ABUSE TRACKER

ROME
BBC News

An Italian cardinal has donated €150,000 (£109,000) to a Catholic charity which allegedly footed the bill for renovations to his luxury flat.

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone was donating the money for medical research “to make amends”, said Mariella Enoc, head of the Bambino Gesu Hospital.

Cardinal Bertone said he had paid for the work on his residence himself.

However, documents leaked to reporters earlier this year allege the €200,000 came from the Bambino Gesu Foundation.

The foundation collects donations for a children’s hospital in Rome.

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ROME
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

By FRANCES D’EMILIO Associated Press

ROME • An Italian cardinal whose penthouse apartment was reportedly renovated using funds from a Vatican-owned children’s hospital is making a large donation for medical research in a bid to make amends, the hospital’s president said Saturday.

Bambino Gesu Hospital President Mariella Enoc told reporters that Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone is donating 150,000 euros ($165, 000) for research on orphan diseases.

Bertone has insisted that he paid for the renovations himself. The scandal put him on the defensive, since lavish lifestyles clash with Pope Francis’ insistence that prelates live modestly.

Bertone was formerly the secretary of state, the Vatican’s No. 2 official, under Pope Benedict XVI and for the first months of Francis’ papacy. Now 81, he no longer holds any top Vatican post.

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UNITED STATES
PopeCrimes& Vatican Evils.

Paris Arrow

According to Nuzzi, one of the Vatileaks 2 Italian journalists, (read more here http://popecrimes.blogspot.ca/2015/11/2-italian-journalists-defy-vatican.html), the average price tag for sainthood comes to about €500,000. “We then have to consider the costs of all the thank you gifts required for the prelates who are invited to festivities and celebrations held at crucial moments in the process, to say a few words about the acts and miracles of the future saint or blessed,” he writes. “Record spending on these causes has reached as high as €750,000.”

Mother Teresa has surpassed that amount more than ten times because she already sent to John Paul II and hoarded in the Vatican Bank more than $100 million dollars that were meant to build a hospital and a university in India, (read more http://popecrimes.blogspot.ca/2011/07/mother-teresa-was-not-living-saint.html).

But what is more troubling about the half-truth saint Mother Teresa – is what she did may not been so Christian or Christ-like after all. Eyewitness and volunteers said — that while it’s true she helped a lot of people who were dying in the streets of Kolkata, she also did NOT help them become better or to live longer – but rather she helped them to die faster by saying to them: “You are suffering like Christ on the cross. So Jesus must be kissing you.” See specific page here. And she denied any medical help to those who could have been treated and cured even by simple antibiotics. Christopher Hitchens wrote in detail about her practise in his book, The Missionary Position: Mother Theresa in Theory and Practice

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ITALY
Europe Online

Italian journalist Emiliano Fittipaldi speaks to dpa after his Vatican scandal revelations prompt a top cardinal to return 150,000 euros for misusing funds intended for a children‘s hospital.

Vatican City (dpa) – Emiliano Fittipaldi revealed last month how former top cardinal Tarcisio Bertone used a 200,000-euro (217,000-dollar) grant from a Vatican children‘s hospital to renovate his retirement penthouse.

The Italian journalist, who is facing a Vatican criminal trial for publishing a book on the Bertone affair and other financial shenanigans, spoke to dpa after it was announced that the cardinal would return 150,000 euros.

dpa: What do you think about this development?

Fittipaldi: It proves that even in Italy investigative journalism, reporting on real and verified information, can make a difference. Now I hope that was what wrongly taken away from the hospital will be invested in the right way, namely on medical research.

I also hope this will only be the starting point. My book also talks about the hospital‘s secret bank accounts worth 500,000 euros at the IOR [Vatican bank] and at [the Vatican central bank] APSA, invested on multinationals like PepsiCo. This has nothing to do with its mission.

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VATIKAN
Radio Vatikan

[Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski died of a heart attack, the Vatican said.]

Der des Kindesmissbrauchs angeklagte Vatikandiplomat Erzbischof Jozef Wesolowski ist eines natürlichen Todes gestorben. Das hat nun auch ein weiterer medizinischer Befund ergeben, wie der Vatikan am Freitag mitteilte. Die chemisch-toxologische Untersuchung von bei der Autopsie entnommenen Proben wurde von Gerichtsmedizinern durchgeführt, die dazu von der vatikanischen Staatsanwaltes am Tag nach dem Tod des Erzbischofs beauftragt worden waren, hieß es.

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DEUTSCHLAND
NDR

[Abuse: Victims’ association calls for further steps]

Nachdem der Hildesheimer Bischof Norbert Trelle am Freitag zum ersten Mal Versäumnisse bei der Aufarbeitung eines Missbrauchsfalls eingeräumt hat, der im Jahr 2010 gemeldet wurde, fordert der Opferverband Eckiger Tisch weitere Konsequenzen. Die Stellungnahme des Bischofs gehe nicht weit genug, heißt es. Immerhin werde eingeräumt, dass sich das Bistum nicht richtig verhalten hat, sagte Matthias Katsch, der Vorsitzende des Verbands. Er sei allerdings der Meinung, dass jemand Verantwortung für dieses Fehlverhalten übernehmen müsse – etwa durch einen Rücktritt. Außerdem hätte er sich gewünscht, dass sich Bischof Trelle für das Fehlverhalten entschuldigt, so Katsch. Das sei aber nicht der Fall.

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ALABAMA
WKRG

[with video]

A local pastor is accused of sexually abusing teenagers and committing sodomy for at least the past seven years in Washington County.

48-year-old Tommy Joe Newberry has been arrested by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office on counts of sodomy 2nd degree, sexual abuse 1st and 2nd degree, and enticing a child to enter for immoral purposes.

Newberry is a pastor at Red Creek Church of God in Buckatunna, Mississippi.

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ALABAMA
WTVM

[with video]

By Kellie Jones, FOX10 Investigative Producer

WASHINGTON COUNTY, AL (WALA) –
A Washington County pastor has been arrested on child sex abuse charges.

Washington County Sheriff Richard Stringer told FOX10 News Tommy Joe Newberry was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon.

Sheriff Stringer said Newberry was placed under a $36,000 bond Friday.

Investigators say Newberry, who is the pastor of the Red Creek Church of God in Buckatunna, Mississippi, is facing several charges of sexual abuse, sodomy and sexual enticement of a child.

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ALABAMA
AL.com

By Erin Edgemon | eedgemon@al.com
on December 18, 2015

A south Alabama pastor sexually abused at least six underage boys over the course of several years, Washington County Sheriff Richard Stringer said.

Tommy Joe Newberry, 48, of Millry, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with second-degree sodomy, first-degree sexual abuse and second-degree sexual abuse, court records show. Additional charges could be forthcoming.

Newberry is the pastor of Red Creek Church of God, which is near the Alabama/Mississippi state line.

He was released from the Washington County Jail after posting $36,000 bond on Friday.

Stringer said the sexual abuse occurred over the course of several years beginning as early as 2003.

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SCOTLAND
The Press and Journal

18 December 2015 by David Kerr

A former Catholic monk at Fort Augustus Abbey school is to be extradited from Australia to face child sex abuse charges.

The Crown Office has confirmed they haven begun proceedings against Father Denis Chrysostom Alexander.

The final decision on whether he will return to Scotland to face charges will be taken by the Australian authorities.

Last night a spokeswoman for the Crown said: “Crown Counsel have instructed proceedings against Denis Alexander.

“Charges are being finalised with a view to seeking his extradition.”

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SCOTLAND
Scotsman

A FORMER Catholic monk who taught at the Fort Augustus Abbey school is set to be extradited from Australia to face charges of child sex abuse.

Victims have long called for Fr Denis Chrysostom Alexander to face trial in Scotland.

He denies the allegations.

Run by Catholic Benedictine monks, Fort Augustus Abbey school in the Highlands closed in 1993.

Allegations of decades of child sexual and physical abuse at the exclusive boarding school were made public in June 2013.

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UNITED STATES
Catholic Culture

December 18, 2015

In an exhaustive report for Australia’s Catholic Weekly, Monica Doumit clears up several popular misconceptions about the role of Cardinal George Pell in the sex-abuse crisis, and the cardinal’s responses to a royal investigation commission.

Cardinal Pell did not seek to postpone his appearance before the royal commission, Doumit emphasizes. When he disclosed that a medical condition would prevent him from flying to Australia to testify in person, the cardinal offered to provide his testimony on schedule by a video link. The commission’s chairman declined that offer.

Moreover, it is unlikely that Cardinal Pell’s testimony will offer any dramatic new insights, Doumit writes: “There is sufficient evidence already publicly available which provides us with a very clear and comprehensive picture of the response to the allegations made against the cardinal.”

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NEW YORK
News 12

Local parishioners received letters Friday detailing a sexual abuse investigation into their monsignor.

Monsignor John O’Keefe has led the parish at the Church of St. Margaret of Antioch, but has been on medical leave for a couple of months. He is under investigation by district attorneys in two different states over allegations of abusing a minor.

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NEW YORK
Patch

By ALFRED BRANCH (Patch Staff)
December 18, 2015

Monsignor John O’Keefe, former head of Stepinac High School and the priest at St. Margaret of Antioch Church in Pearl River, has been accused of sex abuse of a minor — 30 years ago.

Timothy Cardinal Dolan wrote the parishioners a letter Wednesday describing the charges and explaining the process.

He said the archdiocese received an allegation that on two occasions more than 30 years ago, O’Keefe had abused a minor. That allegation was shared with the Rockland and Bronx county district attorneys and forwarded to the district attorney in Virginia, where one of the incidents is alleged to have taken place. Their determination was that the allegations were credible, and so the archdiocese has put its policy into effect.

O’Keefe, 70, may not function as a priest until the matter is resolved; the whole matter is being reviewed by professionals and the lay advisory board; and he is in a supervised setting undergoing evaluation and risk assessment, the cardinal said.

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NEW YORK
Daily Voice

PEARL RIVER, N.Y. — Allegations of sex abuse against the well-known monsignor of Church of St. Margaret of Antioch in Pearl River have prompted an investigation by the Rockland district attorney’s office, according to multiple reports.

The New York Archdiocese has removed Monsignor John O’Keefe from practicing, parishioner were told in a letter from Cardinal Timothy Dolan that went out on Friday afternoon. O’Keefe had been out on medical leave.

The case involves alleged incidents with a boy that allegedly occurred in the 1980s at Cardinal Hayes in the Bronx and, that same person claims, on a trip to Virginia, according to News 12.

The allegations have not been substantiated and O’Keefe denies them, Dolan said in the letter.

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AUSTRALIA
The Australian

Michael Owen
SA Bureau Chief
Adelaide

A family that has been battling for 15 years for compensation after their disabled son was ­abused by a South Australian Catholic school volunteer in the 1980s has settled its claim with the church.

Peter Mitchell, the father of the victim, now aged in his 40s, yesterday said the confidential settlement “means a great deal in going towards my son’s care and we can finally start moving on after so many years”.

