ABUSE TRACKER

CANADA
CTV

A sorry chapter of Quebec’s history is coming to a close with a settlement in cases of serial abuse at a school for the deaf.

The Clerics of St. Viateur ran L’Institut des Sourdes de Montreal on St. Laurent Blvd. for decades, but under their watch hundreds of students were physically and sexually abused.

Victims have explained how those as young as five years old were sexually abused and beaten by priests between 1940 and 1982. In all, 38 abusers were identified, including 28 clerics.

“The parents confided their children to the care and custody of the school and it’s our position that the school is therefore responsible for what happened to the children,” said Robert Kugler, lawyer for the victims.

Five years ago, those who were abused applied for a class-action lawsuit against the priests and the school, asking for $200,000 per surviving student.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Altrincham Today

By David Prior 18th November 2015

A groundbreaking film about the sex abuse trial of a former Altrincham schoolteacher has won a Royal Television Society award.

The report was broadcast on Granada Reports on the day Alan Morris, a former chemistry teacher at St Ambrose College in Hale Barns, was jailed for nine years for decades of abuse.

And now the team behind it has been recognised with the prize for Best Regional Story at the Royal Television Society North West awards, held in Manchester on Saturday.

The idea for the story had originated from David Nolan, a former St Ambrose pupil and Morris victim who waived his right to give evidence at the trial in order to produce the behind-the-scenes film, which included unprecedented access to the police and victims involved in the trial – and even saw Nolan confront Morris outside Manchester Minshull Street Court.

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ITALY
Reporters With Borders

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) fully supports Italian journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi, who has cited his free speech rights as grounds for refusing to be interrogated by the Vatican judicial system as part of an investigation into the leaking of confidential documents.

Suspected of complicity in the leak, Nuzzi is one of two Italian journalists placed under investigation by the Vatican in connection with their books exposing Vatican mismanagement.

Nuzzi announced his refusal to appear for questioning in his blog yesterday. “In the Vatican, there is no impunity provision for those who exercise a right, as there is in Italy,” he wrote. “The possibility of freely expressing one’s thoughts is not recognized (…) The person who reveals information is liable to be punished.”

“By writing ‘Avarizia’ and ‘Via Crucis,’ Italian journalists Gianluigi Nuzzi and Emiliano Fittipaldi just exercised their right to provide information in the public interest and should not be treated as criminals in a country that supposedly respects media freedom,” said Alexandra Geneste, the head of the Reporters Without Borders EU-Balkans bureau in Brussels.

The two journalists are being investigated under a Vatican law adopted in July 2013, after the first “VatiLeaks.” It says: “Whoever illicitly obtains or reveals information or documents whose publication is forbidden is punishable by a sentence of six months to two years in prison or a fine of 1,000 to 5,000 euros.”

The other journalist, Emiliano Fittipaldi, did respond to the summons to appear before a Vatican prosecutor but said he did not answer the questions put to him “on the grounds of professional confidentiality, which is protected by the law, in Italy at least.”

According to the Vatican’s criminal code, the crime of which the two journalists are suspected is punishable both inside and outside the Vatican City and whether or not the perpetrator is a citizen of the small city-state ruled by the pope.

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UNITED STATES
Poynter

by Kristen Hare
Published Nov. 18, 2015

Reporters Without Borders | The New York Times | Associated Press

Italian journalists Gianluigi Nuzzi and Emiliano Fittipaldi are being investigated by the Vatican for work that uncovered mismanagement, Reporters Without Borders reported Wednesday. The press freedom organization expressed support for Nuzzi, “who has cited his free speech rights as grounds for refusing to be interrogated by the Vatican judicial system as part of an investigation into the leaking of confidential documents.”

“By writing ‘Avarizia’ and ‘Via Crucis,’ Italian journalists Gianluigi Nuzzi and Emiliano Fittipaldi just exercised their right to provide information in the public interest and should not be treated as criminals in a country that supposedly respects media freedom,” said Alexandra Geneste, the head of the Reporters Without Borders EU-Balkans bureau in Brussels.

The two journalists are being investigated under a Vatican law adopted in July 2013, after the first “VatiLeaks.” It says: “Whoever illicitly obtains or reveals information or documents whose publication is forbidden is punishable by a sentence of six months to two years in prison or a fine of 1,000 to 5,000 euros.”

Unlike Nuzzi, Fittipaldi submitted to questioning but refused to talk, The Associated Press reported Wednesday, “citing the protections journalists enjoy in Italy to shield their sources — protections which don’t exist in the Vatican legal code.”

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NEW JERSEY
United States Attorney’s Office – District of New Jersey

TRENTON, N.J. – A Brooklyn, New York, man was sentenced today to 48 months in prison for crossing state lines as part of a plan to violently coerce a recalcitrant husband to grant his wife a religious divorce, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Moshe Goldstein, 32, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Freda L. Wolfson to an information charging him with traveling in interstate commerce to commit extortion. Judge Wolfson imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

On Oct. 9, 2013, Moshe Goldstein and a group of conspirators – including his brother Avrohom Goldstein, 36, his father, Jay Goldstein, 61, David Hellman, 33, Simcha Bulmash, 32, Binyamin Stimler, 40, Sholom Shuchat, 31, all of Brooklyn, and Ariel Potash, 42, of Monsey, New York – traveled from New York to a warehouse in Edison, New Jersey, with the intent of forcing a Jewish husband to give his wife a “get,” a document which, according to Jewish Law, must be presented by a husband to his wife to effect their divorce.

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UNITED STATES
San Antonio Current

By Kiko Martinez

It might not have all the complexity of journalists tracking down a serial killer, like in the 2007 crime thriller Zodiac, or the melodrama needed to spur scribes into breaking open a story on the suspicious death of a congressman’s mistress, like in the 2009 political thriller State of Play, but the relevancy of a newspaper reporter’s job is made evident in the sincere, insightful, fair and extremely well-paced Spotlight.

In a news industry where Buzzfeed headlines and Kardashian selfies are constantly trending for the mainstream masses, it’s refreshing (and equally discouraging) to know a majority of wordsmiths just a decade ago cared more about reporting the truth than creating click-bait content. Not only is Spotlight great cinema, it also has the power to remind audiences that a hard-hitting exposé should always be a crucial element of the ever-changing media landscape. Without professionals doing this kind of work (and not just recording grainy cell phone footage), how can anyone be held accountable?

Directed and co-written by Oscar nominee Tom McCarthy, whose track record has been so impressive (The Station Agent, The Visitor and Win Win) since breaking out in 2003 that we might one day forgive him for whatever the hell last year’s Adam Sandler vehicle The Cobbler was supposed to be. Spotlight brings the filmmaker back to true form. Set in the early ’00s, the drama tells the story of the Boston Globe’s investigative “Spotlight Team” of reporters who uncovered a global sex abuse scandal and cover-up rooted deep inside the Catholic Church that ultimately spawned criminal accusations against 250 Roman Catholic priests. For their work, the team was honored with the Pulitzer Prize for public service.

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UNITED STATES
The Pilot

FATHER ROGER J. LANDRY

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Last week I was asked by a 25-year-old co-worker whether I was intending to see Spotlight, the movie detailing The Boston Globe’s investigative team’s month’s long Pulitzer-prize winning examination of the clergy sexual abuse of minors in the Archdiocese of Boston. She wanted to see the movie’s portrayal of the Church but worried whether doing so might be subsidizing anti-Catholicism.

I was planning to go to see the movie, I told her, both so that I might be able to respond to the various questions I was being asked by those who had already seen it as well as out of a sense of witness and reparation. When she asked me to elaborate about the latter, I said that I thought it would be important for movie-goers to see a priest to convey that the Church isn’t in denial about the evils committed and also to give them an opportunity to focus their anger if they should choose.

“You’re going to go dressed as a priest?,” she exclaimed, evidently worried about my safety. I replied that for a priest, clerical garb is like a wedding ring for married people, an external sign of sacramental identity, and that I had no desire to go undercover. Since 2002, I told her, I had gotten used to the occasional opprobrium, unprovoked insults, and, on a few occasions, spittle that have come to priests as a result of the abominations of some of our brothers, but that it’s important for priests to be able to take that suffering as co-redeemers with Christ, offering whatever comes up for victims and for the Church.

“Well, can I at least come with you?,” she protectively asked. I told her that that last thing that people needed was to see a priest accompanied by an attractive young woman to a movie on Saturday night!

So alone I went to see Spotlight, plopping down $15, the going rate for movies in Manhattan. I was surprised to see the rather large theater half-full for a 6 pm showing and, although no one should be startled to see young people at a movie on a Saturday night, I was somewhat shocked that so many older teens and young adults had chosen to come to a movie about journalists covering clergy sex abuse when there were 15 other theaters simultaneously showing more traditional Hollywood fare.

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CALIFORNIA
Los Angeles Daily News

By BILL HETHERMAN, City News Service

POSTED: 11/17/15

LOS ANGELES — The former co-director of Kabbalah Centre International plied a student with Vicodin and alcohol, then inappropriately touched her and tried to have sex with her, an attorney told a jury today.

Addressing a Los Angeles Superior Court jury hearing opening statements in trial of Jena Scaccetti’s lawsuit, lawyer Alain Bonavida said Rabbi Yehuda Berg’s intentions were clear.

“She’s alleging in this case he attempted to rape her,” he said.

But Berg’s attorney, John Cline, said his client mistakenly believed Scaccetti wanted to have sex.

“He made an awkward, inappropriate advance and she said no,” Cline said. “He stopped and she sued him 14 months later.”

Berg had been drinking that evening and was intoxicated when the incident occurred, Cline said.

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AUSTRALIA
Manny Waks

18/11/2015

It took some time but it’s finally worked out. I’m delighted that the Melbourne Yeshivah Centre is undertaking this ground-breaking and positive initiative. It’s precisely what I’ve wanted all along – to engage.

Only months ago no one thought this would have been possible. Not only me returning back to where it all started – but with Rabbi Glick by my side! Clearly the hard work is paying off.

I would like to encourage everyone to attend this event. Not only the Yeshivah Centre community, but all those who have questions to ask, comments to make, to vent – or simply to listen. As I told the organisers, from my perspective, anything and everything is on the table. There’s only one rule, let’s keep it respectful and civil.

Why did I go to the media – and why to the “antisemitic” The Age? Why did I pursue the Royal Commission option? Am I really anti-Orthodox/Chabad/Yeshivah? When will I cease criticising Yeshivah? Etc.

Absolutely any question is on the table. In fact, I’m happy to listen to comments as well.

From my perspective, the point of this evening is to engage and discuss. We may not walk away agreeing about everything but let’s at least put it all out there and be honest with each other. By the end of the evening, hopefully the level of animosity and disharmony will have been significantly reduced. And this can only happen through honest and open dialogue.

I urge the community – especially the Yeshivah community – to embrace this opportunity and to help break down the remaining barriers. And a profound thank you to the organisers for taking this bold step.

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CHICAGO (IL)
Haaretz

A Chicago rabbi was found guilty on Monday of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy in 2006.

Rabbi Aryeh “Larry” Dudovitz assaulted the boy when he was supposed to be counseling the teenager for questioning his Orthodox Jewish faith, Cook County Judge Evelyn Clay ruled Monday in the bench trial, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Judge Clay found Dudovitz guilty “after roughly two hours of testimony,” DNAinfo reported, and “ordered electronic monitoring for Dudovitz pending sentencing.” She also said Dudovitz is required to surrender his passport. Post-trial motions, which could include sentencing, are slated for mid-December.

The boy, now 22, had seen Dudovitz as a father figure, he said in 2013. He was initially reluctant to come forward due to, he says, his Orthodox community.

He told that court “I grew up with no sexual education at all — none whatsoever,” he testified of his insular Orthodox community, which did not urge him to come forward with allegations of abuse. “… It wasn’t spoken of and, unfortunately, it still isn’t,” the Chicago Tribune reported.

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FLORIDA
CBS Miami

[with video]

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – CBS4 has obtained the audio recording of a controlled call made under police supervision between a rabbi accused of molestation and the mother of the child. During the call, the rabbi maintains his innocence.

“There was never any touch. No sexual. Not any type,” Rabbi Steve Karro tells the mother.

The mother of a child he allegedly fondled doesn’t believe him.

“Rabbi Karro, she’s an 11-year-old girl. She’s very smart. She’s very intelligent. She knows herself when she’s uncomfortable. She mentioned to me something happened. She was very scared to tell me. We’re devastated Rabbi Karro. We’re devastated for what she’s going through right now,” she tells him.

