ABUSE TRACKER

GUAM
Pacific News Center

Written by Rebecca Elmore

The Laity Forward Movement reached the doorstep of the Redemptoris Mater Seminary this afternoon, in protest to defrock Archbishop Apuron.

Guam- With demands to speak to Archbishop Anthony Apuron, the Laity Forward Movement marched past the typically closed gates of the Redemptoris Mater Seminary making it all the way up to the doorstep, until they were eventually chased out.

The protests from LFM to defrock Apuron continued, this time, at the entrance to the RMS. The protests have been going on for months, on a weekly basis at the Agana Cathedral.

The group wants Apuron removed in light of the controversial actions Apuron has taken in recent years, including the conveyance of the Yona property to leaders of the neocatechumenal way, as well as the allegations of sexual abuse against him.

Lou Klitzkie, one of the protesters voiced her frustrations during the protest, asking: “Why are they hiding? Come out and tell us the truth! Why did you give up the RMS? We’re very upset, very upset.”

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GUAM
YouTube

KUAM

Published on Oct 11, 2016

Many of them have never been inside the Redemptoris Mater Seminary, but after hearing that Archbishop Anthony Apuron and former RMS rector Father Pius Sammut were hiding inside the Yona property, more than one dozen members of the Laity Forward Movement walked inside and asked to see Archbishop Apuron.

The gates had signs stating “Private Property”, but the protesters argued they’re paying for the property through church collections, and therefore have every right to be there.

Many had never been to RMS and were amazed at how beautiful it was and the fact that it had a swimming pool. However, when they reached the lobby area, they were told that the property was a private residence and were instructed to leave.

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GUAM
KUAM

Updated: Oct 12, 2016

By Krystal Paco

For most members of the Laity Forward Movement, they had never been inside the Redemptoris Mater Seminary. And today, they were clearly unwelcome. The gates had a sign stating “No Trespassing” and individuals at the lobby doors mirrored that sentiment.

It wasn’t just the temperature rising today in Yona.

Seminary attendant: All this filming is illegal. (shuts door)

Dee Peredo: Excuse me! No, no, no.

Seminary attendant: You do not have permission to be here. This is a private residence.

Dee Peredo: Do not touch me. This is not a private residence. My Sunday collections is going on this

Seminary attendant: Ma’am, calm down.

Laity Forward Movement members like Dee Peredo and Marilu Martinez maintain they have every right to be at the seminary – after all, they maintain, it’s what they paid for. “Why would we contribute to a seminary that wouldn’t serve us or do us any good?” asked Martinez. “They extended it mind you from the middle of the year to the end of the year. Extended the appeal to continue us donating and contributing to this seminary. And we are Catholics, we are not outsiders.”

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MINNESOTA
The Daily Times

Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The leader of an isolated religious sect in Minnesota pleaded guilty Tuesday to sexually assaulting two teenage girls who were members of his community.
As part of the plea deal, Victor Barnard, 55, agreed to serve 30 years in prison.

Barnard was the longtime leader of the River Road Fellowship near Finlayson, about 90 miles north of Minneapolis.

In 2012, two women came forward and told authorities that Barnard began assaulting them when they were as young as 12 and 13. The women said they were among about 10 girls and young women who were chosen to live in a camp apart from their families as part of Barnard’s “Maidens Group.”

Barnard kept the girls secluded, using religious coercion and intimidation to maintain his control over them, authorities said. He allegedly told one victim she would remain a virgin because he was a “man of God.”

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RHODE ISLAND
Rhode Island Public Radio

By ELISABETH HARRISON

The Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania has removed Rev. Howard White from the priesthood, citing allegations of sexual abuse documented in a report about St. George’s School in Middletown. Since those allegations became public, accusations have been reported in other states where White also worked.

White served as an associate chaplain, dorm parent and in other roles at St. George’s from 1971 until 1974, when he was fired after admitting to sexual abuse.

Eric MacLeish, the attorney who represented some of the former St. George’s students, says the church’s action to remove White is long overdue.

“Rev. White was someone who preyed on young people in every setting where he went,” said MacLeish. “He preyed upon them at St. Paul’s, he preyed upon them at St. George’s, he preyed upon them in North Carolina, where we also represent two people who were the victims of Rev. White.”

A State Police investigation in Rhode Island failed to bring criminal charges against White and other St. George’s staff accused of abuse, but MacLeish says he continues to pursue criminal charges in other states. A group of former students reached a settlement with St. George’s over the allegations of abuse.

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RHODE ISLAND
Providence Journal

By Karen Lee Ziner
Journal Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The Episcopal Church issued “the most severe penalty” possible against Howard W. “Howdy” White Jr. when it removed him from the priesthood Monday, nearly 50 years after he was ordained.

Every diocesan bishop within the Episcopal Church — here and abroad — will be notified Wednesday.

White, 75, former associate chaplain at St. George’s School, is one of six former staff or faculty members accused in the sex-abuse scandal that has rocked the elite Middletown prep school since last December.

White remains under criminal investigation in North Carolina, based on two allegations of sexual abuse in the mid-1980s. White could not be reached for comment Monday or Tuesday in Bedford, Pennsylvania, where he lives.

“Since Howard White has not been convicted of a crime, the Church doesn’t have any further disciplinary authority over him … and cannot police his life,” said Jim Naughton, spokesman for Rhode Island Episcopal Bishop W. Nicholas Knisely Jr. and Bishop Audrey Scanlan, of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania, who removed White from the priesthood.

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MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

By Jenna Ross Star Tribune OCTOBER 11, 2016

The Rev. Tim Power didn’t lecture or teach. He didn’t quite preach. Instead, he told stories, expertly weaving them through the thousands of homilies he gave over his 24 years at Pax Christi Catholic Community in Eden Prairie.

Power told them inside and outside the church’s walls, with and often without his clerical collar. His stories were warm, wise and often self-deprecating.

“He was a storyteller,” said Patricia Baumer, a Pax Christi parishioner since 1989. “He helped people — and this is the highest praise I can give — he helped people encounter God in their own story.”

As the church’s founding pastor, Power also encouraged others to preach, bringing lay people to the front of the sanctuary. He was “more like an orchestra conductor,” Baumer said, “who drew out the best gifts of the baptized.”

Father Tim, as his thousands of parishioners knew him, died Sept. 21. He was 76. …

Power led a movement to start a local chapter of Voice of the Faithful, a grass-roots group born in the outrage over the scandal of sexual abuse by priests. He was among more than 100 active and retired priests who signed a letter imploring the Vatican to make celibacy optional for priests.

In 2012, as the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis fought for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, Power was among dozens of retired priests who signed a letter opposing the ban.

“Tim stood within the church,” said the Rev. John Bauer, pastor at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis, “but was always willing to challenge issues and people that were of concern for him.”

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MINNESOTA
CBS Minnesota

[with video]

WINONA, Minn. (WCCO) — A Minnesota woman calls it the untold story in the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal. Jeanie Hansen says a priest beat and raped her when she went to college in Winona. Other women came forward with similar claims against the same man but the priest was never publicly named as doing anything wrong.

“I grew up looking to the church when you needed help. That’s what the church was about,” Hansen said.

Sunday Mass always marked the start of a new week for Hansen. Hansen grew up in southern Minnesota, went to an all-girls Catholic high school, settling on a similar setting in Winona for college.

She pursued a career in religious administration at St. Teresa’s in the late 70s. She met Father John Surprenant, the chaplain at the college, in her second year.

“You have to understand he was one of the only men on campus. Girls would hang on every word,” Hansen said.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Bedfordshire on Sunday

THE lawyer of 40 victims who suffered vile abuse at the hands of priests, nuns and other staff at a Shefford children’s home dubbed the ‘orphanage from hell’ has warned the fight for compensation will be a long one.

Tracey Emmott, a specialist child abuse lawyer working at Bedford-based Emmott Snell solicitors, said civil action against St Francis Children’s Society is now under ‘immediate consideration’ after criminal proceedings were brought to an end yesterday.

Her clients, now in their 60s, wept in court as they told how their lives were devastated by the abuse they suffered as children at the St Francis Boys Home in Shefford.

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MISSOURI
Kansas City Star

BY JUDY L. THOMAS
jthomas@kcstar.com

A St. Louis seminary about to honor a Kansas priest for 60 years in the ministry pulled his name from the program after learning he’d been suspended five years ago by the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas for substantiated sexual abuse claims.

Kenrick-Glennon Seminary was alerted to the case of the Rev. George Seuferling not by the archdiocese, but by two of the priest’s victims.

Seuferling, 85, was to be recognized last week as part of the seminary’s annual Alumni Day celebration. He was listed as a “Diamond Jubilarian” from the seminary class of 1956.

“I was horrified that they were going to celebrate 60 years of priesthood, which was actually 60 years of violating the vows he took,” said Laurel Menne-Dibb, one of the victims who contacted the seminary. “It feels like we’re being victimized all over again.”

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OSTERREICH
APA

Plattform Betroffener kirchlicher Gewalt und Heimkinder kritisieren parlamentarischen „Staatsakt“ zu Missbrauch

Wien (OTS) – Eine sogenannte “Geste der Verantwortung” zur sexuellen Gewalt durch die Kirche haben Kardinal Schönborn und Parlamentspräsidentin Doris Bures nun für den 17.11 angekündigt. Die verstorbene NR-Präsidentin Barbara Prammer hatte hier mehr Feingefühl bewiesen und hat vor drei Jahren eine Veranstaltung der kircheneigenen Klasnic-Kommission unter Ausschluss der betroffenen Kirchenopfer im Hohen Haus unterbunden

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DEUTSCHLAND
Regersburg Digital

[Initial results of the Regensburg cathedral school investigation will be made public on Wednesday.]

Von Stefan Aigner

Am morgigen Mittwoch stellen Betroffene und Bischof Rudolf Voderholzer erste Ergebnisse aus dem gemeinsamen Aufarbeitungsgremium vor.

Es war ein langer Weg, seit sich Betroffene von Gewalt und Missbrauch bei den Regensburger im Jahr 2010 zum ersten Mal vernehmlich an die Öffentlichkeit wandten. Ein Weg der – vornehmlich unter der Verantwortung des damaligen Bischofs Gerhard Ludwig Müller – teilweise einem Spießrutenlauf gleichkam, der von Verzögerungen, Schweigen und Aussitzen gekennzeichnet war und in dessen Zuge sich Betroffene als Lügner, Nestbeschmutzer und Weicheier beschimpfen lassen mussten.

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DEUTSCHLAND
BR

[It is probably one of the greatest abuse and cases of abuse in the Catholic Church in Germany: In the Regensburger Domspatzen at least 231 students are victims of physical and about 50 other victims of sexual violence has come forward. An investigation has been going on for several months and early results are expected Wednesday.]

11.10.2016 von Christian Wölfel und Eckhart Querner

Es ist wohl einer der größten Missbrauchs- und Misshandlungsfälle in der katholischen Kirche in Deutschland: Bei den Regensburger Domspatzen sind mindestens 231 Schüler Opfer körperlicher und etwa 50 weitere Opfer sexueller Gewalt geworden, vor allem in den 1970er- und 1980er-Jahren. Seit Februar berät ein Aufarbeitungsgremium, wie ihnen geholfen werden kann. Am Mittwoch soll es erste Ergebnisse geben.

Alexander Probst und Peter Schmitt haben lange gekämpft. Sie stehen nur exemplarisch für viele ehemalige Domspatzen, die seit Jahren auf ihr Schicksal aufmerksam machen. Doch lange hat ihnen das Bistum Regensburg offenbar nicht richtig zugehört, wenn sie berichteten – über Missbrauch und Misshandlung bei den Regensburger Domspatzen.

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ILLINOIS
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

By Jesse Bogan St. Louis Post-Dispatch

ST. LOUIS • A lawsuit filed Tuesday in St. Clair County, Ill., alleges the Belleville Diocese “created a foreseeable zone of risk of sexual abuse and exploitation” by a Roman Catholic priest.

