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.

May 2, 2018

Death penalty for child rape: ‘Many special provisions in POCSO not implemented’

INDIA
Indian Express

by Sadaf Modak | Mumbai |

May 2, 2018

AS THE Union Cabinet approved an Ordinance to allow courts to award death penalty to those convicted of raping children up to 12 years, stakeholders said the focus should have been on strengthening the existing Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The Act was introduced in 2012 to address sexual assault against children to ensure that provisions are made specifically to address the needs of child victims, including introduction of child-friendly courtrooms, changes in the way victims’ statements are recorded by the police, courts, as well as rehabilitation of victims. Stakeholders say many of the special provisions formulated for children remain unimplemented with the Act becoming part of the mainstream criminal justice system.

“Rights of the victims in the criminal justice system are often neglected. Even in the POCSO Act, the focus was to have child-friendly courts where child victims could come to depose but the victims continue to depose before the usual courts, part of the adult criminal justice system. While there are provisions for stringent punishment, aspects of victim rehabiliation, like compensation, psychological and other assistance to victims, is not usually provided for,” said Pravin Khandpasole, director of Disha, an organisation based in Amravati district that works on creating a legal, social and policy framework for victims.

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

Child Victims Act passes NY Assembly; Senate prospects dim

NEW YORK
Bristol Herald Courier

May 2, 2018

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Legislation to make it easier for molestation victims to seek criminal charges or file lawsuits against their abusers has once again passed the New York state Assembly.

The measure known as the Child Victims Act was endorsed by the Democrat-led Assembly on Tuesday. Prospects in the Republican-controlled state Senate, however, remain dim.

Current law gives victims until age 23 to file civil cases or seek criminal charges. Under the act, victims could file civil suits until age 50 and seek criminal charges until age 28. The bill would also create a one-year window allowing victims to file civil lawsuits for alleged abuse now barred by the existing statute of limitations.

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.

Parishes explore healing circles’ potential for restorative justice

UNITED STATES
The Catholic Spirit

Maria Wiering | May 1, 2018

The woman in the film said she was 12 when a priest began to abuse her, which was complicated by feelings of being in love with him.

Confused about the situation, she eventually reached out to a religious sister at her school and then met with her parish pastor. That pastor, who was not the perpetrator, told her that, although she was young, she was “old enough to seduce a priest.” Then her parents found love-letters the priest had written. Her father accused her of sexual immorality and her mother asked, “How could you do this to us?”

Identified only as Mary, the now middle-aged woman said she lived for decades feeling the abuse was her fault, even when a therapist she visited in her 40s insisted it wasn’t. She shared her story as part of a 2016 healing circle in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, documented by its leader, Janine Geske, a law professor at Marquette University in Milwaukee, and founder and former director of Marquette’s Restorative Justice Initiative.

Geske, who also sat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court from 1993-1998, showed the documentary April 29 at St. Joseph the Worker in Maple Grove and Our Lady of Lourdes in Minneapolis. Both two-hour events included brief remarks from Geske, “The Healing Circle” video and then the opportunity for attendees to participate with small groups in the healing circle process.

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.

Pell’s committal to trial will give hope to victims, says legal academic

AUSTRALIA
Lawyer’s Weekly

02 MAY 2018

By: Jerome Doraisamy

The Australian cardinal is set to become the highest-ranking figure in the history of the Catholic Church to ever stand trial on criminal charges for historical child sexual abuse.

Earlier Tuesday morning, Victorian magistrate Belinda Wallington committed Cardinal George Pell to stand trial for at least two alleged offences, one of which supposedly occurred in a swimming pool in Ballarat in the 1970s, having determined there was sufficient evidence for a jury to consider.

Ms Wallington also found there was insufficient evidence to charge the Cardinal on multiple separate charges, one of which pertained to allegations of abuse in a cinema, also in Ballarat, and had those charges struck out.

Cardinal Pell was in court for the ruling, as he has been for the committal hearing in preceding months, having returned home to Australia from his post as treasurer for the Vatican.

Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart declined to make any substantive comment in relation to the court’s decision, but “expressed his confidence in the judicial system in Australia and said that justice must now take its course”, in an online statement published by Melbourne Catholic Magazine.

