ABUSE TRACKER

NEW YORK
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York

ARCHDIOCESE OF NEW YORK

INDEPENDENT RECONCILIATION AND COMPENSATION PROGRAM (“IRCP”)
COMPENSATION OF CERTAIN INDIVIDUAL CLAIMS OF CLERGY SEXUAL ABUSE

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (“FAQs”)

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

OCTOBER 6, 2016

I. FAQs Pertaining to the Terms and Conditions of the Independent
Reconciliation and Compensation Program (“IRCP”) Protocol.

1. What Is The Independent Reconciliation And Compensation Program?

The Reconciliation and Compensation Program is an independent settlement program administered by Kenneth R. Feinberg, a highly regarded mediator. The goal of the Program is to resolve sexual abuse claims brought to the attention of the Archdiocese by individual claimants during past years which have not been resolved. The Administrators of the Program have complete autonomy to determine eligibility of individual claims and the amount of compensation for victims that come forward with a claim. The Program will be monitored and advised by an Independent Oversight Committee comprised of former Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, Judge Loretta Preska and Dr. Jeanette Cueva who will oversee implementation and administration of the IRCP. Commissioner Kelly serves as Chair of the Independent Oversight Committee. The Committee has no authority to modify or reject any individual claim determinations governing eligibility and compensation rendered by the Independent Administrators or to act as an appeal board for any claimant.

2. Who May File A Claim?

To be eligible to file a claim with the Program, the claimant must have previously notified the Archdiocese alleging sexual abuse of a minor by clergy of the Archdiocese. A claim may be made only against a priest or deacon of the Archdiocese of New York and no other diocese or religious order. You may also register for Phase II of the Program. See No. 9 below

3. Will Filing A Claim Cost Money?

No. There is no fee associated with filing a claim with the Program. You may, however, incur fees from professionals such as lawyers, should you choose to engage their services. The Program will not pay for or reimburse you for such fees. However, it will provide you a lawyer free of charge, if you so request, for the purpose of explaining to you the nature of the release an eligible individual claimant must sign in return for receiving Program compensation.

4. What Proof Will I Have To Submit To Receive Compensation From The Program?

In this initial phase, you must have previously notified the Archdiocese of an allegation of such abuse. In addition, you will be required to submit documentation to show evidence of the nature, frequency, location and time of the alleged sexual abuse.

5. What Happens After A Claim Is Filed?

Once your Claim Form and supporting documentation are received, the Administrators will process your claim promptly. You will receive written notice by mail or by email of the receipt of your claim. Claims are reviewed by the Administrators on a rolling basis. Upon completion of the review of your claim by the Administrators, you will either be notified of the determination of your claim, or notification of deficiencies in documentation and requests for additional documentation, if necessary.

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

NEW YORK
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York

ARCHDIOCESE OF NEW YORK

INDEPENDENT RECONCILIATION AND COMPENSATION PROGRAM (“IRCP”) ADDRESSING CLAIMS OF CLERGY SEXUAL ABUSE OF MINORS

October 6, 2016

PROTOCOL

FOR

Compensation of Certain Individual Claims of Clergy Sexual Abuse of Minors
Previously Submitted to the Archdiocese of New York

I. PURPOSE

This Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program (the “IRCP”) follows in the wake of initiatives already implemented by the Archdiocese of New York (the “Archdiocese”) to address the problem of sexual abuse of minors alleged against clergy of the Archdiocese The IRCP is a new program designed to compensate eligible victims of abuse[1].

During past years, the Archdiocese has received various individual complaints alleging sexual abuse by clergy of the Archdiocese. This Protocol outlines the eligibility criteria requirements and the process for these individuals to submit and resolve claims alleging such sexual abuse. This Protocol governs only those individual claims previously submitted to the Archdiocese and will be considered Phase I of a two-phase Program.

The effective date of this Phase I Protocol is October 6, 2016. Additional claims alleging similar abuse not previously reported shall be considered during Phase II of this Program, commencing on or about February 1, 2017. Individuals who wish to participate in Phase II may immediately register with the Administrators on the Program website by providing their names, contact information and a summary description of the nature of the claim, including the dates, time, location of the alleged abuse and name of the alleged perpetrator. Such information will be maintained in strict confidence in conjunction with Phase II of this Program except that it will be forwarded to the local office of the District Attorney by the registrant and the Archdiocese for initial review of the allegations. In addition, the Archdiocese will have the matter investigated by outside investigators and examined by the Archdiocese Lay Review Board. If requested, individuals who register for Phase II will be sent information regarding the Phase II process when it becomes available.

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NEW YORK
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York

The Archdiocese of New York today announced another step in its efforts to respond to the scourge of sexual abuse of minors by clergy with the establishment of a voluntary Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program (IRCP) that will seek to promote healing and bring closure by providing compensation to victim-survivors of abuse by priests or deacons of the archdiocese.

The program, to be administered by the renowned mediator Mr. Kenneth Feinberg, was put into place by Timothy Cardinal Dolan, the Archbishop of New York. The archdiocese has already begun reaching out to those victim-survivors who have previously notified the archdiocese that they had suffered abuse by a member of the clergy of the archdiocese in order to invite them to participate in the program. Mr. Feinberg and his colleague, Ms. Camille Biros, will have complete autonomy in deciding compensation for victim-survivors, and the archdiocese has agreed that it will abide by their decisions.

Former Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska, and Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University Jeanette Cueva, M.D., an expert in child psychiatry, have agreed to serve as an Independent Oversight Committee, to oversee the implementation and administration of the IRCP. Commissioner Kelly, Judge Preska, and Dr. Cueva have reviewed and approved the Protocol of the IRCP, and they will continue to oversee the implementation and administration of the program, although the decisions reached by Mr. Feinberg and Ms. Biros regarding compensation to victim-survivors are final and cannot be appealed or overturned by the archdiocese or the Independent Oversight Committee.

In announcing the IRCP, Cardinal Dolan said, “The program we are establishing today will, please God, help bring a measure of peace and healing to those who have suffered abuse by a member of the clergy of this archdiocese. While the Church, particularly here in New York, has made great strides in working with the ten district attorneys who serve in this archdiocese and in dealing with clergy accused of abuse, as well as in preventing acts of abuse through our Safe Environment programs, we continue to hear from victim-survivors that more needs to be done to reach out to those who have been hurt in the past. We have been told, time and again, by victim-survivors that they are not principally interested in money, but instead are seeking some tangible sign of the Church’s desire for healing and reconciliation. As this Year of Mercy nears its conclusion, it is only appropriate that we take this opportunity to ask forgiveness for mistakes made in the past by those representing the Church, myself and my predecessors included, and seek reconciliation with those who have been harmed and feel alienated from the Church because of its past conduct.”

“I wish to thank Mr. Feinberg and his colleague, Ms. Camille Biros, for taking on this assignment, and pledge to them that the archdiocese will respect and honor any decision they make regarding compensation for those who suffered abuse by a member of the clergy of this archdiocese. I am also grateful to Commissioner Kelly, Judge Preska, and Dr. Cueva for their leadership and service,” the Cardinal concluded.

“As we begin this assignment, we are pleased to work with His Eminence, Commissioner Kelly Judge Preska and Professor Cueva. We hope the program will be successful and that any victims of abuse come forward in a timely fashion to seek compensation through this independent program,” said Mr. Feinberg.

Commissioner Kelly, who is serving as chair of the Independent Oversight Committee, said, “I commend Cardinal Dolan for his proactive leadership in redressing the wrongs committed in the past by some clergy in the New York Archdiocese. I’m honored to support the IRCP as it seeks to provide justice and restitution to victims of abuse.”

After Mr. Feinberg and Ms. Biros have completed Phase I, they will begin Phase II, to review additional allegations brought against known offenders as well as new allegations brought against clergy who have not previously been alleged to have engaged in misbehavior. Anyone bringing forward a new allegation will be required to follow the policy of the archdiocese to notify the appropriate district attorney’s office, so that they might determine if a crime has been committed. Such allegations will also be examined by the archdiocesan lay review board.

The archdiocese will take a long-term loan to cover the cost of compensating victim-survivors. It will leverage other archdiocesan assets – not intended by donors for a specific use – to pay it back. The archdiocese will not use money given by the people of the archdiocese to support parishes, schools, and charitable works, nor will it use funds from the annual Cardinal’s Stewardship Appeal, the newly initiated capital campaign Renew and Rebuild, or money given by a donor for a specific ministry or apostolate.

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NEW YORK
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York

FOR
Compensation of Certain Individual Claims of Clergy Sexual Abuse of Minors Previously Submitted to the Archdiocese of New York (Phase I)

An Independent Compensation Program to pay victims of clergy sexual abuse of minors was announced today by Kenneth R. Feinberg, Administrator of the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program of the Archdiocese of New York, (“IRCP”). At a Press Conference held at the Catholic Center of the New York Archdiocese, Mr. Feinberg stated that “as we begin this assignment, we are pleased to work with His Eminence, Cardinal Timothy Dolan and the distinguished members of the IRCP Independent Oversight Committee. We hope the Program will be successful and that victims will come forward in a timely fashion to participate in the Program.”

Administrators, Kenneth R. Feinberg and Camille Biros, explained the most important features of the Reconciliation and Compensation Program:

* The Program is purely voluntary; no individual is required to participate in the Program. Only if the individual is satisfied with the compensation provided does the individual agree to waive rights to litigate against the New York Archdiocese.

* The Program is limited in scope to those individuals who previously submitted a complaint of sexual abuse of minors to the New York Archdiocese. Individuals who allege clergy sexual abuse, but have not previously complained to the Archdiocese, will have an opportunity to seek compensation next year during Phase II of this Program. These individuals may register immediately with the Program at this time, providing their names, contact information and a summary description of the nature of the claim, including the dates, time, location of the alleged abuse and the name of the alleged perpetrator.

* Mr. Feinberg and Ms. Biros retain complete and sole discretion over all compensation awards to eligible victims, including eligibility to participate in the Program and the amounts of compensation. By agreement, the Archdiocese cannot reject the Administrators’ final determinations as to eligibility and amount of compensation. The Independent Oversight Committee will oversee the implementation and administration of the IRCP.

* The Program has no aggregate cap; the Archdiocese has agreed to pay what the Administrators deem appropriate in each and every individual case.

* Individuals filing a claim with the Administrators will be required to offer proof of such sexual abuse.

* Individuals who previously settled their sexual abuse claims with the Archdiocese will not be permitted to participate in the Program.

* Individuals who allege sexual abuse as a minor by a member of a religious order or clergy of another diocese are not eligible to participate in the Program although the claims will be forwarded to the superior of the religious order or bishop of such diocese

* Eligible claims will be paid within 60 days from the time that a submitted claim is deemed eligible and compensation is determined.

* The effective date of the Program is October 6, 2016. All claims submitted to the Administrators must be postmarked no later than January 31, 2017.

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NEW YORK
Catholic New York

www.NYArchdiocese-IRCPSettlementProgram.com

The Archdiocese of New York today announced another step in its ongoing efforts to respond to the past scourge of sexual abuse of minors by clergy with the establishment of a voluntary Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program (IRCP) that will seek to promote healing and bring closure by providing compensation to victim-survivors of abuse by priests or deacons of the archdiocese.

The program, to be administered by the renowned mediator Mr. Kenneth Feinberg, was put into place by Timothy Cardinal Dolan, the Archbishop of New York.

The archdiocese has already begun reaching out to those victim-survivors who have previously notified the archdiocese that they had suffered abuse by a member of the clergy of the archdiocese in order to invite them to participate in Phase I of the program.

Mr. Feinberg and his colleague, Ms. Camille Biros, will have complete autonomy in deciding compensation for victim-survivors, and the archdiocese has agreed that it will abide by their decisions.

Former Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly, U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska, and Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University Jeanette Cueva, M.D., an expert in child psychiatry, have agreed to serve as an Independent Oversight Committee, to oversee the implementation and administration of the IRCP.

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NEW YORK
CBS New York

[with video]

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Cardinal Timothy Dolan has announced a new program designed to bring peace to victims of sexual abuse from clergy members of the Archdiocese of New York.

The “Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program,” led by mediator Kenneth Feinberg and associate Camile Biros, will work with victims who have reported sexual abuse, as well as review new cases of abuse if and when they are reported.

“I hear from you, my people, that, while still bruised and angry about this past crisis, you do appreciate very much the reform and progress that has been made,” Dolan said in a statement Thursday. “But, you also tell me that more outreach needs to be done to the victim-survivors. I hope this helps.”

Victims will be offered payments from a fund administered by Feinberg, who oversaw compensation for victims of the Sept. 11 attacks, CBS2 reported.

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NEW YORK
KUOW

By ALEC HAMILTON

The head of New York City’s Catholic Church is setting up a new compensation fund for victims of clergy sex abuse.

Archbishop Timothy Dolan says the fund will be led by Kenneth Feinburg, the attorney who headed up the September 11th Victims compensation fund.

The announcement comes two days after cardinal was met by protesters during a visit to a catholic high school in Kingston, angry because Dolan wouldn’t back legislation known as the Child Victims Act. The bill removes the statute of limitations on cases of child sex abuse and allows a one-year look-back window for victims to revive old civil cases.

Gary Greenberg, founder of the Political Action Committee Protect NY Kids, was one of the protesters Monday. He says while he cheers any move to protect children, his organization will continue to push for a bill which would allow a one-year period to reopen cases that had already passed the statute of limitations.