The Rev. Osang Idagbo, currently the parish administrator at Saints Peter and Paul Church in Waterloo, is accused of manipulating a vulnerable woman between December 2013 and July 2015, while she sought his counsel about becoming Catholic and getting through a rough relationship with her husband.

The lawsuit alleges sexual contact happened between Idagbo and Laura Merleau-McGrady at the rectory at Saints Peter and Paul, at the plaintiff’s home and at various locations.

Idagbo is not named as a defendant in the case, only the diocese, which is accused of negligent supervision of him. The suit seeks more than $50,000 in compensation.

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ILLINOIS
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release, October 11, 2016

Statement by Laura Merleau-McGrady, suing Fr. Osang Idagbo

Once I began learning more of the stories of others who had similar experiences to mine, I realized that my spiritual and emotional suffering were not unique and I needed to do something to help others avoid falling into the same trap into which I fell. So I am filing this lawsuit to add to the growing number of voices trying to bring to light the corrupt system in the Catholic Church that encourages, allows, and does nothing to stop priests from becoming predators.

I implore anyone with information about Father Idagbo’s misconduct with women to come forward and report what they know. To anyone else that Father Idagbo may have hurt, I want you to know that you will not be alone if you come forward. This lawsuit is not about money for me. It is about justice for what has been done to me and so many other women by predator priests.

Statement by David Clohessy of SNAP

Many overlook or minimize the horrific manipulation and abuse of vulnerable parishioners by powerful predatory priests. But it’s widespread and devastating. For the safety of the flock bishops must suspend clerics who violate adults or children.

Catholics are taught that priests are holy, celibate men who represent God on earth and can guarantee them eternal life by forgiving their sins. Given that kind of power, it’s no wonder many clerics abuse it for their selfish sexual gratification.

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KANSAS
The Kansas City Star

BY TORIANO PORTER
tporter@kcstar.com

In a case scheduled to go to jury trial next year, a judge has ruled that two victims of sexual assault who filed a civil lawsuit against a Lenexa church will remain anonymous in court proceedings.

Johnson County District Court Judge Kevin Moriarty granted the plantiffs’ motion to proceed in the case using pseudonyms for the young victims and their mother. The ruling was issued Sept. 20.

Two girls — identified as Jane Doe 31 and Jane Doe 32 in court papers — and their guardian sued Westside Family Church in June, saying it knowingly let teen sex offender Kessler Lichtenegger be around kids.

Lichtenegger pleaded guilty last year to attempted rape and attempted electronic solicitation involving the two victims, who at the time were under age 14 and attended the church. He is serving a 17-year sentence for those crimes.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article105972327.html#storylink=cpy

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PENNSYLVANIA
The Eagle

ALTOONA, Pa. (AP) — A teacher at a central Pennsylvania Catholic elementary school has been suspended for “inappropriate” but not sexual behavior toward a student.

Altoona-Johnstown diocese spokesman Tony DeGol announced the suspension Monday.

It involves an unnamed teacher at Holy Trinity Catholic School, a Pre-K through 8th grade school in Altoona.

DeGol says the “alleged behavior is not sexual in nature” but the diocese has suspended the teacher while the school reviews the allegations.

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AUSTRALIA
The Australian

October 12, 2016

DAN BOX
Crime reporterSydney
@DanBox10

The country’s police commissioners will discuss during a meeting later this month whether to offer a historic apology to the victims of child sex abuse.

It follows rolling protests across the country, including outside the Queensland police headquarters in Brisbane yesterday, where former victims have said officers often refused to ­believe them when they came forward.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton, whose force established the dedicated Taskforce Sano to investigate historic and new allegations of child abuse, will take the proposal to the Australian and New Zealand Police Commissioners Forum on October 19.

Leonie Sheedy, whose Care Leavers Australasia Network has led the recent protests, said police often returned victims to their abusers without asking any questions, and on occasion became abusers themselves. “We want an apology for children not being believed. We want an apology ­because of the inaction,” she said.

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ILLINOIS
Belleville News-Democrat

BY GEORGE PAWLACZYK
gpawlaczyk@bnd.com

BELLEVILLE

A group that supports victims of sexual abuse by clergy has scheduled a demonstration for 1 p.m. today outside the chancery for the Diocese of Belleville to draw attention to allegations of sexual misconduct by a priest who came here from Africa.

The St. Louis-based Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests is holding the event on behalf of the alleged victim.

David Clohessy, director of SNAP, said the woman plans to file a lawsuit against the priest and the diocese. The suit has not yet been filed.

A draft of the lawsuit alleges a sexual relationship over four years with a female parishioner, who is now out of the country, and the priest. The suit alleges the priest used his position as a religious counselor to sexually take advantage of her.

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UNITED KINGDOM
The Guardian

Alice Ross and agencies
Tuesday 11 October 2016

Dame Lowell Goddard received £80,000 in pay and allowances when she quit as head of the inquiry into child sexual abuse, the Home Office has confirmed.

The New Zealand high court judge received a severance payment of two months’ salary and flights home when she resigned 18 months after being hired by the then home secretary, Theresa May.

Goddard quit in August, saying the inquiry had been beset by a “legacy of failure”. Her resignation came the day after the Times reported that she had spent three months on holiday or abroad in her first year in the job.

The wide-ranging inquiry into historical sex abuse was launched in July 2014 in the wake of allegations of cover-ups of abuse by Jimmy Savile and the Lib Dem MP Cyril Smith.

Goddard’s appointment in February 2015 made her Britain’s highest-paid civil servant, with an annual salary and allowances of almost £500,000. The inquiry also spent £75,000 on travel to and from New Zealand for Goddard and her family, a financial report published by the inquiry shows.

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PENNSYLVANIA
Lancaster Online

Bishop Audrey Scanlan of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania on Monday removed the Rev. Howard White from the priesthood.

White, 75, was among several adults who sexually abused students at St. George’s School in Middleton, Rhode Island in the 1970s and 80s, according to a report released recently by independent investigators on behalf of the school.

In the wake of media reports about sexual abuse at St. George’s, several people from other Episcopal dioceses in which White had worked said that he sexually abused them when they were young.

“We are committed to keeping God’s children safe, and we are heartbroken when we fail,” Scanlan said. “My hope is that the appalling events documented at St. George’s School will lead our church to intensify its efforts to protect young people in every setting, and continue our commitment to preventing abuse with thorough training for clergy, staff and volunteers who work with children.”

According to a press release from the diocese, White accepted the notice that he is no longer a priest, which the church refers to as a “deposition,” but did not admit guilt. Scanlan had placed him on leave in January when the allegations first surfaced, and prohibited him from functioning as a priest or being alone with minors. White retired in 2006, but was serving as a supply priest on weekends at St. James Episcopal Church in Bedford.

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UNITED STATES
Ponder Anew

October 10, 2016 by Jonathan Aigner

I’m reminded today of how the church often responds to male violence against women. And I’m angry. I’m so pissed off right now.

I’m angry because we’re still having these kinds of conversations.

I’m angry because my wife had to grow up in a culture where catcalls and roaming hands were inevitable.

I’m angry because convicted rapists are given their lives back while their victims continue to cower in shame, self-loathing, and fear.

I’m angry because the evangelical denomination I grew up in still refuses to acknowledge the full humanity of women.

I’m angry because churches continue to blame victims, protect abusers, and silence the story.

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NEW YORK
New York Daily News

BY
KENNETH LOVETT
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS ALBANY BUREAU CHIEF
Monday, October 10, 2016

ALBANY — State Senate Democrats are expected to make passage of a bill making it easier for child sex abuse victims to seek justice as adults one of their first priorities if they win the majority this fall.

Several Democrats say they expect the Child Victims Act will be among the first bills passed if the Democrats take control of the chamber.

Gary Greenberg, an investor who created the Fighting For Children political action committee to help elect a Democratic Senate majority, said he was told the same thing by Senate Deputy Democratic Leader Michael Gianaris.

“We’re expecting it to be one of the first bills brought up right in January,” said Greenberg, himself a sexual abuse survivor. “He said the Democratic caucus is behind it.”

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GUAM
KUAM

Updated: Oct 11, 2016

By Nestor Licanto

It is the most important day of the year for honoring the faithful departed. Catholics will commemorate All Souls Day in just three weeks, and the newly-appointed head of the Catholic Cemeteries of Guam says he will not let the recent controversy over alleged misspending distract from getting the facilities ready. Joey Duenas was named the interim administrator of Catholic Cemeteries, as part of sweeping changes announced by Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai, who replaced all but one of the former board members.

Duenas says he has a job to do, and time is running short. He added, “I’m trying to prepare the three cemeteries which is Pigo, Togcha, and Agat, for All Souls Day and allowing the faith community of Guam to come and pray at the gravesites of their loved ones.”

The Catholic Cemeteries board came under scrutiny after the previous members alleged that former administrator, Monsignor James Benavente, diverted cemetery monies to pay for a personal birthday celebration. But Benavente has since been exonerated by Archbishop Hon, and Duenas considers it a closed case. He adds that under the bylaws, removal of the board is also within the archbishop’s power as the sole member of the corporation.

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UNITED KINGDOM
The Times

Sean O’Neill, Chief Reporter
October 11 2016
The Times

The judge who resigned as head of the national public inquiry into child abuse received a severance package worth about £90,000, the Home Office said last night.

Dame Justice Lowell Goddard was paid two months’ salary plus allowances, amounting to more than £80,000, plus the price of two business-class tickets back to New Zealand for her and her husband after she suddenly quit the inquiry in August.

The severance deal was approved by Amber Rudd, the home secretary.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Daily Mail

By TIM SCULTHORPE, MAILONLINE DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR

The New Zealand judge who quit as head of the massive public inquiry into child abuse has received a pay off worth £90,000.

Dame Lowell Goddard, who was in the post for just 18 months, had been on a total salary and benefits package worth almost £500,000.

Dame Lowell became the third chairwoman to walk out on the multi-million pound inquiry in August, throwing the beleaguered probe into a new crisis.

Her £80,000 severance, plus business class flights to New Zealand, was agreed by Home Secretary Amber Rudd and brought her total payments to almost £700,000 for 18 months in charge of an inquiry that has not yet heard any evidence.

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OREGON
KOBI

Klamath Falls, Ore. – A former pastor of a Klamath Falls church pleads ‘guilty’ to sex charges involving a member of his congregation.

Larry Murrell entered a change of plea Monday morning to two misdemeanor counts of third-degree sexual abuse.

Klamath County District Attorney Rob Patridge says Murrell was arrested in October of 2015 after a woman told police she had been molested at Murrell’s home.

“There was some kind of massage technique that the pastor was using,” said Patridge. “But it was very sexual, and got way out of hand.”

Prior to his arrest, Murrell served as a minster at the House Of Prayer For All Nations.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Daily Mail

By DARREN BOYLE FOR MAILONLINE

A former scout leader at a care home linked to Jimmy Savile and dubbed the ‘orphanage from hell’ has been jailed for three and a half years for molesting vulnerable young boys in the 1960s, it can now be reported.

John Cahill, now 74, from Bedford, was sentenced at the Old Bailey in March after pleading guilty to six counts of indecent assault on four boys aged between 10 and 14 at St Francis, Shefford.

His convictions can only be reported following the conclusion of a trial against James McCann, 80, of Swaffam, Norfolk, who was also charged with abusing children at the home run by the Catholic Church.

Savile was a regular visitor to the area and is believed to have attended the chapel at the home.
Cahill’s victims, now in their 60s, wept in court as they told how their lives were devastated by the abuse they suffered as children.

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RHODE ISLAND
Providence Journal

By Karen Lee Ziner
Journal Staff Writer

The Rev. Howard “Howdy” White Jr., one of a half dozen named perpetrators in the sex-abuse scandal that embroiled St. George’s School in Middletown this year, was removed from the Episcopal priesthood on Monday.