“The Catholic Church has settled our case after 15 years of battling for compensation for my disabled son’s sexual abuse by a pedophile at their school,” Mr Mitchell said yesterday.

“This showed just how horrific the abuse and failures of the church were at St Ann’s Special School, with 30 other disabled children being abused.

“As a parent, I’ll never be able to fully recover from how this has hurt my son.”

Mr Mitchell said he had launched an online petition two years ago because the church was “refusing to come to the table to negotiate”; it had attracted more than 110,000 signatures.

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AUSTRALIA
Gympie Times

Colin Claridge | 19th Dec 2015

IT’S Christmas time. A time one prays for peace, happiness, joy and all good wishes to our fellow God’s creatures. However, there is sadly one creature who purports to be one of God’s most superior creatures who isn’t giving any presents to Australians this year. In fact, many of us were highly anticipating his arrival last week, only to be severely disappointed by his no-show.

We were expecting the appearance at the Royal Commission investigating Institutionalised Child Abuse of Cardinal George Pell. However, survivors have again been dealt a cruel blow and denied the opportunity of seeing this bloke grilled in a forum where he would be regarded as being no better than anybody else.

After the previous week, where we saw counsel for one institution accuse one survivor of “making it up”, we were hoping that the appearance of Pell would be a better week. Because let’s face it, accusing a survivor of abuse of “making it up” is an attitude that clearly points to why we are having this inquiry in the first place. Isn’t it? I’m actually dismayed that the Commissioner didn’t pull counsel up on that statement.

So, after we were hoping that it would be Pell to be the one being the subject of a grilling. Now, I must confess that I have never liked the bloke and it had nothing to do with his close personal friendship with a recently deposed PM. Deep in my heart, I have always had this gnawing feeling that there was something not quite right about that chap.

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INDIA
The Hindu

The priest arrested in connection with a case relating to the rape of a minor girl at North Paravur on Friday filed a bail petition in the Kerala High Court.

Fr. Edwin Figarez, the accused, who went into hiding after the registration of the case, was arrested recently by the police. He had fled to the UAE and thereafter to other states. In his bail petition, the accused who is a priest with the Lourdes Matha Church, Puthenvelikkara, said he was innocent and the case had been foisted on him.

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MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

DECEMBER 18, 2015

How we got here

• In 2013, the Legislature passed the Minnesota Child Victims Act. It gives people until May 2016 to file sex abuse lawsuits about incidents that happened years, even decades ago.

• The law prompted a wave of lawsuits against the six Catholic dioceses in Minnesota, as well as other churches, the Boy Scouts of America, and recently the Children’s Theatre Company.

• In January 2015, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, saying it would not be able to pay all the claims. That is still in mediation.

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ALABAMA
WVTM

[with video]

By Fred Davenport

TALLADEGA COUNTY, Ala. —A former associate pastor at Munford Baptist Church is being accused of more sex crimes, according to Moody police.

In 2011, a grand jury indicted Brian Pesnell of Moody on rape and sex abuse charges. Now, he’s facing additional charges.

“He was indicted by a grand jury last week for sexual abuse for a child under 12 and enticing a child,” said Lt. Eric Hansen with the Moody Police Department.

“It’s very troubling because you want to think that that’s the place to go for peace to build your faith and it didn’t work that way,” said a church member who did not wish to be identified.

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UNITED STATES
National Catholic Register

BY MARK SHEA 12/17/2015

“The good news about the Catholic Church,” said a friend of mine “is that it’s like a big family.”

“The bad news about the Catholic Church,” he continued, “is that it’s like a big family.”

A basic fact of life is that the same Body of Christ that is the sacrament of salvation, the fountain of so many graces, the home of so many amazing and wonderful people, so much healing, so much beauty, and the glorious treasury of saints to whom we owe so much…that same Church is the scene of incredibly devastating hurts dealt out by traitors, perverts, scoundrels, monsters, selfish jerks, liars, grasping careerists, Pharisees, libertines, and fools.

Just about everyone has a story to tell: the scheming chancery functionary bent on inflicting economic harm on some struggling Catholic self-employed businessman; the priest who was an insulting, despair-inducing buffoon in the confessional; the sexually abusive cleric and the bishop who protected him; the Church Lady with her petty hurtful gossip; the jackass who poses as the uber-pious Catholic while he cheats on his wife; the nun who shamed and scarred the little girl in third grade; the crazy mom who destroyed her kids lives while yakking about God, dragging them from one quack visionary to the next and then running off with the priest; the liturgist who decided the mandate was not “Feed my sheep” but “Try experiments on my rats”; the Catholic schoolteacher who destroyed your shot at college because she was a vindictive psycho who hated males.

It is, in fact, a story as old as the New Testament. Jesus’ story is, after all, a story of betrayal. It’s easy to forget that Judas was, at one time, a friend of Jesus’. And so one of the great psalms of the Passion records the messianic sufferer lamenting, “Even my bosom friend in whom I trusted, who ate of my bread, has lifted his heel against me” (Psalm 41:9).

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AUSTRALIA
The Courier

By Melissa Cunningham
Dec. 18, 2015

A survivor likened the Royal Commission into Child Sex Abuse to peeling back the layers on an onion.

Each time you peel back a layer, there is another underneath but slowly and steadily you move closer to the core of it. To the truth. With each layer another survivors emerges from out of the darkness with their own story to tell. Often, their stories are so gut-wrenchingly similar, it’s as if each of the survivors are holding a mirror to one another. And, there are those who don’t have a voice because they’ve died prematurely and the ones who turned to suicide because the pain of the sex crimes was too great to bear. The commission gives the ones they left behind somewhere to finally place their precious story in the hope their death will be a part of a profound change to protect children of the future.

A friend told me recently how her dad had been sexually abused by priest in Ballarat diocese. He never told her about the abuse until she nursed him on his death bed. For as far back as she could remember, her dad had been a broken man. He loved his kids immensely but his path was one of self destruction, alcoholism, violence and relentless sadness.The hardest part for her, was the glimpses she would catch of the man her dad could have been had his childhood not been so abruptly interrupted. She described it as being like dropping a rock into a pond. Its effects are felt for a long time before the final ripples reach the shore and come to rest.

After he died she wrote everything down in the hope that one day she would have somewhere to put his story. She made a submission to the Royal Commission this year. There are so many stories like hers. The Catholic Church believes that the abuse is in the past but the fact remains people live with this every day. Until the church acknowledges the extent to which it covered-up sex crimes against children, the hurt will continue. The church hierarchy of today must answer for the past. All is needed is one courageous priest for truth to prevail. For eight days, I caught a glimpse into the lives of survivors who carry this burden everyday. I saw a man, barefoot, unkempt, with wild long hair, sitting on the floor outside court-room because it was all too much. I saw men wipe tears from their eyes. I saw mothers cry for the sons they had lost. It was incredible strength and sadness. But I also saw so much hope in their hearts and eyes of the Ballarat survivors. One of the survivors Peter Blenkiron said to me hope for the future must overcome everything else. He said admission from the church would pave the way for healing and change across the world. The survivors are the light in the darkness. It’s time the church showed their courage.

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AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald

December 19, 2015

Chris Vedelago, Cameron Houston

The Catholic Church attempted for nearly a decade to conceal incriminating documents about child sex abuse using a controversial legal tactic that it has since renounced as “inappropriate”.

The bid to manipulate “legal privilege” to keep its records from public disclosure was one in a series of controversial measures taken to protect the reputation and assets of the church after complaints about paedophile priests began “coming out of the woodwork” in the 1980s.

Internal documents show the Australian Catholics Bishops Conference – a panel comprising the church’s senior leaders in Australia – was warned in April 1988 that church records were vulnerable to discovery and public disclosure in the event of civil lawsuits by alleged victims.

The problem would be summarised by Bishop Peter Connors as “too many people are keeping too many records” in 1992, according to a document obtained by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

The records at risk of exposure included the findings of internal investigations, interviews with alleged offenders, and correspondence among church officials and insurance underwriters about the cases.

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MINNESOTA
Catholic Spirit

Maria Wiering | December 18, 2015

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office entered into a settlement agreement Dec. 18 on a civil petition the county filed against the archdiocese in June. Archbishop Bernard Hebda, the archdiocese’s apostolic administrator, called the settlement “the latest and most public indicator that this archdiocese has earnestly embarked on a journey of self-reflection, evaluation and action.”

“If there were any doubts about the archdiocese’s pledge to keeping kids safe, the provisions announced today, going beyond what the law would require, should help put those doubts to rest,” he said at a news conference.

The 24-page agreement outlines child protection measures the archdiocese has already implemented or has promised to implement, and Ramsey County’s oversight of those measures for three years.

Among them are continuing the role of the archdiocese’s newly established Ministerial Review Board in examining claims of clergy sexual abuse, creating a comprehensive set of policy documents readily available online, and an increased level of involvement from lay people at the parish, seminary and school levels.

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CALIFORNIA
Los Angeles Daily News

By City News Service
POSTED: 12/18/15

A settlement was reached between the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and two brothers who sued alleging they were sexually molested nearly three decades ago by a visiting cleric from Mexico, an attorney for the archdiocese said Friday.

The plaintiffs, now young men, were between 9 and 11 years old when they were allegedly abused by Father Nicolas Aguilar-Rivera on the grounds of St. Agatha Church in Los Angeles in 1987. They sued the archdiocese in June 2014.

“Plaintiffs were both terrified of Father Aguilar-Rivera’s conduct and frozen because of their obedience to and reverence of Father Aguilar-Rivera,” their lawsuit stated.

Los Angeles police believe the boys were among some 26 boys molested during a nine-month period in 1987-88.

Attorney J. Michael Hennigan, on behalf of the archdiocese, said the settlement was reached Wednesday, the same day Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Barbara Scheper heard a defense motion to dismiss the case, then took the issues under submission.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse

18 December

On 5 January 2016, the Inquiry will invite applications from individuals or institutions that wish to be designated as a core participant in relation to a number of its investigations. The inquiry is not able to accept applications before 5 January, so please do not submit your application before the Inquiry provides further details on this date.

In advance of those announcements the Inquiry has published the following documents on the Library page of its website:

Protocol for potential core participants; and

FAQs for potential core participants

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MINNESOTA
America

Dec 18 2015 – 5:47pm | Kevin Clarke

The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office announced a landmark civil settlement with the Archdiocese of Saint Paul-Minneapolis related to a civil case that alleged grave breakdowns in the archdiocese’s child protection policies and execution of same. According to Ramsey County Attorney, John Choit, the primary objective of the settlement is to transform the organizational culture of the archdiocese “into one that is vigilant about ensuring that no child will ever again become the victim of clergy sex abuse.”

“Today’s historic agreement increases oversight and transparency to systemically change how the Archdiocese protects children and responds to suspected incidents of child sexual abuse,” said Choi. “As a result, it is my expectation that the facts of this case will never be repeated and the protection of children will forever be of paramount importance within this Archdiocese.”