In the 10 minute call, the mother claims the Rabbi attempted to kiss her daughter and touch her legs inappropriately.

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MINNESOTA
Canonical Consultation

11/17/2015

Jennifer Haselberger

There has been much speculation in recent weeks regarding the visit to the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis by Msgr. Michael Morgan, a member of the staff of the Apostolic Nunciature to the United States. If the Catholic Spirit is to be believed (and I find that it rarely is) Msgr. Morgan’s visit was intended to allow him to observe some of the ‘listening sessions’ held throughout the Archdiocese which are supposedly intended to give the faithful a role in the selection of the new Archbishop.

Interestingly, according to the Spirit, Catholics who attended the listening sessions were asked to comment on the ‘strengths and challenges’ of the Archdiocese, as well as the ‘characteristics desired’ in the new Archbishop.

As someone who was frequently involved in the selection process of bishops (despite much inaccurate commentary on how lay people have not been involved prior to these sessions), it is hard for me to see how such vague questions, or answers for that matter, will inform a process that is typically distinguished by a fairly exhaustive and detailed collection of information on prospective candidates and the circumstances of the diocese. Given that the Holy See regularly solicits information on everything from the political bent of the local media to the number of children conceived through in vitro fertilization, asking the lay faithful to enumerate the qualities they seek in a new bishop appears more akin to the scene in Mary Poppins when Jane and Michael Banks are invited to list the qualities of the perfect nanny (‘Rosy cheeks, no warts!’, ‘You must be kind, you must be witty!’) than actual consultation, even in the Church.

The fact that the listening sessions have been so well received seems, to me at least, a natural consequence of the fact that those attending have so little information about the way bishops are actually selected. And, this ignorance seems to be something that those who are selling this endeavor wish to exploit. Hence the Monsignor’s statement that the listening sessions are the closest the Church comes to direct democracy. That is, simply, bollocks. As the Monsignor knows, there are many examples of direct democracy in the Church. Members of religious institutes, for instance, not only vote directly for their superiors (representative democracy) but every member is invited to participate in the local and general chapters of the institute, which is where policy initiatives are considered and accepted or rejected. And, in this Archdiocese, we had at least one school that was incorporated not under the governance of a board of directors, but following a congregational model.

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ROME
Catholic Herald (UK)

Associated Press

Emiliano Fittipaldi criticised the Vatican’s ‘medieval rules’ and told investigators he would not reveal his sources

An Italian journalist who is under criminal investigation by the Vatican for publishing a book about scandals at the Holy See said Tuesday he refused to answer the Vatican prosecutor’s questions during an interrogation this week, citing his right under Italian law to protect his sources.

Emiliano Fittipaldi, author of the new book Avarice, based on leaked Vatican documents, said he agreed to go to the Vatican on Monday after being formally summoned because he wanted to understand exactly what he was accused of.

But he told reporters Tuesday that he refused to answer the prosecutors’ questions, citing the protections journalists enjoy in Italy to shield their sources — protections which don’t exist in the Vatican legal code.

“I’d rather go to jail than reveal one of Avarice’s sources,” he said.

“(The Vatican) wants to create an internal precedent, as a way to stop other leaks in the future. They don’t care at all about what we think of these medieval rules.”

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UNITED STATES
skipshea

Posted on November 17, 2015 by skipshea

I was privileged to have seen a sneak peek at Thomas McCarthy’s movie “Spotlight” which chronicles the Boston Globe Spotlight team uncovering the massive cover up of the sexual abuse crisis within the Boston archdiocese. One of the perks for being in the club.

It was a tough and surreal watch for me. Because I knew some of the people up on the screen. Not like Mark Ruffalo, although I was in Shutter Island. Not exactly with him. Or anyone else for that matter. But I was in it.

Because typecasting works. Thank you Worcester Diocese for helping me do a convincing crazy.

But I digress..

I know Phil Saviano whose character is in the movie. I know Mitchell Garabedian. I’ve communicated with some of the reporters. So it was strange to see.

What struck me the most was this moment in the film.

Mike Rezendes outburst and frustration happened because he felt something needed to be done. Immediately.

And some things were done. Cardinal Law resigned and went home to Rome. The Globe won a Pulitzer and other countries starting looking into the crisis within their borders.

The governments of the countries of Ireland and Australia took a huge and firm stance agains the church. Two UN panels on torture held the church responsible for these crimes against humanity.

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MASSACHUSETTS
TheMediaReport

David Pierre

Just last week, Boston television network WCVB unleashed a startling revelation on its evening news:

“[WCVB] found in recent years, on average, the licenses of 15 Massachusetts educators are suspended or revoked each year for sexual misconduct. But there aren’t always charges.”

15 teachers. Each and every year in Massachusetts schools. Suspended for sexual misconduct. And almost all of these cases never see the inside of a courtroom.

Compare this with the Archdiocese of Boston, where the last time a priest was publicly accused of contemporaneous abuse of a minor was in January 2002, thirteen years ago. So according to the findings of WCVB’s investigation, there has been nearly 200 public school educators found to have abused students in Massachusetts since the last time a priest was publicly accused.

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NEW YORK
Times Herald-Record

By Andrew Beam
Times Herald-Record

Posted Nov. 17, 2015

MONTICELLO – A teen’s claim that he was sexually abused by a South Fallsburg rabbinical student is “impossible,” the wife of the rabbinical student testified on Tuesday.

The boy – now 15 – said during testimony on Monday that Haim Boukris, 29, picked him up in a “small, four-door car” at the grocery store and then took him to a nearby abandoned bungalow colony to sexually molest him.

But Rebecca Boukris – Haim Boukris’ wife – testified before Sullivan County Court Judge Frank LaBuda that it couldn’t have happened.

A visibly pregnant Boukris told Kenneth Gribetz – Haim Boukris’ New City attorney – her husband never did the shopping because he was at work in the Village of Ellenville during the day. She said she did all of the shopping for the household.

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MONTANA
Washington Times

By – Associated Press – Wednesday, November 18, 2015

HELENA, Mont. (AP) – The Diocese of Helena is looking to develop nearly 450,000 square feet of retail, commercial and hotel space.

The Independent Record reports (http://bit.ly/1OewI9n ) that the diocese has contracted with Trinity Restoration LLC for the retail sites in the future Trinity Center near the Interstate 15 and Custer Street interchange.

The site is being developed as part of the Helena Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization. A federal bankruptcy judge approved the diocese’s plan in March to compensate more than 360 alleged sexual abuse victims.

The property is owned by the Resurrection Cemetery Association. Proceeds will also support the maintenance of cemeteries in Butte, Helena and Missoula.

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MONTANA
Independent Record

VIDEO: Take a virtual walk through Helena’s next shopping development

TOM KUGLIN Independent Record

Righteous dollar bills: The 18 creditors that lost the most in the Diocese of Helena’s bankruptcy
The Diocese of Helena has contracted with a development firm to build nearly 450,000 square feet of retail, commercial and hotel space near the Interstate 15 and Custer Street interchange.

Trinity Restoration LLC is offering retail sites in the future Trinity Center, located at the end of Sanders Street on property owned by the Resurrection Cemetery Association. Project plans include space for a hotel, restaurants, a movie theater, retail stores, landscaped parking, water features, a dog park and walking trails, according to the website www.trinitycenter.com.

The Trinity Center is being developed through the Diocese of Helena Deposit and Loan Restoration Trust as part of the Helena Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization. A federal bankruptcy judge approved the diocese’s plan in early March to compensate more than 360 alleged sexual abuse victims.

The diocese, which oversees more than 60 parishes and 35 missions across western Montana, was one of nearly a dozen dioceses to file for Chapter 11 over the last decade.

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PENNSYLVANIA
ABC 27

By Mark Hall
Published: November 17, 2015

HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – A private advance screening of the film “Spotlight” took place on Tuesday evening at the Midtown Cinema.

The film is a true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the scandal of the child sexual abuse cover-up within the Boston Archdiocese.

State representatives Mark Rozzi, D-Berks, and Tom Murt, R-Montgogomery, hosted the event. Both support legislation that would modify the Pennsylvania statute of limitations to allow victims to pursue civil action against abusers and the institutions that shield them.

Rozzi has spoken openly about being a victim of abuse as a child. and he says we all have to keep the spotlight on the problem.

“I realize that I had to stand up,” said Rozzi, “I have to be the voice for the powerless and voiceless and for the children who were abused.”

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NEW JERSEY
NJ.com

By Rev. Alexander Santora/For the Jersey Journal
on November 17, 2015

It was a dreary, rainy, cold Tuesday evening last week when I trudged over to Union Square, Manhattan, to see, “Spotlight.” The film depicts The Boston Globe’s investigative unit uncovering the enormous sexual scandal in the Boston Archdiocese back in 2002.

Entering the theater just before endless trailers began, I was amazed to find not only a few seats left, but also that most of the audience was made up of young adults. The movie was only playing in one other uptown theater. After two hours and eight minutes, I was tempted to run up to the front of the theater and ask the people to stay seated so we could talk.

They could not leave the theater after the film ends with the publication of the front-page story on the Feast of Epiphany. The reporters from this unit come into work on that January Sunday, and the phones are ringing off the hook as perhaps scores of abuse victims are calling in their stories after reading the article. This Pulitzer Prize winning investigative unit of the newspaper, called Spotlight, uncovered not only that as many as 90 priests in the Boston area abused children and teens, but also that Cardinal Bernard Law, the Archbishop of Boston, knew for years about some of these priests and shuffled them from parish to parish where they abused again and again.

This audience, I thought, cannot leave thinking that this is the Catholic Church today. Or that nothing was ever done. Or that this was typical of every diocese, of all priests, and that Law was representative. But that was the power of this film. It wasn’t a propaganda film against the church. It touches on matters of celibacy and sealed settlements and clerical life, but it wasn’t taking a stand.

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UNITED STATES
dotCommonweal

Paul Moses
November 17, 2015

One of the many interesting things about the new movie Spotlight is that it shows how slow the Boston Globe was to chase the story that it ultimately published in 2002 about the systematic coverup of clergy sexual abuse in the Boston archdiocese. The newspaper had gotten similar information five years earlier, it turned out, but editors who either felt a connection to the Catholic Church or were otherwise reluctant to offend a mostly Catholic readership had edged it aside.

Under the leadership of a new editor, the paper sought and reported the truth.

This comes to mind as the Vatican pursues the disastrous course of criminally investigating two Italian journalists who wrote books based on documents leaked from the Vatican. What is this but an effort to intimidate journalists from reporting the truth?

Respect for a free press — a media free to report the truth — requires that news reporters not be coerced into giving up their confidential sources. Most states in the United States have shield laws that offer reporters some measure of protection. There is a great need for a federal version of that law, but even without it, procedures the Justice Department has in place make it unusual for reporters to be subpoenaed — much less placed under criminal investigation themselves for reporting the news. Italy also has protections for reporters. Vatican City does not.

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LOUISIANA
The Times-Picayune

By Ken Daley, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
on November 17, 2015

An Orleans Parish jury deadlocked Tuesday (Nov. 17) on whether the pastor of an eastern New Orleans church molested a young boy who was a member of his congregation more than a decade ago.

Kevin Boyd Sr., the 46-year-old “presiding bishop” of The Church At New Orleans, faced a prison sentence of five to 10 years if convicted as charged of molestation of a juvenile. Boyd is accused of sexually assaulting the child over a span of at least five years, starting in 1999 when the boy was about 12.

The jury of three women and three men announced it was deadlocked after four hours of deliberations. The jury had the option to convict or acquit Boyd with responsive verdicts of lesser charges, including attempted molestation. But the six-member panel was unable to concur on any verdict.

“The jurors listened to the evidence. Each and every one of them is entitled to their individual decision,” said Boyd’s defense attorney Kerry Cuccia. “These jurors had given a tremendous amount of thought and effort into the case, and they simply disagreed on what the proper result should be. And rather than it resorting to something it should not be, they respected each other’s positions and said they could not reach a unanimous verdict.”

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WISCONSIN
CBS 58

An accusation of child sexual abuse dating back to 1977 came up in September against a pastor at St. Francis Borgia Catholic Church in Cedarburg, and the Archdiocese of Milwaukee said they had no choice but to suspend the pastor.

“It was agony because priesthood is my life and my parish is my family. I was relieved of my job, my family, my home in the rectory at a moment’s notice. So it was pretty crushing,” said Father Tom Eichenberger.