Bishop Audrey Scanlan of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania issued a statement Monday evening. White, who lives in Bedford, Pennsylvania, could not be reached for comment. Now retired, he had been serving there as a fill-in priest at St. James Episcopal Church.

White’s removal — after an ecclesiastical investigation — may be the first formal action taken against any of the named perpetrators (one is deceased) since the scandal broke last December at the elite Episcopal prep school.

An independent investigation found that least 61 students were sexually abused in the 1970s and ’80s at the school: the Sept. 1 report of that investigation named six former staff or faculty (one of whom is deceased), and nine credible reports of student-on-student assaults.

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CANADA
Ottawa Citizen

ANDREW DUFFY, OTTAWA CITIZEN

A woman scarred by clergy sex abuse is furious that the Archdiocese of Ottawa will not tell her if or when it will seek to defrock the Catholic priest who preyed upon her as a young teenager.

Colleen Passard said she’s being “stonewalled” by the diocese in her attempts to obtain information about the status of the review of Rev. Barry McGrory. That review is the first step in the laicization process described by Canon Law, the governing code of the Catholic Church.

“Failure to strip a sexual predator of the sacred covenant of the priesthood is a collusion with darkness,” Passard charged in a letter of complaint to the diocese, shared with the Citizen.

More than four months ago, the diocese announced that it would consider initiating the process required to have McGrory removed from the priesthood.

As part of that process, Passard met in person with Rev. Christian Riesbeck, Auxilliary Bishop of Ottawa, and prepared a victim impact statement at his request.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Bedfordshire on Sunday

A PAEDOPHILE scout master at a Shefford children’s home linked to Jimmy Savile has been jailed for sexually abusing boys in the 1960s, it can now be revealed.

John Cahill, 73, attacked four boys, aged between 10 and 15 years old, while leading the scout troop at the Catholic St Francis Boys Home, in Shefford, Bedfordshire.

The case can be reported after a jury found former housemaster James McCann, 80, abused 26 children, aged between eight and 12, in the 1960s and 1970s.

The cruelty was said to be orchestrated by Father John Ryan, who died in 2008, and prosecutor Matthew Walsh said there was a culture of ill-treatment in the home run by ‘nuns and priests from hell’.

Savile was a regular visitor to the area and is believed to have attended the chapel at the home.

The Old Bailey heard Ryan and several nuns would have been prosecuted if they were still alive today.

The Catholic Church has paid out compensation to two victims and more are pursuing civil claims in a class action.

But Cahill, of Chandos Court, Bedford, was the only person to be jailed for any criminal offences at St Francis after pleading guilty to six counts of indecent assault at the Old Bailey.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Bedfordshire on Sunday

TODAY James McCann, 80, was found to have responsible for 42 charges of physical and sexual assaults against young boys at St Fancis Boys’ Home in Shefford.

Former editor of BoS, Steve Lowe, has followed the story closely since 1997.

He worked to expose the wrongdoings at the boys’ home and bore the brunt of the backlash from doing so.

Now he shares his view on the outcome.

It was 1997 and I was asked to meet someone who had a complaint about a former Catholic Boys Home.

The newsroom was not that excited and I was told not to take too long.

That was the first time I met Damian Chittock. He told me about Shefford Boys Home, run by the Catholic Church where the residents were mainly abandoned or orphaned boys between the ages of six and seven.

Damian said he had suffered abuse, both physical and sexual, and that such abuse was rife in the home.

Damian named several priests, who committed this abuse over several years, who were aided and abetted by the nuns and some helpers who came into the home.

The chief perpetrators were Father John Ryan, who ran the home in the 1960s, until 1973 when it was closed down, and his brother Gerry. But they were not the only ones.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Bedfordshire on Sunday

A CHILDREN’S charity has described two men found guilty of physical and sexual abuse at a Catholic children’s home in Shefford as ‘monsters’.

James McCann, 80, of Suffield Court, Swaffham, Norfolk, a former housemaster at the home, was found by a jury today to have been responsible for 42 charges of physical and sexual assaults against residents.

He was given an absolute discharge at The Old Bailey on medical grounds, having suffered a stroke.

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UNITED KINGDOM
The Comet

10 October 2016 Layth Yousif

A former carer at a Shefford boys’ home physically or sexually abused 25 boys during the 1960s, a hearing at the Old Bailey has found today.

James McCann, 80, from Swaffham, Norfolk, was deemed unfit to stand trial relating to abuse at St Francis Boys’ Home – however a trial of facts regarding 50 charges was heard in his absence. The jury found that 42 charges were proven today.

They included a total of 30 charges of actual bodily harm and 12 counts of indecent assault.

He was cleared of a further eight charges – four indecent assaults and four physical assaults.

The Old Bailey heard McCann had joined the home in 1965 when he was 29 and worked there until it closed in 1974.

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UNITED KINGDOM
BBC News

A housemaster has been found to have abused children decades ago at a Catholic orphanage, run by the “nuns and priests from Hell”.

James McCann, 80, who worked at the St Francis Boys’ Home, Shefford, Bedfordshire, in the 1960s, was found unfit to plea due to ill health.

But a trial of the facts found 42 of 50 charges of physical and sexual assaults on 25 boys to be proven.

The judge granted McCann an absolute discharge on all of the counts.

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UNITED KINGDOM
ITV

A scout leader at a Catholic children’s home branded the “orphanage from hell” has been jailed for molesting young boys in the 1960s.

John Cahill pleaded guilty to six counts of indecent assault on four boys aged between 10 and 14 at St Francis Home for Boys in Shefford, Bedfordshire.

His victims, now in their 60s, wept in court as they told how their lives were devastated by the abuse.

Cahill was jailed for three and a half years at the Old Bailey in March but it can only be reported now.

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IOWA
Daily Nonpareil

Posted: Monday, October 10, 2016

CLARINDA – A charge of soliciting prostitution against a southwest Iowa Catholic priest was dropped after he decided to return to Ghana, his native country in Africa, according to Fremont County court records.

The Rev. Dominic Yamoah, 41, of Clarinda was arrested on Saturday, July 9, accused of trying to get an undercover investigator to perform sex acts for pay. The arrest was made in Hamburg.

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ILLINOIS
The Messenger

by Liz Quirin on July 28, 2016
Msgr. Joseph R. Schwaegel died July 13 at St. Paul’s Home in Belleville. He was 79.

A graduate of Cathedral High School in Belleville, he received a master’s degree in music from the University of Illinois in Champaign, Ill. He attended Kenrick Seminary in St. Louis and St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, Ill.

Ordained in May 1965 by Bishop Albert R. Zuroweste, he was an associate pastor at St. Mary in Trenton and administrator of St. Bernard in Albers for three months, then named a chaplain at the Meredith Home in Belleville for one year. In 1967, he was named a chaplain to the Academy of Notre Dame in Belleville and associate pastor at St. Peter Cathedral.

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AUSTRALIA
The Courier

Melissa CunninghamMelissa Cunningham
@MeljCunningham

10 Oct 2016

A leading Victorian judge has called for the urgent roll-out of a national redress scheme for victims of childhood sexual abuse.

In her landmark sentencing of disgraced paedophile priest Robert Claffey,73, at the Geelong County Court last week, Judge Felicity Hampel called for the establishment of redress scheme which provided genuine apologies and fully funded adequate compensation to all victims of sexual abuse.

Claffey unleashed a 22-year reign of terror on children across western Victoria.

He is likely to die behind bars after being jailed for 18 years and four months.

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CHICAGO (IL)
Daily Herald

The Archdiocese of Chicago will hold its annual Mass for Hope and Healing, celebrated for the ongoing healing of child and youth sexual abuse survivors, their families and the Church, at 11 a.m. Saturday, October 29, at Holy Family Parish, 1080 W. Roosevelt Road in Chicago.

The Rev. Lawrence R. Dowling, pastor of St. Agatha Parish in Chicago, will be the main celebrant and the Very Rev. Jeffrey S. Grob, chancellor for the archdiocese, will be the homilist. Music will be led by and performed by the St. Agatha Parish choir.

This year the Mass also will also recognize the fifth anniversary of the Archdiocese of Chicago Healing Garden, located directly adjacent to Holy Family Church.

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GUAM
Guam Daily Post

Neil Pang | Post News Staff

A release from the Archdiocese of Agana named the members of the newly reconstituted Catholic Cemeteries of Guam Inc. board of directors.

Rev. Jeff San Nicolas, delegate of the apostolic administrator, announced the new members yesterday as a result of the resignation of the previous board. According to the statement, the previous board resigned on Oct. 7 at the behest of Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai, apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Agana.

The new board comprises Wayne Santos, Daniel Tydingco, Gregory Perez, John Cruz and Gerald Taitano. Additionally, Joseph Duenas was appointed as interim administrator of Catholic Cemeteries of Guam Inc. and replaced Rev. Jose Alberto Rodriguez-Salamanca, who was relieved of his duties.

The resignation of the previous board and the subsequent reconstitution came as a result of a complaint that was filed with the Guam Police Department regarding allegations of financial mismanagement against Monsignor James Benavente. Benavente had previously been removed from his post as rector of the Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica in 2014 by Archbishop Anthony Apuron on grounds of financial mismanagement and was publicly defamed by the archbishop.

On Oct. 1, Benavente was cleared of all wrongdoing by San Nicolas on behalf of Hon, and was assigned as parochial vicar of St. Anthony Church in Tamuning. Following the announcement, a report was filed with GPD and the attorney general’s office by the then-board of directors of Catholic Cemeteries, alleging the misuse of cemeteries funds for Benavente’s 20th anniversary celebrations.

In a subsequent release, the church declared that the allegations made against Benavente in the complaint had already been addressed and had been concluded to be unfounded.

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CALIFORNIA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

Statement by Joelle Casteix of Newport Beach, SNAP western regional director (949) 322-7434 cell, jcasteix@gmail.com

A San Diego priest, Fr. Jacob Betrand, has been criminally charged with sexual assault in Minnesota. He’s also been accused of paying his victim to keep her quiet. But what we find even more troubling is the fact that church officials in San Diego may have known about the allegations for at least four years and did nothing to alert Catholics of the risk.

Bertrand only stepped down when he learned that criminal charges were imminent.

[NBC San Diego]

He now faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

Bishop Robert McElroy, like his brother bishops, has promised complete transparency when it comes to sexual abuse and assault. Yet, for the second time this year, he has turned a blind eye to the safety of parishioners who encounter his priests and former priests.

[The Worthy Adversary]

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NEW YORK
Noaker Law Firm

By Attorney Patrick Noaker

(New York, NY – Friday, October 7, 2016) At a press conference in front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, Sexual Abuse attorneys along with survivors of sexual abuse warned that Cardinal Timothy Dolan’s recently proposed “Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program” for those who have survived abuse by priests or deacons of the archdiocese, may be a bait-and-switch that could re-victimize survivors of abuse.

Click Here to Watch Video of Press Conference

Survivor’s Network of those Abused by Priests, national President, David Clohessy, urged survivors to use caution and to work with an experienced attorney before participating in Cardinal Timothy Dolan’s new sexual abuse survivor compensation plan. “We are urging survivors to think long and hard before they march down to the Church headquarters under this plan” said Clohessy. Clohessy also proposed that Cardinal Dolan set up a whistleblower fund for current or former employees of the Archdiocese who report suspected child sexual abuse.

“It appears that Cardinal Dolan’s compensation plan is the same bait-and-switch that he used in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee,” said Minneapolis attorney Patrick Noaker. Noaker outlined then, Archbishop Dolan’s Milwaukee plan that was the subject of dozens of claims of fraud by survivors who participated the Archdiocese of Milwaukee mediation process. Noaker specifically referred to the case of John Doe, Claimant A-49, where a survivor of sexual abuse by Fr. David Hanser sought to have the mediated settlement set aside because the Archdiocese of Milwaukee had fraudulently induced him to settle by giving him misleading information about when the Archdiocese first received reports of abuse by Fr. Hanser. See also Claimant A-282.

