sued the archdiocese and Cardinal Francis George in 2010 alleging they failed to remove McCormack from access to children although they had knowledge that he had sexually abused minors.

“We are pleased to have reached this settlement because it marks one more step toward bringing justice to the victim and his family,” plaintiff attorney Willliam F. Martin said in a statement.

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CHICAGO (IL)
WLS

January 30, 2014 (CHICAGO) (WLS) — The Chicago Archdiocese settled a claim of sexual abuse against a boy by former priest Daniel McCormack for $3.15 million.

The sex abuse victim, who has not been identified, filed the lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Chicago and Cardinal Francis George in 2010. He alleged the archdiocese failed to remove McCormack from access to children although they knew they had knowledge of past abuse.

McCormack was arrested in 2006 on multiple counts of criminal sexual abuse to which he pleaded guilty in 2007.

The victim in this case was sexually abused between eighth and 11th grades.

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MINNESOTA
Pioneer Press

A day after Ramsey County announced it wouldn’t charge anyone in the Twin Cities archdiocese for failing to report to police the case of a convicted child molesting priest, one of the priest’s victims has filed a civil lawsuit.

The suit, filed on behalf of a youth identified as Doe 31, names the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the priest, the Rev. Curtis Wehmeyer, who served at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in St. Paul.

The lawsuit alleges the archdiocese knew Wehmeyer posed a risk to children and failed to protect Doe 31, said sexual abuse attorney Jeff Anderson.

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ISRAEL
The Jewish Press

By: Yori Yanover Published: January 29th, 2014

The Apostolic Nunciature in Israel announced Monday that Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Archbishop Elias Chacour, Archbishop of the Greek Melkite Archeparchy of Akko, Haifa, Nazareth and the Galilee, ICN reported.

The Catholic news service added that archbishop, a “native Palestinian, whose family and entire village were evicted when the State of Israel was formed,” was the first Israeli citizen to be appointed a Catholic bishop. In this role, “he has devoted his life to advocating non-violence and reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians and has twice been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.”

But, according to CNS, last October, the well-known archbishop was called in for police questioning for suspected sexual harassment of a woman who works in the community. The allegations concerned an incident that allegedly took place five years ago. Following several hours of questioning, the archbishop was released on bail under restricting conditions.

The woman’s complaint was filed two years ago, but the investigation needed special permission to proceed because of the archbishop’s high standing (what with the Nobel nominations and whatnot).

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ISRAEL
Catholic Free Press

By Judith Sudilovsky
Catholic News Service

JERUSALEM (CNS) — Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Melkite Archbishop Elias Chacour of Haifa.

Canon 210 of the Eastern Code of Canon Law allows for resignation for health reasons or at the age of 75. Archbishop Chacour is 74.

Last October, the well-known archbishop was called in for questioning for suspected sexual harassment of a woman who works in the community; the allegations concerned an incident that allegedly took place five years ago. Following several hours of questioning, the archbishop was released on bail under restricting conditions.

The complaint was filed two years ago, but the investigation needed special permission to proceed because of the archbishop’s standing. Archbishop Chacour was reported to have been cooperative but denied the allegations against him.

A source familiar with the church in Galilee noted that the archbishop tendered his resignation after speaking with church officials, who suggested it would be best if he resigned.

Ill health and the sexual harassment charges against him appear to be among the several reasons he resigned, said the source.

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VATICAN CITY
Catholic Culture

The director of the Holy See Press Office criticized the negative portrayal of Pope Benedict in a recent Rolling Stone cover story on Pope Francis.

“Unfortunately, the article disqualifies itself, falling in the usual mistake of a superficial journalism, which in order to highlight the positive aspects of Pope Francis, thinks it should describe in a negative way the pontificate of Pope Benedict, and does so with a surprising crudeness,” said Father Federico Lombardi, according to a Zenit report.

“What a shame,” Father Lombardi added. “This is not the way to do a good service even to Pope Francis, who knows very well what the Church owes to his predecessor.”

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MINNESOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, Jan. 30 2014

Statement by Megan Peterson, Twin Cities SNAP leader, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 218-689-9049 cell, survivor19@live.com )

We are deeply disappointed in Twin Cities law enforcement officials.

[Minnesota Public Radio]

Given what’s happening in the Twin Cities – now and over the past five months – it is very tough for us to understand why subpoenas and search warrants haven’t been used yet.