“He needs to support the one year look-back. When he comes out and supports that, then we can say he’s a hundred percent behind children’s safety,” Greenberg said.

The program will consist of a three-person independent committee to oversee administration, made up of Former Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska, and Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University Dr. Jeanette Cueva.

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NEW YORK
New York Daily News

BY
RYAN SIT
LARRY MCSHANE
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Thursday, October 6, 2016

Timothy Cardinal Dolan unveiled a new archdiocesan program Thursday aimed at financially compensating scores of victims sexually abused by Catholic Church clergy.

An independent oversight committee will review 170 abuse cases from the last 40 years as the church attempts to resolve the crippling abuse scandal internally, the cardinal told a Manhattan news conference.

“One group of members in the church’s family that still has deep scars and awaits fuller healing and reconciliation are victim survivors,” said Dolan. “The wounds of many continue to fester, and they understandably tell us they await more compassion.”

The Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program will evaluate all claims to determine if the alleged victim is entitled to a settlement, according to the archdiocese.

Filing a complaint with the appropriate district attorney is a prerequisite for compensation, and the IRCP administrators will determine the appropriate payment for qualifying victims.

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NEW YORK
PIX 11

[with video]

OCTOBER 6, 2016, BY MARY MURPHY

NEW YORK — Victims of sex abuse at the hands of Catholic clergy will be paid as part of a newly created program by the church in New York, Archbishop of New York Timothy Cardinal Dolan announced Thursday.

“One sin, one crime, one scandal has gravely wounded us in the Church,” Dolan said about the sexual abuse of minors by priests.

He called sex abuse by priests “nauseating.”

Dolan said the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program (IRCP) will be financed by a long-term loan, that no fundraising money or parishioners’ donations will be utilized, and the program will be overseen by Kenneth Feinberg, a well-known mediator and attorney who administered the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.

Decisions about individual compensation will be made by an independent oversight committee, comprised of former NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly, U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska, and Dr. Jeanette Gueva of Columbia University, an expert in child psychiatry.

The announcement comes as advocates are pressing lawmakers to make it easier to sue abusers.

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NEW YORK
Yahoo! News

By Daniel Trotta

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The Roman Catholic Church in New York has created an arbitration system for child victims of sexually abusive priests, providing an opportunity for compensation to accusers who are shut out from filing civil lawsuits by statutes of limitations.

The Archdiocese of New York said on Thursday the program would be administered by Kenneth Feinberg, the influential Washington lawyer who has directed funds for victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks and several mass shootings.

Feinberg and Camille Biros, a longtime associate who has worked with Feinberg on other compensation funds, will have “complete autonomy,” the church said.

The archdiocese has agreed to abide by their decisions, no matter how much money Feinberg and Biros might award to victims. Former New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska and child psychiatry expert Jeanette Cueva will comprise an oversight committee.

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NEW YORK
Wall Street Journal

By KATE KING
Updated Oct. 6, 2016

The Archdiocese of New York announced Thursday that it was setting up a program to compensate survivors of sexual abuse perpetrated by Roman Catholic priests and deacons over the past several decades.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan said an Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program would be administered by Kenneth Feinberg, who served as the Special Master of the federal government’s compensation fund for victims of the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Mr. Feinberg and his colleague, Camille Biros, will have autonomy in determining compensation awards, which the church has committed to pay in full, Cardinal Dolan said.

The archdiocese will take out a long-term loan to pay compensation costs. Cardinal Dolan declined during a press conference Thursday to speculate as to how much money might be spent.

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NEW YORK
Washington Post

By Sarah Pulliam Bailey October 6

NEW YORK — Cardinal Timothy Dolan said Thursday that the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York has created a mediated compensation program for people who were sexually abused by church leaders.

Abuse survivors who are willing to waive the right to sue could in exchange receive financial compensation at an amount set by an independent mediator; a plan that mirrors compensation for victims of 9/11, the BP oil spill and the Pennsylvania State University sex abuse scandal.

Some dioceses have created similar compensation on a much smaller scale, but Dolan’s plan is significant, said Marci Hamilton, an expert who has represented hundreds of sexual-abuse survivors. Advocates for sex abuse victims have been fighting for reform in New York on the statute of limitations, the time victims have to file lawsuits.

New York has a statute of limitations that is one of the most restrictive in the country: Victims have until they turn 23 to file lawsuits. The archdiocese’s plan gives victims who may not want to go to court a chance to be financially compensated.

Some sex abuse survivor advocates see the plan as Dolan’s attempt to quietly deal with cases before New York’s legislature moves ahead on a proposal to change the statute of limitations.

“It’s a good addition, but it can’t be a substitution for statute of limitations reform,” said Hamilton, who is chief executive and academic director for CHILD USA and a distinguished scholar at University of Pennsylvania.

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NEW YORK
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016

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

New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan is announcing a unilateral plan to compensate clergy sex abuse victims. It’s too little, too late and designed to mollify lawmakers and others who feel justice should be dispensed by objective parties – like judges and juries – instead of by self-serving Catholic officials who are concealing heinous crimes.

[NBC New York]

Dolan’s plan does nothing to expose those who have committed or concealed devastating crimes against kids. His goal here is to forestall real legislative reform that would enable deeply wounded victims from using courts to reveal clergy wrongdoers.

No matter what lawmakers or church officials do or don’t do, we urge every single person who saw, suspected or suffered child sex crimes and cover ups in Catholic churches or institutions to protect kids by calling police, get help by calling therapists, expose wrongdoers by calling law enforcement, get justice by calling attorneys, and be comforted by calling support groups like ours. This is how kids will be safer, adults will recover, criminals will be prosecuted, cover ups will be deterred and the truth will surface.

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NEW YORK
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release, October 6, 2016

Statement by Mary Caplan of New York City (Manhattan), former director of SNAP’s New York chapter

As a child, I was abused by a New Jersey priest who took me to New York City and abused me there. I’m very skeptical of Cardinal Dolan’s proposal. It seems like it’s straight out of the US bishops’ lobbying, legal defense and public relations playbook.

Most of all, victims want to protect kids and deter cover ups by exposing corrupt clerics in court. Bishops oppose this. So when victims look like they may get their day in court, bishops feel pressure and take unilateral steps to pacify or pay them off, exploiting their depression and desperation over mounting medical bills, severe therapy needs and continuing personal pain.

When victims get close to trials, bishops often claim bankruptcy so they can protect themselves and their secrets.

When legislators get close to reforming statutes of limitations, so victims can pursue trials, bishops propose or adopt unilateral and seemingly voluntary moves to pacify them too. Bishops post predators’ names on church websites or hold healing masses or pledge to help victims financially. Then, when pressure abates, bishops go back to “business as usual.”

But nearly every step bishops take about clergy sex crimes and cover ups is motivated by their desperate desire to keep their own cover ups covered up.

Parishioners, parents and the public should demand that Dolan offer help without demanding that victims sign away their legal rights.

I’d encourage victims to think long and hard before approaching church officials or their representatives. I’d urge victims to talk with their own attorneys first. And I’d encourage every New York parent and parishioner to keep pushing for real justice, prevention and healing by prodding lawmakers to end or extend the state’s archaic, predator-friendly statute of limitations.

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NEW YORK
Road to Recovery

MEDIA CONFERENCE SCHEDULED FOR FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2016 AT 11:00 AM IN FRONT OF ST. PATRICK’S CATHEDRAL, FIFTH AVENUE AND EAST 50th STREET, MANHATTAN

Road to Recovery, Inc., a non-profit charity based in New Jersey that has assisted and continues to assist thousands of victims of sexual abuse and their families, is wary of the establishment of the New York Archdiocesan “Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program” by Cardinal Timothy Dolan for the following reasons:

1) The program was designed by Cardinal Timothy Dolan and the Archdiocese of New York and they are the respondents in the so-called 170 actions against the Archdiocese of New York. The Archdiocese of New York is neither independent nor capable of establishing a “restorative justice” model of compensation because it has a track record of allowing and enabling clergy sexual abuse, hiding clergy sexual abuse, and keeping secret documents concerning clergy sexual abuse.

2) Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who is the past President of National Conference of Catholic Bishops, has led efforts to defeat legislation across the country that would enable victims to gain justice through civil and criminal courts.

3) Non-monetary settlements such as release of archival records of sexual abuse by the Catholic Church are not included in the program.

4) It appears that the program is meant to pacify clergy sexual abuse victims and legislators so that legislation extending the statute of limitations regarding sexual abuse cases is not enacted.

Contacts
Robert M. Hoatson, Ph.D., Road to Recovery, Inc. – 862-368-2800 – roberthoatson@gmail.com
Attorney Mitchell Garabedian, Boston, MA – 617-523-6250

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GUAM
Guam Daily Post

John O’Connor | Post News Staff

Following the exoneration of Monsignor James Benavente of financial mismanagement during his time as rector of the Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica, the Archdiocese of Agana has now reconstituted the Archdiocesan Finance Council. During a press conference at the basilica yesterday afternoon, Rev. Jeff San Nicolas, the delegate to Apostolic Administrator Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai, announced that nine members would comprise the new council effective immediately. Of the nine, there are five new members, two former members and two incumbents. The incumbents’ terms expire at the end of the year.

Lawsuit concerns

A main purpose of the council, according to San Nicolas, is to help address potential lawsuits that may stem from the lifting of the statute of limitations for civil cases involving sexual abuse, which became law last month.

“That’s a major part of their task,” he added.

Hon had expressed concern over the law, stating that it may potentially lead to loss of major assets for the church. He asked for Gov. Eddie Calvo to veto the measure but thanked him for signing the law anyway when it was enacted.

“We acknowledge the agony suffered by victims of child sexual abuse by clergy and the responsibility the Archdiocese has to bear,” a church release stated. “The Archdiocese is developing a dedicated fund as one way to help persons who have been gravely hurt in this way by clergy.”

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NEW YORK
NY1

[with video]

NEW YORK – Cardinal Timothy Dolan on Thursday unveiled a program aimed at helping victims of sex abuse in the Catholic Church.

The Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program will provide funds for victims abused by priests within the archdiocese.

Over the past 40 years there have been about 200 victims and 40 priests involved in sexual abuse claims.

Cardinal Dolan says the program is another step in reforming the Church.

“The survivors tells us that while it’s not all about money, a tangible sign of the church’s outreach and sense of reparation would indeed be helpful,” Dolan said.

“I’m certainly honored to support in any way I can the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program as they seek to move forward to bring justice and restitution to those who were abused,” said IRCP Oversight Committee Member and former NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly.

The advocacy group Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests or SNAP blasted Thursday’s announcement saying, “It’s too little, too late and designed to mollify lawmakers and others who feel justice should be dispensed by objective parties – like judges and juries – instead of by self-serving Catholic officials who are concealing heinous crimes.”

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NEW YORK
Times Telegram

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York said Thursday that it has created a compensation program for people who were sexually abused by priests or deacons and are willing to forego lawsuits in exchange for an award to be determined by an independent mediator. Some advocates for sex abuse victims immediately assailed the program as an attempt to squash cases quickly, before New York’s legislature acts on a proposal to make it easier for victims to sue over abuse that happened years ago.

By The Associeted Press

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York said Thursday that it has created a compensation program for people who were sexually abused by priests or deacons and are willing to forego lawsuits in exchange for an award to be determined by an independent mediator.

Some advocates for sex abuse victims immediately assailed the program as an attempt to squash cases quickly, before New York’s legislature acts on a proposal to make it easier for victims to sue over abuse that happened years ago.

Under the plan, announced by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, people with abuse claims already pending with the church would have a limited time window — until Jan. 31 — to apply for compensation.

The archdiocese said it had hired mediators Camille Biros and Kenneth Feinberg to evaluate the claims and decide how much victims would be paid.

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NEW YORK
New York Times

By SHARON OTTERMAN and SAMANTHA SCHMIDT
OCT. 6, 2016

The Archdiocese of New York has established an independent compensation commission that will allow victims of sexual abuse by clergy to apply for monetary compensation from the church, even for abuse claims that are decades old, church leaders said Thursday.

The commission will be headed by Kenneth Feinberg, who ran the federal Sept. 11 victims fund. It will have independent authority to determine eligibility for the awards and their amounts, church officials said. The archdiocese said it would borrow the money to pay for the awards, which could easily run into the millions.

Some 200 sexual abuse victims have come forward to the archdiocese over the years, in cases involving some 40 priests. To date, only about 30 of them have received compensation, church leaders said.

Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, the archbishop of New York, said he was inspired by Pope Francis in forming the commission and hoped it would become a model for other archdioceses. “I wish I would have done this quite a while ago,” he said in an interview. “I just finally thought, ‘Darn it, let’s do it. I’m tired of putting it off.’”

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NEW YORK
WABC

MIDTOWN, Manhattan (WABC) — The Archdiocese of New York has announced a compensation program for victims of sexual abuse by clergy.

Timothy Cardinal Dolan made the announcement Thursday morning at the New York Catholic Center in Midtown.

Dolan said Thursday the archdiocese will take out a long-term loan. There is no cap on compensation, which will be determined by an independent administrator.

Dolan called sex abuse by priests “nauseating” and said it’s a sin that has “gravely wounded the church.”

The administrator is attorney Kenneth Feinberg, who has overseen compensation for victims of the Sept. 11 attacks and other tragedies.