St. Francis Borgia Associate Pastor, Father Justin Lopina, said the parish didn’t know what would happen to Father Tom or what it meant for the Parish.

In a letter from Archbishop Jerome Listecki, sent the second weekend in November, he said in part the report against Father Eichenberger had not been substantiated.

The man who said he always wanted to be a priest and nothing but a priest, said he was vindicated.

But, he said he will spend the rest of his life trying to rebuild his reputation.

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AUSTRALIA
Herald Sun

VICTIMS of child sexual abuse look set to be grilled by lawyers for Cardinal George Pell in a bid to quash explosive allegations he was complicit in a widespread cover-up.

The Herald Sun can reveal lawyers for the Cardinal will recall at least two witnesses when the royal commission continues its probe into the Ballarat diocese.

The move comes despite a former commitment by the Catholic Church not to subject victims of child sexual abuse to gruelling cross-examination.

In May, a spokesman for Catholic Church’s Truth Justice and Healing Council said: “we have determined … that it is not in the best interests of witnesses or anyone else that (victims) be cross-examined”.

“This is in line with the long held position (of all church parties) not to cross examine witnesses and that was always our intention.”

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MINNESOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015

Statement by Verne Wagner of Duluth, SNAP director Northern Minnesota (218-340-1277, lwagsmn@yahoo.com)

Shame on Duluth Bishop Paul Sirba and his public relations staff. Yesterday, they made one of the least compassionate and helpful statements we’ve ever seen from Catholic officials.

[Duluth News Tribune]

Challenged on why Sirba still keeps the identities of predator priests hidden, Sirba’s lawyer said “It’s in the context of those litigation matters that issues of what will and will not be publicly released at any given time need to be addressed.”

Then adding insult to injury, she claims that newly released secret church documents “don’t tell a story of negligence by the Diocese of Duluth.”

Ironically, her comments were included in a newspaper story headlined “Duluth bishops were warned about sex abuse, documents show.” One of those documents is a letter from a Duluth bishop who admits “From time to time I have given (accused predator priests) a chance to rehabilitate themselves in the Diocese of Duluth. Unfortunately, all of these. . .turned out quite miserably.”)

Look at Sirba’s biography. He’s clearly a smart, well-educated man. But he’s timid. He won’t speak for himself. He hides behind his highly-paid defense lawyer, who just does what defense lawyers do: obscuring the truth and saying whatever her client wants her to say, albeit in cold and vague terms.

Duluth Catholics and citizens better. So do Duluth victims deserve. All of us deserve to know the truth about which clerics committed and concealed heinous crimes against kids in this diocese.

Instead, we’re being given more reckless secrecy, more carefully-crafted public relations spin and more bureaucratic, lawyer-like excuses.

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

NEW JERSEY
Suburban

By JENNIFER AMATO
Staff Writer

SOUTH AMBOY — A priest who was accused of sexual abuse of a minor while serving as associate pastor at St. Mary’s in the 1970s has been cleared of all charges.

Msgr. Raymond L. Cole, who most recently served at St. Joseph Parish in Millstone within the Diocese of Metuchen, was found not guilty by an ecclesiastical tribunal comprised of three priests from outside the Diocese of Metuchen, according to a statement released by Bishop Paul G. Bootkoski on Nov. 12.

“I am satisfied that they conducted the trial in an impartial and professional manner,” Bootkoski said.

“While there can be neither victory nor victor in a situation such as this, the outcome of the trial means that Msgr. Cole is again a priest in good standing in the Diocese, and I hope this decision will be the first step to fully restore his reputation.

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

ILLINOIS
Chicago Tribune

Alicia Fabbre
Chicago Tribune

Lawsuit alleges one priest sexually abused boy, then another priest gave him pot to forget it
A former parishioner of St. Pius X Catholic Church in Lombard is suing the Diocese of Joliet and two former priests claiming he was sexually abused nearly 40 years ago by one priest and offered drugs by another.

The alleged victim, identified only as John Doe, alleges Fr. Henry Slade attacked him when he was 11 years old. The lawsuit also claims Fr. Philip Dedera heard the boy’s screams but did nothing and then later offered him marijuana when he came out of Slade’s bedroom. Both priests appear on the Diocese’s published list of priests facing credible allegations of sexual abuse of minors.

Slade, 76, said Monday that he is innocent and has not been served with the lawsuit yet.

“That’s not me,” said Slade, who now resides in Colorado and said he is not involved in any type of ministry. “That’s nothing that happened. I’m totally innocent of this.”

“I never had anything to do with 11-year-old kids,” Slade said.

A spokesman for the Diocese of Joliet on Monday declined comment, noting the pending lawsuit. Burr Ridge based attorney Jerome Vinkler, who represents the plaintiff, could not be reached for comment.

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

LOUISIANA
The Times-Picayune

By Ken Daley, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
on November 17, 2015

An Orleans Parish jury began deliberations Tuesday in the trial of an eastern New Orleans pastor accused of molesting a member of his congregation over at least a five-year span, starting in 1999 when the boy was about 12.

Kevin Boyd Sr., the 46-year-old presiding pastor of The Church At New Orleans, faces a prison sentence of five to 10 years if convicted as charged by the jury of three women and three men. The jury’s decision must be unanimous.

Jurors received the case at 1:25 p.m., after hearing instructions from criminal court Judge Camille Buras.

Assistant district attorney Andrew DeCoste described Boyd as a manipulative predator in his closing rebuttal argument.

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

ROME
Religion News Service

Rosie Scammell | November 17, 2015

ROME (RNS) An Italian investigative journalist on Tuesday (Nov. 17) spoke out against what he called a “medieval” Vatican law that might result in a jail sentence of up to eight years for publishing confidential Holy See documents.

Emiliano Fittipaldi, whose new book “Avarice” reveals the struggle for financial reform at the Vatican, is under investigation for publishing secret documents leaked from the Holy See. A fellow Italian journalist, Gianluigi Nuzzi, is also being investigated for revelations made in his book, “Merchants in the Temple.”

While describing the investigation as “a terrible moment,” Fittipaldi remained defiant:

“From my point of view they are crazy charges, in the sense that in no democratic state, in no Western democracy, are there such restrictive laws on press freedom and expression.”

Fittipaldi said he went to meet with investigators on Monday to learn the details of the accusations against him. He and Nuzzi are accused of crimes against the Vatican City State and its security, part of a 2013 decree by Pope Francis intended to prevent documents from being leaked. It applies only within the Vatican City State and carries a jail sentence of up to eight years.

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VATICAN CITY
GlobalPost

One of the two Italian investigative journalists facing criminal proceedings for revealing Vatican secrets said Tuesday he had been quizzed by Holy See prosecutors.

Emiliano Fittipaldi said he had responded to a Vatican summons to face questioning “because I wanted to understand” the motivations for his prosecution over the contents of his recently published book “Avarice.”

The book is largely based on classified documents which were leaked in breach of an anti-whistle-blowing law enacted by the Vatican in 2013 with the blessing of Pope Francis.

“The accusations are crazy,” Fittpaldi said. “Such restrictive laws do not exist in any democratic state.”

Fittipaldi said he had come away from his interrogation convinced the landmark case would end in a trial of a Spanish priest currently in detention on suspicion of leaking the documents.

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

VATICAN CITY
Crux

By John L. Allen Jr.
Associate editor November 17, 2015

Next month Pope Francis will celebrate his 79th birthday, and by all accounts he remains remarkably vigorous. A brief mini-drama in October about an alleged brain tumor turned out to be fantasy, and both in Rome and on the road he keeps up a pace that would devastate most ordinary mortals.

There’s no reason to believe his papacy is nearing an end, and every reason to think it’s full steam ahead.

On the other hand, Francis has dropped hints that his might be a relatively brief run, and he’s also spoken approvingly about the example set by Pope Benedict XVI in resigning. Given his capacity for surprise, it’s entirely possible he’ll blindside the world with a decision to step aside just when it’s least expected.

No matter how things play out, it’s never too early to have an eye on what might come next – in part because it speaks to the future of the Church, and, in part because, let’s face it, such speculation is just fun.

Over the weekend, we got an intriguing X-ray of where things might stand should a transition in the papacy suddenly beckon. It came in a Vatican statement confirming the 12 prelates elected at the recent Synod of Bishops on the family to the “Ordinary Council,” meaning the body that will oversee synod operations until the next general assembly.

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

WISCONSIN
National Catholic Reporter

Marie Rohde | Nov. 17, 2015

Fr. Tom Eichenberger, a Milwaukee priest cleared of an allegation that he abused a boy 38 years ago, told NCR that he feels no joy, just relief, that he has been found innocent and returned to his parish on Monday.

“I have forgiven him because I know he is a troubled person, a convicted felon who spent time in prison,” said Eichenberger. “I have forgiven him from my heart but it’s been a nightmare. I’ve given 40 years to the church and one guy can ruin all of that.”

Eichenberger was only the third priest removed from ministry and publicly named as an accused inmate as a result of allegations made in the bankruptcy that ended last week. Like Eichenberger, the other two were also acquitted of charges and returned to their ministry.

Archbishop Jerome Listecki announced the resolution of the investigation on Monday.

“I thank Father Eichenberger for his patient cooperation with this process,” Listecki wrote in a prepared statement. “The investigation that is conducted is thorough and professional because I do not want any doubt remaining when a conclusion is reached.”

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

DEUTSCHLAND
Katholisch

[A German Carmelite has been punished by the Vatican for abusing a teenager.]

Bamberg – 16.11.2015

Ein deutscher Karmelitenpater ist wegen Missbrauchs Jugendlicher vom Vatikan bestraft worden. Wie die Provinzleitung am Montag in Bamberg mitteilte, hat die Glaubenskongregation am 12. November ein Dekret übermittelt. Der Geistliche darf demnach seine priesterlichen Tätigkeiten auf Dauer nicht mehr öffentlich, sondern nur noch ordensintern ausüben.

Außerdem muss er sich aus Hilfsprojekten zurückziehen. Seine Reisen und sein Wahlrecht im Orden werden erheblich eingeschränkt. Bei Nichteinhaltung der Strafen wird er aus dem Orden ausgeschlossen.

Der Pater hat der Mitteilung zufolge gestanden, sich in den späten 1980er und frühen 1990er Jahren an Jugendlichen vergangen zu haben. Weil die Opfer nicht aussagen wollten, sei Ende der 1990er Jahre ein strafrechtliches Verfahren vor einem weltlichen Gericht eingestellt worden. 2003 habe sich ein Opfer an die Kirche gewandt. Daraufhin habe der Arbeitsstab des Erzbistums Bamberg den Fall untersucht. Anschließend sei der Beschuldigte in eine andere Ordensniederlassung versetzt worden. Dort habe er als Priester nur im Innenbereich des Klosters und der Seniorenpastoral wirken dürfen. In den vergangenen Jahren habe er sich mehrmals psychotherapeutisch behandeln lassen.

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

WISCONSIN
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

By Breann Schossow of the Journal Sentinel Nov. 17, 2015

A Cedarburg priest will return for services next weekend after being cleared by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee in its investigation of an allegation that he sexually abused a minor decades ago.

In a letter sent to parishioners Sunday, Archbishop Jerome Listecki said the allegation against the Rev. Tom Eichenberger of St. Francis Borgia Parish was not substantiated.

Eichenberger was put on leave in September. The allegation came from a claim filed in the church’s bankruptcy case, which accused Eichenberger of molesting a minor during his first assignment at a parish in West Allis after his 1976 ordination.

The report was reviewed by the district attorney’s office, which did not file any charges as the incident was beyond the statute of limitations. It was then turned over to an independent investigator, who reported to the Diocesan Review Board. After review, the board recommended that Eichenberger be restored to the ministry.

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AUSTRALIA
The Australian

KATHERINE TOWERS, TESSA AKERMAN
THE AUSTRALIAN
NOVEMBER 18, 2015

The Victorian Supreme Court is refusing to release files detailing a string of legal claims against former bishop of Ballarat Ronald Mulkearns over his alleged role in covering up the extensive sexual abuse of children by pedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale.

Sixteen of Ridsdale’s victims have launched Supreme Court action against Bishop Mulkearns, who was told of Ridsdale’s sexual abuse of children while in charge of the western Victorian diocese and who oversaw the movement of the priest from parish to parish, including interstate.