Police and prosecutors beg victims, witnesses and whistleblowers to step forward, as they should. But police and prosecutors need to respect our pain by doing some real homework on the long-standing, widely-documented and on-going pattern of persistent deceit by Catholic officials – in Minnesota and across the world – in clergy sex abuse and cover up cases.

It speaks volumes that

–- the veteran archdiocesan abuse “handler,” Fr. Kevin McDonough, refuses to be questioned by police, and
–- the archbishop refuses to order McDonough to sit for questioning.

Those two simple and alarming facts scream “cover up” to anyone who’s listening.

We could cite many examples, even recent ones (like Bishop Robert Finn in Kansas City), in which high ranking Catholic officials have hidden evidence from law enforcement officials. But look at the case of Fr. Gerald Robinson in Toledo, who is now in prison for brutally murdering a nun.

Police investigators arrested him and asked diocesan staff for Fr. Robinson’s personnel file. They were given three pages.

Police then executed two “no knock” search warrants on the diocese. They recovered hundreds and hundreds of pages of more records, records that had never been turned over to the police. Those records led to Fr. Robinson’s conviction.

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POLAND
Sunday Catholic Weekly

Włodzimierz Rędzioch talks with Fr. Fortunato Di Noto – a Sicilian priest dealing with a fight with pedophilia

Numbers are terrifying! All over the world 140 million girls and 75 million boys fell victims to sexual abuses; 600 thousand children are abused in the business of children’s pornography, which reaches 14 milliard euro. The average age of pedophiles’ victims is 11-14 years, although there are also cases of abusing babies! Most sexually abused children are in the countries like: Kenia, Indie, Philippines, the Republic of Southern Africa, Thailand, Cambodia, but, certainly, it is difficult to find Polish journalists there who are worried by the fate of the underage- they prefer to write mendacious texts from Modlnica, from the family house of Fr. Wojciech Gil. Most media are engaged with searching for single cases of alleged sexual abuses among priests towards children. The example of this type of extremely biased actions is just the witch-hunt against the Polish priest. It is also possible to notice the inconceivable phenomenon – many powerful groups are undertaking an attempt of normalization of pedophilia, acknowledge it as one of many sexual orientations. What is interesting, in domineering media nobody alarms because nobody is outraged by it.

I talk with a Sicilian priest Fortunato Di Noto about these worrying matters, who founded an organization named ‘Meter Onlus’. I have been engaged in this fight with pedophilia, mainly on Internet.

(W.R.)

WŁODZIMIERZ RĘDZIOCH: – Priest has been engaged with the fight with pedophilia for years. How did Priest react to the decision of pope Francis about establishing a special commission in order to protect the underage?

FR. FORTUNATO DI NOTO: – The commission established by pope Francis in order to protect the underage is a cry of innocent children, a particular engagement for the sake of those suffering and restoring hope among those in despair. The association ‘Meter Onlus’ suggested organizing the central commission long time ago, which could help episcopates in their work for the sake of children. We also suggested establishing a new pastoral function – a bishop’s vicar for children, who could guard the work of various communities of pastoral dioceses. The Church must always defend the little, weak, poor and abused. And it cannot be silent or hide the evil. The papal commission will be able to coordinate preventive and informative actions well, as well as protection and help to victims.
As it concerns ‘Meter Onlus’, I would like to say that it is 18 years when we have celebrated the Day of Children – Victims of Violence; we meet with bishops, priests and laymen in order to make them sensitive to pastoral ministry and formation of children against abuse; we have participated in 2600 congresses about abuse towards the underage; we have given help to 1200 victims of violence, we have reported about a million of pedophilic websites to suitable authorities (internet police); in 1997, thanks to our efforts the Italian parliament was the first one to submit an application against pedophilia. I think that our biggest merit is protecting many children from abuses and creating a new social consciousness about this phenomenon, also in such far-away countries as China, Japan or Brazil.

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MINNESOTA
KSTP

By: Jennie Olson

A church document suggests the St. Paul-Minneapolis archdiocese waited two days to tell police of sexual abuse allegations against a priest.

The document obtained by Minnesota Public Radio is a decree signed by Archbishop John Nienstedt in 2012. MPR says it shows the Archdiocese knew about allegations against the Rev. Curtis Wehmeyer on June 18. But police reports show the archdiocese didn’t report the claims to police until two days later. The law generally requires a priest to report suspected child abuse within 24 hours.

