ABUSE TRACKER

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

August 30, 2016

Victim in New Hampshire Prep School ‘Senior Salute’ Case Speaks Out

NEW HAMPSHIRE
New York Times

By CHRISTINE HAUSER
AUG. 30, 2016

A student at an elite prep school in New Hampshire who accused a senior of rape in 2014 only to see him convicted of misdemeanor charges revealed her identity on Tuesday in an interview with NBC, saying that she hoped to support other victims by discussing the difficulties she has faced, including being shunned when she returned to the school.

“I want everyone to know that I am not afraid or ashamed anymore, and I never should have been,” the teenager, Chessy Prout, who was 15 at the time of the assault at St. Paul’s School in Concord, said on the “Today” show.

“It’s been two years now since the whole ordeal, and I feel ready to stand up and own what happened to me and make sure other people, other girls and boys, don’t need to be ashamed, either,” Ms. Prout said with her parents at her side.

Ms. Prout said she was attacked in a mechanical room at the school in May 2014. In the trial that ended in August 2015, Owen Labrie, a senior, was cleared of felony sexual assault charges but convicted of misdemeanor charges, including having sex with someone below the age of consent.

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.

Chessy Prout, St. Paul’s Sex Assault Survivor, Speaks Out For The First Time

NEW HAMPSHIRE
The Daily Beast

Lizzie Crocker

The teenage victim of a high-profile campus sexual assault has revealed her identity for the first time–along with her plan to help other survivors.

In an interview with NBC’s Today, Chessy Prout, now 17, told Savannah Guthrie that she hoped going public with her story would send a message to other victims of sexual assault that they “don’t have to be ashamed either.”

It’s been more than two years since Prout was assaulted by Owen Labrie, now 20, at the elite St. Paul’s School in New Hampshire. “I feel ready to stand up and own what happened to me, and I’m going to make sure that other people–other boys and girls–know that they can own it too.”

One night in late May of 2014, Prout had agreed to meet with Owen in a planned encounter that arose from the so-called “Senior Salute,” an unofficial tradition at St. Paul’s wherein male and female upperclassmen attempted to hook up with younger students before graduating.

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.

St. Paul’s Sexual-Assault Survivor Speaks Out: ‘I Want Everyone to Know That I’m Not Ashamed’

NEW HAMPSHIRE
New York

By Claire Landsbaum

Chessy Prout was 15 when Owen Labrie, a senior at St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire, asked her out on a date. That was in 2014, and shortly afterward, Prout accused Labrie of sexual assault. Labrie was acquitted of three counts of felony sexual assault, but convicted on three lesser misdemeanor charges — a conviction he’s currently appealing.

The ruling has always bothered Prout, who spoke publicly for the first time to Today’s Savannah Guthrie Tuesday morning. “They said that they didn’t believe that he did it knowingly, and that frustrated me a lot because he definitely did do it knowingly,” she said. “And the fact that he was still able to pull the wool over a group of people’s eyes bothered me a lot and just disgusted me in some way.”

After Prout’s family filed a separate lawsuit against St. Paul’s alleging administrators didn’t do enough to protect students, the school threatened to force Prout to reveal her identity at trial, claiming her family was dragging its good name through the mud “from behind a cloak of anonymity.” So Prout decided to come forward of her own accord to stand in solidarity with other victims. “I want everyone to know that I am not afraid or ashamed anymore, and I never should have been,” she said. “It’s been two years now since the whole ordeal, and I feel ready to stand up and own what happened to me and make sure other people, other girls and boys, don’t need to be ashamed, either.”

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.

Rally Wednesday to Support Child Sex Abuse Victims Legislation

NEW YORK
Patch

By Lanning Taliaferro (Patch Staff) – August 30, 2016

MOUNT KISCO, NY — The public is invited to join advocates, officials and survivors of child sex abuse in front of Town Hall Aug. 31 to call on New York lawmakers to extend the statute of limitations for child sex abuse.

The rally is hosted by Ali Boak, candidate for State Senate in the 40th District, who includes passage of the Omnibus Child Victims Act among her campaign issues.

New York’s current laws demand that a victim of child sexual abuse claim justice before their 23rd birthday, she said. But research shows that it takes an average of 21 years for a victim to disclose their abuse. So most victims of child sexual abuse cannot seek justice because the statute of limitations kicks in.

The rally begins at 1 p.m.

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.

Assignment Record– Rev. Robert J. Maher

PENNSYLVANIA
BishopAccountability.org

Summary of Case: Robert J. Maher was ordained for the Harrisburg diocese in 1937. He was an assistant in York, Columbia and Lebanon parishes, later pastoring parishes in Harrisburg and Hanover. From 1948-61, Maher was Diocesan Superintendent of Schools; he resided at a girls’ orphanage for most of that time. For 15 years he also held a position with the Diocesan Examiners of Clergy. He retired in 1975 and died in 1990. In August 2016 the diocese publicly acknowledged that Maher was among priests of the diocese with credible allegations against him of child sexual abuse. The allegations were reported to the diocese in 1994, regarding “an incident that took place in the 1960s.”

Ordained: 1937
Died: June 19, 1990

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.

Assignment Record– Rev. George J. Koychick

PENNSYLVANIA
BishopAccountability.org

Summary of Case: George Koychick was ordained for the Harrisburg diocese in 1949. He assisted at parishes in Harrisburg, Mt. Carmel, York and Mechanicsburg, and was pastor in Williamstown, York and Palmyra. He was also chaplain during the late 1950s-early 1960s at the PA Industrial School in Camp Hill. The Official Catholic Directory does not index Koychick 1997-2000; his whereabouts during that time are unclear. He was in residence 2000-2003 at a McSherrytown parish, then drops out of the Directory altogether. In August 2016 the diocese publicly acknowledged that in 2003 it received credible allegations against Koychick of child sexual abuse that occurred in the 1970s.

Ordained: 1949

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

Police ‘queried bishop on sex ring’

AUSTRALIA
The Australian

August 31, 2016

DAN BOX
Crime reporterSydney
@DanBox10

The Anglican Archbishop of Perth was interviewed by police investigating a pedophile ring while he was bishop of the Newcastle diocese in NSW, a royal commission has heard.

The revelation, in documents released by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child ­Sexual Abuse, comes after Archbishop Roger Herft gave evidence this week that he was told priests were abusing children but did not report this to police.

Archbishop Herft said yesterday that he was given a “sacred trust” by the people of Newcastle during his time there as bishop between 1993 and 2005, and “I have let them down and let them down badly”. “I want to thank the commission for holding me personally accountable, for holding the church personally accountable,” he said.

Under questioning this week, he accepted that evidence shows he was warned on three occasions in the late 1990s that senior priest Graeme Lawrence was a sexual abuser, including of children. The archbishop also was warned repeatedly about sexual crimes by the late pedophile priest Peter Rushton, but did not report either man to police, the commission has heard.

A record of a meeting in January between Archbishop Herft and current Newcastle Bishop Greg Thompson states: “Roger then spoke of police visiting him when bishop of Newcastle and interviewing in relation to a pedophile ring. He said he could report that he had no evidence of such.

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.

‘Vatileaks’ convict begins serving 18-month sentence

VATICAN CITY
Catholic Culture

August 29, 2016

Msgr. Lucio Vallejo Balda, the former Vatican official who was convicted in the “Vatileaks II” trial, has been taken into custody to begin serving an 18-month prison sentence.

Msgr. Vallejo Balda, who had admitted passing confidential Vatican documents to Italian journalists, was convicted by a Vatican tribunal on July 7. The court’s sentence took effect on August 29.

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.

Newcastle Anglican lawyer accused of leading “coordinated opposition” to Bishop Greg Thompson

AUSTRALIA
Newcastle Herald

JOANNE MCCARTHY
30 Aug 2016

ROYAL commission chair Justice Peter McClellan accused solicitor Robert Caddies of leading “coordinated opposition” to Newcastle Anglican Bishop Greg Thompson during an explosive few minutes of evidence after a group of senior Newcastle Anglicans complained to the royal commission about the bishop in April.

In extraordinary letters sent to Sydney Archbishop Glenn Davies and the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, the group that included Mr Caddies and former Newcastle Lord Mayor John McNaughton, questioned Bishop Thompson’s “unsubstantiated” claim he was groomed and sexually abused by two senior clerics, including the late Bishop Ian Shevill.

The bishop revealed the abuse in a Newcastle Herald article in October, 2015.

“If the allegation were correct, Bishop Thompson apparently took no action at the time, and until recently, to report the supposed abuse, thus potentially exposing younger members of the diocese to the danger involved,” the Newcastle group wrote in a letter to the royal commission in April that was revealed on Tuesday, on the 11th day of a public hearing into Newcastle Anglican diocese.

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.

Priest defends seminary, dismisses CCOG’s claims as myths

GUAM
KUAM

Updated: Aug 30, 2016

By Krystal Paco

It’s not just the ownership of the Redemptoris Mater Seminary that’s under fire, but the institution itself.

On Monday, the Concerned Catholics of Guam called the seminary a “sham”, alleging the priests in training had no background checks, no psychological screenings, and no records to prove they were high school graduates. The CCOG also alleged the faculty were few and unqualified.

Today, we heard from the rector of the seminary himself, Father Pius Sammut, and he’s out to debunk what he’s calling “misgivings” from the CCOG.

Sham or seminary? Father Sammut is defending the institute which he says has produced 17 priests for the archdiocese. In an emailed response to KUAM News, Father Pius responds to recent statements made by the Concerned Catholics of Guam.

“This is another myth propagated by the enemies of Archbishop Anthony Apuron,” the priest wrote.

One by one, he tackles the CCOG’s issues, from admissions to faculty and the high cost of running the rms. The CCOG contends the Archdiocese of Agana funds $200,000 for the RMS. Father Pius, however, says their calculations are wrong.

“Last fiscal year, June 2015-2016, the total RM expenses were $531,353. The subsidy of the archdiocese was $73,800, less than $3,000 per head per year!” he maintained.

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

Former Church Intern Accused of Sexual Assault No-Show for Trial

TEXAS
Big Country Homepage

An Abilene man who is accused of sexually assaulting a child while serving as an intern at Pioneer Drive Baptist Church more than two decades ago did not show up for his trial Monday.

Jeffrey Forest, 44, is charged with two counts of sexual assault of a child and was scheduled to face a jury Monday in the 350th District Court in Abilene.

A warrant has been issued for his arrest.

According to an arrest report, a victim came forward saying he/she was sexually abused by Jeff Forrest back in September of 1993.

Forrest was the victim’s after-school daycare teacher, court documents state.

The victim reported that alleged abuse continued until the child was in 8th grade.

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Reward offered for capture of fugitive polygamist from Utah

UTAH
The Hour

Brady Mccombs, Associated Press
Monday, August 29, 2016

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Federal authorities hope a $50,000 reward announced Monday, coupled with a falling out between polygamist fugitive Lyle Jeffs and his brother — imprisoned sect leader Warren Jeffs — will lead someone to reveal his whereabouts.

Lyle Jeffs has been on the lam after slipping out of his GPS ankle monitor and escaping home confinement in Salt Lake City in June while awaiting trial on food stamp fraud charges.

He was in touch with his brother while on the run and was sent away to repent in July after refusing to follow an order, Eric Barnhart, the FBI’s special agent in charge in Salt Lake City, said at a news conference.

Lyle Jeffs was in the sect’s community on the Utah-Arizona border when the falling out occurred, and he feared the order could put him at risk of being captured, Barnhart said.

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

Former Abilene church day care teacher accused of sexual assault of child no show at trial

TEXAS
Abilene Reporter News

By Brooke Crum of the Abilene Reporter News

A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a former Abilene church day care teacher accused of aggravated sexual assault of a child who did not show up for his jury trial Monday.

Meanwhile, Jeffrey Winston Forrest’s attorney filed a motion to dismiss the case Monday morning, claiming the statute of limitations has expired.

After Forrest did not show up, Judge Thomas Wheeler scheduled a 1:30 p.m. hearing to check the status of Forrest.

Forrest’s attorney said he had not heard from his client. Judge Wheeler said he would revoke Forrest’s bond and issue a warrant for his arrest.

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.

Texas Seminary First in Nation to Require Students to Complete Sexual Abuse Awareness Training

TEXAS
Christian Post

BY MICHAEL GRYBOSKI , CHRISTIAN POST REPORTER
August 29, 2016

Students pursuing a ministry degree at an evangelical seminary in Texas are now required to complete sexual abuse awareness training as part of their education.

Dallas Theological Seminary announced earlier this month that it’s partnering with the group MinistrySafe to provide training for ministry degree students.

Reportedly the first seminary in the nation to do so, the requirement takes effect during the fall semester, which began on Monday, and can be met via an internship offered by MinistrySafe.

DTS President Mark Bailey said in a statement, “we’re pleased to partner with MinistrySafe to equip our students to protect those who are most vulnerable.”

“There are some issues that a seminary just can’t prepare you for and that you have to learn on the job once you’re out in ministry,” Bailey said.

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

Activist pastor appears in court on child molestation charges

GEORGIA
News4Jax

By Heather Leigh – Reporter
August 29, 2016

BRUNSWICK, Ga. – A controversial Southeast Georgia pastor who was arrested Friday on child molestation charges appeared in Glynn County court Monday.

Kenneth Adkins, 56, was read his charges and then told a bond hearing would have to be set by a Superior Court judge.

Adkins, who is charged with one count of aggravated child molestation and one count of child molestation, is expected to have a preliminary probable cause hearing Friday, at which the state must present enough legal evidence to keep Adkins in jail on the charges. If the state can’t provide that evidence, a judge can dismiss the case.

Adkins, who is pastor of the Greater Dimensions Christian Fellowship, has been in jail since he turned himself in at 9 a.m. Friday in Glynn County.

