ABUSE TRACKER

A digest of links to media coverage of clergy abuse. For recent coverage listed in this blog, read the full article in the newspaper or other media source by clicking “Read original article.” For earlier coverage, click the title to read the original article.

July 26, 2016

Hearing set on legislation lifting statute of limitations on child sex abuse

GUAM
KUAM

Updated: Jul 26, 2016

By Krystal Paco

A continued public hearing for legislation that would lift the statute of limitations for child sex abuse cases is set for Thursday. Last month, dozens rallied in support of Bill 326, stating “justice shouldn’t have an expiration date”.

Among the bill’s supporters were Archbishop Anthony Apuron’s alleged victims – Roy Quintanilla, Walter Denton, Roland Sondia, and Doris Concepcion on behalf of her late son, Joseph “Sonny” Quinata. The bill’s author, Senator Frank Blas Jr., says a substituted version will be heard on the measure based off recommendations from the last public hearing. Some of the changes include ensuring the bill is specific to sexual abuse and not any other crimes along with preventing “frivolous suits” from being filed.

The hearing starts at 10am at the Legislature’s Public Hearing Room in Hagatna.

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 and Bank of Italy sign key agreement after years of mistrust

VATICAN CITY
Daily Mail

VATICAN CITY, July 26 (Reuters) – The Vatican and the Bank of Italy on Tuesday signed a cooperation agreement aimed at regularising their relations and ending years of Italian mistrust over the operations of the Holy See’s bank.

The agreement, signed by BOI Governor Ignacio Visco and Rene Bruelhart, the Vatican’s top financial regulator, comes after years of financial reforms, most of them under Pope Francis, to bring the Vatican and its troubled bank up to international standards to guarantee transparency and combat money laundering. (Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Crispian Balmer)

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.

Former teacher at Trent Vale school abused troubled boys at previous school in Scotland

UNITED KINGDOM
Stoke Sentinel

STAFF at a Stoke-on-Trent school said today they were ‘horrified’ to discover a former teacher had abused pupils at a previous school where he worked more than three decades ago.

Paul Kelly had preyed on boys at a St Ninian’s School in Falkland, Fife, which educated youngsters from troubled backgrounds.

But the offences may never have come to light had it not been for the tenacity of one victim, who made a complaint to diocesan officials in 2013.

It led to one of the biggest abuse inquiries of its kind to be carried out by Police Scotland, with Kelly among several former staff to be charged with sex offences.

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.

Goddard inquiry truth project to hear first testimony on child sexual abuse

UNITED KINGDOM
The Guardian

Sandra Laville
Monday 25 July 2016

The first of hundreds of people are to begin giving testimony to a public inquiry into child sexual abuse, in an unprecedented national “truth-telling” project designed to catalogue decades of suffering.

More than 2,000 people have contacted the Goddard inquiry to say they have suffered abuse, and 600 have consented to take part in the truth project.

The inquiry was set up in 2015 in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal to gather evidence on historical institutional child abuse in Britain. The inquiry is also seeking victims who were abused and who reported the abuse to a person in authority but the report was either ignored or not acted on properly.

Dru Sharpling, the Goddard inquiry panel member overseeing the truth project, encouraged anyone who had suffered child sexual abuse within an institution, a private organisation or at the hands of a person of public prominence to come forward.

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.

Survivors must have a stronger voice in Goddard abuse inquiry

UNITED KINGDOM
The Guardian

Phil Frampton

Despite public inquiries over the last two decades, such as the Waterhouse inquiry and the Utting report into child abuse in care homes, the institutions of government have failed to deliver justice for survivors or tackle child abuse. And official inquiries have repeatedly absolved central government and the establishment from guilt. Yet there is still no indication of when the £18m Goddard child abuse inquiry will hear evidence regarding high-level abuse and coverups at Westminster.

The inquiry’s truth project began this week but, sadly, the testimonies given to it by survivors will have no direct legal consequences and will only be used as ballast to the final inquiry report; a form of window dressing that may leave many survivors not only bound to secrecy about their testimony but also deeply distressed.

In announcing the initial inquiry two years ago, the then home secretary, Theresa May, declared its remit was to look into institutional responses to all child sex abuse allegations, whatever the circumstances. With estimates of the number of child abuse survivors stretching into the millions, many thought this was a clear signal the government would try to bury the Westminster scandals by casting the net too wide.

There were also indications the inquiry would have no powers to order key documents and witnesses. Only survivors’ brave and outspoken opposition prevented May’s appointment of Lady Butler-Sloss and then Fiona Woolf from heading the inquiry. Survivors’ groups such as Whiteflowers, to which I belong, organised vigils, protests and lobbies to focus the inquiry on the establishment and delivering justice for victims.

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.

Clock ticking for Guam’s Catholic church to respond to libel and slander lawsuit

GUAM
KUAM

[with court document]

Updated: Jul 26, 2016
By Krystal Paco

There are new developments to report in the alleged child sex abuse scandal that’s has rocked the local Catholic Church. Archbishop Anthony Apuron and the Archdiocese of Agana have been served.

Four people have come forward accusing Apuron of sexual molestation, which he has denied.

Because the statute of limitations has run out to pursue criminal charges, the accusers filed the libel and slander lawsuit in hopes of forcing him to appear before a judge.

Signed, sealed, and hand delivered – the Archdiocese of Agana and Archbishop Apuron are now both in receipt of the libel and slander lawsuit against them. According to a declaration of service that was filed at the Superior Court of Guam, apostolic administrator Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai received the legal papers on Friday, but didn’t want to take them. According to Christopher Allen, a special process server for the courts, “Mr. Savio Fai refused to sign receipt of documents and tried to give the documents back to me. I promptly left the area, leaving the documents in Mr. Fai’s hand. Nothing further.”

On Monday, the same court official served Apuron via Alina Fantanote, who is of “suitable age and discretion and who resides with the defendant.”

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.

Pastor Bob Cotton calls for harsher penalties for people who conceal child sex abuse

AUSTRALIA
Maitland Mercury

Krystal Sellars
26 Jul 2016

A Hunter Valley pastor is leading a push for legislative change for harsher penalties for people who fail to report child sexual abuse to police.

Pastor Bob Cotton from Maitland Christian Church says the current penalty for concealing a serious indictable offence – a maximum of two years’ imprisonment – is inadequate punishment for those who cover-up the sexual abuse of children.

Pastor Cotton said he was spurred into action after a close friend, who had been abused by Anglican church worker James Michael Brown in Kurri Kurri, died of drug and alcohol abuse.

“The ancillary offences do not fit the facts of the cases, and ‘conceal serious indictable offence’ does not reflect the criminality,” Pastor Cotton said.

“It is only a local court matter and frankly, it is an insult to the victims.

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.

Church Volunteer Accused Of Abuse

TEXAS
CBS 11

[with video]

July 25, 2016 By Robbie Owens

NORTH RICHLAND HILLS (CBS11) – A search for answers—and perhaps a child predator—is underway in North Richland Hills. Police are investigating allegations of child sexual abuse at St. John the Apostle Catholic Church.

The accusations became public over the weekend after a statement from the Fort Worth Diocese was read at each mass.

In part, the statement references having received “reports very recently of sexual abuse of children by a layman who is a member…” The accused has been described as a volunteer at the church, although a name has not been released. According to the statement, “…abuse is alleged to have occurred over the last seven or so years.”

Three children have brought accusations. Two of the incidents allegedly occurred on church property, perhaps “during evening prayer meetings.”

An alleged third incident involving the suspect occurred in Colleyville, but, North Richland Hills Police are leading the investigation into all of the incidents and Monday told reporters that they intend to move cautiously.

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.

Police investigating child sex abuse cases involving North Richland Hills church

TEXAS
Fox 4

Police are looking into claims of sexual abuse at a church in North Richland Hills after the congregation made the allegations public during its weekend services.

During every mass at St. John the Apostle Catholic Church on Sunday, a letter was read.

The letter said: “The Diocese of Fort Worth has received reports very recently of sexual abuse of children by a layman who is a member of St. John the Apostle parish. The abuse is alleged to have occurred over the last seven or so years.”

North Richland Hills police say it was over the last three to seven years.

“Allegations that happened several years ago,” said investigator Keith Bauman. “Too early to say this has it’s been an ongoing situation.”

Police say the allegations involve three children ages 5 to 10 — children who are now in their teens.

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.

Unnamed Church Volunteer Under Investigation for Sexual Abuse of Children During Services

TEXAS
NBC DFW

[with video]

By Jeff Smith

A volunteer is accused of sexually abusing children at a North Richland Hills church.

Police are investigating three complaints of sexual abuse of children, two of which allegedly happened at Saint John the Apostle Church on Glenview Drive.

All three complaints involve children who, at the time of the alleged misconduct, were between the ages of five and 10. Now, officers say the victims are teenagers.

“We’ve had allegations of sexual misconduct and we take them seriously. But we also need information and evidence to move forward,” said North Richland Hills Police Investigator Keith Bauman. “There are three specific situations that we are looking into.”

Two instances of sexual misconduct allegedly happened inside the Catholic church during evening prayer meetings.

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.

Hon: Revised policy to address accusations against archbishop

GUAM
Pacific Daily News

Haidee V Eugenio, Pacific Daily News July 26, 2016

Nearly two months after the Vatican sent him to temporarily oversee the Catholic Church in Guam, Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai confirmed on Sunday that a revision of the local church’s policy for responding to sexual abuse accusations would include language on how to respond to allegations against the archbishop himself.

At least four individuals publicly accused Archbishop Anthony S. Apuron of sexually molesting altar boys in the 1970s when Apuron was parish priest at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Agat.

But since the public accusations in May and June, the local church or the Vatican has not released any detail about any investigation into Apuron.

Church law states only the Vatican can investigate an archbishop, but it’s unclear whether an investigation has even started.

Apuron hasn’t been charged with any crime and remains archbishop, but he’s been temporarily stripped of his administrative authority over the Archdiocese of Agana.

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.

July 25, 2016

Mountain Home priest accused of rape free without bond

IDAHO
Idaho Statesman

BY BILL ROBERTS
broberts@idahostatesman.com

The Rev. Victor Jagerstatter was charged Monday with raping a Mountain Home Air Force Base airman while the airman lay passed out in the early morning hours of July 9.

Jagerstatter, 39, is a Catholic priest at Our Lady of Good Counsel parish. He was released on his own recognizance despite the prosecutor’s request for a $20,000 bond.

Nearly 100 parishioners from the Mountain Home church and others in Weiser and Caldwell overflowed into the courtroom. Many were wearing “I Stand with Fr. Victor” badges. Others carried posters which read “Fr. Victor is innocent.”

They recited the Lord’s Prayer and sang “Amazing Grace” in the hallway outside the basement courtroom.

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.

Court Docs: Airman says he woke up to Mountain Home priest attempting oral sex

IDAHO
KMVT

MOUNTAIN HOME, Idaho (KBOI) — Editor’s Note: The following story contains sensitive content

The victim in an alleged rape involving a Mountain Home priest says he woke up to Victor F. Jagerstatter attempting to give him oral sex, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Court documents state that on July 9, the victim, an Airman at the Mountain Home Air Force Base, was intoxicated and passed out in a room he rented from Jagerstatter’s house on 13th Street North after a night of drinking. Sometime after he passed out from intoxication, the court documents state, the victim woke up and saw Jagerstatter kneeling beside his bed moving toward him attempting oral sex.

“The victim screamed and Victor Franz Jagerstatter asked him if he wanted breakfast,” the affidavit states.

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.

Details emerge in Mountain Home priest sex arrest

IDAHO
KIVI

Steve Bertel
Jul 25, 2016

MOUNTAIN HOME – A Mountain Home priest made his initial court appearance Monday afternoon in the Elmore County Courthouse after police say he sexually assaulted a man.

On Friday, Mountain Home Police arrested 39-year-old Victor Jagerstatter for sexual abuse and exploitation of a vulnerable adult.

The charge has since been changed to rape, according to the Idaho State Respository.

Jagerstatter is a priest of the Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Parish in Mountain Home. The parish serves Mountain Home, Glenns Ferry, Grandview and Bureau.

Jagerstatter was booked into the Elmore County Jail about 11 a.m. Friday, according to a jail supervisor.