The Victorian Supreme Court yesterday ordered the files against Bishop Mulkearns be closed to the public after The Australian applied to view several of them. Senior deputy prothonotary Domenic Conidi issued the order, saying the court took the view that the material in the files was “sensitive” and should not be released to the public.

Vivienne Waller, the lawyer for the 16 victims, said the files did not detail allegations against Bishop Mulkearns and instead contained just a “short paragraph” indicating the existence of the claim.

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VATICAN CITY
Vatican Information Service

Vatican City, 17 November 2015 (VIS) – The Holy Father has appointed:

– Msgr. Jorge Carlo Patron Wong, archbishop-bishop emeritus of Papantla, Mexico, as secretary for seminaries of the Congregation for the Clergy.

– Cardinal Edwin Frederick O’Brien, Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, as member of the Congregation for Causes of Saints.

– Professor Stefania Nanni, associate lecturer in modern history at the “La Sapienza” University of Rome, as consultor of the Congregation for Causes of Saints.

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WALTHAM (MA) and GALLUP (NM)
BishopAccountability.org and the Gallup Independent

[Note: Readers of Abuse Tracker are familiar with the work of Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola in the Gallup Independent and National Catholic Reporter. We have collected her journalism on a dedicated page, so that more readers can have the benefit of her reporting. – Terence McKiernan]

In her reporting for the Gallup Independent and the National Catholic Reporter, Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola has brought crucial aspects of the Catholic clergy abuse crisis in the Diocese of Gallup to national and international attention. Since 2002, Hardin-Burrola has chronicled the legacy of sexual abuse in the Gallup diocese, which has severely affected the lives of many Hispanic and Native American families in rural Arizona and New Mexico. Hardin-Burrola has provided deeply researched coverage of the complex Gallup diocese, in the years leading up to the filing of the Chapter 11 petition, and as that bankruptcy process continues to run its course. Below we provide an anthology of her journalism.

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

ALABAMA
Shelby County Reporter

By MOLLY DAVIDSON / Staff Writer

Shelby County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested a local daycare employee on four counts of felony child abuse after concerned coworkers reported her actions to the authorities.

Brittney Nicole Wayland, 20, of Hoover, was arrested on Nov. 2 after she allegedly abused four children at a Shelby County church-run daycare facility located in the 4700 block of Valleydale Road.

Coworkers at the daycare facility reported the alleged abuse to the SCSO on May 29.
According to court documents, the alleged incidents of abuse occurred between June 2014 and June 2015.

After an investigation and interviews with the witnesses and four child victims, Wayland was charged with three counts of misdemeanor harassment and one count of misdemeanor assault SCSO deputy Debbie Sumrall said.

The charges were elevated to felonies after the case was brought in front of a grand jury on Oct. 9. The grand jury indicted Wayland on four counts of felony child abuse.

“This case was forwarded to the grand jury, and because of the number of victims, they decided to charge Brittney with four counts of willful abuse of a child,” Sumrall said.

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MEXICO
SDP Noticias

[Two priests in Mexico have been suspended by the archbishop after allegations of sexual abuse were made.]

El implicado es acusado de 45 abusos en contra de menores indígenas en comunidades oaxaqueñas.

México.- La denuncia pública en contra de otro sacerdote, a quien se acusa de haber abusado de 45 menores indígenas, le costó el sacerdocio a dos párracos: Apolonio Merino Hernández de Cristo Rey, así como Ángel Noguera Nieto de Santiago Camotlán.

El acusado Gerardo Silvestre Hernández fue detenido el 29 de noviembre de 2013, sin embargo, el arzobispo de Antequera-Oaxaca, José Luis Chávez Botello, suspendió a ambos párrocos y a Merino pretendió callarlo con amenazas, afirmando que había violado el celibato para fundar una familia, así como la prefabricación de un delito por el presunto abuso sexual de una mujer.

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

ILLINOIS
Chicago Tribune

Steve SchmadekeContact Reporter
Chicago Tribune

When her 15-year-old son began to question the Orthodox Jewish faith he was raised in, his mother turned to a trusted rabbi from their West Rogers Park community for help.

But Aryeh “Larry” Dudovitz instead betrayed the family’s trust by sexually assaulting the boy during a Jewish holiday nine years ago, a Cook County judge found Monday.

His bench trial Monday at the Leighton Criminal Court Building offered a glimpse into the sometimes-insular Orthodox community. Several prominent rabbis testified that they responded to a report of the abuse by convening a special session of a religious court.

The assault took place in October 2006, but it wasn’t until May 2013 that criminal charges were brought against Dudovitz. The victim’s family said that part of the reason for the delay was because relatives wanted the victim to first receive counseling to be better prepared for the emotional strain of a trial.

During the two-hour trial, Dudovitz, now 48, sat slumped in his seat at the defense table in a long black coat and a black yarmulke. He showed little reaction when the judge ruled. The married father of nine had rejected a plea deal that called for five years in prison and now faces up to 15 years in prison at sentencing.

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MALTA
Malta Today

Jurgen Balzan 17 November 2015

Maltese economist Joe FX Zahra inadvertently found himself in the eye of a storm which has engulfed the Vatican and seen a Spanish priest associated with Opus Dei and a PR expert arrested after being accused of leaking sensitive information.

Two new books have embarrassed the Vatican with reports of mismanagement and greed, such as sainthood causes that can cost €500,000 and one monsignor allegedly breaking down the wall of his next-door neighbor – a sick, elderly priest – to expand his already palatial apartment.

Pope Francis has made a top priority the reform of the Vatican bureaucracy known as the Curia and one of his most trusted aides is Zahra, one of five members on the International Audit Committee of the Holy See. Francis appointed Zahra as president of a new Pontifical Commission for the Reference on the Economy and Administrative Structure of the Holy See (COSEA).

In March 2014, Francis asked Zahra to serve as one of the seven lay members, joining eight cardinals from around the world who serve on the newly-established Council for Economic Affairs, which oversees the work of the new Secretariat for the Economy, an agency which has financial regulatory authority over all the departments of the curia.

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

MINNESOTA
WDIO

[with video]

By: Baihly Warfield
bwarfield@wdio.com

DULUTH, Minn. – Newly released documents indicate the Diocese of Duluth had knowledge of priests’ history of sexual abuse before bringing them to work in the Northland. Twin Cities law firm Jeff Anderson & Associates, which is active in clergy abuse lawsuits, released those documents Monday.

The four priests accused of child sex abuse mentioned in the documents were the Revs. Gregory Manning, Charles Gormly, Bernard Bissonnette and Alfred Longley. They were all accused of abuse while working in the Diocese of Duluth, according to the law firm. The documents show three of the four, all except Longley, spent time at a vocational and psychological assistance facility called Servants of the Paraclete in Jemez Springs, New Mexico for problems with child sex abuse.

The head of Servants of the Paraclete, the Rev. Gerald Fitzgerald, wrote to then-Duluth bishop Thomas Welch in 1958, “We are fully convinced from our wide experience that this type of aberration is not curable.” That statement was in regard to Manning’s “unfortunate ailment” that he was sent to Servants of the Paraclete for.

In a 1966 letter addressed to “any Catholic bishop who may be interested in accepting the service of the Rev. Bernard Bissonnette” from then-bishop Francis Shenk, he writes, “I have given guest priests … a chance to rehabilitate themselves in the Diocese of Duluth. Unfortunately, all of these former ventures turned out quite miserably.”

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GUAM
Pacific News Center

Written by Janela Carrera

Attorney Jacque Terlaje says it doesn’t take a trained lawyer to understand that the deed the Archbishop filed does not translate to him “giving it away.”

Guam – The Archdiocese of Agana has responded to the threats of a possible lawsuit, firing back with their own allegations of ulterior motives by those accusing the Archbishop of illegal trading.

Attorney Jacque Terlaje, in a press release, reiterated the Archdiocese’s previous statements regarding the controversial ownership of the Redemptoris Mater Seminary.

Although a trained lawyer, Terlaje said it doesn’t take a law degree to decipher documents that show who the legal owner of the RMS really is—Archbishop Anthony Apuron.

Terlaje’s press release comes a day after the Concerned Catholics of Guam announced that they would be seeking legal action if the Archbishop fails to return the RMS property back to Archdiocese control.

Terlaje explains, however, that the very same documents the CCOG is using to make the allegations against the Archbishop prove he maintains control over the multimillion dollar property.

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SCOTLAND
Herald Scotland

Martin Williams, Senior News Reporter / Monday 16 November 2015

COURT action is being threatened to force the government to widen its inquiry into historical allegations of child abuse in Scotland.

Survivors group White Flowers Alba said it was seeking a judicial review because it says the inquiry will not look at all cases.

White Flowers Alba claimed this was “unfair” as similar investigations elsewhere in the UK were looking at all instances of abuse.

The group wants the inquiry to extend its examination of abuse to include incidents involving priests in local parishes, in day schools such as council nurseries or primaries and in children’s organisations such as the Scouts or Army cadets.

Last month survivors groups attacked a “lack of progress” in the work of a public inquiry into the allegations.

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NEW YORK
Times Herald-Record

By Andrew Beam
Times Herald-Record

Posted Nov. 16, 2015

MONTICELLO – The 15-year-old boy who accuses a South Fallsburg rabbinical student of sexually assaulting him said he sleeps with a small pocket knife beneath his pillow since the alleged assault occurred.

The teen – who was 11 years old when he said the incident occurred – testified in Sullivan County Court on Monday that he keeps the knife there because he’s “paranoid.”

Monday was the first day of testimony in the nonjury trial of 29-year-old Haim Boukris. He is charged with predatory sexual assault against a child and first-degree sexual abuse, both felonies.

The teen told Sullivan County Assistant District Attorney Eamonn Neary that in 2011, Boukris took him to an empty bungalow colony and forced oral and anal sex on him. He said the alleged assault happened after Boukris offered him a ride home. He said he was “scared and confused” about what was happening to him.

In the days after the alleged as sault, the boy said he started having trouble sleeping and that he “had more anger than usual.”

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SPAIN
Christian Today

Shianee Mamanglu-Regala 17 November 2015

Allegations of sexual abuse as well as abuse of authority by certain leaders of a religious group in Barcelona have led to an internal investigation by the Vatican, according to the Catholic News Agency (CNA).

Former missionary “Paulino,” 36, recently made accusations that he had been a labour and sex slave of certain members of the Missionary Community of Saint Paul the Apostle, and of Mary Mother of the Church (MCSPA) for years. The information was sent to Pope Francis.

He mentioned the names of three priests who he accused of having abused him. The three have a common history in a controversial formation house called “Casa de Santiago,” created decades ago in Barcelona to promote late vocations, the CNA report said.

“I have been a labour slave and sexual slave for a group of depraved people, who were protected by church officials,” Paulino said in a letter to the pope.

“In the three years I spent at the mission of Natiokotome in Kenya, I was treated like a beast of burden. There were around 30 people, and on top of the slave work there was sexual slavery. They would tell us that an active sexual life is something that God wants, and that He also wants us to go around naked, because that is the way He made us. Help me, Francis. Soothe my broken soul a little. Don’t let other youths endure this hell.”

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

ALABAMA
AL.com

By Jeremy Gray | jgray@al.com
on November 16, 2015

A former Clarke County pastor today pleaded guilty to charges of raping, sexually abusing and sodomizing multiple young girls.

Mack Charles Andrews Jr., 55, will serve 15 years in prison as part of the plea agreement.

Andrews was expected to stand trial starting today on charges involving multiple minors in the late 80s and into the 90s when he was pastor of the First United Pentacostal Church in Thomasville and principal of Faith Christian Academy.

Andrews was arrested on Oct. 3, 2013 on multiple counts of rape, sexual abuse, attempted rape, sodomy and sexual torture, according to court records. He is being held at the Clarke County Jail on $500,000 bond.

Warrants filed by Thomasville police at the time of the arrest outline charges involving multiple minors in the late 80s and into the 90s.

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ALABAMA
WTOK

Thomasville, Ala.

A former pastor has pleaded guilty to child sex charges involving multiple victims.

Al.com reported Monday that 55-year-old Mack Charles Andrews, Jr., pleaded guilty to rape, sexual abuse and sodomy. Andrews is expected to serve 15 years in prison as part of a plea deal.

Andrews’ trial was expected to begin Monday.

Authorities say Andrews was accused of sexually abusing girls between the late 80s and early 90s.

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UNITED STATES
National Catholic Reporter

Tom Roberts | Nov. 16, 2015

The media came in for high praise in a blog written recently by an archbishop addressing the “Spotlight” movie and sexual abuse in the church.