A young man who used to be a member of Adkins’ church told the Georgia Bureau of Investigation that Adkins molested him in 2010 when he was under the age of 16. A GBI agent told News4Jax that several incidents of molestation were alleged to have occurred at the church, in a vehicle and at the victim’s residence. The Brunswick Judicial Circuit asked the Brunswick police to assist in the investigation, which began Aug. 12 and is ongoing.

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.

Norwich Diocese, retired bishop sued in priest sex abuse case

CONNECTICUT
The Day

Published August 29. 2016
By Karen Florin Day staff writer
k.florin@theday.com KFLORIN

A 37-year-old Woodstock man who says he was sexually assaulted hundreds of times by a Catholic priest while serving as an altar boy at the Holy Trinity Church in Pomfret in the 1990s has filed a lawsuit against the Diocese of Norwich, retired Bishop Daniel P. Reilly and the church.

The Norwich Diocese previously settled two lawsuits brought by boys who were molested by the priest, Paul Hebert, when he served at St. Michael the Archangel Church in Pawcatuck from 1971 to 1981.

Hebert, who died in 2010, served at the Pomfret church from 1981 until 2004, when Bishop Michael R. Cote placed him on a leave of absence after the St. Michael incidents came to light. Hebert had also served at parishes in Old Saybrook, Montville and Clinton.

Jonathan Roy, the alleged victim, and his wife, Melissa Roy, are represented by the Reardon Law Firm of New London, which has handled about two dozen lawsuits in priest sex abuse cases.

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Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in the Newcastle Anglican diocese day 11 | live blog

AUSTRALIA
Newcastle Herald

Joanne McCarthy
30 Aug 2016

6.30pm: Newcastle Herald journalist Joanne McCarthy wraps up day 11 of the Newcastle child sexual abuse royal commission.

3.49pm Justice Peter McClellan has just told the royal commission that a group of Newcastle Anglican parishioners, including Caddies, wrote to the Royal Commission on April 13, 2016, complaining about Newcastle Bishop Greg Thompson giving evidence at the royal commission.

The letter includes: “Our concern relates to the behaviour of, and statements made by, the current bishop…”

Naomi Sharp: “Firstly, you say that you are gravely concerned that Bishop Thompson apparently took no action in relation to his own abuse?”

Caddies: “Yes.”

Sharp: “Do you see that you express concern about Bishop Thompson having made an ‘unsubstantiated’ claim about another priest?”

Caddies: “Yes.”

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Principal calls for urgent review of school governance

AUSTRALIA
The Educator

by James Reid
30 Aug 2016

An outspoken Catholic school principal has called for an urgent review of Catholic primary and secondary schools, saying their governance models are “antiquated”.

In a submission to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Paul Tobias, principal of St Joseph’s College Geelong, said that people who expressed different views to the church could “expect to be penalised, isolated or have their careers impacted”.

“The Catholic Church persists with antiquated governance models which are no longer appropriate, rather than distribute power appropriately,” he said.

“In the case of primary schools, the local Catholic Priest is often the Canonical Administrator. This is a role unsuited to many Parish Priests, due to their other work commitments, lack of interest or expertise in education, lack of understanding in relation to modern work place practices, etc.”

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

Archbishop Roger Herft tells child abuse royal commission he ‘let down’ victims

AUSTRALIA
ABC News

By David Marchese

One of Australia’s most senior Anglicans, the Archbishop of Perth, Roger Herft, has told a royal commission he “let down” survivors of child sexual abuse.

Archbishop Herft has wrapped up his evidence at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse after three days in the witness box.

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

“I’ve become aware that the sacred trust that the people of this region placed upon me, I have let them down,” he said.

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Roger Herft thanks abuse royal commission for holding him accountable

AUSTRALIA
Australian

August 30, 2016

DAN BOX
Crime reporterSydney
@DanBox10

The Anglican Archbishop of Perth has thanked the child abuse royal commission for “holding me personally accountable” after giving evidence that he knew about a number of paedophile priests but did not report this to the police.

Archbishop Roger Herft told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse he had been given a “sacred trust” when appointed bishop of Newcastle in NSW during the 1990s and early 2000s.

“I have let them and down and let them down badly, and let down the (child abuse) survivors in ways that remorse itself is a very poor word to express,” the archbishop said this morning.

Giving evidence yesterday, Archbishop Herft accepted he had been repeatedly warned several Newcastle priests were allegedly abusing children, but had not reported this to police.

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

Former Ballarat priest Robert Claffey admits to 19 charges of sexual abuse between 1970-1990

AUSTRALIA
Herald Sun

Shannon Deery, Herald Sun
August 30, 2016

ANOTHER Victorian former priest from Australia’s most notorious child sexual abuse district has been exposed as a serial paedophile.

Robert Claffey, 73, today pleaded guilty to a string of child sexual assault charges from his time as a priest in the Catholic diocese of Ballarat.

Claffey was due to stand trial in the County Court this week on 21 charges, but pleaded guilty to 19 charges at the last minute instead.

Bishop Ronald Mulkearns, who died in April, admitted to failing in his role. Picture: Mike Dugdale
Prosecutors withdrew two charges with Claffey pleading guilty to counts of buggery, indecent assault and sexual penetration of a child.

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Perth Anglican Archbishop says he let sex victims down in NSW diocese

AUSTRALIA
PerthNow

AAP
August 30, 2016

THE Anglican Archbishop of Perth says he badly let down child sexual abuse survivors in his former diocese and hopes the church has been “woken up” by the Royal Commission.

Archbishop Roger Herft has finished giving evidence at hearings into how the NSW diocese of Newcastle, which he headed between 1993-2005, handled allegations of abuse.

“I have let them down … let down survivors in ways that remorse itself is a very poor emotion to even express,” Archbishop Herft told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse on Tuesday.

“I hope that the church in this diocese and the church across the Australian continent will be one that has not only woken up … but become more and more transparent and accountable.”

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August 29, 2016

Monahan’s attorney denies allegations of bathroom incident that led to charges

IOWA
Daily Nonpareil

Posted: Monday, August 29, 2016

By John Schreier
jschreier@nonpareilonline.com

A retired Council Bluffs priest, St. Albert volunteer chaplain and former principal was arrested last week on suspicion he was looking at the genitals of high school students in a public restroom.

The Rev. Paul Monahan, 83, was charged on Thursday, Aug. 25, with five counts of invasion of privacy, a serious misdemeanor, according to online court records. He was released on his own recognizance the next day.

When reached at home Monday afternoon, Monahan declined comment on the allegations. His attorney, Bill McGinn of Council Bluffs, said the allegations against Monahan were completely false and that his client would be pleading not guilty to the charges.

Monahan was suspended on July 8 from all public ministries, according to the Diocese of Des Moines, pending the outcome of his legal proceedings. His preliminary hearing has been set for Friday, Sept. 16.

The Daily Nonpareil first reported Monahan’s arrest online Friday evening, following a statement released by the Diocese of Des Moines provided to the newspaper by St. Albert Catholic School. The newspaper obtained court documents Monday, which were initially unavailable, outlining the details of his arrest.

According to Monahan’s arrest affidavit, the alleged incident involved five male high-schoolers who were in the restroom during an April 4 track meet at Treynor High School that featured 11 area schools.

The students, along with a witness, told authorities that Monahan, who was using the restroom at the time, stepped back to look at their genitals. When confronted by one of the students, Monahan reportedly left both the restroom and track meet hurriedly.

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Iowa priest facing invasion of privacy charges

IOWA
KETV

[with video]

TREYNOR, Iowa —We’re learning new details about an Iowa priest suspended after being charged with five counts of invasion of privacy.

Father Paul Monahan was the senior chaplain at St. Albert Schools when the alleged incident happened at a track meet last spring.

Fr. Monahan has worked at parishes and schools throughout southwest and central Iowa.

He was the principal at St. Albert from 1975 to 1979.

Now, he’s suspended, accused of inappropriately looking at five boys using a bathroom.

The incident allegedly happened back in April during a track meet at the Treynor athletic complex in Treynor, Iowa.

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.

Priest charged with violation of privacy-nudity

IOWA
KMTV

[with video]

Joe Cadotte
Aug 29, 2016

A well-known Iowa priest is accused of invasion of privacy nudity.

The priest is accused of watching five students use the bathroom in April.

Father Paul Monahan, 83, was suspended as the chaplain of St. Albert’s Catholic School after being arrested Thursday for five counts of invasion of privacy nudity.

He was released from jail the next day.

Because Father Monahan is well known in Pottawattamie County, the state attorney general’s office is investigating to avoid a conflict of interest,” said Pottawattamie County Sheriff Jeffery Danker.

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John Swinney to meet with historic child abuse survivors

SCOTLAND
Scotsman

CHRIS MARSHALL
Monday 29 August 2016

Survivors of historical child abuse have said a meeting with John Swinney will have a “major impact” on whether they continue to engage with Scotland’s crisis-hit national inquiry.

Campaigners will meet the education secretary today to make a series of demands about the remit of the inquiry and the financial redress on offer.

The Scottish Government last month appointed senior judge Lady Smith to lead the inquiry following the resignation of the previous chairwoman, Susan O’Brien QC.

The national inquiry is investigating the abuse of children in care going back decades.

But it has been mired in controversy, with survivors saying they have “lost confidence” in the government’s handling.

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Detienen a sacerdote que abusó de menor hace 21 años

TOLUCA DE LERDO (MEXICO)
El Universal [Mexico City, Mexico]

August 29, 2016

Read original article

[Via vLex] 

CIUDAD DE MÉXICO, agosto 29 (EL UNIVERSAL).- Alrededor de 21 años después de abusar sexualmente de un menor de edad, un sacerdote fue detenido por elementos de la procuraduría capitalina. El imputado, identificado como Carlos ?N? se escondió durante todo este tiempo, y cuando pensó que su delito ya habría sido olvidado por las autoridades, lo sorprendieron en Jiutepec, Morelos.

Según el expediente del caso, y en base a lo asentado en la causa penal 244/08, el imputado, valiéndose de su investidura como sacerdote, cometió el delito contra el ofendido en 1994, cuando éste era menor de edad. Según detalló, el sacerdote le hacía tocamientos de índole sexual lo violaba, esto se prolongó hasta principios de 1998, después, cuando la víctima llegó a la edad adulta, interpuso su denuncia en agosto de 2007.

Al conocer el ilícito, el Tribunal Eclesiástico de la Arquidiócesis Primada de México solicitó que se iniciara el juicio canónico contra el indiciado, y a su vez, informó a la Congregación de la Doctrina de la Fe en la Santa Sede en Roma, Italia, quienes continuaron con la investigación, remitiendo como sentencia definitiva en 2010 su exclusión del ejercicio sagrado del ministerio; además, se le prohibió predicar y desempeñar algún oficio directivo en el ámbito pastoral y fungir como administrador parroquial.

Derivado de trabajos de investigación y de campo, la Procuraduría General de Justicia capitalina cumplimentó la orden de aprehensión librada por el juez 55 Penal, con sede en el Reclusorio Preventivo Varonil Oriente, contra Carlos ?N?, asegurado en el municipio de Jiutepec, en Morelos, por su probable responsabilidad en la comisión del delito de violación equiparada diversos tres y corrupción de menores.

El ex sacerdote ira a juicio con el sistema tradicional ya que el ilícito se cometió antes de la implementación del nuevo sistema penal.

Copyright Grupo de Diarios Amyeacute;rica-GDA/El Universal/México. Todos los derechos reservados. Prohibido su uso o reproducciyoacute;n en México

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Perth Archbishop gives second day of evidence in Royal Commission

AUSTRALIA
Newcastle Herald

IAN KIRKWOOD
29 Aug 2016

PERTH Archbishop Roger Herft has repeatedly told the Royal Commission he is unable to recall anything about a range of child sexual abuse allegations that documents show were raised with him during his 12 years as bishop of Newcastle from 1993 to 2005.

I can’t answer that, I can’t answer that question because I have no recollection of it happening.
– Roger Herft

Resuming evidence he began on Friday, August 12, Reverend Herft was questioned a number of times about his lack of recall, but he insisted he could remember nothing without documentation in relation to various high-profile abuse cases being examined by the commission.

Numerous times, Reverend Herft agreed he had failed the victims of abusive priests in his diocese, and said he was tortured in not knowing why he did not do more.

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I was fooled by priest on sex abuse: Herft

AUSTRALIA
The West Australian

Phoebe Wearne, Newcastle – The West Australian on August 30, 2016

The Anglican Church has revealed “continuing distress and sadness” in its Perth diocese as Archbishop Roger Herft yesterday admitted to being told on three occasions that a senior priest had abused children but had raised the allegations only with the clergyman involved.

Appearing before the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Archbishop Herft faced a second day of questioning in Newcastle about his knowledge of child sex offences in the NSW Hunter region in the 1990s and early 2000s.

He accepted evidence that during his time as Bishop of Newcastle he received three serious complaints about former Dean of Newcastle Graeme Lawrence in 1995, 1997 and 1999.

He told the commission he had “no reason to doubt” Lawrence’s denials at the time and therefore accepted his “say so” that the offences did not take place.

“There was a sense in which I trusted him,” Archbishop Herft said.

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Retired priest suspended following arrest

IOWA
KMTV

The Diocese of Des Moines has suspended a retired priest in Council Bluffs from all public ministry following his arrest.

Father Paul Monahan faces five counts of invasion of privacy stemming from an incident at a high school track meet in April 2016. The charges are a serious misdemeanor.

The Diocese says Bishop Richard Pates first became aware that police were investigating an allegation against Monahan in July. Bishop Pates immediately suspended Monahan pending the the investigation. Monahan will remain suspended until the case is resolved in court.

Monahan has served as a senior chaplain at St. Albert Schools. He previously served as a teacher and principal at St. Albert High School. He also was a priest at St. Mary in Avoca, St. Patrick in Walnut, Holy Family in Council Bluffs and Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in Glenwood.