Court documents released Tuesday say the victim -– a member of the U.S. Air Force stationed at the Mountain Home Air Force Base — reported to Base family advocacy officials that he had been sexually assaulted. The case was investigated by Special Agent Keith Tyler of the Office of Special Investigation.

According to the document, the victim told Tyler he was renting a room from Jagerstatter on East 13th Street North in Mountain Home. He attended a party on July 8th, drank alcohol, then returned to his rented room and passed out about 3 a.m. the following morning.

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.

Plaintiffs amend suit against Apuron

GUAM
Guam Daily Post

Neil Pang | Post News Staff

The lawsuit filed against Archbishop Anthony Apuron and the Archdiocese of Agana was amended Tuesday, July 19, and now references a number of additional statements made by the archdiocese which the plaintiffs see as strengthening their case of slander and libel.

On July 1, a group of four accusers – Roland Sondia, Walter Denton, Edith Doris Concepcion and Roy Quintanilla – filed a suit for libel and slander against the archdiocese and Apuron.

The newly added statements were released by the archdiocese in response to allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct made against Apuron. In these statements, the allegations are referred to as “nonsense,” described as “another malicious and calumnious accusation against the Archbishop” and that “the true nature of the plaintiffs’ suit is to destroy the Catholic Church and discredit the archbishop by whatever means.”

In the amended suit, the plaintiffs allege that the various statements issued by the archdiocese were prepared and released on behalf of Apuron by Rev. Edivaldo Da Silva Oliveira, the media relations coordinator of the archdiocese and personal secretary of Apuron.

The amended suit notes that none of the statements released by the archdiocese have been retracted and that the statements continue to represent the position of the archdiocese and Apuron. Further, it states that all statements released prior to archbishop Hon’s appointment are equally attributable to him as to his predecessors.

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.

Archbishop may not have “properly” reported paedophile priest

AUSTRALIA
The West Australian

Sophie Morris and Nick Butterly – The West Australian on July 26, 2016

The most senior Anglican in Australia has backed church officers who revealed that the Archbishop of Perth Roger Herft may have failed to properly report details about a notorious paedophile priest in NSW.

Primate of the Anglican Church, Melbourne Archbishop Philip Freier, even offered a prayer of support and gratitude for those who last week said there was no record that Archbishop Herft had referred complaints about the paedophile to police.

He gave no public backing to Archbishop Herft and said the allegations of abuse, aired on the ABC last week, were “shocking and distressing”.

“We pray for the perpetrators of abuse and those involved in covering up this criminal behaviour that they might acknowledge the evil and damage that they have done and be brought to justice with repentance and a will to change their lives,” he said.

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.

Child sexual abuse: Is Pa. pro-child or pro-predator?

PENNSYLVANIA
Lancaster Online

ELIZABETH EISENSTADT-EVANS | COLUMNIST

“It’s not over,” said state Rep. Mark Rozzi on Monday, moments after throwing the grand jury reports on sexual abuse of children on the steps of the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia.

The Berks County lawmaker, himself a victim of abuse, was most likely referring to his ongoing battle to retroactively extend the period in which victims of decades-old childhood abuse could sue those who molested them, dropping the statute of limitations in criminal cases and extending the window for civil ones from age 30 to 50.

HB 1947, which overwhelmingly passed the House this past spring, was stripped of the retroactivity language when it arrived in the state Senate after lobbying by the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference and other groups. They argued that the provision was unconstitutional, unfairly targeted private institutions like churches and would result in the closure of parishes and ministries. Both the Diocese of Harrisburg and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, which opposed the House legislation, sent out letters to be read from the pulpit and included in parish newsletters.

“The constitutionality defense is an issue that bishops typically raise when they find themselves between a rock and a hard place,” says Marci Hamilton, an attorney specializing in the constitutional separation of church and state and a resident senior fellow in the Robert A. Fox Leadership Program at the University of Pennsylvania.

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.

Apuron accusers revise slander lawsuit

GUAM
Pacific Daily News

Steve Limtiaco, slimtiaco@guampdn.com July 25, 2016

The former altar boys who accused Archbishop Anthony Apuron of sexually assaulting them have revised their $2 million libel and slander lawsuit, citing more examples in which the local church allegedly defamed them after they made their allegations public.

The revised lawsuit also argues that Archbishop Savio Tai Fai Hon, who has temporarily assumed Apuron’s duties in Guam, should be held equally accountable for past statements by the church because the church has not retracted or repudiated any of the statements.

The revised lawsuit accuses Apuron and the church of making defamatory statements against the accusers, despite knowing, “there had already been a history of sexual abuse committed by priests in the Agana Archdiocese.”

Since May, three former Agat altar boys and the mother of a deceased former altar boy have come forward to publicly accuse Apuron of sexually assaulting the boys when he was parish priest in the late 1970s.

Roy Quintanilla stated his allegations on May 17, followed a couple of weeks later by Doris Concepcion, who said her deceased son, Joseph A. Quinata, had told her Apuron molested him. Walter G. Denton in early June stated Apuron had raped him during a sleepover, and Roland Sondia in mid-June stated Apuron had molested him.

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.

Catholic archbishop fights child abuse charge

AUSTRALIA
The Australian

DAN BOX
Crime reporterSydney
@DanBox10

The Catholic Archbishop of Adelaide will ask the NSW Supreme Court to dismiss a criminal prosecution alleging he failed to report child abuse by a priest.

Archbishop Philip Wilson, the most senior Catholic official worldwide to be charged with such an offence, had unsuccessfully argued that the prosecution was “unjustly oppressive” to him, and “will culminate in an unfair trial”, court documents show.

His appeal will be heard before a Supreme Court judge in September, days after the end of two royal commission hearings into child abuse within the Catholic Church, including in the archbishop’s former diocese of Maitland-Newcastle in NSW.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse will devote two public hearings into abuse within the Newcastle area over the next few months, with the city’s Anglican Church also under investi­gation. The commission is expect­ed to hear evidence of a ­potential pedophile ring involving former Anglican officials.

The diocese’s bishop, Greg Thompson, last year apologised to abuse victims who suffered in “a culture that ­intimidated them and kept them silent’’.

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.

The Demographic Both Party Platforms Missed: Child Sex Abuse Victims

UNITED STATES
Verdict

25 JUL 2016

MARCI A. HAMILTON

The wild ride of this year’s presidential election has left many looking for landmarks that will guide their choice for the next president. One place to figure out who stands for what lies in the 2016 Republican and Democratic Platforms. So I decided to explore how each party deals with children.

It would not have been irrational to assume that this would be the year when the epidemic of child sex abuse might find its way onto a platform. After all, Spotlight won the Oscar Award for Best Picture. Institutions in every category that have recklessly dealt with the sexual abuse of children continue to fall over themselves as they choose between defensive silence, self-serving denials, and lame mea culpas. Indeed, there have been so many institutions outed, it is impossible to name them all here.

Suffice it to say that tony prep schools, universities, sports, and religious organizations have had some problems. Pitched battles between fragile adult survivors of abuse and the Catholic bishops over statutes of limitations for child sex abuse and rape have dominated politics and headlines.

And talk about a demographic: 20-25 percent of the American public is sexually abused as children. That is an “interest” that might well persuade a voter to cross party lines, depending on the Party’s message on child sex abuse. For this large number of Americans, however, the Platforms just nibble around the problem.

One needs to cast a wide net for “children” in each Platform to find some indication of how the Party views the epidemic of child sex abuse. Neither uses the phrase “child sex 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.

Thousands Protest Outside Remand Hearing for Rabbi Suspected of Sex Crimes

ISRAEL
Haaretz

Yair Ettinger Jul 25, 2016

Rabbi Eliezer Berland, the leader of Israel’s Shuvu Banim Hasidic community, was brought to court for a hearing on extending his police detention on Monday. The police asked the court to extend Berland’s detention by another few days for questioning in order to complete their investigation.

Berland is suspected of sexual and other offenses and was arrested when he returned to Israel last week from South Africa under an extradition agreement. 

Some 1,000 of his followers protested his arrest outside the Rishon Letzion Magistrate’s Court in support.  Some of his supporters carried pictures of the rabbi or signs, with slogans such as “The people are with the saint.”  

Berland, 79, is one of the leaders of the Bratslav Hasidic movement in the country and is considered a holy man by his followers.  

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9-Year-Old Boy Starved and Chained in Church for Stealing Soup from His Step Mother

NIGERIA
Ghana Star

By Esther Tagoe – Jul 23, 2016

The Nigeria Security Forces have rescued a nine-year-old boy who was chained at a church. Korede Taiwo, was chained for weeks at the Key of Joy Parish of the Celestial Church of Christ in Ajiwo, Ogun state, Nigeria.

A statement released by the security forces said that the boy was rescued at about 10:30AM on Friday. The case has since been transferred to the appropriate authorities for further investigation, the statement said.

According to the statement released by the Security Forces, the boy was chained because he repeatedly stole (soup) from his stepmother. The step-mother, Kehinde reported to his father, Taiwo Francis, a Pastor in the church. Francis reportedly chained the boy to a log of wood inside a room within the church premises.

The statement added that security officials patrolling the area were informed by a resident that a boy is being held in chains in the church. They moved in following the tip-off.

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.

Boy was held in chains for weeks in a Nigerian church

NIGERIA
The Freethinker

The shocking picture above was taken shortly after the nine-year-old was rescued on Friday by Nigerian security forces from the Key of Joy Parish of the Celestial Church of Christ in Ajiwo, in the state of Ogun.
According to this report, Korede Taiwo was chained for weeks at the church and starved.

A statement released by the security forces said the boy had been punished because he repeatedly stole soup from his stepmother, Kehinde. She reported the theft to his father, Taiwo Francis, a pastor in the church. Francis then chained the boy to a log of wood inside a room within the church premises.

The statement added that security officials patrolling the area were informed by a resident of the boy’s plight and he was then rescued, despite opposition from church members.

According to the statement:

The boy was tired and pale, he was not able to talk when we rescued him. On getting to the church there was serious resistance by members, led by the pastor’s wife Kehinde.

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.

What’s Underneath the Vatican Power Struggle Over Economic Reforms

VATICAN CITY
National Catholic Register

NEWS ANALYSIS: Cardinal George Pell’s Secretariat of the Economy has had its wings clipped in recent weeks, in terms of its authority to oversee the Vatican’s financial operations.

BY EDWARD PENTIN
07/25/2016

VATICAN CITY — The Secretariat for the Economy has suffered two blows to its authority in the past few weeks in what inside sources say is a concerted effort to obstruct revealing financial information and possible misconduct in the Roman Curia.

However, some of the decisions have helped to clarify roles in the financial reform process and, together with new monitoring procedures, could significantly help to root out mismanagement and corruption in the long term.

On June 10, the Vatican announced it was ending an external audit of the Holy See’s finances by the accountancy giant PricewaterhouseCoopers. The audit, which cost around €500,000 ($550,000) to complete, had already been suspended in April, just four months after it had begun, on the grounds that the Vatican wanted to obtain “clarifications.”

The Vatican said in its June 10 statement that the financial scrutiny would now be executed by the Vatican’s own auditor general, and that PwC would henceforth “play an assisting role” and be “available to those dicasteries that wish to avail themselves of its support and consulting services.” It argued that having an external audit carried out by its own auditor general is “normally the case for every sovereign state.”

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Stiftung baut ehemaligem Erzbischof Alterssitz für 1,2 Millionen Euro

DEUTSCHLAND
Sueddeutsche Zeitung

[The charitable Joseph Foundation built a 1.2 million-euro retirement home for former Bamberg Archbishop Karl Braun. The deal is controversial because the foundation also builds home for needy families.]

Von Matthias Drobinski, Bamberg

Seinen 85. Geburtstag feierte der Bamberger Alt-Erzbischof Karl Braun bescheiden und daheim, am 13. Dezember 2015. Zum Fest berichtete der Bamberger Fränkische Tag, Braun lebe “eher zurückgezogen in seinem Haus in Wildensorg”, westlich der Domstadt. Das sei ein “Tribut an das Alter”, heißt es in dem Porträt, aber auch “ein selbst auferlegtes Muss als Emeritus, der seinem Nachfolger auf dem Bischofsstuhl das tägliche Feld zum Beackern überlässt”. Braun, der mehr als zehn Jahre Bischof von Eichstätt war und dann bis 2001 Erzbischof von Bamberg, sagte, er mühe sich nun, “tiefer in das Mysterium einzudringen”, in das Geheimnis des Glaubens. Der Artikel trägt den Titel: “Der Mystiker von Wildensorg”.