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BALTIMORE
Der Waechter

[Unmasked: Archdiocese of Baltimore publishes the names of 71 priests who sexually abuse children.]

Im Juli 2014 offenbarte Papst Franziskus, das Oberhaupt der römisch-katholischen Kirche, dass ungefähr einer von fünfzig Pfarrern der Kirche pädophil ist.

Papst Franziskus beschrieb diese Situation als eine ‚Lepra-Seuche‘, welche die Kirche auf der ganzen Welt infiziert hat. Der Papst enthüllte außerdem, das sogar Bischöfe und Kardinäle unter den 2% Pädophilen zu finden sind, die Kinder in der Kirche sexuell missbrauchen.

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NEDERLAND
Abdjvan Berne

[The black pages of the abuse.]

Aan het begin van 2010 kwam een groot aantal voorvallen van seksueel misbruik naar buiten. Wat in enkele omringende landen sterk in de openbaarheid was gekomen, kreeg een nadrukkelijk vervolg in ons land. Het aantal meldingen van misbruik noodzaakte veel religieuze oversten en bisschoppen een diepgaand onderzoek in te stellen. Onder leiding van oud-politicus dr. W.J. Deetman werd op verzoek van de Konferentie Nederlandse Religieuzen en de Nederlandse bisschoppen een onderzoek gedaan naar seksueel misbruik van minderjarigen in de Rooms-Katholieke Kerk in Nederland.

Door: Denis Hendrickx

Op 16 december 2011 publiceerde de commissie Deetman het eindrapport. Daarna heeft de heer Deetman nog onderzoek verricht naar seksueel misbruik van en fysiek en psychisch geweld jegens minderjarige vrouwen in de Rooms-Katholieke kerk. De afhandeling van klachten van seksueel misbruik wordt vanaf 2010 verricht door een onafhankelijke stichting ‘Beheer en Toezicht inzake Seksueel Misbruik Rooms-Katholieke Kerk’, waaronder de klachtencommissie die belast is met de beoordeling van de klachten en de compensatiecommissie die belast is met de beoordeling van de schadeclaims.

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MEXIKO
Spiegel

[girl raped – penalty: two cases of beer]

In der indigenen Gemeinde in Santiago Quetzalapa im mexikanischen Bundesstaat Oaxaca soll es zu einem schändlichen Verbrechen gekommen sein: Am 12. September soll ein 55-jähriger ehemalige Pastor einer örtlichen evangelischen Gemeinde ein achtjähriges Mädchen sexuell missbraucht haben.

Laut Berichten von Lokalzeitungen wandten sich die Eltern des Kindes zunächst direkt an den mutmaßlichen Täter. Dessen Ehefrau habe sie aber abgewimmelt und behauptet, das Mädchen habe ihren Mann “verführt”.

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FRANCE
La Croix

[In a letter to the priests of his diocese dated Thursday, October 5, Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, archbishop of Paris, talks about the sexual abuse issues. “The long-term treatment of sexual or pedophile assaults should continue quietly but methodically,” he wrote.]

L’archevêque de Paris demande notamment aux prêtres de son diocèse « de ne pas accepter d’être parrain de baptême ou de confirmation ».

Dans une lettre aux prêtres de son diocèse datée du jeudi 5 octobre, le cardinal André Vingt-Trois, archevêque de Paris, revient sur les questions d’abus sexuels. « Le traitement à long terme des agressions sexuelles ou pédophiles doit se poursuivre sereinement mais méthodiquement », écrit-il. Concernant la prévention de ces abus, outre un renvoi aux instruments de travail fournis par la Conférence des évêques de France, il demande à chacun de « faire un sérieux examen de conscience sur l’exercice de la prudence dans ses relations pastorales et personnelles ».

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FRANCE
France Bleu

Par Anne Oger, France Bleu Orléans
Vendredi 7 octobre 2016

Dans l’enquête pour agression sexuelle sur mineur ouverte contre l’abbé de Castelet, ancien aumônier des scouts d’Europe et curé de Lorris jusqu’en mai dernier, trois victimes se sont constituées partie civile. Leur plainte contre Monseigneur André Fort pour non-dénonciation n’a pas été retenue

En 2008, 15 ans après ce camp dans les Pyrénées pendant lequel il dit avoir été agressé sexuellement par l’abbé de Castelet, Olivier Savignac entame des recherches sur internet. Il veut savoir si son agresseur a bien été puni par l’Eglise, comme on le lui avait assuré à l’époque. Il se rend compte très vite que ça n’est pas le cas. L’abbé en question est toujours aumônier des scouts d’Europe dans le Loiret, lui qui pourtant, selon Olivier Savignac, avait été pris sur le fait lors de ce camp du Mouvement Eucharistique des Jeunes en 1993. Pris sur le fait par une animatrice, qui avait immédiatement informé les instances nationales du mouvement.

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INITED STATES
Algemeiner

by Eric Aiken

Recently, 300 rabbis signed a statement condemning child sexual abuse in the Orthodox community and calling on their colleagues to make Orthodox institutions safe for children. Most of the individuals appear to be affiliated with either the Orthodox Union (OU), the National Council of Young Israel, the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA) or Yeshiva University (YU).

The statement condemns cover-ups protecting Orthodox child molesters; ignoring, shaming or punishing of victims who cry out for help; and the rabbinic demands that victims not report their abuser to the police. It calls for Orthodox institutions to implement child-safety procedures; allow victims to pursue justice; and demands that members of Orthodox communities be informed when a child sex predator moves in.

Yet, hypocritically, this statement is signed by many of the very same rabbis who cover up Orthodox child molesters, ignore victims’ reports of abuse and harass victims and their families who speak out — or demand that they remain silent about their abuse and abuser.

Although this statement wasn’t issued by the RCA, almost everything contained in it has been copied nearly verbatim from four previous RCA child-protection resolutions that date back 23 years. None of those resolutions have ever been implemented or enforced. Significantly, only 300 members of the RCA, which boasts more than 1,000 Rabbis, were willing to sign this latest statement.

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GUAM
Pacific Daily News

Steve Limtiaco , slimtiaco@guampdn.com October 11, 2016

Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai has replaced the board of directors of the Catholic Cemeteries of Guam, which last month filed a police complaint against Monsignor James Benavente.

The Archdiocese of Agana, which already had exonerated Benavente of allegations that he misused cemetery funds, called the Sept. 30 police complaint, which was not authorized by the archdiocese, insubordinate and a misrepresentation.

The Vatican in June assigned Hon to serve as apostolic administrator for the archdiocese, pending a church investigation into sexual abuse allegations against Archbishop Anthony Apuron.

Hon had called for the immediate resignation of all Catholic Cemeteries board members involved in approving and filing the complaint. Board Secretary Jacqueline Terlaje, who signed the complaint, last week disputed claims by the archdiocese that the complaint was untrue and that the board never met to approve filing it. The complaint states Benavente misused $13,620 in cemetery funds for personal use — an anniversary dinner. The archdiocese stated the spending was authorized by the board at the time.

Terlaje was removed from the board Friday, as were all other Catholic Cemeteries board members, except for Wayne Santos, who had resigned, according to the archdiocese.

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GUAM
Pacific News Center

Written by Janela Carrera

The report includes various credit card statements, family plots worth hundreds of thousands that were waived and checks written to repay loans.
Guam – Good riddance–that’s what the ousted board of the catholic cemeteries says to Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai, who just fired the board and administrator last Friday.

The former board held a press conference today and simultaneously released a contentious report they believe proves Msgr. James Benavente misused cemetery funds for personal use for a number of years.

Roland San Agustin, Attorney Jacqueline Terlaje, Dennis Santo Tomas and Lillian Perez-Posadas make up the board of directors of the Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Agana, all of whom were just fired by temporary church administrator Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai.

But the four did not put up a fight to keep their positions. Instead, they said good riddance.

“This board, effectively and immediately, resigns their directorships due to the request of the delegate to turn a blind eye to the absolute misuse of funds. The board has been requested to disregard the laws and standards governing this non profit corporation and in good conscience to the church, to the truth and the laws of Guam. We decline to participate in this attempt to subvert justice for the dead and the families who’ve entrusted the cemeteries to utilize the funds paid for services for the cemeteries and not for any personal use,” announced Terlaje. …

About three hours after Terlaje’s press conference, the Archdiocese of Agana issued another statement saying they maintain their previous position regarding Benavente “as stated several times now in recent weeks.”

The full statement is below:

The Archdiocese of Agana maintains its position regarding Monsignor James Benavente as stated several times now in recent weeks. It disagrees with the former members of the board of directors of the Catholic Cemeteries of Guam, Inc. We have full confidence in our newly appointed board and interim administrator of Catholic Cemeteries. We are moving forward in this area and at all levels in our Catholic Church on Guam. It is crucial that we do so, given the challenges and tasks at hand.

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GUAM
KUAM

Updated: Oct 10, 2016

By Sabrina Salas Matanane

The Archdiocese of Agana announced new members of the Catholic Cemeteries board after removing their predecessors on Friday.

The new members are:

– Joseph T. Duenas (appointed as Interim Administrator, replaces Fr. Jose Alberto Rodriguez-Salamaca who was relieved of his duties)

– Wayne Santos (incumbent member. He was not terminated but instead resigned) He is Vice President and Marketing Manager of Bank of Guam

– Daniel J. Tydingco: Executive Vice President of Legal, Regulatory and External Affairs TeleGuam Holdings, LLC, dba GTA

– Gregory D. Perez: Project Manager Pacific Unlimited Inc.

– John A. Cruz: Hagatna Mayor

– Gerald A. Taitano: Director of Personnel Naval Facilities Marianas

The Archdiocese made it known that it would be removing the previous Catholic Cemeteries board because of a complaint it filed on September 30th with the police department and Attorney General’s office alleging misuse of cemetery funds for Monsignor James Benavente’s 20th year anniversary dinner held in 2014. We should note a week after that celebration; Archbishop Apuron suddenly removed Monsignor James as Rector of the Cathedral and Director of Catholic Cemeteries for alleged financial mismanagement.

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GUAM
KUAM

Updated: Oct 10, 2016

By Sabrina Salas Matanane

The previous board of directors of Catholic Cemeteries says not only does the temporary leadership of the Archdiocese of Agana have the authority to fire them, they resigned their positions because they refuse to be complicit with an alleged cover-up of the misuse of cemetery funds.

About an hour after the archdiocese issued a press release to announce the official termination of the Catholic Cemeteries board and their replacements, their predecessors held a press conference. Attorney Jacque Terlaje said, “This board effectively and immediately resigns their directorships due to the request of the delegate to turn a blind eye to the absolute misuse of funds. The board has been requested to disregard the laws and standards governing this non-profit corporation.

“In good conscience to the church the truth and the laws of Guam, we decline to participate in this attempt to subvert justice for the dead and the families that have entrusted the cemeteries to utilize the funds paid for services for the cemeteries and not for any personal use.”

Terlaje formerly the board secretary, led the press conference. Sitting beside her were former board members Dennis Santo Tomas, Lillian Posadas and Roland San Agustin. The archdiocese announced they were removed on Friday. Their termination follows a complaint the previous board filed involving Monsignor James Benavente for alleged misuse of cemetery funds for his 20th anniversary celebration in 2014.

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WASHINGTON
Spokesman-Review

The appointment of Blase Cupich to cardinal in the Catholic Church follows a career path that rocketed ahead in the past six years – from leading a rural diocese in western South Dakota to fixing a bankrupted church in Spokane and to taking over the influential position as archbishop of Chicago.

And the pick by Pope Francis shouldn’t have surprised anyone.

“Archbishop Cupich is a very competent man and a renowned leader, and he’ll do a great job both for the church in the United States, but now really the church throughout the world, as a cardinal and a close adviser now to the Holy Father, to the Pope,” the Rev. Darrin Connall said in the moments before Sunday night Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes. …

He moved quickly, reviewing what he saw as a flawed and controversial settlement with victims that left churches exposed to future litigation and parishioners disgusted by both the actions of church leaders and the roughly $50 million used to pay victims, lawyers and other bills.