The agreement runs for three years and will include oversight and enforcement mechanisms by Ramsey County authorities. An accompanying criminal action remains active case and will proceed toward resolution, the county attorney’s office reports.

Archbishop Bernard Hebda, Apostolic Administrator, in a letter to parishioners, described the agreement as “an opportunity for us to do all we can to make sure children are as safe as possible now and into the future.”

For the archdiocese’s priests and parishes, he said the settlement will “require all of us to renew our commitment to continue building a culture that makes the protection of children a priority.”

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MINNESOTA
CBS Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A 12-person panel comprised of doctors, lawyers and church laypersons will oversee any suspicions of clergy sex abuse in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

It’s part of a breakthrough settlement reached on Thursday with the Ramsey County Attorney to resolve a civil suit that was filed last June.

Under the terms of the settlement, efforts to assure the safety of all children will be scrutinized by annual audits and reports to the county and district court.

Allegations and settlements involving clergy sex abuse have plagued victims and the Archdiocese for years. It has also resulted in forcing the church into bankruptcy protection and the departures of top Archdiocese leaders.

In June, Ramsey County Attorney John Choi took legal steps with hopes of preventing future abuses. Under the agreement, that framework is now in place.

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MINNESOTA
Wall Street Journal

By TOM CORRIGAN
Dec. 18, 2015

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis settled civil charges that it failed to protect children from abusive priests in a deal that allows Minnesota prosecutors to continue pursuing criminal charges against the archdiocese.

The settlement, unveiled Friday during a hearing in Ramsey County Court in Minnesota, requires the archdiocese to improve how it handles clergy sex abuse allegations and to establish more rigorous oversight practices. The archbishop must also apologize to, and offer to meet with, victims of an abusive priest and their families.

The archdiocese, home to 187 parishes and 825,000 parishioners, didn’t admit any wrongdoing under the settlement and denied the specific civil charge of contributing to the need for protective services for children.

In a letter posted Friday to the archdiocese’s website, Archbishop Bernard Hebda, who is serving as the administrator of the Twin Cities archdiocese until a new archbishop is appointed, said the archdiocese agreed to more than it would have been compelled to do by a court but that it and prosecutors share the goal of ensuring children’s safety.

“It should be no surprise that we have diligently been working together since [June] to find the best ways to make the achievement of that shared goal a reality,” he said. “Today’s agreement will require all of us to renew our commitment to continue building a culture that makes the protection of children a priority.”

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MINNESOTA
New York Times

By TODD NELSON and MONICA DAVEY
DEC. 18, 2015

ST. PAUL — The Roman Catholic archdiocese here has reached an agreement with prosecutors in a civil case accusing church officials of failing to protect children from sexual abuse.

The unusual settlement, announced Friday in a Ramsey County courtroom, calls for more transparency when claims of child sexual abuse are raised and would allow prosecutors and courts to monitor the church’s progress on such matters for three years.

John J. Choi, the Ramsey County prosecutor, said the most important provision of the settlement was that all allegations of clergy misconduct, including sexual abuse of a child, would be examined by a board made up mostly of lay people. Such boards exist in most dioceses, and most include lay people. But here, one or two clergy members typically determined how to proceed.

The settlement must also be approved by the federal bankruptcy judge overseeing the archdiocese’s reorganization.

In June, Mr. Choi filed six criminal charges, misdemeanors with maximum fines of $3,000 each, accusing the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis of failing to protect children from sexual abuse. Both sides said they were continuing to discuss the charges, which are pending, even as the deal was struck on the civil petition that accompanied them.

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KANSAS
Kansas City Star

BY IAN CUMMINGS
icummings@kcstar.com

A Missouri man has filed a sexual abuse lawsuit against a priest who formerly worked at a Roeland Park church.

The suit, filed earlier this week, alleges that in the mid-1980s a St. Agnes Catholic Parish priest abused the victim, who was then between 15 and 17 years old.

The suit says the cleric held parties at a Table Rock lake house where he provided liquor to minors and sexually abused them, at times taking the victim on trips to California, Hawaii and the Cayman Islands.

The victim, now in his 40s, lives in Missouri, according to Rebecca Randles, the Kansas City attorney who filed the case. The priest was identified in the lawsuit only by the initials J.H.W., Jr.

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 YORK
The Journal News

[with copy of a letter from Cardinal Timothy Dolan]

Michael D’Onofrio, mcdonofrio@lohud.com December 18, 2015

A Rockland priest who once led Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains has been suspended after a “credible” allegation that he sexually abused a minor more than three decades ago, the archdiocese told parishioners.

Monsignor John O’Keefe, a pastor at St. Margaret of Antioch Parish in Pearl River, was accused of abusing the minor on two occasions, according to a letter issued on Wednesday to members of the parish from Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York.

See the entirety of Cardinal Timothy Dolan’s letter below.

O’Keefe has denied the allegations, which have not been substantiated, Dolan wrote.

“But in keeping with the policy and practice of the archdiocese, … Monsignor O’Keefe is not permitted to publicly function as a priest until the matter is resolved,” Dolan said in the letter.

O’Keefe, in 1992, was named the first president of Archbishop Stepinac High School. He is also listed on the school’s Alumni Hall of Fame on the school website.

In 2003, he was reassigned to St. Margaret’s. While pastor of St. Margaret parish in 2012, O’Keefe celebrated his 40th anniversary of his ordination.

Joseph Zwilling, a spokesman for the archdiocese of New York, said the archdiocese was contacted by a lawyer from the person making the allegation. The person alleged two acts of abuse — one in New York and another in Virginia — happened in the early 1980s.

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
National Catholic Reporter

Brian Roewe | Dec. 18, 2015

The St. Paul-Minneapolis archdiocese will be subject to judicial oversight by local authorities for the next three years to certify compliance with a series of provisions aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse, under the terms of a new civil settlement announced Friday.

The agreement, presented in district court by the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office and the archdiocese, concludes the civil aspect of charges Attorney John Choi brought this summer against the local church; the criminal case, which includes six misdemeanor charges each carrying $3,000 fines, is ongoing, Choi said during a press conference.

But he emphasized several times the importance of the “unprecedented and landmark civil settlement,” which he said goes beyond the impositions that a court could have enacted under child protection laws. The agreement establishes two independent audits in 2017 and 2018 to ensure compliance; if the archdiocese is found noncompliant, it will an opportunity to correct deficiencies before the matter proceeds to the courts. At the end of the agreement, the attorney’s office agrees to dismiss the civil action.

With the archdiocese having filed for bankruptcy earlier this year, the agreement must be approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, which the archdiocese said could come at a hearing early next year.

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.

MASSACHUSETTS
Patch

By DANIEL LIBON (Patch Staff)
December 18, 2015

A former Milton man who pleaded guilty to extorting the former rabbi for Temple Israel will serve time in prison.

Nicholas Zemeitus, 31, was sentenced Friday afternoon to four to five years in a state prison with three years of probation to follow, according to the Norfolk County District Attorney’s office. The state requested a prison term of six to eight years.

In November, Zemeitus admitted to extortion and larceny charges in a scheme to blackmail former Temple Israel Rabbi Barry Starr. 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 he threatened to go public with underage sex allegations, which Starr denied happened and authorities found no evidence of.

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 YORK
WABC

PEARL RIVER, New York (WABC) — The Archdiocese of New York said an allegation of abuse against a Rockland County priest has been deemed credible by law enforcement officials.

The allegations involve Monsignor John O’Keefe of the St. Margaret of Antioch Parish in Pearl River.

The archdiocese said it was barred from speaking about it until the investigation was complete.

The victim accused the Monsignor of abuse on two separate occasions, once in New York and once in Virginia.

The allegations have only been deemed credible, not substantiated.

Monsignor O’Keefe has denied the charges, but is barred from publicly performing his duties as a priest until the Archdiocesan investigation is complete.

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.

KANSAS
KAKE

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A Missouri man has filed a civil lawsuit accusing a Kansas City, Kansas, area Catholic priest of abusing him three decades ago.

The lawsuit, which was filed Wednesday in Wyandotte County court, also claims authorities at the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas, knew of the abuse and failed to do anything to stop it. The lawsuit does not name the victim and identifies the accused priest with initials.

The lawsuit claims the sexual abuse occurred at a lake house in the 1980s when the alleged victim, who is now in his 40s, was between 15 and 17 years old.

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
Ramsey County Attorney’s Office

[with video]

Friday, December 18, 2015 – 12:30pm

The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office (RCAO) today announced a settlement agreement of the Civil Petition filed in Ramsey County District Court on June 5, 2015 against the Archdiocese of Saint Paul & Minneapolis (Archdiocese). The criminal action remains an active case and will proceed toward resolution in Ramsey County District Court.

The historic civil settlement agreement creates systemic change in how the Archdiocese protects children and responds to suspected incidents of child sexual abuse. The Agreement, which runs for three years, includes oversight and enforcement mechanisms by the RCAO and the Ramsey County District Court.

Press release: County Attorney announces landmark civil settlement to protect children (PDF)

Archdiocese settlement agreement (PDF)

Archdiocese petition from June 2015 (PDF)

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
Reuters

MINNEAPOLIS | BY DAVID BAILEY

A Minnesota Catholic archdiocese has settled a civil lawsuit brought against it by a county prosecutor over the alleged failure to protect minors from sex abuse by clergy, the archdiocese and county attorney said on Friday.

A criminal case brought by the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office against the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in June along with the civil complaint remains pending in county court, prosecutors said.

The archdiocese covering a large part of the Minneapolis and St. Paul metropolitan area filed for bankruptcy in January and the settlement requires U.S. Bankruptcy Court approval.

The civil complaint and criminal charges were the latest development in the child sex abuse scandal involving the Catholic Church in many U.S. cities.

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said the settlement’s objective was to make the archdiocese vigilant about ensuring that children will no longer be victims of sex abuse by clergy.

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
National Catholic Reporter

Carol Glatz Catholic News Service | Dec. 18, 2015

VATICAN CITY
An autopsy revealed the ex-papal nuncio, who was awaiting a Vatican trial on charges including the sexual abuse of minors, died of a heart attack, the Vatican said.

The laicized former archbishop, Jozef Wesolowski, died of natural causes, specifically, “acute myocardial infarction,” and “other external factors” were ruled out, the Vatican said in a communique Dec. 18.

Vatican magistrates had postponed a criminal trial against the former nuncio in July due to the defendant’s ill health. The proceedings had been adjourned until an unspecified future date because the defendant had been sent to an intensive care unit in a public hospital in Rome after experiencing a “sudden illness” the afternoon of July 10 — the day before he was scheduled to appear at the trial’s opening session.

The 67-year-old Polish national, who also had Vatican City State citizenship, died in a Vatican residence Aug. 27.

While initial autopsy results released in August said he died of a “cardiac incident,” the Vatican City’s promoter of justice appointed a forensics team to conduct an investigation that followed internationally recognized protocols, the Vatican communique said.