“The media was one of the major forces pushing the church to respond in a way that it failed to do up to that point, and we are better for it,” wrote Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, president of the United State Conference of Catholic Bishops, in a Nov. 12 blog posted on the website of the Archdiocese of Louisville.

With the release of “Spotlight,” he said, the role of the media will again be discussed, and he recalled a 2010 column in which he wrote: “I think we should acknowledge the role of the media in calling us to accountability and the firm resolve that is expressed in the Charter,” a reference to the Charter for the Protection of Children and Youth. The document was approved at the bishops’ spring meeting in Dallas in 2002, following the revelations of abuse by clergy and cover up by the hierarchy in the Archdiocese of Boston.

Do you know a volunteer religious ed teacher who inspired you or your kids? We want to tell their story in our upcoming Volunteers special section (only available to subscribers). Click here for more info.​

The “Spotlight” film traces the work of the Boston Globe in uncovering the systemic nature of the crisis in which crimes of individual clerics were hidden as priests were moved from parish to parish without warning and payments were made to buy the silence of victims.

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MINNESOTA
Fox 21

[with video]

Andrew Kirov, Photojournalist
Lena Takada, Reporter, ltakada@kqdsfox21.tv

DULUTH, Minn. –
At least 5 lawsuits are being filed against the Diocese of Duluth on accusations of priests sexually abusing children.

“These cases span from the earliest I know of goes back in the fifties, the most recent goes back to the last year or two,” said Mike Finnegan, an attorney representing survivors of alleged sexual abuse by some of the priests working at the Diocese of Duluth.

Documents introduced in to evidence in one recently conducted lawsuit, Bill Weis vs. Diocese of Duluth, were released to the public for the first time.

The documents have the names of 4 accused priests, and details that attorneys said, suggest that the church had been turning a blind eye to the abuse.

“What these documents show is that the bishops of the Diocese of Duluth have known for years that there were some serious problems of priests molesting kids, here in the Diocese.”

The attorneys call for the bishop of the Diocese to release documents on the other 27 priests who are accused.

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

MILWAUKEE (WI)
National Catholic Reporter

Jamie Manson | Nov. 16, 2015

MILWAUKEE
On the evening of Nov. 6, more than 1,000 people gathered in Milwaukee to kick off the 39th annual Call to Action conference. The event offered an infusion of lay empowerment in a season dominated by the papal visit to the U.S. and the Synod of Bishops in Rome.

Participants responded to the conference’s theme, “Love Radically. Live Faithfully,” by offering keynote speeches and dozens of workshops that addressed many of the issues currently rending the heart of the Catholic church in the United States–and the country as well.

Issues as diverse and urgent as the family, the clergy sex abuse crisis, the transgender experience, nonviolence, the journey of the undocumented immigrant, base communities, and the firing of LGBT church workers were presented in programs throughout the weekend. Many opportunities for prayer, artistic expression, and spiritual practice were also available.

The gathering of theologians, women religious, ministers, activists and committed lay Catholics found inspiration and renewed purpose in the Saturday morning keynote address, given by longtime NCR columnist Benedictine Sr. Joan Chittister.

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CANADA
Windsor Star

TREVOR WILHELM, WINDSOR STAR

The victims of alleged pedophile priest Linus Bastien have waited years for his judgment day in court, but fear it may never come.

After the criminal case dragged on more than four years, three men have launched lawsuits hoping to see some kind of justice before the 90-year-old priest dies.

Robert Talach with Beckett Personal Injury Lawyers said they filed civil suits out of frustration.

“Frustration with the criminal justice system which takes far too long,” he said of reasons for the lawsuits Monday at a news conference. “Delay, which in this particular case is especially problematic when the accused is approaching his 90th birthday. Frustration with a criminal justice system with myopic focus on the rights of the accused while often being blind to the plight of the victims.”

Bastien was a priest in Windsor and the surrounding area from 1951 to 1997. He faces dozens of charges including indecent assault, gross indecency, sexual assault and sexual interference against several young boys.

He is accused of sexually abusing boys while serving as a priest at St. Charles Parish in the former Township of Tilbury East, St. Mary’s Parish in Maidstone, St. Paul’s in LaSalle and St. Joachim Parish in Lakeshore.

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MINNESOTA
Northlands News Center

[with video]

By Nick Minock

November 16, 2015

Duluth, MN (NNCNOW.COM) — There are new developments regarding the Diocese of Duluth and several of its former priests accused of molesting children.

The never before seen letters and documents detail the alleged sexual abuse by four former priests.
.
The four deceased priests were all part of the Diocese of Duluth at one time.

The documents have disturbing details from the past.

“When I came out about the priest in Proctor that molested me, I had several classmates call me up and say I thought I was the only one,” Vern Wagner said.

Wagner stood by the law firm on Monday that is responsible for getting the Diocese of Duluth to release documents that outline years of alleged sexual abuse from four of their priests.
Some of the documents came out after the trial of Reverend Gregory Manning.

“This letter is a warning from the head of the treatment facility in New Mexico of Father Fitzgerald to the Diocese of Duluth in 1958, saying that these people are dangerous,” Michael Finnegan said.

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MINNESOTA
Duluth News Tribune

By Tom Olsen on Nov 16, 2015

A number of priests accused of sexual misconduct were given refuge at parishes within the Diocese of Duluth, where they had access to children and enjoyed the protection of diocesan leaders, according to long-confidential documents made public Monday.

The documents, pertaining to four former priests and spanning from the 1950s to 1970s, were released by attorneys representing numerous abuse victims.

The release marks the first time Diocese of Duluth abuse documents have been made public, attorney Mike Finnegan said.

“What these documents show is that there were a number of offenders in this diocese that were allowed to operate and allowed to access the kids for years and years,” Finnegan said at a press conference. “And we do believe these individuals, given their histories, abused a number of kids here.”

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NEW YORK
The New York Times

By KIRK SEMPLE
NOV. 16, 2015

In 2009, Augusto Cortez, a Roman Catholic priest, pleaded guilty to forcible touching of a 12-year-old girl in Brooklyn. He was sentenced to six years of probation but was allowed to remain a member of his religious order.

Last year, a couple in Hampton Bays, on Long Island, who had known Mr. Cortez for years, accused him of molesting one of their daughters, now 8. He was interviewed by the Southampton Town Police and released, but he quickly vanished and became a fugitive, the authorities said.

On Monday, the Hampton Bays family sued Mr. Cortez’s Catholic order as well as the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre, where he had worked, alleging they had been “negligent, careless and reckless” in failing to properly train and supervise Mr. Cortez, 52, and to warn the family about his “propensity to sexually molest youth.”

The family’s lawyer, Michael Dowd, said in an interview: “To let this guy run around is crazy. It points to the fact that they’re still not taking this stuff seriously.”

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MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

Dan Kraker Duluth · Nov 16, 2015

For the first time, attorneys involved in sexual abuse cases against priests have released internal documents from the Diocese of Duluth.

The documents were exhibits in a recent civil lawsuit against the diocese in which a jury awarded nearly $8.2 million to a survivor of clergy sex abuse. They pertain to four priests who served in the Duluth diocese in the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s. All four have since died.

Attorney Michael Finnegan, who represents several plaintiffs in clergy sexual abuse cases, said they appear to show that the Duluth diocese was willing to give a second chance to clergy who had been sent to facilities that treat priests accused of sexual abuse.

“These documents alarm us,” Finnegan told reporters in Duluth, “and make us very, very concerned that there are a number of survivors in this community here, and in the communities of the Diocese of Duluth, that were hurt by these perpetrators.”

In one instance, a letter from Duluth Bishop Francis Schenk in July 1960 shows the diocese was willing to accept a priest named Charles Gormly after he spent time at Via Coeli in New Mexico. That facility, now known as The Servants of Paraclete, treated priests accused of sexual abuse. “I would like to give him one more chance,” Schenk wrote.

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NEW JERSEY
CentralJersey.com

Parishioners of St. Joseph Parish in Hillsborough learned Sunday that their longtime pastor, Msgr. Raymond L. Cole, has been cleared by an ecclesiastical tribunal of charges of sexual abuse of a minor more than three decades ago.

Msgr Cole was removed from the parish in late October 2013 because of an allegation he sexually abused a minor in the late 1970s when he was assigned as an associate pastor at St. Mary Parish in South Amboy.

A tribunal of three priests from outside the Diocese of Metuchen recently returned a verdict of not guilty. The tribunal is deemed expert in the church’s law and experienced in the church’s judicial process.

“I am satisfied that they conducted the trial in an impartial and professional manner,” the Most Rev. Paul G. Bootkoski, the bishop of Metuchen, wrote in a letter read to parishioners Sunday.

“While there can be neither victory nor victor in a situation such as this, the outcome of the trial means that Msgr. Cole is again a priest in good standing in the Diocese and I hope this decision will be the first step in fully restoring his reputation,” the bishop said.

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WISCONSIN
Fox 6

MILWAUKEE — A Cedarburg priest is cleared during an investigation of sexual abuse claims.

Father Tom Eichenberger was removed from St. Francia Borgia Parish in September.

The Milwaukee Archdiocese said even though no criminal charges had been filed, it is church policy to conduct its own review.

On Sunday, November 15th, Archbishop Jerome Listecki sent a letter to church members saying the case is complete — and Fr. Eichenberger will return for services next weekend. Below is the complete text of that letter:

Dear Parishioners and Friends of St. Francis Borgia Parish,

In September, I wrote to you that we had received a claim against Father Tom Eichenberger alleging sexual abuse. It is my responsibility to write to you now to tell you that the investigation has been completed and the report against Father Eichenberger has not been substantiated.

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee takes these reports very seriously, as did Father Eichenberger, who agreed to step aside as your pastor to allow for a thorough investigation.

In accord with archdiocesan policies, the report against Father Eichenberger was first reviewed by the district attorney’s office. No charges were filed and so the report was turned over to an independent investigator. The results of the investigation were studied by the Diocesan Review Board and they recommended to me that the allegation was not substantiated and that Father Eichenberger should be restored to ministry. I have accepted their recommendation and informed Father Eichenberger that he is fully restored to ministry and may resume his role as your pastor. He will be back at the parish later this week and will join you for Mass next weekend.

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AUSTRALIA
The Guardian

Joshua Robertson
Monday 16 November 2015

It may be stained by the legacy of perhaps the most prolific child sex offender in the history of Queensland schools, but the state’s most prestigious old school tie still commands a hefty price.

A year at Brisbane Grammar costs about $25,000, 30% of the average full time worker’s pre-tax salary.

A few thousand dollars less buys a year at St Paul’s, the other elite Brisbane private school to come under the microscope in hearings by the royal commission into institutional responses to child sex abuse this month.

Grammar in particular retains a reputation as the state’s top school, with an alumni that peppers the top ranks of the local establishment.

This is no solace to the family of one victim of the school’s first ever student counsellor, Kevin Lynch, whose abuse of the boy was so severe he suffered an organic brain injury.

The school gave the former student an out-of-court compensation payout of $45,000, which would not cover two years at Grammar today.

His mother told the commission: “We wanted only the best for our children. What did we get for our money? We got the worst anyone could possibly imagine.”

Still, Grammar’s links to leading legal figures were on show during commission hearings in Brisbane, as were the complications this posed for former students seeking redress.

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UNITED STATES
The Exchange

Tim Lennon talks about SNAP, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, his own childhood experience with sexual abuse by a Catholic priest, and the movie Spotlight, which details the 2001 Boston Globe investigation of the cover-up of the sexual abuse of children within the Catholic Church.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Northern Echo

CHILDREN from a Weardale primary school took part in a special assembly with the Bishop of Durham to help them understand abuse.

The Bishop of Durham, the Right Reverend Paul Butler was at Stanhope Barrington Church of England Primary School to take part in an assembly led by the NSPCC.

The assembly is aimed at primary school aged children and helps them understand abuse, giving them the confidence and courage to speak out and seek help if they ever need it.

The Schools Service was set up in response to the fact that most children who contact the NSPCC’s ChildLine service about abuse are over 11 years old, though in many cases the abuse they are experiencing has been going on for some time.