Cupich arrived, retained new legal counsel and led changes that ultimately brought closure to the case. He sued the Paine Hamblen law firm for its handling of the bankruptcy, but the case was largely dropped with a confidential and reportedly insignificant settlement.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Derby Telegraph

By Martin_Naylor | Posted: October 10, 2016

A perverted former teacher who sexually abused a boy at a school where he taught in the 1970s, has been jailed for more than six years.

John Thompson was sentenced to six years and six months behind bars at Derby Crown Court after he was found guilty of the historical sex offences. The 77-year-old former teacher, turned Baptist minister, had denied sexually touching the boy over a four-year period at Crich C of E Junior School 40 years ago.

The pensioner, of Tutbury Road, Burton, faced charges of six counts of indecent assault and two of gross indecency with the pupil.

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AUSTRALIA
The West Australian

Sophie Morris – The West Australian on October 10, 2016

Roger Herft has stood aside as the Anglican Archbishop of Perth, after admitting he failed to act in a former role on repeated warnings about paedophile priests.

His decision to stand aside makes him one of the highest ranking casualties of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

He told the commission in August he had “let down” the community of Newcastle, when he served as Bishop there between 1993 and 2005.

The church described his sidelining as temporary but senior Anglicans were divided on whether he might return as Archbishop.

“I have decided to voluntarily stand aside from my role, function and duties as Archbishop of Perth and Metropolitan of Western Australia with immediate effect,” he wrote in a letter to the diocese today after returning from long service leave.

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AUSTRALIA
ABC News

Roger Herft has temporarily stood aside as Anglican Archbishop of Perth.

In a letter to parishioners, Archbishop Herft said he would stand aside with immediate effect, to “focus my attention on the royal commission’s ongoing inquiry into the Diocese of Newcastle”.

The Archbishop gave evidence at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in August.

He finished his testimony with an apology to the people of Newcastle, where he served as bishop between 1993 and 2005.

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AUSTRALIA
The Australian

October 10, 2016

ANDREW BURRELL
WA Chief ReporterPerth
@AndrewBurrell7

The Anglican Archbishop of Perth, Roger Herft, has stood aside after he admitted he was told priests in his former diocese of Newcastle were sexually abusing children but he failed to report this to police.

In a letter to parishioners today, Mr Herft said he had recently returned from leave and had decided to stand aside immediately to “focus my attention on the royal commission’s ongoing inquiry”.

“I have decided to voluntarily stand aside from my role, function and duties as Archbishop of Perth and Metropolitan of Western Australia with immediate effect,“ he said.

“This will include all duties including ordinations, pastoral visits, public functions, Synod, Diocesan Council, correspondence and other related engagements.

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NEW YORK
New York Daily News

Father George Koharchik made Shaun Dougherty feel special.

The Roman Catholic priest let the boy sit on his lap and steer his car as they drove through the streets of Johnstown, Pa., where Koharchik was the pastor at St. Clement Church.

He took Dougherty to ballgames and treated him to meals at fast-food restaurants. He played soccer and racquet ball with the boy, a red-headed 10-year-old with a splash of freckles across his face when he met Koharchik in 1980.

Dougherty, now a 46-year-old Queens restaurateur, says Koharchik “groomed” him — methodically gained his trust and broke down his defenses — before he sexually abused him for three years.

Koharchik was one of at least 50 clergy members who abused hundreds of children in the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown during a 40-year period, according to a horrific grand jury report released by the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office in March. Police and prosecutors, the report says, worked with Church leaders to cover up the abuse and protect the predators.

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NEW YORK
PIX 11

OCTOBER 9, 2016, BY ALYSSA ZAUDERER

NEW YORK — Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson died Sunday after battling cancer.

“With a heavy heart, the family of Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson announced that the District Attorney passed away today after a hard fought battle with cancer,” a statement read Sunday night.

Thompson announced just days prior that he had been diagnosed with cancer but would not be stepping down from his position.

“Recently, I was diagnosed with cancer. As a man of intense faith, I intend to fight and win the battle against this disease,” Thompson said in a statement on Oct. 4. “I humbly seek your sincere prayers as I confront this challenge and respectfully ask that you honor my family’s need and wish for privacy during this time.”

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TEXAS
Houston Chronicle

By Keri Blakinger Sunday, October 9, 2016

When Michael Norris was 11, he got a bad case of poison ivy at summer camp – a pretty normal childhood experience.

But that normal experience turned into lasting trauma when a Catholic priest working as a counselor at the all-boys camp invited the Kentucky pre-teen back to his cabin to “treat” the outbreak – and instead molested him, Norris alleges.

Now, more than 40 years later, Norris is trying to help today’s children avoid a similar fate by spearheading a local awareness campaign targeting Catholic congregations.

Sunday, Norris and other activists with the recently relaunched Houston chapter of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests showed up at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart Sunday to tell church-goers about their awareness campaign.

As mass ended just after noon, a trio of SNAP supporters handed out flyers to worshipers leaving the downtown church.

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MICHIGAN
Battle Creek Enquirer

Andy Fitzpatrick , Battle Creek Enquirer October 9, 2016

KALAMAZOO — A Catholic priest who worked at St. Philip Catholic Church in Battle Creek in the late 1970s has resigned after a financial investigation into two churches’ funds.

According to a Diocese of Kalamazoo news release Sunday, the Rev. Richard Fritz, 69, resigned Thursday, a day after Bishop Paul Bradley received an audit report of financial records at Colon’s St. Barbara Mission and St. Mary of the Assumption in Bronson.

Fritz worked at St. Philip from 1978 to 1980, the release said. He worked at the Colon mission from 1996 to July 2016, and worked at the Bronson church from 1990 until Thursday.

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MICHIGAN
Fox 17

KALAMAZOO, Mich. — The Catholic Diocese of Kalamazoo announced Sunday afternoon that a priest had been suspended after an audit uncovered “questionable financial transactions” and practices for the past six years.

This weekend at all the Masses, those attending St. Mary Assumption, Bronson, and St. Barbara Parish, Colon, were informed that an independent accounting firm, at the request of the Diocese of Kalamazoo, had completed a forensic audit of both St. Mary’s Assumption, Bronson, and St. Barbara, Colon, that detailed questionable financial transactions and practices from 2010-2016.

A day after receiving the audit report, Bishop Paul Bradley accepted the resignation of the Rev. Richard Fritz, 69, as pastor on Thursday and temporarily suspended his priestly faculties (his ability to exercise public ministry).

Fritz no longer resides at the rectory.

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MICHIGAN
Roman Catholic Diocese of Kalamazoo

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 9, 2016
Contact:
Vicki Cessna, Executive Director of Communications & Public Affairs; vcessna@diokzoo.org;
269-903-0163 (office); 269-929-8298 (mobile)

This weekend at all the Masses, the Parish communities of St. Mary Assumption, Bronson and St. Barbara Parish, Colon, were informed of the following situation: An independent accounting firm, at the request of the Diocese of Kalamazoo, completed a forensic audit of both St. Mary’s Assumption, Bronson, and St. Barbara, Colon, which details questionable financial transactions and practices from 2010-2016, A day after receiving the audit report, Bishop Paul J. Bradley accepted the resignation of Rev. Richard Fritz, 69, as pastor on Thursday, October 6, 2016 and temporarily suspended his priestly faculties (i.e. his ability to exercise public ministry). Fr. Fritz will no longer reside at the rectory.

Very Reverend Mark Vyverman, Dean of the Eastern Deanery and pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Parish, Coldwater and Our Lady of Fatima, Union City, assumes the role of pastor of St. Mary’s Assumption Parish (which is part of the Parish Collaborative effective this past July 1, 2016).

The Diocese began its internal review of the matter after suspected irregularities were reported in the spring of 2016. In June of 2016, immediately after establishing that there were irregularities, Fr. Fritz’s access to parish funds was removed. The alleged financial mismanagement of the parish funds of St. Mary Assumption, Bronson and St. Barbara, Colon, relates to suspected inappropriate checks distributed between 2010-2016. The Diocese is currently reviewing financial records of both parishes prior to 2010 to identify additional potential
losses.

The Michigan State Police Department is currently conducting its own investigation. The Diocese has fully cooperated with civil authorities in this case and will continue to do so.

Rev. Richard Fritz
Priestly Assignments: Diocese of Kalamazoo, Mich.

1990-October 6, 2016
Pastor St. Mary Parish, Bronson

1996-July 1, 2016
Pastor St. Barbara Mission, Colon

1988-1990
Pastor St. Basil Parish, South Haven

1983-1988
Pastor Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, Brigman

1980-1983
Associate Pastor St. Charles Borromeo Parish, Coldwater

1978-1980
Associate Pastor St. Philip Parish, Battle Creek

Ordination to priesthood:
May 23, 1975, in Lakeport, Mich., for the Pontifical Institute for
Mission Extension (P.I.M.E). Incardinated to the Diocese of Kalamazoo on November 24, 1981.

Priestly Assignments: P.I.M.E.

1976-1977
Vocation Director P.I.M.E. High School Seminary, Newark, Ohio

1977-1978
Associate Pastor St. Edward, Port Huron, Mich.

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MICHIGAN
WWMT

by Andrew Minegar

BRONSON, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – Michigan State Police are investigating a Catholic priest suspected of embezzlement from parishes in Branch and Saint Joseph County.

According to a spokesperson from the Kalamazoo Catholic Diocese, the Reverend Richard Fritz, 69, turned in his resignation to Bishop Paul Bradley on Thursday, Oct. 6 after information from an internal audit into the finances of St. Mary’s Assumption in Bronson and St. Barbara in Colon was turned over to Michigan State Police.

The Michigan State Police are investigating embezzlement that stems from several financial transactions from alleged mismanagement of parish funds and inappropriate checks between 2010 and June 2016.

Vicki Cessna, the spokesperson with the Kalamazoo Catholic Diocese, said it is, “A significant amount, into the six figures.”

The Kalamazoo Diocese is investigating several other parishes where Fritz was a pastor, including St. Basil Parish in South Haven and Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish in Brigman.
The suspected activity was reported in the spring of 2016 and in June, 2016 Fritz lost access to the parish funds.

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MINNESOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Friday, Oct. 7, 2016

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

Our hearts ache for the five kids and their families who have helped police and prosecutors pursue an accused child molesting cleric, Fr. Brian Lederer. They must be terribly distraught that he’s escaped prosecution on all charges.

For the safety of kids, we call on local police and prosecutors to use their ‘bully pulpits’ to prod others with information or suspicions about Fr. Lederer’s crimes to speak up now.

[Duluth News Tribune]

We’re disappointed that the prosecutor hasn’t been more aggressive and creative. If he thinks somehow that Minnesota law is deficient, he should be pushing lawmakers hard to remedy any deficiencies. But we suspect the real problem here is a lack of courage, not a lack of appropriate statues.

We hope more who were victimized by Fr. Lederer come forward so that he might face more charges and eventually be kept away from kids.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Derby Telegraph

By ICrowsonDT | Posted: October 09

A former Derby clergyman and wartime code breaker has been accused of historical sex abuse against children.

Derek Buckley, a former honorary Canon of Derby Cathedral, allegedly abused two children in the late 1980s. The shock claims against Rev Buckley, who died at his home in Ashbourne in 1999 aged 82, have been raised with Derbyshire police and the Derby Diocese.

The allegations against him are forming part of a national police investigation into historical child sex abuse. Richard Scorer, a specialist abuse lawyer at legal firm Slater and Gordon, is representing the two alleged victims of Rev Buckley.

He said: “Very serious allegations have been made against the Derby Diocese. It is now important, not just for the survivors of abuse but society in general, that the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse, examines these cases and broader failings of the Anglican Church and law enforcement agencies to protect children.”