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AUSTRALIA
The Guardian

Melissa Davey
@MelissaLDavey
Friday 18 December 2015

Stephen Woods, a survivor of horrendous sexual abuse at the hands of three religious figures within the Diocese of Ballarat when he was a schoolboy, says his belief in truth and justice has “taken an utter beating” over the past fortnight.

Woods has sat and watched as most of the former priests working within the diocese between the 1970s and early 1990s told the royal commission into institutional responses into child sexual abuse that they could not recall information about being informed of the abuse by victims, their concerned parents, or church staff.

They also gave evidence that they did not know the circumstances around known abusers being removed from parishes, often to other parishes where they continued to abuse.

Woods was sexually abused by the notorious pedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale, who has been convicted of 138 offences against children, as well as by the then principal of St Alipius Primary School, Robert Charles Best, and the religious teacher Brother Ted Dowlan. Two of his brothers were also abused. He says he carries the memories and consequences of what happened to him with him every day.

So it was painful for him to watch as the commission, armed with the testimony of dozens of survivors, and documentary evidence, questioned former diocese staff – only to have them so often respond with “I don’t recall”.

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.

CALIFORNIA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Friday, December 18

Statement by Joelle Casteix of California, SNAP Southern California director (949-322-7434, jcasteix@gmail.com)

We are very proud of these brave men who used the civil justice system to get accountability for the crimes of Nicolas Aguilar Rivera. They came forward and demanded justice, even though they faced huge odds.

[Patch]

Those odds were made even worse by the actions of Cardinal Mahony and other church officials, who covered up Rivera’s crimes.

This is not a time to be complacent when it comes to clergy sex abuse and cover-up. We fear there may be a whole new generation of victims suffering in shame and silence. We urge anyone who has seen or suspected abuse to report to law enforcement.

We also want to reach out to other victims and assure them that they are not alone and help and support are available.

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.

CALIFORNIA
Patch

By ALEXANDER NGUYEN (Patch Staff)
December 18, 2015

A settlement was reached between the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and two brothers who sued alleging they were sexually molested nearly three decades ago by a visiting cleric from Mexico, an attorney for the archdiocese said Friday.

The plaintiffs, now young men, were between 9 and 11 years old when they were allegedly abused by Father Nicolas Aguilar-Rivera on the grounds of St. Agatha Church in Los Angeles in 1987. They sued the archdiocese in June 2014.

“Plaintiffs were both terrified of Father Aguilar-Rivera’s conduct and frozen because of their obedience to and reverence of Father Aguilar-Rivera,” their lawsuit stated.

Los Angeles police believe the boys were among some 26 boys molested during a nine-month period in 1987.

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NEW MEXICO
News Channel 10

Posted: Dec 18, 2015

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – Attorneys for a New Mexico diocese say they are finalizing a settlement in the case that has kept it in bankruptcy court for two years.

The Gallup Independent reports (http://bit.ly/1jl8YBA ) lawyers for the Diocese of Gallup and the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors, which represents clergy sex abuse claimants, confirmed in court Wednesday that a settlement is in the works.

They did not provide details and said an agreement has not been signed yet.

Unsecured Creditors Committee attorney James Stang said they are still working out the non-monetary terms of the settlement.

Neither Stang nor Susan Boswell, lead bankruptcy attorney for the diocese, indicated when the agreement is expected to be finalized.

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.

KANSAS
Topeka Capital-Journal

Posted: December 18, 2015

By The Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – A Missouri man has filed a civil lawsuit accusing a Kansas City, Kansas, area Catholic priest of abusing him three decades ago.

The lawsuit, which was filed Wednesday in Wyandotte County court, also claims authorities at the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas, knew of the abuse and failed to do anything to stop it. The lawsuit does not name the victim and identifies the accused priest with initials.

The lawsuit claims the sexual abuse occurred at a lake house in the 1980s when the alleged victim, who is now in his 40s, was between 15 and 17 years old.

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

UNITED STATES
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release, December 18, 2015

Statement by Barbara Blaine, President of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (312-399-4747, bblaine@snapnetwork.org).

Vatican officials are fast-tracking sainthood for Mother Teresa. It should be noted that her long time Spiritual Adviser was a serial predator, Jesuit, Fr. Donald McGuire ( http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2012/01_02/2012_01_11_Jamison_TaintedSaint.htm) who was criminally convicted.

When it is advantageous for Catholic officials to move quickly, like sainthood for popular figures “Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II, they move quickly. But when it is advantageous for church officials to move slowly, like the clergy sex cases, they move slowly.

SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 20,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)

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VATICAN CITY
The News & Observer

BY ALVISE ARMELLINI
dpa

VATICAN CITY – Mother Teresa’s path to sainthood was cleared Friday, after the Vatican confirmed that Pope Francis had approved a decision to attribute a second miracle to the Catholic nun who dedicated her life to India’s poor.

Italian bishops’ newspaper Avvenire first reported Thursday, on Francis’ 79th birthday, that the pontiff ratified the findings of the Vatican’s saint-making committee on the miraculous healing of a man suffering from serious brain disease. …

Teresa is a revered figure throughout the world, but her speedy path to sainthood – in modern times, second only to John Paul II’s, who made the grade in 2014 nine years after his death – has not been without its critics.

“It should be noted that her long time spiritual adviser was a serial predator, Jesuit Father Donald McGuire, who was criminally convicted,” Barbara Blaine, President of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said Friday.

“When it is advantageous for Catholic officials to move quickly, like sainthood for popular figures Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II, they move quickly. But when it is advantageous for church officials to move slowly, like the clergy sex cases, they move slowly,” she added.

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UNITED STATES
Huffington Post

Roy Speckhardt
Executive Director, American Humanist Association

The Catholic Church continues to struggle with the crisis originating from its widespread and at least decades long practice of allowing child molesters within its midst to escape justice for their crimes. In a number of cases the failure to take responsibility for the actions of their clergy went as far as allowing abusive priests to continue to work with young children vulnerable to attack. The severity of the public backlash with both Catholics and non-Catholics may have even contributed to the abrupt departure of Pope Benedict XVI, who left office with just 43% of Americans viewing him favorably.

The Church’s new, more popular Pope Francis, viewed favorably by 70% of Americans, publicly committed to righting the church’s wrongs when it comes to child sex abuse. The Pope met with sex abuse victims in Philadelphia to apologize for the church’s complicity in their abuse, saying that “God weeps” for the sexual abuse of children.

But the Pope and Church hasn’t done much more than speak about child abuse, and have instead chosen to continue many of the irresponsible practices which led to the current situation. As Laurie Goodstein noted in an article for the New York Times, “Francis appears to have accepted the resignations of three American bishops who were in the midst of escalating scandals over their mishandling of abuse allegations: two bishops in Minnesota in June and one in April in Kansas City-St. Joseph in Missouri, where the bishop was the first to ever be criminally convicted of shielding a pedophile priest. But the bishops were allowed to leave office without the Vatican’s ever making clear why, and all three remain bishops.” This latest action is part of a long appalling tradition within the Catholic Church which allows either the perpetrators or enablers of child sex abuse to escape persecution and often keep their rank within the church.

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.

ITALIA
Diretta News

[After the scandal involving Francesco Micciche, the former bishop of Trapani, who was accused to of embezzlement, misappropriation, libel and slander, another high priest has come under investigation in Sicily. The prosecutor of Marsala questioned Domenico Mogavero, Bishop of Mazara del Vallo, who is former undersecretary of the Italian Bishops Conference (CEI) and Commissioner for Migration, one of the most active religious initiatives of solidarity with the refugees who landed on the island. According to prosecutors, the bishop could have embezzeled 180,000 euro from the curia.]

Dopo lo scandalo che ha coinvolto l’ex vescovo di Trapani Francesco Micciché, accusato di appropriazione indebita, malversazione, diffamazione e calunnia, un altro alto prelato è finito sotto inchiesta in Sicilia. La Procura di Marsala ha interrogato Domenico Mogavero, vescovo della diocesi di Mazara del Vallo, ex sottosegretario della Conferenza episcopale italiana e commissario Cei per le migrazioni, uno dei religiosi più attivi nelle iniziative di solidarietà verso i profughi che sbarcano sull’isola. Secondo i magistrati, il vescovo potrebbe essersi appropriato di 180mila euro della Curia, mentre l’ex economo, don Franco Caruso avrebbe ‘messo in tasca’ 120 mila euro della diocesi. Secondo Stefano Pellegrino, avvocato del vescovo, i fatti oggetto dell’indagine risalirebbero al biennio 2010-11 ma riguarderebbero ‘anomalie’ già denunciate dal prelato alla Procura.

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MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

Madeleine Baran Dec 18, 2015

It’s been a year since Ben Spanier took his life.

His parents say his problems began 20 years earlier, when he was a student at St. John’s Prep in Collegeville. They say their son wasn’t the same after he began spending time with the Rev. Tom Andert, a prominent priest who was placed on leave earlier this year for a separate allegation of sexual misconduct.

The Spaniers say they’re coming forward now because they want the culture at St. John’s to change. Ben Spanier had attempted suicide before. His father, Eric, will never forget picking up the phone that night in 1994. On the other end of the line was the Rev. Tom Andert, the head of the boarding school at St. John’s, where Ben was a junior.

“I answered the phone,” Eric Spanier said. “He was calling from the emergency room in the hospital, so it was a shock.”

He said he was relieved the priest was there to care for his son.

“I was extremely grateful,” he said. “I mean, he was there and he was taking my place, and I was in Colorado. He was in Minnesota, at his bedside. So I was very appreciative for him being there, I expressed that. We really didn’t have any reason to suspect there was a problem with Ben’s relationship with the headmaster.”

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DEUTSCHLAND
NDR

[Trelleborg admits failures in abuse case.]

Der Hildesheimer Bischof Norbert Trelle hat sich am Freitag in einem Brief an die Priester, Diakone und Mitarbeiter des Bistums gewandt und sich zu den Missbrauchsvorwürfen eines Mädchens gegen einen Priester aus dem Jahr 2010 geäußert – und durchaus eigene Versäumnisse eingeräumt. Dabei setzt sich Trelle detailliert mit den gegen ihn Vorwürfen auseinander, die Ermittlungen gegen einen Pfarrer im Ruhestand wegen sexuellen Missbrauchs zu spät angezeigt zu haben. Die damals 14-Jährige hatte von “deutlichen Annäherungsversuchen” des Geistlichen berichtet, das geht aus einer Mitschrift des Bistums hervor, die die Staatsanwaltschaft inzwischen angefordert hat. Dagegen schildert Trelle in dem Bischofsbrief, das Mädchen habe sich in einem ersten Gespräch 2010 “sehr zurückhaltend geäußert”. Ein Gesprächsangebot mit den erziehungsberechtigten Großeltern habe es auf Bitte des Mädchens nicht gegeben. Stattdessen sei ihm geraten worden mit seiner Religionslehrerin oder der Therapeutin darüber zu reden.

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DEUTSCHLAND
Die Welt

[The Hildesheim bishop has admitted mistakes in handling the abuse case of Father Peter R.]