Dr Judy Courtin, who represents victims of institutional sexual abuse and completed a PhD at Monash University examining the appellate journey for child sexual assault convictions in Victoria, said the committal to trial would be hugely encouraging for victims and their families.

“Survivors, victims and families have been fighting to be heard for so long, and with the recent Royal Commission and Victorian inquiry, slowly but surely victims are beginning to be heard and believed,” she said.

“What this means — not just for people in Australia, but around the world — is that it’s worth stopping the silence. It’s worth speaking up and coming forward, because claims are now being taken seriously and believed by authorities.”

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

Vatican confirms Pell can retain senior role in church hierarchy

AUSTRALIA
ABC – AM

May 2, 2018

By Steve Cannane

The Vatican has stated that Cardinal George Pell will not be forced to quit his role in the church hierarchy, following the decision he would stand trial on multiple historical sexual offences.

Pope Francis has said he would not comment on the case until it was over.

The 76-year old is pleading not guilty to the charges and strenuously denies all allegations.

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.

Pell faces demotion in Rome, Vatican expert says

AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald

By Nick Miller

2 May 2018

London: Cardinal George Pell is likely to be replaced as head of the Vatican’s Secretariat for the Economy now that he has been committed to stand trial on sexual assault charges, an experienced Vatican observer says.

“The great likelihood is that he’s never going back to Rome, at least as head of the Secretariat,” said John Allen jnr, editor at Crux and a long-time reporter and author on Catholicism and the Vatican.

Before charges were laid and Pell left for Australia last year, he was one of the most powerful men in the Vatican.

He led the Secretariat, tasked with cleaning up the Vatican’s finances, rooting out corruption and embezzlement, and auditing the corners of the Holy See where money has been secreted with minimal accountability or transparency.

But that body is now on “autopilot”, Allen said.

Since Pell’s absence, it has been run by his second in command, who is not a cardinal. And it could be another 18 months before Pell is free to return, whether or not he is found guilty at trial.

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.

Pell continues to fight sex charges

AUSTRALIA
9 News

May 2, 2018

Cardinal George Pell has taken the next step in fighting historical sexual offence charges after being committed to stand trial.

The 76-year-old on Wednesday faced Victoria’s County Court where he will stand trial on multiple charges, the details of which cannot be revealed for legal reasons.

During a brief hearing, Judge Sue Pullen adjourned the matter to May 16 for a further mention.

Pell flew back into Sydney on Wednesday afternoon and was quizzed about whether he’d give evidence.

“Of course,” he told the Seven Network at Sydney Airport.

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’s trial on historical sex offences to last 10 weeks, court hears

AUSTRALIA
Yahoo!

May 1, 2018

MELBOURNE, May 2 (Reuters) – The trial of Vatican treasurer George Pell, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of historical sexual offences, is expected to last 10 weeks, an Australian court heard on Wednesday.

The County Court of Victoria state will hold a second hearing on May 16 to plan the trial, where a judge will consider the prosecution and defence’s request to go ahead with two separate trials that will last about 10 weeks in total.

Pell, 76, was ordered to face trial on historical sexual offences involving multiple accusers following a month-long pre-trial hearing. He reiterated his not guilty plea after a magistrate ordered the trial on Tuesday. No date been set yet.

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.

George Pell set to face two trials over historical assault allegations

AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald

By Adam Cooper

2 May 2018

George Pell is likely to face two trials and two juries, with his sexual assault charges set to be heard separately, but a date for his first trial is yet to be set.

Less than 24 hours after being committed to stand trial on half the historic sexual assault charges he faced, Cardinal Pell on Wednesday returned to court, but this time to appear before a County Court judge instead of a magistrate.

The 76-year-old moved slowly both as he arrived and left, despite the buzz of media around him, surrounded by police officers during his walks to and from a waiting car.

In court, he sat still and quietly during the short administrative hearing.

At one point after the hearing, outside the building, he turned his head towards a reporter who asked a question, but didn’t say a word.

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.