Es ist schön dort. Man fährt durch Bambergs romantische Gassen nach Westen hinauf. Der Ort ist beschaulich mit viel Grün, ein Teich macht ihn verwunschen. Man schaut übers fränkische Land; die Villen der wirklich reichen Leute stehen jenseits der Hügelkuppe, wo man die Stadt zu Füßen hat. Das Haus des Erzbischofs ist schmal, aber weit nach hinten gebaut, vorne wohnt der alte Herr, unterm Dach ist die Kapelle. Hinten leben die drei Schwestern, die ihn versorgen. Im Vorgarten wächst ein Rosenbaum.

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Argentina: The Irish priest, ex-minister and $9m in a convent

ARGENTINA
Irish Times

Stephen Collins

An Irish priest has been given a key role in an investigation into an astonishing corruption scandal that has convulsed Argentina for the past month.

The case, which involves a former government minister attempting to stash about US$9 million (€8.2 million) mostly in cash at a small convent near Buenos Aires, has rocked the country’s political system.

Fr Tom O’Donnell (64), from Templeglantine, west Limerick, has been appointed to lead the Catholic Church’s investigation into the affair. The Pallotine missionary is the parish priest of St Patrick’s parish in Mercedes, about 70km from Buenos Aires.

Fr O’Donnell told The Irish Times that his investigation team had a narrow focus on how the nuns at the convent came to be embroiled in the affair, but they would be co-operating fully with the civilian authorities.

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.

Amended complaint filed by accusers against Archbishop Apuron

GUAM
KUAM

Updated: Jul 25, 2016

By Krystal Paco

Archbishop Anthony Apuron’s accusers – Roy Quintanilla, Walter Denton, Roland Sondia, and Doris Concepcion on behalf of her son Joseph “Sonny” Quinata – have filed an amended complaint for the libel and slander suit against Apuron and the Archdiocese of Agana. The new complaint adds paragraphs alleging it was Father Edivaldo Oliveira, who prepared and released video and press release statements on behalf of the archdiocese and Apuron.

The statements denied all allegations of molestation made against Apuron and called the accusers out for a malicious smear campaign to oust the archbishop and destroy the Catholic Church. Added paragraphs also name apostolic administrator Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai, who has yet to retract the previous statements.

No word on whether the defendants have been served the legal documents, which were initially filed on July 1. According to archdiocese spokesperson Monsignor Bibi Arroyo, they are being represented by Attorney John Terlaje.

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Statement from the Attorney-General – Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Abuse

AUSTRALIA
My Sunshine Coast

The Palaszczuk Government is working through a number of recommendations to respond to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Abuse, including the removal of the statute of limitation for child sexual abuse claims.

We welcome the indication from the LNP that it would support any progress of this issue.

The recommendation as proposed applies to both government and non-government entities and so consultation would be important. As such, the government would welcome bipartisan support from the LNP on the Royal Commission recommendation.

The Palaszczuk Government has said it also wants the Australian Government to progress a national redress scheme for survivors of institutional child sexual abuse.

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As he exits, Newark Archbishop Myers opens up; criticizes secular culture

NEW JERSEY
The Record

BY JEFF GREEN
STAFF WRITER | THE RECORD

NEWARK — As he prepares to submit his mandatory letter of retirement this week, Newark Archbishop John J. Myers sat for an interview and reflected on his often controversial 15-year tenure as New Jersey’s highest-ranking Roman Catholic prelate.

In a wide-ranging discussion, Myers offered advice to Pope Francis on conducting himself before the media and challenged Governor Christie’s personal stance on birth control, as well as the governor’s hard line in barring Syrian refugees, even very young ones, from entering the state.

And in rare remarks, the archbishop offered a full-throated defense of his decisions in episodes in which he faced harsh criticism: his handling of two priests — one in Wyckoff — who were accused of sexually assaulting children, and the church’s $500,000 investment in upgrading his Hunterdon County retirement home.

Some of what Myers had to say is covered in what may be his last pastoral letter to his flock: “To Whom Shall We Go?” in which the 74-year-old prelate laments the secularization of society and implores people of all faiths to deeply immerse themselves in their religion.

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8 Steps to Take to Protect Children From Sexual Abuse at the Hands of Rabbis

UNITED STATES
Algemeiner

Many Orthodox rabbis and institutions are affiliated with one or more major Orthodox umbrella groups. These groups include the Orthodox Union, Agudath Israel of America, Torah Umesorah, the Rabbinical Council of America and the National Council of Young Israel.

Over the last several years, I have tried to convince several of these groups, numerous prominent rabbis and the Jewish Federations of North America to take even minimal steps to protect Orthodox children from the rampant sexual abuse found in our communities. My efforts went nowhere.

Most of the time, my phone calls and emails were ignored. In the rare instance that I was actually able to have a conversation with a rabbi or leader of one of these groups, they would not agree to do anything to protect our kids.

To my knowledge, none of these major Orthodox groups or the Jewish Federations have any publicly posted a set of child protection rules. Rabbis who do want to protect the children in their care have little or no direction from their affiliated organizations as to how to make their institutions safe for children.

In the absence of any guidance on this issue from most of our religious or Jewish lay leadership, I have written a set of child safety recommendations that all rabbis and Orthodox institutions can and should implement immediately.

I urge anyone interested in stopping the unrelenting plague of child sexual abuse in Orthodox communities to send this list to your rabbi, principal, board of directors, or president of your synagogue, school or yeshiva. If they stall, delay, make excuses or refuse to, ask them why protecting our children from sexual abuse is not a priority for them.

1) Publicize the names of the hundreds of Orthodox child molesters who are known to rabbis.

Frequently, victims or their parents report to their rabbi when a child has been sexually abused. In many instances, rabbis cover up the molester and demand that the victim remain silent about their abuser. Parents and employers can’t protect the children in their care if they don’t know who the predators are that deliberately target Orthodox kids for sexual abuse. “The List” on my website is a good place to start for this information.

2) Ban and excommunicate anyone known to have harmed children in the past.

Many studies show that there is no drug or therapy that cures child sex offenders from their desire to sexually abuse children. They are never safe around kids, and they should never have access to them.

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Five sex offences reported EVERY week in mosques, temples and churches

UNITED KINGDOM
Express

By LAURA MOWAT

According to the shocking figures obtained by a Freedom of Information Request by The Mail on Sunday, 725 crimes were reported in the past year with 368 of them relating to children.

Spokesman for the charity Minister and Clergy Sexual Abuse Survivors, Phil Johnson, said: “We’ve seen numbers increase dramatically in the past few years because of the Jimmy Savile effect, but those that go to the police are in the minority.”

Most cases were in churches but the figures also included offences at mosques and Sikh temples.

Graham Wilmer, of The Lantern Project, which supports child sex abuse victims, added that based on the number of those who do not report crimes, the real number of offences could be ten times higher.

Justin Humphreys, Head of Safeguarding at the Churches Child Protection Advisory Service, believes reporting of sexual abuse has improved since the Jimmy Savile case.

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Archbishop Hon speaks out about allegations against clergy

GUAM
KUAM

Updated: Jul 25, 2016

By Krystal Paco

Over a month on the job and Guam’s interim apostolic administrator, Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai, is speaking out on the allegations of possible sexual abuse perpetrated by clergy. Archbishop Hon was appointed by the Vatican to lead the Agana Archdiocese in the midst of allegations of rape and molestation made against Archbishop Anthony Apuron, who has since been placed on leave.

While he’s yet to address island media, Archbishop Hon is providing weekly messages to the faithful via the Umatuna Si Yu’os, the catholic newspaper of the Archdiocese of Agana. This week, he addresses the divide in the church as a result of the allegations of sexual abuse by clergy. “Everybody wants to have good and holy priests. There is no doubt about it. Unfortunately, when scandals break out, we priests appear suspicious of committing something bad or of covering it up,” he wrote.

Hon further notes that the vast majority of priests are not sex abusers, and that no one is immune from trials and temptations. “sometimes, priests do fall.” He adds that the Agana Archdiocese is learning a lesson and making efforts to improve policy for responding to allegations of sexual abuse perpetrated by a church official. The current policy, he says, is being revised by experts and will be approved by the Presbyteral Council.

“It will include clear provisions for the event of accusations against the Archbishop himself. Hopefully the policy will heighten awareness and promote transparent and respectable moral behavior.”

Although sinful clergy can validly celebrate sacraments, Hon states it doesn’t mean they should be active pastors. “It all depends on the gravity of the matter and the situation of the pastor concerned.” He closes with asking for prayer for the bishops, priests, and deacons so they may remain with Christ.

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Former County Durham Archdeacon to stand trial accused of abuse at Medomsley Detention Centre

UNITED KINGDOM
Chronicle Live

BY LAURA HILL

A former County Durham archdeacon will appear in court today as part of one of the UK’s biggest investigations into historic sex abuse.

George Granville Gibson, a former Archdeacon of Auckland, has denied eight counts of sexual assaults against two men dating back to the 1970s and 1980s.

Gibson will stand trial at Durham Crown Court accused of eight charges of indecent assault.

The retired cleric was charged in 2014 as part of Operation Seabrook, one of the UK’s largest investigations into historic sex abuse.

He has denied the charges against him.

Gibson held a number of posts with the Church of England before serving as Archdeacon of Auckland.

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July 24, 2016

Police investigate child abuse claims at Tarrant County church

TEXAS
The Dallas Morning News

By Julieta Chiquillo Follow @jmchiquillo jchiquillo@dallasnews.com
The Dallas Morning News

Published: 24 July 2016

North Richland Hills police are investigating allegations of child sexual abuse by a volunteer at St. John the Apostle Catholic Church, officials said.

A deacon read a letter about the investigation to parishioners during Saturday and Sunday services at the church on 7341 Glenview Drive, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.

The letter stated that several children reported that the abuse happened on church property during evening prayers, according to the Star-Telegram. No priest or deacon is involved in the investigation.

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Sex offender sues Monsey rabbi after ‘slanderous’ tweet

NEW YORK
News 12

MONSEY – A Rockland rabbi is facing a slander lawsuit over a tweet that identified a level 3 sex offender in Monsey.

The lawsuit was delivered to Rabbi Yakov Horowitz, written in Hebrew and filed in Israel, where Yona Weinberg currently lives. Weinberg served time in state prison for having sex with a child under the age of 14.

A longtime educator in Rockland, Horowitz posts parenting videos on YouTube and produces children’s books to help parents talk to kids about sex abuse. He says he has no plans to stop warning the community about sex offenders on social media.

“I have a responsibility to the children and their parents and there’s no way I’m going to give up on that,” says Horowitz.

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Sexual abuse investigation underway at North Richland Hills church

TEXAS
Star-Telegram

BY DOMINGO RAMIREZ JR.
ramirez@star-telegram.com

An investigation into sexual abuse of youths at St. John the Apostle Catholic Church is underway, police and church officials said Sunday.

A letter concerning the investigation was read at a Saturday mass and Sunday morning services at the church, 7341 Glenview Drive.

The investigation is the early stages, Detective Keith Bauman said Sunday in a telephone interview.

No one has been arrested.

According to the letter, the allegations involve a church volunteer accused of sexual abuse, some of which took place on church property during evening prayers, several children reported.

The investigation does not involve a priest or a deacon, according to the letter.

The letter from Bishop Michael Olsen was read by Deacon Rigoberto Leyva from the central offices of the Diocese of Fort Worth.

Officials from the Diocese of Fort Worth received reports from a member of St. John about 10 days ago and alerted police. The abuse is alleged to have occurred over the past seven years, according to the letter.

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Assignment Record– Rev. Richard P. McGann

CONNECTICUT
BishopAccountability.org

Summary of Case: Richard P. McGann was ordained for the Hartford archdiocese in 1970. He assisted throughout the 1970s at St. Gregory’s in Bristol CT, then served several years as chaplain at Hartford Hospital. During this time he was in residence at a local parish. Through most of the 1980s McGann was Director of Pastoral Ministry at St. Paul’s Catholic High School in Bristol while living at St. Gregory’s. In 1989 he was named pastor of Our Lady of Mercy in Plainville. He was still there in 2005 when quietly placed on Administrative Leave. In 2011 it was revealed that, in 2009, a man had received a settlement from the archdiocese. The man had accused McGann of sexually abusing him over a two-year period in the 1970s at St. Gregory’s in Bristol and on out-of-town trips, beginning when he was 12-years-old. The man was convicted in 1986 of murdering his grandfather at age 23 and was serving a 60-year sentence.

