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.

March 27, 2018

St. Mary’s Palm Sunday Mass reconciles with sex abuse allegations

OLEAN (NY)
Olean Times Herald

March 26, 2018

By Tom Dinki

At least three former assistant pastors among diocese’s list of accused

Celebration and victory, as well as shame and betrayal, were the themes the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels conveyed to its parishioners at Palm Sunday Mass.

The basilica celebrated Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem by having its younger parishioners roam the aisles with palm fronds and tambourines, but also acknowledged the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo’s sexual abuse scandal and the revelation several former St. Mary’s priests are among the accused.

“I’m very upset,” said Lucille Shavalier, 81, of Eldred, Pa., holding a palm frond in her hand while on her way out of the basilica on Sunday.

It was St. Mary’s first Sunday Mass since the diocese on Tuesday announced the names of 42 priests who were removed from ministry, left ministry or retired after allegations they sexually abused a minor.

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.

Mormon leaders unveil new rules allowing another adult in room for interviews

SALT LAKE CITY (UT)
The Salt Lake Tribune

March 26, 2018

By Peggy Fletcher Stack and Benjamin Wood

Amid a grass-roots outcry about sexually explicit interviews with children and sexual assault allegations leveled at a former Mormon mission leader, the LDS Church’s governing First Presidency unveiled revised guidelines Monday for one-on-one meetings between members and local lay leaders while emphasizing that most abuse allegations are “true and should be taken seriously.”

In a document titled “Preventing and Responding to Abuse,” congregational leaders in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are encouraged to invite a parent or other adult to sit in an adjoining room when meeting with women and children.

A change to those instructions includes the option for the interviewee to ask a witness to sit in on the interview itself.

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Brazilian Bishop And Priests Accused Of Stealing £462,000 From Church Funds

BRAZIL
LAD Bible

March 26, 2018

By Tom Wood

A group of Brazilian priests have been arrested on charges of stealing £426,000 in donations to the church, funeral costs, and charity cash.

Jose Ribeiro, who is the Bishop of Formosa – located in Brazil’s state of Goiás – has been arrested alongside five other priests and three non-priests.

They’ve all been detained in prison accused of stealing 2 million reais (£426,000) from the church. The police raided one priests house and found about 90,000 reais (£19,200) hidden in plastic bags and stashed behind a false wall.

It is thought that the scheme took place over three years and aimed at diverting money from the church’s coffers and into the pockets of the gang.

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.

Pope could herald new start for Catholic church in Ireland if he shows contrition

IRELAND
The Irish Times

March 24, 2018

By Patsy McGarry

Vatican photograph from 2007 captures church past and questions its future

It is the story of a photograph: four cardinals, all Irish, and one president, Mary McAleese. The occasion was the elevation in 2007 of the then primate of All Ireland Archbishop Seán Brady to the College of Cardinals.

The location was the Irish College in Rome. Cardinal Desmond Connell and Cardinal Cahal Daly stand to McAleese’s right. Standing to her left, Cardinal Seán Brady and Cardinal Keith O’Brien.

The latter was born on March 17th, 1938, in Ballycastle, Co Antrim. His family moved to Scotland while he was still young, settling in Edinburgh. His death last Monday, aged 80 brought back memories of the photograph.

However, it raised thoughts, too, about the damage caused to the Catholic Church by its handling of sexual abuse allegations; but also about next August’s visit by Pope Francis.

It could be an opportunity to heal, if the right choices are made now. His personal stature is such that he is seen by many, and not just Catholics, as separate from the institution he leads, and which he himself struggles to reform.

Appropriate contrition from him to all the Irish people – abuse victims, their families, perhaps even the Irish Catholic Church itself where appropriate – could herald a new beginning. For there is much contrition to be done.

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.

Churches want voice in abuse inquiry

NEW ZEALAND
Otago Daily Times

March 27, 2018

The Catholic and Anglican Churches have both written to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern asking for religious institutions to be included in the Royal Commission into abuse in state care.
The Prime Minister says the terms of reference for the inquiry are still being consulted on and while what churches have to say could feed into the inquiry, she stood by her belief that the inquiry should look primarily into what happened to children while in the care of the state.

“I understand that churches have taken a position and certainly it is important that feeds into the discussion we’re having on the terms of reference as well,” she said yesterday.

“I still absolutely think the primary reason that this was instigated by a large group of people was for us to take responsibility for the role of the state by inquiring into ourselves,” Ms Ardern said.

“I’ve always had concerns around the impact of broadening the inquiry and diluting the responsibility that we need to take for those who were harmed in state care.”

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.

Dunkirk priest placed on leave following abuse accusation

DUNKIRK (NY)
WGRZ

March 26, 2018

A priest in Dunkirk has been placed on leave by Catholic Diocese of Buffalo following an accusation of abuse.

A priest in Dunkirk has been placed on leave by Catholic Diocese of Buffalo following an accusation of abuse.

Father Dennis G. Riter, a pastor at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, is on administrative leave during the investigation.

The Diocese told 2 On Your Side it received a complaint about Father Riter, so Bishop Richard Malone placed him on leave and notified the District Attorney’s Office.

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.

Accused and removed Catholic priest now a Lutheran church organist

BUFFALO (NY)
WGRZ

March 22, 2018

By Claudine Ewing

Rev. David Bialkowski was removed from the Buffalo Catholic Diocese, but he is now an organist in a WNY Lutheran church.

One of the 42 Buffalo Catholic Diocesan priests removed from ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor is now serving as a church organist.

Rev. David Bialkowski served for years at St. John Gualbert in Cheektowaga. It is where many of his alleged victims claim they were abused by him.

2 On Your Side learned that Bialkowski is serving as the organist at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Tonawanda. A church official told Channel 2’s Claudine Ewing that Bialkowski is the organist and confirmed he is the same Bialkowski on the list of priests removed.

Attorney Kevin Stocker represents some of the victims who claim they were abused by Bialkowski. “I called the local police department and the council men and women an advised them of what he had been accused of and I talked to the minister of that church and said he had an obligation to tell the congregation of what this person was accused of so that other children didn’t become harmed by it.”

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.

Dunkirk priest on leave amid investigation into abuse complaint

BUFFALO (NY)
The Buffalo News

March 26, 2018

By Jay Tokasz

The pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Dunkirk was placed on leave Monday after the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo received a complaint of alleged abuse.

Bishop Richard J. Malone wrote an open letter to parishioners stating that the Rev. Dennis G. Riter was placed on “administrative leave” pending an investigation into the complaint.

“Please note that this leave is for investigation purposes only and does not imply any determination as to the truth or falsity of the complaint,” Malone said in the letter. “Please pray for Father Riter and for this investigation. Of course, we continue to pray for all victims of abuse.”

The bishop’s acknowledgement of the complaint against Riter follows weeks of intense focus on how the Buffalo diocese handles clergy sex abuse allegations and the release by the diocese last week of the names of 42 priests identified as having had credible allegations of abuse against them.

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.

LDS Church updates guidelines on how leaders should handle abuse

SALT LAKE CITY (UT)
FOX13

March 26, 2018

By Taylor Hartman

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced Monday that it had updated its’ guidelines on preventing and responding to abuse after a former Missionary Training Center President was accused of sexual assault.

The three-page document, first issued in 2008, is meant to act as a guide on how to properly handle all types of abuse for LDS Church leadership. The document states that it operates a free and confidential abuse helpline that can be utilized, and encourages members to look for signs of abuse.

Bryndis Roberts, Chair of Ordain Women, a group within the LDS Church that supports the ordination of women into the priesthood, says the new guidelines are well overdue, but may not be sufficient.

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March 26, 2018

Pell dodges charges because alleged victim too sick to show

AUSTRALIA
Central Telegraph

March 24, 2018

By Padraic Murphy

SEVERAL historical sex offence charges against Cardinal George Pell will be withdrawn because a complainant is unable to testify at a hearing that will determine if Australia’s highest ranked Catholic stands trial.

Pell is facing a pre-trial committal hearing at Melbourne Magistrates Court, which wrapped up its third week on Friday.

At the end of Friday’s hearing, prosecutor Mark Gibson SC said one of the complainants will not give evidence because he is “medically unfit”. Pell’s lawyer immediately requested the charges be removed from the committal proceedings.

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.

Cardinal Pell ‘exposed himself’ claims accuser

AUSTRALIA
News.com.au

March 24, 2018

Cardinal Pell allegedly ‘exposed himself’ to a choir member in the 1990s, claimed a woman whose brother made the allegations during a drunken chat.

CARDINAL George Pell “exposed himself” to a cathedral choir member while working as a bishop in Melbourne in the 1990s, a court has heard.

The sister of one of George Pell’s accusers told the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday that her brother had broken down while revealing the alleged incident to her in 2012 or 2013.

Giving evidence at Mr Pell’s pre-trial hearing before Magistrate Belinda Wallington into alleged historical sexual offences, the woman said her brother was crying when he told her.

She said they had been drinking at their grandmother’s 80th birthday beforehand, and his claim related to an offence which allegedly had taken place about 16 years earlier.

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

Vatican treasurer Cardinal Pell faces final week of historical abuse hearing

MELBOURNE (AUSTRALIA)
CNN

March 25, 2018

By Lucie Morris-Marr

Cardinal George Pell is set for a tense wait for a decision over whether an abuse case against him will proceed to full criminal trial in Australia when the committal hearing against him wraps up this week.

The Vatican treasurer is the most senior figure in the Holy See to ever face criminal charges, and the past three weeks of evidence has revealed details of multiple allegations of historical sexual abuse.

The 76-year-old Cardinal, who stood aside from his senior post in Rome when he was charged in June last year, will not hear a final decision from the magistrate on whether the case will proceed to trial for up to two weeks, possibly longer. He has strenuously denied all charges.

This week the remaining 50 witnesses will give testimony at Melbourne Magistrates Court where the case against Pell has been heard since early March.

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Cardinal George Pell: court told archbishop robes could not be easily removed

AUSTRALIA
The Guardian

March 22, 2018

By Melissa Davey

Pastoral associate agrees that robes not able to be parted to ‘reveal one’s genitals’

A pastoral associate who worked at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne when Cardinal George Pell was archbishop has told a court that the archbishop’s robes were heavy and could not be easily lifted or moved while being worn to expose oneself.

Rodney Dearing was cross-examined by Pell’s defence team on Thursday as part of the committal hearing into historical sexual offence charges against Pell. Dearing told the court that he was responsible for hanging up Pell’s robes and he was therefore familiar with the weight and manoeuvrability of them.

Pell’s barrister Ruth Shann put it to Dearing that the robes were “not able to be parted in the middle to reveal ones genitals or indeed parted to the side to reveal ones genitals”.

“No,” Dearing responded.

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New Zealand primates say Church should be included in state abuse inquiry

NEW ZEALAND
Anglican Communion News Service

March 26, 2018

A Royal Commission of Inquiry established to investigate historical abuse in state care in New Zealand should be expanded to include the role of the church-related bodies, the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia said today. In a letter to the country’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and the Children’s Minister, Tracey Martin, Archbishops Winston Halapua and Philip Richardson said that the decision to ask for churches to be included in the Inquiry was made by the Standing Committee of the province’s General Synod when it met earlier this month.

“Our Christian faith teaches us the power of truth, justice and reconciliation,” they said. “We see this Commission of Inquiry as one way we can put that faith into action, and we encourage you to give this request serious consideration, in the hope that this will provide a pathway to healing and wholeness for all concerned.”

In their letter, the co-Primates said: “Our primary concern is for the needs of those whose lives have been impacted by abuse, and we are conscious that abuse has been perpetrated by agencies across our society, including the Church and its agencies. We are concerned that it will be unhelpful to victims and survivors, if the inquiry and its process is limited only to the state sector, denying some the right to have their voices heard.