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Protesting Catholics demand “Three Rs”

GUAM
KUAM

Updated: Aug 29, 2016

By Krystal Paco

Dozens representing the Concerned Catholics of Guam and the Laity Forward Movement continued their weekly protest outside the Hagatna Cathedral on Sunday morning. Their demands can be summed-up with their Three Rs: return the Redemptoris Mater Seminary to the Archdiocese of Agana, restore Father Paul Gofigan and Monsignor James Benavente, and a demand that Anthony Apuron resign as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Agana.

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Rompe el silencio el Padre Rojas…No soy pederasta, ¡Soy Inocente!

PUEBLA (MEXICO)
E-Consulta Veracruz [Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico]

August 29, 2016

By Pedro Morales

Read original article

Investigaciones especiales

El Carmen Tequexquitla, Tlax

Parte I de cinco

“Mafia, corrupción, vergüenza, abuso, doble moral y una dolorosa realidad para los tlaxcaltecas es revelada gota a gota -como perlas de acero- de una realidad lacerante de la Iglesia Católica de Tlaxcala, a la que dejó sumida en la oscuridad el ex obispo Francisco Moreno Barrón”.

Al romper el silencio que guardó durante seis años al ser acusado de pederastia, el sacerdote José Rojas Valadez lacónicamente dijo que todo fue una mentira, “nada me pudieron, ni me han comprobado”, refiere.

“Todos es parte de un complot entre las corruptas autoridades municipales, estatales y algunos representantes de la Iglesia Católica, encabezados por el ex obispo de Tlaxcala, Francisco Moreno Barrón”, sostiene.

Han dicho que yo soy pederasta.

¡Pruébenmelo!

Pero no han podido

¿Cómo da inicio todo esto de la pederastia, la excomunión y la expulsión?

JRV.- Yo había guardado silencio, pero el que guarda silencio… otorga.

Pero el silencio también es símbolo de la inteligencia, es símbolo de la prudencia de dejad que ladren los perros, decía Don Quijote a Sancho Panza.

Pero señor Quijote, atrás vienen ladrando los perros y le contestaba… es señal de que avanzamos.

No es miedo, ni temor, yo siempre he hablado con claridad, nunca con miedo o temor, y tan es así que los perros se mueren de miedo, se orinan y se ensucian y ahora cuando un zorrillo se va, deja pedorreado y el olor es a azufre.

¿Lo de la denuncia de pederasta fue una trampa?

JRV.- Por supuesto que fue una trampa y eso tu lo deberías de saber.

Al tiempo que el sacerdote saca de entre los cajones un folder, lo coloca sobre la mesa y dice.

Esta es mi sentencia, aquí los jueces dicen que yo no debo nada, es la sentencia 7/211 y dice que no hay cuerpo de delito y dice “al no existir delito, no existe delincuente.

Al no existir delito, no existe lo de la reparación del daño, no ha lugar a condenarlo a la reparación del daño, por lo tanto se absuelve a dicho sentenciado al pago de la reparación del daño, así lo resuelve el Juzgado primero del Distrito Judicial, esto lo dice la licenciada Claudia Juárez del juzgado primero.

Yo me sometí a todo el proceso, yo renuncié a la parroquia de El Carmen Tequexquitla, pero lo hice por motivos de salud.

Para someterme a todo el proceso. Para que quedara clara toda la situación.

Pero hay que advertir que renuncié a la parroquia.

No a mi sacerdocio.

Más aún, esa renuncia a la parroquia, esa si es ilegal, Porque el ex Obispo me cita en un convento de monjas, ni siquiera en la Mitra, nada que ver por el lugar, me presenta una hoja en blanco.

Ni siquiera membretada, sin mi membrete, mi sello de la parroquia, para que yo renuncie a la parroquia.

Yo le pongo, renuncio a la parroquia por cuestión de salud… y mi firma.

Eso y nada es lo mismo. No renuncio a mi sacerdocio.

La problemática empieza con la publicación de unas declaraciones que hice al periodista de El Sol de Tlaxcala, Tomás Baños, que saca pura pendejada, me viene a ver, me hace una entrevista y me dice.

¿Qué piensa sobre sus alcaldes?, cabe hacer notar que yo nací en El Carmen, en mi casa hasta donde permanezco hasta esta fecha, y le respondo que todos son corruptos.

Ratas de dos patas, Yo estaba diciendo la verdad, ahí en la nota esta todo lo que sacaron, luego ellos van a ver Obispo y al Gobernador, que era Héctor Ortiz y me demandan.

Surge la demanda, según por difamación, yo me presento ante el M.P. de Huamantla, ahí llega Juárez Cacho de “oreja”, se presentan los presidentes municipales, cada quien con su licenciado.

Yo escucho que se me exige que debo demostrar mi dicho, y les respondo que yo no necesito calabazas para nadar, yo fui solo.

Como ustedes, les dije que yo no tengo que demostrar nada, supuestamente saben de una declaración patrimonial, saben que proyecto pidieron, cuanto nos dieron para el proyecto.

Cuánto se gastaron y con cuánto se quedaron, yo me acuerdo que antes ninguno de Ustedes tenía coche, que yo recuerde nadie tenía casa Ustedes tienen casa nueva, ¿de dónde ladrónde?

Y me carcajie de ellos. Salí carcajiandome.

Como no pudieron por ahí, convencieron a una familia que trabajaba en la presidencia, la toman ara que haga su desmadre. Uno de sus chiquillos estaba empezando a ir a la parroquia.

Pero no me ayudaba a mí, ayudaba al padre Alfredo, que era el vicario, pero yo ordene que recibiera a niños de once años para arriba, para no lidiar con los más pequeños.

Pero cuando llegaban a la iglesia siempre se les pedía que avisaran a sus padres, porque yo siempre he dicho que no quiero problemas con papás, pero este chico llega y se acomoda con el vicario.

Pero como el papa trabajaba en la presidencia y la mamá estaba siempre en el DIF, los agarran para que metan la calumnia, chisme y anexas, tan es así que se contradicen ellos.

Primero, ante la autoridad civil, dicen que fue el 28 de septiembre y ante la autoridad eclesiástica dicen que fue el 29, yo me agarro del 28 porque esa fue su primera declaración ante la autoridad civil.

El Obispo me llama y me exige que tengo que renunciar y me dijo que “tienes que irte de aquí”, yo le dije ni madres, aquí me hicieron el chisme, tu caíste en el chisme por lo tanto yo no me voy de El Carmen.

Que me lo demuestren y como es eso, probándolo, que me lo prueben, si es como deben de ser las cosas y según ellos ese caso fue en el 2009, y ellos empiezan el caso en el 2010.

Hasta el año, pero oye… si tú eres papá o mamá, pues vamos el mismo día, juntamos gente y lo corremos a este desgraciado, pero dejaron pasar todo un año después.

Esa familia que me acuso vive en El Carmen, me ven de frente, se dan la vuelta y se van.

¿Qué lo excomulgaron que el vaticano lo expulsó?

JRV.- El Vaticano conocerá a todos los obispos, conocerá a todos los sacerdotes, pero todo fue puro mitote del ex.

Los demás chismes vienen después, me han estado atareando por varias partes me quitaron los de la escuela por movidas de ·”La Negra Tomasa” la jefa de la “jaula de las locas”.

El amanerado que está ahí de Secretario de Gobierno, el mismo bigotes de “chinahuate” y anexas, total que la escuela no era mía, jamás fue mía, yo simplemente fui un apoyo de la escuela.

Me quitaron el terreno donde está el kínder y me quitaron el terreno donde está el Cecyte, aunque yo gestioné el terreno para este plantel con Antonio Miranda Castro.

Luego el ex Obispo se prestó al juego, a los chismes y lo demás y lo que vendrá es un efecto de lo que ocurre en la Iglesia Católica de Tlaxcala, donde hay corrupción, engaño, falsedad, simulación y lo que sigue.

(Continua mañana parte II)

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Group: Yona seminary is a ‘sham’

GUAM
Pacific Daily News

[with video]

Haidee V Eugenio, Pacific Daily News August 30, 2016

A group that has repeatedly called for the removal of Archbishop Anthony S. Apuron said on Monday, Aug. 29 that a seminary in Yona is a “sham” and should be shut down, but the seminary’s rector said it will start a brand new academic year on Sept. 5 with 38 students enrolled.

Andrew J. Camacho, vice president of the Concerned Catholics of Guam, cited alleged problems and deficiencies of the Redemptoris Mater Seminary, which he said include a lack of strict admission requirements, poor quality and quantity of permanent and visiting faculty, and a sole focus on the Neocatechumenal Way. There is an ongoing rift in the local Catholic church between traditional Catholics and those who follow the Neocatechumenal Way, including Apuron.

Camacho also said the seminary lacks a true vetting process for students, its priests do not serve the faithful in Guam and there is a high operational cost.

“In my opinion the Redemptoris Mater Seminary in Yona is a sham. The beauty of its exterior masks an empty shell. This seminary should be shut down,” Camacho said during a press conference in Tamuning, Monday afternoon. The Yona property, which used to be the 100-room Accion Hotel has been valued between $40 million to $75 million.

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Shame! 4-yr-old raped by temple priest!

INDIA
Odisha TV

Cuttack: Cuttack police today arrested Ratikant Das, a priest of a temple at Andoti village under Sadar police limits, from Bhingarpur after a complaint was lodged against him alleging that he had raped a four-year-old girl of the village on Sunday.

Informing news men about the manhunt here, Sanjeev Arora, Cuttack DCP, said, “A case has been registered under Sec 376 of the IPC and the relevant section of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act at the Sadar police station and the victim has undergone preliminary medical examination.”

He further stated, “We have got evidence and the probe is on.”

The incident happened when the four-year-old victim had gone to the temple at 6 pm yesterday to offer prayers and handed over fruits to the priest for offerings to the deity.

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Catholic priest allegedly rapes minor in Abuja

NIGERIA
Daily Post

A Gudu Upper Area Court, Abuja, on Monday remanded Rev. Fr. Anthony Ochigbo, Parish priest of Church of Assumption, Asokoro, in police custody for alleged rape of a 10-year-old girl.

Ochigbo was arraigned on a one-count charge of rape.

The Upper Area court judge, Alhaji Umar Kagarko, adjourned the case till Aug. 30 for ruling.

His counsel Godwin Chukwukere had applied for his bail pursuant to sections 158, 162, 163 and 164 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).

Chukwukere urged the court to grant the defendant bail because he was still innocent until proven otherwise.

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Geelong Grammar teacher sex abuse claims by former student

AUSTRALIA
Herald Sun

PETER MICKELBUROUGH, Herald Sun
August 29, 2016

GEELONG Grammar has been rocked by another sex abuse claim, with a former student claiming she was sexually assaulted by her English teacher 25 years ago.

The woman, who the Herald Sun has chosen not to identify, said the assault occurred when she was 18 when her teacher invited her to his home on the campus of the elite school.

Once inside, the now 42-year-old alleges the teacher placed her hand on his crotch and forced her to perform a sex act, touched her breasts through her clothing and kissed her. She said the assault occurred despite earlier complaints of sexual misconduct by other students against the same teacher.

The school was rocked last year by revelations at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse of sex abuse and cover-ups spanning six decades and involving five other teachers.

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Concerned Catholics of Guam calls seminary “a sham”

GUAM
KUAM

Updated: Aug 29, 2016

By Krystal Paco

While the Concerned Catholics of Guam prepares for what could be a lengthy legal takeback of the multimillion dollar Redemptoris Mater Seminary, they’re now speaking out about the validity of the seminary’s graduates.

“The Redemptoris Mater Seminary is a sham,” stated Andrew Camacho, vice president of the Concerned Catholics of Guam organization. In a press conference on Monday, the CCOG questioned not only the validity of priests being formed at the Redemptoris Mater Seminary, but also the Archdiocese of Agana’s continued investment in the institute, calling it “money down the drain.”

“RMS has produced 17 priests in the last few years. Do they serve the Catholic faithful in Guam? Seven priests serve in local parishes. Two are at RMS. Eight are not in Guam. Some are serving in other countries. The status of the others is unknown,” Camacho continued. “The cost of running the RMS is too high. Approximately $200,000 comes from the Archdiocese of Agana.”

The CCOG also alleges there are no background checks, no psychological screenings, and no records to prove seminarians are high school graduates. Instead, the CCOG states the RMS is strictly in the business of promoting Archbishop Anthony Apuron’s personal agenda – to form priests following the life and practice of the Neocatechumenal Way, not traditional diocesan priests.

According to the CCOG’s look of the curriculum and faculty, the RMS doesn’t meet standards of model seminaries stateside noting the RMS has limited faculty and teachers who aren’t qualified to teach their subject areas. Said Camacho, “This seminary should be shut down. I feel sorry for the men who have true vocations to the priesthood and have to endure the poor formation in this so-called seminary.”

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Criminal justice research reports released

AUSTRALIA
Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse

29 August, 2016

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has released two research reports it commissioned on criminal justice issues that make significant findings about how child sexual abuse cases are handled in the criminal justice system.

An evaluation of how evidence is elicited from complainants of child sexual abuse conducted 17 studies using information from various sources to examine the use and effectiveness of alternative measures for eliciting evidence from child sexual abuse complainants.

In some of these studies, judges, prosecutors, defence lawyers and witness advisors were interviewed and surveyed to provide their perspective. Other studies analysed prosecution case files, trial transcripts and police video interviews with complainants to determine trends and evaluate how measures for eliciting evidence are actually being administered.

The overall findings from the 17 studies suggest that alternative measures are supported by legal professionals and are being used as a matter of course with child complainants. Five main areas were identified for improvement:

1. Overcome obstacles to using technology
2. Align police interviews with evidence-based practice guidance
3. Improve the quality of questioning in the courtroom
4. Increase the availability of alternate measures for adults
5. Reduce delays and streamline the prosecution process.