Hildesheim (dpa/lni) – Der Hildesheimer Bischof Norbert Trelle hat Fehler im Umgang mit dem Missbrauchsfall einer 14-Jährigen eingeräumt, den Vorwurf der Vertuschung aber zurückgewiesen. Der Hinweis auf einen Missbrauchsvorwurf gegen einen Geistlichen sei 2010 aus heutiger Sicht zu spät an die Staatsanwaltschaft weitergegeben worden, teilte Trelle am Freitag mit.

«Dass wir damals so entschieden haben, bedauern wir heute sehr», erklärte der Bischof. «Aus heutiger Sicht und mit der Erfahrung von fünf Jahren Aufarbeitung von sexuellem Missbrauch würden wir heute anders entscheiden und vorgehen», betonte Trelle in einem Schreiben an die Bistumsmitarbeiter.

Im März 2010 habe die 14-Jährige bei einem ersten Gespräch keinen sexuellen Übergriff erwähnt, so Trelle, sondern eindeutig nur Belästigungen durch Pater Peter R.. Dieser stand damals allerdings im Zentrum des Missbrauchsskandals am Berliner Gymnasium Canisius-Kolleg mit mehr als 100 Opfern.

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MINNESOTA
Pioneer Press

Elizabeth Mohr
emohr@pioneerpress.com
POSTED: 12/18/2015

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has agreed to implement new child-protection procedures as part of a settlement agreement with the Ramsey County attorney’s office, which filed a civil suit against the church in June.

The archdiocese will immediately begin implementing “practices, procedures — action … to do everything we can to protect children,” attorney Joe Dixon, who represents the archdiocese, told the court Friday.

The civil case was filed at the same time the county attorney’s office filed criminal charges against the archdiocese, accusing top-ranking officials of failing to protect children and parishioners from sexually abusive clergy.

At the time, the county attorney’s office said the civil petition against the archdiocese was “intended to seek legal remedies to prevent the archdiocese from allowing this behavior (from) ever happening again,” according to a statement.

As part of the agreement, the civil case will be put on hold for three years as the archdiocese implements its plan, coming back to the court with progress reports every six months. At the end of the three-year period, if the archdiocese has held up its end of the deal, the county attorney’s office will dismiss its case.

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MINNESOTA
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis

Date: Friday, December 18, 2015
Source: Archbishop Bernard Hebda, Apostolic Administrator

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I wanted to reach out directly to you regarding the Settlement Agreement the Archdiocese and the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office announced Friday morning.

From the time I first arrived here in June – two weeks after the charges were filed — I have worked to learn as much as I can about the events surrounding Curtis Wehmeyer and his abuse of children under his care at Blessed Sacrament Church in St. Paul.

From that same time, the Archdiocese was engaged in dialogue with Ramsey County Attorney, John Choi, and his staff. We immediately realized we all had the same goal; to make sure children are safe in our churches, schools and communities. So, from the first time our team and the County Attorney’s team met, we worked together to find the best ways to make that a reality.

We also involved and consulted with the Board of Directors, Archdiocesan Finance Council, the Ministerial Review Board, the College of Consultors (an advisory group of priests), and priests who have been or are currently in leadership positions. They all agreed that this Agreement is the right thing to do to provide safe environments.

All of that dialogue, collaboration and hard work came together on Friday morning when a judge accepted the Settlement Agreement with the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office. Let me assure you, much of what is in the new document are things we are already doing, while others are practices and procedures that are already working in some dioceses around the country. We are agreeing to implement the plan under a set deadline and to be held accountable for that commitment.

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MINNESOTA
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis

Date: Friday, December 18, 2015
Source: Tom Halden, Director of Communications

Q: What does this Settlement Agreement really mean?

A: It means that the Archdiocese has voluntarily agreed to implement the enhanced safe environment Settlement Agreement and submit to external auditing in 2017 and 2018. At the end of the 36 month review period, Ramsey County District Court has agreed they will drop the civil charges.

Q: Was the Archdiocese forced into this Agreement?

A: No. We made the decision not to fight the charges in court because we share the common goal of protecting children with the Ramsey County Attorney and his staff.

Q: How will the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office be able to verify that the Archdiocese is following the new Settlement Agreement?

A: There will be both internal and external audits of the Agreement and reporting mechanisms that must be followed.

Q: Aren’t there Constitutional concerns with the state (Ramsey County) involved in overseeing a religious institution?

A: The Archdiocese is still free to run its ministries, operations and other programs as it sees fit. We chose to enter into this agreement because the Settlement Agreement serves to enhance our mission of faith. It is at the heart of the church to protect children and vulnerable adults. Jesus said, ““Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me (Matthew 9:37).”

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MINNESOTA
Bring Me The News

Civil charges against the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis will be stayed under a settlement agreement, which requires the church to implement new policies that protect children.
The settlement, filed in court Friday morning, was reached between the archdiocese and the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office, which brought criminal and civil charges against the church in June related to a sex abuse case. (Read the full agreement here.)

At a press conference Friday morning, Ramsey County Attorney John Choi called the settlement “groundbreaking,” saying it “ensures systemic change, and creates a framework of accountability” that increases oversight and transparency of the archdiocese.

It means a “cultural shift” in how the church will protect children and respond to sex abuse allegations going forward, Choi said.

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MINNESOTA
KSTP

[with video]

[the agreement]

Jennie Lissarrague

An “unprecedented” settlement agreement has been reached with the Ramsey County prosecutor in the civil case against the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

Archdiocese officials appeared in Ramsey County District Court at 9 a.m. Friday for a hearing.
Prosecutors say the agreement in the civil case provides a framework for better oversight of the archdiocese over the next three years. Assistant Ramsey County Attorney Tom Ring says the goal is to create an environment where no child will again be abused.

Archdiocese attorney Joe Dixon says the settlement made public in court Friday must still be approved by a bankruptcy court, but both sides pledge to begin work immediately.

“This historic agreement ensures systemic change and creates a framework of accountability that increases oversight and transparency and ultimately supports a cultural shift in how the archdiocese protects children and responds to alleged abuse,” Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said.

Choi outlined several highlights of the settlement agreement during a news conference Friday:

* The archdiocese agreed to be subject to the oversight of the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office and courts for three years as they continue to transform their organization’s culture.

* The archdiocese agreed to implement important compliance standards that incorporate best practices from across the country along with new standards that don’t exist anywhere else.

* They will set forward a clear standard of response so that it will no longer be possible for leaders to say that they didn’t know about suspected child abuse.

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
Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) The Vatican said on Friday that an autopsy has confirmed that its former Apostolic Nuncio to the Dominican Republic died from a heart attack.

A statement released by the Holy See’s Press Office said the autopsy on Jozef Wesolowski was conducted by a team of coroners named by the Vatican prosecutor, in accordance with international guidelines and protocols.

The statement said the toxicology tests confirmed that the former envoy died a natural death “excluding any other external causes.”

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.

MASSACHUSETTS
Metro West Daily News

By The Associated Press

Posted Dec. 18, 2015

BOSTON — Parishioners who have occupied a Roman Catholic church since it was closed 11 years ago will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to settle their dispute with the Boston archdiocese.

St. Frances X. Cabrini parishioners plan to ask the high court to review a ruling by a Massachusetts court that found they are trespassing at the Scituate church. The state’s highest court declined to hear the case but parishioners are hoping the U.S. Supreme Court will agree to review it.

The parishioners will ask a state judge on Monday to put the case on hold while they petition the high court.

The church was closed in 2004 as part of a reorganization following the clergy sex-abuse scandal.

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MASSACHUSETTS
Boston.com

By Allison Pohle @AllisonPohle
Boston.com Staff | 12.18.15

The parishioners who have spent 11 years keeping a vigil in the closed St. Frances X. Cabrini church in Scituate were dealt another blow two weeks ago when the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court denied their request for further review by the courts.

At the time, Jon Rogers, a spokesperson for the Friends of St. Frances, a group of about 100 parishioners have kept a 24-7 vigil in the church, said they would “throw every option onto the table.”

An 11-year vigil is in jeopardy after the high court rules against South Shore parishioners
That means appealing to the United States Supreme Court.

But first, the group will appear in Norfolk Superior Court Monday afternoon. After the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court denied their request for further review, The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston filed a motion to have the parishioners removed from the church by January 8. In response, the Friends of St. Frances filed an emergency motion in Norfolk Superior Court to try to have any future orders from the Archdiocese suspended as they work on their appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

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

ITALY
ANSA

(ANSA) – Reggio Calabria, December 18 – Reggio Calabria police on Friday arrested a 44-year-old priest on charges of paying for sex with a minor, misrepresenting his identity, luring a minor, and possession of child pornography. He was arrested in the rectory of a parish church in the Piana di Gioia Tauro valley and taken to jail.

Police began an investigation last March after finding the priest in his car with a minor in a secluded and rarely frequented area.

Police said the minor told them the priest paid him 20 euros for sex that took place in the priest’s car shortly before police arrived on the scene.

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
Fox 9

ST. PAUL, Minn. (KMSP) – The Ramsey County Attorney’s office and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis announced Friday morning they’ve reached a settlement agreement after attorney John Choi filed criminal and civil charges against the archdiocese last summer for failing to protect children from a priest.

Choi called the settlement a “systemic change” and “cultural shift,” which bars church leadership from concealing clergy abuse.

Choi filed criminal charges against the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in June “to hold it criminally accountable for its failure to protect children” which are connected to 3 separate victims of sexual abuse by former Catholic priest Curtis Wehmeyer, who is currently serving a 5-year prison sentence for molesting two boys in his parish in a camper parked outside the Church of the Blessed Sacrament.

The 24-page settlement says all future abuse allegations will go before a ministerial review board instead of one or two clergy members. The Ramsey County Attorney’s office will oversee the review board and other processes for the next 3 years.

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

MINNESOTA
KARE

Dana Thiede, KARE December 18, 2015

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis have hammered out a settlement involving a civil case accusing the Archdiocese of failing to protect children from predatory priests.

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi will share details of the settlement in a press conference shortly.

A criminal case filed in conjunction with the civil proceedings is moving forward. That matter was continued during a hearing Friday morning. The next court date will be set four to six weeks down the road.

Choi and his office levied civil and criminal charges against the Archdiocese for failing to monitor the activities of former priest Curtis Wehmeyer. Wehmeyer was convicted in 2012 of sexually abusing two brothers and possessing child pornography while serving as pastor at the Parish of the Blessed Sacrament on St. Paul’s east side. He is currently serving a 5-year sentence.

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VATICAN CITY
Chronicle Herald (Canada)

NICOLE WINFIELD THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published December 17, 2015

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis entered his 80th year on Thursday amid hopes among his critics that it will be his last — at least as pope.

While Francis remains enormously popular among most rank-and-file Catholics, a small but vocal group of conservatives who have never much cared for his radical agenda have grown increasingly strident in criticizing the pope now that there is little doubt left about his priorities.