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Grace period: Diocese extends deadline for abuse victims to apply for compensation

BROOKLYN (NY)
Brooklyn Paper

March 26, 2018

By Colin Mixson

Locals sexually abused by Catholic clergy in the Diocese of Brooklyn have one more week to apply for the fund set up to compensate those victims.

Diocesan leaders set a new deadline of March 31 to report incidents in order to be eligible for money from the program, after announcing the fund in June 2017.

Last December, a flock of legal eagles released a list of Kings County’s corrupt Catholic priests that they hoped will encourage sexual-abuse victims to apply for compensation before it’s too late, according to one of the lawyers.

“We’re hoping to raise awareness with this report about the Brooklyn Diocese, the availability of this program for survivors, and specifically that the clock is running and there’s a hard deadline,” said Jerry Kristal, who works for law firm Weitz and Luxenberg, which released the list as part of a multi-firm collective called Lawyers Helping Survivors of Child Sex Abuse.

The document, entitled “Hidden Disgrace,” identified 65 priests within the local diocese who were accused or convicted of sex crimes against children.

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LDS Church ‘committed to bringing accountability’ for sexual abuse at MTC: acknowledges second potential victim

SALT LAKE CITY (UT)
FOX13

March 23, 2018

By Mark Green and Ben Winslow

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has issued an updated statement on allegations of sexual abuse at the Provo Missionary Training Center after an un-redacted police report was published this week.

The new statement acknowledges the LDS Church is aware of at least one other woman who informed local ecclesiastical leaders in 2010 that she was sexually abused by Joseph Bishop at the Missionary Training Center.

“When she reported the alleged abuse to her local Church leaders in 2010, they provided emotional support as well as professional counseling services,” the LDS Church states. “Mr. Bishop’s local ecclesiastical leaders were contacted and they confronted him with her claims, which he denied, and local leaders did not feel they could pursue church discipline for Mr. Bishop.”

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Removed from churches, some priests accused of sexual abuse live near schools

BUFFALO (NY)
The Buffalo News

Published March 23, 2018; Updated March 24, 2018

By Jay Tokasz

Eight priests from the Diocese of Buffalo accused of sexually abusing children live within a short walk of area elementary and middle schools.

Beyond naming the priests, the diocese has declined to disclose addresses or any other information about the 42 priests it said on Tuesday had credible allegations of sexual misconduct involving minors brought against them.

Seventeen of the 42 clergy on the list are alive.

A Buffalo News search of public records showed eight of the living priests resided within blocks of a school. In some cases, they lived across the street from a school or down the road a few houses.

“Obviously, it’s a cause for concern. It’s an issue that the community needs to recognize,” said Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn. “The problem is that these individuals are not required to be registered. They were never found guilty of any offense. They’re not in any local database for sex registry offenses. So legally, there’s nothing that anyone can do to prevent them from living near a school. That’s the unfortunate reality here.”

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Opinion: Gay clergy will live in torment until the Catholic church drops this hypocritical oath

SCOTLAND
The Guardian

March 24, 2018

By Kevin McKenna

Instead of tolerance, a grotesque group of inquisitors are alienating the faithful

The most human response to the death of Scotland’s shamed cardinal came from the journalist whose articles forced his resignation. Catherine Deveney spoke with compassion and pity as she expressed the hope that Cardinal Keith Patrick O’Brien had found peace and forgiveness at the end. Deveney’s articles for the Observer in 2013 revealed that O’Brien had, for many years, conducted a series of inappropriate relationships with young priests under his jurisdiction.

Like others, she had been aware of a whiff of scandal surrounding this widely admired man who, unlike many of his predecessors and contemporaries, seemed to possess something that endeared him to people. It was only when O’Brien began to front an ill-advised and nasty campaign against same-sex marriage that three priests who had been in sexual relationships with him felt they had to speak out and subsequently approached Deveney with their stories.

A few months before this, I was informed by the editor of the Catholic Observer that O’Brien had chided her for publishing an article of mine in which I had criticised his attitude to gay people and the use of the word “grotesque” in describing their sexuality. Yet I didn’t derive any delight at his public outing, only a sense of deep sadness that a man with great qualities of leadership and compassion had been brought low by a lie that had probably stalked half his adult life. What misery and self-loathing must he have endured as he preached his fables about human sexuality. And yet what damage had he caused to the faith of thousands not by being revealed as a sinner but as a hypocrite.

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One in four churchgoers in abusive relationships, UK study finds

ENGLAND
Australian Broadcasting Corporation

March 26, 2018

By Julia Baird and Hayley Gleeson

One in four churchgoers has experienced domestic abuse in their current relationship, according to a new study in Britain.

The research, conducted in Cumbria by academics at Coventry University and the University of Leicester in conjunction with Christian charity Restored, has led to urgent calls for churches in Britain and Australia to expose and counter abuse in their midst, with the authors finding more priests need to publicly condemn abuse “from the pulpit”.

Almost half of those who sought help from their church (47.2 per cent) said they were unlikely to do so again, if they experienced abuse in the future.

Only two in seven thought their church was adequately equipped to deal with a disclosure of abuse.

Mandy Marshall, a co-founder of Restored, a global Christian alliance that aims to end violence against women, said: “One of the biggest barriers we have faced is Christians not believing that domestic abuse could happen in their church.”

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Catholic Church wants to be included in state abuse inquiry

NEW ZEALAND
NZ Herald

March 26, 2018

By Lucy Bennett

The Catholic Church has written to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern asking for religious organisations to be included in a Royal Commission looking into abuse in state care.

The New Zealand Catholic Bishops and representation from Catholic religious orders wrote to Ardern, Minister for Children Tracey Martin and Sir Anand Satyanand, chairman of the Royal Commission into Abuse in State Care.

The letter, signed by Bishop Patrick Dunn, the president of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference and Sister Katrina Fabish RSM, congregational leader of the Sisters of Mercy, said they supported the work of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State Care but wanted the Inquiry’s terms of reference broadened to include a range of Church institutions.

“We are of the firm view that no individual should be denied the possibility of making a submission to this government inquiry. It would be wrong if some individuals felt excluded from this process simply because their path of referral to an institution was different from someone else’s,” the letter said.

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Young Catholics tell Pope Francis the church is indifferent and judgmental

ROME
The Washington Post

March 25, 2018

By Amanda Erickson

On Saturday, hundreds of young Catholics gathered to give Pope Francis a piece of their minds.

They called for a more transparent and “authentic” church, one with a bigger role for women and more wisdom about the benefits and challenges of technology. They called for more flexibility, too, arguing that “unreachable” moral standards should not be the only way to live an authentically Catholic life.

These findings were part of a 16-page report assembled by 300 young people at a week-long conference sponsored by the Vatican. It drew, too, on online submissions from 15,000 others.

“We, the young church, ask that our leaders speak in practical terms about subjects such as homosexuality and gender issues, about which young people are already freely discussing,” the report said.

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Aly Raisman: Banning leotards from gymnastics to prevent abuse is a form of ‘victim shaming’

UNITED STATES
Yahoo Lifestyle

March 26, 2018

By Erin Donnelly

There’s been much debate over how to tackle sexual abuse against young gymnasts following the trial of sports doctor Larry Nassar, who was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison after more than 260 people accused him of molesting them.

For Aly Raisman, one of the many athletes abused by Nassar, real reform means holding everyone accountable. Earlier this year the gold medalist filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Olympic Committee for failing to pursue allegations about him.

But there’s one proposed solution she won’t entertain: a new dress code for gymnasts.

Raisman took to Twitter to lambast suggestions that gymnasts should stop wearing leotards to deter would-be abusers.

The Olympian said such measures implied that the athletes were partly responsible for the actions of perpetrators like Nassar.

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Young Catholics call for ‘merciful Church which appreciates its roots’

ROME
Catholic Herald

March 25, 2018

By Cindy Wooden

Final document of a pre-synod gathering asks Church to be more credible, honest and transparent

“We need a Church that is welcoming and merciful, which appreciates its roots and patrimony and which loves everyone, even those who are not following the perceived standards,” the final document of a pre-synod gathering organised by the Vatican has said.

The document reflects the input of 305 young adults attending the meeting in Rome and some 15,000 young people who participated through Facebook groups online.

It was to be presented to Pope Francis at the end of Palm Sunday Mass and was to be used in drafting the working document for the Synod of Bishops on young people, faith and vocational discernment in October, said Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, secretary general of the synod.

With a frantic pace of life, thousands of life choices and proponents of different ideas and ideals battling for their attention, young people said what they want most from the Church is “attractive, coherent and authentic models,” who will accompany them in their search for meaning and fulfilment.

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Sharing abuse stories without hope of accountability ‘feels hollow’ – Anglican Church

NEW ZEALAND
Stuff

March 26, 2018

By Laura Walters

The Anglican and Catholic Churches of New Zealand are making a last push to have those abused in faith-based institutions included in the scope of the Government’s Royal Commission of Inquiry into State Abuse.

But the prime minister said the primary purpose of the inquiry was to hold the state to account, and there was a risk of “diluting” that responsibility if non-state institutions were included.

Last month, Children’s Minister Tracey Martin and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the draft terms of reference, and scope, of the inquiry.

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Young adults ask church to welcome, listen and involve them

ROME
Catholic News Service

March 26, 2018

Young people want to know they are valued members of the Catholic Church and that their questions and struggles are taken seriously enough that someone will spend time with them discussing issues rather than simply repeating “prefabricated” responses, said delegates to a meeting in Rome.

“We need a church that is welcoming and merciful, which appreciates its roots and patrimony and which loves everyone, even those who are not following the perceived standards,” said the final document of a pre-synod gathering organised by the Vatican 19-25 March.

The document reflects the input of 305 young adults attending the meeting in Rome and some 15,000 young people who participated through Facebook groups online.

Released on 24 March, it was to be presented to Pope Francis at the end of Palm Sunday Mass the next day and was to be used in drafting the working document for the Synod of Bishops on young people, faith and vocational discernment in October, said Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, secretary general of the synod.

With a frantic pace of life, thousands of life choices and proponents of different ideas and ideals battling for their attention, young people said what they want most from the church is “attractive, coherent and authentic models,” who will accompany them in their search for meaning and fulfillment.

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

New Zealand tells country’s sex abuse commission to include Church institutions

NEW ZEALAND
Crux

March 26, 2018

Just months after the Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse issued its final report, New Zealand is beginning its own royal commission – and the nation’s Catholic bishops are asking its institutions not to be excluded from scrutiny.

A royal commission is the highest form of inquiry in most countries where Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state, including Australia and New Zealand.

Right now, the New Zealand royal commission will look into youth detention centers, psychiatric hospitals and orphanages, as well as any government care services contracted out to private institutions.

Although this will include some Church-run facilities, the commission doesn’t include a broad mandate to look into religious organizations.

“We are of the firm view that no individual should be denied the possibility of making a submission to this Government inquiry,” said a letter from the New Zealand bishops’ conference.

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Youth want bishops to face sex abuse, women in the Church

ROME
CRUX

March 25, 2018

By John L. Allen Jr.

Since Pope Francis called a summit of Catholic bishops on youth and discernment two years ago, fixing it for this October, speculation has swirled about which topics would loom largest during the meeting, given that its themes seem vast enough to embrace almost everything under the sun.

We won’t really know until the Synod of Bishops gets underway, but if 300 young people from around the world who met in Rome this week to provide input to the bishops have anything to do with it, two tough subjects will be unavoidable: The Church’s sexual abuse scandals, and the role of women in Catholicism.