The other research study – The impact of delayed reporting on the prosecution and outcomes of child sexual abuse cases – examined how the criminal justice systems in New South Wales and South Australia deal with complaints of child sexual abuse reported to the police in childhood, compared with those in which the report is delayed until adulthood.

Researchers from the University of Sydney Law School examined data from police and court records in both jurisdictions, and conducted case file analysis and discussion with legal and other professionals in New South Wales.

Key findings included:

* In both New South Wales and South Australia, most reports of child sexual abuse were made within three months of the incident, but there has been an increase in the number of reports made beyond 10 years after the incident.

* The longest delays in reporting occurred where the alleged perpetrator was a person in a position of authority, such as a teacher, priest or foster carer. In these cases, the data shows that the majority of reports were made at least 10 years after the incident.

* Victims of child sexual abuse are not disadvantaged by reporting in adulthood. For example, the proportion of incidents in New South Wales in which an identified person of interest was proceeded against was consistently highest for offences reported in adulthood.

The delayed reporting research also looked at appeals in child sexual abuse cases in New South Wales.

Royal Commission CEO Philip Reed said the research papers aimed to provide greater understanding in their areas of exploration.

“These research reports will significantly inform our upcoming criminal justice consultation paper. The reports examine the entire criminal justice experience, from the initial police report to the trial process and conviction rates,” Mr Reed said.

“The research on complainants’ evidence provides an invaluable insight into what really happens in court and how this can impact on a complainant’s ability to provide accurate and useful evidence.”

Read An evaluation of how evidence is elicited from complainants of child sexual abuse – by Martine Powell, Deakin University; Nina Westera, Griffith University; Jane Goodman-Delahunty, Charles Sturt University; and Anne Sophie Pichler, Deakin University.

Read The impact of delayed reporting on the prosecution and outcomes of child sexual abuse cases – by Judy Cashmore, Alan Taylor, Rita Shackel and Patrick Parkinson, University of Sydney Law School.

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Maverick cleric Buckley willl ‘keep highlighting Maynooth sex scandal’ despite blog ban

NORTHERN IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph

By Suzanne Breen
PUBLISHED
29/08/2016

Controversial cleric Bishop Pat Buckley has accused the Catholic Church of attempting to censor him after a blog, in which he revealed a gay sex scandal in Maynooth training college, was deleted by Google.

For six weeks the Larne-based bishop has disclosed details of a gay sub-culture in Maynooth with some students having profiles on the gay dating app Grindr, and using the site to solicit sex with priests and laymen.

Bishop Buckley also revealed that a former seminarian was filing a complaint of sexual harassment with gardai against a staff member. He claimed that whistleblowers were dismissed from the seminary after bringing the issue to the authorities.

His blogs, exposing the scandal, were picked up by the mainstream media and led to Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin announcing that he would no longer send student priests to Maynooth. …

He has since received notification from the Google-owned platform, Blogger, that his blog has been taken offline.

In an email, Blogger stated: “Your blog at http://wisecatholic.blogspot.com has been reviewed and confirmed as in violation of our terms of service for: HATE. In accordance to these terms, we’ve removed the blog.”

Bishop Buckley said: “I was shocked when I received this email.

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Concerned Catholics of Guam VP says RMS should be shut down

GUAM
KUAM

Updated: Aug 28, 2016

By Krystal Paco

During a press conference this afternoon, Concerned Catholics of Guam Vice President Andrew Camacho said that in his opinion the Redemptoris Mater Seminary in Yona is a sham, “the beauty of its exterior masks an empty shell. This seminary should be shut down,” he said.

Camacho cited a comparison between the functions of the RMS to that of the St. Patrick’s Seminary in California.

He noted the following deficiencies at RMS:
– Lack of strict requirements for admittance to the program
– Lack of true vetting process for students
– Poor quality of the faculty to teach courses
– Poor quality of the permanent and visiting faculty
– The sole focus on the Neocatechumenal Way
– Priests who do not serve the faithful in Guam
– The high cost of running the RMS (approximately $200,000 comes from the archdiocese of Agana according to the CCOG)

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Archbishop Herft denies protecting defrocked priest at child sexual abuse royal commission

AUSTRALIA
ABC News

By David Marchese

One of Australia’s most senior Anglicans, the Archbishop of Perth, Roger Herft, has denied protecting a former priest accused of child sexual abuse.

Archbishop Herft is being questioned about his time as Bishop of Newcastle between 1993 and 2005 at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

The Newcastle case study is examining the way the local Anglican diocese responded to allegations of child sexual abuse made against clergy and lay members of the church.

The counsel assisting the commission, Naomi Sharp, questioned Archbishop Herft about allegations of abuse made against the de-frocked former Newcastle Dean Graeme Lawrence in the 1990s.

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Archbishop denies clergyman intimidation

AUSTRALIA
9 News

The Anglican Archbishop of Perth denies he was intimidated by a former senior clergyman accused of child sex abuse, with whom he had three conversations that he cannot remember.

Archbishop Roger Herft, who was in charge of the Newcastle diocese until 2005, on Monday conceded documents indicate he spoke to former Dean Graeme Lawrence about allegations over numerous years.

But he has told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse that he has no recollection of the conversations and is concerned by the fact that the appropriate file notes don’t seem to have been made.

He denied trying to protect Mr Lawrence, who has since been defrocked.

“Are you intimidated by Graeme Lawrence?” counsel assisting the commission Naomi Sharp asked.

“I’m not intimidated by Graeme Lawrence,” Archbishop Herft replied.

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Moorhead native’s abuse by pastor inspires fictional play

MINNESOTA
InForum

By Rohan Preston / (Minneapolis) Star Tribune on Aug 28, 2016

MINNEAPOLIS—James Hanson, an actor and religion professor at St. Olaf College in Northfield, was doing a solo show about the apostle Paul a couple of years ago when he shared a secret with John Woehrle.

Hanson told Woehrle that he had been molested as a teenager by a Lutheran pastor in Moorhead, where he grew up. The cleric, David L. Anderson of Trinity Lutheran Church in Moorhead, was a family friend.

Woehrle, a playwright, actor, director and teacher who was helping Hanson stage the production, consoled him. He suggested that Hanson share his story in a play.

“While clergy abuse has gotten a lot of press in movies like ‘Spotlight’ and other shows, there hasn’t been a lot from the victims’ perspective,” Hanson said. “I wanted to show the ripple effects of the abuse on the victim, the family, the community at large. It’s corrosive and ugly stuff that took me 17 years to acknowledge, but I’ve gotten to a good place now.”

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‘Like a spider that keeps building its web’: family of sexual abuse survivor speaks out

AUSTRALIA
Guardian

Melissa Davey
@MelissaLDavey
Sunday 28 August 2016

When Meg was 12, her mother, Annie, found herself unable to look at her. Seeing her daughter made Annie feel unsettled, at times almost angry. At first, she couldn’t figure out why.

“And then, Meg turned 13 and suddenly, everything slid into place for me,” Annie says.

“I found myself thinking, ‘She’s so tiny. She is so little.’ And I realised I was actually talking about myself, not her.

“It felt like something just broke. It was something big and ugly, and it just broke.”

Annie was 13 in 1987 when an Anglican priest began sexually abusing her, over a period of eight to 10 months. Seeing her daughter turn the same age was a trigger that not only bring back memories of the abuse, but that also helped her to comprehend just how small and innocent she would have been.

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Abuse royal commission: Archbishop Roger Herft told about Graeme Lawrence

AUSTRALIA
The Australian

August 29, 2016

DAN BOX
Crime reporterSydney
@DanBox10

The Anglican Archbishop of Perth has admitted being told on three separate occasions that a senior priest was a sexual abuser, including of children, but did nothing about it other than speak to the alleged offender involved.

The admission, under questioning before the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse this morning, contradicts Archbishop Roger Herft’s own previous evidence to the commission that “no one ever raised with me” any allegations against the priest.

“That particular statement of mine is not correct,” Archbishop Herft told the commission this morning.

During the 1990s and early 2000s, the archbishop was the bishop of Newcastle in NSW, which is currently being investigated by the commission over the handling of child abuse committed by its priests.

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ROYAL COMMISSION: Herft quizzed on Rushton and CKC matters

AUSTRALIA
Newcastle Herald

IAN KIRKWOOD
29 Aug 2016

Former Newcastle bishop Roger Herft has told the royal commission he “failed miserably” in his response to priest abuse victim CKA.

Resuming after a morning adjournment, Reverend Herft, now the Archbishop of Perth, was taken through his handling of a number of matters that took place during his watch, including the CKA/CKC matter, disgraced priest Peter Rushton and the seminary student Ian Barrack, who left the Morpeth college before being ordained and was subsequently convicted of child sexual abuse.

Questioned by counsel assisting the commission, Naomi Sharp, Reverend Herft agreed that there had been two allegations raised with him against Rushton, on top of the child pornography matter, but he disagreed with her description of there being “alarm bells ringing”.

He agreed he did not take action against Rushton despite being told he had his “own group of boys”.

He said he had been “deeply fooled” by Rushton into believing that he had changed his ways, when he had not.

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Royal commission hears how senior priest within Newcastle diocese got away with years of sexual abuse

AUSTRALIA
Herald Sun

Rohan Smith, news.com.au
August 29, 2016

WARNING: Graphic content

BETWEEN 1998 and 2003, the ringleader of a Newcastle-based paedophile priest network preyed on his victims with impunity.

Father Peter Rushton is believed to have raped a number of boys in the Hunter Region, two hours north of Sydney.

On one occasion he used a small knife to cut the back of a victim during the assault. The blood, his victim said through tears, was “symbolic of the blood of Christ”.

Rushton was accused of owning child pornography and raping a number of children, including a priest’s son. He died in 2007 having never been convicted of his crimes.

A royal commission investigating years of abuse within the Newcastle diocese heard on Monday how Rushton got away with it for so long.

The commission heard evidence from Roger Herft, who was the bishop of Newcastle for more than 10 years and who oversaw Rushton’s conduct. He is now the Archbishop of Perth.

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Archbishop thought ‘abuser’ had repented

AUSTRALIA
SBS

AAP

29 AUG 2016

The Anglican archbishop of Perth has conceded he should have done more amid allegations a senior NSW clergyman, who had formerly been investigated for child porn, had his “own group of boys”.

Archbishop Roger Herft, who was head of the Newcastle Diocese between 1993 and 2005, was alerted to a child sex complaint relating to four men in 2003.

One of the men was senior priest Peter Rushton, who was accused of abusing another priest’s son around the same time and had come to the archbishop’s attention when removalists thought they found child pornography at his house five years prior.

Archbishop Herft on Monday told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse that he was “deeply fooled” by Rushton, who he thought had “changed” after the pornography matter.

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Archbishop says ‘alarm bells should have rung’ over abuse allegations

AUSTRALIA
Guardian

Australian Associated Press
Monday 29 August 2016

The Anglican archbishop of Perth says alarm bells should have rung over allegations a senior New South Wales clergyman had his “own group of boys” and had abused a priest’s son.

The royal commission heard that archbishop Roger Herft, who was head of the Newcastle diocese between 1993 and 2005, was alerted to a child sex complaint relating to four men in 2003.

One of the men was senior clergyman Peter Rushton, who had been accused of abusing a boy around the same time and had previously come to the archbishop’s attention when removalists found what they thought was child sexual abuse material at his home five years previously.

Anglican church tried to change rules to keep child sex abuse findings quiet – inquiry

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Church can’t be trusted to run Catholic schools: Catholic principal

AUSTRALIA
The Age

Henrietta Cook

A Catholic principal has blasted the Catholic Church, saying school leaders are being pressured into “inappropriate” situations and silenced.

Paul Tobias, the outspoken principal of St Joseph’s College Geelong, has called for an urgent review of the governance of Catholic primary and secondary schools.

“The Catholic Church persists with antiquated governance models which are no longer appropriate, rather than distribute power appropriately,” he said.

In a strongly worded submission to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Mr Tobias said people who expressed different views to the church could “expect to be penalised, isolated or have their careers impacted”.

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Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in the Newcastle Anglican diocese day ten | live blog

AUSTRALIA
Newcastle Herald

Joanne McCarthy
29 Aug 2016

6pm:

Newcastle Herald journalists wrap-up day 10 of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

4.31pm

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has ended hearing evidence on the 10th day of the Newcastle Anglican public hearing.

The hearing will resume at 9.30am on Tuesday, August 30.

4.18pm

Solicitor Mr Healy has started asking the archbishop questions on behalf of solicitor Keith Allen, the man who gave evidence in the earliest part of the public hearing that he had “the ears” of three bishops.

Healy is questioning Herft about the yellow or brown envelopes.

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Edina grad wrote and stars in new play about clergy abuse

MINNESOTA
Home Town Source

By Home Town Source on August 29, 2016 at 4:14 am

After decades away in Hollywood and a dark period including government collusion and gold mining, John Woehrle is returning to the stage in his home state.

Woehrle, an Edina High School class of 1970 graduate, is premiering the play “Trust,” which he wrote and stars in, beginning this weekend at the Lab Theater in Minneapolis.

The play follows a Catholic college senior, Michael, who must come to terms with the sexual abuse he endured as a child by a trusted priest and the difficult time he has balancing his memories of past trauma and normalcy he thought had built for himself.

The play is more than simply fiction.

Woehrle was working with a former student Jim Hanson, now a professor at St. Olaf, on a project called “Apostle on the Edge,” when he discovered that Hanson had been abused in his past by a Lutheran pastor.