Australia’s Cardinal Pell in court on Wednesday on sex-abuse charges

AUSTRALIA
Crux

May 2, 2018

AP

MELBOURNE, Australia – The first details of Cardinal George Pell’s upcoming trials on sexual abuse charges emerged Wednesday when he made an administrative appearance in court.

Prosecutors and defense lawyers agreed the charges would likely be split into two separate trials which would take a total of between eight and 10 weeks to be heard.

Pell’s lawyer Robert Richter asked the judge to start the trials as soon as possible, due in part to the cardinal’s advanced age of 76. Prosecutor Mark Gibson asked for up to three months to prepare the case.

Judge Sue Pullen said she thought three months was a “little excessive.”

Pell left the court on bail ahead of his next hearing on May 16. Pullen rejected Richter’s application for Pell to be excused from attending court that day.

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.

2 Trials Set For Cardinal Pell On Sex Abuse Charges

AUSTRALIA
NPR

May 2, 2018

Attorneys for Cardinal George Pell, the former archbishop of Sydney, were granted a request that the allegations of child sex abuse against him that date back decades be handled in two separate trials.

Pell, the highest-ranking Vatican official to stand trial on such charges, appeared in court on Wednesday for the second day after pleading not guilty to multiple charges involving alleged sexual offenses dating from the 1970s and 1990s when he was a priest in the Melbourne area and later archbishop of the southern Australian city.

The 76-year-old Pell’s lawyer, Robert Richter, argued before Judge Sue Pullen that the charges from the 70s and those from the 90s were “of a completely different nature” and “separated by 20 years” and therefore should be handled discretely.

Last year, Pell publicly proclaimed his innocence, saying the allegations were all “false” and that “The whole idea of sexual abuse is abhorrent to me.”

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.

Senior Pope aide Cardinal George Pell could face two trials over abuse charges

AUSTRALIA
Telegraph (UK)

2 MAY 2018

Top Pope aide Cardinal George Pell could face two separate trials as he fights to clear his name over historic sexual offence allegations, an Australian court heard Wednesday.

A Melbourne judge on Tuesday ordered the Vatican finance chief, 76, to stand trial on multiple charges, making him the highest-ranked Catholic to face such allegations.

Pell pleaded not guilty, and half of the charges initially filed against him were thrown out.

The exact details and nature of the alleged offenses remain confidential, other than they involve “multiple charges and multiple complainants”, dating from the 1970s and 1990s.

Some of the alleged offences were at a swimming pool in the town of Ballarat in Victoria state where Pell was a priest in the 1970s, and a second set of alleged actions were at Melbourne’s St Patrick’s Cathedral in the 1990s.

At Wednesday’s brief directions hearing in the Victoria County Court, Pell’s barrister Robert Richter argued that because the charges related to different locations and were 20 years apart, they should be split and heard in two trials.

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.

May 1, 2018

Scotland ‘should be ashamed’ of childcare system abuse says former orphan who reveals history of beatings and trauma

SCOTLAND
Daily Record

By Conor Riordan

1 MAY 2018

Scotland “should be ashamed” for failing to face up to a history of abuse and neglect in the childcare system, a former orphanage resident has said.

The witness, who cannot be named, revealed life at Nazareth House in Aberdeen between 1968 and 1972 consisted of routine beatings, sexual assaults and emotional trauma.

Speaking at the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry yesterday, he said his experiences contributed to him serving time in “many prisons” and having a history of “serious” violence.

The man, now in his 50s, said: “Scotland as a country should be ashamed that it’s taken this long for this (inquiry) to happen.

“The 21 years since I reported this, it’s hurt me a lot more than what the care system has.”

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.

Protecting Against Abuse At Summer Camps

UNITED STATES
Times of Israel

OPINION

BY MICHAEL J. SALAMON

May 1, 2018

With summer on the horizon and talk about camp plans at a feverish pitch, this time of year is one of excitement for many. But it can be stressful for those of us who work with sexual abuse survivors. Just a few years ago I wrote about a man that I was treating who had been sexually abused by a counselor in a sleepaway camp when he was in his early teens. I never mentioned his name nor the name of the camp. But after the piece was published, I was inundated with letters, e-mails and calls from other men — older and younger than he — telling me about their similar experiences.