They have taken aim at the just-concluded synod on family issues, where the divisive issue of communion for the civilly remarried took centre stage. They have raised alarm at Francis’ call for a more decentralized church and his loosening of the Vatican’s marriage annulment process. They have winced at his environmental alarmism, wondered what’s in store for Catholic orthodoxy in this Holy Year of Mercy and blasted as sacrilege the recent screening of nature shots on St. Peter’s Basilica.

The Remnant, a small, traditionalist U.S. newspaper, last week penned an open letter begging Francis to change course or resign, arguing that his papacy was “causing grave harm to the church.” Organizers say a few thousand people have signed onto the petition.

“You have given many indications of an alarming hostility to the church’s traditional teaching, discipline and customs, and the faithful who try to defend them, while being preoccupied with social and political questions beyond the competence of the Roman pontiff,” the newspaper said. “This appalling situation has no parallel in church history.”

To put it more simply: “Many people in the Vatican want Francis dead,” said Francesca Chaouqui, the woman at the heart of a leaks scandal currently convulsing Francis’ Vatican.

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MINNESOTA
Canonical Consultation

[The letter from Archbishop Bernard Hebda]

Dear Brothers,

I wanted to reach out directly to you regarding the Settlement Agreement the Archdiocese and the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office announced this morning.

When I first arrived here in June two weeks after the charges were filed the Archdiocese was already engaged in dialogue with Ramsey County Attorney, John Choi, and his staff. It was quickly recognized that we shared one major goal: making sure children are safe in our churches, schools and communities. It should be no surprise that we have diligently been working together since then to find the best ways to make the achievement of that shared goal a reality.

In the course of our conversations with the Ramsey County Attorney’s office last October and November, it began to become apparent that there existed a potential for a negotiated Settlement in the civil action that had been brought against us. Those representing the Archdiocese in the sensitive discussions that ensued recognized that it would be important to get broader input, not only from our Corporate Board and Archdiocesan Finance Council but also from our clergy. I am very grateful to Fr. Mike Tix (formerly the head of the Presbyteral Council) and Fr. Don DeGrood (presently the Vicar for Clergy), who invested countless hours in recent weeks pouring over the various proposals for moving forward.

With today’s court appearance looming large, the terms of an Agreement solidified last weekend and it became possible and desirable to engage in a more formal and even broader consultation. This past Wednesday, I sought the advice of the College of Consultors and the Archdiocesan Finance Council and I asked for a resolution of the Corporate Board of Directors that would authorize me to execute the Agreement, given that the suit had been brought against the Corporation. The recently-formed Ministerial Review Board was also consulted. I am grateful to all who participated in those efforts.

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MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

By Chao Xiong Star Tribune DECEMBER 18, 2015

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the Ramsey County Attorney’s office reached a settlement agreement Friday morning in a precedent-setting civil case accusing it of failing to protect children from a predatory priest.

A criminal case against the church is ongoing and will be scheduled for another pretrial date in the future.

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi’s office said he will have a news conference soon. The archdiocese will convene its own news conference after Choi’s office speaks.

“You’re making a significant effort to protect not only the children … but citizens,” Ramsey County Chief Judge Teresa Warner told attorneys for the state and church Friday.

The settlement would require the church to create an action plan to protect children, but its exact terms were not immediately revealed Friday. The church would have to periodically report its progress to the court.

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

MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

Riham Feshir Dec 18, 2015

Ramsey County prosecutors and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis have reached a settlement that would pave the way for dismissal of civil charges related to clergy sex abuse.

The settlement was announced in a pretrial court hearing Friday morning on the civil case and a related criminal case the county brought against the archdiocese.

Under the agreement, civil charges would be stayed for three years while the church puts in place its policies and practices to protect children. The church would have to submit progress reports to the court every six months.

The civil case would be dropped after three years if the court is satisfied with the church’s actions.

The hearing did not address what would happen with the criminal charges. The criminal pretrial hearing that was set for Friday was continued for a few weeks.

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
Daily Star (Lebanon)

Associated Press

VATICAN CITY: The Vatican says an autopsy has confirmed that its former ambassador to the Dominican Republic, who died on the eve of his sex abuse trial, suffered a heart attack.

The autopsy on Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski was conducted by a team of coroners named by the Vatican prosecutor, and the results were deposited with the Vatican tribunal earlier this week. The Vatican made the results public Friday.

In a statement, the Vatican said the toxicology tests confirmed a natural death “excluding any other external causes.”

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VATICAN CITY
Vatican Information Service

Vatican City, 18 December 2015 (VIS) – The Holy See Press Office today announced that on 14 December, the report on the chemical toxicological examinations carried out on samples taken during the autopsy of Msgr. Jozef Wesolowski was submitted to the Chancellor’s Office of the Vatican City State Court of First Instance.

The conclusions of the Report definitively confirmed what had already emerged from the post-mortem examination; that is, that death was ascribable to natural causes (acute myocardial infarction), excluding other exogenous causes.

The various investigations were conducted in strict accordance with the guidelines and protocols recognised at international level, by a Board of medical examiners appointed by the Promoter of Justice the day after the Prelate’s unexpected death.

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TEXAS
KTSA

A San Antonio woman claims she was abused by Fr. Joseph Angeli back in the early 1960’s wants a response from the Archdiocese.

Robert Hoatson works with victims of sexual abuse by Clergy members. He tells us the woman was abused by the Priest while he was serving in Hondo and it turns out, the late Fr. Angeli had been accused of sexually abusing young girls while serving in Boston too.

He says the woman wants the Archdiocese to verify her allegations and settle her claim so she may heal and move on with her life.

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DEUTSCHLAND
kath.net

[Munich (kath.net/KNA) Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller has again countered reports about an alleged slush fund headed by him in the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In an interview with the magazine “Focus”, he said the story was nonsense and it was stupid to be disseminating rumors.]

Präfekt der Glaubenskongregation: «Jeder, der nur ein wenig Verstand im Kopf hat, erkennt die böse Absicht.» Dabei deutete Müller an, dass der Urheber nach seiner Einschätzung «eher nicht» im Vatikan, sondern in Deutschland zu suchen sei.

München (kath.net/KNA) Kurienkardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller ist erneut Berichten über eine angebliche schwarze Kasse in der von ihm geleiteten vatikanischen Glaubenskongregation entgegengetreten. In einem Interview mit dem Magazin «Focus» wies er die am 9. Dezember von der «Bild»-Zeitung verbreitete Story als «Nonsens» und «Verbreitung von dümmlichen Gerüchten» zurück.

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NEW MEXICO
The New Mexican

An attorney filed four lawsuits in state District Court on Thursday against the Archdiocese of Santa Fe and three New Mexico priests, alleging they sexually abused young children in different parishes across the state.

The lawsuits accuse Bernard Bissonnette, Sabine Griego and Edward Rutowski of sexually abusing boys in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s. The suits, among dozens of similar complaints filed by attorney Brad Hall in recent years, claims the Archdiocese of Santa Fe is responsible for the priests’ alleged actions. They seek punitive damages.

Hall filed the lawsuits in the 2nd Judicial District Court in Albuquerque.

One suit alleges Bissonnette raped a man identified as “John Doe 56” hundreds of times between 1968 and 1973 when he was between the ages of 7 and 12. During that time, the suit says, John Doe 56 was an altar boy at St. Alice Parish in Mountainair.

One of two suits against Griego, filed on behalf of a man identified as “John Doe 51,” says the priest sexually abused a boy more than 20 times between 1975 and 1977, when the boy was between the ages of 10 and 12. The boy was an altar server at Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Las Vegas, N.M.

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SOUTH CAROLINA
SC Now

BY JESSICA IMBIMBO Morning News jimbimbo@florencenews.com

A Darlington youth minister has been arrested on two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a minor, according to the Darlington city police.

The Rev. Kamron Eugene Reames of Georgiana Lane was arrested Thursday after allegedly touching a male juvenile inappropriately on at least two occasions, Police Chief Daniel Watson said.

The alleged victim reported the conduct to adults and the Darlington Police Department initiated an investigation.

Watson said Reames was arrested shortly after the investigation, when “compelling evidence supporting the complaint was substantiated.”

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ALABAMA
WTVM

[with video]

By Lauren Bale

HUNTSVILLE, AL (WAFF) –
Members of Covenant Presbyterian Church say religious leaders did everything right after learning one of their own was accused of sex abuse.

Police say Youth Minister Christopher Alfaro sent obscene material to children. Pastor Hal Oakley said as soon as he learned about the situation he went straight to police.

Member Sarah Savage said she has been going to Covenant Presbyterian for the last 12 years and both her daughters went to preschool there. While she and her whole family are obviously in shock she said she is pleased with how the church handled this difficult situation.

She said the church has been up front from the beginning, letting parents and children know what was happening every step of the way.

“It’s best to just be as truthful as possible and face it,” Savage said. “And if you have that love and that fellowship you can make it through these tough things.”

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ALABAMA
The Daily Home

Gary Hanner, St. Clair Times associate editor, ghanner@thestclairtimes.com

A Moody man arrested Wednesday on charges of child sex abuse was formerly the associate pastor and youth minister at Munford Baptist Church.

Brian Pesnell, 40, of Amelia Circle in Moody, turned himself in at the St. Clair County Jail in Pell City on Wednesday morning.

According to a story published in The Daily Home in February 2010, Pesnell was named associate pastor at the church in 2006. When he came on board, there were only around a dozen youth in the ministry classes. The youth grew to about 300 in number while Pesnell was there.

Back in March 2011, Pesnell was indicted for rape in the second degree and sexual abuse in the second degree by a St. Clair County grand jury. It was unclear Thursday what the status of the 2011 case was.

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MASSACHUSETTS
Wicked Local Marblehead

By Marc J. Wortman

Posted Dec. 17, 2015

MARBLEHEAD
I was a bit reluctant to see “Spotlight,” the true story of the Catholic Church’s priest child-sexual-abuse scandal and cover-up, even though this film is quickly gathering the momentum to be an Oscar front-runner, (recently nominated by the Golden Globes and the SAG Awards, which are reliable predictors for the Academy Awards). Sometimes it’s a tough choice on a Saturday night whether to see an action-packed “popcorn” movie and escape into the fun and fantasy or actually choose to see a serious movie about child abuse.

“Spotlight,” delivers a truthful and non-sensationalized portrayal of one of the biggest scandals in modern history, told from the vantage point of a handful of Boston Globe investigative reporters in 2001. The movie is based on the reporting done by the Spotlight section of the Globe, known for its independent, hard-hitting and in-depth stories. From a pure moviemaking point of view, “Spotlight” is very close to a perfect film, and reminds me of how I felt after watching 2013’s Best Picture Winner, “Argo” – silent and breathless.

The veteran actor and writer Tom McCarthy (who wrote the screenplays for “Up” and “Million Dollar Arm”) is the director of “Spotlight.” He is also the co-writer, along with Josh Singer, of this daring and disturbing script. I predict an Oscar nomination for McCarthy not only for directing but also for Best Screenplay. “Spotlight” is reminiscent of the iconic newspaper movie, 1976’s “All The President’s Men,” which told the story of Nixon and Watergate from the perspective of the two newspaper reporters that untangled the web of lies that ultimately led all the way up to the presidency. In an NPR interview, Tom McCarthy actually referenced several films as direct influences on “Spotlight,” including “All the President’s Men,” as well as Sydney Lumet’s 1982 Oscar-nominated film, “The Verdict.”