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August 28, 2016

Editorial: The horror of St. George’s

RHODE ISLAND
Providence Journal

Posted Aug. 28, 2016

There were cries of relief this month after St. George’s School, in Middletown, agreed to a settlement with as many as 30 alumni who claimed they had been sexually abused. Finally, after decades, the victims’ claims had been acknowledged, and validated.

But even if the settlement, which was not made public, eases some of the pain felt by the victims, the story of abuse at this elite Episcopal prep school and the decades-long trail that followed one of the alleged perpetrators presents a clear warning.

Adults in any setting who are entrusted to care for children must be vigilant and do everything in their power to protect these innocent lives. Loyalty to friends or employees, or fear of scandal or disgrace, have no place in any decision-making process. Children must be protected. And people who hurt them or present a threat to them should be removed and reported to the authorities.

Sadly, that did not happen at St. George’s, where it appears that dozens of students were sexually abused by teachers and staff during a period from the 1970s into the 1980s. That these acts could have taken place over such a long period is almost as stunning as the number of children who may have been assaulted.

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Protests continue strong in light of Apuron statement

GUAM
Guam Daily Post

The past two weeks have seen a number of developments in the ongoing dispute between Archbishop Anthony Apuron and concerned Catholic laity over the Redemptoris Mater Seminary (RMS) property in Yona.

The most recent development is a statement released by Apuron on Thursday, Aug. 25. Jacqueline Terlaje, legal representative of Apuron, issued a statement with the first words from Apuron since his disappearance from public view in June.

In the release, Apuron confirmed statements made by the Archdiocese of Agana and RMS administrators in which ownership of the Yona property was concluded in favor of the archbishop. However, the main concern of the statement seemed to be the allegations that he defied the Pope, as stated in the media following Hon’s an Aug. 18 statement from Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai, apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Agana.

Apuron claimed that the decisions he undertook in regard to the purchase and subsequent management of the former Hotel Accion were done within ecclesiastical law and under the advisement of both the Archdiocesan Finance Council and College of Consulters, contrary to reports from the Concerned Catholics of Guam and other sources. Apuron cited a number of threats, as he perceived them, to the spiritual well-being of Guam Catholics and concluded that he could not “in conscience” lift the deed restriction as requested by Hon.

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Archbishop to continue sex abuse evidence

AUSTRALIA
7 News

Rebekah Ison – AAP on August 29, 2016

The Anglican Archbishop of Perth, Roger Herft, is expected to continue his evidence at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

Earlier this month, Herft admitted to major failings in handling sex abuse complaints while he was in charge of the Newcastle diocese between 1993 and 2005.

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Assignment Record– Rev. Thomas J. Brunner

OHIO
BishopAccountability.org

Summary of Case: Thomas J. Brunner was ordained for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in 1974. He assisted at parishes in Reading, Deer Park and Montgomery, then held the position of pastor at parishes in Anderson Township and Troy. For many years he was also a religion teacher, music minister and chaplain at Mount Notre Dame High School in Reading. In 1985 two girls, who were Mount Notre Dame students, told their principal that Brunner had sexually abused them. He did not deny the allegations. His assignment at the school was terminated and he was sent by the archdiocese to counseling. He was allowed to continue in parish ministry. In 1989 a woman told the archdiocese that Brunner had sexually abused her when she was a high school student in the 1970s. He was sent for a psychological evaluation and again allowed to stay in ministry. In September 2003 Brunner resigned from his long-time position as pastor of St. Patrick’s in Troy in anticipation of his impending removal per recommendation of the Archdiocese’s review board. He was on paid leave until laicized by the Vatican in March 2006.

Ordained: 1974
Laicized: 2006

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Court voids state sex offender registry for imposing unconstitutionally retroactive punishment

MICHIGAN
Washington Post

Jonathan H. Adler
August 25

Today the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit held that recent amendments to Michigan’s Sex Offender Registration Act (SORA) are unconstitutional because they impose retroactive punishment on sex offenders in violation of the Constitution’s prohibition on ex post facto laws. Among other things, the plaintiffs argued that amendments to Michigan’s SORA increased the severity of its requirements after their convictions imposed retroactive punishment. In John Does #1-5 v. Snyder, the Sixth Circuit agreed.

Judge Alice M. Batchelder wrote for the court, joined by Judges Gilbert S. Merritt and Bernice B. Donald. Her opinion for the court begins.

Like many states, Michigan has amended its Sex Offender Registration Act (SORA) on a number of occasions in recent years for the professed purpose of making Michigan communities safer and aiding law enforcement in the task of bringing recidivists to justice. Thus, what began in 1994 as a non-public registry maintained solely for law enforcement use . . . has grown into a byzantine code governing in minute detail the lives of the state’s sex offenders . . . Over the first decade or so of SORA’s existence, most of the changes centered on the role played by the registry itself. In 1999, for example, the legislature added the requirement that sex offenders register in person (either quarterly or annually, depending on the offense) and made the registry available online, providing the public with a list of all registered sex offenders’ names, addresses, biometric data, and, since 2004, photographs. . . . Michigan began taking a more aggressive tack in 2006, however, when it amended SORA to prohibit registrants (with a few exceptions . . .) from living, working, or “loitering”1 within 1,000 feet of a school. . . . In 2011, the legislature added the requirement that registrants be divided into three tiers, which ostensibly correlate to current dangerousness, but which are based, not on individual assessments, but solely on the crime of conviction. . . . The 2011 amendments also require all registrants to appear in person “immediately” to update information such as new vehicles or “internet identifiers” (e.g., a new email account). . . . Violations carry heavy criminal penalties.

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Anglican dean ‘gave court reference for priest accused of sex abuse’

AUSTRALIA
The Australian

August 29, 2016

DAN BOX
Crime reporterSydney
@DanBox10

A former dean of Newcastle’s Anglican cathedral wrote a character reference for an alleged pedophile priest at the centre of a new police investigation, a royal commission has heard.

The reference was one of three provided by Graeme Lawrence for the criminal trials of alleged sex offenders within the NSW diocese, according to evidence before the Royal Commission into Instit­utional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Mr Lawrence was himself later defrocked after having group sex with a teenager.

The former cathedral dean prepared the reference in about 2001, although the charges were ultimately “no-billed”, meaning prosecutors decided not to pursue the case.

The Newcastle diocese subsequently released a media statement falsely claiming that the priest, who cannot be named, had been acquitted, the commission has heard.

The priest moved to the Victorian diocese of Ballarat.

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Back-to-school legal troubles at 2 Catholic high schools | Quigley

NEW JERSEY
The Jersey Journal

By Joan Quigley | For The Jersey Journal
on August 28, 2016

This wasn’t a good-news month at two Catholic high schools in Bergen County.

Without admitting wrongdoing, officials of Bergen Catholic High School agreed to pay $1.9 million to 21 former students who alleged sexual abuse decades ago. And Paramus Catholic High School was knocked down in court on its plea to deny a hearing to a teacher who was fired because she is in a same-sex marriage.

Mitchell Garabedian, attorney for seven people in the Bergen Catholic suit, said that between 1963 and 1978 students were subjected to routine sexual abuse by some of the Christian Brothers in charge of the school. The students were between 13 and 17 years old at the time, he said, and had been taught to do whatever the brothers instructed, no matter how they felt about it.

The victims recalled being told to pull down their pants so they could be whipped with leather straps or pinched and groped by some instructors. Others said they were punched or beaten for minor offenses, while some complained not about touching of any sort but having to remove their underwear to allow brothers simply to stare at them.

Court-ordered payments will be distributed during the first week of December, with each award ranging from $65,000 to $115,000. An arbitrator will decide how much each alleged victim receives based on the nature of the abuse suffered, the duration and frequency of such abuse, and the extent of injuries suffered.

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MEDIA RELEASE – AUGUST 27, 2016

NEW YORK
Road to Recovery

“Move-in Day” for Fordham University students should signal “Movement Day” for the Northeast Province of Jesuit Priests and Brothers in reasonably settling the case of childhood sexual abuse of Neal E. Gumpel by a deceased Jesuit priest, Fr. Roy Alan Drake, S.J., who taught and lived on the Fordham campus for many years

Reports of childhood sexual abuse by Fordham University and Fordham Prep Jesuit priests and lay teachers, including Neal E. Gumpel’s credible claim of sexual abuse by Fr. Roy Alan Drake, S.J., continue to surface in the aftermath of the recent announcement by Fordham Prep alumnus, Michael Meenan, that religion teacher, Fernand Beck, sexually abused him in 1984

Neal E. Gumpel was a high school student from Westchester County, New York, who was sexually abused as a minor child by Fr. Roy Alan Drake, S.J., deceased Fordham University and Fordham Prep teacher, who was teaching at Maine Maritime Academy in Castine, Maine, while Neal E. Gumpel was visiting his brother, a student at Maine Maritime Academy. Jesuit leaders thus far have refused to help Neal E. Gumpel heal by validating and reasonably settling his claim which they have found to be credible

The Jesuits of the Northeast Province, in a media report, recently expressed their willingness to help victim/survivors of sexual abuse by Jesuit Priests and brothers, BUT they have not done so with Neal E. Gumpel

What
A demonstration and leafleting alerting the media, Fordham University and Fordham Prep students, parents, alumni and the general public about the growing number of reports of sexual abuse against Fordham University and Fordham Prep faculty and staff members in the aftermath of the recent announcement (New York Times, New York Post, The Ram, e.g.) by Michael Meenan, Fordham Prep ’84, that he was sexually abused by his religion teacher, Fernand Beck, during a graduation party in Westchester County, New York. Demonstrators will also draw attention to the claim of Neal E. Gumpel, a childhood sexual abuse victim of Fr. Roy Alan Drake, S.J., a deceased Fordham University and Fordham Prep teacher, at Maine Maritime Academy, Castine, Maine, and which was found credible by Jesuit leaders of the Northeast Province of the Society of Jesus. However, the Northeast Province of the Jesuits still have not validated Neal E. Gumpel’s claim, thus preventing Neal E. Gumpel from healing

When
Sunday, August 28, 2016 from 11:00 am until 1:00 pm

Where
On the public median outside the Fordham University gates near 400 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, which also is in front of the entrance to the New York Botanical Gardens

Who
Neal E. Gumpel; his wife Helen, Gumpel; and Robert M. Hoatson, Fordham University Ph.D., 1988, co-founder and President of Road to Recovery, Inc., a non-profit charity based in New Jersey that assists victims of sexual abuse and their families

Why
Neal E. Gumpel’s account of having been sexually abused by Fr. Roy Alan Drake, S.J., has been found credible by the Northeast Province of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), but the Jesuits have yet to reasonably settled Neal E. Gumpel’s claim. Recently, in a media report, the Jesuits expressed their willingness to help victims of childhood sexual abuse. It is time for the Jesuit Priests and Brothers of the Northeast Province to reasonably settle the childhood sexual abuse claim of Neal E. Gumpel.

Demonstrators will call upon the Jesuits of the Northeast Province, including Jesuits at Fordham University and Fordham Prep, to stop their foot dragging and reasonably settle the childhood sexual abuse claim of Neal E. Gumpel.

Contacts
Robert M. Hoatson, Fordham University Ph.D., 1988 – 862-368-2800 – roberthoatson@gmail.com

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Napa County now home for John Nienstedt, Twin Cities archbishop who resigned under legal cloud

CALIFORNIA
The Press Democrat

CHRIS SMITH
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT | August 27, 2016.

Minnesota and then Michigan evidently grew too hot for John Nienstedt, a former Catholic archbishop who was accused of protecting predatory priests and who now cools his heels in Wine Country.

Nienstedt came far west after departing Minnesota under duress and stopping briefly in Michigan. A newspaper report out of Battle Creek earlier this year revealed that only two weeks after Nienstedt arrived and took a temporary church post there he “left amid a swirl of criticism.” Residents opposed to his assignment hounded the diocese and the media, and pulled tuition support for a school associated with the church, according to another news report.

His resignation in June of 2015 as the Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis came 10 days after prosecutors there filed criminal charges against the archdiocese that he ran since 2008, alleging “its failure to protect children.”

Earlier last year, in the midst of multiple lawsuits, the archdiocese filed for bankruptcy, citing “the scourge of sexual abuse of minors.” …

HAVING MOVED ON on to the North Bay, Nienstedt now is doing work at the private Napa Institute, created by Orange County attorney and Meritage Resort & Spa owner Tim Busch. The institute’s declared mission is “to equip Catholic leaders to defend and advance the Catholic Faith in ‘the Next America’ — today’s emerging secular society.”

Nienstedt has presided over Mass at the chapel at Meritage, in Napa. Bishop Robert Vasa of the Diocese of Santa Rosa, which encompasses Napa County, is aware he’s here and said the resort chapel is “a suitable place for him to celebrate Mass.”

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August 27, 2016

Bishop tended Catholic flock quietly for 23 years

TENNESSEE
Commercial Appeal

David Waters
Columnist

J. Terry Steib, a former missionary, was introduced as the new Catholic bishop of Memphis on the 23rd day of March in 1993.

He was the fourth bishop — and first African-American bishop — in the 23-year history of the Catholic Diocese of Memphis.

Last week, Steib officially retired on the 23rd day of August, having led the diocese for 23 years. …

Steib’s critics say he didn’t do enough to keep predators away from the flock — especially clergy sex abusers.

“Bishop Steib disclosed information on predator priests only when forced to do so by external forces,” said David Clohessy, a former Memphian and national director of SNAP — Survivor’s Network of Those Abused by Priests.

“He didn’t discipline a single church employee for ignoring or concealing clergy sex crimes.”

In court depositions, Steib admitted he made mistakes that put children at risk. But he said the church “responded according to what it knew and believed at the time.”

Some say Steib was too quiet about a lot of things.

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AG’s office: Kane’s resignation will not impact Baker-McCort abuse case

PENNSYLVANIA
Tribune-Democrat

By Dave Sutor
dsutor@tribdem.com

The resignation of Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane is not expected to impact the trial against three priests accused of failing to sufficiently protect children from Brother Stephen Baker, who was believed to be a child predator.