Ordained: 1970

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Newark Archbishop John J. Myers poised to retire

NEW JERSEY
NJ.com

By Mark Mueller | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

After a 15-year run as spiritual leader to more than a million Roman Catholics in New Jersey, Newark Archbishop John J. Myers is expected to submit a letter to Pope Francis this week seeking the pontiff’s permission to retire.

On Tuesday, Myers turns 75, the mandatory retirement age set by canon law. It remains to be seen how swiftly Francis will move to replace him. Some bishops continue to work a year or more after they reach 75.

“The pope can do what he wants,” said Christopher Bellitto, a church historian and professor of history at Kean University. “He can accept immediately, or he can say, ‘Thanks for the letter. I’ll let you know.'”

Given that Francis had previously appointed a coadjutor bishop for the archdiocese, Bellitto said he suspects the pope will move more quickly than he might have otherwise.

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Apuron accusers demand answers

GUAM
Pacific Daily News

Steve Limtiaco, slimtiaco@guampdn.com July 24, 2016

Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai has refused to meet with the former altar boys who have accused Guam Archbishop Anthony Apuron of rape and molestation, according to attorney David Lujan, who outlined several concerns in a letter this month to the attorney for the Archdiocese of Agana.

Since May, three former Agat altar boys and the mother of an altar boy have accused Apuron of sexual assault in the late 1970s, when he was parish priest in Agat. They accused Apuron publicly, at several tearful press conferences near church property and in an interview with the Pacific Daily News.

The accusers include Roy T. Quintanilla, Walter Denton, Roland Sondia and Doris Concepcion — the mother of deceased former altar boy Joseph Anthony Quinata.

Apuron, whose duties on Guam are temporarily in the hands of Hon, pending a church investigation, has not been seen in Guam since Hon was appointed and he has not issued any public statements. Apuron and the archdiocese have denied some of the allegations and have not specifically addressed others.

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Dillingham parish priest charged with attempted sexual assault

ALASKA
KOLG

[with audio]

By DAVE BENDINGER

Father Michael Nicolai has been suspended from his duties at the Russian Orthodox church after allegations of domestic violence and attempted sexual assault.

KDLG: Dillingham police have charged a local parish priest with attempted sexual assault. KDLG’s Dave Bendinger has more.

Father Michael Nicolai is the priest at Saint Seraphim of Sarov, the Russian Orthodox Church in Dillingham. Early on Saturday July 16, police were called to the parish home behind the church by his wife, who reported she had been assaulted.

Dan Pasquariello is the chief of Dillingham Police.

“The officers responded to a report of a domestic disturbance. They went there, they interviewed all parties involved, they made an arrest. The information they gathered, after conferring with the district attorney, led them to charge Father Nicholai with attempted sexual assault and a physical assault.”

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LNP to remove time limit on sex abuse claims

AUSTRALIA
Sky News

Child sexual abuse survivors will be able to seek damages from their abusers at any time if Queensland’s LNP is restored to government.

Queensland’s Liberal National opposition has promised to remove the three-year limit on lodging civil claims against alleged abusers if they are elected.

Opposition leader Tim Nicholls said the current three-year limit from a survivor’s 18th birthday denied them the opportunity to claim damages and seek justice.

‘We want to empower child sex abuse survivors to seek the justice they deserve, no matter how long ago the alleged offence occurred,’ Mr Nicholls said.

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A Fox News Alumnus and Anarchy in the Vatican: A Timely Convergence

UNITED STATES
The Open Tabernacle: Here Comes Everybody

Posted on July 24, 2016 by Betty Clermont

Pope Francis appointed Greg Burke director of the Vatican Press Office on July 11. Burke was a Fox News correspondent from 2001 until he was hired as a senior communications adviser in the Vatican in 2012.

Burke is an Opus Dei numerary, i.e. an avowed celibate. On July 13, Pope Francis appointed another American close to Opus Dei, Kim Daniels, to the Secretariat of Communications. Daniels was “Sarah Palin’s personal domestic policy czar” in 2010. Daniels is a co-founder and director of the U.S. branch of Catholic Voices. Right-wing National Review editor, Kathryn Jean Lopez, is the other co-founder and director. Lopez regularly lectures at Opus Dei‘s Catholic Information Center on K Street, Washington D.C. Jack Valero, co-founder of the worldwide Catholic Voices, is also Press Officer for Opus Dei in the UK.

“In recent weeks in the Vatican chaos reigns supreme … The infinite war between factions, the continuous clashes between the leaders of the Roman Curia, the strategies for the replacement of the president of the Vatican Bank,” Emiliano Fittipaldi wrote in a July 14 article titled “Santa Anarchia” in the prominent Italian weekly news magazine, l’Espresso.

The Vatileaks trial that ended on July 7, “was a total debacle: strategic, communicative, political,” concluded Fittipaldi, one of the five defendants tried for leaking Vatican secrets that were published. Not only because the trial publicized “the financial obscenities” during the reign of Pope Francis exposed in Fittipaldi’s book, Avarice: Documents Revealing Wealth, Scandals and Secrets of Francis’ Church, “but also because the management of the scandal showed a surprising internal disorganization and an inability to build winning communication strategies” in addition to exposing “new struggles between opposing factions,” Fittipaldi wrote.

These opposing factions, according to Fittipaldi, “are likely to pass sleepless nights to the new head of communications, Greg Burke.”

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Five new sex offences each week: Reports of abuse in UK churches, mosques and Sikh temples have risen by 20 per cent in the past year – and half of them involve children

UNITED KINGDOM
Daily Mail

By Charlotte Wace For The Mail On Sunday

At least five new church sex offences are reported to police each week – and half of them involve children, according to shocking new figures.

Statistics from forces across the UK reveal that the number of sex offences reported to have taken place in religious buildings has risen by 20 per cent in the past year.

The figures, released to The Mail on Sunday under Freedom of Information laws, showed that in the past three years, 725 such crimes were reported, with 368 of them relating to child abuse.

Most cases were at churches but the figures also included offences at mosques and Sikh temples.

Phil Johnson, spokesman for the charity Minister and Clergy Sexual Abuse Survivors, said: ‘We’ve seen numbers increase dramatically in the past few years because of the Jimmy Savile effect, but those that go to the police are in the minority.’

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Patty Wetterling brings clout to board working to prevent clergy abuse

MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

By Jenna Ross Star Tribune JULY 23, 2016

A board that reviews troubled Catholic priests in the Twin Cities archdiocese — once faulted for being insular and ineffective — has a new makeup and a high-profile member: Patty Wetterling, the state’s best-known advocate for child safety.

Wetterling’s reputation, built on her work since her 11-year-old son Jacob was abducted in 1989, adds another layer of credibility to the archdiocese’s Ministerial Review Board as it grapples with the aftermath of a clergy abuse scandal.

“A lot went wrong,” Wetterling said by phone last week. She is optimistic about the “intent and structure” of the board, she said, which is “trying to ensure that the church is doing all that it says it’s doing going forward.”

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi touted Wetterling’s appointment at a news conference Wednesday announcing that his office was dropping criminal charges against the archdiocese. He also announced he was releasing documents showing an effort to quash an investigation into alleged sexual improprieties by former Archbishop John Nienstedt.

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Defrocked Southern Illinois priest who founded Camp Ondessonk has died

ILLINOIS
The Southern

MOLLY PARKER

ELIZABETHTOWN — A one-time ambitious, popular Southern Illinois priest who spearheaded the creation of Camp Ondessonk in 1959, and nearly 50 years later was defrocked by the Vatican after allegations surfaced he sexually abused youth campers when he was director, has died.

Robert Vonnahmen, 85, was reportedly quietly buried in Elizabethtown in early May. It doesn’t appear that an obituary was written on Vonnahmen’s behalf, at least not one that is available online or otherwise readily accessible.

Vonnahmen’s death was announced this past week by the St. Louis chapter of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, or SNAP. In the 1990s, Vonnahmen was at the center of a Catholic Church sex abuse scandal that rocked Southern Illinois, and ultimately resulted in the removal of 14 priests, including Vonnahmen, and one permanent deacon, from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Belleville, which oversees parishes in roughly the bottom third of the state.

In a statement, SNAP Director David Clohessy accused local Catholic officials of neglecting to make known the passing of a man he referred to as “one of Southern Illinois’ most notorious pedophile priests.”

Clohessy said he heard about Vonnahmen’s death by word-of-mouth, from an individual associated with the church. Clohessy said that same person told him Vonnahmen was buried in Elizabethtown a few days after his death. The newspaper was unable to confirm any information about Vonnahmen’s arrangements from church officials or others.

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July 23, 2016

Documents in Settlement of Curtis Wehmeyer Case Reveal Vatican Interference in Investigation of Allegations about Archbishop Nienstedt’s Sexual Improprieties

MINNESOTA
Bilgrimage

William D. Lindsey

WHAT HE’S SAYING: Well, there you have it at the top of this posting. Archbishop Nienstedt’s full statement in response to the revelations contained in documents in last week’s settlement of the Curtis Wehmeyer case in St. Paul-Minneapolis can be found appended to this article by Marino Eccher in Twin Cities Pioneer Press. Nienstedt’s response:

I am a heterosexual man who has been celibate my entire life.

The screen shot at the head of the posting is the header from an article by Jean Hopfensperger in the Star Tribune.

WHAT HE’S ALSO SAYING:

John Nienstedt, the former archbishop of the Archdiocese of Minneapolis and St. Paul, said accusations of sexual misconduct against him were part of a false smear campaign in response to his opposition to gay marriage
~ Marino Eccher’s report in Twin Cities Pioneer Press again

And:

He called the allegations “a personal attack against me due to my unwavering stance on issues consistent with Catholic Church teaching, such as opposition to so-called same sex marriage,” and went on to say that he saw the allegations as retribution for decisions he made as a supervisor and leader of the archdiocese.
~ Laura Yuen and Peter Cox, MPR News

WHAT DOCUMENTS DISCLOSED IN LAST WEEKS’S SETTLEMENT REVEAL:

A July 2014 memo from the Rev. Daniel Griffith, who at the time was in charge of the archdiocese’s department focused on protecting children, accuses the apostolic nuncio — the Vatican’s representative to the United States — of ordering the investigation to end abruptly, without following up on all the leads investigators had uncovered.

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Long Island church sued for allowing sexual assault of 4-year-old by priest’s perv teenage son

NEW YORK
New York Daily News

BY
BARBARA ROSS
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Friday, July 22, 2016

A 4-year-old Long Island boy was sexually assaulted last year by the former parish priest’s teenage son on the grounds of a Greek Orthodox Church as the little boy’s 6-year-old sister watched in horror, a lawsuit filed Friday in Manhattan alleges.

The victims’ parents say the attack took place in May 2015 after Sunday services at Holy Resurrection Greek Orthodox Church in Brookville.

To protect the identities of the children, the Daily News is not naming the parents.

In papers filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, the parents say that while they chatted with the parish priest, the priest’s son, then a teenager, sodomized, fondled and ejaculated on their half-naked son as his sister “helpless observed.”

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Church critics protest at ITC

GUAM
Guam Daily Post

Neil Pang | Post News Staff

Members of the Concerned Catholics of Guam (CCOG) and the Laity Forward Movement (LFM) staged a wave protest at the ITC Intersection in Tamuning on Friday, July 22, reiterating their call for a more responsive apostolic administration and the defrocking of Archbishop Anthony Apuron.

The new protest action, according to Lou Klitzkie of LFM, was prompted by a new memo issued by the Archdiocese of Agana, involving the Archdiocese Annual Appeal (AAA).

The memo, signed by the Apostolic Administrator Savio Hon Tai Fai and addressed to “all pastors, rectors and parochial administrators,” indicated that the AAA failed to meet its collection target of $250,000 for 2016.

According to the memo, the AAA collection for this year hit only $85,552.44, falling far below the goal.

Fai asked that the memo be read during Mass to encourage generous tithing.