“The Church should condemn actions such as sexual abuse and the mismanagement of power and wealth,” the young advisers said in a concluding document from their reflections released in a Vatican news conference on Saturday.

“The Church should continue to enforce her no-tolerance stance on sexual abuse within her institutions, and her humility will undoubtedly raise its credibility among the world’s young people,” they said.

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Chichester child abuse: How did one small Church of England diocese produce so many paedophile reverends?

ENGLAND
Independent

March 25, 2018

By Andreas Whittam Smith

Evidence at the inquiry concluded that the abuse was ‘normalised’ because it was practised by so many. Worse still, one member of the clergy believed that God had forgiven him and therefore ‘his slate was wiped clean’

For a long time, I have wanted to understand why one small area of the Church of England has had a large number of the clergy sent to gaol for sexually abusing young people and children. The place is Sussex, particularly East Sussex, part of the diocese of Chichester.

I have not been alone in wanting this question answered. For the Government has set up an Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse in England and Wales and this body has turned its attention to the diocese of Chichester. The hearings have been going on for some weeks now. I shall make extensive use of what the inquiry has been told.

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Philadelphia priest under investigation for alleged misconduct with a minor

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
The Inquirer

March 25, 2018

By Jeremy Roebuck & Stacey Burling

The pastor of a Northeast Philadelphia Catholic parish has been placed on administrative leave while police investigate a report of alleged misconduct with a minor, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia said Sunday.

The Rev. Armand Garcia, formerly of St. Martin of Tours parish in the city’s Summerdale section, was removed from his post March 16 – the same day that investigators executed a search warrant on the parish rectory, said Kenneth Gavin, chief communications officer for the archdiocese.

Parishioners were informed of Garcia’s leave and the circumstances behind it last weekend. But details of the investigation remained sparse more than a week later.

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Irish priest who claimed he had sex with a murder victim accused of raping a schoolgirl

IRELAND
The Irish Mirror

March 26, 2018

By Craig McDonald

The accuser is now aged 51 and is to launch a civil action against the Church

A disgraced Irish priest who claimed he had sex with a murder victim has been accused of raping a schoolgirl.

The accuser is now aged 51 and is to launch a civil action against the Church over the alleged attacks that she says destroyed her life.

The woman – who asked to be identified only as Teresa – said Fr Gerry Nugent made his way into her life when she went to stay with her gran as a vulnerable 11-year-old.

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Ex-priest names former ECC headmaster as alleged abuser

ERIE (PA)
The Courier-Express

March 25, 2018

By Katie Weidenboerner

Former-priest James Faluszczak, 48, now of Buffalo, N.Y., has decided to speak out — naming his alleged abuser, an Erie priest with local ties.

Faluszczak has identified the Rev. Monsignor Daniel J. Martin, who served as pastor of St. Boniface Parish, Kersey, in 1962, and as headmaster of Elk County Christian, as the school was then called, serving there until 1970. Martin died in 2006 at age 88.

The incident has surfaced as Faluszczak claims to have been one of many witnesses to testify before a grand jury, whose proceedings are secret and which was convened at the request of the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office around September 2016 to investigate sex abuse allegations in dioceses throughout Pennsylvania, according to the Erie-Times News.

Faluszczak said that Martin molested him when he was 16 to 19 years old, adding that the abuse occurred at St. George and at Mt. Calvary Church and then at Mercyhurst College, now Mercyhurst University, all in the Erie area, where Faluszczak said Martin was living at the time.

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Baltimore’s rally protest Catholic Church coverup of sexual abuse cases

BALTIMORE (MD)
Baltimore Post-Examiner

March 25, 2018

By Bill Hughes

On a brisk, Palm Sunday morning about 20 activists, carrying signs and posters, gathered at the Villa Assumpta on North Charles St. at Bellona Avenue in Baltimore County, MD. The Villa Assumpta is a retirement home, a convent for nuns run by the School Sisters of Notre Dame. (SSND).

Back in the 1970s, Sister Eileen Weisman was the principal at the Catholic Community Middle School (CCMS), formerly Our Lady of Good Counsel School in Locust Point. It was a SSND school. One of the lay teachers under her supervision from 1972 to 1979, was the later convicted – sexual predator – John Merzbacher.

The protesters claim Merzbacher’s tenure was “a reign of terror” for many of his students – male and female alike. They insist Sister Weisman knew or should have known, about his serial sex abuses and other outrageous conduct, including repeatedly threatened students with a loaded handgun – and did nothing.

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Sexual Abuse Survivors In Baltimore Catholic Schools Call Out Nun Who They Allege Stayed Silent

BALTIMORE (MD)
CBS Baltimore (WJZ-TV)

March 25, 2018

By Mike Hellgren

[Includes video]

Several survivors of sexual abuse in Baltimore’s Catholic schools are demanding action against a nun who they say turned a blind eye to crimes decades ago.

“All we want is the truth to be out, and we want justice to be served,” abuse survivor Bill Stankiewicz said.

Survivors and their supporters carried signs outside a home for retired nuns Sunday to draw attention to a former school principal, Sister Eileen Weisman, who they claim knew but never reported a teacher at her former school, John Merzbacher, was sexually abusing students.

Survivors of sexual abuse at Catholic schools in Baltimore—and their supporters—protested outside Villa Assumpta today; they want to draw attention to a nun/former principal who they claim failed to report abuse.

Merzbacher is currently in prison for child rape.

Kathie Lewandowski Richardson says Merzbacher abused her in the 1970s at Catholic Community Middle School. She says Sister Weisman ignored it.

Court records from the Merzbacher case also state Weisman knew Merzbacher was abusing children but didn’t intervene.

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Prosecutors to Drop Some Sex-Offense Charges Against Cardinal Pell

MELBOURNE (AUSTRALIA)
The Wall Street Journal

March 23, 2018

By Robb M. Stewart

Hearings continue on whether charges of historical sexual offenses against Vatican finance chief will go to trial

Several charges against Cardinal George Pell, one of the Vatican’s most senior officials, will be dropped, prosecutors said Friday.

At the conclusion of the third of four weeks of hearings to determine whether charges of historical sexual offenses will go to trial, prosecutor Mark Gibson told the court that a scheduled witness wouldn’t be able to testify for unspecified medical reasons. He said charges would be withdrawn formally next week.

One charge against Cardinal Pell, Pope Francis ’ finance chief, was dropped as the pretrial hearings began.

Mr. Pell stepped away from his role at the Vatican last year, after police in Australia’s southern Victoria state in late June charged the cardinal with multiple historical sexual offenses. The number and nature of the charges, which involve multiple complainants, haven’t been disclosed. Mr. Pell has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and, through his lawyer, indicated a plea of not guilty to all charges.

The hearings allow the defense to examine statements made by dozens of witnesses named by the prosecution.

Mr. Gibson offered to produce a medical certificate for the witness, but Cardinal Pell’s lawyers said it wouldn’t be necessary.

Born in 1941 in the historic gold-rush town of Ballarat in southeastern Australia, Mr. Pell studied for the priesthood in Australia and Rome and was ordained in late 1966. He rose through the church’s ranks in Australia, working in parishes around Melbourne and in senior roles in Catholic education.

In 1987 Mr. Pell was ordained as auxiliary bishop of the Melbourne archdiocese. Pope John Paul II appointed him seventh metropolitan archbishop in 1996 and archbishop of Sydney five years later.

In February 2014, Pope Francis appointed Cardinal Pell prefect of the newly created Secretariat for the Economy at the Vatican.

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George Pell committal: A number of charges to be dropped, prosecutor says

MELBOURNE (AUSTRALIA)
ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

March 23, 2018

The Melbourne Magistrates Court has been told a number of charges against Cardinal George Pell will be dropped.

Prosecutor Mark Gibson SC said the charges related to one of the complainants who was medically unfit to give evidence.

He said the charges would formally be withdrawn when the committal hearing resumes next Tuesday.

The announcement was made at the end of Friday’s court hearing.

Cardinal Pell has strenuously denied charges of historical sexual offending against multiple complainants.

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Cardinal George Pell case: Alleged inappropriate conduct occurred in public pool, court hears

MELBOURNE (AUSTRALIA)
ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

March 23, 2018

By James Hancock

Cardinal George Pell allegedly acted inappropriately against complainants “under the water” of a public swimming pool and out of sight of others, the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court has heard.

A sister of one of the complaints told the 76-year-old’s committal hearing she helped her brother make a report in early 2016 of inappropriate conduct against Cardinal Pell.

Cardinal Pell has strenuously denied charges of historical sexual offending against multiple complainants.

No other details can be reported for legal reasons.

The sister told the court her brother spoke of the alleged offending occurring at a public swimming pool in regional Victoria.

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March 25, 2018

Catholic Diocese report offers vindication for Falls priest accuser

NIAGARA (NY)
Niagara Gazette

March 24, 2018

By Rick Pfeiffer and Philip Gambini

REPORT: More than 15 years after going public, Catholic Diocese links former pastor to abuse.

For decades, no one but his fellow victims would believe or admit what happened to Nick D’Amico was true.

But now, more than 15 years after he first publicly revealed his alleged sexual abuse at the hands of a priest from the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, D’Amico has found vindication.

On a list of priests that the diocese admits “were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor” is the name of the man D’Amico says abused him, Father Richard P. Judd. The revelation has only increased what D’Amico called his “outrage.”

“It’s outrage that it’s taken this long for the truth to come out,” D’Amico said. “It’s outrage (that) when I accused them of this 15 years ago, they called me a liar. And now they want to make amends? They swept it under the rug for six decades.”

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Catholic Church facing payout over claim Peter Tobin priest raped schoolgirl

GLASGOW (SCOTLAND)
The Daily Record

March 25, 2018

By Craig McDonald

A 51-year-old woman says the priest disgraced in the Angelika Kluk murder trial repeatedly raped her when she was a child.

The Catholic Church is bracing itself for a compensation action over claims the priest disgraced in the Angelika Kluk murder trial repeatedly raped a schoolgirl.

The Archdiocese of Glasgow has been paying for the victim to attend counselling sessions after she made allegations against the late Father Gerry Nugent three years ago.

Now a 51-year-old mum is to launch a civil action against the church over the alleged attacks which she says destroyed her life.

The woman – who asked to be identified only as Teresa – said Nugent manoeuvred his way into her life when she went to stay with her gran as a vulnerable 11-year-old.

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Our view: Erie diocese takes another welcome step [Editorial]

ERIE (PA)
Erie Times-News

March 25, 2018

By the Editorial Board

The Catholic Diocese of Erie announced on Wednesday that in the coming weeks it will release the names of priests in the diocese who had been credibly accused of sexually abusing minors.

That has taken too long. But it’s a welcome step in the right direction nevertheless.

The Erie diocese made the announcement a day after the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo released the names of the accused there. That diocese identified 42 accused priests, 24 of whom are dead.

When Erie Bishop Lawrence Persico releases the list, the 13-county, 202,000-member Erie diocese will join a relatively small minority of U.S. dioceses that have taken that step. The diocese said it declared its intention to do so in the face of questions about the Buffalo diocese’s actions.

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Man sexually abused by ex-Northampton priest says diocese botched response

NORTHAMPTION (MA)
Northamption Gazette

March 16, 2018

By Emily Cutts

South Hadley native Richard Koske was always drawn to a life of holiness. A devout Catholic, he says his faith remains strong despite being abused by three priests and receiving a disappointing response from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield.

“I always had a love for Christ as a kid growing up. I knew, I know he is real,” Koske, 62, said in an interview at the Gazette last week. “People ask me, ‘How can you even step foot in a Catholic church?’ I said, ‘because Christ didn’t do it to me. His workers did.’”