Decisions about the eligibility and the level of compensation will be made by administrators, not the cardinal or archdiocese, Feinberg said. The program begins with Phase 1 immediately; 150 victims who submitted a claim in the last 30 to 40 years will be evaluated and compensated if eligible by January.

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NEW YORK
NBC New York

By Andrew Siff

The Archdiocese of New York will create a compensation program for people who were abused by Catholic clergymen in the past, Cardinal Timothy Dolan announced on Thursday.

In a news release Thursday, the archdiocese said that it will take about four months for the more than 170 survivors to come forward to have their claims for compensation reviewed.

The archdiocese said it has already started contacting survivors who had previously told the church that they had been abused by the clergy.

“The program we are establishing today will, please God, help bring a measure of peace and healing to those who have suffered abuse by a member of the clergy of this archdiocese,” Dolan said in a statement.

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NEW YORK
Fox News

Published October 06, 2016 Associated Press

NEW YORK – The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York is announcing a compensation program for sex abuse victims as advocates press state lawmakers to make it easier to sue abusers.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan said Thursday the archdiocese will take out a long-term loan. There is no cap on compensation, which will be determined by an independent administrator.

Dolan called sex abuse by priests “nauseating” and said it’s a sin that has “gravely wounded the church.”

The administrator is attorney Kenneth Feinberg, who has overseen compensation for victims of the Sept. 11 attacks and other tragedies.

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CONNECTICUT
Hamlet Hub

A Service of Peace, Hope and Healing for those who have been impacted by Sexual Abuse as Minors by Clergy, will be held at Fairfield University Egan Chapel at 7:00PM on Wednesday November 2.

The Most Rev. Frank Caggiano, Bishop of Bridgeport, will lead the gathering in prayer and will speak at the service, which will include music and readings as well as personal reflections by survivors of sexual abuse as minors by priests.

The prayer service is being coordinated by a planning group of survivors, in conjunction with the Diocese of Bridgeport.

“Sexual abuse has an impact on all members of the body of the Christ. We hope this will be a start of new opportunities for healing across our Diocese. There is no more important work during this Year of Mercy. I am very grateful to the survivors who have taken the leadership in planning this service as a way of bringing healing to the lives of so many who have been wounded by sexual abuse,” said Bishop Caggiano.

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UNITED STATES
BishopAccountability.org

Summary of Case: Thomas E. Connolly was ordained for the Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus in 1963. After several years in the Madison and Green Bay dioceses in WI, he spent much of the 1970s among the Colville Indians in WA state. In 1977 he began a long career at Sacred Heart in Desmet ID, which is a Coeur d’Alene Indian Mission. Connolly was also affiliated with Gonzaga University. He retired to the Regis Jesuit Community in Spokane in 2010.

Connolly’s name was included on the Jesuits’ Oregon Province’s list in 2011 of perpetrators of sexual abuse, which included “all members of the province who are identified as perpetrators of sexual abuse in proofs of claims filed in the bankruptcy case, and who have not denied the allegation.”

Ordained: 1963
Retired: 2010

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GUAM
Pacific Daily News

Haidee V Eugenio , Pacific Daily News October 6, 2016

The Catholic church’s financial arm is now fully reconstituted, with nine members to help the church reposition its assets in anticipation of lawsuits by alleged victims of clergy abuse on Guam.

Father Jeffrey San Nicolas, delegate of Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai, announced seven new members will join two incumbents on the newly reconstituted Archdiocesan Finance Council , effective immediately.

“After careful consideration of the background and expertise of each of these individuals, I am confident, along with Archbishop Hon, that this group will help move the archdiocese forward during this time in our church’s history,” San Nicolas said during a news conference Thursday afternoon.

The seven new appointees, each with a three-year term, are:

* Attorney Eduardo “Champ” Calvo, a partner at Calvo Fisher & Jacob law firm;
* Ricardo “Rick” Duenas, chief financial officer at Western Sales Trading Co.;
* Art Ilagan, banking and insurance commissioner at the Department of Revenue and Taxation;
* Mary A.Y. Okada, president and chief executive officer of Guam Community College;
* Antoinette “Toni” Sanford, president of Sanford Technology Group;
* Joseph E. Rivera, chief financial officer of Calvo Enterprises; and
* Richard Untalan, president and chief operating officer of CU Holdings Inc.

“They bring specific and combined expertise to the Archdiocesan Finance Council in the areas of business and finance, law, tax, insurance, banking, real property and institutional management, among other skills, knowledge and experience,” San Nicolas said. “All of the members are active in the community, serving or have served in a variety of nonprofit, government, education and church leadership roles.”

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UNITED STATES
The Atlantic

KAYLEIGH ROBERTS OCT 5, 2016

In August, the comedian and former Inside Amy Schumer writer Kurt Metzger reignited a national conversation about victim-blaming when he posted a series of rants on social media criticizing the ways women report being the victim of a crime and the effects of those reports on the accused. After the Upright Citizens Brigade theater in New York banned a performer in the wake of several women accusing him of sexual assault and abuse, Metzger took to Facebook.

“I know because women said it and that’s all I need! Never you mind who they are. They are women! ALL women are as reliable as my bible! A book that, much like a women, is incapable of lying!” Metzger wrote in a now-deleted Facebook post. He went on to seemingly criticize women for not going to the police, adding “If we ask them to even merely also post a vague account of what happened before asking us to believe that would like re-raping their rape!”

Metzger’s former boss and outspoken feminist Amy Schumer, was inevitably drawn into the storm of commentary and discussion that followed. Schumer publicly denounced Metzger’s comments, tweeting, “I am so saddened and disappointed in Kurt Metzger. He is my friend and a great writer and I couldn’t be more against his recent actions.”

Victim-blaming comes in many forms, and is oftentimes more subtle, and unconscious than Metzger’s tirade. It can apply to cases of rape and sexual assault, but also to more mundane crimes, like a person who gets pickpocketed and is then chided for his decision to carry his wallet in his back pocket. Any time someone defaults to questioning what a victim could have done differently to prevent a crime, he or she is participating, to some degree, in the culture of victim-blaming.

While victim-blaming isn’t entirely universal (some individuals’ experiences, background, and culture make them significantly less likely to victim-blame), in some ways, it is a natural psychological reaction to crime. Not everyone who engages in victim-blaming explicitly accuses someone of failing to prevent what happened to them. In fact, in its more understated forms, people may not always realize they’re doing it. Something as simple as hearing about a crime and thinking you would have been more careful had you been in the victim’s shoes is a mild form of victim-blaming.

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KANSAS
WIBW

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW)- A Topeka pastor has been arrested for the second time in a week. He’s accused of disorderly conduct and battery on a law enforcement officer.

Topeka police arrested Greg Varney Wednesday night after officers responded to check on his welfare. He had reportedly left a nearby hospital and was behaving erratically.

Police say officers found Varney in the 1900 block of SW 10th Street where he wouldn’t accept help and was then taken into custody. He was arrested for disorderly conduct and battery on a law enforcement officer.

Varney was also arrested last week in connection to an aggravated assault. The Light of the World Church said his behavior causing last week’s arrest was due to a medical condition.

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KANSAS
Topeka Capital Journal

October 6, 2016

By Phil Anderson
phil.anderson@cjonline.com

For the second time in a week, a Topeka minister was behind bars Thursday morning after being arrested Wednesday night at a midtown taco shop, authorities said.

Pastor Greg Varney, who with his wife Debbie founded Light of the World Christian Center in 1985, was arrested by Topeka police following an incident at 1901 S.W. 10th. The address is for the Mexican Taco Shop.

After his arrest, Varney was booked into the Shawnee County Jail around 8 p.m. Wednesday in connection with: disorderly conduct — brawl or fight; obstruction of official duty; and battery on a law enforcement officer.

As of 7:30 a.m. Thursday, Varney remained in jail on a $1,000 bond.

Varney also was jailed last week in connection with aggravated assault. His arrest in that incident came by way of the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office.

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KANSAS
Christian Post

BY LEONARDO BLAIR , CHRISTIAN POST REPORTER
October 3, 2016

Light of the Word Christian Center in Topeka, Kansas, asked supporters of the ministry to pray for the church’s founding Pastor, Greg Varney, after he was arrested last Wednesday on aggravated assault charges stemming from an incident involving one of his daughters.

Pastor Varney and his wife, Debbie, who have been married since 1976, are the parents of five daughters and one son. They also have 12 grandchildren, according to the church’s website.

The pastor’s arrest report from the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office cited by local news station KSNT, said Varney used a vehicle in the assault against his daughter. A churchgoer explained that Varney was arrested after he smashed into another car as he was trying to leave the scene of the assault. He further noted that it was unlike his pastor to act that way.

The Christian Post reached out to the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office on Monday for more details on Varney’s arrest, but Sgt. Andrew Dale, who was authorized to speak on the case, was not available to comment by press time.

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MISSOURI
Riverfront Times

Posted By Danny Wicentowski on Thu, Oct 6, 2016

An elderly priest was set to be honored by St. Louis’ Catholic seminary during an alumni event yesterday — despite the fact that the priest has been accused of sexually abusing several adult women. It was only the advocacy of his victims that led to the seminary removing the priest’s name.

Initially, the schedule posted online for the alumni event at the Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in Shrewsbury included a list of jubilarians, or priests celebrating their 50th anniversary since ordination. One of the priests listed was Fr. George A. Seuferling, who was ordained with the class of 1956.

However, Seuferling is currently in the process of being defrocked. He was first suspended from public ministry in 2011, and three years later the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas announced that it had further restricted Seuferling’s practice of ministry after receiving “two credible allegations of inappropriate conduct.” Seuferling, who retired in 2001, was limited to performing weddings and funerals for family members.

In February 2016, the Archdiocese issued a second announcement about Seuferling. Noting that his suspension was connected to “conduct inconsistent with priestly celibacy,” the Archdiocese stated that it had since received other substantiated allegations of misconduct and was petitioning the Holy See to officially remove Seuferling from the priesthood. The process of defrocking, or laicization, can take years.

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UNITED STATES
Watchtower Documents

Introduction by Barbara Anderson

One thing for sure, unlike celebrities who believe “all publicity is good publicity” even if it’s negative, religious organizations do not want to be in the public eye – except when they can appear in a good light. This is especially true for proselytizers like Jehovah’s Witnesses (who believe that a good image attracts converts) and their corporate head, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society.

In the past, it has been a policy of Jehovah’s Witnesses leaders to not reply to negative media reports. They understand that in time the public will have forgotten the information and everything will be back to “business as usual” for them. However, during the last fifteen years, a growing number of reports have surfaced about the problem of molestation of Witness children by other Witnesses that were not reported to the authorities. These kinds of stories continue to be revealed.

As a specialist child abuse lawyer, Richard Scorer points out in his article (and rightly so) about the recent increase of news reports regarding the “significant number of abuse cases that…are raising public awareness…of the issue of child abuse in the Jehovah’s Witnesses…”

Rather than remain quiet, in recent years Jehovah’s Witnesses leaders have gone on the offensive. They’ve taken a hard-line, uncompromising and litigious attitude by endeavouring to stop governmental or judicial inquiries. They’ve fought charges of cover-ups of molestation by claiming “religious exemptions” from scrutiny. This approach doesn’t help their reputation – nor does it dampen the suspicions held by many that they are trying to cover up serious organizational flaws.

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UNITED KINGDOM
The Guardian

Sandra Laville
Thursday 6 October 2016

A comprehensive review of the way the independent child abuse inquiry operates is near completion and will be published within weeks, it is understood.

Prof Alexis Jay, the fourth chair of the troubled £100m inquiry, is understood to have come to conclusions about how to move forward after analysing the multiple investigations and modules that make up the inquiry’s work.

Jay took over the inquiry in August following the sudden departure of Dame Lowell Goddard. She immediately set about reviewing its vast scale and its approach to its investigations. In a letter to victims last month she said of her review: “My aim is to explore new ways to deliver the inquiry’s investigative work while remaining faithful to its terms of reference.

“I will write to you again when the review process has concluded to tell you about any changes that we propose to make and to invite your views.”

Claims that Jay was going to alter the remit of the inquiry, which was set up by Theresa May when she was home secretary, were dismissed by Amber Rudd, May’s successor.

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GUAM
Guam Daily Post

The Chancery Office of the Archdiocese of Agana has released a statement identifying members of the Reconstituted Archdiocesan Finance Council.

The nine members are Peter “Sonny” Ada, John Weisenberger, Eduardo “Champ” Calvo, Ricardo “Rick” Duenas, Art Illagan, Mary Okada, Antoinette “Toni” Sanford, Joseph E. Rivera and Richard Untalan. Ed Terlaje has been named legal counsel for the finance council. The members of the Reconstituted Archdiocesan Council will take on their new positions effective immediately, according to the archdiocese.

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CHICAGO (IL)
Chicago Sun-Times

Michael Sneed
@Sneedlings

Whispers in the nave . . .

It’s called the papal staircase.

Sneed hears Chicago’s Archbishop Blase J. Cupich, a hand-picked favorite of Pope Francis, may be moving up the church ladder soon to becoming a cardinal.

• To wit: Sneed is told Pope Francis, who personally chose Cupich to steer the helm of the nation’s third-largest diocese, just indicated he would “make new cardinals either on Nov. 27, early December or early next year,” according to a Sneed source.

“The pope made these comments on his return flight from Georgia and Azerbaijan,” the source said.