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VATICAN CITY
PhillyVoice

BY NICOLE WINFIELD
Associated Press

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis named 17 new cardinals Sunday — three of them American moderates, including Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich and Indianapolis Archbishop Joseph Tobin — in a clear signal to the conservative U.S. church hierarchy that he values pastors focused more on mercy than morals.

Tobin’s nomination also carries a political message ahead of the U.S. election next month, given that he openly opposed a request from Indiana Gov. Michael Pence, now the running mate of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, to not settle Syrian refugees in the state.

“I am shocked beyond words by the decision of the Holy Father,” Tobin tweeted. “Please pray for me.”

Thirteen of the new cardinals, including all the Americans, are under age 80 and thus eligible to vote in a future conclave to elect Francis’ successor, the key job of a cardinal.

Francis has made it a point to no longer automatically name cardinals from big dioceses as had been the practice for centuries. The Italian cities of Venice and Turin, for example, have been without cardinals for several years.

The same goes for the United States, where such staunchly Catholic archdioceses as Philadelphia, which hosted Francis last year at the Catholic Church’s big family rally, was passed over again. Philadelphia is headed by the conservative Archbishop Charles Chaput, who has insisted on traditional church doctrine on issues such as whether civilly remarried couples can receive Communion — areas where Francis has sought greater flexibility.

“It’s a clear message to the United States Catholic bishops about the kind of church Francis has in mind,” Faggioli said.

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GUAM
Pacific Daily News

Haidee V Eugenio , Pacific Daily News October 9, 2016

Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai’s decision to reassign priests to new positions within the villages and within the Archdiocese of Agana leadership doesn’t sit well with at least one priest.

Father Adrian Cristobal, who was reassigned as pastor of San Dionisio Church in Umatac after years of being pastor of San Vicente Ferrer Catholic Church in Barrigada, wrote an Oct. 4 letter to parishioners, stating Hon’s announcement came as a shock and surprise to him.

“Canon law grants to pastors the right to due process with regards to their transfer or removal from office. Archbishop Hon did not afford me the right to due process. Therefore, I am in communication with him and have respectfully requested that this matter be resolved in a conciliatory and judicious manner,” Cristobal said.

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VATICAN CITY
National Catholic Register

BY EDWARD PENTIN 10/09/2016

At the end of today’s Angelus, Pope Francis announced he will hold a consistory on Nov. 19 to create 17 new cardinals.

Among those to be elevated to the College of Cardinals include three Americans: Archbishop Blase Cupich of Chicago, Bishop Kevin Joseph Farrell, prefect of the new dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life, and Archbishop Joseph William Tobin of Indianapolis.

Other recipients of the red hat will be the current apostolic nuncio to Syria, Italian Archbishop Mario Zenari, and nine archbishops and bishops from the southern hemisphere. Thirteen will be eligible to vote in the next conclave (under 80 years of age), taking the total number of cardinal electors to 121. …

Notable eligible prelates omitted at the upcoming consistory include those from a number of sees that have traditionally been cardinalatial. In the U.S. these include Los Angeles and Philadelphia, headed respectively by Archbishops Jose Gomez and Charles Chaput. Instead, Pope Francis has chosen prelates whose views are closer to his, and in particular those who have been publicly and clearly supportive of his interpretation of his post-synodal apostolic exhortation, Amoris Laetitia.

In Italy, the patriarchate of Venice and the archdioceses of Turin and Bologna are among traditional cardinalatial sees that continue to be without a cardinal, part of the reason being the Pope’s preference to choose new cardinals from the southern hemisphere where the faith is growing fastest, and those serving on the peripheries.

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UNITED STATES
Breitbart

Pope Francis announced his choices for new Catholic cardinals Sunday, promoting a number of well-known progressives while snubbing conservatives who were up for the job.
In all, the Pope named 17 new cardinals, including 13 who are under 80 years old and therefore eligible to participate in the conclave electing the next pope.

Notably, in his selection for cardinals from among the United States bishops, Francis named the recently appointed archbishop of Chicago, Blaise Cupich, a man with impeccable liberal credentials. He also broke with protocol by choosing Archbishop William Tobin of Indianapolis, a relatively small archdiocese never before considered important enough to have a cardinal at its helm.

On the other hand, the Pope passed over the conservative archbishops of Philadelphia, Detroit and Los Angeles—Charles Chaput, Allen Vigneron and José Gómez, respectively—despite the fact that their three important archdioceses have in recent memory always been considered “cardinalatial sees.”

Archbishop Chaput was responsible for bringing Pope Francis to the United States in September 2015, hosting the pontiff for the World Meeting of Families.

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CHICAGO (IL)
Chicago Tribune

Chicago Tribune staff

Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich was awarded one of the Roman Catholic Church’s most prestigious titles next to the papacy when Pope Francis announced Sunday in St. Peter’s Square that he will elevate Chicago’s church leader to the rank of cardinal.

Cupich will receive his red hat in Rome on Nov. 19, the day before the church’s Year of Mercy ends. The elevation means he will have a vote in future papal elections.

Pope Francis elevated Cupich and 16 other churchmen to the rank of cardinal, including two others from the U.S. — Indianapolis Archbishop Joseph W. Tobin and Dallas Bishop Kevin Farrell.

Though this is the first time Francis has named American cardinals, it was no surprise to some that Cupich’s name was on the list unveiled Sunday. Chicago’s last six archbishops were named cardinals, and Cupich’s star has been on the rise since he leaped to the third-largest U.S. archdiocese from the diocese of Spokane, Wash., two years ago.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
NBC 10

[with video]

Pope Francis on Sunday named more than a dozen new cardinals, and although Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput was believed to be on the short list, he was not among those named.

Three Americans were among those named. Pope Francis looked to the American Midwest when picking his first, choosing Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich and Indianapolis, Indiana Archbishop Joseph Tobin. Both will become cardinals at a Nov. 19 ceremony in Rome. …

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia released a short statement Sunday after learning Chaput would not become a cardinal.

“The Archdiocese of Philadelphia sends congratulations and prayerful best wishes to all those whom Pope Francis has named for elevation to the Cardinalate,” the statement read. “May God grant them strength and wisdom as they prepare to accept this new role in service to the Universal Church.”

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CHICAGO (IL)
Daily Herald

AP

CHICAGO — Roman Catholic Archbishop Blase Cupich says his elevation to cardinal of Chicago’s archdiocese is both humbling and encouraging.

Pope Francis named 17 new cardinals Sunday, including Cupich and Indianapolis Archbishop Joseph Tobin.

In a statement, Cupich said when he was appointed archbishop two years ago, he committed wholeheartedly to serve the people of Chicago.

Cupich says the role of cardinal brings new responsibilities, but he will continue to work on renewing the church and “preparing it to thrive in the decades ahead.”

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DALLAS (TX)
WFAA

Landon Haaf, WFAA October 09, 2016

DALLAS – Three days after departing for Rome from his position with the Catholic Diocese of Dallas, Archbishop Kevin Farrell has been designated for one of the most prestigious titles next to the papacy — cardinal.

Farrell, who served as the Bishop of the Diocese of Dallas from 2007 until Oct. 6 of this year, will be one of 17 new cardinals appointed by Pope Francis.

The new cardinals will be created in the next consistory on Nov. 19.

“I am humbled by the news this morning that our Holy Father Pope Francis has named me to the College of Cardinals,” Farrell said from Rome, according to a release from the Diocese of Dallas. “I ask all in the Diocese of Dallas to please pray for me that I may to the best of my ability fulfill this sacred duty to our Church.”

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UNITED STATES
Indianapolis Business Journal

October 9, 2016
Associated Press

Pope Francis looked to the American Midwest when picking his first U.S. cardinals.

The Vatican announced Sunday that Indianapolis Archbishop Joseph Tobin and Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich will become cardinals in a Rome ceremony Nov. 19. …

Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett issued a statement Sunday congratulating Tobin.

“Our city has been blessed by both his spiritual and civic leadership, and I look forward to working with Cardinal Tobin and the Catholic Church as we seek to end poverty and inequality here in Indianapolis,” Hogsett said.

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VATICAN CITY
America

Gerard O’Connell | Oct 9 2016

Pope Francis will create 17 cardinals from 14 countries on Nov 19, including 13 electors from 11 countries. Three of the electors are from the United States: Blase Cupich (Chicago), Kevin Farrell (formerly of Dallas and now prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life) and Joseph Tobin (Indianapolis).

In a surprise move, expressing again his concern for the people in “the beloved and martyred Syria,” Francis will give the red hat to the Italian born nuncio to that country, Archbishop Mario Zenari, whom he said will remain at his post there. He is the only new Italian added to the college of electors with a right to vote in a conclave.

Five of the new cardinals are from Europe but only three are electors (that is under the age of 80 with the right to vote in a conclave): Carlos Osoro Sierra, the archbishop of Madrid (Spain), Jozef De Kesel, archbishop of Malines-Bruxelles (Belgium), and Archbishop Zenari, the nuncio in Syria. The other two are not electors as they are over the age of 80: Msgr. Renato Corti, archbishop emeritus of Novara (Italy) and Father Ernest Simoni, a priest of the archdiocese of Shkodrë-Pult in Albania, who spoke during the pope’s visit to Tirana.

Three are Latin Americans (including Mexico): Sérgio da Rocha, archbishop of Brasilia (Brasil), Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo, archbishop of Mérida (Venezuela), Carlos Aguiar Retes, archbishop of Tlalnepantla (Mexico).

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UNITED STATES
Washington Post

By Sarah Pulliam Bailey October 9

Pope Francis has named new members of the Catholic Church’s elite College of Cardinals, the group of church leaders who elect a new pope and tend to be his closest advisers.

Of Francis’s 17 new cardinals, the highest-ranking officials in the Catholic Church after the pope, three are Americans: Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich, Indianapolis Archbishop Joseph Tobin and Kevin Farrell, the outgoing bishop of Dallas.

Tobin made headlines last year when he openly defied Indiana Gov. Mike Pence’s decision to try to block Syrian refugees from the state. After the 2015 attacks in Paris, Pence joined dozens of governors in objecting to the federal government’s program to resettle refugees from Syria in the Unites States, citing security risks. The governors were met with open challenges from bishops, including Tobin.

Francis’s choice of cardinals reflects his emphasis on the global church. The bulk of the new cardinals come from outside Europe, with Francis choosing cardinals from Africa, Asia, South America and Oceania. The one Italian elector was named is Francis’s ambassador to Syria, Cardinal-elect Mario Zenari.

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VATICAN CITY
Daily Mail (UK)

By ARIEL ZILBER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM and ASSOCIATED PRESS

Three Americans are among the crop of 17 new cardinals appointed by Pope Francis on Sunday.

The Vatican announced the latest round of appointments to the College of Cardinals, the most noteworthy of whom are Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich, Indianapolis Archbishop Joseph Tobin, and Dallas’ outgoing bishop, Kevin Farrell.

Thirteen of the 17 cardinals named by Francis on Sunday are under the age of 80, meaning that they are eligible to vote for the next pope, according to the Associated Press.

Cupich’s elevation makes this the seventh time that a Chicago archbishop has been named to the College of Cardinals, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The Omaha, Nebraska, native, who came to Chicago just two years ago after he headed the diocese of Spokane, Washington, is widely perceived as a moderate cleric in the same vein as Francis.

The pope has struck a more conciliatory tone toward groups that have long been marginalized by the Catholic Church, including homosexuals and the poor.

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DALLAS (TX)
Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas

Pope Francis at the end of his Angelus on Sunday announced the creation of 17 new Cardinals. A consistory will be held on the 19 of November, the eve of the closing of the Jubilee of Mercy.

13 of the new Cardinals will be under 80 years and will be eligible to vote in a conclave.

The Holy Father said that the those chosen come from five continents. They include three American Archbishops and Archbishops from Mauritius and Bangladesh.