In sharing his story, Koske said he hopes his experience will help others avoid the trauma he endured. “I went through hell and I’m still going through hell,” he said.

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Costs From Nassar Case Likely to Exceed $500 Million for Michigan State

MICHIGAN
The Wall Street Journal

March 25, 2018

By Melissa Korn and Rebecca Davis O’Brien

The tally includes possible settlements with about 250 victims, legal fees associated with an army of law firms representing the university and fines

Financial fallout from sexual-abuse allegations against former U.S. national gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar will likely soar well past half a billion dollars for Michigan State University, estimates from legal experts indicate, more than twice the cost of the abuse scandal at Pennsylvania State University.

The tally includes possible settlements with about 250 victims, legal fees associated with an army of law firms representing the university and fines. Victim settlements alone could account for over $300 million, based on precedents in the Penn State and Catholic Church abuse cases. It isn’t clear how much of the tab would be covered by the school’s insurers.

The looming costs have major implications for Michigan State, especially if state lawmakers pass proposed bills that would increase the statute of limitations for victims and take away legal immunity for public universities. Interim President John Engler, a former Michigan governor, has said increased tuition is one possible way to cover the costs, and warned that consequences could be even more dire.

**

Mr. Feinberg said another potential approach is establishing a victim compensation fund, with an administrator evaluating claims and offering payouts based on specifics of the abuse. With that approach, Mr. Feinberg has overseen payments to resolve more than 450 claims of abuse against the Catholic Church in New York so far. Such systems were also used after the BP oil spill and the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

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Churches push for inclusion in Royal Commission into abuse

NEW ZEALAND
Radio New Zealand

March 25, 2018

By Phil Pennington

The Anglican and Catholic churches are making their most concentrated push yet to get the Royal Commission into abuse expanded to fully include them.

Anglican Archbishop Philip Richardson and Catholic Cardinal John Dew have met with the commission chair Sir Anand Satyanand.

“The Anglican Church needs to collaborate fully with the Royal Commission and we need the terms of reference to be extended in a way that allows that to be possible,” Archbishop Philip Richardson said.

“That’s the best way of addressing long-term hurt and long-term consequences.”

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Philadelphia priest under investigation for ‘alleged misconduct with minors’

PHILADELPHIA
Philly.com

March 25, 2018

By Stacey Burling

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia says it is cooperating with the police investigation.

A priest from St. Martin of Tours parish in Northeast Philadelphia has been placed on administrative leave while Philadelphia police investigate a report of “possible alleged misconduct with minors,” a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia said Sunday.

The Rev. Armand Garcia was placed on administrative leave March 16. A search warrant was executed in the parish rectory that day, said Kenneth Gavin, chief communications officer for the archdiocese. He said no charges have been filed.

A police spokeswoman said she was unable to check search warrants on Sunday.

Gavin said the archdiocese is “cooperating fully.” Garcia, he said, had cleared background checks for criminal record and child abuse. He had also completed “safe environment” training courses.

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Opinion: Reckoning looms in Erie Catholic Diocese

ERIE (PA)
Erie Times News [goerie.com]

March 25, 2018

By Pat Howard

It’s a rare movie about journalism that doesn’t make me roll my eyes and/or shout at the television.

But “Spotlight,” the Best Picture-winning account of the Boston Globe’s heroic reporting on the Catholic Church’s sexual abuse scandal in that city, gets it mostly right. For me it also carries a personal resonance. …

**

On Tuesday, the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo released the names of 42 priests, 24 of whom are dead, who had been credibly accused of sexual misconduct with minors. On Wednesday, the Erie diocese issued a statement saying that Persico, who became bishop in 2012, would do the same here in the coming weeks.

That plan extends Persico’s policy of proactively releasing information in current cases. And it promises the fullest accounting yet of the criminals who hid behind the collar in the 13-county Erie diocese.

I don’t know why Persico has decided to name the priests and chose this timing. So far he isn’t saying.

It might have something to do with the statewide investigative grand jury that’s been digging into the diocese’s darkest secrets since 2016. The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office sometime this year is expected to release the grand jury’s report, and it, too, is expected to name names. …

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[Opinion] Pat Howard: Reckoning looms in Erie Catholic Diocese

ERIE (PA)
Erie Times News [goerie.com]

March 25, 2018

By Pat Howard

It’s a rare movie about journalism that doesn’t make me roll my eyes and/or shout at the television.

But “Spotlight,” the Best Picture-winning account of the Boston Globe’s heroic reporting on the Catholic Church’s sexual abuse scandal in that city, gets it mostly right. For me it also carries a personal resonance. …

**

On Tuesday, the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo released the names of 42 priests, 24 of whom are dead, who had been credibly accused of sexual misconduct with minors. On Wednesday, the Erie diocese issued a statement saying that Persico, who became bishop in 2012, would do the same here in the coming weeks.

That plan extends Persico’s policy of proactively releasing information in current cases. And it promises the fullest accounting yet of the criminals who hid behind the collar in the 13-county Erie diocese.

I don’t know why Persico has decided to name the priests and chose this timing. So far he isn’t saying.

It might have something to do with the statewide investigative grand jury that’s been digging into the diocese’s darkest secrets since 2016. The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office sometime this year is expected to release the grand jury’s report, and it, too, is expected to name names. …

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[Editorial] The Francis enigma: Five years in, Pope Francis continues to inspire

PITTSBURGH
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

March 25, 2018

By the Editorial Board

Winston Churchill famously said of Russia in 1939 that “it is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.” To hear many commentators and experts on religion, especially the Roman Catholic faith, tell it, this phrase could be used to describe Pope Francis.

The world marked the fifth anniversary of Pope Francis’ installation as bishop of Rome this month, and the verdicts came flying from all directions.

Conservatives say he is doctrinally confused and that he has reversed, or is trying to reverse, the ethical rigor of Pope John Paul II and the liturgical dignity and theological clarity of Pope Benedict XVI.

Liberals complain that Pope Francis has failed to change doctrine, on divorce and remarriage, for example. That he has not reformed church structure. And that he has failed to come to terms with clergy sexual abuse — either as past sin or ongoing sin. They say the church has never really done penance for the horrors of priest pedophilia, not only in the U.S. but around the world.

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Statement from Bishop Cistone

SAGINAW (MI)
Diocese of Saginaw

March 23, 2018

“As you are aware, yesterday, March 22, the Diocese was served with a search warrant. This warrant included the Diocesan offices and Center for Ministry, the Bishop’s residence, and the Cathedral.

“I understand this news is distressing and disheartening for the greater community and most especially our Catholic faithful.

“The Diocese has made a sincere effort to cooperate with law enforcement to date and will continue to do so moving forward.”

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Sexual predator act author tries to outmaneuver opponents

GEORGIA
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

March 25, 2018

By Ty Tagami

The sponsor of Georgia legislation to give adults more time to sue people they say molested them when they were children is trying a legislative maneuver to save his bill.

After the Senate reduced what the Hidden Predator Act of 2018 offered victims, Rep. Jason Spencer, R-Woodbine, on Friday got his colleagues in the House of Representatives to revive the version it adopted by a 170-0 vote last month.

That version extended the statute of limitations for victims’ lawsuits to age 38 from the current 23, and it opened a one-year window for adults of any age to sue. It also allowed lawsuits against organizations accused of harboring predators even if the sexual abuse and the cover-up occurred decades ago.

But on Thursday a Senate committee, which had been lobbied by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta and by the Boy Scouts of America, changed the bill in a way that made it harder to sue organizations.

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‘The Secrecy Must End’

BUFFALO (NY)
Jamestown Post-Journal

March 25, 2018

By Katrina Fuller

‘Spotlight’ Attorney:Child Sex Abuse By Priests Is ‘Systemic’

[Photo caption: Pictured, clockwise from top left, are Chester S. Stachewicz, Joseph P. Friel, Francis T. Hogan, Martin L. Pavlock, Thomas L. Kemp, Mark M. Friel, John P. Hajduk, and Donald S. Fafinski. The Buffalo Diocese on Tuesday released the names of 42 priests who were removed, retired or left the ministry after being accused of sexual abuse of a minor. Several of the priests named served in churches in Chautauqua County.]

The shudder of an unsavory case first unearthed in Boston about 16 years ago is still being felt today, even in Western New York.

In January 2002, a secret world of child sex abuse was uncovered in the Catholic Church by a special team of investigative reporters at the Boston Globe known as the “Spotlight Team.”

Buffalo and the surrounding areas felt the reverberations this past week after the Buffalo Diocese released a list of 42 priests who had been removed from ministry, retired or had left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor. Many of those named in the list served in churches in Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties.

REPRESENTING VICTIMS

Mitchell Garabedian, a Boston-based attorney who represents victims of sexual abuse, said the Catholic Church’s issues with child sexual abuse are potentially “endless.” Submitted photo

One of the main players in helping to unravel the secret abuse perpetrated by dozens of priests over many years is Mitchell Garabedian, a Boston-based attorney who specializes in sexual abuse cases. Garabedian said he has represented at least 20 clients in the Buffalo Diocese, which encompasses Chautauqua County and other areas in Western New York.

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March 24, 2018

New Accuser Comes Forward, As Malone Apologizes For Priest Sex Abuse Cases

BUFFALO (NY)
WBEN

By Dave Debo

March 23, 2018

Wayne Bortle Says Apology Doesn’t Matter

Another man who accuses a Diocese of Buffalo priest of sexually abusing him as a child, stood in front of the Buffalo Catholic Diocese headquarters Friday, and rejected the idea of having Bishop Richard Malone’s apology, just after Malone released one to all victims, via an online video.

Wayne Bortle had previously not revealed his accusations, against Father Robert Conlin until Friday, and did not seem particularly impressed with Malone’s apology saying “I don’t know how an apology would impact me. I mean, the sentiment is nice, but there is more, obviously that needs to be done.,” Bortles ( pictured above center, with victims advocate Robert Hoatson R, and his wife L)

Bortle says that Fr. Robert P. Conlin, then pastor at St. Mary’s Parish in Pavilion, Genesee County abused him in a basement rectory recreation room where youth gatherings were sometimes held, in 1980 when Bortle was approximately 16 years old.

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Opinion: Victims of abuse must be provided with help and support

NORTHERN IRELAND
The Irish News

March 24, 2018

Conor Murphy is the latest high profile figure to speak out following the revelations about Fr Malachy Finegan, the former head of St Colman’s College in Newry.

The Sinn Féin MLA has detailed the appalling physical abuse he suffered at the hands of the priest while a schoolboy at St Colman’s.

Mr Murphy told how he was dragged up two flights of stairs before being beaten with a stick on the hands and about the body.

Once this savage outburst was over, Finegan then switched to asking deeply personal and intimate questions of a sexual nature, a completely inappropriate interrogation that Mr Murphy now characterises as grooming.

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Youth say they want a Church that’s transparent, up-to-date

VATICAN CITY
Catholic News Agency

March 24, 2018

At the end of a week-long meeting held at the Vatican, young people from around the world have urged the Church to be more authentic, modern and creative in the way it interacts with young people, and in addressing controversial contemporary issues.

“We want to say, especially to the hierarchy of the Church, that they should be a transparent, welcoming, honest, inviting, communicative, accessible, joyful and interactive community,” the youth delegates said in the final document of this week’s pre-synod meeting in Rome.

“A credible Church,” they said, “is one which is not afraid to allow itself be seen as vulnerable.”

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Eighteen alleging abuse by Finegan

NORTHERN IRELAND
Irish News

March 24, 2018

By John Monaghan

Eighteen people have now come forward to report abuse by Co Down priest and school principal Fr Malachy Finegan.