Cupich, who was chosen in 2014 to head Chicago’s 2.2 million Catholics from his post as bishop of a small archdiocese in Spokane, Wash., is not considered an ideologue, but a pastor concerned about his flock and social injustice issues.

“Pope Francis doesn’t want cultural warriors; he doesn’t want ideologues,” Cupich said before he was tapped for his Chicago post. “That’s the new paradigm for us, and it’s making many of us think.”

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VERMONT/RHODE ISLAND
Turn to 10

The Most Rev. Kenneth Angell, a retired Roman Catholic bishop who lost his television-producer brother in the 9/11 attacks, has died. He was 86.

Angell suffered a stroke and died Tuesday at a nursing home in Winooski, the Diocese of Burlington said.

Angell’s brother, David, was the Emmy Award-winning producer of the sitcom “Frasier” and “Wings,” and was aboard the first plane that struck the World Trade Center. At a Mass, the bishop prayed for the victims and the perpetrators, saying, “I am a Christian. I have to forgive, so I do.” …

Angell expressed dismay at revelations of clergy sexual abuse.

“I was so moved by the testimony of those abused. My heart went out to the victims – each of these people whose lives have been so deeply affected by offending clergy,” he said.

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PENNSYLVANIA
Philly.com

The Pennsylvania Senate can redeem itself by supporting a bill it earlier gutted that would expand both the criminal and civil statutes of limitation on child sex abuse. The legislation would allow pedophilia victims who were assaulted years ago to sue institutions that protected their abusers for decades.

The House is expected to pass its original bill and send it to the Senate before it recesses for the November election. This time, the Senate must stand up to the type of vigorous opposition it received earlier from the insurance industry, Archbishop Charles Chaput, and other leading Catholics.

Sexual assault offenders shouldn’t get to avoid punishment. Neither should the church or any other institution be exempt if, by its actions or inaction, it played a role in protecting a criminal. In a report earlier this year, a state grand jury said the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown had covered up an “epidemic” of child abuse. That should never happen again.

Opponents argue that in allowing victims to retroactively file suit for crimes that occurred years earlier, the bill would violate the state constitution’s Remedies Clause, which protects the rights of defendants. But while interim Attorney General Bruce L. Castor Jr. agreed with that opinion, current Attorney General Bruce Beemer has said he does not.

Chaput said he is also concerned about the “financial burden” and “heavy penalties” that the church may face as a result of the legislation. But the church’s potential financial losses can’t compare with the mental duress that abuse victims have endured since childhood.

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PENNSYLVANIA
Daily Times

By Kathleen E. Carey, Delaware County Daily Times

For almost 40 years, Debbie Williamson Warren has lived with the nightmare of being sexually abused by her science teacher, and the only way she feels she can protect others is through the provisions that proposed legislation in Pennsylvania – House Bill 1947 – may provide.

The Florida resident and her family moved to the Olney section of Philadelphia when she entered fifth grade.

“I was 9 years old,” the now 47-year-old said. “My family had just moved from Danville, Va. My dad took the position as a principal at Cedar Grove Christian Academy” in northeast Philadelphia.

Childhood sexual abuse is a pervasive societal problem that gained much exposure after the Archdiocese of Boston came under scrutiny in 2002 for widespread abuse and concealment. In the Philadelphia region, two grand jury reports in 2005 and 2011 outlined abuse and cover-ups in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Since then, various legislative appeals have attempted to address the issue.

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AUSTRALIA
Geelong Advertiser

KAREN MATTHEWS, Geelong Advertiser
October 4, 2016

VICTIMS of paedophile priest Robert Claffey have ­applauded police investigators for their work in finally bringing the man who stole their childhoods to justice.

Entering Geelong County Court on Tuesday, they took their seats in dignified silence.

Some were supported by family and friends, while ­others attended alone, after all these years still unable to disclose the horrors of their childhood to those closest to them.

Yet all were united in their pain, grief and sense of loss at the hands of this evil ­predator.

A door at the rear of the court opened and Claffey, a small, balding man, entered the dock.

Wearing dark glasses, Claffey sat down, adjusted headphones and, with hands clasped, looked straight ahead, avoiding all eye contact with others.

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VERMONT
WCAX

[with video]

By Roger Garrity
By Kyle Midura

BURLINGTON, Vt. –
It’s the end of an era for Vermont’s Catholics. Former Bishop Kenneth Angell has died. He passed away Tuesday at a nursing home in Winooski after suffering a stroke last week. He was 86.

Angell was the leader of Vermont’s Catholic diocese for 13 years. His tenure saw the church begin to deal with priest sex abuse cases. And Bishop Angell endured personal tragedy when his brother, an Emmy-winning TV producer, died in the 9/11 terror attacks. But Angell maintained his warm and friendly demeanor.

“So whether he was visiting a grade school or visiting a nursing home or going to a prison to say mass, I think everybody who met him would have said they met somebody who was very, very kind and kindness goes a long way,” said Monsignor John McDermott of the Catholic Diocese of Burlington.

Bishop Angell was from Rhode Island, but he loved Vermont and stayed here after his retirement. The diocese says his health had only recently been in decline, leading to his stroke.

Angell was 62 years old when he was named the eighth Bishop of the Burlington Catholic Diocese in November 1992. Almost immediately thereafter, the leader of Vermont’s largest religious denomination was faced with crisis. Accusers came forward alleging physical, sexual and mental abuse going back to the 1940s at the church-run St. Joseph’s Orphanage. While dozens of the cases were settled, the scandal prompted Angell to create a review board to investigate allegations of abuse in the church.

“I pray this will signal new beginnings for this church in Vermont as we struggle to reconcile with those in grievance with us for past accusations of abuse,” he said at the time.

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SCOTLAND
Carrick Herald

Catherine Hunter, Reporter

ALLEGATIONS that an Ayrshire priest had been removed from the Diocese of Galloway unfairly have been dropped before coming to a tribunal.

Father Patrick Lawson (pictured) claimed that as a seminarian, he as well as two altar boys, was abused in 1996 by Father Paul Moore, a parish priest at St Quivox Church in Prestwick.

The Diocese of Galloway 2015 Annual Reports and Accounts reported: “During 2015, the Diocese faced a potential claim for unfair dismissal from a parish priest.

“As of February 2016, the case was dropped by the claimant before coming to court. No settlement was made in favour of the claimant and both sides met their legal costs.

“The cost of the Dioceses in 2015 was £3,678 with further payments of £25,098 made in 2016.”

At the time Father Lawson opined he was removed as parish priest of St Sophia’s in Galston in September 2013 following his 18 year dispute when he spoke out against Father Moore.

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CANADA
APTN National News

Jorge Barrera
APTN National News

Ottawa is exploring ways to review how it has handled its side of the multi-billion dollar Indian residential school settlement agreement which would include a look at how federal lawyers operated during private hearings to determine compensation for survivors.

The federal Indigenous Affairs department said officials were asked by Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett last week to determine the best way for Ottawa to review its obligations set out in the settlement agreement, which created a survivor compensation mechanism called the Independent Assessment Process (IAP).

“(Department) officials were asked to explore options for conducting a final assessment of Canada’s obligations under the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement prior to its conclusion,” said a statement from the department.

The IAP process has come under increasing scrutiny following a steady drip of revelations on some of the tactics Ottawa lawyers employed to limit the compensation sought by survivors.

Court records show federal lawyers have suppressed documents and used technical and legalistic arguments to defeat claims filed by survivors during the IAP process.

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PENNSYLVANIA
Daily Times

By Kathleen E. Carey, Delaware County Daily Times
POSTED: 10/05/16

Determining how many children have suffered from to sexual abuse can be challenging — and different individuals and organizations have their own record-keeping methods.

After flipping through a nine-page report listing 63 priests linked to childhood sexual abuse in the 2005 Philadelphia grand jury report, state Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-126, of Berks County, said, “These are perpetrators, predators, pedophiles who went to that treatment facility and then got put back into active ministry without ever once going through the legal system.”

These men who were all priests at one point were categorized in Rozzi’s list. Four were sentenced to jail time. Eighteen were listed as being remanded to a supervised life of prayer and penance. Seven had died. Twenty were identified as being recommended for laicization and three left the priesthood. One retired to the Camden, N.J., diocese. The fate of five men were unknown.

Of the 63, 32 had spent time at the St. John Vianney Treatment Center in Downingtown.

Based on the list, those individuals were located in Orlando, Fla., Hawaii, Brazil, Atlantic City, N.J., the Bronx, N.Y. and the St. Louis archdiocese.

“So, these religious clergy, who in other circumstances would be on Megan’s List, are roaming around free, pensions in their pockets and in many cases, living next door to our children,” Rozzi said.

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MINNESOTA
Duluth News Tribune

By Tom Olsen on Oct 5, 2016

Prosecutors have dropped the remaining child pornography charge against a Hibbing priest who was found not guilty this summer of inappropriately touching four girls.

A Hibbing jury in June acquitted Brian Michael Lederer on six counts of criminal sexual conduct.

However, he still was facing potential prosecution on the felony child pornography charge, which a judge earlier ruled would have to be tried as a separate issue.

In a dismissal letter filed Friday in State District Court, Assistant St. Louis County Attorney Jeff Vlatkovich explained that, at trial, the state would have had to prove not only that there were images of child pornography on Lederer’s computer but that the defendant “intentionally viewed” the photographs.

“A large number of pornographic images, some of which appeared to be of adults and what appeared to be children, unclothed or partially clothed engaging in sexual activity, were found on the defendant’s computer,” the prosecutor wrote.

“However, after considering the expert opinions, it has been determined that insufficient evidence exists to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant intentionally viewed the images which are believed to be children under the age of eighteen years old.”

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IRELAND
RTE news

In a radical policy shift, the Catholic bishops in Ireland are to organise a Day of Prayer for the survivors and victims of clerical sexual abuse on the first Friday of Lent next year.

It is to take place on 3 March 2017.

In a statement issued following their regular autumn meeting in Maynooth, the hierarchy said the move is in response to a recent request by Pope Francis to bishops’ conferences around the world.

The papal initiative was at the behest of his Commission for the Protection of Minors (CPM).

The move indicates a major change in attitude on the part of the Irish bishops’ conference.

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AUSTRALIA
7 News

Genevieve Gannon – AAP on October 6, 2016

The children of Ballarat called him the tickle monster.

Tickle, because he was always tickling and touching them, and monster because of what followed.

Robert Patrick Claffey, 73, a priest and predator, abused children under the cloak of religious care for three decades.

He was suspended in the 1980s after the father of one of his 12 victims reported him to the Bishop of Ballarat, Ronald Mulkearns, but in 1991 was appointed to the parish of Portland.

He had offended again within a year, preying on a nine-year-old boy.

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PENNSYLVANIA
The Times Herald

By Last in a series, By Kathleen E. Carey, kcarey@21st-centurymedia.com, @dtbusiness

As the rigorous debate continues in Pennsylvania surrounding the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse, other states across the country have likewise attempted to tackle the issue.

And while the outcomes have varied, some see similarities to events here.

In Pennsylvania, legislators have been mulling House Bill 1947, a measure extending or eliminating the criminal and civil statute of limitations for victims of childhood sexual abuse. It passed overwhelmingly in the House in April. The state Senate amended it, sending it back to the House for consideration. The Senate removed the provision that would allow adult survivors who are not yet 50 years old to pursue legal recourse against their abusers in decades-old cases.

Changing the statute of limitations is vigorously opposed by the Catholic Church, with Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput contending it would have a disastrous fiscal toll on the archdiocese.

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IRELAND
Irish Post

AN excavation is underway this week at the site of an alleged mass grave at a former mother and baby home in Ireland.

The excavation in Tuam , Co. Galway was ordered by the Mother and Baby Home Commission of Investigation to start on October 1 and last five weeks.

The site at the former Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home came to light in 2014 after it was alleged that as many as 796 bodies were buried at the site.

Here’s what we know about the story so far…

796 children died

In 2012 Tuam historian Catherine Corless was working on a local history project when she began researching St Mary’s Home for Unmarried Mothers.

The home was run by the Bon Secours Sisters on behalf of Galway County Council from 1925 to 1961.

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COLORADO
The Villager

BY PETER JONES
NEWS EDITOR

A youth pastor who met his victim in Littleton has received 90 days in jail and 20 years of intensive sex-offender probation for sexually touching a 13-year-old girl who came to him for counseling.

Christopher Hutchinson, 37, was convicted July 29 of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust. When he was arrested, he was youth pastor at Southeast Christian Church in Parker. Previously he had held the same position at South Fellowship Church in Littleton, where he first met the girl.

The 13-year-old had turned to her pastor for support and counseling during difficult times. He urged her to meet him at local parks, where he sexually touched her. Although Hutchinson urged his victim to keep his actions secret, she told her parents who contacted law enforcement.

The prosecution had requested a sentence of four years to life in prison.

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MISSOURI
Berger’s Beat

Kenrick-Glennon Seminary was set to honor Kansas City cleric, Fr. George Seuferling, at an alumni event, to recognize his 60th anniversary of his ordination. But two women who say Seufering sexually assaulted them contacted school staffers, Kate Guyol and Fr. James Mason and have now been assured the priest will not be among those recognized. Still, the victims are upset with Archbishop Joseph Naumann (originally from St. Louis, 1975 grad of Kenrick Seminary and former member of their Board of Trustees) who they say, refuses to appropriately warn his flock about Seuferling.