Revs. Giles A. Schinelli, Robert J. D’Aversa, and Anthony M. Criscitelli each face charges of conspiracy and endangering the welfare of children. Deputy Attorney General Daniel Dye, the lead prosecutor in the case, has argued the three defendants – in their roles as ministers provincial of the Third Order Regular, Province of the Immaculate Conception – gave Baker assignments that provided him access to children.

A status conference is scheduled to take place Wednesday in the case against Schinelli, D’Aversa, and Criscitelli.

The trial is not likely to begin until 2017, according to Blair County Judge Jolene Kopriva.

Baker allegedly abused at least 100 students at what was called Bishop McCort High School when he served there from 1992 through 2000. The friar died from a reported suicide in 2013.

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Whistleblower Hoatson: Local child abuse ‘secret’ protected by culture, ‘dome’ of faith

PENNSYLVANIA
Tribune-Democrat

By Dave Sutor
dsutor@tribdem.com

The Catholic Church is deeply ingrained in the Johnstown region’s identity.

Worshipers have celebrated and mourned together, lived lives of virtue, served their communities, and raised their children in the faith – all within the framework of the institution. But, that same structure allowed countless acts of alleged child sexual abuse to take place – and be covered up – in the opinion of Robert Hoatson, founder of Road to Recovery, a New Jersey-based advocacy group.

Earlier this year, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General released a report that accused the Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona–Johnstown of perpetrating a decades-long conspiracy to shield priests and other religious leaders who preyed upon children.

The investigation started after the office learned Brother Stephen Baker allegedly abused students when he served at what was then Bishop McCort High School in the 1990s.

Hoatson is a former Irish Christian Brother and Roman Catholic priest who was laicized – had his privileges withdrawn – in 2011 after challenging the church for allowing abuse and coverups to occur.

“In 40 years of being inside the church, and then obviously now five years outside the organization of the church, I have never seen a phenomenon quite like Stephen Baker and the affect he’s had on a geographic section or area of our country,” Hoatson said in a meeting with The Tribune-Democrat.

“Having been here so long now on different occasions, it’s almost as if these beautiful hills around here – or mountains, whatever you call them – a dome was put over it, and the secret was kept in here for so many decades that, even today, it’s the hardest place I’ve experienced to get people to talk about it.”

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Mauro Visigalli: Priests deserve basic justice, too

RHODE ISLAND
Providence Journal

By Mauro Visigalli

Mauro Visigalli, of Codogno, Italy, is a lawyer in Italian courts and at the Vatican.

Posted Aug. 26, 2016

I am an Italian “avvocato rotale.” I usually work in the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church where certain canonical crimes arrive for consideration from all over the world. For this reason, I often look at American newspapers online, sometimes printing out their pages for my folders.

I was doing that the other day, searching for news about a priest who entrusted his case to me, when I found in The Providence Journal an article about a different priest, unknown to me (“Priest prohibited from serving,” news, July 1). His story made me want to share some thoughts, based on my professional experience.

What amazes me is that in a country like yours, where the rights of the accused are considered so important, that rights do not seem to count when a priest is accused of a sexual crime. Such is the paradox of a 95-year-old priest who is prohibited from serving based on “credible” facts of an incident that happened 60 years before.

I would simply ask: How could someone defend himself against such old charges? And is the “presumption of innocence” a mere option, or has it been replaced in these cases with a “presumption of guilt?” I can find this same expression — “credibly alleged” — on the websites of many American dioceses, with attached blacklists of priests smeared forever after having dedicated their whole life to the church (sometimes dead priests, too). Some websites include a red button and phone numbers with the list, so that everyone can easily send in his or her accusation and everyone can infer, however wrongly, that such crimes are absolutely normal in the church!

Do you know how many of those “credible accusations” started with a simple anonymous letter? Do you know how often the letter was sent from someone who was in a position to gain from the denunciation? Do you know how many priests weren’t found guilty but are still suspended because their bishop is frightened about public opinion? Do you know how long the accused priests, immediately suspended from their ministries with a simple letter from their bishop, live under the double pressure of a civil and a canonical tribunal?

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Longtime priest, St. Albert chaplain suspended following arrest

IOWA
Daily Nonpareil

Fri Aug 26, 2016.
by John Schreier
jschreier@nonpareilonline.com

A retired western Iowa priest who serves as a chaplain at St. Albert has been suspended following his arrest on invasion of privacy charges Thursday.

The Rev. Paul Monahan, 83, has been charged with five counts of invasion of privacy, a serious misdemeanor, according to online court records.

Bishop Richard Pates has suspended Monahan from all public ministry while the investigation and court proceedings are ongoing, according to Anne Marie Cox, a spokesperson for the diocese. Cox said that Monahan was first suspended July 8 when the diocese became aware of the allegations.

The charges stem from an incident at a high school track meet in April, according to the diocese. An arrest affidavit or other court documents to provide more detail on the charges were not available Friday night, when Monahan was released on his own recognizance, according to the Pottawattamie County Jail.

Iowa Code 709.21(1) – the statute under which Monahan was charged, according to online court records – relates to the recording or photographing of an unknowing victim in a state of partial of full nudity.

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Catholic priest facing invasion of privacy charges

IOWA
Des Moines Register

Joey Aguirre, jaguirre@gannett.com August 26, 2016

A retired Catholic priest is facing invasion of privacy charges after an alleged incident at a high school track meet in April, according to a news release from the Diocese of Des Moines.

The Rev. Paul Monahan has been charged by the Iowa Attorney General’s Office with five counts of invasion of privacy, according to the Friday release. An attempt to reach the attorney general’s office for more information was unsuccessful.

Diocese of Des Moines Bishop Richard Pates suspended Monahan on July 8 after learning of the investigation. The suspension will remain in place until the case is resolved by authorities.

Monahan, ordained in 1960, retired in 2004 and then served as a senior chaplain at St. Albert Schools in Council Bluffs. He was a teacher at Dowling Catholic for fours years in the 1960s before being assigned to St. Albert, where he served in a variety of capacities before retiring.

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Sex abuse lawsuit against priest and Peoria diocese revived on appeal

ILLINOIS
Peoria Journal Star

By Andy Kravetz
Journal Star public safety reporter
@andykravetz

PEORIA — An appellate court panel this week found a Peoria County judge erred when she threw out a lawsuit by a man claiming he was sexually abused by a priest.

The panel of 3rd District Appellate Court judges held the man’s lawsuit, which was filed in 2012, wasn’t time-barred by state law even though the abuse happened in the early 1990s. Rather, Judge Mary K. O’Brien wrote, with Judges Robert Carter and Vicki Wright concurring, the lawsuit should be allowed to proceed as the man claimed in his suit that he blocked the abuse out of his memory until 2011. As such, the statute of limitations hadn’t tolled.

The man, now 37, sued the Rev. Norman Goodman, Holy Family Catholic Church, and the Catholic Diocese of Peoria in July 2012, alleging Goodman, who is deceased, sexually abused him from 1991 to 1994 when he was 13 to 15 years old. Goodman was a priest based in Lincoln.

Under a 1991 law, those alleging child abuse must file civil claims within a certain time frame. Any lawsuits after that were barred because of a statute of limitations. A change in the law in 1994 repealed that section, but an Illinois Supreme Court case a few years later upheld the sentiment of the 1991 section of law.

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Retired Iowa priest charged with five counts of invasion of privacy

IOWA
Omaha World-News

By John Schreier / World-Herald News Service

A retired western Iowa priest who serves as a chaplain at St. Albert has been suspended following his arrest on invasion of privacy charges Thursday.

The Rev. Paul Monahan, 83, has been charged with five counts of invasion of privacy, a serious misdemeanor, according to online court records. Bishop Richard Pates has suspended Monahan from all public ministry while the investigation and court proceedings are ongoing, according to the Diocese of Des Moines.

The charges stem from an incident at a high school track meet in April, according to the diocese. An arrest affidavit or other court documents to provide more detail on the charges were not available Friday night.

Monahan was released on his own recognizance Friday evening, according to the Pottawattamie County Jail.

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Tom Clonan: The Catholic Church can either reform itself after the Maynooth mess – or risk looking like a Fr Ted episode

IRELAND
Journal

MY PARENTS DIDN’T like Father Ted. They didn’t get it. If my Mum and Dad were alive today they’d be in their 80s. They were a generation that grew up in an Ireland dominated by the Catholic Church.

For my parents, Fr Ted was like a fly on the wall documentary about priests. They couldn’t laugh at it. They couldn’t enter into the comedic spirit of it. They simply couldn’t suspend disbelief in order to laugh at Fr Ted, Fr Jack and Fr Dougal.

It was as though you ‘couldn’t make it up’. And yet, Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews had made it up. They had conceived, devised and constructed an elegant satire that eloquently described the comic, dark reality of the organisational culture of the Catholic Church in Ireland.

I have been reminded of Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews in the recent media coverage of the controversies that have engulfed the national seminary at St Patrick’s College, Maynooth. Media reports of a ‘gay subculture’ at the college and the alleged widespread use of the gay dating app Grindr among seminarians read like the script of a Fr Ted episode.

The news value of these stories have pushed them to the top of the news agenda. This dynamic may have obscured the real story however. To be honest, I believe the sexual orientation of seminarians or priests is largely irrelevant in the context of the grave challenges that confront the institution of the Catholic Church in Ireland. Indeed, much of the coverage has been voyeuristic and gay shaming – perhaps unwittingly revealing a deep-seated homophobic bias among some commentators.

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Mary McAleese says Maynooth should be ‘gay-friendly’

IRELAND
Irish Times

Barry Roche

The current controversy about a gay culture at Maynooth is misplaced and the church authorities should be focusing on why so few young people are seeking to join the priesthood rather than seeking to make seminaries gay-unfriendly places, according to former president Mary McAleese.

Dr McAleese said that she found the focus on whether there is a gay culture at Maynooth worrying but she traced it to the Catholic Church’s teaching on homosexuality with which she profoundly disagreed and which did nothing to make gay people feel welcome within the church.

“We have the phenomenon of men in the priesthood who are both heterosexual and homosexual but the church hasn’t been able to come to terms with the fact that there are going to be homosexuals in the priesthood, homosexuals who are fine priests,” said Dr McAleese.

“They haven’t be able to come to terms with that because the teaching of my church, the Catholic Church, tells them that homosexuality is, of its nature, intrinsically disordered – those are the words of pope Benedict and that homosexual acts are, in his words, evil,” she added.

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Shifting winds in Maynooth – but Church must embrace change or lose its flock

IRELAND
Irish Independent

Martina Devlin
PUBLISHED
27/08/2016

Another day, another flavourless statement from Maynooth. It is remarkable how an institution as vibrant and effective as the Catholic Church during its 2,000-year history should become now so lost within a gilded labyrinth.

There is a way out of this maze of its own construction, as leaders from Pope Francis to Archbishop Diarmuid Martin realise. But their dilemma is how to secure buy-in for essential reforms from the Church’s management class.

The scale of the necessary overhaul is significant, and many within the hierarchy are resistant to change. This means the reformers have a circle to square: on the one hand, gradual reform will meet with less resistance from traditionalists; on the other hand, it might be dismissed as tinkering at the edges.

For the Irish hierarchy to stick its collective fingers in its ears and go “la la la, we can’t hear you” is no solution to the crisis lapping at its doors. It has pursued such a policy for decades, with dwindling vocations and empty churches to show for it.

Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin is among those trying to effect change – but will it be watered down so that the public barely notices any difference? This week’s statement from Maynooth’s trustees will do little to reassure the faithful, who have anxieties both about alleged seminary ‘sexcapades’ and the theologically inflexible priests being formed there.

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Former president Mary McAleese: Seminaries in Ireland should be ‘gay friendly’

IRELAND
Irish Independent

Geraldine Gittens
PUBLISHED
27/08/2016

Former president Mary McAleese has said that seminaries in Ireland should be “gay friendly”.

This week it emerged that a closer eye will be kept on how Maynooth’s seminarians spend their time from now on as part of a stricter regime being introduced in the wake of the gay dating app scandal.

The Irish Independent reported that all trainee priests will now be required to eat their evening meal in the college rather than being allowed to dine wherever they choose. They will also be required to attend evening rosary at 9pm, which hasn’t been obligatory until now.

The seminary council will now eat both breakfast and dinner with the seminarians in the historic Pugin Hall rather than in the Professors’ Refectory.

But Dr McAleese, a staunch Catholic who campaigned fearlessly for a yes vote in the same-sex marriage referendum, told the Daniel O’Connell Summer School in Kerry yesterday that the Catholic Church’s teaching on homosexuality was worryingly dangerous, according to the Irish Times.

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New Study Explores Why Religious ‘Nones’ Departed from Their Childhood Religion

UNITED STATES
Christianity Daily

Adults identifying themselves as “religious nones” have increased over the last few decades, and a recent Pew survey explored why they chose to move away from religion.

About 78 percent of the respondents of the survey said that they grew up in religious environment, but departed from the religion.

Pew received hundreds of different responses when the participants were asked to elaborate in their own words why they left their religious groups. Though the responses were diverse, Pew said, the research center was able to categorize some responses under common threads.

Some 36 percent said they were disenchanted with the religion, and about 7 percent said they were not interested in or did not need religion. Around 7 percent also said that their views evolved. Only 1 percent said they experienced a crisis of faith.

Many of the respondents said that they departed ways with religion because of its organized ways and hierarchy. About one in five Americans held this view.

Others also said that they saw religion becoming too much like a business, and also mentioned sexual abuse by clergy as one of the reasons for their leaving their childhood religion.