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Globe’s Robinson of Spotlight Team to speak for literacy group

RHODE ISLAND
The Westerly Sun

July 23, 2016

By NANCY BURNS-FUSARO Sun Staff Writer

WESTERLY — Walter “Robby” Robinson was in Idaho, taking a quick break between interviews with the local Public Radio affiliate and his talk at The Sun Valley Writers’ Conference.

For a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter, Robinson, who led the Boston Globe’s Spotlight Team in uncovering the Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal, is extraordinarily modest.

“I don’t think of myself as a writer,” said Robinson, whose character was played by Michael Keaton in the movie “Spotlight,” the film that depicted the investigation and won Best Picture at the 88th annual Academy Awards in February.

Robinson will be the guest speaker Wednesday at Watch Hill Chapel in a benefit appearance for the Literacy Volunteers of Washington County. The organization selected Robinson as its Joyce S. Ahern Summer Speaker.

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Victims fight court order in civil suit involving once-accused priest

MISSOURI
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

By Valerie Schremp Hahn St. Louis Post-Dispatch

UPDATED at 11:31 p.m. with SNAP’s intent to join other victims in emergency motion to stay judge’s order

ST. LOUIS • People who made accusations against Roman Catholic priests filed an emergency motion in federal court on Friday, saying that their rights will be violated if a survivor’s group follows a judge’s order to hand over personal information of accusers in another case.

Meanwhile, late Friday night, the Survivor’s Network of those Abused by Priests filed a document saying they will join with the other victims in their emergency motion to stay the order.

SNAP is among those being sued by the Rev. Xiu Hui “Joseph” Jiang, who is seeking damages. He had been named in Lincoln County and St. Louis in charges that were later dropped.

The victims who filed the emergency motion are not connected to the Jiang suit but said they were assaulted by other priests, but they have privacy concerns because of the judge’s order in the Jiang case.

David Clohessy, director of the group, said earlier Friday night that group leaders didn’t know yet what they would do or how the victims’ motion would affect the judge’s order involving the group. They had until midnight Friday to decide.

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Brave victim speaks out to reveal years of harrowing child abuse he suffered at Catholic order school

SCOTLAND
Daily Record

BY JAMES MONCUR

DAVE Sharp spoke out after a Catholic priest and a teacher were found guilty of a string of offences against troubled youngsters in the 70s and 80s.

A VICTIM of horrific child abuse has told of his hell at a residential school run by Catholic order the Christian Brothers.

Traumatised Dave Sharp spoke out after Catholic priest John Farrell and teacher Paul Kelly were found guilty of brutalising young boys in the 70s and 80s.

Farrell, 73, and 64-year-old Kelly preyed on troubled youngsters at St Ninian’s in Falkland, Fife.

Dave, 57, has been fighting for justice for nearly 20 years.

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LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson subpoenaed for deposition in sex abuse lawsuits

UTAH
Fox 13

JULY 22, 2016, BY BEN WINSLOW

SALT LAKE CITY — Attorneys have subpoenaed Thomas S. Monson, the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to give a deposition in a series of lawsuits alleging sexual abuse of Navajo children who participated in a church-run placement program.

Lawyers representing four people who claim to have been sexually abused while participating in the LDS Church’s “Lamanite Placement Program” or “Indian Student Placement Program” in the 1960s and 1970s issued a deposition subpoena to the church leader. FOX 13 learned of the subpoena when attorneys for the church filed in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City to have it quashed.

“In justification of their discovery demand, Defendants claim that President Monson has ‘unique information’ concerning the jurisdictional facts in this case. Nothing could be further from the truth,” LDS Church attorney David Jordan wrote. “The only connection President Monson has to this case is that he happened to be a senior leader of the LDS Church during the time period Defendants allege they were abused. Defendants do not claim that President Monson, in his role as an LDS Church leader, had responsibility for the administration of the ISPP. Nor do Defendants suggest that President Monson has personal knowledge of their participation in the ISPP or of their alleged abuse.”

A letter from the alleged victims’ attorney, Craig Vernon, argues that President Monson’s testimony is relevant. He cites the situation surrounding former LDS Church General Authority George Lee, who was excommunicated from the church in 1989 and accused of sexual abuse. Vernon argues Monson was a high-ranking Mormon church leader at the time, and would be in a position to testify about complaints against Lee.

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Closings, mergers on hold

MINNESOTA
Leader-Telegram

Associated Press

Change will come a little more slowly to Catholics in the Winona Diocese.

Implementation of a proposed diocese-wide reorganization plan — Vision 2016 — originally set for July 1 has been temporarily put on hold. Diocesan spokesman Ben Frost said that “the timeline for implementation has been extended slightly. We hope to communicate updates on Vision 2016 later this summer.”

“This year we have seen the passing of five of our priests, the retirement of one and impending retirements on the horizon. These are contributing factors to the delayed implementation of the Vision 2016 plan for many parishes,” Frost said.

The diocese has had to deal with a number of other challenges in recent months.

That includes 115 claims of sexual abuse brought under the Minnesota Child Victims Act, and last month’s resignation of Chancellor and Vicar General Richard Colletti after the revelation of a 30-year-old improper relationship with an adult woman. Colletti played a key role in the development and implementation of Vision 2016.

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Former Maine youth pastor indicted on sex abuse charge

MAINE
Bangor Daily News

By Ryan McLaughlin, BDN Staff

Posted July 22, 2016

AUGUSTA, Maine — A former Canaan youth pastor was indicted this week by a Kennebec County grand jury on an unlawful sexual contact charge involving a minor.

Lucas Savage, 37, of Clinton could spend up to 10 years in prison on the Class B felony charge if found guilty.

Savage, who was arrested in March in the town of Mercer, allegedly abused the victim, who according to the indictment list was under the age of 12, at his residence. Savage worked as a youth pastor at Youth Haven Ministries at the time of the alleged crime.

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Good friend of accused priest: ‘I won’t believe those accusations’

IDAHO
KBOI

[with video]

BY KELSEY MCFARLAND & KBOI NEWS STAFF SATURDAY, JULY 23RD 2016

BOISE, Idaho (KBOI) — Community members close to a Mountain Home priest who was accused of sexual abuse and exploitation of a vulnerable adult speak on his behalf as the allegations spread.

As a result of the allegations, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise has put Father Jagerstatter on administrative leave.

We spoke to some members of the Roman Catholic Church as they were heading in for prayer this evening, and they say they don’t believe the allegations.

Mountain Home Police say 39-year-old Victor Jagerstatter was arrested Friday. Formal charges have yet to be filed, so prosecutors aren’t releasing any details of the allegations.

But the executive director of communications for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise did release this statement:

“The Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise has learned of the arrest of Rev. Victor Jagerstatter, Parish Administrator of Our Lady Good Counsel in Mountain Home. The Diocese will cooperate fully with law enforcement officials in their investigation. Due to the seriousness of the allegations, Fr. Jagerstatter has been placed on administrative leave. We hold up in prayer all those involved in this matter.”

“Yeah I mean he seemed like a good guy nothing you would expect from him really,” Pedroza said.

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Mountain Home priest arrested on sex abuse, exploitation charge

IDAHO
Idaho Statesman

Mountain Home Police arrested Victor Jagerstatter, 39, Friday on suspicion of sexual abuse and exploitation of a vulnerable adult, police said, but they gave no further information.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise issued a statement to KBOI-TV Friday evening, saying the diocese “has learned of the arrest of Rev. Victor Jagerstatter, Parish Administrator of Our Lady Good Counsel in Mountain Home. The Diocese will cooperate fully with law enforcement officials in their investigation. Due to the seriousness of the allegations, Fr. Jagerstatter has been placed on administrative leave. We hold up in prayer all those involved in this matter.”

Police said the investigation is ongoing. Jagerstatter was booked into the Elmore County Jail at 11 a.m. Friday, according to a jail supervisor. He is scheduled to be arraigned on the charge Monday.

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July 22, 2016

Mountain Home priest arrested on suspicion of sexual abuse

IDAHO
Idaho Press-Tribune

The priest over the Roman Catholic parish in Mountain Home, formerly of Weiser, was arrested Thursday, according to Mountain Home Police.

The Rev. Victor Jagerstatter was arrested Friday and booked into the Elmore County Jail on suspicion of sexual abuse and exploitation of a vulnerable adult.

Jessica Kuehn, deputy prosecutor for Elmore County, confirmed Jagerstatter’s arrest and that he is the parish priest over Our Lady of Good Counsel in Mountain Home. Formal charges will be filed Monday, and no further information is available at this time.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise’s offices were closed Friday afternoon. Emailed requests for comment were not returned.

According to the Diocese website, Jagerstatter was ordained June 8, 2006. In addition to Mountain Home, his current assignment includes Our Lady of Limerick in Glenns Ferry, St. Bridget in Bruneau and St. Henry in Grand View.

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Editorial: Rep. Rozzi, HB 1947 not going away

PENNSYLVANIA
Daily Times

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia is learning that while a key aspect of House Bill 1947 might be going away, its biggest booster is not.

State Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-126, of Berks County, the man who authored the controversial language in the bill that would have retroactively extended the window for victims of child sexual abuse that occurred decades ago to sue the molesters and those that employed them, took his case to the church this week.

Rozzi knows a little something about the church and sexual abuse. He was an altar boy and a victim decades ago. Now he’s a state representative.

His colleagues in the House gave HB 1947 a stunning, resounding victory in a 190-15 vote to extend the age when victims could sue their tormentors and those who employed them or enabled them from age 30 to age 50.

Gov. Tom Wolf indicated he supported the controversial language in the bill, which would also lift the statute of limitations for criminal charges in such cases. Wolf said if it wound up on his desk, he would sign it.

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Mansfield pastor accused of sexually assaulting 8-year-old

TEXAS
WFAA

[with video]

Deanna Boyd, Star-Telegram , WFAA July 22, 2016

MANSFIELD – The pastor of a Mansfield church has been jailed, accused of inappropriately touching an 8-year-old congregation member.

Jose Luis Pizarro, 40, faces a charge of aggravated sexual assault of a child.

Pizarro, pastor of Iglesia de Dios Nuevo Amanecer, is being held in the Mansfield Jail with bail set at $500,000.

According to a Mansfield police new release, police began investigating the case on Tuesday after receiving information that the 8-year-old girl had made an outcry about the alleged abuse.

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Man arrested on sexual abuse and exploitation charge

IDAHO
Mountain Home News

Friday, July 22, 2016

Mountain Home Police arrested Victor Jagerstatter, a local parish priest, on Friday for adult sexual abuse and exploitation of a vulnerable adult. The investigation is on-going and no more information will be released from law enforcement officials at this time. Any questions regarding this case should be directed to the Elmore County Prosecutor’s Office at 208-587-2144.

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Mountain Home priest arrested on sexual abuse of a vulnerable adult

IDAHO
KMVT

MOUNTAIN HOME, Idaho (News Release) – A Mountain Home priest is accused of sexual abuse and exploitation of a vulnerable adult, according to the Mountain Home News.

Mountain Home Police arrested Victor F. Jagerstatter, 39, Friday for sexual abuse and exploitation of a vulnerable adult, according to a news release.

This investigation is on-going, and no more information will be released at this time.

Anyone with questions about this case, may contact the Elmore County Prosecutor’s Office at 208-587-2144.

Police told CBS affiliate KBOI 2News that Jagerstatter will be arraigned in Elmore County court on Monday.

Officials reached could not confirm if this Victor F. Jagerstatter is the same man who is a Roman Catholic priest for Our Lady of Good Counsel in Mountain Home, Our Lady of Limerick in Glenns Ferry, St. Bridget in Bruneau and St. Henry’s Catholic Church in Grandview. A picture of Jagerstatter is listed on the Roman Catholic Diocese website.

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TWIN CITIES ARCHBISHOP HAD SOCIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH CONVICTED PRIEST

MINNESOTA
Church Militant

by Joseph Gallagher • ChurchMilitant.com • July 22, 2016

MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL (ChurchMilitant.com) – Evidence is surfacing that Minneapolis-St. Paul archbishop John Nienstedt was a practicing homosexual who had an ongoing relationship with convicted ex-priest Curtis Wehmeyer, and Vatican officials tried to keep it a secret.

Archbishop Nienstedt was head of the archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis during the child sex abuse scandal of defrocked priest Curtis Wehmeyer. Wehmeyer is currently serving time after being convicted of molesting three boys. The archdiocese itself became the first in the nation’s history to be criminally prosecuted by the state, but it dropped all six charges of child endangerment on July 20 after reaching a settlement with the archdiocese.