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GUAM
Pacific Daily News

Haidee V Eugenio , Pacific Daily News October 5, 2016

The board secretary for The Catholic Cemeteries of Guam Inc. on Wednesday disputed claims by the Archdiocese of Agana that the board improperly approved a resolution which accuses Monsignor James Benavente of misusing cemetery funds for personal benefit.

The board filed a complaint with the Guam Police Department and the Office of the Attorney General Sept. 30, shortly after the archdiocese held a press conference exonerating Benavente.

Jacqueline T. Terlaje, an attorney who is the board’s secretary, said the board unanimously approved a Sept. 30 resolution, authorizing the filing of the complaint.

The archdiocese had disputed the complaint, saying the board never met Sept. 30, and stating it was not unanimously approved, as described in the resolution. And a past Catholic Cemeteries board had approved the use of the funds, so the allegations are not true, according to the archdiocese.

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GUAM
Pacific News Center

[statement from Attorney Jacque Terlaje]

Written by Janela Carrera

Attorney Jacque Terlaje is responding to statements made by Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai that she falsified a board resolution last week.

Guam – Attorney Jackie Terlaje is vehemently refusing to withdraw a complaint filed against Msgr. James Benavente with the police and attorney general, pointing out that the complaint was filed with the catholic cemeteries board backing.

She’s also responding to Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai’s demands for the catholic cemeteries board to resign and allegations that the board defied him in alleging Msgr. James Benavente committed fraud.

Last Friday, moments after Msgr. James Benavente was cleared of wrongdoing during his tenure as the director of the catholic cemeteries, Attorney Terlaje released a board resolution to the media alleging that Msgr. James had misused cemeteries funds for his anniversary dinner back in 2014.

Archbishop Hon immediately rebuked Terlaje for issuing that board resolution and clarified that Msgr. James had committed no wrongdoing, that the previous board had authorized the use of the funds in 2014 and that Terlaje issued the resolution without obtaining the consent of every board member or the Archdiocese of Agana.

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CANADA
CBC News

A former employee of a Parish of Saint Bernadette on Cottonwood Road in Winnipeg has admitted to embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from the church.

Richard Frechette, head financial administrator for the Archdiocese of St. Boniface, said Leo McCaughan took about $404,000 from St. Bernadette’s during his time as an employee.

In January, McCaughan was charged with theft, fraud and falsification of documents. On Tuesday, he pleaded guilty.

“It’s bittersweet because it’s a complex situation. There’s mixed feelings,” Frechette said, adding parishioners who worked with McCaughan were deeply hurt by the theft.

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GUAM
KUAM

Updated: Oct 05, 2016

By Krystal Paco

Not once, but twice has the Archdiocese of Agana cleared Monsignor James Benavente’s name after allegations of financial mismanagement were made against him. Could they need to clear his name a third time?

One sitting board member of Catholic Cemeteries says they aren’t going to withdraw a complaint they recently filed with the Guam Police Department for the misuse of funds.

Two days ago, the Archdiocese of Agana called-out Attorney Jacque Terlaje and other members of the Catholic Cemeteries board of directors to resign. This after they approved a resolution to file a complaint against Monsignor Benavente with the police. That complaint was filed Friday – just hours after the church cleared his name.

Terlaje said today, “I am compelled to publicly address the statements of the Archdiocese of Agana accusing me of falsifying a certification of a resolution, as the secretary of the board of directors of the Catholic Cemeteries of Guam, Inc.”

The church contends Catholic Cemeteries is an entity of the archdiocese and had no authority to release those documents. The church also contends there was never a meeting or a unanimous vote to pass the resolution. Terlaje argues otherwise and states it was a consent to action meaning no meeting was necessary. “The facts provided to GPD and the AG are the truth,” she continued. “And I am obliged as an officer of the Catholic Cemeteries to protect the funds entrusted to me by the deceased, and by the numerous Catholic families who have buried their loved ones with Catholic Cemeteries.”

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CANADA
City News

BY JENNIFER GRAHAM, THE CANADIAN PRESS
POSTED OCT 4, 2016

REGINA – The Canadian government says a law firm that represented thousands of residential school survivors should have to pay back legal fees because it inflated its billings.

But the government’s argument that accuses the Merchant Law Group of fraud, deceit and misrepresentation won’t go any further unless Saskatchewan’s highest court agrees to reinstate the case.

Lawyers for Canada’s attorney general told the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal on Tuesday that the government would not have entered into an agreement a decade ago to pay the firm $25 million if it had known there were concerns about how much time the company spent working on residential school claims.

“What we’re saying is we wouldn’t have agreed to that amount if we had known the truth, so we want some damages for that,” lawyer Kelly Keenan told the three Appeal Court judges.

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ILLINOIS
eNews Park Forest

Chicago —(ENEWSPF)–October 4, 2016. Attorney General Lisa Madigan today urged members of the Illinois Senate to pass legislation to eliminate the statutes of limitations for felony criminal sexual assault and sexual abuse crimes against children.

Madigan testified today before the Senate Criminal Law Committee’s Subcommittee on Statutes of Limitation, detailing the importance of eliminating Illinois’ statutes of limitations that can allow child predators to go unpunished. Joining Madigan in testifying were Scott Cross, a survivor, St. Clair County State’s Attorney Brendan Kelly, Polly Poskin, the executive director of the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Barbara Blaine, president and founder of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), and Mark Parr, the executive director of the Children’s Advocacy Center of North and Northwest Cook County.

“Sex crimes against children are far too common and often have devastating, lifelong impacts,” Madigan said. “Children who suffer sexual assault and abuse often spend their entire lives recovering from the unimaginable crimes they have experienced. Illinois law must support these survivors by allowing them to report their crimes in their own time. We must ensure that survivors know that they will be taken seriously and justice will be pursued.”

Madigan explained that there are many reasons survivors of child sexual abuse are often unable to report their crimes to authorities until many years later, if they ever report them at all. Children may not reach an understanding that what has happened to them is a crime until decades later, or they may be under the control of the perpetrator or be physically, emotionally or financially dependent upon the abuser. Madigan said that the reporting delay is a sign of the lasting trauma and should not enable predators to avoid prosecution.

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ILLINOIS
WLS

By Chuck Goudie
Tuesday, October 04, 2016

Sexual abuse victims in Illinois are expected to see a change in the way law enforcement responds to calls for help, the I-Team has learned.

New training procedures are being put in place for 911 operators, patrol officers and other responders — aimed at ensuring victims don’t suffer in silence — thanks to a new federal grant.

About 95 percent of sex crime victims never go to authorities, said Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan. From teenage boys molested at the hands of a trusted coach or big name politician to women who are date raped, they are often silent victims.

“The numbers are pathetic when it comes to people who actually come forward,” Madigan said.

Nearly 400 rapes are reported to police every month in Illinois, an astonishingly large number that at the same time is incredibly small because most victims don’t report the crime.

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IRELAND
Galway Independent

Excavations works on the site of an unofficial graveyard at the former Tuam Mother and Baby Home began on Saturday and will continue for five weeks.

A sample of the site will be excavated by a team of specialist archaeologists led by a Forensic Archaeologist, on behalf of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation, which is investigating former homes around the country.

The Tuam investigation comes as a result of research by Tuam historian Catherine Corless, which revealed that 796 children died at the former Bon Secours home between 1925 and 1961.

The excavation works follow on from a geophysical survey ordered by the Commission in October 2015. A fraction of the site will now be excavated through test trenches, the location of which have been informed by a geophysical survey.

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CANADA
Sudbury Star

By Joe Lofaro
Tuesday, October 4, 2016

A former Ottawa priest convicted of molesting three boys more than 40 years ago turned to face his victims and say, for the first time, that he was sorry for what he did, but not before two of them walked out of the courtroom.

Jacques Faucher — who turned 80 last week — appeared to deliver an offhand and long-winded apology at his sentencing hearing Tuesday that acknowledged the “scandal” he caused within the Catholic Church.

The former priest was convicted of six counts of indecent assault and gross indecency on boys aged nine to 13 from the former Notre-Dame-des-Anges parish near Tunney’s Pasture. The crimes were committed from 1969 to 1974.

The victims all told a similar story: Faucher would invite the boys to sit on his knee in private to pray or to watch hockey. Court heard that he admitted to police that he had been sexually excited in these encounters, and that he sometimes ejaculated in his pants.

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AUSTRALIA
Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse

5 October, 2016

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has released a literature review examining international evidence of risk and protective factors for child sexual abuse in institutional contexts.

Royal Commission acting CEO Marianne Christmann said the study reviewed more than 400 documents primarily comprised of research studies. The report considers risk and protective factors in relation to victims, perpetrators and institutions.

Risk Profiles for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse: A literature review noted that many children spend a significant amount of time in institutional settings, and while some children were more vulnerable than others, all children are inherently vulnerable to child sexual abuse in institutional settings when a motivated perpetrator is present.

“The child’s age has been identified as a factor influencing the risk of child sexual abuse in institutional contexts. Children aged between about 9 and 15 appear to be at higher risk, though this may depend on the institution type children attend” Ms Christmann said.

The report revealed there was no profile of a ‘typical’ sex offender, and noted offenders differed in their motivations and behaviours.

“Risk factors identified in relation to sexual offenders generally include deviant sexual interests, distorted attitudes about sex, and poor social skills,” Ms Christmann said.

“A number of broad conceptual categories of perpetrator motivation were identified, including the need for power and control, sexual motivation and personality deficits,” Ms Christmann said.

The review also noted that screening processes by institutions were not as effective as widely believed, as many perpetrators have no criminal history or their criminal history does not involve sexual offences, meaning they would pass through a criminal background check.

“Research also shows that the characteristics of an institution may increase the risk of staff members committing sexual crimes against children,” Ms Christmann said.

“These characteristics could include the physical condition of the facility, a lack of child safety policies and procedures, and poor training and supervision of staff,” Ms Christmann said.

The review was undertaken by international researchers Professor Keith Kaufman and Marcus Erooga.

This material will inform the Royal Commission’s recommendations to better protect children in institutions from child sexual abuse.

Read the full report.

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ALASKA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016

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

We’re disappointed in the Vatican’s choice for Anchorage’s new bishop Paul D. Etienne of Cheyenne, Wyoming (replacing Archbishop Roger L. Schwietz).

Etienne has shown no leadership whatsoever in the church’s continuing child sex abuse and cover up crisis.

[Catholic Standard]

For years, Etienne has continued to honor a predatory bishop, Bishop Joseph Hart, against whom at least six child sex abuse lawsuits have settled, Hart’s name graces a children’s home in Torrington Wyoming.

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MINNESOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Monday, Oct. 3, 2016

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

A Minnesota priest who was first accused of molesting kids has finally, decades later, been defrocked by Vatican officials. He began abusing youngsters within months of being ordained, continues to deny any wrongdoing and continues to live in the Twin Cities.

[Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis]

Instead of being honest about what Fr. Joseph L. Wajda did, Twin Cities Archbishop Bernard Hebda said did what Catholic officials have done for decades. He minimized child sexual abuse and kept Catholics and citizens in the dark using deliberately vague language.

We hope the defrocking of Fr. Wajda will bring some comfort to his victims. But Hebda’s duty doesn’t end here.

Kids are safest when child molesters are jailed. So Hebda must go to every parish where Fr. Wajda worked and beg victims, witnesses and whistleblowers to call police. He must spread the same message through clear and repeated notices in parish bulletins, on church websites and in pulpit announcements, prodding those with information or suspcions to call law enforcement. That’s what a truly caring shepherd would do.

Catholic bishops can’t recruit, educate, ordain, transfer and shield predator priests and then suddenly walk away – saying “He’s not our guy anymore” – and let parents, police, prosecutors and the public fend for themselves. Hebda and his staff, knowing what Fr. Wajda has done, have a duty to help prod others who could put this predator behind bars behind bars.

And Hebda should turn over every shred of information he has about Fr. Wajda to police. He should insist that every other Minnesota cleric should do the same, whether they have actual knowledge or just suspicions about this predator.

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VIRGINIA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016

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

We’re disappointed in the Vatican’s choice for Arlington’s new bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Raleigh, North Carolina (who replaces Bishop Paul S. Loverde). Burbidge has shown no leadership whatsoever in the church’s continuing child sex abuse and cover up crisis.

[Catholic Standard]

In 2013, Burbidge ignored us when we begged him to warn his flock about Fr. Raymond Melville, a credibly accused predator priest from Maine who now lives in North Carolina.

[SNAP]

Just last year, Burbidge tried to deny a child sex abuse victim his day in court.

[SNAP]

Thirty US bishops have posted predators’ names on church websites. Burbidge refuses to take this simple, inexpensive, common sense step to protect the vulnerable and heal the wounded.

Often, when a Catholic official retires and is replaced, many parishioners and parents assume the new guy will be better than the old guy when it comes to children’s safety. That’s a reckless assumption. Complacency endangers kids. Continued vigilance protects kids.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Daily Mail

By MATT DATHAN, POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT FOR MAILONLINE

Theresa May dismissed claims her troubled probe into child abuse is too broad in its scope but faced criticism from Amol Clooney over the handling of the investigation’s lawyers.

Mrs Clooney, a human rights lawyer, said the departure of the inquiry’s senior lawyer Ben Emmerson QC had left a ‘huge gap’ that would be difficult to fill.

Mr Emmerson quit the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) 24 hours after he was suspended by chairwoman Alexis Jay over concerns about his leadership, but the inquiry has refused to release any further details for the barrister’s suspension.