Sinn Féin Newry and Armagh MLA Conor Murphy revealed on Thursday that as a schoolboy he had been beaten with a stick by the paedophile priest, who also attempted to sexually groom him.

Fr Finegan, who died in 2002, was the parish priest of Clonduff in Hilltown and a teacher and later president at St Colman’s College in Newry.

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Young people give Pope Francis a piece of their mind

VATICAN CITY
Associated Press

March 24, 2018

Young Catholics told the Vatican on Saturday they want a more transparent and authentic church, where women play a greater leadership role and where obeying “unreachable” moral standards isn’t the price of admission.

In a fascinating final document from a weeklong Vatican-initiated conference, 300 young people from around the world joined by 15,000 young people online gave the older men who run the 1.2-billion strong church a piece of their collective mind.

They urged Pope Francis and the bishops who will gather at the Vatican in the fall to back their recommendations that church leaders must address the unequal roles of women in the church and how technology is used and abused. They warned that “excessive moralism” is driving faithful away and that out-of-touch church bureaucrats need to accompany their flock with humility and transparency.

**

But mostly, they say, the church needs to admit that it is human and makes mistakes, and that its mentors aren’t perfect people but forgiven sinners. The document cited the clergy sex abuse scandal as both an error that has driven people away and an ongoing issue that requires admission of wrongdoing.

“Some mentors are put on a pedestal, and when they fall, the devastation may impact young people’s abilities to continue to engage with the church,” they said.

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Exclusive – Atty. Mitchell Garabedian Talks About Stony Brook Molestation Case

CAPE COD (MA)
Cape Cod Times

March 23, 2018

“Pedophiles abuse as many children as they can get their hands on…”

Mitchell Garabedian is the world-renowned attorney who broke the Boston Roman Catholic priest molestation case wide open. Today his practice continues to focus on representing sex abuse victims/survivors.

This morning Mitchell sat down with CCToday to talk a bit about the alleged sexual molestations at Stony Brook Elementary School in Brewster and school sexual molestations in general.

Imperative to Find All Victims

Attorney Garabedian began by telling us that, in any molestation case, it is imperative that all alleged victims be located. “It’s very important that every single child and their parents receive counseling. The damage is too great…” to let a victim remain without support.

Left unsupported, a sex abuse victim/survivor can suffer years of post-traumatic stress. Such stress can manifest itself in anything from poor grades in school, to substance abuse, violent behavior or even the victim becoming a molester himself.

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Bishop Cistone issues statement after police raids on diocese properties

SAGINAW TOWNSHIP (MI)
mlive.com

March 23, 2018

By Bob Johnson

[See also: Statement from Bishop Cistone]

Bishop Joseph Cistone issued a statement Friday evening regarding raids conducted by law enforcement agencies on his home and other Saginaw Catholic Diocese properties as part of an ongoing investigation into sexual abuse in the church.

The statement, which was sent shortly after 8 p.m. on March 23, said that the diocese “has made a sincere effort to cooperate with law enforcement to date and will continue to do so moving forward.”

Search warrants were executed on March 22 at the bishop’s home on Corral Drive in Saginaw Township, the rectory at Cathedral of Mary of the Assumption, 615 Hoyt in Saginaw, and the Catholic Diocese of Saginaw offices in Saginaw Township.

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Santa Fe archdiocese faces defamation lawsuit

SANTA FE (NM)
Santa Fe New Mexican

March 23, 2018

By Phaedra Haywood

A Santa Fe man is accusing the Archdiocese of Santa Fe of defamation, claiming in a new lawsuit that the Catholic organization wrongly included his name on a list of 74 priests, deacons and brothers who have been convicted or credibly accused of sexual abuse or misconduct over the last few decades.

Rudy Blea says in his complaint, filed this week in the state District Court in Santa Fe, that the list issued last fall identifies him as a member of the Benedictine Order — “by implication” announcing to the world that he was a “Benedictine priest who was a child molester.”

The list, released at the urging of sexual abuse survivors who had long demanded accountability from the Catholic Church, actually refers to Blea as a brother of the Benedictines, which would mean he was a monk rather than a priest.

But Blea says in his complaint that he was never a “brother, monk, deacon, or priest” in any Catholic order.

Court records show Blea was identified as a monk from the Pecos Benedictine Monastery in a 1994 civil suit accusing him of molesting a minor in 1969 or 1970 at a religious event. The suit also named the archdiocese, a bishop and the Benedictine monks as defendants.

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Confused, disappointed and angry but still believing: Catholics struggle to cope

BUFFALO (NY)
The Buffalo News

March 23, 2018

By Barbara O’Brien

Catholics in Western New York have had less than a month to digest the re-emergence of the priest sexual abuse scandal, and less than a week to come to terms with the list of names released by the Buffalo Catholic Diocese of priests accused of misconduct.

And it’s not easy.

Some are resolute: “I’d never leave the church and certainly not over an issue like this,” said Jen Krey of Clarence. “If anything, this makes me feel like the Church needs faithful Catholics now more than ever to get involved and make sure that the ones responsible for this are purged from the Church.

But others, even those who serve in religious orders, are struggling.

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Opinion: An important visit

IRELAND
Irish Times

March 24, 2018

By Martyn Turner

Confirmation this week that Pope Francis will attend the World Meeting of Families in Dublin next August is welcome news, in particular for the almost 4.5 million Catholics on the island.

While the drift away from the Catholic Church over the decades since Pope John Paul visited in 1979 is pronounced, as indeed is the case with the other churches in Ireland, it remains a fact that 78.3 per cent of people in the Republic identified themselves as Roman Catholic as recently as in the census of April 2016.

It showed, whether practising or otherwise, that the Catholic Church remains very much part of the DNA of a great majority of Irish people.

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Opinion: The Vatican has missed a great opportunity

NORTHERN IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph

By Alf McCreary

March 24 2018

There was no surprise at this week’s confirmation from Rome that Pope Francis will visit Ireland in August. It had been well flagged in advance that the Pope would be the chief guest at the World Meeting of Families.

However most people were greatly surprised that he will not be coming to Northern Ireland in a visit that historically would complete the visit of Pope John Paul II nearly 40 years ago.

John Paul II was prevented from coming north because of the dire security situation, and this grieved him greatly.

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Opinion:Forgive me Father, but you need to confess to being a pedophile before you die

BATAVIA (NY)
The [Batavia] Daily News

March 24, 2018

By Scott DeSmit

Forgive me Father, for I have sinned, my last confession was Tuesday …

I was here in 2002 when Father Donald Becker disappeared from St. Mary’s Church, now part of Resurrection Parish.

He just left. Gone. No goodbyes.

The Diocese of Buffalo, when pressed, had only this to say: He was on leave for medical reasons

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March 23, 2018

SF man accused of abuse sues archdiocese

SANTA FE (NM)
Albuquerque Journal

March 22, 2018

By Mark Oswald

A Santa Fe man says he was defamed when the Archdiocese of Santa Fe last year published the names of 74 men it said were Catholic clergy who had been credibly accused of sexually abusing children in New Mexico.

Rudy Blea, in a state court lawsuit, says he has never been a member of the clergy and that Archbishop John C. Wester and other church officials have refused to correct the archdiocese’s September news release, which came after years of complaints by victims over a lack of transparency about the history of sexual abuse by priests in the state.

Blea says that in the archdiocese’s list of accused abusers, he was wrongly identified as a member of the Benedictine Order.

“By implication,” the lawsuit states, the archdiocese “announced to the world” that Blea “was a Benedictine priest who was a child molester.” The archdiocese list actually identified Blea as “Br. Rudy Blea” of the Benedictines, meaning as a “brother” or monk.

Blea says in the new lawsuit that he has never been a member of the Benedictine order or “employed by them or lived in residence with them at any time during his life,” nor has he ever been “a brother, monk, deacon or priest in any diocese of the Catholic church.”

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Bankruptcy Judge Approves $25M Crosiers Sex Abuse Settlement

MINNEAPOLIS (MN)
The Associated Press

March 22, 2018

A federal bankruptcy judge has approved a $25 million settlement by the Crosier religious order over lawsuits alleging clergy sex abuse in Minnesota.

A federal bankruptcy judge has approved a $25 million settlement by the Crosier religious order over lawsuits alleging clergy sex abuse in Minnesota.

Judge Robert Kressel approved the plan Thursday. The Phoenix-based Crosier Fathers and Brothers filed for Chapter 11 reorganization last year. The order has communities in Onamia, Minnesota, and Phoenix.

The order will pay $5.7 million, with its insurer paying the remaining $19.7 million.

The Rev. Thomas Enneking, the order’s religious superior in the U.S., apologized from the witness stand.

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NZ Catholic Church still keeping issues behind closed doors

NEW ZEALAND
Radio NZ

March 23, 2018

By Phil Pennington

Analysis – The sexual abuse of women by men in positions of power takes many guises, writes Phil Pennington.

Where it occurs in the Catholic Church, and priests are the perpetrators, Cardinal John Dew, who is also bishop of Wellington, has been uncompromising in the past in calling it out.

It was “professional misconduct by means of sexual abuse” for any priest to have a sexual relationship with a parishioner, he has said.

“It is always, in the case of a member of the clergy, his professional and pastoral responsibility to recognise the vulnerability of the person he’s ministering to and to take appropriate steps to avoid emotional, physical and sexual involvement.”

There was always a power imbalance between priests and their parishioners, and “meaningful consent” could not apply.

“It is a sad reality that there have been many instances of sexual abuse, this is always a betrayal of trust, it is always an inappropriate use of power and control that a priest …has.”

Cardinal John Dew – the Catholic Archbishop of Wellington – wrote that back in 1996 in a Church paper, following revelations that a bishop in Scotland had been living with a divorcee and had fathered a son with another woman.

His spokesperson this week told RNZ that “the Cardinal stands by his comments”.

But two decades on, Cardinal Dew is not so forthcoming on the related issue of priests who father children.

Others have spoken up, with Pope Francis saying he would be inclined to tell a priest “he must leave his priestly ministry and take care of his child”.

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Cosby wants judge ousted over wife’s sex-assault advocacy

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
The Associated Press

March 22, 2018

Bill Cosby’s lawyers on Thursday asked the judge in his upcoming sexual assault retrial to step aside, arguing the judge could be seen as biased because his wife is a social worker who has described herself as an “activist and advocate for assault victims.”

Cosby’s lawyers contend some of Judge Steven O’Neill’s recent pretrial rulings could give the appearance he’s being influenced by his wife’s work, particularly his decision last week to let prosecutors have up to five additional accusers testify when he allowed just one at the first trial.

O’Neill did not immediately rule on the request. He and his wife, Deborah, did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Deborah O’Neill is a psychotherapist at the University of Pennsylvania and coordinates a team providing care, support and advocacy for student sexual assault victims. In 2012, she wrote her doctoral dissertation on acquaintance rape, the type of assault at issue in Cosby’s criminal case.

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Michigan priest suspended, diocesan property raided

SAGINAW (MI)
National Catholic Reporter

March 22, 2018

By James Dearie

After a sting operation resulted in the arrest of a Saginaw diocese priest in late February, another priest has been suspended amid reports of sexual misconduct, and diocesan property has been raided by the police.

Fr. Ronald J. Dombrowski, 72, a sacramental minister at Holy Family Parish in Saginaw, was suspended over the weekend after an adult contacted the diocese claiming to have suffered abuse by the priest as a child, the Midland Daily News reported March 19.

Dombrowski is not allowed to present himself as a priest publicly or have contact with people under 21 while the case progresses. He has not been charged with a crime.