Below find the list of new Cardinals

Archbishop Mario Zenari, Italy
Archbishop Dieudonné Nzapalainga, Central African Republic
Archbishop Carlos Osoro Sierra, Spain
Archbishop Sérgio da Rocha, Brazil
Archbishop Blase J. Cupich, U.S.A.
Archbishop Patrick D’Rozario, Bangladesh
Archbishop Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo, Venezuela
Archbishop Jozef De Kesel, Belgium
Archbishop Maurice Piat, Mauritius
Archbishop Kevin Joseph Farrell, U.S.A.
Archbishop Carlos Aguiar Retes, Mexico
Archbishop John Ribat, Papua Nuova Guinea
Archbishop Mons. Joseph William Tobin U.S.A.
Archbishop Anthony Soter Fernandez, Archbishop Emeritus of Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
Archbishop Renato Corti, Archbishop Emeritus of Novara Italy
Archbishop Sebastian Koto Khoarai, Bishop Emeritus of Mohale’s Hoek Lesotho
Father Ernest Simoni, presbytery of the Archdiocese of Shkodrë-Pult, Scutari – Albania.

—————————————————-

El Papa anuncia un Consistorio para la creación de nuevos Cardenales

El domingo 9 de octubre, al finalizar la celebración de la Eucaristía, y después de la oración del Ángelus en el marco del Jubileo Mariano en Roma, el Sucesor de Pedro anunció un Consistorio para la creación de nuevos Cardenales provenientes de los cinco continentes, el próximo 19 de noviembre, en la vigilia del cierre de la Puerta Santa de la Misericordia. El domingo 20 de noviembre, en la Solemnidad de Jesucristo Rey del Universo y conclusión del Año Santo Extraordinario de la Misericordia, el Papa Francisco concelebrará la Santa con los nuevos Cardenales, el Colegio de Cardenales, Arzobispos, Obispos y Presbíteros.

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DALLAS (TX)
Dallas Morning News

Caleb Downs, Breaking News reporter

Pope Francis named former Dallas Bishop Kevin Farrell a cardinal Sunday at the end of his Angelus prayer on Sunday at the Vatican.

Farrell and 16 other newly-chosen cardinals–including American archbishops Blaise Cupich of Chicago and Joseph Tobin of Indianapolis–will be elevated at a consistory on Nov. 19, the eve of the close to Pope Francis’ Holy Year of Mercy.

Farrell, 69, will be eligible to vote in a conclave to elect Pope Francis’ successor because he is under 80-years-old.

Farrell was recently chosen by Pope Francis to lead the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life, a new Vatican department focused on the lives of ordinary Catholics around the world. It is part of the Roman Curia, an administrative body that advises and helps the pope carry out the church’s affairs worldwide.

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GUAM
Pacific Daily News

Bill Pesch October 9, 2016

The question circulating around the island is “Will the Archdiocese of Agana go bankrupt?” This inquiry is in reaction to the recent passage of Public Law 33-187. The new law completely eliminates the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse. Prior to the law’s passage, several people accused Guam priests of molesting them or their relatives.

Everyone is now wondering, how many more accusers will come forward? If the experiences of other cities and states are any indication, we can expect those numbers to increase significantly. For example, when an investigation in Boston began, up to 20 priests were suspected of molesting children. By the time the investigation concluded, 249 priests stood accused.

Assuming that the Guam accusers make it past some initial legal hurdles, the potential damages could be substantial. Boston paid out $85 million to the 552 victims. The 508 victims in Los Angeles, California shared $660 million, while San Diego paid out $198 million to 144 plaintiffs.

What can Guam expect?

In his Sept. 15, 2016, letter to all Guam Catholic parishioners, Archbishop Hon speculated that “the result will very likely be to drive the Archdiocese into bankruptcy. Bankruptcy will mean the forced sale of Church properties that currently house our schools and social services …” My research indicates that this probably won’t occur.

First, let’s get the terminology straight. “Bankruptcy” is a legal process controlled exclusively by the federal courts. Either an individual or business may apply for bankruptcy. A diocese is considered a business. There are two types of business bankruptcy procedures — Chapter 7 and Chapter 11. A Chapter 7 filing is used by a business with no hope of staying in operation. A trustee is appointed by the court to take possession of all assets and to distribute them among the creditors. The business then shuts down forever. None of the 13 U.S. dioceses that have filed for bankruptcy has filed under Chapter 7.

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VATICAN CITY
National Catholic Reporter

Joshua J. McElwee | Oct. 9, 2016

ROME
Pope Francis has again chosen to diversify representation in the most select body of Roman Catholic prelates, announcing Sunday that he will be creating 17 new cardinals from 11 different countries — with many coming from places never before included in the elite group.

Among those Francis has chosen for the role are also three U.S. bishops: Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich, Indianapolis Archbishop Joseph Tobin, and the newly appointed Vatican official Bishop Kevin Farrell.

Francis made the announcement of the new cardinals, expected in recent weeks, during his weekly Sunday address following the noon-time Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square.

Cardinals, sometimes known as the “princes of the church” and for their red vestments, are usually senior Catholic prelates who serve either as archbishops in the world’s largest dioceses or in the Vatican’s central bureaucracy. Their principal role is to gather in secret conclave after the death or resignation of a pope to elect his successor.

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CHICAGO (IL)
NBC Chicago

By Mary Ann Ahern

Pope Francis has named Archbishop Blase Cupich a cardinal, one of three Americans and 17 new cardinals in all.

Cupich has led the Chicago Archdiocese, the third largest in the United States, since September 2014. He will be the 7th Cardinal from Chicago.

The 67-year-old native of Omaha is leading the Chicago Archdiocese through a current reorganization. In July he was chosen as a member of the Congregation of Bishops, an important bishop-making panel.

Forty percent of the population is believed to be Catholic. The Chicago Archdiocese is in the midst of a radical overhaul, with the number of priests dwindling and as many as 100 churches potentially closing over the next 14 years.

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CHICAGO (IL)
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago

October 9,2016

His Holiness, Pope Francis, announced today at the Vatican that Archbishop Blase J. Cupich is a cardinal-designate and will be among the 17 new cardinals to be created at the consistory November 19, 2016, at the Basilica of St. Peter in Vatican City. Archbishop Cupich was appointed to head the Chicago archdiocese, the nation’s third largest, by Pope Francis on September 20, 2014.

“The news this morning that Pope Francis has named me to the College of Cardinals is both humbling and encouraging,” said Blase J. Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago. “I offer my best wishes to the other Cardinals-elect, especially Kevin Farrell and Joseph Tobin, and I look forward to joining with them and the other cardinals as we work together with the Holy Father for the good of the Church.”

“When Pope Francis appointed me Archbishop of Chicago more than two years ago, the people of the archdiocese welcomed me as a friend and brother and I committed wholeheartedly to serve them,” said Archbishop Cupich. “The role of Cardinal brings new responsibilities, but with your prayers and help, we will continue the task we have begun of renewing the Church in the archdiocese and preparing it to thrive in the decades ahead.”

About Archbishop Cupich:

Archbishop Blase Joseph Cupich was born on March 19, 1949, in Omaha, Nebraska, to Blase and Mary (Mayhan) Cupich. He is the third of nine children, with five sisters and three brothers.

Archbishop Cupich was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Omaha on August 16, 1975. He was pastor of two large suburban parishes in Omaha. He was appointed Bishop of Rapid City, South Dakota, on July 7, 1998, and was ordained and installed on September 21, 1998. He was appointed the sixth Bishop of Spokane, Washington, on June 30, 2010, and officially installed on September 3, 2010. Archbishop Cupich was appointed Archbishop of Chicago on September 20, 2014, and was installed as the ninth Archbishop of Chicago on Tuesday, November 18, 2014.

Archbishop Cupich obtained his B.A. in Philosophy from the College of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1971. He attended seminary at the North American College and Gregorian University in Rome, where he received his Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology in 1974, and his M.A. in Theology in 1975. Archbishop Cupich is a graduate of the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where, in 1979, he received his Licentiate of Sacred Theology degree in Sacramental Theology. He also holds a Doctor of Sacred Theology degree as well as in Sacramental Theology, from the Catholic University of America, awarded in 1987, with his dissertation entitled: “Advent in the Roman Tradition: An Examination and Comparison of the Lectionary Readings as Hermeneutical Units in Three Periods.”

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CHICAGO (IL)
WLS

By Alan Krashesky

CHICAGO (WLS) — Archbishop Blase Cupich will be elevated to cardinal in a ceremony in Rome next month. Sunday morning, Pope Francis announced that he’ll name 17 new cardinals as part of a consistory on Nov. 19.

Archbishop Cupich will be the city’s seventh Roman Catholic cardinal and has long been seen as a lock for a red hat. From the moment Pope Francis personally chose him to lead Chicago’s archdiocese, Archbishop Cupich faced questions about when he’d be named cardinal. When he drove across Washington State with Alan Krashesky, he said he wasn’t thinking about it.

Krashesky: There’s a likelihood you’ll become a cardinal, do you think about it?
Cupich: I really don’t. First of all, this pope is full of surprises.

In a statement released Sunday morning, Cupich said being elevated to cardinal is “both humbling and encouraging.”

“The role of cardinal brings new responsibilities, but with your prayers and help, we will continue the task we have begun of renewing the Church in the archdiocese and preparing it to thrive in the decades ahead,” Cupich said in the statement.

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VATICAN CITY
Crux

Pope Francis announced a consistory for the creation of new cardinals on Nov. 19, and this time around there are three Americans: Blase Cupich of Chicago, Joseph Tobin of Indianapolis, and Kevin Farrell of Dallas, who was just named to head the pope’s new department on Family, Laity and Life.

After not having named any new American cardinals during his first two consistories in 2014 and 2015, Pope Francis has more than made up for it this time around, announcing a consistory for Nov. 19 and including Archbishops Blase Cupich of Chicago and Joseph Tobin of Indianapolis, as well as former Dallas Bishop Kevin Farrell.

Farrell was recently named by Francis as the first-ever head of his department for Family, Laity and Life.

The choices will be seen in the United States as significantly strengthening the moderate wing of the country’s hierarchy, as all three figures have at times been at odds with more conservative elements of the Church.

Cupich, 67, was appointed by Francis to Chicago in September 2014, in what many saw as a surprise move by the pontiff. He was also appointed by the pope to be a special delegate at his Synod of Bishops on the family, where Cupich appeared to align himself with the more progressive camp on issues such as pastoral care of the LGBT community and also divorced and remarried Catholics.

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VATICAN CITY
NBC Los Angeles

By Nicole Winfield

Pope Francis named 17 new cardinals Sunday — 13 of them under age 80 and thus eligible to vote in a conclave to elect his successor. Three of the new cardinals are Americans, including leading U.S. moderate Chicago Archbishop Blaise Cupich and Indianapolis Archbishop Joseph Tobin.

As is Francis’ tradition, the new cardinals hail from some of the most far-away and peripheral corners of the globe, with Africa, Asia, South America and Oceania getting far more representation than Europe, which has long dominated the College of Cardinals.

New to the club of the “princes” of the church are bishops from Bangui, Central African Republic; Port Louis, Mauritius and Tlalnepantla, Mexico.

Significantly only one Italian elector was named: Francis’ ambassador to “the beloved and martyred Syria,” Cardinal-elect Mario Zenari.

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VATICAN CITY
Headlines from the Catholic World

Vatican City, Oct 9, 2016 / 04:39 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Sunday Pope Francis announced that he will hold a consistory of cardinals on the Nov. 19 vigil of the close of the Jubilee of Mercy, during which he will elevate 13 bishops to the cardinalate – including three Americans.

“Dear brothers and sisters I am happy to announce that Saturday, Nov. 19 at the vigil for the closing of the Holy Door of mercy, a consistory will take place for the nomination of 13 cardinals from 5 continents,” the Pope said Oct. 9.

“The fact that they come from 11 nations expresses the universality of the Church, which announces and bears witness to the good news of the mercy of God in every corner of the earth.”
Opened Dec. 8, 2015 – the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception – the Jubilee is set to close Nov. 20, with the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.