Junior counsel Elizabeth Prochaska sent the inquiry further into crisis on Friday when she announced she had also quit the inquiry. The investigation is now under its fourth chair.

Mrs Clooney, a friend of Mr Emmerson, lavished praise on him and highlighted the problems his departure has created.

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INDIANA
WBIW

Updated October 4, 2016 8

(MITCHELL) – A Mitchell man was arrested Friday after police say he made sexual advances against a teenage girl while he was a youth minister at Mitchell Church of Christ.

Police arrested 45-year-old Gary Spear on a felony charge of child seduction.

According to a Lawrence County Superior Court II probable cause affidavit, on May 2 a woman reported to the Lawrence County Police Department that she had been assaulted by Spear. The incidents happened between 2011 and 2013 when she was between 16 and 18 years old.

In 2010, the teen was receiving counseling from Spear because her parents were getting a divorce. The victim told police that the alleged incidents happened during those weekly counseling sessions when Spear was the youth minister at Mitchell Church of Christ.

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MINNESOTA
Crookston Times

By Jess Bengtson

A settlement for the first-ever nuisance lawsuit against an overseas Diocese was announced Monday in a St. Paul press conference which involved sexual abuse survivor Megan Peterson, who was abused as a minor by Father Joseph Jeyapaul when he worked in the Diocese of Crookston in 2005.

In 2015, after his extradition from India, Jeyapaul pleaded guilty to criminal sexual conduct involving a minor in Minnesota. On January 16, 2016, with the permission of Pope Francis, Bishop Amalraj of India lifted the suspension of Jeyapaul and allowed him to return to ministry. Megan Peterson filed a federal lawsuit on April 18, 2016 alleging nuisance against the Diocese of Ootacamund for returning Jeyapaul to active ministry and exposing innocent children in India to Jeyapaul’s predatory ways, said a release from Jeff Anderson and Associates of St. Paul.

During Monday’s press conference, which included Barbara Blaine and Peter Isley of S.N.A.P. (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests), Megan and Jeff Anderson announced that the Diocese in India agreed that Jeyapaul will not be allowed to return to any kind of ministry, to not have access to any youth or young persons in India and that Jeyapaul’s faculties to minister will be taken away. They have also agreed to provide Peterson with status updates on Jeyapaul every year like where he is living and what he is doing, and will continue to provide these updates until they have no power over him.

“Because of Megan’s voice and courage this unprecedented outcome has been achieved,” said Anderson. “She has brought this case not just to Minnesota and not just to the Diocese in India, but across that nation and to the Vatican.”

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AUSTRALIA
The Tablet (UK)

04 October 2016 | by Mark Brolly

Respected Jesuit priest and law professor issues reminder that Catholic Church is not a government department

Australian sex abuse commission must not lecture on structure, theology or doctrine
Australia’s long-running federal inquiry into child sexual abuse should not “trespass on the holy ground of religious belief and practice”, Jesuit priest and law professor Fr Frank Brennan has warned.

Brennan, Professor of Law at Australian Catholic University, told the Freedom for Faith conference in Melbourne on 23 September that the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, which has announced a “wrap-up” hearing into the Catholic Church for February 2017, “will need to be very careful about taking on the mantle of royal commission infallibility and lecturing to the Church about its structure, theology and doctrine in light of contemporary secular Australian notions of truth and right”.

The Royal Commission, which was announced by then Prime Minister Julia Gillard in November 2012 and began work in early 2013, is to conclude with the delivery of its final report in December 2017.

Fr Brennan said he welcomed the assistance of the state to put the Church’s house in order as the repeated evidence before the Commission had convinced him that the Church had been in serious disrepair, putting at risk many victims who could have been spared lives of living hell if only appropriate safeguards had been in place.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Spiked

LUKE GITTOS
LAW EDITOR

Public inquiries should be about truth, not giving people ‘closure’.

he Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) is in crisis yet again. Over the past seven days, three high-profile members of the legal team have resigned. First, Ben Emmerson QC, who resigned as lead counsel to the inquiry last week, shortly after he was suspended. It was rumoured that Emmerson left due to irreconcilable tensions with the new chair, Professor Alexis Jay. Elizabeth Prochaska resigned shortly after. Then, earlier this week, Abigail Bright followed. This follows the resignation of the IICSA’s old chair, Lowell Goddard, two months ago.

Criticism of the inquiry has been growing since Goddard’s departure. It is now broadly accepted that its remit, which anticipates an investigation into 13 separate areas of public life, is impossibly wide. Before her departure, Goddard suggested it could run for over 10 years. Senior lawyer David Pannick QC remarked that the IICSA was ‘obviously unmanageable when it was set up’, and that ‘everything that has happened since has confirmed that’. So far, £14.7million has been spent, and it has achieved close to nothing. This includes £3million in lawyers’ bills, racked up before any formal investigation had even begun.

Pannick is right to say this inquiry was doomed from the outset. But there is an important lesson to be learned here, one which almost everyone involved is ignoring. Its remit was broad because it was established solely to satisfy the emotional needs of ‘survivors’ – the term used for those making complaints. Public inquiries that abandon the aspiration to objectivity and impartiality will inevitably unravel. Allowing particular interest groups to yield disproportionate influence over an investigation is a recipe for disaster.

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ILLINOIS
Chicago Tribune

Christy Gutowski
Chicago Tribune

For nearly 40 years, as his former high school wrestling coach rose to great political heights, Scott Cross tried to bury the abuse he survived as a teenage boy by a man he trusted and admired.

On Tuesday, speaking before an Illinois Senate criminal law panel in Chicago, Cross went from a victim to an advocate in urging legislation that gets rid of the deadlines for prosecuting more than two dozen felony crimes involving sexual offenses against children.

He joined Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan in supporting the proposal, which was sparked by the federal prosecution of former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert.

In the Hastert case, prosecutors cited the expired statute of limitations as the reason they prosecuted him on banking law violation charges rather than for inappropriately touching several underage boys, including Cross, decades ago when Hastert was a teacher and wrestling coach at Yorkville High School.

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CANADA
Catholic Register

BY DEBORAH GYAPONG, CANADIAN CATHOLIC NEWS
October 4, 2016

CORNWALL, Ontario – Canada’s bishops are finalizing new policies to better protect minors against sex abuse.

At their annual plenary Sept. 26-30 in Cornwall, the bishops approved, in principle, a new document on preventing sexual abuse and protecting minors, “Moving Towards Healing and Renewal – The Canadian Experience.” The document offers some guidelines to help the dioceses better manage allegations of sex abuse by members of the clergy, as well as to contribute to the healing of the victims of abuse by priests or men religious.

Archbishop Anthony Mancini of Halifax-Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, who heads the bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee on the Protection of Minors, said the new document updates the Canadian bishops’ 1992 document, “From Pain to Hope,” and aligns the bishops with standards put out by the Vatican.

Bishop Douglas Crosby of Hamilton, Ontario, president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, said experience in this area “is so much broader now and so much deeper. This will present a lot more information along the lines of ‘From Pain to Hope,’ but updated.”

Bishops now have a chance to review the text and send in suggestions and corrections. Bishop Crosby said he expects that if no major changes are required, the document will be approved in November at the next meeting of the CCCB’s Permanent Council and published in early 2017.

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VIRGINIA
WTOP

By Neal Augenstein | @AugensteinWTOP
October 4, 2016

ARLINGTON, Va. — Bishop Michael Burbidge, newly-appointed Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, vows to personally reach out to victims of clergy sexual abuse, and “to accompany them in this process of healing.”

In a news conference with outgoing Bishop Paul Loverde, 76, who has led the Diocese since 1999, Burbidge, most recently the bishop in Raleigh, says he has been aware of Loverde’s outreach to victims.

In 2004, Loverde celebrated the first of a series of healing masses, deeply apologizing for the pain inflicted on victims, and “for not seeing more deeply and fully the horrendous evil” of the abuse.

In response to a question, Burbidge, 59, said he intends to speak with victims, “to listen to them, to pray with them, and to accompany them in this process of healing, which we know is ongoing.”

“I assure you, and I assure the victims and their families, that I will continue this great work,” said Burbidge.

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PENNSYLVANIA
Daily Times

Retro or not retro.

No, we’re not talking about the latest fashion craze.

We’re talking about serious legislation that would change the way Pennsylvania deals with child sexual abuse.

Last spring the Pennsylvania House voted overwhelmingly 180-15 in favor of House Bill 1947. The measure would eliminate the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse cases, and also extend the window of opportunity for victims to file civil actions against their abusers.

Under current Pennsylvania law, victims have 12 years after they turn 18 to file a lawsuit against their abuser. In other words, to age 30. House Bill 1947 would extend that window another 32 years, to age 50.

But a controversial amendment to the legislation offered by Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Berks County, would make that provision retroactive, meaning victims from as far back as the 1970s could still get their day in court today.

The retroactive language was bitterly opposed by the insurance industry, the National Catholic Conference and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Archbishop Charles J. Chaput sent a letter that was read in every parish in the archdiocese slamming the measure as no less than an attack on the church, warning of dire consequences if it became law, and urging parishioners to contact their state senators to oppose it when it came up in that chamber. They made the argument that the law unfairly targets private institutions – in other words the Catholic Church – as opposed to public organizations. Chaput warned of possible church closures, layoffs and cuts in social services should the measure become law.

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BAHAMAS
Turks & Caicos Sun

By Hayden Boyce, Editor-in-Chief•Mon, Oct 03, 2016

Bishop Coleta Williams, one of the most popular and influential church leaders in the Turks and Caicos Islands, has flatly denied that he’s the naked man who is seen having cyber sex in a shocking video that has gone viral on social media world-wide.

Although Williams, the head of the popular Abundant Life Ministries International, did not made any media statements on the matter, The SUN can confirm that he told members of his church last week, that he was being framed, that persons associated with the video wanted to extort money from him, and that the disturbing video was the end product of high-tech, sophisticated editing.

The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force is aware of the video and there’s a possibility that detectives will question Williams about it.

During and after Bishop Williams’ meeting at the Leeward Highway church on Wednesday, September 23rd, some of the members cried openly, while others left in shock, shame, disbelief and doubt.

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MINNESOTA
New York Daily News

BY
MICHAEL O’KEEFFE
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Tuesday, October 4, 2016

A sexual abuse survivor has scored an unprecedented victory against the Catholic Church, with an Indian diocese removing a predator priest who’d been shockingly reinstated after assaulting the woman when she was a teen in the U.S.

Officials in the Diocese of Ootacamund are removing Rev. Joseph Jeyapaul from the ministry and barring him from working with children. In a legal settlement, the diocese also agreed to provide sex abuse survivor Megan Peterson, formerly of Queens, with annual updates on the whereabouts and activities of Jeyapaul, the priest she says assaulted her when she was a teenager. She’d sued the diocese in federal court upon learning of Jeyapaul’s reinstatement.

The settlement marks the first time a foreign diocese has agreed to take responsibility for a predator priest after he left the U.S., said sex-abuse attorney Jeff Anderson.

“This is such a step forward for the survivors movement as a whole,” Peterson said following a press conference in St. Paul announcing the settlement Monday.

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UNITED STATES
BishopAccountability.org

Summary of Case: L. Joseph Obersinner was ordained for the Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus in 1957. He spent many years as an Indian missionary in Omak WA in the Diocese of Spokane and at St. Ignatius Mission in the Diocese of Helena MT. He was also assigned to parishes in the Archdiocese of Portland OR, and the Diocese of Boise ID. In the late 1990s or early 2000s he retired to the Regis Jesuit Community in Spokane.

Obersinner’s name was included on the Helena diocese’s list posted to its website in April 2015 of clerics with allegations against them of sexual abuse of at least one minor.

Ordained: 1957

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GUAM
KUAM

Updated: Oct 04, 2016

By Krystal Paco

The attorney representing Monsignor James Benavente not only wants the complaint against his client withdrawn, but wants an apology letter, as well. In a letter from Attorney David Lujan to Attorney Jacque Terlaje on Monday, he threatens to take legal steps should she fail to comply.

Last Friday, Attorney Terlaje signed off on a resolution by the Catholic Cemeteries board to file a complaint with the Guam Police Department for the misuse of over $13,000 in church funds for Monsignor Benavente’s 20th anniversary dinner in 2014.

In a press conference on Monday, the church cleared monsignor’s name a second time and noted the resolution was not by unanimous consent of all board members, nor was there authorization from the church to release the confidential documents.

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ALASKA/VIRGINIA
Catholic Standard

Catholic News Service
Tuesday, October 04, 2016

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Archbishop Roger L. Schwietz of Anchorage, Alaska, and appointed Bishop Paul D. Etienne of Cheyenne, Wyoming, to be his successor.

Pope Francis also accepted the resignation of Bishop Paul S. Loverde of Arlington, Virginia, and named as his successor Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Raleigh, North Carolina.

The changes were announced Oct. 4 in Washington by Msgr. Walter Erbi, the charge d’affaires at the apostolic nunciature to the United States.

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NEW MEXICO
KSFB

Part I of II

The story of the movie Spotlight is the story of clergy sexual abuse and its coverup by the Roman Catholic church in Boston. The similar story of the Diocese of Gallup tells a decades-long history of clergy sexual abuse in a very different place– large rural swaths of the southwest and Native American communities in particular. In Part I of our two-part story, Ellen Berkovitch speaks with journalist Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola of the Gallup Independent and the National Catholic Reporter about conditions that facilitated predatory behavior.