On March 22, the Saginaw News reported that police had raided the rectory of the Cathedral of Mary of the Assumption, Saginaw diocese’s offices, and the house of Bishop Joseph Cistone. It is not clear what officers were searching for, but local officials say that the diocese’s refusal to cooperate with their investigation into sex abuse in the church necessitated the raids.

“Contrary to the statements of the diocese and the bishop that they would fully cooperate with law enforcement, they did not,” county prosecutor Mark Gaertner told the paper. “Therefore it was necessary for law enforcement to use other investigative tools, including search warrants.”

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Police search Michigan bishop’s home, citing lack of cooperation in sex abuse investigation

SAGINAW (MI)
CNA/EWTN News

March 23, 2018

By Mary Rezac

On Thursday, police in Saginaw, Michigan raided the home of Bishop Joseph Cistone, as well as the diocesan chancery and its cathedral rectory, as part of an ongoing investigation into sex abuse allegations against several diocesan priests.

CNA has reached out to the Diocese of Saginaw, Michigan for comment but did not receive a response by press time.

Police told local media that they could not reveal what they were searching for or taking from the properties. However, authorities did say that the search warrants were due to a lack of cooperation on the part of the diocese related to an ongoing clerical sex abuse investigation.

“Contrary to the statements of the diocese and the bishop that they would fully cooperate with law enforcement, they did not,” Saginaw County Assistant Prosecutor Mark Gaertner told local news source Michigan Live. “Therefore it was necessary for law enforcement to use other investigative tools, including search warrants.”

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Cuomo blasts Dolan’s claim of ‘toxic’ clause in Child Victims Act

ALBANY (NY)
New York Daily News

March 21, 2018

By Kenneth Lovett

Gov. Cuomo stood up for survivors of childhood sexual assault on Wednesday, and pushed back against Timothy Cardinal Dolan’s statement that a lookback provision for them to revive old legal claims would be “toxic.”

“These victims have been denied their day in court for far too long and we stand with them,” Cuomo told the Daily News in a statement. “The arguments against a lookback do not stand up against the experience of every other state and this debate only wastes time and delays justice.”

While his statement did not mention Dolan by name, it came one day after the cardinal met with him to argue against a lookback provision being included in the Child Victims Act, which would extend the statute of limitations on criminal and civil child sex abuse cases.

After meeting separately with Cuomo and Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan (R-Suffolk County), Dolan told reporters a lookback provision would be “toxic for us” because it would lead to a flood of civil cases against the Church.

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REVEREND SCEPTICAL OVER ANGLICAN CHURCH’S HANDLING OF SEX ABUSE CASES

CAPE TOWN (SOUTH AFRICA)
Eyewitness News (EWN)

March 23, 2018

By Monique Mortlock

Anglican Archbishop Thabo Makgoba says he has begun ‘urgent consultations’ to strengthen procedures for dealing with sexual abuse cases in the church.

A reverend who says she was sexually assaulted by ministers in the Anglican Church is hoping that the church will improve the way it handles sexual abuse cases.

Anglican Archbishop Thabo Makgoba says that he has begun “urgent consultations” to strengthen procedures for dealing with sexual abuse cases in the church.

This includes setting up an advisory team in the different dioceses across Southern Africa to help bishops handle sexual abuse complaints.

Makgoba’s announcement on Thursday was prompted by several cases of sexual abuse that have made it into the public domain in recent weeks, including damning allegations by award-winning South African author Ishtiyaq Shukri.

Makgoba has admitted the church is failing in its duty to offer healing to victims of sexual abuse and more needs to be done.

But Reverend June Dolley-Major is sceptical.

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Women harassed at Capitol jobs want input on #MeToo legislation

ALBANY (NY)
The New York Post

March 23, 2018

By Kirstan Conley

A group of women who suffered sexual harassment at their jobs in the state Capitol don’t want “three men in a room” to be the only ones deciding how to stop the culture of misconduct in Albany.

Leah Hebert, Rita Pasarell and Tory Buhrans Kelly — who helped lead to the downfall of late Assemblyman Vito Lopez after complaining that he groped them — issued a joint statement saying they want to give input as the legislature tries to seize on the #MeToo moment.

“We have come together for the first time to raise our collective voice as people who have experienced and/or reported sexual harassment in the New York State Legislature,” they said.

The statement also came from Erica Vladimer, who worked for Independent Democratic Caucus leader Sen. Jeff Klein.

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Editorial: The Guardian view of abuse in the church: a truly dreadful story

ENGLAND
The Guardian

March 22, 2018

The evidence that has emerged of the Church of England’s attitude towards abusive clergy has gravely damaged its moral authority

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse is just finishing its investigation of the scandals involving the Church of England in Sussex or, in the jargon, the diocese of Chichester. What it has found, in the words of one witness, has been “horrifying to a huge degree, because you see this extraordinary and atrocious willingness to turn a blind eye to things going very, very seriously wrong, and entirely damaging human beings for their whole lifetimes”. The speaker was Justin Welby, the present archbishop of Canterbury. He can’t on this occasion be accused of overstatement. The picture that has emerged of the Church of England is an organisation almost paralysed by self-importance, but lacking in real self-confidence and, as a result, almost wholly unaccountable, even internally. Bishops quite often burned all their confidential files on leaving office, to ensure there was no evidence to trouble their successors. The clergy were held to be more important than the laity, and the bishops far superior to the parish clergy. The archbishop told the inquiry that he thinks every day about how the church will answer for its sins on the day of judgment, but few people within it seem to have been troubled by the thought of any earlier reckoning.

This goes for both the preceding archbishops of Canterbury, Lord Williams and Lord Carey. Lord Carey, who submitted two paragraphs of written evidence to the inquiry, was sacked last summer by Mr Welby from his post as an unpaid parish priest after details emerged of his suppression of evidence in the case of Peter Ball, who had abused boys as a junior bishop in Chichester before being promoted to become bishop of Gloucester and finally arrested, charged and sentenced after one of his victims killed himself. Lord Carey still believes he has been treated unfairly, and some of his conservative evangelical supporters claim that he is being persecuted for his theological views.

Lord Williams gave evidence that there may have been a reluctance to pursue priests who abused children because the church, embarrassed by its earlier attitudes to gay clergy, was wary of seeming “judgmental about people’s sexual activities”. He also said he was entirely unaware of the efforts of his staff to throw all the blame for the scandal on to the then bishop of Chichester.

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Woman accusing former Mormon Missionary Training Center leader of sexual abuse says she may sue the LDS Church

SALT LAKE CITY (UT)
The Salt Lake Tribune

March 23, 2018

By Peggy Fletcher Stack

Days after MormonLeaks published an audio recording and transcript of a nearly three-hour conversation between a former Mormon Missionary Training Center (MTC) president and a Colorado woman who has accused him of attempted rape, settlement talks between the woman and the LDS Church have stalled.

In the explosive recording, the woman details how Joseph L. Bishop allegedly ripped her clothes and tried to rape her. She also presses him to confess to other misconduct.

“Since the leak, there have been no further settlement discussions” with the LDS Church, the woman’s attorney, Craig Vernon, confirmed to The Salt Lake Tribune on Thursday. “My client deserves justice.”

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Disgraced Cardinal to be denied funeral mass in Edinburgh and will not be buried at St Mary’s Cathedral, Catholic Church says

SCOTLAND
The Herald

March 22, 2018

The funeral of Cardinal Keith O’Brien will be held in Newcastle, with Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Vincent Nichols leading proceedings, the Catholic Church has announced.

The arrangements, which were made with input from Pope Francis himself, aim to resolve a dilemma for the Church over how to honour the disgraced Cardinal and draw a line under the scandal.

Cardinal O’Brien, who stepped down as Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh in 2013, and relinquished all duties after admitting sexual misconduct, will not be accorded a full requiem mass in his own diocese and will not be buried at the city’s St Mary’s Cathedral.

Instead he is to be interred at Mount Vernon Cemetery, Edinburgh, in the same grave as his parents – which the Church said was in accordance with his own wishes.

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Letters: Face up to problem of coercion in the Catholic Church

SCOTLAND
The Herald

March 22, 2018

CONGRATULATIONS to Rosemary Goring (“Cardinal O’ Brien’s tale was a betrayal of hope and trust”, The Herald, March 21) for stating clearly that Cardinal O’Brien’s sin was not his homosexuality but his coercive control of men over whom he had authority. His was not a mere peccadillo, a case of failing “to live up to the sexual standards to which he was committed” as Bruce Kent put it in his letter the same day: it was a case of repeatedly abusing other human beings. I suspect it is because of this abuse and the harm it caused that Archbishop Scicluna’s report has been suppressed, but I would welcome the chance to be proved wrong by its publication.

I am a believing Catholic, but no longer a fully practising one.

The persistent habit of the Catholic Church, particularly in Scotland, is to make token apologies and then sweep abuses under the carpet without allowing light to fall on their fundamental cause. For Keith O’Brien to have become head of the church in Scotland there must already have been a culture of coercive and controlling behaviour within the church, for his abuses were already known in clerical circles.

To quote the title of a recent article by the journalist Kevin McKenna in your sister paper the Sunday Herald last month, “a sickness has infected the Catholic church in Scotland”. An aspect of that sickness is coercive control. Coercive control is a key indicator of psychopathy.

Peter Martin,

Sruth Ruadh, Milton, Strathconon, Muir of Ord.

IN his ironic funeral oration for Caesar, Mark Anthony said: “The evils that men do live after them, the good is oft interred with their bones.” Students demand the names of philanthropists be purged from college buildings for their “evils” starting with the likes of Lee and Rhodes but soon progressing to Washington and Jefferson.

The death of Cardinal Keith O’Brien has evoked similar passions in obituarists and correspondents. Yet the announcement that this former scientist with the liberal views of Pope John and Vatican II was to be become only the third Scottish Cardinal since the Reformation was widely welcomed both in the Catholic Church and beyond.

The Christian church took on a harder edge during his career and while liberal ministers like me could afford to rattle the Kirk’s cage that wasn’t an option for the Cardinal. He argued a Vatican orthodoxy which did not reflect his kindly nature and I was heartbroken when he was engulfed in a scandal I still find hard to credit.

It is apparent some want to believe his work as a priest, his brilliance as a preacher and the good that he manifestly accomplished have all been lost in his downfall. He was a casualty of the Great Celebrity Witchhunt that has diverted the nation in recent years and I truly believe history will be kinder to him than his contemporaries.

Rev Dr John Cameron,

10 Howard Place, St Andrews.

MY thanks to Bruce Kent for putting his head above the parapet and admitting that Cardinal O’Brien did some considerable good in his life – like most of us he was a mixture of good and bad.

I can’t speak for those let down by the Cardinal but I think most people agree with this. However, Christ taught that no man is beyond redemption. God is merciful but also just –and only He knows the full truth of this sad tale.

Mrs E McDermott,

1 Fairfield Place, Bothwell.

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Politician breaks silence over abuse from paedophile priest Malachy Finnegan

NORTHERN IRELAND
Press Association

March 23, 2018

A senior Sinn Fein politician has revealed a notorious paedophile priest physically abused him when he was a schoolboy and tried to sexually groom him.

Conor Murphy has recounted how the late Malachy Finnegan dragged him into an office and savagely beat him with a stick before asking a series of explicit questions, including whether he loved him.

In an exclusive interview with the Press Association, Mr Murphy outlined his experiences in the late 1970s at the hands of Finnegan at St Colman’s College in Newry, Co Down.

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SF MLA breaks silence over abuse from paedophile priest

NORTHERN IRELAND
ITV

March 23, 2018

A senior Sinn Fein politician has revealed a notorious paedophile priest physically abused him when he was a schoolboy and tried to sexually groom him.