On July 20, the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office issued a press release stating that it would be disclosing the case’s internal court documents. Among the hundreds of pages, evidence surfaced suggesting Nienstedt and Wehmeyer were in a sexual relationship that was concealed from the public by Vatican officials, particularly by former papal nuncio Carlo Maria Vigano.

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Former Canaan Youth Pastor Indicted for Sex Crime Against Young Girl

MAINE
WABI

JUL 22, 2016

CATHERINE PEGRAM

A former youth pastor in Canaan accused of sexually abusing a young girl was indicted Friday by a Kennebec County grand jury.

Lucas Savage of Clinton is charged with unlawful sexual contact.

The Kennebec County District Attorney says earlier this month Savage rejected a plea deal in the case.

Savage was the director of ministries for the Youth Haven Ministry when he was arrested in March.

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Abuse survivors warned over legal actions

IRELAND
RTE News

Lawyers representing the Department of Education and the State have written to people who were sexually abused in schools as children warning them to withdraw legal cases against it or potentially face significant costs.

The letters cite recent High Court judgments which found that a European Court of Human Rights ruling of State liability in the Louise O’Keeffe case was not applicable in other actions currently before the courts.

The letters say the State parties are prepared to bear their own costs in proceedings to date, but only on the strict condition that the cases are withdrawn within 21 days.

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Documents show Vatican official allegedly stopped Minnesota investigation

MINNESOTA
Religion News Service

Affidavit of Thomas E. Ring – Redacted
July 7, 2014 Memo

By Emily McFarlan Miller

(RNS) A Vatican spokesman says the release of documents alleging its former ambassador to the U.S. stopped an investigation of a Minnesota archbishop “is a very complex issue” that will require further study.

“We need more information before we can make any comment,” the Rev. Federico Lombardi said.

The spokesman’s remarks came in an interview with The New York Times on Thursday (July 21), the day after a new collection of documents regarding clergy sex abuse in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis was made public.

Among them was a memo that detailed sexual misconduct and harassment allegations against former Archbishop John Nienstedt, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

It also said the Vatican ambassador in 2014 had told bishops to stop their investigation. When those bishops responded with a letter saying that “would rightly be seen as a coverup,’’ the memo published on the Star Tribune website said, then-ambassador Archbishop Carlo Vigano told them to “destroy” the letter.

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Boys abused under residential school’s brutal regime

SCOTLAND
BBC Scotland

By Andrew Black
BBC Scotland News

Two former teachers have been convicted of sexually and physically abusing boys at a residential school in Fife in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Paul Kelly, 64, of Plymouth, was convicted of seven charges and acquitted of 22, while John Farrell, 73, of Motherwell, was found guilty of four and acquitted of 18 charges.

Paul Kelly and John Farrell were supposed to care for the pupils at St Ninian’s.

Instead, when they taught at the school in the late 1970s and early 1980s, they sexually and physically abused six boys between the ages of 11 and 15.

St Ninian’s, which was located in the Fife village of Falkland, was a “List G” state school for troubled children, run by the Christian Brothers organisation.

Most of its pupils came from Glasgow, Dundee and Perth and many were from broken and abusive homes, and had been in some kind of trouble themselves.

St Ninian’s was supposed to give them a chance at life.

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‘Screaming was pointless,’ survivors tell of school abuse by Christian Brothers

SCOTLAND
ITV

By Peter Smith, Scotland Correspondent

The Christian Brothers were meant to be men of God – a religious order within the Catholic Church.

At their St Ninian’s school in Fife, though, two of the Brothers were men of unspeakable cruelty who stole innocence from children and left the deepest scars.

John Farrell and Paul Kelly were today convicted of 11 counts of sexual and physical abuse against six children in their care. Children as young as 11. The pair were doing it with impunity through the 1970s and 80s.

Survivors of their crimes told me how they did it.

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Victims called in new Anglican child abuse ‘cover-up’

UNITED KINGDOM/AUSTRALIA
The Australian

MICHAEL MCKENNA
ReporterBrisbane
@McKennaattheOz

British police have interviewed Australian victims of child abuse for an international investigation into an alleged cover-up involving one of the most senior former Anglican clergymen in the world.

North Yorkshire Police is ­investigating Lord David Hope of Thornes, 76, for a possible offence of misconduct in public office over his handling of complaints of abuse by a fellow senior clergyman in Queensland and Britain.

The late Reverend Robert Waddington raped and beat students at a north Queensland Anglican boarding school in the 1960s before returning to Britain where he abused choirboys as the Dean of Manchester.

Waddington’s abuse and the church’s failure to tell authorities of the complaints were exposed in a joint investigation by The Australian and The Times of London newspapers in 2013.

The revelations sparked a year-long, church-commissioned inquiry, headed by sitting English judge Sally Cahill, which slammed Lord Hope over his ­response to 1999 and 2003 complaints of past abuse by victims in Britain and Australia.

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Sexual abuse victim group to defy Missouri court order

MISSOURI
The Olympian

The Associated Press

An advocate for victims of sexual abuse by clergy says his group will likely not hand over personal information about people who made accusations against a priest despite an order from a St. Louis federal judge.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/29Qe0Ky ) reports that the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests has until Friday to provide the information as part of a civil lawsuit filed by Rev. Xiu Hui “Joseph” Jiang. Jiang was accused of sexually abusing a boy in a Catholic school bathroom in 2011 and 2012, but charges were dropped.

The boy’s parents, police, SNAP leaders David Clohessy and Barbara Dorris and others are named as defendants in the lawsuit.

The judge’s order said federal law does not guarantee privacy in the production of pre-trail evidence.

SNAP was ordered to produce emails and text messages sent among the defendants and Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce. They have also been ordered to turn over all records of donations attorneys for SNAP has made to the organization. Attorneys have said they’re looking for evidence to support their belief that Jiang was the target of a conspiracy.

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Child abuse, the Church and the Goddard inquiry: Why we should all pray it succeeds

UNITED KINGDOM
Christian Today

Mark Woods CHRISTIAN TODAY CONTRIBUTING EDITOR 22 July 2016

A year after it opened on July 9, 2015, the Goddard inquiry into institutional child sex abuse has spent nearly £18 million on highly-paid lawyers and setting up regional offices, but has still not heard any actual evidence. The inquiry is gradually creeping toward the point where it will, however, and next week there will be preliminary hearings about organisations including the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church.

This inquiry seems to have been going for ages already.

Not really. But it seems like it because it was first mooted after revelations about the scope of Jimmy Savile’s offending in 2012. It was actually set up in 2014, but two people appointed to chair it, Baroness Butler-Sloss and Dame Fiona Woolf, resigned in succession due to perceived conflicts of interest. Former home secretary and now PM, Theresa May, eventually settled on New Zealander Dame Justice Lowell Goddard.

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Town Hall: Lifting the Silence

PENNSYLVANIA
WJAC

BY KODY LEIBOWITZ THURSDAY, JULY 21ST 2016

JOHNSTOWN – WJAC-TV examined the aftermath of the church abuse Thursday night in the local areal during a special round table discussion.

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MEDIA RELEASE – JULY 22, 2016

NEW YORK
Road to Recovery

RELATIVE REVEALS SEXUAL ABUSE OF A MINOR CHILD BY CAMP COUNSELOR AT CAMP ECHO BAY, NEW ROCHELLE, NY, LOCATED ON THE CAMPUS OF SALESIAN HIGH SCHOOL AND THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE SALESIAN PRIESTS AND BROTHERS

During a demonstration on July 21, 2016, outside the headquarters of the Salesian Priests and Brothers in New Rochelle, NY, regarding the Salesians’ refusal to reasonably settle a childhood sexual abuse claim against a serial pedophile priest, Fr. Joseph Maffei, SDB, it was revealed by a close relative of a minor child that the minor child had been sexually abused at CAMP ECHO BAY, NEW ROCHELLE, NY, several years ago by a camp counselor

Fr. Timothy Zak, SDB, a leader of the Salesian Priests and Brothers, based in New Rochelle, NY, and on whose campus CAMP ECHO BAY is located, inaccurately told advocate Dr. Robert M. Hoatson during a demonstration outside a Salesian parish months ago that the Salesians were settling the claim of sexual abuse by Fr. Joseph Maffei, SDB, of a minor child from a Salesian seminary in Indiana, but there has not been a reasonable settlement and there have been no reasonable settlement talks

WhatA demonstration and leafleting alerting CAMP ECHO BAY parents, families, local residents, and the general public that, according to a close family relative of the victim, a minor child was sexually abused at CAMP ECHO BAY, NEW ROCHELLE, NY, several years ago by a camp counselor

When
Friday, July 22, 2016 from 4:00 pm until 5:30 pm

Where
On the public sidewalk outside CAMP ECHO BAY and the headquarters of the Salesian Priests and Brothers at 148 East Main Street, New Rochelle, NY 10801

Who
Members of Road to Recovery, Inc., a non-profit charity based in New Jersey that assists victims of sexual abuse and their families, including its co-founder and President, Robert M. Hoatson, Ph.D.

Why
During a demonstration outside the headquarters of the Salesian religious order in New Rochelle, NY, on July 21, 2016, regarding the refusal of the Salesian Priests and Brothers to reasonably settle a claim against a serial pedophile priest, Fr. Joseph Maffei, SDB, it was reported to Road to Recovery, Inc., by a close relative of a minor child that the minor child was sexually abused at CAMP ECHO BAY several years ago by a camp counselor. Demonstrators will demand that the Salesian Priests and Brothers reasonably settle the claim of the childhood victim of Fr. Joseph Maffei, SDB, and investigate and resolve the matter of the sexual abuse of the minor child at CAMP ECHO BAY, NEW ROCHELLE, NY so the victim of that sexual abuse can begin to heal

Contact
Robert M. Hoatson, Ph.D., Road to Recovery, Inc. – 862-368-2800

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Hunter Catholic priests’ alleged sexual relationship used by a child sex offender priest, says author

AUSTRALIA
Newcastle Herald

JOANNE MCCARTHY
22 Jul 2016

SADISTIC Catholic paedophile priest John Denham committed crimes against boys without fear of exposure because of an alleged sexual relationship between Catholic priests Tom Brennan and Patrick Helferty, writes a former St Pius X, Adamstown student in an explosive new book.

Denham “protected his position by threatening to reveal Brennan and Helferty as homosexual lovers”, writes James Miller in his book, The Priests, in which he alleges he was sexually abused by Brennan in 1978 when he was 15.

Mr Miller has called for Catholic schools funding to be stopped until the celibacy rule for priests is removed, saying the celibacy vow poses a blackmail risk because of the church’s structures relating to schools.

Studies suggesting up to 50 per cent of Catholic priests break their vows because of sexual relationships with men or women, or sexual abuse of children, mean “every second priest is living a life of deceit, with the other probably aware”, Mr Miller said.

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Men convicted of ‘appalling abuse’ of boys at former school in Falkland

SCOTLAND
Fife Today

Liz Rougvie
liz.rougvie@jpress.co.uk
Friday 22 July 2016

Two men have been found guilty of ‘the most appalling abuse’ against boys at a former school in Falkland.

John Farrell (73) and Paul Kelly (63) were charged with sexual and physical abuse of more than 20 ex-pupils of St Ninian’s School between 1977 and 1983.

Farrell was found guilty of four charges and Kelly was convicted of seven in charges which involved five victims.

They had denied a total of 51 counts of physical and sexual abuse at the school.

The pair committed indecent acts on boys aged 11 to 16 and forced the children to perform sex acts on them, the High Court in Glasgow heard. They punished the children by forcing them to stand naked in a hallway.

The trial, before judge Lord Matthews, began in April and was one of the longest abuse trials ever heard in Scotland. Dozens of the alleged victims gave evidence have given evidence, some of whom are now in their 50s.

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Two men found guilty of sexually abusing and assaulting boys at St Ninian’s in Fife

SCOTLAND
Daily Record

BY GRANT MCCABE, WILMA RILEY

THE headmaster and teacher of a former school for troubled boys have been convicted of physical and sexual abuse against six pupils more than 30 years ago.

John Farrell, 73, and Paul Kelly, 64, preyed on youngsters at St Ninian’s in Fife, which was run by the catholic Christian Brothers organisation.