In all, more than 100 people contacted me. About 30 of them had been to the same camp and were abused by the same counselor who had been promoted over the years to head counselor. It was an open secret that he would select campers to go skinny dipping with him late at night and would abuse them. Still, he was revered by many at the camp.

That abusive man has since passed on. But stories like that do not. There are many similar cases, and while there is a significant effort to prevent abuse through stricter policies and more robust vetting, it is a given that abuse will likely continue to occur.

Last summer I was informed of two situations at sleepaway camps where abuse occurred. Both of those took place at camps that have anti-harassment and abuse policies – an absolute must. What is most often missing, though, is the necessary supervision of camp employees, the need to believe a person who finally feels strong and comfortable enough to report that he or she was abused, and the proper education of children who go off to camp. While it would be a fool’s errand to believe that all abuse can be eradicated, it is these three areas — staff supervision, believing victims and educating children that can provide the most effective buffer against abusers.

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.

Lawsuit against Father Bob, Saginaw Diocese moved to state court

MICHIGAN
MLive

May 1, 2018

By Cole Waterman cwaterma@mlive.com

SAGINAW, MI — A lawsuit alleging the Rev. Robert J. “Father Bob” DeLand Jr. had groomed and molested a teenage boy has moved from the federal courts to the state level.

The lawsuit against DeLand, Bishop Joseph R. Cistone, and the Catholic Diocese of Saginaw was originally filed in the federal courthouse in downtown Bay City on March 12. The suit was filed by attorney Todd J. Weglarz, of Southfield firm Fieger, Fieger, Kenney & Harington, on behalf of a minor identified as John Doe and an adult representative.

The lawsuit sought a judgment against the three defendants, jointly and severally, in excess of $75,000.

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.

2018 Catholic Charities Appeal looks to pick up steam

NEW YORK
Buffalo News

By Harold McNeil

May 1, 201With two months remaining, the 94th annual Catholic Charities of Buffalo Appeal has reached nearly $8.9 million in cash and pledges, but needs to pick up steam, according to diocese officials.

That’s just shy of 81 percent of its 2018 goal. An additional $2.1 million has to be raised between now and June 30 in order to reach this year’s $11 million goal. Sister Mary McCarrick, diocesan director of Catholic Charities, said the organization has seen strong support, particularly after being featured in a recent segment on the Today Show, but the appeal should be closer to 90 percent of its goal or greater at this point. She said the last time the appeal failed to reach its goal was in 2009, when it was at 88 percent of its final goal at this stage of the campaign.

Funds raised during the appeal help support the 70 programs and services provided by Catholic Charities at 61 sites throughout Western New York, along with a number of ministries that are part of the Bishop’s Fund for the Faith.

“If we don’t reach our goal, we will need to take a serious look at these services to people in need,” McCarrick said in a statement announcing the progress of the campaign. “For example, it costs about $50,000 to fund one food pantry and we currently operate eight pantries; six in Erie County, and one each in Cattaraugus and Allegany County.”

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.

House of Commons passes ‘historic’ motion to ask Pope Francis for apology over residential schools

CANADA
Global News

May 1, 2018

By Amanda Connolly National Online Journalist

The Canadian House of Commons will formally ask Pope Francis to apologize for the role of the Catholic Church in the residential school system.

In a vote that garnered support across party lines on Tuesday, MPs supported a motion presented by NDP MP Charlie Angus for the House of Commons to ask for a formal apology from the Pope to the Indigenous peoples of Canada for the physical, sexual and emotional abuse suffered by the thousands of children forced to attend the schools.

A total of 269 Liberal, Conservative, NDP, Green and other MPs voted in favour of the motion.

Ten Conservative MPs opposed it but the motion has passed.

“I am very, very proud today,” said Angus to reporters ahead of the vote.

“This is a historic day for our country.”

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.