Part II of II: Sexual Abuse and Coverup in the Diocese of Gallup

In this second of our two-part story, we bring you a conversation with Sybil, a survivor of the Diocese of Gallup sexual abuse. Sybil was also a member of the unsecured creditors’ committee that negotiated commitments from the Gallup Diocese to meet non-monetary provisions as a condition of its bankruptcy reorganization.

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NEW MEXICO
Gallup Independent

Editorial with Letter to the Editor response

Published in the Gallup Independent, Gallup, N.M., Sept. 28, 2016

Bishop James S. Wall passed up a perfect opportunity Saturday. He was given the chance to show the community and members of the Diocese of Gallup that he is committed to being transparent about clergy sexual abuse that took place, diocesan policies to protect children and efforts to support abuse survivors.

A panel discussion, centered on the subject of protecting children from sex abuse, was held at El Morro Theatre in conjunction with screenings of “Spotlight,” the film that won the 2016 Academy Award for Best Picture and told the story of the Boston Globe’s Pulitzer-prize winning investigation into clergy sex abuse and cover-up in the Archdiocese of Boston.

One might think that, because the Gallup Diocese is concluding its Chapter 11 reorganization case in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, the bishop would be ready to begin talking with local Catholics and the general public about this fresh start. But if you thought that, you would be wrong.

Wall was invited to be a panel member Saturday to share his perspective as bishop of the diocese. In the event he could not attend, Wall was invited to send a representative or at least provide a statement. He chose to do neither. Wall cited the diocese’s priest retreat, held earlier that week in Tucson, as the reason no one from the diocese would attend. So even though the Redemptorist Renewal Center’s website indicated the retreat ended Friday, no one from the diocese could return to Gallup by Saturday?

Whether the Gallup bishop is ready or not, the non-monetary provisions the Diocese of Gallup negotiated as part of its reorganization plan commit Wall to a number of actions whereby he will have to begin interacting with abuse survivors, Catholics in the pews and the general public.

Wall is supposed to start visiting every Catholic school and parish where abuse occurred or where an abuser served, with the bishop’s schedule being publicized at least 30 days in advance on the diocese’s website and its Voice of the Southwest publication. During those visits, according to the non-monetary provisions, the bishop “shall provide a forum/discussion during his visit to address questions and comments.”

Based on the diocese’s own list of credibly accused abusers, which continues to be an incomplete and inaccurate list, it is a very long itinerary of schools and parishes.

In Arizona, it includes Cibecue, Chinle, Concho, Fort Defiance, Holbrook, Lukachukai, McNary, Overgaard, Pinetop, Show Low, Snowflake, Springerville, St. Johns, St. Michaels, Tuba City and Winslow. In New Mexico, it includes Aragon, Blanco, Bloomfield, Bluewater, Cebolleta, Chichitah, Crownpoint, Cuba, Cubero, Farmington, Flora Vista, Gallup, Grants, Lumberton, Pinehaven, San Fidel, San Rafael, Shiprock and Thoreau.

When is the Gallup bishop going to begin these visits?

There is no indication on the diocesan website or Voice of the Southwest that even the first visit has been scheduled.

What is the bishop waiting for? Saturday’s panel discussion would have been an ideal forum for the bishop to kick off those public visits.

In addition, the panel discussion was a public relations opportunity for the Diocese of Gallup. A number of abuse survivors attended the event, some accompanied by family members, along with local Catholics and the general public. If Wall or one of his representatives had attended, they would have had the opportunity to present the diocese’s perspective with humility, compassion and grace.

But by skipping the invitation, Gallup’s bishop missed a perfect opportunity. He missed the opportunity to show the public he truly is a courageous spiritual leader, worthy of the position he holds.

In this space only does the opinion of the Gallup Independent Editorial Board appear

————-

Response of Diocese of Gallup’s Director of Communication, Published Oct. 1, 2016:

Letters to the editor

Diocese of Gallup has strong commitment to safety of children

To the editor,

I’m writing in response to the recent editorial, “The Bishop’s missed opportunity,” in hopes of clearing up some of the misinformation contained therein.

Mrs. Hardin-Burrola states she wanted to bring the showing of “Spotlight” to Gallup to help foster a discussion on preventing abuse in our community. If this truly was her intention, it must be applauded. We appreciated the invitation to participate, but as was made clear to her, the showing fell during the same week as our priests’ retreat in Tucson. Further administrative duties required our Bishop to stay through the next day, and the priests who returned had a week’s worth of work waiting for them. The needs of our parishioners take priority, and while we recognize the importance of public discussion, we are not at the beck and call of the Independent.

The article describing the event and the follow-up editorial both presume that adequate changes have not been made by the Diocese in taking steps to curtail abuse. This is untrue, but I will assume these statements were made in ignorance, and not from any willful distortion of the facts.

If Mrs. Hardin-Burrola truly wishes to promote healing, then this is a laudable goal. But her contribution has, thus far, been through words. This is not to disparage journalism – the events portrayed in “Spotlight” show just how vital truthful journalism is to our society. But a journalist does not get to determine how an organization is run. True and lasting change instead comes from heeding the guidance of professionals, which is just what the Diocese of Gallup does. We continually work with various entities including law enforcement, court systems, and licensed counselors. Our commitment to the safety of children is strong enough that many of the major non-monetary terms of the settlement had already been standard practice for the Diocese for years. This includes reporting abuse. Whenever an allegation is brought to the Bishop, Diocesan officials or employees, it is reported to proper authorities, and the Diocese willingly cooperates with all investigations. This includes a series of healing services, which will be announced publicly when the schedule is finalized. If Mrs. Hardin-Burrola had contacted us about this, instead of speculating in the editorial, we would have happily provided her with information.

To Mrs. Hardin-Burrola and to the public: We are on the same side. None of us has escaped the impact of the abuse scandal. All of us want to work to keep our churches and communities safe for children and other vulnerable people. When the Diocese does not take advantage of a public opportunity to state our commitment, it does not mean that we are not working, each and every day, to rectify the sins of the past. And just because we do not undertake this work in exactly the way a reporter demands does not mean we are deaf to the voices of our brothers and sisters, especially those who have survived abuse.

Suzanne Hammons, Director of communications
Diocese of Gallup

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AUSTRALIA
7 News

Andi Yu – AAP on October 4, 2016

A victim of sexual assault fist-pumped his supporters in a Sydney court as the Maronite priest convicted of abusing him was led away into custody.

The 40-year-old clergyman had pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting the victim in 2005 but was found guilty by a jury earlier this year.

On Tuesday at the Campbelltown District Court the man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was sentenced to a minimum jail term of 12 months.

But, no sooner had judge Penelope Wass delivered the sentence, the priest’s defence Greg James QC told the court that papers had been lodged to appeal against the conviction.

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AUSTRALIA
ABC News

By Charlotte King

A former Ballarat priest has been jailed for more than 18 years for sexually abusing a dozen children in south-west Victoria over several decades.

Robert Claffey, 73, was sentenced today after earlier pleading guilty to 19 charges.

His charges related to sexual abuse in the Catholic Diocese of Ballarat, and involved boys and girls aged between five and 14.

Claffey served as a priest for 25 years in Ballarat, Warrnambool, Apollo Bay and Portland.

In sentencing, Judge Felicity Hampel told the court Claffey had acted with impunity, abusing his position of power in what she called a truly appalling litany of offences.

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AUSTRALIA
Courier Mail

Shannon Deery, Herald Sun
October 4, 2016

A REMORSELESS paedophile priest who preyed on children over three decades is likely to die behind bars after being jailed for 18 years and four months.

Robert Claffey has been compared with Australia’s worst paedophile priest, Gerald Ridsdale, who he worked alongside in the Catholic Church’s Ballarat diocese.

Like Ridsdale he was today condemned to spend what is expected to be the rest of his life behind bars with his lawyer saying ill health could make his jail term a death sentence.

Claffey must serve a minimum non parole period of 13 years and four months in jail for the abuse of 12 kids, meaning he will be 86 before becoming eligible for parole.

In total the disgraced priest has now admitted molesting 14 kids during his career, first raping a young girl less than a year after his 1969 ordination.

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AUSTRALIA
9 News

A Catholic priest who sexually abused 12 Victorian children over decades in a “shameful and protracted abuse of his authority” has been jailed for 18 years and four months – with a minimum of 13 years and four months.

Robert Patrick Claffey, 73, attacked in 1969 a seven-year-old girl who was preparing for her first communion in the first of “a truly appalling litany of offending” during which he exploited his position of trust.

Claffey went on to assault altar boys and children making preparations for religious ceremonies until 1992.

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PENNSYLVANIA
Daily Times

By Kathleen E. Carey, Delaware County Daily Times

Many psychologists contend there are long-term impacts of childhood sexual abuse. Some individuals are able to overcome them. Some do not.

Dr. Richard B. Gartner is a New York psychotherapist and psychoanalyst who specializes in treating men who are childhood sexual abuse survivors. He is the author of several books, including “Beyond Betrayal: Taking Charge of Your Life After Boyhood Sexual Abuse.”

He has testified in New York and in New Jersey about the need to change the statutes of limitations in sex abuse cases. He’s written about the prolonged effects the crime has on men, although he explained the variety of outcomes is as wide as the number of individuals impacted.

Childhood sexual abuse is a worldwide problem that garnered much focus here in the United States in 2002 when the Archdiocese of Boston faced national exposure for the abuse and concealment there. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia came under scrutiny as the result of two grand jury reports, one in 2005 and another in 2011, that linked more than 60 priests with abusing dozens of minors over decades. Since then, legislative efforts have emerged to deal with the crisis.

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NEW YORK
New York Daily News

[with video]

BY
CHELSIA MARCIUS
GLENN BLAIN
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Monday, October 3, 2016

HURLEY, N.Y. — Timothy Cardinal Dolan wants to be an ally of those seeking justice for victims of child sex abuse — but he doesn’t support their bill.

During a visit to a Catholic high school near upstate Kingston on Monday, Dolan was greeted by about 10 protesters calling on him to back legislation — known as The Child Victims Act — that would remove the statute of limitations on cases of child sex abuse and allow a one-year look-back window for victims to revive old civil cases.

“If they’re protesting (for) the rights of young people who have been sexually abused, they should count me as an ally not an enemy,” Dolan said.

Dolan, however, cited the church’s support for another bill — sponsored by Assemblyman Michael Cusick (D-Staten Island) and Sen. Andrew Lanza (R-Staten Island) — that would remove the statute of limitations but does not open a look-back window.

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MINNESOTA
Canonical Consultation

Jennifer Haselberger

Many people have written to me regarding Father Mark Wehmann’s appearance on the liturgy schedule at St. Olaf in Minneapolis.

Father Wehmann’s personnel file, which outlines the reasons for his removal from ministry in December of 2013, is available online by following this link:

[Anderson Advocates]

Archbishop Hebda announced that Father Wehmann would be returning to ministry in June of 2016, noting that Father Wehmann had “engaged in extended professional counselling and spiritual direction.”

What is drawing less attention, but perhaps is deserving of even more, is the fact Father Thomas Rayar was recently appointed pastor of the Church of St. Margaret Mary. For those who have forgotten, Father Rayar left a previous pastorate after suing eleven of his parishioners. An account of what led to his resignation appears in an article from a 2008 issue of the Star Tribune. However, it is worth noting that the Archdiocese, far from concluding “that the rumor [of an affair] is false,” as Rayar’s lawyer stated. was still investigating when I started in August of 2008, and continued to do so until at least 2012. At that time the conclusion was far from favorable to Father Rayar.

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MINNESOTA
Duluth News Tribune

By Andrew Haffner, Forum News Service

CROOKSTON, Minn.—A Minnesota survivor of sexual abuse by a Catholic priest has won a settlement in federal court to prevent her abuser, who was suspended but not removed from the ministry, from carrying out similar crimes in his home country of India.

But in a Monday press conference, survivor Megan Peterson questioned the church mechanisms that allowed her abuser, Father Joseph Palanivel Jeyapaul, to possibly return to the ministry after being convicted for his crimes against her in the U.S.

Peterson said the legal win is “not enough.”

“I can take this as a victory today, and I think the children of India can take this as a victory, but the question is why the Vatican reinstated him, a convicted felon?” she asked. “That question is left unanswered.”

Peterson filed her lawsuit in the federal district court of Minnesota alleging nuisance against Jeyapaul, Indian Bishop Arulappan Almaraj and the Diocese of Ootacamund, in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, on April 18 after she learned the Catholic Church had lifted its suspension of Jeyapaul—allowing him to be reassigned despite his sexual abuse conviction in the U.S.

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NEW YORK
Times Herald-Record

By Pauline Liu
Times Herald-Record

TOWN OF ULSTER – Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Catholic Archbishop of New York, held Mass at John A. Coleman Catholic High School on Monday as victims’ rights advocates protested outside.

The main purpose of Dolan’s visit was to bless the chapel, which was destroyed by a flood in February and has been rebuilt and renovated with more than $40,000 of improvements.

Coleman, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, has an enrollment of 175 students. It became the first Catholic high school in the state to become independently operated in 2001.

A group demonstrated across the street from the school Monday, calling on Dolan and the Catholic Church to do more to protect the rights of sexually abused children.