Conor Murphy has recounted how the late Malachy Finnegan dragged him into an office and savagely beat him with a stick before asking a series of explicit questions, including whether he loved him.

Speaking to the Press Association, Mr Murphy outlined his experiences in the late 1970s at the hands of Finnegan at St Colman’s College in Newry, Co Down.

Mr Murphy, who attended St Colman’s from 1975 to 1980, said he was angry that no one in authority stopped Finnegan’s reign of abuse, despite his sexual interest in young boys being common knowledge within the school.

He has demanded a full investigation.

The high-profile politician is the latest former pupil of St Colman’s to reveal their treatment at the hands of the abusive and sadistic cleric, whom he described as a “violent, volatile, bullying drunkard”.

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Sinn Féin’s Conor Murphy says he was abused by paedophile priest Finegan

IRELAND
The Journal

March 23, 2018

By Gráinne Ní Aodha

MLA Conor Murphy said that he was seriously physically abused by the paedophile priest.

SINN FÉIN MLA Conor Murphy has said that he was abused while at school in Co Down by paedophile priest Malachy Finegan.

In an exclusive interview with the Irish News, Murphy said that Finegan physically abused him when he was a schoolboy at St Colman’s College in Newry.

“I think it was just before the end of our third year, I was a 14-year-old, and there was a bit of ruckus going on in the class we were in and Finegan burst into the room,” the Newry and Armagh Assembly member told Irish News.

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Waiving limitations on civil abuse suits called ‘unfair, catastrophic’

ATLANTA (GA)
Catholic News Service

March 22, 2018

By Nichole Golden

Georgia lawmakers are considering waiving the statutes of limitations on civil lawsuits claiming sexual abuse of young people against nonprofits and businesses, but not government agencies or public schools.

Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory of Atlanta said the bill called the Hidden Predator Act, or H.B. 605, is unfair to the Catholic Church and would be catastrophic to the church’s mission. Many of the cases of alleged abuse could go as far back as the 1940s.

“I write to inform you of an extraordinarily unfair bill currently pending in our state legislature,” he said in a March 9 statement. “If passed, H.B. 605 could drastically damage our ability to carry out the mission of our Catholic Church in the state of Georgia.”

Sponsored by Republican Rep. Jason Spencer, the legislation was approved Feb. 28 by the Georgia General Assembly’s House of Representatives and sent to the state Senate for consideration.

“We have always fully supported criminal prosecution of and lawsuits against any individual abuser of children, no matter how long ago the abuse is alleged to have occurred,” said Gregory. “Additionally, for the past two decades the Catholic Church in Georgia has had what may be the strongest safe environment program, nonprofit or otherwise, in the state.

“Our church and our schools have strict zero-tolerance policies regarding sexual abuse of any vulnerable person.”

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Pastor Andy Savage Resigns After Sex Abuse Investigation, His Accuser Responds

MEMPHIS (TN)
CBN News

March 22, 2018

By Charlene Aaron

Pastor Andy Savage of Highpoint Church in Memphis, TN has resigned from his position after accusations of a sexual assault 20 years ago.

Earlier this year Savage took a leave of absence during an investigation into the alleged incident involving a teenage girl. He officially resigned Tuesday.

“I now believe it’s appropriate for me to resign from my staff position at Highpoint Church and step away from ministry in order to do everything I can to right the wrongs of the past,” he said in his resignation statement.

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SA Anglican Church sex abuse scandal: four victims come forward

SOUTH AFRICA
Times LIVE

March 22, 2018

Anglican Archbishop Thabo Makgoba says four cases of sexual abuse in two dioceses have emerged in recent weeks.

Urgent consultations are now under way to bolster procedures for dealing with cases of sexual abuse in the church‚ he said on Thursday.

The church has been rocked by allegations of abuse‚ with South African author Ishtiyaq Shukri saying he had been “repeatedly and routinely” sexually abused in the past by priests at St Cyprian’s Cathedral‚ Kimberley.

A second victim told the Weekend Argus at the weekend that he had been abused from the late 1970s until the early 1980s when he was 13 years old.

“The other priest stopped pursuing me. But one continued. He would come to our home‚ telling my parents he was taking me to church events. This continued for about four years. And suddenly he was moved about 150km from Cape Town‚” he said.

Archbishop Makgoba acknowledged on Thursday that the church had been “lagging behind in our care for victims of abuse”.

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Domestic abuse happens in churches too: new research highlights churchgoers’ experience

ENGLAND
Anglican Communion News Service (ACNS)

March 21, 2018

New research into the prevalence of domestic abuse amongst churchgoers shows that one in four people have experienced abuse in their current relationship. The research, by academics at Coventry University and the University of Leicester for the Christian charity Restored, surveyed churchgoers in the north-west English county of Cumbria for the ground-breaking study of domestic abuse.

“Domestic abuse happens in churches too,” Dr Kristin Aune of Coventry University, who led the research, said. “A quarter of the people we heard from told us they had, for example, been physically hurt by their partners, sexually assaulted, emotionally manipulated, or had money withheld from them. This includes 12 women who have experienced between 10 and 20 abusive behaviours and six women who are currently in relationships where they fear for their lives.”

The co-author of the research, Dr Rebecca Barnes, of the University of Leicester, said: “More broadly, 42 per cent of the people we heard from had experienced in a current or previous relationship at least one of the abusive behaviours we asked about.”

The report says that 438 churchgoers from a range of churches completed the survey, and 109 of them said they had experienced abusive behaviours in their current relationship. People aged over 60 were less likely to say they had experienced domestic abuse than younger adults were, and women more likely to say they had experienced serious forms of abuse than men.

Only two in seven churchgoers felt their church was adequately equipped to deal with a disclosure of abuse.

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Anglican Church of Southern Africa seeks to “act more effectively” to abuse allegations

CAPE TOWN (SOUTH AFRICA)
Anglican Communion News Service (ACNS)

March 22, 2018

The Primate of Southern Africa, the Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba, has written to the bishops of the province asking them to establish diocesan advisory teams to handle allegations of abuse. He is also “urgently consulting more widely on how the Church can not only act more effectively, but be seen to act effectively in cases of sexual abuse,” he said in a statement released today. “Key to my efforts is to achieve holistic and sustainable healing.” In his statement, Archbishop Thabo said that in recent weeks “four individuals have either spoken out publicly or contacted my office privately to report experiences of sexual abuse in two dioceses” dating back to the 1970s and 1980s.

One of those cases involved the South African writer Ishtiyaq Shukri. In an open letter at the end of last month, he said that he had been “repeatedly and routinely” sexually abused by Anglican priests at St Cyprian’s Cathedral in Kimberley from the age of 10 in 1978. “The abuse was alienating and confusing,” he wrote. “I did not know what to do‚ so I kept quiet‚ knowing that I was not alone‚ and that there were others‚ too. That knowledge provided a distorted sense of comfort‚ normalising the abnormal‚ which‚ after all‚ is what life in apartheid South Africa trained us all to do.”

He published his open letter in response to comments by Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu on the Oxfam abuse scandal. Archbishop Tutu had said that he was “deeply disappointed by allegations of immorality and possible criminality involving humanitarian workers linked to the charity.” His spokesman said that Tutu was “saddened by the impact of the allegations on the many thousands of good people who have supported Oxfam’s righteous work.”

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Several accused priests served in Cattaraugus, Allegany counties

OLEAN (NY)
Olean Times Herald

March 21, 2018

By Tom Dinki

Diocese yet to detail which churches allegations stem from

Among the 42 priests identified by the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo as having been accused of sexually abusing children, more than a third served throughout Cattaraugus and Allegany counties at some point in their careers.

The diocese, which released the names Tuesday amid public pressure, stated the priests were removed from ministry, retired or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor. However, the diocese did not specify which parishes and years the priests served.

The histories of the men are slowly being pieced together through various diocese directories and media reports. The Olean Times Herald archives show records of some of men serving in Southern Tier throughout the second half of the 20th century.

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Erie diocese set to release priests’ names in big policy shift

ERIE (PA)
GoErie

March 22, 2018

By Ed Palattella

Bishop Persico to disclose list of accused clergy “within the next several weeks,” the diocese said. Buffalo’s Catholic bishop released names there on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo released the names of priests in the diocese accused of sexually abusing minors.

On Wednesday, the Catholic Diocese of Erie announced that it will release its own list of accused priests over the next several weeks.

Robert Hoatson, president of Road to Recovery, an advocacy group for abuse victims, said the timing of Erie Bishop Lawrence Persico’s announcement is not coincidental.

“I’m sure he is releasing those files because of what happened in Buffalo,” said Hoatson, a former priest. “No doubt about it.”

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Ex-Erie priest names priest he says abused him

ERIE (PA)
GoErie

March 23, 2018

By Ed Palattella

The accused priest is now deceased. The former priest now lives in Buffalo and said the abuse occurred when he was a teenager in Erie in the 1980s.

A former Erie priest pressed earlier this week for the Diocese of Buffalo to release the names of accused clergy.

He has now decided to name the Erie priest he said abused him as a teenager in the 1980s.

The former priest, James Faluszczak, 48, identified his abuser as Monsignor Daniel J. Martin, a former pastor of St. George Church in Millcreek Township who died at 88 in 2006.

Faluszczak said that Martin molested him when Faluszczak was 16 to 19 years old. He said the abuse occurred at St. George and at Mt. Calvary Church and then at Mercyhurst College, now Mercyhurst University, where Faluszczak said Martin was living at the time.

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Sinn Féin’s Conor Murphy reveals grooming by paedophile priest

NORTHERN IRELAND
BBC News

March 23, 2018

A senior Sinn Féin politician has said paedophile priest Fr Malachy Finegan physically abused him and tried to sexually groom him.

Conor Murphy said the priest, who died in 2002, dragged him into an office in St Colman’s College, Newry, County Down, and beat him with a stick.

Mr Murphy told the Press Association that the priest asked him explicit questions, including if he loved him.

Fr Finegan taught in St Colman’s from 1967 to 1976.

He was also the school’s president.

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Police raid Michigan diocese while priest faces sex charges

SAGINAW (MI)
The Associated Press

March 22, 2018

Police in Michigan raided the Catholic Diocese of Saginaw, the residence of the bishop and a rectory Thursday following the recent arrest of a priest accused of committing sex crimes.

Saginaw County Assistant Prosecutor Mark Gaertner said he could not disclose what officers were after in the searches conducted at the diocesan offices, the home of Bishop Joseph Cistone and the rectory at the Cathedral of Mary of the Assumption in Saginaw.

Cistone and the diocese have not carried through on promises to support investigators looking into sexual abuse allegations against the Rev. Robert DeLand and others in the diocese, the prosecutor said.

“Contrary to the statements of the diocese and the bishop that they would fully cooperate with law enforcement, they did not,” Gaertner said. “Therefore it was necessary for law enforcement to use other investigative tools, including search warrants.”

Earlier this month, prosecutors formed a team to coordinate and investigate allegations of abuse within the diocese. Messages seeking comment were left for a diocesan representative.

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Accused and removed Catholic priest now a Lutheran church organist

BUFFALO (NY)
WGRZ

March 22, 2018

By Claudine Ewing

Rev. David Bialkowski was removed from the Buffalo Catholic Diocese, but he is now an organist in a WNY Lutheran church.

One of the 42 Buffalo Catholic Diocesan priests removed from ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor is now serving as a church organist.

Rev. David Bialkowski served for years at St. John Gualbert in Cheektowaga. It is where many of his alleged victims claim they were abused by him.

2 On Your Side learned that Bialkowski is serving as the organist at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Tonawanda. A church official told Channel 2’s Claudine Ewing that Bialkowski is the organist and confirmed he is the same Bialkowski on the list of priests removed.