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MINNESOTA
Jeff Anderson and Associates

11/16/2015

Secret Diocese of Duluth Documents on Priests Accused of Child Sex Abuse To Be Publicly Released For First Time Today

The Documents Were Exhibits in Recent Clergy Abuse Trial Against Diocese

Fr. (Thomas) Gregory Manning Assignments
Fr. (Thomas) Gregory Manning documents
Fr. Alfred Longley documents
Fr. Alfred Longley photo
Fr. Bernard Bissonnette documents
Fr. Bernard Bissonnette photo
Fr. Charles Gormly Assignments
Fr. Charles Gormly documents

WHAT: At a news conference today in Duluth, sexual abuse attorney Michael Finnegan will:

• Announce the public release of secret Diocese of Duluth priest file documents regarding priests credibly accused of sexually abusing children. The documents were introduced into evidence in the Bill Weis vs. Diocese of Duluth civil lawsuit that was recently conducted in Ramsey County, and are being released publicly for the first time today. The documents pertain to four priests accused of sexually abusing children while working in the Diocese of Duluth.

WHEN: Monday, November 16, at 1 p.m. CT

WHERE: Holiday Inn & Suites (Lyric Room)
200 West First Street
Duluth, MN 55802

Contact: Mike Finnegan: Office/651.227.9990 Cell/612.205.5531

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MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

By Chao Xiong Star Tribune NOVEMBER 16, 2015

Attorneys representing a man who successfully sued the Diocese of Duluth for sexual abuse released documents Monday showing that diocesan officials were aware of predatory priests long before their client was molested as a teenager.

The documents on four predatory priests were first handed over by the Catholic diocese to plaintiffs’ attorneys Mike Finnegan, Jeff Anderson and Elin Lindstrom in their representation of the man, called Doe 30 in court documents.

Finnegan said he hoped that releasing the papers now would encourage abuse survivors to take legal action and pressure the diocese to release other priest files.

“These documents — seeing how dangerous these four individuals are — make us believe there are a lot of people in the Diocese of Duluth and across the state who were abused by these predators,” Finnegan said.

A diocesan spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.

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VATICAN CITY
Yahoo! News

Vatican City (AFP) – Gianluigi Nuzzi, one of two Italian journalists facing a criminal probe over leaks from the Vatican, said Monday he would defy a summons to be interrogated by Holy See prosecutors.

Under the hashtag #Noinquisition, Nuzzi said on his website that he had decided not to appear as requested on Tuesday because Vatican law did not guarantee his right to publish news in the public interest while protecting his sources.

“Revealing secret news (in the Vatican) does not earn a medal, as happens for the free press in the entire democratic world, instead it is always, and in every case, a crime,” Nuzzi wrote.

The journalist went on to question why the Vatican was investigating him and a colleague rather than looking into the serious allegations of financial malpractice made in his just-published book, “The Merchants in the Temple”.

The Vatican announced last week that it was investigating Nuzzi and another reporter Emiliano Fittipaldi for divulging the content of confidential Vatican documents, in breach of a law adopted by the Holy See in 2013.

The legislation was introduced by Pope Francis after the Vatileaks scandal which saw his predecessor Benedict XVI weakened by leaks to the media orchestrated by his own butler.

Nuzzi and Fittipaldi’s books use classified documents to back up depictions of corruption, theft and uncontrolled spending at the Vatican.

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CANADA
Blackburn News

By Ricardo Veneza on November 16, 2015

A civil suit is being launched against former Windsor and Chatham area priest Linus Bastien and the Roman Catholic Diocese of London.

Bastien was first arrested in October 2011 and charged with indecent assault linked to his time ministering in Maidstone.

Speaking to BlackburnNews.com, lawyer Rob Talach with Beckett Personal Injury Lawyers in London says the civil case will force Father Bastien to the stand.

“I like to think the evidence is more complete in a civil case because one side doesn’t have the cop-out of being able to sit there silent,” says Talach.

The London-based lawyer is representing three complainants he says are tired of waiting on the criminal case against Bastien to move forward. Talach says his clients are worried Bastien may not face justice as the former priest nears 90 years old and felt the need to move forward with the civil case.

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UNITED STATES
Foundation to Abolish Child Sex Abuse (FACSA]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 16, 2015
Contact: John Salveson at 215-870-0680 salveson@abolishsexabuse.org

BRYN MAWR, PA – John Salveson, President of FACSA (Foundation to Abolish Child Sex Abuse) released the following statement regarding the formation of a National Commission to investigate the sexual abuse of children in the United States in public, private (including the family), secular, and religious institutions.

“Two months ago our nation’s capital rolled out the red carpet for the leader of an institution about which the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child made the following statement last year:

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

Although we live in a society of laws, they often don’t apply when children are sexually abused. In other parts of our society, people and institutions who break the law suffer severe consequences. Ask people from Enron, BP Oil and WorldCom. Ask them if their organizations were given the option of fixing their problems themselves rather than being held accountable by the government and criminal justice systems.

But somehow institutions which have enabled the sexual abuse of children and protected predators for decades operate above the law. We are here today to say with one loud voice that it is time for the federal government to answer this simple question – ‘Why have all of the components of our society which are supposed to protect children – the courts, legislatures, civil and criminal justice systems – failed miserably when it comes to the sexual abuse of children perpetrated by institutions?’

We join our fellow advocates today in calling on the President to create a National Commission to investigate the sexual abuse of children in the United States in public, private (including the family), secular, and religious institutions. The time for action is long overdue.”

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UNITED STATES
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Monday, November 16, 2015

Statement by Kevin Flood of Washington DC, SNAP spokesman (Horizons3@verizon.net)

Along with other groups, we in SNAP today are pushing for a governmental investigation into child sex crimes and cover ups, like Australian officials are doing and officials in other nations have done.

[SOL-Reform]

Kids are safest when those who commit and conceal child sex crimes are behind bars. When that can’t happen, those who commit and conceal child sex crimes should at least be exposed and deterred.

That’s what an independent, thorough government-sponsored inquiry can do. It’s also the very least that our federal government should do, since it has completely refused to take even a single meaningful step in response to the Catholic church’s on-going clergy sex abuse and cover up crisis.

Catholic experts have admitted that an estimated 100,000 US kids have been sexually assaulted by priests.

We applaud the governments that have conducted investigations and issued reports about this continuing crisis, including Ireland, Australia, Canada and Belgium.

We applaud the local US jurisdictions that have done such investigations: New York (Westchester County Grand Jury Report, June 19, 2002 and the Suffolk County Grand Jury Report, February 10, 2003), New Hampshire (Attorney General’s Report with investigative archive, March 3, 2003), Maine (Attorney General’s Report, February 24, 2004. See also the attorney general’s investigative materials released on May 27, 2005 and July 8, 2005), Boston (Reilly Report and Executive Summary, July 23, 2003), three in Philadelphia, PA (Report of the Grand Jury, September 25, 2003, unsealed September 15, 2005, made public March 29, 2011, another Grand Jury Report, September 15, 2005, and a third, Report of the Grand Jury, dated January 21, 2011, released February 10, 2011).

We appaud non-profits that have done investigations, like CRIN, the Child Rights International Network (Child Sexual Abuse and the Holy See: The Need for Justice, Accountability and Reform, January 15, 2014) and Amnesty International.

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DELAWARE
e-News Park Forest

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–November 16, 2015. A former U.S. Navy Lt. Commander and ordained Catholic priest pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware to one count of production of child pornography and one count of distribution of child pornography, announced Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Charles M. Oberly III of the District of Delaware.

John Thomas Matthew Lee, 50, of Millsboro, Delaware, pleaded guilty today before Chief U.S. District Court Judge Leonard P. Stark of the District of Delaware. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 2, 2016. Lee is a registered sex offender following his 2007 conviction in a general court martial of sexually assaulting another Naval officer. Lee has been in custody since his arrest on Nov. 3, 2014.

Following a series of CyberTipline reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) agents were able to trace to Lee accounts that were being used to upload images of child pornography to several social networking sites. In executing a search warrant at Lee’s residence in Millsboro, agents found tens of thousands of child-pornography images on several of Lee’s electronic devices, including his phone. Via online messenger applications and text messages, Lee also used his phone to induce several juveniles to send him pornographic images of themselves. Lee uploaded at least one of these images to a publicly accessible social media site. He also traded other images of child pornography online with other adults.

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CANADA
Blackburn News

By Jason Viau on November 16, 2015

One of father Linus Bastien’s alleged victims wants him to accept and admit the sexual abuse he claims happened.

Complainant John, whose real name and identity is protected under a publication ban, is one of three behind a $3.1-million civil lawsuit against Bastien and the Diocese of London.

John says he wants Bastien to take the stand.

“Acceptance. You know what, ‘I did this,’” John says he wants to hear from Bastien. “Here’s a man of the morale cloth and man he’s just been one of the biggest perpetrators of exactly what he’s trying to instill in his parishioners.”

John, who was 13 at the time, and six others were allegedly sexually assaulted while Bastien was a minister, some of that time in Maidstone.

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DELAWARE
WBOC

DOVER, Del. (AP)- A former Navy chaplain and Catholic priest who sexually assaulted a Naval Academy midshipman years ago is facing up to 50 years in prison for child pornography.

John Thomas Matthew Lee of Millsboro pleaded guilty Monday in federal court in Delaware to production and distribution of child pornography. Lee, who was indicted in June, faces sentencing on March 2.

Lee was court-martialed in 2007 on charges including forcible sodomy and failing to tell a sex partner he was HIV-positive. He was sentenced to no more than two years in prison.

Lee, who registered as a sex offender in Delaware in 2013, was arrested last November after a multistate investigation.

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SCOTLAND
BBC Scotland

By Reevel Alderson
BBC Scotland’s social affairs correspondent

Legal action is being threatened to force the government to widen the remit of the inquiry into historical allegations of child abuse in Scotland.

Survivors group White Flowers Alba said it was seeking a judicial review because the inquiry will not look at their cases.

It claimed this was “unfair” as similar investigations elsewhere in the UK were looking at all instances of abuse.

The Scottish government said the inquiry must focus on a set time frame.

The public inquiry was ordered in December last year and followed allegations which emerged in a BBC Scotland investigation of institutional abuse at a former Catholic boarding school at Fort Augustus in the Highlands.

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VATICAN CITY
WRAL

By NICOLE WINFIELD, Associated Press

VATICAN CITY — One of the Italian journalists whose expose of Vatican mismanagement has made headlines is refusing to appear before Vatican magistrates to be questioned in a criminal case over leaked confidential documents.

Gianluigi Nuzzi, author of “Merchants in the Temple,” received an official summons from the office of the Vatican prosecutor to appear Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. to be interrogated in the case against a Vatican monsignor accused in the leaks probe.

Nuzzi, who has been placed under investigation in the case, said Monday he wouldn’t appear for questioning. In a statement, he accused the Vatican legal system of punishing journalists and criminalizing the publishing of news, and noted that there are no norms in the Vatican legal code allowing journalists to protect their sources.

Nuzzi and another Italian journalist, Emiliano Fittipaldi, published two bombshell books last week based on leaked documents from a commission named by Pope Francis to try to get a handle on the Vatican’s finances and propose reforms. The books detailed waste, mismanagement and greed in the Vatican and the resistance Francis is facing in trying to fix the problems.

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UNITED STATES
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Monday, Nov. 16, 2015

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

There’s irony and tragedy today as the Washington DC-based US Conference of Catholic Bishops holds its annual meeting in Baltimore.

It’s ironic because, today, a former Washington DC priest who’d already served prison time for assaulting young men pled guilty to child pornography.

[The News Journal]

And it’s tragic because, as best we can tell, the bishops apparently won’t even talk about – much less take action on – the church’s continuing abuse and cover up crisis.

[U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops]

This is tragic because just a few months ago, during his first visit to the US, Pope Francis got many people’s hopes up by making strong promises, including that “abuse cannot be kept secret any longer,” “all responsible will be held accountable,” and that church officials will provide “careful oversight to ensure that youth are protected.”

He has also said “Everything possible must be done to rid the church of the scourge of the sexual abuse of minors and to open pathways of reconciliation and healing for those who were abused.”

Apparently, US bishops weren’t listening. Apparently, they’re completely confident they’re doing all they can to stop predator priests, nuns, bishops, seminarians and brothers and deter their complicit colleagues and supervisors.

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DELAWARE
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Monday, Nov. 16, 2015

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

We are grateful that a Delaware priest who did prison time for sexually assaulting young men pled guilty today to child porn charges. Though some news accounts refer to him as an “ex-priest,” we’re not sure this is the case. He may not have been defrocked, though he has almost certainly been suspended.