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MINNESOTA
Canonical Consultation

12/17/2015

Jennifer Haselberger

The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis is scheduled to appear in Ramsey County Court tomorrow, and the buzz is that a settlement is going to be announced.

If what I am hearing is correct, the settlement will not resolve the criminal case. Instead, it will respond to the issues outlined in the civil petition, and grant the court jurisdiction over some aspects of Archdiocese’s safe environment/child protection efforts.

Interestingly, the Archdiocese has not, to my knowledge, informed any of its clergy about the proposed settlement or its terms, despite the fact that they will likely be the ones most impacted (as was the case with the settlement in the Doe 1 case, with its child protection protocols). Since the rumors suggest that the criminal charges are still pending, victims and others seeking financial compensation from the Archdiocese are unlikely to experience negative consequences regardless of what the agreement contains.

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IRELAND
Irish Times

Patsy McGarry

The Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, “vilified” members of the clergy who were criticised by the Commission of Investigation into the handling of child abuse allegations by the Dublin archdiocese, a leading priest has said.

The criticism by Fr Tony Flannery comes just days after a bishop and a priest defended the reputation of Auxiliary Bishop Dermot O’Mahony – a figure who was severely criticised by the inquiry – at his funeral.

Saying that the commission had “serious faults”, Fr Flannery, the co-founder of the Association of Catholic Priests, wrote on his website: “I never met, nor had I any dealing with, Bishop Dermot O’Mahony.

“Until the Murphy Report, anything I ever heard about him was positive – a warm, gentle, caring man who was a shining light in a Church that could often be harsh and judgmental,” he wrote.

The commission, led by Ms Justice Yvonne Murphy, inquired into the handling of clerical child sex abuse allegations in Dublin’s Catholic Archdiocese between 1975 and 2004. Its report was published in November 2009.

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MASSACHUSETTS
NECN

[with video]

By Alysha Palumbo

It’s a victory for a Massachusetts man denied employment based on his sexual orientation.

A Massachusetts Superior Court judge ruled Thursday that the all-girls Catholic high school Fontbonne Academy in Milton had violated anti-discrimination laws when it rescinded a 2013 Food Services Director job offer to Matthew Barrett after he listed his husband as his emergency contact.

“What the court focused on was that this person’s job has nothing to do with religion. Fontbonne can’t simply deem all of their employees to be ministers when their job has nothing to do with religion,” GLAD attorney Ben Klein said.

Barrett, a Dorchester resident, told necn earlier this month that the case has been “very emotional.”

Through his GLAD attorneys, Barrett said he’s “ecstatic” with the ruling.

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NEW MEXICO
KOB

Created: 12/17/2015
Blair Miller, KOB.com

Four more men have filed lawsuits against the Archdiocese of Santa Fe alleging priests sexually abused them when they were boys in New Mexico.

The new lawsuits come in addition to more than 10 others that claim the boys were abused by priests with the Archdiocese of Santa Fe.

One of the lawsuits implicates Father Bissonnette, who worked at the Servants of the Paraclete in Jemez Springs before he moved to the Santa Fe Archdiocese. Many of the previously-filed cases involve priests from Servants of the Paraclete.

Two of the other new lawsuits implicate Father Sabine Griego, who worked at Our Lady of Sorrows in Las Vegas and Queen of Heaven in Albuquerque.

The other implicates Father Edward Rutowski, who worked at St. Jude Thaddeus in Paradise Hills.

Attorney Brad Hall is handling the majority of the lawsuits. He says that many of the priests implicated in the sexual abuse were from New Mexico – contradicting a common belief much of the abuse stemmed from out-of-state priests who were sent to our state for “rehabilitation.”

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CANADA
APTN

APTN National News

Following the first meeting on the road to reconciliation Aboriginal leaders said they are encouraged by what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told them behind closed doors.

” We wanted to say how proud we were to be part of the conversations today, to see people starting to do things in a different way,” said Dawn Harvard, president of the Native Women’s Association of Canada. “I think we’ve seen that here today, is what can be accomplished if you go in with that desire to dialogue.”

Natan Obed, national leader for Canadian Inuit said he is encouraged by the meeting with Trudeau and members of his Cabinet.

“What we were looking for is a renewed Inuit to Crown relationship,” said Obed. “That relationship can only happen with the type of meetings we had this morning, and the respect for the, for all Inuit organizations in a way that we haven’t seen in a number of years.”

He said he looks forward to “renewing” the relationship in a tangible way.

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AUSTRALIA
Catholic Weekly

By Monica Doumit December 15, 2015

In this past week, we heard news that Cardinal George Pell’s testimony before the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse would be delayed after his treating cardiologist deemed it unsafe for him to take the long-haul flight back to Australia.

The news prompted the expected reaction from mainstream and social media, with scepticism, scorn and derision being the most popular responses.

There has also been a lot of misinformation being spread, the most serious being that the cardinal sought to delay the giving of his evidence.

This is, of course, untrue.

Allan Myers QC, the lawyer appearing for Cardinal Pell, asked that the cardinal be permitted to provide his evidence via video link. Mr Myers noted that video evidence is used all the time in hearings, particularly for witnesses who would otherwise have to travel a long distance. Indeed, two witnesses appeared via video link before this same hearing in the same week in which the application was made on behalf of Cardinal Pell.

And Gerald Ridsdale, the perpetrator of many of the crimes being looked at in the Ballarat hearings, gave evidence over a number of days via video link in May.

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UNITED STATES
The Worthy Adversary

Posted by Joelle Casteix on December 17, 2015

The Carrot: Money

Last week, the US Senate proposed a bill that would give states money if they enacted legislation that extended or eliminated unexpired statutes of limitation for child sexual abuse. (In other words, if your time is up, it’s up. But if not, you could have your statute extended or eliminated.)

The bill’s language does not differentiate between civil and criminal laws. According to the bill: There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this title $40,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2016 through 2025. Is that enough to get states on board? We will have to see.

Read the full text here.

The Stick:

Going to the Voters After CA Governor Jerry Brown vetoed TWO bills that would have extended crime victims’ rights and exposed child predators, one man is taking the issue straight to the voters.

In California, a sex abuse victim (who rose to fame after being acquitted of beating up his priest perpetrator) has received the CA Secretary of State’s approval to gather signatures for a ballot initiative that would eliminate California’s civil and criminal statutes of limitations (going forward) for child sexual abuse:

From the Mercury News:

The initiative written by the 48-year-old San Francisco man would wipe out the legal deadline barring prosecutors from filing criminal charges against child molesters and victims from suing them after a certain period of time. It would apply only to children molested after its adoption, not to Lynch and others like him.

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TEXAS
Port Arthur News

By Mary Meaux

A Port Arthur priest is under investigation by the Port Arthur Police Department and Child Protective Services following an allegation at St. Catherine Catholic School.

Bishop Curtis Guillory of the Diocese of Beaumont issued a statement regarding the allegations.

“The Diocese of Beaumont is committed to fostering a safe, comfortable and positive environment for all whom we serve. We are deeply concerned to learn that a little more than a week ago Child Protective Services and the Port Arthur Police initiated an investigation into an allegation at St. Catherine School in Port Arthur, TX,” according to the statement. “The allegation is against Fr. David Placette, pastor of St. Catherine Church. Keeping in mind the interests of all involved, and in accord with the norms of the U.S. Bishops’ “Charter for the Protection of Young People,” I have placed Fr. Placette on administrative leave from all priestly ministry, pending both civil and ecclesiastical investigations into the matter. Because the matter is now under investigation, I am unable to provide additional information at this time.”

Shari Pulliam, media specialist with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, said school investigations are confidential. In cases like this at the conclusion of the investigation Child Protective services will send their findings to the school and Texas Education Agency.

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TEXAS
12 News Now

New information today behind the investigation into an allegation made against a Port Arthur priest with the Port Arthur Police Department and the Texas Department of Family Protective services.

Father David Placette, who is the pastor of St. Catherine Church, is being investigated following an allegation made against him. There is no word on the nature or severity of the allegation.

The Diocese of Beaumont will be conducting its own investigation into allegations made against Father David Placette, pastor of St. Catherine Church in Port Arthur, and 12News has learned the names of the members of Diocesan Review Board that will be conducting that end of the investigation. The Board will work in conjunction with the Port Arthur police and the state.

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SCOTLAND
Herald Scotland

A former Catholic monk faces extradition from Australia amid claims of abuse at a Highland school.

Former students of the Fort Augustus Abbey boarding school in Inverness-shire, which closed in 1993, allege they were molested and beaten by staff over a number of decades.

A BBC investigation in 2013 identified Denis Alexander, now resident in Australia, as one of the accused.

A police investigation was launched and prosecutors said today that charges will be brought against him.

A Crown Office spokesman said: “Crown Counsel have instructed proceedings against Denis Alexander.

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NEW YORK
National Catholic Reporter

Peter Feuerherd | Dec. 17, 2015

Accusations of theft. A lifestyle of the rich and famous on a salary of about $30,000 per year. A man-man-woman triangle.

If there is a formula for a New York tabloid story, the case of Fr. Peter Miqueli, accused of embezzling more than a million dollars from two parishes, is exhibit A.

A lawsuit brought by some of Miqueli’s parishioners — he subsequently resigned his Bronx pastorate last week — charges him with theft from weekly collections and a church thrift shop, all to allegedly finance a prescription drug habit and to support Keith Crist, a bodybuilder friend, with a cash purchase of a $264,000 house in New Jersey and the rent on a Manhattan apartment, among other items.

Tatyana Gudin, a woman identified as Crist’s former girlfriend, has offered explicit details into the priest’s relationships which have become fodder for the city’s tabloids, including this story in the New York Post.

Both Miqueli and Crist have been unavailable for comment while Gudin has provided media outlets with a steady flow of information about the alleged sexual and financial improprieties. Miqueli, in his resignation letter to the parish, denied the charges and said he was cooperating in an archdiocesan investigation into the alleged embezzlement.

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NEW YORK
Catholic News Agency

By Adelaide Mena

New York City, N.Y., Dec 17, 2015 / 06:56 am (CNA).- The Archdiocese of New York says that it takes seriously accusations in a recent lawsuit claiming that a New York priest embezzled money and maintained scandalous personal habits, while also saying that a diocesan investigation has found nothing to substantiate the allegations.

“The Archdiocese has been investigating these allegations for many months, and has repeatedly requested any information or documentation that might substantiate the allegations that have been made,” Joseph Zwilling, communications director for the Archdiocese of New York, told CNA in a statement.

“Thus far, no evidence has been offered, and our forensic audit has thus far failed to uncover evidence of embezzlement,” he said. “We have been in touch with the District Attorney since the summer, and have promised to turn over anything that might be criminal in nature. We urge anyone with such evidence to do the same.”