The pair abused the boys – many who already had a chaotic upbringing and whom they should have been protecting – to satisfy their depraved needs.

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Two men found guilty of abuse at Christian Brothers school in Falkland

SCOTLAND
The Courier

Stewart Alexander
July 22 2016

The headmaster and teacher of a former Fife school for troubled boys have been convicted of physical and sexual abuse against six pupils more than 30 years ago.

John Farrell, 73, and Paul Kelly, 64, preyed on youngsters at St Ninian’s in Fife, which was run by the Catholic Christian Brothers organisation.

The pair abused the boys – many who already had a chaotic upbringing and whom they should have been protecting – to satisfy their depraved needs.

Farrell, who was the headmaster, was convicted of physically abusing one boy and sexually abusing three others.

Kelly was found guilty of sexually abusing two boys and sexually and physically abusing a third.

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Former teachers guilty of abusing boys at Fife residential school

SCOTLAND
BBC News

The headmaster and teacher of a former Fife school have been convicted of physical and sexual abuse against six pupils more than 30 years ago.

John Farrell, 73, of Motherwell, was found guilty of four charges and Paul Kelly, 64, of Plymouth, was convicted of seven charges.

They abused boys aged between 11 and 15 at St Ninian’s in Falkland, a school for children from troubled backgrounds.

It was run by the Christian Brothers organisation and closed in 1983.

Farrell and Kelly, who both denied all charges, were remanded in custody pending sentencing next month.

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Royal Commission will hold Hunter Catholic public hearing after historic Anglican hearing from August 2

AUSTRALIA
Newcastle Herald

JOANNE MCCARTHY
22 Jul 2016

THE Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse will hold a public hearing into the Catholic Church in the Hunter almost immediately after an Anglican Church public hearing in Newcastle from August 2.

Back-to-back hearings will confirm the Hunter as Australia’s epicentre of institutional child sex abuse only three years after a NSW Special Commission of Inquiry exposed shocking systemic protection of paedophile priests within the Catholic Maitland-Newcastle diocese over decades.

A date and details for the Hunter Catholic public hearing – the 43rd to be held by the royal commission since 2013 – are expected to be released in the next week on the eve of a proposed two-week Anglican hearing at Newcastle Courthouse from August 2.

The Hunter Catholic hearing is expected to start in late August before the 44th public hearing into Armidale priest John Farrell starts in Sydney on September 12.

News of the back-to-back hearings comes after more shocking revelations about senior Hunter Anglicans failing to stop known paedophile priests including Peter Rushton and James Brown, and a backlash against Bishop Greg Thompson and senior diocesan officers that has included death threats for challenging the “mates” culture of abuse.

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Francis mandates wide changes for contemplative women religious, requests revision of all constitutions

VATICAN CITY
National Catholic Reporter

Joshua J. McElwee | Jul. 22, 2016

VATICAN CITY
Pope Francis has issued a new wide-ranging set of guidelines for how the tens of thousands of Catholic women religious living in contemplative communities around the world should regulate their lifestyles, calling on them to implement changes in 12 diverse areas from prayer life to work habits.

The pontiff has also mandated that each of the global communities of contemplative women religious will need to adapt their various governing constitutions or rules to the new changes and send new versions of their documents to the Vatican for approval.

Francis makes the changes in a new apostolic constitution released Friday titled Vultum Dei Quaerere (“Seek the Face of God.”) The document is addressed only to Catholic women religious in contemplative communities, such as those that live in cloisters or whose lives are marked by a lifestyle devoted mainly to prayer instead of evangelical outreach or work.

While the pontiff uses the new document to issue effusive praise for such women — especially lauding their ability to serve as an example of stability in a contemporary world often marked by temporary commitments — he also calls for them to begin to institute changes particularly in their prayer lives.

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Celibacy is the greatest risk to child protection in the Catholic Church: survivor

AUSTRALIA
Newcastle Herald

JOANNE MCCARTHY
22 Jul 2016

THE man looked down from the fourth floor window to a footpath where he’d decided to end his life.

It was 1997. He was pissed.

He’d made the decision to kill himself in an entirely matter-of-fact way after his pissed barrister mate lurched away to find a toilet.

James Miller stepped onto the window ledge at Newcastle Law School’s King Street Clinic. He was 35.

He was always the boy most likely to achieve. Mind like a steel trap. Confident. Happy. A blond-haired, blue-eyed surfer in a town where his type were gods. Destined for great things.

And here he was on the window ledge waiting to die, with the lights of Newcastle City Hall shining across the park.

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Controversial Cardinal George Pell portrait wins irreverent 2016 Bald Archy Prize

AUSTRALIA
ABC News

By Deborah Rice

A controversial painting depicting Cardinal George Pell with a face formed from male genitalia has won Australia’s most irreverent portraiture prize.

Warning: This story contains a graphic image

Titled ‘Nothing to Say’, the painting is the work of artist Pat Hudson, a first time entrant in the Bald Archy, which is a parody of the more serious and revered Archibald Prize.

“It’s a great honour and a big surprise,” Hudson, from Templestowe in Victoria, said.

The 2016 contenders were unveiled in Canberra in February and the artist said he painted the portrait in response to the controversy surrounding Cardinal Pell at that time.

At the time it was unclear whether the Cardinal would testify at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

He later gave evidence via videolink from Rome over his handling of alleged abuse by Catholic Priests within the church in Australia.

Cardinal Pell is not the subject of any allegations of abuse before the commission.

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Attorney argues that sexual assault victims should be able to file civil cases

CALIFORNIA
Northern California Record

John Severance Jul. 21, 2016

IRVINE – The Stanford University case where a young woman claimed she was raped by Brock Turner, an Olympic hopeful, sent shockwaves through the nation.

Then the judge sentenced Turner to six months in jail despite the fact prosecutors wanted him sentenced to at least six years.

Attorney John Manly of Irvine let his feelings known about the case in an opinion piece recently published by the Orange County Register.

“The California Legislature also has an important role to play in protecting victims of campus sexual abuse,” Manly wrote. “Lawmakers surely must be taking notice of all that has recently happened. But in addition to paying attention, they need to take action.”

Manly wants laws changed so rape victims also can file civil cases.

“Put simply, those persons and institutions who facilitate child and adult sexual assault are almost never held accountable criminally,” Manly told the Northern California Record. “Moreover, criminal law imposes a jail sentence on the perpetrator but provides no way to compensate the victim for the tremendous suffering both physical and emotional they suffer as the result of a violent rape.”

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In Wake of Pennsylvania Charges, Abuse Spotlight Falls on Religious Orders

UNITED STATES
National Catholic Register

BY BRIAN FRAGA 07/22/2016

Since the sex-abuse crisis entered the national discussion in 2002, the bulk of the media attention has been on how individual Catholic dioceses have responded and the steps they have taken over the years to remove abusive clergy from ministry and protect minors and vulnerable people.

But this spring, a religious order put the spotlight on fresh concerns about Church handling of sexual abuse: Criminal charges were filed in Pennsylvania against three Franciscans friars, related to their roles in supervising a brother friar who was accused of molesting more than 100 children.

Though they have not garnered the same attention as dioceses until now, religious orders in the United States say they have also implemented new policies and practices over the past 14 years to hold abusive members in their communities accountable and protect victims.

“We were completely committed to the principle that no one who has been established as an abuser will ever practice a public ministry and certainly will not be in a position to have access to children, to youth and to vulnerable people,” said Capuchin Father John Pavlik, president of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men, an association of the leadership of men in religious and apostolic institutes in the United States.

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Editorial: Gallup Diocese re-abuses victims with settlement

NEW MEXICO
Albuquerque Journal

The Diocese of Gallup drives a hard bargain – one in which truth is a casualty.

In the case of the $21 million settlement to victims of priest sexual abuse it’s a deal that essentially re-abuses the victims by making them fear they might lose their hard-fought settlements if they reveal details of their abuse. In one case, a victim was so afraid of court sanctions he did not dare to look at the one record that pertained to his abuse.

The court-approved settlement agreement allows a victim just a one-time “eyes only” access to a single file pertaining to that victim’s abuser. It strictly prohibits sharing or duplicating the password-protected electronic contents, which will be destroyed after a year.

The diocese threatened to withdraw the settlement when attorneys for the victims sought to have the church publicly release personnel files of accused priests.

Such a bully tactic certainly seems to indicate a lack of contrition. But it appears to be business as usual for the church, whose leadership for years kept hidden from its faithful members the abuse visited on innocent children by some clergy.

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Stephen Tarleton Dougherty

TEXAS
Tahira Khan Merritt

On Tuesday, July 12 , 2016, we filed in County Court at Law #3, Nueces County, Texas, our firm filed a civil case against the Catholic Diocese of Corpus Christi (Diocese), Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (S.O.L.T) and Stephen Tarleton Dougherty (Dougherty), alleging that when Father Dougherty worked in the Diocese of Corpus Christi, he sexually assaulted and sexually abused our client, who at that time was a child. She is identified in the lawsuit only by the pseudonym, Jane Doe 108.

Dougherty was ordained a Catholic priest in 2003 in Corpus Christi, worked in parishes there and in Mathis, and resided in Robstown at the SOLT facility. On June 14th, 2016, Dougherty was indicted by a Grand Jury in Bee County for felony sexual assault of Jane Doe 108. The criminal case is pending.

The civil lawsuit alleges negligence and gross negligence against the Diocese and SOLT, alleging these Church entities knew or should have known prior to the sexual assault of Doe of Father Dougherty’s propensities to molest children, but failed either to warn or protect her.

You can read the petition here

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6 claim they were sexually abused by priest who worked in Upper Montclair, Guttenberg

NEW JERSEY
Fios 1

[with video]

Five men and one woman have stepped forward claiming they were sexually abused as kids by Father Michael “Mitch” Walters at churches in Upper Montclair and Guttenburg – where he was a priest in the 80s and 90s.

The allegations come after a year-and-a-half investigation by the organization Road to Recovery, which aids sexual abuse victims. Co-founder Robert Hoatson says he believes there are many more victims who have yet to step forward.

“We’re talking about fondling and we’re talking about some pretty horrific things,” Hoatson said. “Evidently, the rectory here was kind of a club house that Father Mitch ran so he would invite kids over and then things would happen.”

“During the period of sexual abuse, Father Michael Walters was assigned to Saint Cassian’s Church in Upper Montclair, New Jersey and Saint John Neposmem Church in Guttenberg, New Jersey. The sexual abuse took place within Saint Cassian Church, family homes in New Jersey and on trips to the Poconos,” said Mitchell Garabedian, attorney for all 6 alleged victims.

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Women’s religious groups get face time with Archbishop Hon

GUAM
KUAM

Jul 22, 2016

By Krystal Paco

Dozens of the island’s women religious groups had their chance to speak with apostolic administrator Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai in an open dialogue following Friday morning mass. Father Jeffrey San Nicolas is the new delegate of the administrator, and says the women represented the Sisters of Mercy, the Notre Dame Sisters, the Dominican Sisters, and the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration.

“I think they’re very open and honest,” said Fr. Jeff. “They asked some serious questions about the issues, but those issues are not secret to anyone here on the island. The questions that were asked were not a shock to the archbishop, and he responded as much as he could in terms of the progress that’s being made.”

Archbishop Hon was appointed by the Vatican in the midst of allegations of molestation made against Guam’s archbishop, Anthony Apuron. Earlier this month, Apuron’s accusers filed a libel and slander lawsuit against him and the Archdiocese of Agana. According to the Judiciary of Guam, however, there is no confirmation that the archdiocese or Apuron have been served the legal documents.

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Church abuse survivor urges victims to get help ahead of royal commission hearings in Newcastle

AUSTRALIA
ABC News

By Dan Cox

A Hunter clergy sexual abuse survivor and victims advocate is urging fellow victims to seek professional help if a royal commission hearing raises issues for them.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse will hold hearings in Newcastle in August.

Ahead of the hearings, the ABC’s 7.30 program has evidence from 2002 that Anglican bishop at the time, Roger Herft, ignored allegations of sexual abuse against notorious paedophile Father Peter Rushton.

Now-Archbishop Herft led the Newcastle diocese for more than a decade, and is facing claims he covered up Rushton’s child sexual abuse network.

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Alleged abuse victim’s family were asked to pay school fees, royal commission told

AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald

July 22 2016

Rachel Browne

The family of a boy who was allegedly molested by a staff member at a Catholic school in Sydney’s south-west was asked to pay thousands of dollars in school fees after the child left the institution, according to evidence before a royal commission.