Among the 13 new cardinal-elects are three Americans: Archbishop Blasé Cupich of Chicago, Archbishop Joseph Tobin of Indianapolis and Bishop Kevin Farrell, prefect of the new Congregation for Laity, Family and Life.

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VATICAN CITY
Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Just after the Pope’s announcement on Sunday of a consistory to create 17 new Cardinals, Vatican Radio spoke to Archbishop Maurice Piat of Port-Louis on the island of Mauritius to get his reaction.

Archbishop Piat said that he was, “very thankful to Pope Francis for having called me to such a responsibility. I am very touched by the trust he puts in me which is far from being deserved. I am at his disposal for whatever service he will ask of me…”

The consistory for the creation of 17 new Cardinals will take place on the 19th of November.

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VATICAN CITY
Crux

John L. Allen Jr. October 9, 2016
EDITOR

By naming Blase Cupich of Chicago, Joseph Tobin of Indianapolis and Kevin Farrell, formerly of Dallas, as cardinals, Pope Francis has moved the senior leadership of the American Catholic Church to a centrist, non-cultural warrior stance reminiscent of the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin’s “seamless garment.”

Pope Francis on Sunday engineered what may prove to be a seismic shift in the Catholic hierarchy in the United States, elevating not one or two, but a full three new American cardinals seen as belonging to the centrist, non-cultural warrior wing of the country’s hierarchy.

The pontiff announced a consistory, the event in which new members are inducted into the Church’s most exclusive club, for Nov. 19, coinciding with the end of his special jubilee Holy Year of Mercy.

The list includes 13 new cardinal-electors, meaning those under 80 and eligible to vote for the next pope, and features three Americans after Francis bypassed the U.S. in both 2014 and 2015.
The three Americans are Archbishops Blase Cupich of Chicago and Joseph Tobin of Indianapolis, as well as Bishop Kevin Farrell of Dallas, recently chosen by Francis to head his new “dicastery,” meaning a Vatican department, on Family, Laity and Life.

Of the three, Cupich and Farrell were quasi-expected, although one never knows with the unpredictable Francis. Chicago is an archdiocese that’s long been held by a cardinal, and Farrell’s new Vatican post seemed to beckon a cardinal at the top.

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VATICAN CITY
Chicago Sun-Times

VATICAN CITY — Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich was among 17 new cardinals named Sunday by Pope Francis.

Thirteen of the new cardinals are under age 80 and thus eligible to vote in a conclave to elect his successor. Three of the new cardinals are Americans, including leading U.S. moderate Cupich and Indianapolis Archbishop Joseph Tobin.

As is Francis’ tradition, the new cardinals hail from some of the most far-away and peripheral corners of the globe, with Africa, Asia, South America and Oceania getting far more representation than Europe, which has long dominated the College of Cardinals.

New to the club of the “princes” of the church are bishops from Bangui, Central African Republic; Port Louis, Mauritius and Tlalnepantla, Mexico.

Significantly only one Italian elector was named: Francis’ ambassador to “the beloved and martyred Syria,” Cardinal-elect Mario Zenari.

Francis said the 17 would be elevated at a consistory on Nov. 19, on the eve of the close to his Holy Year of Mercy.

Of the new cardinals, Cupich is very much a pastor in Francis’ likeness, emphasizing the merciful and welcoming side of the church — somewhat to the dismay of U.S. conservative Catholics. His nomination as Chicago archbishop was Francis’ first major U.S. appointment and he was a papal appointee at the pope’s big family synod last year.

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VATICAN CITY
Wall Street Journal

By FRANCIS X. ROCCA
Updated Oct. 9, 2016

Pope Francis will create 17 new cardinals next month, including three from the U.S. and a number from the developing world, a move that reflects his goal of rebalancing the college of cardinals toward regions where Catholicism is growing fastest, as well as his preference for liberals over conservatives.

The new U.S. cardinals include the archbishops of Chicago and Indianapolis and a former bishop of Dallas. The pope will also elevate to cardinal the Vatican’s envoy to Syria.

With this batch of cardinals, Pope Francis will have nominated more than a third of the men whose most important task is the election of a new pope. Of the 17 new cardinals named, 13 will qualify as electors.

Pope Francis made the announcement Sunday to a crowd in St. Peter’s Square, saying he would elevate the men to the rank of cardinal at a ceremony on Nov. 19.

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VATICAN CITY
news.va

2016-10-09 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis at the end of his Angelus on Sunday announced the creation of 17 new Cardinals. A consistory will be held on the 19 of November, the eve of the closing of the Jubilee of Mercy.

13 of the new Cardinals will be under 80 years and will be eligible to vote in a conclave.

The Holy Father said that the those chosen come from five continents. They include three American Archbishops and Archbishops from Mauritius and Bangladesh.

Below find the list of new Cardinals

Archbishop Mario Zenari, Italy
Archbishop Dieudonné Nzapalainga, Central African Republic
Archbishop Carlos Osoro Sierra, Spain
Archbishop Sérgio da Rocha, Brazil
Archbishop Blase J. Cupich, U.S.A.
Archbishop Patrick D’Rozario, Bangladesh
Archbishop Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo, Venezuela
Archbishop Jozef De Kesel, Belgium
Archbishop Maurice Piat, Mauritius
Archbishop Kevin Joseph Farrell, U.S.A.
Archbishop Carlos Aguiar Retes, Mexico
Archbishop John Ribat, Papua Nuova Guinea
Archbishop Mons. Joseph William Tobin U.S.A.
Archbishop Anthony Soter Fernandez, Archbishop Emeritus of Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
Archbishop Renato Corti, Archbishop Emeritus of Novara Italy
Archbishop Sebastian Koto Khoarai, Bishop Emeritus of Mohale’s Hoek Lesotho
Father Ernest Simoni, presbytery of the Archdiocese of Shkodrë-Pult, Scutari – Albania.

(from Vatican Radio)

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VATICAN CITY
Reuters

Pope Francis said on Sunday he would elevate 17 Roman Catholic prelates to the high rank of cardinal, including 13 who are under 80 years old and thus eligible to enter a conclave that will one day choose his successor.

Cardinals are the most senior members of the Roman Catholic hierarchy after the pope. Each time a pope names new cardinals he puts his stamp on the future of the 1.2-billion-member global church.

Francis, making the surprise announcement during his weekly Sunday address, said the men came from five continents and that the ceremony to elevate them, known as a consistory, would be held on Nov. 19.

It is the third time Francis has appointed new cardinals since his election in 2013 as the first non-European pontiff in 1,300 years.

The new cardinal-electors, those under 80, come from Italy, the Central African Republic, Spain, the United States, Brazil, Bangladesh, Venezuela, Belgium, Mauritius, Mexico and Papua New Guinea.

Three are from the United States: Archbishop Blase Cupich of Chicago, Archbishop William Tobin of Indianapolis and Bishop Kevin Farrell of Dallas, who was recently appointed to head a new Vatican department on family and life issues.

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GUAM
Pacific Daily News

Haidee V Eugenio, Pacific Daily News October 9, 2016

Guam Archbishop Anthony Sablan Apuron, 70, is one of 84 bishops worldwide who have been accused publicly of sexual wrongdoing, according to BishopAccountability.org, a group tracking public records involving bishops.

Apuron has been publicly accused of raping two altar boys and sexually abusing two others in the 1970s when he was the parish priest at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Agat.

To date, just four accused bishops worldwide have been laicized, according to the website. Laicization, in the canon law of the Catholic Church, is the removal of a bishop, priest or deacon from the status of being a member of the clergy. The term corresponds closely in meaning to defrocking, which the Concerned Catholics of Guam wants to happen to Apuron.

The Vatican is preparing for the canonical trial of Apuron, said Rev. Jeff San Nicolas, delegate of the Archdiocese of Agana’s temporary apostolic administrator.

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ISRAEL
Magen Protects

Posted on September 27, 2016

Magen is proud to introduce a primer for Rabbis, in Hebrew and English, intended to share with them the current research-based understanding of sexual abuse.

This primer was inspired by Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach ztz”l, who had an ongoing relationship with Professor Zev Lev, who earned his PhD in physics at Columbia University. Professor Lev describes that the he taught the fundamentals of electricity to Rav Auerbach and Rav Auerbach taught him Gemara and halacha. The Rav’s extensive formulation of Halachic aspects of electricity was based on a solid understanding that he learned from an expert.

While this primer is NOT a substitute for a consultation with a professional, Rabbis should have the benefit of the tremendous amount of research-based knowledge that exists regarding sexual abuse when making decisions. The information is divided into four sections: general information about child sexual abuse, information about perpetrators, information about victims, and recommendations. It should be considered a brief summary of some salient points- to be used as a starting point when seeking professional guidance from a mental health professional and/or law enforcement.

Please feel free to print the primer or send this link to your Rabbi! We would love to hear feedback about which Rabbis have received the primer. Shana Tova!

For English Primer For Rabbis on Child Sexual Abuse

בעברית סיכום לרבנים בנושא התעללות מינית בילדים

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UNITED STATES
The Open Tabernacle: Here Comes Everybody

Posted on October 9, 2016 by Betty Clermont

Pope Francis formed an alliance with Vladimir Putin, an accommodation with Raul Castro and capitulated to Xi Jinping.

On Aug. 26, the pope announced his intentions for the 50th World Day of Peace to be celebrated on Jan. 1, 2017. He included “recognition of the primacy of diplomacy,” acting “within what is possible,” and having “a realistic political method.”

Two days earlier, the pontiff’s chosen Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, “remarked that it is ‘the simplicity and courage with which the pope proposes the primacy of dialogue and understanding’ that has sparked in many religious and political leaders ‘the desire to communicate with him and to get to know the actions of the Holy See and the Catholic Church worldwide better.’” Parolin is so confident that other world leaders admire Pope Francis’ “negotiations and dialogue rather than affirming truth” that he is considering creating an Office for Papal Mediation.

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PENNSYLVANIA
We Are Central PA

[with video]

New Paris, Bedford County, Pa.

The 35 year old youth pastor at Faith Brethren Bible Church has been arrested and charged with statutory sexual assault.

Wesley Blackburn was turned in by the senior pastor at the church, Jim Espenshade, after receiving a call from Blackburn’s wife. After Espenshade found out about the alleged relations, he knew what he had to do. He said, “I was going to protect this young lady, I was going to protect the rest of the youth group. I was going to help this family pick up its pieces. There was no other course I was going to take.”

The investigation is ongoing and Bedford County District Attorney Bill Higgins said the church handled this correctly. Higgins said, “Everybody acted appropriately as soon as the information was found out. The church acted appropriately and has been cooperative with the investigation. There is no indication that anybody knew about it other that the two people involved. As soon as it was discovered it was immediately reported to the authorities who took prompt action.”

On why he acted quickly he explained, “Listen, I have a 14-year-old granddaughter. I didn’t need any other information at that point.”

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CHILE
Bio Bio

[Laity of Osorno protested against Bishop Juan Barros at a confirmation ceremony.]

Publicado por
Maximiliano Ortiz

La Información es de
Paulo Díaz

Durante la tarde de este viernes nuevamente se registró una manifestación por parte de integrantes de la Organización de Laicos y Laicas de Osorno en contra del actual obispo de la Diócesis de la ciudad, Juan Barros, en el contexto de su participación en la confirmación de estudiantes de un destacado establecimiento educacional de la ciudad.

Además de expresar su descontento por la presencia de Barros, dirigentes de la agrupación reiteraron sus acusaciones en contra de Cancillería y el embajador de Chile en el Vaticano, lo cual se da tras las especulaciones de una posible visita del Papa a Chile.

Mario Vargas, vocero de la agrupación, aseguró que hace más de un año y medio que no han recibido un pronunciamiento oficial por parte de la Conferencia episcopal, así como del comité permanente respecto a la situación y ambiente del que es victima la comunidad Laica en Osorno.

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