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Top 5 reasons why U.S. religious organisations went to court in 2015

UNITED STATES
Christian Today

Jonah Hicap 27 August 2016

Sexual abuse of minors is the No. 1 reason why religious organisations in the United States went to court in 2015, according to a lawyer.

Richard Hammar, a lawyer who specialises in legal issues related to churches and clergy, recently published his report on the Church Law and Tax website.

He categorised state appellate court and federal court rulings, which totalled 12,000 decisions, to identify the cases that most threaten religious organisations.

Hammar said sexual abuse of minors was the leading cause, accounting for 11.7 percent of the cases.

“Sadly, for several years the sexual molestation of minors has been the number one reason that churches went to court,” he wrote.

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Anti-gay pastor who said LGBT community ‘deserved’ Orlando massacre arrested for molesting boy

GEORGIA
New York Daily News

CHRISTOPHER BRENNAN
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Updated: Friday, August 26, 2016

A conservative Florida pastor who said that the victims of the Orlando massacre got “what they deserve” is being charged with child molestation.

Bishop Kenneth Adkins was arrested by Georgia authorities on Friday after allegations that he molested a boy under the age of 16.

The 56-year-old clergyman, who runs churches in Jacksonville, Atlanta and Brunswick, Ga., gained notoriety in the immediate aftermath of Omar Mateen’s shooting at Pulse nightclub in June.

He posted on Twitter that he had “been through so much with these Jacksonville homosexuals that I don’t see none of them as victims. I see them as getting what they deserve.”

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IAN KIRKWOOD: How much child sexual abuse has the Royal Commission uncovered?

AUSTRALIA
Newcastle Herald

IAN KIRKWOOD
27 Aug 2016

HAVING covered the first nine days of Newcastle hearings of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, the Newcastle Herald is about to re-enter the fray on Monday, for two days of Anglican hearings followed by eight days on the Maitland-Newcastle diocese of the Catholic Church.

As I sat with my esteemed colleague Joanne McCarthy – who more than any other person laid the groundwork for this commission – I could not help but reflect on the mysterious set of codes and practices that is the Australian legal system.

I doubt I’m the only one whose first, reflexive response to the Royal Commission was to think that one of its first jobs would be to calculate the size of the child sex abuse problem – both currently and historically – in Australia. At this point, we must remember that this is not a Royal Commission into child sexual abuse, per se. It’s a commission into the institutional responses to that abuse: in other words, what the organisations in question did about the abuse perpetrated by their members.

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Lawsuit revived in case of alleged sexual abuse by Lincoln priest

ILLINOIS
CINews Now

August 26, 2016

LINCOLN, Ill. — A man who says he was sexually abused by a Lincoln priest has cleared a legal hurdle.

The alleged victim claims he was abused by Rev. Norman Goodman of the Holy Family Catholic Church between 1991 and 1994.

The lawsuit had been barred because the statute of limitations ran out.

That was overturned Friday by an appellate court panel because the man says he repressed memories of the abuse until 2011.

“They said the statute of limitations in this case wouldn’t have started to run until he was 18, but because he couldn’t remember because he’d suppressed the knowledge of the abuse, it was further (held) until 2011. When he first came to know that the injury existed and that it was wrongly caused,” said Jonathan T. Nessler, the alleged victim’s attorney.

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August 26, 2016

‘I’ve always obeyed the Pope’

GUAM
Guam Daily Post

Neil Pang | Post News Staff

In a statement released to the media on Aug. 25, Archbishop Anthony Apuron responded to claims that he opposed the Pope.

“I wish to declare that this is absolutely false and it is causing real, grave and immediate damage to the Church in Guam and to my good name,” Apuron said in the release.

Apuron said he had always followed the Pope and has every intention of doing so in the future.

The disobedience in question refers to comments made by Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai, apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Agana, in a statement concerning a presentation made to the Presbyteral Council regarding the legal status of the Redemptoris Mater Seminary (RMS) property in Yona.

Hon said, “In truth, more than a year ago, the Holy See recognized the problems such a Deed Restriction created. Ever since then, more than once, the Holy See has instructed Archbishop Anthony Apuron to rescind and annul it. Clearly this instruction has not been carried out accordingly.”

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COURT: ST. LOUIS PRIEST DEFAMED BY ANTI-SEX ABUSE GROUP

MISSOURI
Church Militant

by Bradley Eli, M.Div., Ma.Th. • ChurchMilitant.com • August 26, 2016

SNAP made accusations “negligently and with reckless disregard for the truth”

ST. LOUIS (ChurchMilitant.com) – A federal judge is ruling a St. Louis priest was the victim of defamation by an anti-sex abuse advocacy group that conspired against him.

On August 22, US. District Judge Carol E. Jackson wrote in a court order that the Survivors’ Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) made public accusations that “were false and that they did not conduct any inquiry into the truth or falsity of these public statements, but instead made these statements negligently and with reckless disregard for the truth.”

Father Xiu Hui “Joseph” Jiang of St. Louis sued SNAP last year after the sex abuse claims they litigated against him were suddenly dropped. Father Jiang says the leaders in SNAP launched a “smear campaign” against him in the media.

In June, the court ordered SNAP to produce documentation substantiating its accusations against Fr. Jiang. Its refusal to comply with the judge’s discovery order resulted in Jackson’s ruling this week in favor of the priest.

SNAP claimed the reason it refused to produce the documentation as ordered was what the judge called a “rape-crisis-center privilege,” which didn’t apply in this case. The judge concluded that SNAP had no legal defense for not producing the evidence beyond “repeated assertions of a nonexistent privilege.”

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Diocese: Three priests added to list of alleged abusers

PENNSYLVANIA
York Daily Record

Brandie Kessler, bkessler@ydr.com
August 26, 2016

Add three priests accused of child sexual abuse to the list of those with ties to the Harrisburg diocese.

The diocese confirmed Friday three names identified by the York Daily Record/Sunday News, which has been investigating the scope of abuse in the diocese.

Each priest had worked in York County at some point, according to the diocese. But the diocese did not specify where the alleged abuse occurred.

One allegation was received following the YDR’s story, “Shadowed History,” which published online Aug. 9 and in print Aug. 14. The diocese said it reported the allegation to law enforcement and has not determined whether it is credible.

The diocese confirmed credible allegations of abuse had been made against Robert Maher and George Koychick. The Daily Record is not naming the other priest at this time, as the allegation is still under investigation.

* Koychick — The diocese said “credible allegations” against Koychick were made to the diocese in August 2003 about abuse that occurred in the 1970s, diocese spokesman Joseph Aponick said. Koychick had been stationed at St. Joseph’s in York from June 1953 to June 1957 and at St. Patrick’s in York from November 1967 to June 1981, Aponick said in an email. “Already being retired, and out of ministry, [Koychick] was formally forbidden to function in any capacity as a priest and law enforcement authorities were notified,” Aponick said. Koychick could not be reached for comment.

* Maher — The diocese confirmed “credible allegations” against Maher were received in February 1994 from an incident that took place in the 1960s, Aponick said. According to “The Official Catholic Directory,” Maher worked at St. Vincent’s in Hanover in the 1960s and 1970s. Maher had been assigned to St. Rose of Lima in York from June 1937 to June 1939, Aponick said. He retired from ministry in May 1975 and died in June 1990, Aponick said. Aponick said law enforcement authorities were informed.

* The diocese received an allegation of abuse against another priest in early August, Aponick said, about an incident that took place in the 1970s. “This is a new allegation against a deceased priest, he previously had no allegations against him,” Aponick said. “We have reported it to law enforcement authorities; we are still awaiting details and are still looking into the case.” The priest served at a York County parish in the 1970s.

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This Rabbi is Striking Back at Pedophiles — Using Twitter

NEW YORK
Forward

Thea Glassman
August 26, 2016

Meet the rabbi who’s on a mission to educate the Orthodox community about sexual abuse—and publicly out pedophiles while he’s at it.

For the past 15 years, Rabbi Yakov Horowitz has been trying to break the cycle of silence associated with abuse in the Orthodox community. According to the Torah, Jews are forbidden to turn criminals over to non-Jewish authorities, and are expected to face shunning and bullying from their community if they do.

As such, sexual abuse often goes unreported.

“You have people who are [very close.] Reporting on somebody who you’re friendly with, or who is someone’s uncle is more challenging than reporting on somebody you don’t know,” Horowitz told Vocativ. “…I’ve been telling parents to go to police.”

The rabbi has turned his personal Twitter and Facebook accounts into a one man campaign against sexual abuse.

“Warning to Boro Park parents about released sex offender Dascalowitz.” Horowitz tweeted last month, linking to a Facebook post he had written that includes the current address of sex offender Meir Dascalowitz, who pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a 12-year-old boy in 2013.

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Man relives horror of life in Irish Protestant children’s home

IRELAND
BBC News

A man who hopes his case will be heard at the European Court of Human Rights has spoken of the horrors he says he endured at a children’s home in Ireland.

Derek Leinster, 75, was born at Dublin’s Bethany Home in 1941. He wants a public apology and financial compensation.

The grandfather, who now lives in Rugby, says its only right that survivors of Protestant children’s homes receive the same recognition as those from Catholic homes.

The Irish Government said a Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes was established in February 2015, to find out what happened to vulnerable women and children in 14 homes, including the Bethany Home, from 1922 to 1998.

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Brave Catholic priest sex abuse survivor won’t be silenced

AUSTRALIA
Chinchilla News

Sherele Moody | 27th Aug 2016

ALMOST 50 years ago, a tall, fun loving and incredibly charismatic Catholic priest strolled into a Brisbane schoolroom where he began systematically destroying the heart, body and soul of a 14-year-old girl.

That girl was Joan Isaacs and, despite 49 years having passed, the memory of the day she met the man who would sexually assault her over and over again is crystal clear.

“He came into our class to give religious instruction,” Ms Isaacs says of Francis Edward Derriman.

She pauses for a moment, her soft voice trembling slightly while her hands trace mindless patterns on the table in her spotless dining room.

“We’d had pretty boring religious instruction from the chaplains before that,” Joan recalls.

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Controversial pastor arrested for alleged child molestation

GEORGIA
Fox 13

GLYNN COUNTY, Ga. – A Georgia pastor and conservative political activist was arrested Friday morning on charges of child molestation and aggravated child molestation.

Ken Adkins, 56, of St. Simons Island, turned himself into police at about 9 a.m., according to officials with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

The GBI was requested on Aug. 12 to assist officials with the accusations against Adkins.

Adkins is currently in the Glynn County Jail. The investigation is ongoing.

Adkins has one church, with locations in Brunswick, Jacksonville and Atlanta, according to his website.

Adkins recently came under fire when he tweeted “homosexuals got what they deserved” after the deadly mass shooting at Pulse Nightclub. His Twitter account has since been set to private.

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Controversial local pastor Ken Adkins arrested for child molestation

GEORGIA
First Coast News

Destiny Johnson and Terry Dickson, Florida Times-Union , WTLV August 26, 2016

BRUNSWICK, Ga. — According to a release from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation given to First Coast News on Friday, Brunswick Pastor Kenneth Adkins, 56, turned himself in on Aug. 26.

Adkins turned himself in on one count of aggravated child molestation and one count of child molestation at approximated 9 a.m. Friday.

Adkins is known for being a controversial Pastor in Brunswick Ga. as well as being involved in Jacksonville politics, including the recent ‘bathroom bill.’

The investigation against Adkins in regards to these child molestation charged began on Aug. 12 with the Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney Jackie Johnson requesting the help of the GBI. The investigation is still ongoing.

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Controversial pastor and activist Ken Adkins charged with child molestation in Brunswick

GEORGIA
Florida Times-Union

By Terry Dickson Fri, Aug 26, 2016

Controversial pastor Ken Adkins has been charged with two counts of child molestation in Georgia and is in the Glynn County jail, officials said.

One of the two charges against the 56-year-old is aggravated child molestation, said Stacy Carson, special agent in charge of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Kingsland office.

District Attorney Jackie Johnson asked the GBI on Aug. 12 to assist the Brunswick Police Department in an investigation of an accusation of child molestation against Adkins, Carson said. The investigation focused on suspected molestation in several locations in the Brunswick area including at Adkins’ church, a vehicle and a victim’s home, Carson said. The investigation is ongoing.

Lawyer Kevin Gough told the Times-Union he is representing Adkins and believes the accusations are said to have occurred in 2010. He said Adkins had willingly turned himself in. …

Adkins is a controversial figure in Jacksonville politics, particularly because of comments and crude caricatures he posted on his Twitter account while he helped lead the fight against expanding Jacksonville’s anti-discrimination law to cover lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

Among the criticisms that Adkins lodged was his assertion that expanding the law would make it easier for sexual predators to find victims in bathrooms.

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Pastor who said Pulse victims got ‘what they deserved’ accused of molesting boy at church

TRAVIS GETTYS
26 AUG 2016

A Georgia pastor who said Pulse nightclub shooting victims got what they deserved has been arrested on child molestation charges.

Ken Adkins, of St. Simons Island, turned himself in to police about 9 a.m. Friday on aggravated child molestation charges, reported The Florida Time-Union.

The 56-year-old Adkins, who has congregations in Atlanta, Jacksonville and Brunswick, Georgia, is an outspoken anti-LGBT activist in the Jacksonville area.

He drew widespread condemnation for making offensive remarks about a fatal shooting that left 49 clubgoers dead and 53 others wounded at a gay nightclub in Orlando.

“I don’t see none of them as victims,” Adkins tweeted. “I see them as getting what they deserve!!”

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De Vito Receives the Endorsement, Support of Fighting for Children PAC

NEW YORK
LongIsland.com

Long Island, NY – August 25, 2016 – New York State Senate District 3 Candidate John De Vito’s campaign has received the endorsement of the Fighting for Children PAC. The political action committee was founded by Gary Greenberg to allow victims of childhood sexual assualt greater ability to seek justice and restitution for the crimes committed against them.