The inquiry heard the alleged perpetrator was allowed to resign from the Mater Dei School for children with intellectual disabilities, despite being suspected of sexually abusing two other students in his care.

Evidence before the commission is that the staff member, given the pseudonym CID, raped a 14-year-old girl, shared his bed with a teenage boy and sexually molested an eight-year-old boy with Down syndrome.

All the students were boarding at the college in 1990s, according to evidence before the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

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Perth Archbishop ‘knew’ about ‘child abuse king pin’ priest, insider claims

AUSTRALIA
WA Today

July 22 2016

Heather McNeill

The Anglican Bishop of Perth, Roger Herft, did not report a child abuse complaint he received against a priest labelled the “king pin” of a paedophile ring to police, according to an Anglican Church insider.

ABC’s 7.30 program claimed it had obtained a confidential note showing Archbishop Herft had received a complaint about Father Peter Rushton molesting a boy when they worked together in New South Wales in 2002.

According to ABC News, in the note, the Archbishop wrote the complaint “left me in an unenviable position” because “Father Peter had my licence [to be a priest] and if he re-offended I would be held liable as I now had prior knowledge of his alleged behaviour”.

He goes on to explain he had been informed by a man that Rushton had molested his son 15 to 20 years ago, after the father welcomed the priest into his home to “spend some days off”.

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Nienstedt says he’s ‘relieved’ that fate of investigation is now public

MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

By Jean Hopfensperger Star Tribune JULY 21, 2016

Former Twin Cities Archbishop John Nienstedt: “I am a heterosexual man who has been celibate my entire life.”

Former Twin Cities Archbishop John Nienstedt said Thursday he is “relieved” that the public now is aware of the fate of an investigation into alleged sexual improprieties by him.

A day after a 2014 memo from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis was made public stating that a Vatican emissary quashed the investigation, Nienstedt repeated that he has done nothing improper, despite allegations of misconduct revealed in documents released Wednesday by the Ramsey County attorney’s office.

“I am a heterosexual man who has been celibate my entire life,” Nienstedt wrote in an e-mail to the Star Tribune Thursday. “I am relieved that the public now knows the extent of the allegations and can hear my response.”

The fate of the Nienstedt investigation has been a question confronting Twin Cities Catholics for two years. The memo made public this week indicated that the Vatican emissary in Washington, D.C., put the brakes on the probe, which had been looking into allegations of sexual misconduct by Nienstedt in Michigan, Minnesota and Rome.

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July 21, 2016

Statement from Patty Wetterling Regarding Joining the Ministerial Review Board

MINNESOTA
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis

Date: Wednesday, June 20, 2016

Source: Tom Halden, Director of Communications

I was honored that John Choi and Tim O’Malley, both of whom I hold in high regard, asked me to join the Archdiocese’s Ministerial Review Board. John and Tim are collaborative leaders who instill hope. I have known County Attorney John Choi for years and have always admired his unwavering commitment to protecting children and preventing sexual abuse. John and I have partnered in the past on human trafficking initiatives, working together on prevention programs and presenting at training conferences. He is a collaborative leader dedicated to fairness and justice.

I have known Director Tim O’Malley since October 22, 1989 when my son Jacob was abducted. Tim was one of the BCA Agents working on the investigation. Over the years, we have worked closely on my son’s case, on other abduction investigations and on a number of sexual abuse prevention initiatives. As an investigator, BCA Superintendent, Administrative Law Judge and now as the Director of Ministerial Standards and Safe Environment, Tim has proven himself to be a dedicated public servant and champion for protecting children and preventing sexual abuse.

I look forward to working with John, Tim, members of the Ministerial Review Board and others to prevent abuse and keep children safe. I understand the vital importance of the work of the Ministerial Review Board in keeping our communities as safe as possible. I hope my experience will add value to the Board and I pledge to take my responsibilities seriously. For me, this is a great opportunity to help champions that I have always admired build a world where children can grow up free from sexual exploitation. I am honored to serve.

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Response to Release of Documents

MINNESOTA
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis

Date: Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Source: Tom Halden, Director of Communications

From Joe Dixon, Counsel for the Archdiocese, Fredrikson & Byron

The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office and the St. Paul Police Department have fully and thoroughly investigated the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis and its leaders for 3 years. They have reviewed each of the documents made public today and investigated the allegations raised in those documents.

Today, Ramsey County Attorney John Choi told the public there is no basis to bring a criminal charge against any of those leaders. He also dismissed all of the criminal charges against the Archdiocese. That dismissal is unconditional and speaks for itself.

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Former priest denies sex assault accusations

TEXAS
Caller-Times

By Krista M. Torralva of the Caller-Times

A former priest denies accusations he sexually assaulted a girl.

Stephen Tarlton Dougherty, 59, appeared before a Bee County judge Thursday after a grand jury last month indicted him on a first degree felony of aggravated sexual assault of a child.

Dougherty and his lawyer, John Pinckney of San Antonio, declined to comment outside the courtroom but referred to a court document in which the former priest and philanthropist pleaded not guilty.

During the brief hearing, Pinckney requested a list of the grand jury members that indicted Dougherty. He is expected to present case law that he says supports the release of the usually secret information at the next hearing Aug. 18. The trial is slated for Sept. 12.

The Diocese of Corpus Christi stripped Dougherty of his duties in 2011 after receiving a sexual misconduct allegation on Dougherty. Last year, Bee County law enforcement officials contacted Bee County law enforcement about another accusation.

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WA–Ex-OK predator preacher accused; Victims respond

WASHINGTON
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, July 21, 2016

Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 503 0003 cell, bdorris@SNAPnetwork.org)

A pastor is accused of sexually abusing a girl for two years. Now, his current and former church colleagues and members must aggressively reach out to others who may have information or suspicions about his alleged crimes or possible church cover ups.

[Bellingham Herald]

Christopher L. Trent, who left Oklahoma three years ago and attended Heartland Baptist Bible College in Oklahoma City, will soon face formal charges in Washington state, where he lives now. But we strongly suspect he has abused others – either in Washington or Oklahoma. It’s not enough for his supervisors and colleagues to claim they’re “cooperating” with law enforcement. They must use their resources – church websites, bulletins, mailing lists and pulpit announcements – to seek out victims, witnesses and whistleblowers and beg them to call secular authorities.

Josh Carter, the top pastor at the Washington church where Trent met his victim, must lead the way with courage and compassion. But this duty – to reach out to the lost, wounded sheep – falls on every person who is or was associated with this congregation.

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TONIGHT at 7: 6 News hosts discussion on where we go after sex abuse scandal

PENNSYLVANIA
WJAC

[with video]

BY KODY LEIBOWITZ THURSDAY, JULY 21ST 2016

A grand jury report in March uncovered decades of abuse at the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown.

The effect of child sexual abuse at the Catholic Church spread throughout this community and into Harrisburg.

Tonight, 6 News sits down with experts and panelists to discuss help for victims and survivors of child sex abuse and where we, as a community, can go from here.

Join us for “Lifting the Silence: A Special Look at the Aftermath of Church Abuse” live tonight at 7 p.m. on 6 News, with a rebroadcast on wjactv.com at 8 p.m.

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Claim top priest saved career by not reporting sex monster

AUSTRALIA
Sunshine Coast Daily

Sherele Moody | 22nd Jul 2016

ONE of Australia’s most senior Anglican clerics is refusing to comment on claims he did not report a “paedophile king pin” despite knowing the notorious sex monster was attacking young boys in the NSW Hunter region.

The 7.30 Report last night revealed Achbishop of Perth Roger Herft knew Father Peter Rushton was raping and sexually assaulting children.

However, the Archbishop told media outlets it would be “inappropriate” to comment before the next sittings of the Royal Commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse.

Archbishop Herft reportedly kept the abuser’s attacks secret because he it appeared he feared the impact having an sex predator under his management would have on his career with the church.

The ABC was given a diary entry showing Archbishop Herft was told about about Rushton’s abuse of boys while the pair were working in the New South Wales Hunter Valley region.

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Victim advocates plan to defy court order in lawsuit filed by once-accused St. Louis priest

MISSOURI
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

By Joel Currier
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

ST. LOUIS • An advocate for victims of clergy sexual abuse said Thursday his group likely will defy a St. Louis federal judge’s order to hand over personal information about people who made accusations against a Roman Catholic priest.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests has until Friday to provide communications sought in a civil suit by the Rev. Xiu Hui “Joseph” Jiang, who had been named in two counties on charges that were later dropped. Jiang is seeking damages.

“In good conscience, we feel we have absolutely no choice. We can’t comply,” said David Clohessy, director of the St. Louis-based SNAP. “It literally sickens me to think that one abuse victim who is agoraphobic or depressed or anorexic or even suicidal is going to be betrayed again when she finds out that a twice accused child molesting cleric gets to read painful, intimate details of her suffering.”

U.S. District Judge Carol E. Jackson ordered production of documents that include emails, text messages and contact information for the accusers.

Jiang filed suit last year claiming he was defamed with false accusations rooted in religious and ethnic discrimination, and denied due process. The defendants are an accuser’s parents, listed only by initials, two St. Louis police officers, the city, SNAP, Clohessy and another SNAP official, Barbara Dorris.

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Vatican–Papal aide told bishops to destroy evidence two years ago; Victims respond

MINNESOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, July 21, 2016

Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, 314 645 5915 home, davidgclohessy@gmail.com)

Two years ago, the pope’s top US aide ordered two bishops to destroy evidence and blocked an investigation into clergy sex crimes, misdeeds and cover ups, according to a newly-released memo written by an “insider” priest and chancery office insider. Pope Francis must now discipline this wrongdoer. All four clerics – the nuncio who issued the order, the two bishops and the “whistleblower” priest (Fr. Daniel Griffith) – all kept silent, for two years, about this inappropriate and perhaps illegal move.

Consider the source here: The 11 page memo was written by a trusted Catholic priest who is no renegade, but holds a job at the archdiocesan headquarters. In today’s New York Times, he’s quoted as saying he stands by what he wrote.

This revelation will shock some but should shock no one. When the veil is pulled back on church’s hierarchy’s secrecy in child sex and cover up cases, this kind of self-serving and deceitful behavior is almost always found, even now, despite decades of devastating scandal.

It matters less if evidence was destroyed or what the two bishops did. What matters most is that the pope’s highest US representative reportedly told two bishops to destroy a document that may have helped prosecutors build a stronger case against an archbishop accused of committing sexual misdeeds and concealing child sex crimes.

Pope Francis must denounce and discipline the nuncio, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano. US church officials must forcefully and push back against Vatican interference in clergy abuse cases here. These officials include Archbishop Joseph Kurtz (head of the US bishops’ conference), Bishop Robert Burns (head of the US bishops’ sex abuse committee) Archbishop Bernard Hebda (the current head of the Twin Cities archdiocese) and Francesco Cesareo (the head of the US bishops’ national abuse review board).

The two bishops, Bishop Donald Cozzens and Bishop Lee Piche, should also be disciplined and denounced for keeping secret this hardball maneuver.

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Memo details allegations against ex-archbishop of St. Paul

MINNESOTA
Washington Post

Affidavit of Thomas E. Ring – Redacted
July 7, 2014 Memo

By Steve Karnowski | AP July 21

MINNEAPOLIS — Lawyers investigating a Minnesota archbishop in 2014 found compelling and credible allegations from nearly a dozen people that he engaged in sexual misconduct and harassment, then retaliated when his advances were rejected, according to an internal church document made public this week.

Although Archbishop John Nienstedt eventually stepped down under fire as head of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, he remains a priest in good standing and less than two weeks ago led Masses at a conservative Catholic leadership conference in California.

The July 2014 memo came from the Rev. Daniel Griffith, a key archdiocese leader for ensuring the safety of children. Minnesota prosecutors released it Wednesday as part of an update on civil and criminal cases against the archdiocese over its handling of clergy abuse cases.

Nienstedt became the subject of an investigation into his own conduct in February 2014 as he was under fire for his handling of a priest who would eventually go to prison and be kicked out of the priesthood for molesting three boys.

In his memo, Griffith raised concerns that Nienstedt’s “social relationship” with that priest, the Rev. Curtis Wehmeyer, had clouded his judgment.

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