[The News Journal]

Fr. John Thomas Matthew Lee also worked in Washington DC. We hope he’s given the maximum sentence. And we hope that every single current and former Catholic church employee and member who saw, suspected or suffered his crimes will call police, expose wrongdoers, protect kids and start healing.

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UNITED STATES
Chronicle of Social Change

by Colleen Friend November 15, 2015

“Spotlight,” an independent film based on a column of the same name in The Boston Globe, is about the cover-up of child sexual abuse within the Catholic Church. The film gets a lot right, from the ensemble cast to the embedded messages about secrets, insiders/outsiders and child sexual abuse (CSA). It is clearly an Oscar contender.

On the evening of November 2nd at the Aero Theater in Santa Monica, Calif., director and co-writer Tom McCarthy and co-writer Josh Singer explained their two-and-a-half-year crafting process that explored The Boston Globe’s reporting for the column. The Globe’s Pulitzer Prize-winning work demonstrated, in the parlance of the writers, that it took a village to cover up clergy sexual abuse.

Confidential settlements, parish transfers, priests on sick leave or awaiting assignment, and assurances of limited liability all collide here to pique the curiosity of the newly appointed Jewish editor from Miami, Marty Baron, portrayed by Liev Schreiber, who wonders aloud why The Globe had not really pursued this before.

The answer is not a mystery to the insiders at the paper, who worry about suing Cardinal Law, upsetting their own family members’ and readership’s traditions and being leaned on to look the other way. The writers pointed out that they wanted to show that it really took an outsider to see the importance of this story for the Boston community.

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UNITED STATES
Hamilton and Griffin on Rights

This blog entry is a brief guide to the documents, newspaper articles, and reports that are the basis of the movie Spotlight. If you wonder what Mike Rezendes is reading in the cab, or what’s in Phil Saviano’s box of documents, or what editor Marty Baron means when he says, “You’ve all done some very good reporting here,” read on.

The movie is the story of an article getting written:

Church Allowed Abuse by Priest for Years, by Michael Rezendes, Boston Globe (1/6/02)

It’s also about the fight to unseal some documents, and once those documents are unsealed, after the end of the movie, the Spotlight team will write this remarkable story:

Documents Show Church Long Supported Geoghan, by Walter V. Robinson and Matt Carroll, Boston Globe (1/24/02)

The emotional center of the movie is a cab ride through the neighborhoods, past the characters we’ve gotten to know, while reporter Mike Rezendes reads a letter aloud. The letter was written by Margaret Gallant, the aunt of the children we see at the beginning of the film. It’s one of two she writes, one to Cardinal Medeiros, and one to Cardinal Law, his successor. These are the letters, with their answers:

* Margaret Gallant to Cardinal Medeiros about Geoghan and Her Family (8/10/82)

* Globe Transcript of Gallant’s Handwritten Letter

* Cardinal Medeiros to Margaret Gallant Replying to Her Letter (8/20/82)

* Margaret Gallant to Cardinal Law about Geoghan with Boys Again (9/6/84)

* Cardinal Law to Margaret Gallant Replying to Her Letter (9/21/84)

When Rezendes arrives at the Globe, he reads this letter by Auxiliary Bishop John D’Arcy, who objects that Law has reassigned Father Geoghan. Law is ignoring Gallant’s letter, and D’Arcy’s “breaking ranks,” says Sacha Pfeiffer.

* Auxiliary Bishop John D’Arcy to Cardinal Law, Breaking Ranks (12/7/84)

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UNITED STATES
National Catholic Reporter

Michael Sean Winters | Nov. 16, 2015

Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano delivered what is widely expected to be his last address to the bishops this morning. The papal nuncio hits 75 on January 16 and word on the street is that his resignation will be accepted pronto.

The nuncio recalled the pope’s visit. Perhaps we should not be surprised that he neglected to mention what became one of the more notorious items on the pope’s itinerary, the meeting arranged by the nuncio between Pope Francis and Kim Davis. Nor did Ms. Davis accompany the nuncio to the USCCB meeting. Damn. I wanted to meet her and ask how her husbands are doing.

+Vigano spoke about the roots of the Church in the United States, and how the Church here became a refuge for clergy fleeing the French Revolution. He said that during that revolution, God and the Church were being exiled from the public square, which minimizes the barbarity of what happened then, and sets up a false comparison with current discussions about the role of the Church in the public square today. But, +Vigano has long been susceptible to false narratives and tendentious analogies about the state of the Church in the U.S. Later he spoke about a “secularized and pagan civilization.” Really? Yes, U.S. culture is more secularized today than previously. But, the drop in the number Catholics has more to do with the clergy sex abuse crisis than with any amorphous secularizing power. Also, the excessive materialism of our culture tends to sideline concern for the transcendent. Alas, the culture warriors like to demonize others, rather than accept responsibility for their own transgressions and failings.

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NEW MEXICO
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Monday, Nov. 16, 2015

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

Several victims of New Mexico predator priests want their cases to go to trial. We hope they succeed in their effort for justice, prevention and healing.

Gallup Independent

When Catholic bishops take advantage of bankruptcy laws, it stops nearly all litigation. This is hurtful, reckless and unjust. A number of adults who were victimized as kids in the Gallup diocese are asking a judge to let their clergy sex abuse and cover ups cases to proceed toward trial.

It’s bad enough to be sexually violated by a predator priest and betrayed by a callous bishop. But to then be denied your day in court because Catholic officials are exploiting Chapter 11 laws to keep a tight lid on their complicity is yet another layer of harm.

We hope that U.S. Bankruptcy Judge David T. Thuma sides with suffering child sex abuse victims and betrayed parishioners, and against Gallup Bishop James Wall who selfishly and callously wants a “one size fits all” and a “let’s keep the cover ups covered up” approach.

We also hope that every single person who saw, suspected or suffered clergy sex crimes and cover ups in New Mexico will find the courage to speak up, protect kids, expose wrongdoers, call police and start healing.

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NEW JERSEY
Patch

By JASON KOESTENBLATT (Patch Staff)
November 16, 2015

More than two years after being suspended by the Diocese of Metuchen for an alleged child sex assault that occurred in the 1970s, Msgr. Raymond Cole has been reinstated.

In a letter to the parish of St. Joseph Church in Hillsborough, Bishop Paul G. Bootkoski explained that Cole underwent a church trial, consisting of three clergy members from outside the Diocese of Metuchen.

The tribunal, after hearing charges of sexual abuse of a minor against Cole, returned a not guilty verdict, the letter said.

“I am satisfied that they conducted the trial in an impartial and professional manner,” Bootkoski wrote. “While there can be neither victory nor victor in a situation such as this, the outcome of the trial means that Msgr. Cole is again a priest in good standing in the Diocese and I hope this decision will be the first step in fully restoring his reputation.”

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DELAWARE
The News Journal

Jessica Masulli Reyes, The News Journal November 16, 2015

A former Navy chaplain and Catholic priest, who pleaded guilty years ago to sexually assaulting a U.S. Navy Academy midshipman, has pleaded guilty to production and distribution of child pornography.

John Thomas Matthew Lee, 50, of Millsboro, entered the plea in U.S. District Court in Delaware on Monday morning.

Lee admitted to U.S. District Judge Leonard P. Stark that he communicated with young boys on the Internet, and in one instance, took pornographic photos of a minor and distributed the images.

Lee is facing 15 to 30 years in federal prison on the production charge and five to 20 years on the distribution charge.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse

16 November

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse has sought to protect the privacy and confidentiality of victims and survivors taking part in the Truth Project process by seeking a special legal ruling.

To help us keep the process confidential, a legal ruling known as a Restriction Order is in place, which has been made to ensure that the Truth Project is, and remains, private and confidential.

Anyone who attends a Truth Project session can tell people that they have shared their experience with us, however they cannot tell anyone, except a professional therapist, counsellor, doctor or other professional with duty of confidentiality, what was actually said in the Truth Project private session itself.

The Order also means that those who attend a session cannot tell anyone the details of any other victims or survivors who have also shared their experience with us. They also cannot disclose the venue where private sessions are being held. This is to ensure that we protect the confidentiality of anyone who chooses to tell us what happened to them.

The Inquiry is also bound by the Order and must keep information confidential. The only exceptions to this would be if the Inquiry needs to pass any information to the police or where otherwise required by law.

The Inquiry must refer any allegations of child sexual abuse to the police. However we will not pass on the contact details of a victim or survivor without their consent, unless it is necessary to protect a child.

View the Inquiry’s Restriction Order

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DEUTSCHLAND
Sueddeutsche Zeitung

[The work-up of alleged abuse cases at the Regensburger Domspatzen has been delayed. New people have come forward. Ulrich Weber, investigating lawyer, said he expects the first interim report in Feburary.]

Die Aufarbeitung der Missbrauchsfälle bei den Regensburger Domspatzen verzögert sich. Der mit der Untersuchung beauftragte Rechtsanwalt Ulrich Weber teilte am Samstag mit, dass ihn nach wie vor Betroffene kontaktierten. Weber sprach von einem “nicht abreißenden Strom von Meldungen”. Für kommenden Februar kündigte er einen ersten Zwischenbericht an. Zuvor war für das Frühjahr bereits mit seinem Abschlussbericht gerechnet worden.

Die Diözese verhalte sich in der Aufarbeitung der Missbrauchsfälle kooperativ. “Mir wurden und werden alle Unterlagen zugänglich gemacht, die ich anfordere”, schrieb Weber. Kircheninternen Nachforschungen zufolge waren im Bistum Regensburg seit 1945 etwa 80 Kinder von Priestern und Lehrern sexuell missbraucht worden, darunter auch bei dem weltberühmten Chor. Im Februar hatte das Bistum bereits über körperliche Gewalt berichtet und eingeräumt, dass in der Vorschule der Domspatzen der langjährige Direktor und mehrere andere Lehrer über Jahrzehnte Kinder misshandelt hätten.

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MASSACHUSETTS
Patch

By DANIEL LIBON (Patch Staff)
November 16, 2015

A Quincy man has admitted to extorting the former rabbi of Temple Israel in Sharon.

Nicholas Zemeitus, 31, pleaded guilty last week in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham to extortion and larceny charges in a scheme to blackmail former rabbi Barry Starr according to the Boston Globe.

In 2011, Zemeitus encountered Starr after responding to an online listing for sex with an older woman. When Zemeitus arrived at Starr’s home, he was greeted by the former rabbi who was wearing women’s clothing. Starr gave Zemeitus $100 to remain quiet, but the Quincy man threaten to go public with underage sex allegations, which Starr denied happened and authorities found no evidence of.

In addition, Starr allegedly modified the checks given to him for the temple’s discretional fund and deposited them at higher amounts to accounts belonging to Zemeitus and his wife.

Zemeitus is set to be sentenced on Dec. 2. Procesutors reccomended a six-to-eight-year prison term.

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AUSTRALIA
Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse

16 November, 2015

The Royal Commission has published 33 submissions from schools, government and non-government organisations in response to its issues paper on addressing the risk of child sexual abuse in schools.

Royal Commission CEO Philip Reed said the large number of responses reflected the importance of this issue, with around 30 percent of all people who have spoken to the Royal Commission having been sexually abused as children in a school.

Mr Reed said the Royal Commission’s terms of reference require it to look into what governments should do to address or alleviate the impact of past and future child sexual abuse in institutional contexts.

The issues paper, released in July, sought community input on protecting children in Australian schools, including effectiveness of teacher training, efficacy of policies and how staff and parents are informed about policies, governance, and the need for regulatory frameworks to better protect children and young people.

“Submissions to the issues paper will be considered alongside the relevant case studies, the personal experiences shared by survivors of abuse in private sessions, and our broader policy work on schools,” Mr Reed said.

Submissions to Issues Paper 9 are published on the Royal Commission website.

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AUSTRALIA
Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse

16 November, 2015

The Royal Commission’s public hearing into Brisbane Grammar School and St Paul’s School will recommence in Sydney on Friday 20 November.

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

1. The experience of former students of Brisbane Grammar School in Spring Hill, Queensland.

2. The experience of former students at St Paul’s School in Bald Hills, Queensland.

3. The response of the Board of Trustees, Headmasters and other members of staff of Brisbane Grammar School to complaints about the behaviour of Kevin Lynch, a former school counsellor at Brisbane Grammar School.

4. The responses of the Anglican Diocese of Brisbane Diocese, the School Council, Headmasters and other members of staff of St Paul’s School to concerns raised, or complaints made, about the behaviour of Kevin Lynch and Gregory Knight, former members of staff at St Paul’s School.