Attorney Kevin Stocker represents some of the victims who claim they were abused by Bialkowski. “I called the local police department and the council men and women an advised them of what he had been accused of and I talked to the minister of that church and said he had an obligation to tell the congregation of what this person was accused of so that other children didn’t become harmed by it.”

He also spoke with someone at the Lutheran church. “I said if you don’t advise the mothers and fathers of the children, I said you’re going to have blood on your hands for not doing what’s right.”

The church can employ Bialkowski because he has not been convicted of a crime.

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Buffalo Catholic Diocese lists wrong name for accused priest

BUFFALO (NY)
WGRZ

March 22, 2018

A spokesman for the Buffalo Catholic Diocese calls it “an unfortunate mistake”

The Catholic Diocese of Buffalo put out a list earlier this week with the names of priests accused of sexual abuse.

One of the priests listed is not supposed to be on that list.

On the list of 42 priests, it should have read Rev. James P. Hayes as the priest who died in 1988, not James F. Hayes who should not have been placed on the list

A spokesman for the Buffalo Catholic Diocese calls it “an unfortunate mistake”

Also of note, Rev. Chester S. Stachewicz died in 2010. Originally, the Diocese indicated he was alive.

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New details about 42 former Buffalo priests accused of child sex abuse

BUFFALO (NY)
WIVB

March 22, 2018

By Jenn Schanz

42 former Buffalo priests were accused of child sex abuse since 1950.

According to a spokesperson for the Buffalo Diocese, the priests were either removed from ministry, retired, or left the Church.

Tuesday, the Buffalo Diocese released a list of their names.

According to Bishop Richard Malone, it was needed to begin healing for the survivors and to bring the alleged crimes into the public light.

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Sponsor: Senate’s changes wreck law to allow child-sex lawsuits

ATLANTA (GA)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

March 22, 2018

By Ty Tagami

It was supposed to open the courts to adults who say they were sexually abused decades ago, but Georgia’s Hidden Predator Act has been so heavily amended that its author says it would be of no use to the victims he knows.

“I will now have to tell the five men in my district that I tried to help them, but I couldn’t,” Rep. Jason Spencer, R-Woodbine, said Thursday after a Senate committee voted unanimously to add several pages of amendments that limit who can sue.

House Bill 605 faced opposition from two powerful institutions that have been accused of systematically covering up child sexual abuse: the Catholic Church and the Boy Scouts. It passed the House of Representatives 170-0 last month with language that would have opened the door wide to lawsuits by adults of any age. But the Senate Judiciary Committee, meeting in private, added several pages of amendments that effectively shield such organizations from most liability over past inaction.

“We tried to strike a balance for victims’ rights and the rights of defendants, particularly entities, to due process,” said the committee chairman, Sen. Jesse Stone, R-Waynesboro.

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Clerics in row over BBC Nolan show child abuse claim

IRELAND
The Belfast Telegraph

March 23, 2018

By Rebecca Black

An outspoken Free Presbyterian minister has refuted an accusation by a Catholic priest that he attempted to “sectarianise” the issue of child sex abuse.

Fr Patrick McCafferty, parish priest of Corpus Christi in west Belfast, criticised Rev David McIlveen after he told BBC NI’s Nolan Live TV show that “false religion will always breed immorality”.

But last night Rev McIlveen told the Belfast Telegraph that he had in no way implied that child abuse only happened within the Catholic Church.

“This is a Biblical position that false religion will breed immorality – that probably is something he might well be taking exception to,” he said.

“I didn’t say that the Roman Catholic church bred immorality.

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Police Raid Three Saginaw Diocese Locations

SAGINAW (MI)
WSGW

March 22, 2018

By Ann Williams

Police from several agencies were executing search warrants Thursday at three locations in connection with recent sex abuse allegations involving two Saginaw-area Catholic priests. MLive.com quotes Saginaw County Assistant Prosecutor Mark Gaertner as saying despite pledges the diocese has made to cooperate with the investigation, they have not. Gaertner said the search warrants were executed as a necessary investigative tool of law enforcement. The locations being searched were the home of Bishop Joseph Cistone, The Catholic Diocese of Saginaw offices and the rectory at St. Mary’s Cathedral.

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BREAKING: Police raid bishop’s house, offices as part of sex-abuse investigation

SAGINAW (MI)
LifeSiteNews

March 22, 2018

By Claire Chretien

Police raided the home of Bishop Joseph Cistone, his diocesan offices, and his cathedral rectory today, saying Cistone and the Diocese of Saginaw are not fully cooperating with law enforcement’s clerical sex-abuse investigation.

A priest in Cistone’s diocese was charged with sexually assaulting a 17-year-old male last month, and since then law enforcement has formed a special task force to “look into complaints” related to the case.

Police brought a canine unit to the bishop’s house as they executed their search warrant, according to ACB12.

“Contrary to the statements of the diocese and the bishop that they would fully cooperate with law enforcement” in the ongoing sex-abuse investigation, “they did not,” said Saginaw County Assistant Prosecutor Mark Gaertner. “Therefore it was necessary for law enforcement to use other investigative tools, including search warrants.”

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Police search Michigan bishop’s home, citing lack of cooperation in sex abuse investigation

SAGINAW (MI)
CNA/EWTN News

March 22, 2018

By Mary Rezac

On Thursday, police in Saginaw, Michigan raided the home of Bishop Joseph Cistone, as well as the diocesan chancery and its cathedral rectory, as part of an ongoing investigation into sex abuse allegations against several diocesan priests.

CNA has reached out to the Diocese of Saginaw, Michigan for comment but did not receive a response by press time.

Police told local media that they could not reveal what they were searching for or taking from the properties. However, authorities did say that the search warrants were due to a lack of cooperation on the part of the diocese related to an ongoing clerical sex abuse investigation.

“Contrary to the statements of the diocese and the bishop that they would fully cooperate with law enforcement, they did not,” Saginaw County Assistant Prosecutor Mark Gaertner told local news source Michigan Live. “Therefore it was necessary for law enforcement to use other investigative tools, including search warrants.”

Gaertner told Michigan Live that search warrants were executed on Thursday at Bishop Cistone’s home as well as on the rectory of the diocesan cathedral and on the diocesan offices.

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MLive: Police raided Catholic Diocese in Saginaw in ongoing sex abuse investigation

SAGINAW (MI)
MLive via The Morning Sun

March 22, 2018

Police raided two Catholic Diocese of Saginaw properties and the home of Bishop Joseph Cistone on Thursday as part of an ongoing investigation into sexual abuse in the church.

Saginaw County Assistant Prosecutor Mark Gaertner said he cannot say what officers were searching for and what they took from the properties, but confirmed the search warrants executed Thursday are related to a lack of cooperation by the diocese which includes Clare, Gratiot and Isabella counties, as reported by MLive/Saginaw News.

“Contrary to the statements of the diocese and the bishop that they would fully cooperate with law enforcement, they did not,” Gaertner said. “Therefore it was necessary for law enforcement to use other investigative tools, including search warrants.”

Search warrants were executed at the bishop’s home on Corral Drive in Saginaw, the rectory at Cathedral Of Mary Of The Assumption, 615 Hoyt, in Saginaw, and the Catholic Diocese of Saginaw offices in Saginaw Township, according to Gaertner.

To date, only one diocese priest, Rev. Robert DeLand, has been criminally charged. He was accused of sexually assaulting two males — a 21-year-old and a 17-year-old — in his Saginaw Township condominium.

Since DeLand’s Feb. 26 arrest, numerous tips and allegations about further sexual abuse dating back as far as three decades have flooded area police departments, investigators previously said. Among the tips were allegations against other clergymen.

Another diocese priest, Rev. Ronald J. Dombrowski, was recently suspended by the diocese after it received a report he allegedly sexually assaulted a person when they were a minor. He has not been criminally charged.

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March 22, 2018

Diocesan Priests Who Were Removed from Ministry, Were Retired or Left Ministry after Allegations of Sexual Abuse of a Minor

BUFFALO (NY)
Diocese of Buffalo

March 20, 2018

The following list identifies diocesan priests who were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor. This list also includes deceased priests with more than one allegation made against them. The year of death is listed next to those who are deceased.

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Where the 42 Buffalo area priests accused of sexual misconduct with minors worked

BUFFALO (NY)
Buffalo News

March 21, 2018

By Mike McAndrew

Where did the 42 Catholic Diocese of Buffalo priests who had credible allegations of sexual misconduct involving minors work?

Diocese officials did not release that information Tuesday when Bishop Richard J. Malone released for the first time a list of the 42 priests accused of sexual contact with minors.

The diocese’s annual directories and newspaper archives provide some information, although there are a few gaps in the records available. It’s possible the priests served in additional parishes beyond those listed below:

John R. Aurelio, from 1967 to 1993: St. Helen’s, Hinsdale; Cardinal Mindszenty High School, Dunkirk; St. Leo the Great, Amherst; West Seneca Developmental Center; St. Catherine of Siena, West Seneca; St. John the Evangelist, Buffalo; and Christ the King Seminary, East Aurora.

Donald W. Becker, from 1968 to 2002: St. Mark’s, Rushford; St. Mary’s of the Assumption, Lancaster; St. Bonaventure, West Seneca; SS. Peter & Paul, Hamburg; Nativity of Our Lord, Orchard Park; St. Stephen’s, Grand Island; St. Agatha’s, Buffalo; St. Joseph’s, Fredonia; St. Mary’s, Batavia.

David M. Bialkowski, from 1989 to 2011: St. Bernard’s, Buffalo; SS. Peter & Paul, Hamburg; and St. John Gualbert, Cheektowaga.

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Editorial: Bishop Malone makes a start by releasing names of priests

BUFFALO (NY)
Buffalo News

March 21, 2018

Bishop Richard J. Malone took a giant step Tuesday toward getting right with the victims of sexual abuse by priests in the Buffalo Diocese. By releasing a list of 42 priests facing allegations, Malone and the church opened the door to a greater level of healing by both the church and the victims of sexual abuse. It’s a start. It shouldn’t be the end.

In releasing this list of names, Malone followed the example he set in his previous posting in Portland, Maine, and which many other dioceses around the country have adopted. For reasons that remain unexplained – though they may seem obvious – the Buffalo Diocese until Tuesday was operating in protection mode.

That strategy became untenable in the days since Michael F. Whalen Jr. came forward to report that, as a teenager 40 years ago, he was sexually abused by the Rev. Norbert F. Orsolits, who then acknowledged abusing “probably dozens” of teenage boys. That broke open the dam, and other victims started coming forward, sharing the pain that still haunts them and demanding an accounting from the church.

On Tuesday, Malone agreed, providing 27 names more than had previously been known. The question now is whether the list is exhaustive. Could there be more priests, either protected by or unknown to the diocese?

Whalen thinks that could be the case, and so does Tom Travers of Buffalo, who says a priest abused him in the 1970s when he was an altar boy. “My abuser is not on the list,” he said. That makes it incomplete.

What is more, Travers said the diocese has contacted him about participating in its recently created Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program, meant to settle claims of sexual abuse. There’s a disconnect between those circumstances. So the question inevitably arises: What more does the church have yet to reveal?

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Names of Buffalo Diocese priests accused of abusing minors

BUFFALO (NY)
Buffalo News

March 20, 2018

By Aaron Besecker

[Includes links to articles about priests previously named and known.]

Bishop Richard J. Malone on Tuesday released the names of priests who have been accused of sexual misconduct with minors.

“The following list identifies diocesan priests who were removed from ministry, were retired or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor,” the diocese said. The list includes deceased priests with more than one allegation made against them. Priests who are deceased have their year of death listed next to their name, the diocese said.

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