De Vito said that “Childhood victims of sexual abuse should not be denied justice because of an arbitrary law that prevents them from bringing their case in court. I will continue fighting tirelessly for the passage of the Child Victims Act. The Republicans obstructing this bill should understand that silence is complicity in allowing predators to remain on the streets. I take this fight personally.”

Mr. Greenberg said that “John represents the kind of high ethical and moral fiber that we need in Albany to make sure that our legislatures care about taking predators off the streets, and providing justice for victims.”

De Vito seeks to defeat freshman Senator Tom Croci (R-Islip) in a year that will feature economic fairness and public corruption as key campaign issues throughout the region. John is a 25 year-old lifelong resident of Mastic Beach, and a graduate of William Floyd High School and New York University.

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Proclamation Regarding Child Safety in the Orthodox Jewish Community

UNITED STATES

In light of tragic suicides committed as a direct result of child sexual abuse, as well as other physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual consequences suffered by innocents in our Jewish Orthodox communities and beyond; and,

In fulfillment of the Torah’s precept, רעך דם על תעמוד לא”)Do not stand by while your fellow’s blood is spilled”); and,

As religious leaders responsible for our communities’ institutions and their policies, as well as for
the physical and spiritual welfare of the members of our communities

We proclaim the following:

* We acknowledge that sexual abuse of children – committed by family members, acquaintances, rabbis, teachers, counselors, youth leaders, and other professionals – exists in our communities. This abuse has caused and continues to cause immeasurable harm to the victims, their families, and our entire community; it can destroy lives.

* We recognize in light of past experiences that our community could have responded in more responsible and sensitive ways to help victims and to hold perpetrators accountable.

* We condemn attempts to ignore allegations of child sexual abuse. These efforts are harmful, contrary to Jewish law, and immoral. The reporting of reasonable suspicions of all forms of child abuse and neglect directly and promptly to the civil authorities is a requirement of Jewish law. There is no need for people acting responsibly to seek rabbinic approval prior to reporting.

* We decry the use of Jewish law or the invocation of communal interests as a tool to silence victims or witnesses from reporting abuse. Regardless of the standing of the abuser, accusers and their family members must be treated in an accepting, nonjudgmental manner so that they feel safe and can therefore speak frankly and fully. This is necessary for them to receive suitable therapeutic support, and in order to facilitate proper investigation and pursuit of justice. Shunning or encouraging social ostracism of victims, their families, or reporters is forbidden.

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New York – Expressing Remorse Over Past Mishandling Of Sexual Abuse In Children, 300 Orthodox Rabbis Vow Better Protection For Victims

UNITED STATES
Voz Is Neias

[Proclamation Regarding Child Safety in the Orthodox Jewish Community]

New York – In light of recent tragic suicides committed as a direct result of child sexual abuse, as well as other physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual consequences suffered by innocents in Jewish Orthodox communities and beyond, a proclamation signed by a large and diverse group of rabbis from the United States, Canada and Israel has taken a firm stand against abuse in children, acknowledging that the Jewish community has been slow to recognize incidents of molestation in the past and calls upon schools and synagogues to institute policies that will prevent sexual abuse.

The statement, signed by close to 300 Orthodox Jewish rabbis, admits that rabbis and community leaders have not always dealt effectively or appropriately with victims of child sexual abuse or their perpetrators.

Released today by David Nyer, a licensed clinical social worker, the proclamation condemns the practice of using Jewish law to prevent victims from reporting abuse and describes any attempts to ignore child sexual abuse as “harmful, contrary to Jewish law and immoral.” Suggestions for greater safety in schools and synagogues included maximizing visibility so that children cannot be in unseen locations with adults, better screening of applicants including background checks and fingerprinting, and educating staff on recognizing and reporting possible incidents of child abuse.

Rabbi Yosef Blau, a senior mashgiach at Yeshiva University’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, called the statement a turning point for the Jewish community.

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Reflections on Chicago Imam’s Guilty Plea

ILLINOIS
Heartfelt: Reflections on Faith, Sex & Public Health

by Nadiah Mohajir

Women & Girls initially was founded to focus on improving access to sexual health information and education in Muslim communities. As we held workshops across the country, we quickly realized something: once facilitators set a safe space and gained the trust of participants, the sheer number of stories of sexual violence that were shared were overwhelming. As a result, we quickly made the deliberate decision to include sexual assault awareness education in every one of its sexual health workshops. We believed that it would be a disservice to participants to not also cover topics such as boundaries, consent, and healthy relationships in our sexual health education programming. While discussing sexual violence is different than discussing women’s health, these two topics intersect in the experience of being a Muslim woman, understanding one’s body, and exercising bodily autonomy.

Last year, the importance of this work was more evident than ever. A young woman came forward with allegations of sexual assault against a prominent Chicago imam, Abdullah Saleem. HEART board and staff, along with a team of volunteers, publicly supported her, and within days, received dozens upon dozens of phone calls and emails from survivors of the same perpetrator. We began connecting these young women to the resources they needed: legal services, contacts in the criminal justice system, therapists, and awareness materials.

Of the numerous survivor stories related to this case that HEART initially collected, five survivors chose to move forward with civil legal proceedings, as reported in the New York Times in February 2015. The Illinois States Attorney filed criminal charges shortly afterwards. Both cases have been proceeding – and on August 25, 2016, Abdullah Saleem entered a plea bargain for both charges in the criminal case. This means that the criminal case was resolved out of court through a process of negotiation. As a result, the victims do not have to face the exhausting ordeal of going to trial and testifying in front of the defense, which typically utilizes tactics that humiliate and tear down the witness.

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Archbishop Herft denies false statement to abuse inquiry

AUSTRALIA
The Australian

August 27, 2016

DAN BOX
Crime reporterSydney
@DanBox10

The Anglican Archbishop of Perth has denied telling the ­bishop of a diocese under investigation over alleged child sexual abuse that “a false statement had been filed by me with the royal commission”.

Archbishop Roger Herft, a ­former bishop of Newcastle, said the allegation was contained in a 2016 file note written by his successor, Bishop Greg Thompson, and tendered with the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

While the file note has not been publicly released, a recent witness statement from Archbishop Herft said he had seen the document and “I don’t agree with everything that Bishop Greg has written”.

“In particular … I never told Bishop Thompson that a false statement had been filed by me with the royal commission in ­relation to the Church of England Boys Society,’’ he said.

The society, the subject of a previous royal commission investigation, organised youth camps in the Newcastle area at which at least one witness had described being raped by several men.

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James M. Miller’s The Priests: sins of the Newcastle fathers laid bare

AUSTRALIA
The Australian

DAVID BREARLEY
The Australian
August 27, 2016

A Catholic lad coming of age in 1970s Newcastle was educated at his peril. The Marist Brothers operated two boys high schools in the region, neither of them safe. The third option was Saint Pius X College, staffed largely by the priests of what was then the Diocese of Maitland.

Pius was a diabolical place. The teacher-priests lived in quarters attached to the main classroom block, an arrangement that raised no eyebrows in that fabulously innocent decade.

The worst of them by a great margin was Father John Denham, perhaps not Australia’s most notorious pedophile priest but quite possibly the most prolific and without question the most expensive from the church’s perspective. His only competition in this regard is another Novocastrian, Father Vince Ryan.

Denham is jailed until 2028 for the sexual abuse of 57 boys, some of them barely out of preschool, most of them Pius students in their early teens. Police believe he abused twice that number and more, and the record shows he did so with uncommon brutality. From 1975 until 1980, according to judge Helen Syme of the District Court, Denham treated Pius as his personal “pedophilic smorgasbord”.

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Archbishop Apuron wants his name cleared

GUAM
KUAM

Updated: Aug 25, 2016

By Krystal Paco

After months of being attacked for a deed of restriction on the multimillion dollar Redemptoris Mater Seminary in Yona, Archbishop Anthony Apuron is looking to clear his name, not only here at home but with the Holy See.

In a statement issued to KUAM News, sent through his legal counsel Attorney Jackie Terlaje, Apuron states the Pope Francis has granted his request for a canonical trial. In his defense, Apuron states past claims made by apostolic administrator Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai and other critics of the Yona property are causing “real, grave, and immediate damage to the church in Guam and to my good name, spreading scandal and confusion among the faithful.”

While the deed of restriction is believed to hand over the RMS to the non-profit RMS Corporation and parties affiliated with the Neocatechumenal Way, Apuron contends the restriction merely blocks the sale and that if it wasn’t for him, those looking to cash in would’ve converted the RMS from a seminary into a casino.

“I have always defended the moral life of the island opposing establishments which would bring money to few and moral misery and degradation to many,” said Archbishop Apuron.

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IRISH BISHOPS IGNORE HOMOSEXUAL PROBLEMS IN IRISH SEMINARY

IRELAND
Church Militant

by Rodney Pelletier • ChurchMilitant.com • August 25, 2016

MAYNOOTH, Ireland (ChurchMilitant.com) – Ireland’s Catholic hierarchy is ignoring the homosexual infestation of Maynooth seminary, instead claiming the solution to recent scandal is more women and less internet.

Despite recent public exposure of St. Patrick Seminary — the national seminary for Ireland — as being a hotbed of homosexual activity, a recent meeting of the trustees reveals a failure to deal with the source of scandal: homosexuality.

The trustees of St. Patrick Seminary — a group of the four archbishops of Ireland and 13 senior bishops — met on August 23 to discuss “the needs of the students and staff.”

They claim the anonymous reporting of accusations has created an “unhealthy atmosphere,” causing social media comments to be “speculative or even malicious.”

To address the situation the trustees are deciding to review policies currently in place to determine the best way to deal with “whistle-blowers,” and revise seminary policy regarding “appropriate use” of the internet and social media. A component of the seminary’s recent scandal is frequent and open usage of the gay online dating app., Grindr, by gay seminarians.

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.

Newcastle’s ring of evil: abuse in Catholic, Anglican churches

AUSTRALIA
The Australian

August 27, 2016

DAN BOX
Crime reporterSydney
@DanBox10

It started with a grown man weeping in the witness box.

On the first day of its public hearings in Newcastle, NSW, earlier this month, Paul Gray broke down while describing to the child abuse royal commission his suffering at the hands of his godfather, Anglican priest Peter Rushton.

Asked if he wanted to stop giving evidence, Gray replied: “No, I need to read it. It’s important to me.” What followed was a very public reckoning for a region that arguably had suffered more than any other from child abuse committed by priests.

While much of the attention surrounding the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has focused on the Catholic diocese of Ballarat in regional Victoria, in Newcastle two churches — Catholic and Anglican — are in the inquiry’s sights.

Trying to estimate the true number of child victims is hopeless, but it is at least in the hundreds. Dozens of priests have been involved.

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Archbishop Hon standing by his word

GUAM
KUAM

Updated: Aug 26, 2016

By Krystal Paco

Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai says he stands by the statement he made on August 18th related to the Declaration of Deed Restriction for the Redemptoris Mater Seminary in Yona.

On Friday night Archbishop Hon issued a response to a statement provided to media earlier in the day by Archbishop Anthony Apuron to clear his name. “Pope Francis never directed me to rescind the deed of restriction on the property,” Apuron stated.

In his August 18th press release Archbishop Hon stated Apuron was instructed over a year ago (more than once) to rescind and annul the Deed of Restriction, but the instruction was not carried out.

Apuron in his release responded that he never defied the Pope “I wish to declare that this is absolutely false and it is causing real , grave, and immediate damage to the Church in Guam and to my good name, spreading scandal and confusion among the faithful”. He added the Pope has granted his request for a canonical trial to clear his name. The statement was sent to KUAM from his attorney Jacque Terlaje.

In his response, Archbishop Hon said that he received the exact message which was released to the media today directly from Apuron via email. He added that it was read and discussed with the Presbyteral Council and their position on the matter had not changed since his press release issued on Aug. 18th. In that release he asked for “the collaboration of all the faithful to act with obedience to the directive of the Holy See.”

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Apuron says Pope granted his request for a canonical trial

GUAM
KUAM

Aug 26, 2016

By Krystal Paco

It’s become a great debate – and we’re not talking about the upcoming election. We’ve heard from the Concerned Catholics of Guam, apostolic administrator Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai, and even rector to the Redemptoris Mater Seminary Father Pius Sammut, all of whom have different opinions on who owns the Redemptoris Mater Seminary in Yona. And now, we hear from Archbishop Anthony Apuron himself who maintains the controversial deed restriction doesn’t hand over the property, but protects it.

After months of being attacked for a deed of restriction on the multi-million dollar Yona seminary, Archbishop Apuron is looking to clear his name, not only here at home but with the Holy See.

In a statement issued to KUAM News on Friday sent through his legal counsel attorney Jacque Terlaje, Apuron states the pope has granted his request for a canonical trial. In his defense, Apuron states past claims made by Archbishop Hon and other critics of the Yona property are causing “real, grave, and immediate damage to the church in Guam and to my good name, spreading scandal and confusion among the faithful.”

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

Hon: Archdiocese’s position unchanged despite Apuron’s message

GUAM
Pacific Daily News

Haidee V Eugenio, Pacific Daily News August 26, 2016

In a written statement dated Aug. 25, Archbishop Anthony S. Apuron said Pope Francis never directed him to rescind a deed restriction that gives a seminary and a theological institute the legal right to use church property in Yona.

Apuron said he alone can lift that property restriction, but said he cannot in his conscience lift that restriction.

“To lift the restriction would not only damage the ability of the Seminary to exist and carry out its canonical mission, but it would eliminate the fundamental canonical requisite for the existence of a public juridic person,” he said in the statement.

A public juridic person in the Catholic Church is the equivalent to a civil corporation, according to the website of Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, a Texas-based diocese. Catholic schools, Catholic hospitals, parishes and other Church groups are considered public juridic persons.

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.