The suit alleges that the Fr. Peter Miqueli, former pastor of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Church on Roosevelt Island and St. Frances De Chantal Church in the Bronx, was engaged in a “million dollar embezzlement scheme,” taking funds from his former parishes’ collections over the course of a decade.

In addition, the suit alleges, Fr. Miqueli “used the donations to grow his personal wealth, purchase a house in New Jersey, take dozens of international vacations, purchase and use illegal drugs,” and pay for the sexual services of a male escort.

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NEW YORK
Catholic Culture

December 17, 2015

The Archdiocese of New York has denied receiving evidence to support charges that a pastor has stolen parish funds to pay for a drug-fueled homosexual relationship.

“The archdiocese has been investigating these allegations for many months, and has repeatedly requested any information or documentation that might substantiate the allegations that have been made,” said archdiocesan spokesman Joseph Zwilling. “Thus far, no evidence has been offered.” He added that an audit by the archdiocese did not find evidence of embezzlement.

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KENTUCKY
WHAS

MEADE CO., Ky. (WHAS11) — An area Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing children goes before a judge.

Father Joseph Hemmerle appeared before a Meade County judge Thursday morning, Dec. 17, during a pretrial conference.

Hemmerle’s defense asked the judge to consider splitting the case in two so the priest could be tried separately over the allegations that date back to the ‘70s.

The prosecution argued that a single indictment was brought against Hemmerle because the victims’ complaints were similar in nature; all of them alleged the priest preyed on young boys.

The judge scheduled a final pretrial conference for 9 a.m. Jan. 7.

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DEUTSCHLAND
Wir Sind Kirche

[Reaktionen zur ARD/WDR-Dokumentation “Richter Gottes” bezüglich des Hildesheimer Priesters Peter R.]

[The Catholic lay organization We Are Church is questioning Bishop Trelle of the Hildesheim diocese on the way he handled the issue regarding abuse allegations against priest Peter R.]

Sehr geehrter Herr Bischof Trelle, sehr geehrter Herr Weihbischof Bongartz, es ist anzuerkennen, dass das Bistum Hildesheim ein Präventionssystem installiert hat und am Aschermittwoch dieses Jahres (18. Februar 2015) auch ein öffentliches Schuldbekenntnis, insbesondere zu den Verfehlungen der Verantwortlichen abgelegt hat 1. Auch anlässlich der Vorwürfe gegenüber dem verstorbenen Bischof Heinrich Maria Janssen Anfang November 2015 zeigte sich die Bistumsleitung zuhörbereit.

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SCOTLAND
BBC Scotland

By Mark Daly
BBC Scotland Investigations Correspondent

A former Catholic monk who taught at the Fort Augustus Abbey school is set to be extradited from Australia to face charges of child sex abuse.

The move to bring Fr Denis Chrysostom Alexander back to face trial in Scotland follows criticism by his alleged victims that the Crown was dragging its heels over the case.

It comes after a two-and-a-half-year inquiry, sparked by a BBC Scotland investigation.

Fr Chrysostom denies the allegations.

Run by Catholic Benedictine monks, Fort Augustus Abbey school in the Highlands closed its doors to the public in 1993.

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ARIZONA
Catholic Sun

Christ brings beauty out of brokenness. Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted emphasized this during a Mass he celebrated for survivors of abuse and their families Dec. 1.

“As followers of Christ, we know that only in Him is it possible to find true peace,” Bishop Olmsted said. “Only Christ can mend broken hearts. Only Christ can renew hope. In this Mass we ask the Lord to heal all those who are suffering from abuse in the Church.”

The Mass of Healing and Reconciliation was held at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Phoenix. Throughout the liturgy, Bishop Olmsted pointed out that those who have suffered occupy a special place in the Heart of Christ.

“Jesus found that those who listened and received the Good News were the poor, the persons without guile, those who knew that they needed healing and mercy, and often those who had been mistreated and overlooked in society.”

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IRELAND
Irish Independent

Declan Brennan
PUBLISHED
17/12/2015

Former priest and serial child abuser Tony Walsh will serve a maximum of two years for the sexual assault of a child in the early 1970s, a court has heard.

Walsh was a seminarian at the time of the offence, which is the earliest recorded case of child abuse by him. He went on to become known as the “Singing Priest” for his role in a traveling all-priest group before he was defrocked.

Walsh (61), formerly of North Circular Road, Dublin was convicted after a trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court of the indecent assault of a female at St Lukes, Kilbarron Park, Kilmore, Dublin on a unknown date between April 17, 1973 and September 9, 1976.

He had pleaded not guilty to the offence. The victim was aged between seven and ten at the time when Walsh locked her into a room and forced himself on her.

Walsh is currently serving a 16-year sentence imposed on him in 2010 for the rape and abuse of three schoolboys. His release date is in October 2020.

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DEUTSCHLAND
netzwerkB

netzwerkB Pressemitteilung vom 17.12.2015

Bischof Trelle vom Bistum Hildesheim soll „Missbrauchs-Vorwurf“ vertuscht haben, laut SPIEGEL ONLINE 15.12.2015.

Von komplettem „Versagen“ und „Rücktritt“ ist die Rede.

In Deutschland gibt es bei Straftaten gegen die sexuelle Selbstbestimmung keine Melde- und Anzeigepflicht. Insofern hätte Bischof Trelle, wenn er angeblich einen „Missbrauchs-Vorwurf“ vertuscht haben soll, nicht gegen die gesetzliche Norm unseres Staates verstoßen. „Vertuschen“ ist in Deutschland durch die aktuelle Gesetzeslage legal.

netzwerkB fordert schon seit 2010 eine Anzeige- und Meldepflicht bei Straftaten gegen die sexuelle Selbstbestimmung – Bischof Trelle könnte so gesetzlich zur Verantwortung gezogen werden, wenn der Vorwurf der Vertuschung ihm nachgewiesen würde.

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TEXAS
Beaumont Enterprise

By Dan Wallach Published Thursday, December 17, 2015

The Diocese of Beaumont has placed a Port Arthur parish pastor on leave pending a civil and church investigation into possible physical abuse, the diocese has confirmed.

A website, www.bishop-accountability.org/abusetracker, posted information about the suspension of Father David Placette, pastor of St. Catherine’s Parish in Port Arthur.

In a statement attributed to KBMT, Bishop Curtis Guillory is quoted as saying, “I have placed Father Placette on administrative leave from all priestly ministry, pending both civil and ecclesiastical investigations into this matter. Because the matter is now under investigation, I am unable to provide additional information. at this time.”

Barbara Dorris, outreach director of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, based in St. Louis, said even though Catholic bishops had promised transparency in connection with priest abuse, the manner in which Placette’s case is handled is opaque.

“We don’t know why he was removed. This is not open and transparent. When did the diocese learn? When did the the police learn?” Dorris said.

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TEXAS
Fox 4

Updated: Thursday, December 17 2015

PORT ARTHUR — The Diocese of Beaumont has issued a statement saying investigations have been opened after an allegation was lodged against Fr. David Placette, Pastor of St. Catherine Church in Port Arthur.

Bishop Curtis J. Guillory issued the following statement to KFDM 6 News relating to an allegation made against at Fr. Placette:

The Diocese of Beaumont is committed to fostering safe comfortable, and positive environment for all whom we serve. We are deeply concerned to learn that a little more than a week ago Child Protective Services and the Port Arthur Police initiated an investigation into an allegation at St. Catherine School in Port Arthur, TX.

The allegation is against Fr. David Placette, Pastor of St. Catherine Church. Keeping in mind the interests of all involved, and in accord with the norms of the U.S. Bishops’ “CHARTER for the Protection of Children and Young People,” I have placed Fr. Placette on administrative leave from all priestly ministry, pending both civil and ecclesiastical investigations into this matter.

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TEXAS
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release Thursday December 17

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

We are grateful that civil authorities are handling the investigation of Port Arthur cleric Fr. David Placette. But now is not the time for complacency. It’s time for every single person who may have seen, suspected or suffered crimes or misdeeds by Placette – or cover ups by church officials – to come forward, get help, call police, expose wrongdoers and protect kids.

[12 News Now]

We are glad he has been removed, but urge Catholic officials to be open and transparent about what they know and when they knew it.

We hope anyone who saw, suspects or suffered child sex crimes will find the courage to speak up, report to law enforcement, and start healing.

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AUSTRALIA
Australian Jewish News

FORMER Yeshivah principal Rabbi Avrohom Glick described a function at the school last week where he shared the stage with child sexual abuse victims as a “significant step”.

Rabbi Glick, who was principal when more than a dozen students were abused by paedophiles, acknowledged and apologised for the mistakes and the failings of the past.

“I realise and I regret that in the past the true impact of child abuse, and the pain and suffering that abuse caused to victims and their families were not fully understood,” Rabbi Glick said.

“I am sincerely sorry and I apologise for that pain and suffering.”

He commended advocates for victims who have shed light on the issues of child sexual abuse and the victims for their courage to speak openly.

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TEXAS
12 News Now

PORT ARTHUR –
Father David Placette, who’s the pastor of St. Catherine Church, is being investigated by Port Arthur police and Child Protective Services, following an allegation made against him.

The Diocese of Beaumont confirmed this in a statement.

In the statement, Bishop Curtis Guillory says, “I have placed Father Placette on administrative leave from all priestly ministry, pending both civil and ecclesiastical investigations into this matter. Because the matter is now under investigation, I am unable to provide additional information. at this time.”

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NEW YORK
Church Militant

Cardinal Dolan is coming under increasing scrutiny for his failing to act over the course of nearly two years in the case of the homosexual priest embezzling up to a million dollars to fund his sadomasochistic sex fantasy with a live-in boyfriend. ChurchMilitant.com has obtained various letters and documents sent more than a year ago by parishioners here at St. Frances de Chantel parish in the Bronx to the cardinal and his staff alerting them to huge financial problems at the parish.

Included with the letters are financial statements from Fr. Peter Miqueli’s personal investment accounts showing account totals of almost $700,000. They were ignored. And that’s curious.

Amid a flurry of charges over a long period of time that Fr. Miqueli was stealing enormous amounts from the parish, why wouldn’t Cdl. Dolan simply call Fr. Miqueli into his office and ask for an explanation? It was certainly within his authority to ask for an accounting from Fr. Miqueli. But it never happened.

Around this same time, according to the lawsuit, Fr. Miqueli also purchased a house in cash for more than a quarter million dollars. Yet amidst all these allegations and, at the very least, unusual financial dealings for a priest, the cardinal never once approached Fr. Miqueli and asked him about any of this.

Another red flag ignored included in the package sent to the cardinal and his staff was a photocopy of a check that Fr. Miqueli wrote to himself against the parish Mass Stipend account for $14,000 — something he’s not allowed to do, in addition to the gigantic sum of money involved. Yet no one ever questioned Fr. Miqueli — most of all, Cdl. Dolan.

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