The revelation came after Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said he would not file any charges for failure to report Wehmeyer’s abuse to police. Choi now says he’s taking another look.

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NORTHERN IRELAND
BBC News

A witness has told the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry that he was sexually abused by older boys at a children’s home in Londonderry.

He also told the inquiry that the home, Termonbacca, was “run on starvation”.

The children’s home and another in Derry, Nazareth House, were run by the Sisters of Nazareth.

The Historical Abuse Inquiry is investigating abuse claims against children’s residential institutions from 1922 to 1995.

The witness lived in Termonbacca in the 1950s and 1960s after being given to a priest by his mother.

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NORTHERN IRELAND
Irish Times

Dan Keenan

A boy looked after by Sisters of Nazareth nuns at a home in Derry used to faint regularly during morning Mass because of hunger.

The Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry heard the boy, who has been giving testimony in person, was woken some time after 6am daily to serve at morning Mass. But he often passed out because he said he was always hungry.

The inquiry, which is investigating treatment of children at care homes across Northern Ireland before 1995, heard the witness confirm that while some nuns were pleasant, another was “a hateful bitch”.
She had “a built-in anger and hatred,” the witness told inquiry chairman Sir Anthony Hart.

“You could have no relationship whatsoever with her. You could say she was under pressure, but she really didn’t have to be because the boys were doing a good job in running the place and she should have had the life of Riley.”

He confirmed his statement, given earlier to the inquiry team, in which he referred to this nun as “a bully and very contolling”.

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MINNESOTA
Greenwich Time

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A church document suggests the St. Paul-Minneapolis archdiocese waited two days to tell police of sexual abuse allegations against a priest.

The document obtained by Minnesota Public Radio (http://bit.ly/1fzIb0Q ) is a decree signed by Archbishop John Nienstedt in 2012. MPR says it shows the Archdiocese knew about allegations against the Rev. Curtis Wehmeyer on June 18. But police reports show the archdiocese didn’t report the claims to police until two days later. The law generally requires a priest to report suspected child abuse within 24 hours.

The revelation came after Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said he would not file any charges for failure to report Wehmeyer’s abuse to police. Choi now says he’s taking another look.

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CALIFORNIA
Orange County Weekly

By Matt Coker Thu., Jan. 30 2014

A history teacher at the all-boys Catholic Servite High School who’d also taught or coached baseball at Irvine’s Beckman and Mission Viejo’s Capistrano Valley high schools pleaded guilty Wednesday to setting up a fake woman’s Facebook profile to trick dozens of teen boys into sending him sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves.

Zachary Joshua Reeder, a married father, was immediately sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Between June 1, 2010, and Jan. 14, 2013, Reeder created and used a Facebook account to pose as a female high school student by using the image of a blond-haired girl. He established inappropriate online relationships with at least 106 underage boys between the ages of 13 and 17 from Servite, Beckman, Northwood, and Canyon High Schools–boys he knew through teaching or coaching, prosecutors said when the Orange resident was arrested last February. Many boys came forward due to the publicity from the arrest.

Without the guilty plea, Reeder was facing up to 44 years in prison if convicted.

Besides the prison time, the 31-year-old must register as a sex offender for life after pleading guilty to four felony counts of distributing pornography to a minor, two felony counts of lewd acts upon a child under 14, two felony counts of contacting a child with the intent to commit a lewd act, one felony count each of using a minor for sex acts, lewd act upon a child, possession and control of child pornography, and distribution of child pornography.

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CALIFORNIA
Patch

Posted by Penny Arévalo (Editor) , January 29, 2014

A former Orange County high school teacher and baseball coach, who used a fake woman’s Facebook profile to trick 106 underage teenage boys into sending him sexually explicit photos and videos, admitted guilt today and was immediately sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Zachary Joshua Reeder, 31, of Orange, pleaded guilty to four counts of distributing pornography to a minor, two counts each of lewd acts on a child younger than 14 and contacting a child with the intent to commit a lewd act, and one count each of using a minor for sex acts, committing a lewd act on a child, possession and control of child pornography and distribution of child pornography — all felonies.

Reeder was a history teacher at Servite High School, an all-boys campus in Anaheim, and also taught history and was a volunteer assistant baseball coach for four seasons at Arnold O. Beckman High School in Irvine. He briefly served as a history teacher and baseball coach at Capistrano Valley Christian School in San Juan Capistrano.

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