5. The past and current systems, practices, policies and procedures in place at Brisbane Grammar School and St Paul’s School in relation to raising and responding to concerns and complaints about child sexual abuse.

6. The circumstances relating to Gregory Knight’s employment and registration as a teacher in Queensland.

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AUSTRALIA
Brisbane Times

A former high-profile Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing a boy in the 1970s has had charges against him mentioned in a Brisbane court.

Paul McLachlan, 82, is charged with four counts of indecently dealing with a boy under 17, two charges of unlawful indecent assault and one count of procuring indecent practices between males.

He didn’t appear in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday due to medical issues and was ordered to sign a bail undertaking at the Wynnum Magistrates Court.

He is scheduled to reappear in court on December 14.

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AUSTRALIA
9 News

AAP

The publicity surrounding the child sex abuse royal commission hearings prompted a man to make a complaint against a former Queensland priest, police allege.

The man alleges he was indecently assaulted by Paul McLachlan, the former head of the Brisbane Catholic media office, nearly 40 years ago.

McLachlan, now 82, has been charged with four counts of indecently dealing with a boy under 17, two charges of unlawful indecent assault and one count of procuring indecent practices between males.

The charges were briefly mentioned in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday.

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GUAM
Pacific News Center

Written by Janela Carrera

The Concerned Catholics of Guam say they want to give Archbishop Anthony Apuron an opportunity to “set things right” first before taking him to court.

Guam – The Concerned Catholics of Guam is preparing to take legal action against Archbishop Anthony Apuron if he maintains status quo on the controversial deeding of the Redemptoris Mater Seminary in Yona. Before taking him to court, however, CCOG says they want to give the Archbishop a chance to”set things right.”

The controversy surrounding the Redemptoris Mater Seminary has been brewing for several years with little to no response from the Archdiocese of Agana and as a result, the Concerned Catholics of Guam is now planning to take legal action against Archbishop Anthony Apuron for allegedly deeding over a multimillion dollar property to a third party illegally. Tim Rohr, a Catholic insider, spoke on behalf of the group today.

“They have two courses of action, one would be civil court, and the other would be through a church court,” says Rohr.

Taking legal action, either in canonical or civil court, is more of a last resort for the CCOG, but it may be necessary in order to get back the RMS that they believe was given away to a third party that is in no way a part of the Archdiocese of Agana. The group says they first want to give Archbishop Apuron an opportunity to set things right.

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UNITED STATES
The Worthy Adversary

Posted by Joelle Casteix on November 15, 2015

Did you just see Spotlight and get all fired up?

Or maybe you have noticed that your bishop’s actions don’t reflect transparency, humility … or anything remotely resembling Christianity.

But you can’t quite determine the root of the problem. And no matter how hard to try to believe that “things are different now,” your bishop’s words just ring false. What do you do? I’m here to help.

Here is a handy-dandy quiz you can print and give your local bishop.

Your name: Bishop ______________

1) Do you live in a house that is worth more than $1 million or—for the sake of argument—worth $42 million? If so, why?

The only good follow-up to a yes answer is: “I wear a court-ordered ankle bracelet that requires me to stay in the confines of this home.” Everything else is bunk—period.

If you live in California, it gets even better. The Diocese of Orange … er, I mean the parishes (see #5) … own MULTIPLE homes worth more than $1 million. This article is more than 10 years old, so we can just assume that prices have doubled from what is listed here.

2) If you found out that one of your priests sexually abused a 6-year-old boy when the soon-to-be priest was 16 or 17 years old, would you allow that priest to remain in ministry? Would you let him to lie to parishioners about what allegations are? Would you let him travel with children? (stay tuned if you live in Chicago or LA)

3) Are there any pending civil or criminal complaints against any of your religious, volunteers, or employees? Are there any cases that you and your review boards are secretly handling? Have you made anyone sign confidentiality agreements since 2002?

4) Do you publicly post and announce USCCB “Warnings”—especially if they apply to your diocese? Why not? Aren’t you required to be transparent? – See more at: http://theworthyadversary.com/3775-its-time-to-take-the-bishop-quiz#sthash.jsixdpLr.dpuf

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WASHINGTON (DC)
Catholic Whistleblowers

A coalition of organizations dedicated to the safety of children to call on President Obama and his Administration to convene a national commission to investigate the urgent crisis of sexual abuse of children

One in four girls and one in six boys are sexually abused in the United States before the age of eighteen – it is time to address this epidemic with bold action

Other countries such as Australia and Ireland have courageously faced the scandal of child sexual abuse through national studies, reports, and commissions – it is time for the United States to do the same

What
A press conference and rally announcing the delivery of a letter to President Barack Obama requesting that he convene a “National Commission on Sexual Abuse of Children” which will study and investigate childcare and child welfare institutions, organizations, and agencies in the United States

When
Monday, November 16, 2015 at 1:00 pm

Where
Lafayette Park near the White House at 16th and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20500

Who
Members of more than twenty organizations, led by Catholic Whistleblowers, an organization of lay and religious women, priests, and former priests and religious brothers whose mission is to support victim/survivors of clergy and religious sexual abuse; Professor Marci Hamilton of Cardozo Law School of Yeshiva University, New York City, constitutional lawyer with a specialty in First Amendment law, author, and advocate for victim/survivors of sexual abuse; and leaders of more than twenty national and international organizations that promote child safety

Why
According to studies and data, there are approximately 60 million American children who have been or will be sexually abused before the age of eighteen. Children are sexually abused in every organization, institution, and social stratum of American life: families, schools, clubs, athletic teams, churches, and community-based settings. The problem is of epidemic proportion, and in much the same way that the United States convenes national commissions to eradicate diseases and threats to its population, it is time for the establishment of a “National Commission on Sexual Abuse of Children.” Catholic Whistleblowers, with the endorsement of more than twenty national child safety and advocacy organizations, will present a letter to President Barack Obama requesting his leadership in addressing the scourge of child sexual abuse in the United States through a national commission.

Contacts
Professor Marci Hamilton, Cardozo Law School of Yeshiva University, NYC – 215-353-8984
Dr. Robert M. Hoatson, Catholic Whistleblowers, West Orange, NJ – 862-368-2800
Rev. James E. Connell, Catholic Whistleblowers, Milwaukee, WI – 414-940-8054

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MINNESOTA
Legal Examiner

Posted by Mike Bryant
November 15, 2015

Survivors of sexual abuse have until May of 2016 to seek justice against their attackers. The Window is limited by the statute of limitation that was expanded by the Child Victims Act. Anyone who was sexually abused by an employee of the diocese, or who believes the diocese is liable for their abuse have until May 2016.

Those with claims must act within that time.

Abuse of children and the continued silence by the offenders needs to be prevented. If you suffered, saw, or suspected such events, it is important to know that there is help out there.

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NEW YORK
Times Herald-Record

By Andrew Beam
Times Herald-Record

Posted Nov. 12, 2015

MONTICELLO – The boy who said a South Fallsburg rabbinical student sexually assaulted him will testify about the alleged incident, according to Sullivan County Assistant District Attorney Eamonn Neary.

Neary said on Thursday that the boy has “gone through hell” ever since coming forward about the allegations against Haim Boukris. Neary also said the boy’s father will testify about how his son’s behavior changed following the alleged incident in 2011, when the boy was 11 years old.

“(The father) will testify about the abuse him and his son face in the community,” Neary said.

Both Neary and Kenneth Gribetz, the New City attorney representing the 29-year-old Boukris, delivered opening statements before Sullivan County Court Judge Frank LaBuda on Thursday.

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UNITED STATES
Crux

By John L. Allen Jr.
Associate editor November 15, 2015

This week I was in New York, and was, among other things, interviewed for a Discovery Channel documentary on the Vatican. It shapes up as a “greatest hits” collection of Vatican conspiracy theories, from alleged Nazi ratlines after World War II to whether Pope John Paul I was assassinated and the 1998 Swiss Guard murders.

They’re revisiting this well-worn ground in part because of fresh Vatican scandals that have broken out lately, featuring leaks of secret financial information that appear to expose all sorts of alleged shenanigans, from shadowy VIPs using Vatican accounts to hide money to cronyism in the management of Vatican real estate.

I tried to peel back the onion for them, arguing that reality is usually more prosaic than sensational hints of plots and occult forces. The problem with conspiracy theories, I suggested, is that they act as smokescreens obscuring the real breakdowns that need to be fixed.

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AUSTRALIA
The Courier-Mail

[with video]

TOM SNOWDON
DAVID MURRAY
THE COURIER-MAIL NOVEMBER 16, 2015

A FORMER high-profile priest fondled and groped a boy who was staying the night at his Brisbane home almost 40 years ago, police allege.

These are the latest in a string of indecent dealing allegations facing Paul McLachlan, 82, who was once a public face of the Catholic Church in Queensland during the 1970s and 1980s.

The alleged victim came forward to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, triggering an investigation.

It comes as two schools at the centre of royal commission hearings in Brisbane deal with dozens more abuse cases involving former counsellor Kevin Lynch.

The Courier-Mail can reveal that up until about a month ago, 42 former students of Anglican St Paul’s School at Bald Hills had come forward about being ­sexually abused by Lynch and former music teacher Gregory Robert Knight.

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ISRAEL
Jerusalem Post

The Association of Communal Rabbis will convene a conference in Jerusalem on Sunday to deal with the ramifications of the allegations of severe sexual abuse against Rabbi Ezra Scheinberg from Safed within the religious community.

The conference at the Ganei Yerushalayim hotel will be attended by Chief Rabbis David Lau and Yitzhak Yosef, Efrat Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, director of ACR Rabbi Amichai Eliyahu and Rabbi Menachem Borshtein, director of the PUAH Institute for fertility, among others.

Scheinberg, a renowned national-religious rosh yeshiva from Safed, was indicted in July on 12 charges of sexual offenses including rape, sodomy and indecent assault.

The rabbi, 48, who is married and has eight children, founded Yeshivat Orot HaAri in Safed in 1999. He was a respected and prominent figure in the national-religious community, and lauded as a particularly spiritual rabbi with preternatural abilities to see into the future and give advice.

It is believed that his victims first sought his guidance on issues of fertility and spirituality.

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NEW MEXICO
Albuquerque Journal

By Albuquerque Journal Editorial Board
Sunday, November 15th, 2015

Where is the spirit of reconciliation and commitment to make things right? Apparently, it comes with an asterisk in some segments of the Catholic Church when it comes to settling claims against clergy who abused children.

At the same time Santa Fe Archbishop John Wester warns Roman Catholics in New Mexico that the upcoming release of the movie “Spotlight” will revive painful memories, the Diocese of Gallup pleads poverty and one of its insurers says victims of one of its worst abusers may not get a dime for their suffering under its interpretation of coverage obligations.

Wester, who as archbishop over a church province that includes New Mexico and Arizona has some responsibilities over the Gallup Diocese, said he fears the movie about the Boston Globe’s 2002 investigation into the church’s cover-up of clergy abuse may bring up “horrific memories” for victims and asked local churchgoers to pray for those victims.

The archbishop added, “The Archdiocese of Santa Fe and I are … dedicated to the aid in the reconciliation and healing process.” Apparently “aid” might not include “financial” in the case of the Gallup victims.

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NEW MEXICO
The New Mexican

Sat Nov 14, 2015.
By Anne Constable
The New Mexican

When Adam Lee Ortega y Ortiz, rector of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, first heard about Spotlight, a new movie about the Catholic Church’s cover-up of clergy sex abuse in Boston, he thought to himself, “Here we go again” and “why would you reopen wounds?”

Serious allegations of priestly misconduct first surfaced in New Mexico over two decades ago when a series of lawsuits were filed against the Archdiocese of Santa Fe accusing four priests of sexual abuse dating back to the 1970s.

The much-anticipated film by Thomas McCarthy, which opens Friday in Santa Fe, relates the story of child sex abuse by clergy and its impact on the faithful uncovered by the Boston Globe’s investigative team, which began looking into the local scandal in 2002 after Marty Baron, an editor with the Miami Herald and Los Angeles Times, joined the Globe as its top editor.

In a recent letter, the Most Rev. John C. Wester, archbishop of Santa Fe, wrote to Church leaders and parishioners, warning them the film might trigger “horrific memories that continue to haunt and disturb” New Mexico victims and urging them to reach out to those who have been abused by clergy.

He had reason for concern. New Mexico was once an epicenter of sexual abuse by priests.

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