“I think it’s disgraceful that the Roman Catholic Church is lobbying against the Child Victims Act, the act that will protect children better than any other tool here in New York state,” said Andrew Willis of the political action committee Fighting for Children.

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MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

By Jean Hopfensperger Star Tribune OCTOBER 3, 2016

The woman who sued an Indian Catholic diocese last year for reinstating the priest who sexually abused her in Minnesota has reached a landmark settlement that she hopes will set a precedent for similar abuse cases nationally.

Megan Peterson had sued the Rev. Joseph Jeyapaul, who was extradited to the United States in 2014 to face criminal charges for sexually abusing her as a teen. He pleaded guilty to fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct in May 2015 and was deported back to India after serving his one-year sentence.

When she learned that the Vatican approved Jeyapaul’s reinstatement into ministry in India within months of his return, Peterson sued again — this time in federal court against Jeyapaul’s home diocese and to prevent him from contact with children 7,000 miles away.

This week, the Ootacamund diocese agreed to remove Jeyapaul from ministry. Peterson, who was a 14-year-old in the town of Greenbush when she says she was raped and assaulted a decade ago, said she’s appalled that it took a federal court action to stop a convicted sexual abuser from working with children in India.

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UNITED STATES
Catholic Culture

October 03, 2016

Pope Francis plans to hold a consistory and name new members of the College of Cardinals soon, he told reporters during an in-flight press conference on October 2.

Answering a question from an Italian journalist, the Pontiff said that three possible dates have already been proposed for the consistory. “I need to choose,” he added, indicating that he would make a decision soon.

One of the proposed dates in the first Sunday of Advent, November 27, the Pope said. Other possible dates, he said, would be late this year or early in 2017.

Pope Francis mentioned that there are 13 openings for new cardinals who could vote in a papal conclave. Pope Paul VI set a limit of 120 cardinal-electors, and there at the moment there are 111 cardinal-electors. However, four cardinals who are now electors will celebrate their 80th birthdays , thus becoming ineligible to vote in a conclave, before the November 27 date.

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MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

Martin Moylan Oct 3, 2016

A Minnesota woman has won a lawsuit settlement that bars a predator priest from the ministry in southern India.

A diocese there was returning to duty a priest who had been convicted of child sex abuse in Minnesota. Megan Peterson had been victimized by that priest, Father Joseph Jeyapaul, in 2004 when he served at her church in Greenbush, Minn.

When Peterson heard that Jeyapaul would be active in the church in India, Peterson sued the Indian diocese.

“I know what this man is capable of,” she said. “Something had to be done to save the children in India that would be in harm’s way.”

The Indian diocese promised Jeyapaul will not return to the ministry and will not be put in a position with access to children. In addition, the church promised to provide yearly updates on his location. Peterson’s attorney, Jeff Anderson, says he expects the priest will be defrocked.

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MASSACHUSETTS
Road to Recovery

Convicted pedophile and former Catholic Church worker, Ricardo Gonzalez, is sued by three childhood sexual abuse victims whom Ricardo Gonzalez admitted in criminal court to sexually abusing. Attorney Mitchell Garabedian represents the three childhood sexual abuse victims, now adults, and filed the civil complaint on their behalf

One of the childhood sexual abuse victims of Ricard Gonzalez was an altar server at Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in East Boston, MA, from approximately 1987-1989 when Ricardo Gonzalez was working at and affiliated with Our Lady of the Assumption Parish. Another childhood sexual abuse victim of Ricardo Gonzalez was an altar server at Our Lady of the Assumption Parish from approximately 1988-1991 when Ricardo Gonzalez was working at and affiliated with Our Lady of the Assumption Parish

The third childhood sexual abuse victim of Ricardo Gonzalez was a student at the Donald McKay Elementary School in East Boston from approximately 1992-1993 when he met Ricardo Gonzalez who then was a member of the school’s faculty and/or an administrator at the school. Ricardo Gonzalez began sexually abusing the third victim approximately in the summer of 1993 until approximately 1995

What
A demonstration regarding the filing of a civil lawsuit in Middlesex County, MA Superior Court on behalf of three childhood sexual abuse victims of a pedophile, Ricardo Gonzalez, who is a former Catholic Church worker from Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in East Boston, MA, and a teacher/administrator at the Donald Mc Kay Elementary School in East Boston, MA

When
Tuesday, October 4, 2016 at 11:30 am

Where
On the public sidewalk outside Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, 404 Sumner Street, East Boston, MA 02128

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

Why
Ricardo Gonzalez worked at Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in East Boston, MA, from approximately 1987 until 1992, where he trained, supervised, counseled, directed and sexually abused two minor children who were parishioners and altar servers at Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, East Boston, MA. Ricardo Gonzalez also sexually abused a minor child who had just completed elementary school in approximately 1993 at the Donald Mc Kay School in East Boston and was about to start at a new school. Ricardo Gonzalez sexually abused the third boy from approximately 1993-1995. The two men who were minor children and altar servers at Our Lady of the Assumption Parish from approximately 1987-1991 and the third man who was about to begin a new school have filed a civil lawsuit against Ricardo Gonzalez, in Middlesex County, MA, Superior Court. The Plaintiffs suffer from the effects of having been sexually abused and seek healing, validation, and recovery. Ricardo Gonzalez, who admitted in criminal court to sexually abusing all three minor children, is currently incarcerated at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Facility in Shirley, MA, for these crimes.

Contacts
Robert M. Hoatson, Ph.D., Road to Recovery, Inc. – 862-368-2800 – roberthoatson@gmail.com

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IRELAND
The Sun

BY ANN MOONEY 3rd October 2016

A DEPRAVED paedophile priest has been caught living just yards from a playground and a crèche – but claims “I have to live somewhere”.

Serial rapist Oliver O’Grady is holed up in a house near the kids’ play area – but admitted: “I might be better off in a more isolated area”.

O’Grady – one of the most depraved paedophiles ever to serve in the Catholic Church – said he avoids going out when children are around.

But he also told how he is desperate to get his history of abusing children deleted from the internet.

O’Grady, who admitted sexually abusing dozens of young children while serving in the Church in California, said: “Well I have to live somewhere and I’ve been here for quite a while and there have been no problems.”

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GUAM
Guam Daily Post

By Neil Pang | Post News Staff

Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai, apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Agana, has asked for the resignation of Catholic Cemeteries of Guam board members who voted in favor of publicizing a complaint filed against Rev. James Benavente.

In July of 2014, Benavente was removed from his post as Rector of the Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica by Archbishop Anthony Apuron over allegations of financial mismanagement.

Benavente was publicly besmirched by Apuron, and the clearing of his name as well as his reinstatement to his post were a major point of contention for the lay organization Concerned Catholics of Guam.

Last week, after archdiocesan officials formally cleared Benavente of all wrongdoing, a complaint was filed with the Guam Police Department and the Attorney General’s Office that included documentation of financial mismanagement.

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MINNESOTA
KSTP

October 03, 2016

A settlement has been reached that prevents a priest convicted of sexual abuse from returning to the ministry.

Prosecutors say the Rev. Joseph Palanivel Jeyapaul assaulted Megan Peterson multiple times in 2004 and 2005, starting when she was 14. Jeyapaul was a priest at the Blessed Sacrament Church in Greenbush, Minnesota, near the Canadian border, at the time.

The attorney’s office says Jeyapaul fled to his native India in August 2005 and continued to serve as a priest. He was arrested in India by Interpol in 2012 and extradited to the U.S. in November 2014.

At that time, an additional fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct charge was filed against him for an Aug. 15, 2005, incident at the Diocese of Crookston.

Jeyapaul pleaded guilty to the fourth-degree charge on May 22, 2015, and was sentenced to one year in prison. The first-degree criminal sexual conduct charge was dismissed.

A church spokesman in India said the suspension of Jeyapaul was lifted in January of this year after the bishop of the Ootacamund Diocese in southern India’s Tamil Nadu state consulted with church authorities at the Vatican.

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PENNSYLVANIA
PennLive

By PennLive Editorial Board

The scene on the Capitol steps last week was heart-warming, even though at its core it was a protest. The star was Libre, the horribly abused the Boston terrier puppy whose recovery is nothing short of miraculous.

With Libre their call to action, hundreds of people demanded tougher legal penalties for those convicted of abusing animals. As state Sen. Richard Alloway, R-Franklin, noted, Pennsylvania is one of only three remaining states without a felony cruelty statute.

“Libre’s Law,” introduced by Alloway as Senate Bill 1372, would increase some penalties for animal abuse and add a third-degree felony category for offenders who intentionally cause death or serious physical injury to an animal.

Libre, now 4 months old, was found hours from death on July 4 (hence his name, which means “liberty” or “freedom”) and Alloway’s bill looks to be on the fast track to passage. Identifying opposition has been next to impossible – who is against punishing people who hurt puppies?

But that’s why we can’t help but compare the outcry in Libre’s case to the stalled legislation that would give the victims of child abuse a better chance of confronting their abusers and winning some measure of redress in the civil court system.

House Bill 1947, to eliminate or extend statutes of limitation in criminal and civil cases involving child sexual abuse. sailed through the house in April by a vote of 180-15. That bill would have:

* Eliminated the criminal statute of limitations on most child sex crimes.
* Allowed an individual to file a civil action against institutions and organizations based on child sexual abuse until the age of 50, rather than the current 30.
* Eliminated time limits on when victims can file a civil action against certain individual defendants, including the perpetrator; any individual who conspired with the perpetrator of child sexual abuse; and any individual who knew of child sexual abuse but failed to report the abuse to law enforcement or a child protective services agency.
* Eliminated the criminal statute of limitations for a conspiracy or solicitation that facilitates the offenses.
* Lowered the standard for actions against governmental defendants from “gross negligence” to “negligence.”

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GUAM
WALB

Monday, October 3rd 2016.

By GRACE GARCES BORDALLO and JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER
Associated Press

HAGATNA, Guam (AP) – Atop a lofty hill overlooking the ocean in the U.S. territory of Guam, a residence for the governor and a ceremonial one for the archbishop sit together, a decades-old symbol of their seemingly equal power on an island where nearly everyone is Roman Catholic.

Catholicism is woven deeply into the Spanish-influenced culture of this land of 165,000 people. Families consider it a blessing to be closely associated with priests, and having a son grow up to be a priest or a daughter become a nun is a source of pride.

That’s why allegations that the island’s archbishop molested altar boys decades ago have divided churchgoers and put the governor in a difficult spot politically.

When the Legislature unanimously sent him a bill eliminating the two-year statute of limitations for suing over sexual abuse, priests worked feverishly to stave it off, telling parishioners at Sunday Mass at the island’s 26 churches that the measure would bankrupt the church.

Gov. Eddie Calvo, a Catholic, had to think hard about what to do.

“You could see right away that that the man was conflicted,” said Rev. Francis X. Hezel, an assistant pastor at Santa Barbara Catholic Church in Dededo. “He is, after all, the chief executive of an island that’s 80 percent Catholic.”

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ILLINOIS
Chicago Tribune

Christy Gutowski
Chicago Tribune

Months after confronting his famous high school wrestling coach during a bombshell court appearance, the man identified as Individual D in a scandalous federal case against former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert is once again speaking out publicly, this time urging Illinois lawmakers to eliminate the statute of limitations for certain child sex crimes.

Scott Cross is expected to testify Tuesday in downtown Chicago before a state Senate committee considering legislation that gets rid of the deadlines for prosecuting more than two dozen felony crimes involving sexual offenses against children. The crimes include aggravated criminal sexual abuse and assault and indecent solicitation of a child, trafficking, child pornography and grooming.

In the Hastert case, federal prosecutors cited the expired statute of limitations as the reason they prosecuted him on banking law violation charges rather than for inappropriately touching several underage boys, including Cross, decades ago when Hastert was a trusted teacher and wrestling coach at Yorkville High School.

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UNITED KINGDOM
ITV

Amber Rudd has said she has “complete confidence” in Alexis Jay, the chairwoman of the troubled national inquiry into historical child sexual abuse.

The home secretary initially refused to be drawn on the inquiry when ITV News approached her on the sidelines of the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, before saying simply: “I’ve got complete confidence in the chairman, Alexis Jay.”

Professor Jones is the fourth person to head the inquiry after the three previous chairs quit the job.

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AUSTRALIA
Geelong Advertiser

TESSA HAYWARD, Geelong Advertiser
October 3, 2016

A CONTROVERSIAL property has come on the market, just two doors from the iconic Pole House in Fairhaven.

The 56 Banool Rd property is the deceased estate of former bishop of Ballarat (1971-1999) Ronald Mulkearns, who was blamed for covering up the sexual abuse of hundreds of children.

Mulkearns died in April and left the church most of his $2.1 million estate, which includes the Fairhaven property.

The Herald Sun reported in September the Ballarat diocese would receive the estate including the property, valued at $2.1 million, and about $40,000 cash.

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AUSTRALIA
7 News

Genevieve Gannon – AAP on October 4, 2016

A pedophile priest who abused Victorian children as young as four over three decades is about to pay the price for his crimes.

Robert Patrick Claffey, 73, will be sentenced on Tuesday afternoon after he pleaded guilty to fondling and indecently assaulting 12 children while practising as a Catholic priest in the 1970s, 80s and 90s.

Many of the priest’s victim’s gave evidence at an emotional pre-sentence hearing in Geelong last month.

One told of being molested by the pedophile priest who came to his family home offering “pastoral care” following the death of the victim’s brother.

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