Latin American Millennials Question Pope Francis’s Handling of Sexual Abuse Cases

LATIN AMERICA
The Global Catholic Review

MAY 1, 2018

Co-authored by Dr. Kate Kingsbury* and Dr. Andrew Chesnut

Recent figures reveal that the Catholic Church is losing followers in Latin America at an accelerated rate. Contrary to pundits’ predictions, Pope Francis rather than proving popular and precipitating a proliferation in numbers of the faithful is losing support. What explains the shrinking Latin American flock? And what can the Catholic Church do to conciliate and captivate their congregants in Latin America anew?

Bad Publicity

Many assumed that a Latin American pope would entail more support within his home region and ensure the future of the Catholic Church there, but this presumption has proved erroneous. Phineas T. Barnum, a 19th century showman, enounced there is no such thing as bad publicity’. Unfortunately this adage has not proved a truism when it comes to the Catholic Church. In an era of mass media, technology has been both a friend and a foe for the Church. What in the past were once rumours or could be controverted as calumnies, have with the advent of the internet and hypercommunications come to comprise front page news stories. The inept and often corrupt handling of sex abuse scandals have tarnished the Church’s reputation, especially among Latin American Millennials who are becoming Religious Nones at unprecedented rates.

Many Latin Americans, especially Millennials, have lost faith in the Church, even if their parents and grandparents have not. As Carla, a 29 year old Ecuadorian described, ‘everybody knows that the Catholic Church cannot be trusted and that some of the clergy are guilty of paedophilia. You see it in the news all the time. I still believe in God but I do not go to church anymore as I just cannot respect the priests and pope after everything I have heard and seen. I pray in my house as does my sister and our children.’ Juan, a 23 year old from Venezuela agreed: ‘I will always believe in God as does my family, but the Catholic Church is just an institution to me now, nothing more and nothing less. Even if I don’t dislike the Pope I think he has done too little to address the many problems that plague the Church. Take Bishop Barros in Chile, for example. But my grandmother still goes to Church.’

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.

Canadian MPs really want the Pope to apologize for residential schools

CANADA
National Post

May 1, 2018

/the Canadian Press

OTTAWA — MPs have voted overwhelmingly to extend to Pope Francis a formal invitation to apologize in person to Indigenous Peoples for decades of abuse meted out in residential schools across Canada.

New Democrat MPs Charlie Angus and residential school survivor Romeo Saganash introduced the motion, which passed today by a margin of 269-10.

Cheers erupted for both MPs as they voted; Angus held aloft a feather as his vote was acknowledged.

Among the 94 calls to action by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was to ask for an apology, to be delivered in Canada by the pontiff, for the church’s role in the residential school abuse of First Nations, Inuit and Metis children.

But in March, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops said that while the Pope acknowledged the commission’s findings and expressed regret for past wrongs, he “felt he could not personally respond.”

The motion also calls on the Catholic Church to pay money owed to residential school survivors and to turn over relevant documentation regarding the government-sponsored schools.

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

Child sexual abuse inquiry to hold hearings in Nottingham

UNITED KINGDOM
West Bridgford Wire

May 1, 2018

The Inquiry will come to Trent Bridge Cricket Ground from 1 to 5 October 2018, where the Chair, Professor Alexis Jay OBE, and panel will hear opening statements and evidence from some witnesses.

The Inquiry will spend three weeks looking into the extent of any institutional failures to protect children in the care of Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire Councils from abuse and exploitation.

It will also look at how institutions including those councils and the police responded to any abuse claims.

The remaining two weeks of the hearing will take place at the Inquiry’s hearing centre in London.

Further details will be provided on the Inquiry’s website www.iicsa.org.uk and Twitter feed @InquiryCSA

Children living in care in residential homes and foster families are amongst the most vulnerable children in society. Allegations of widespread sexual abuse and exploitation of children who were in the care of Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire Council require detailed public scrutiny.

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.

In a Town of 2,000, Three Consecutive Priests Abused Children for 30 Years

NEW YORK
Friendly Atheist

APRIL 30, 2018

BY TERRY FIRMA

When the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, New York recently released a list of priests credibly accused of child sex abuse, parishioners in Angola, 20 miles to the south, were in disbelief. Because on that list were four priests who had served their town of just over 2,000 people.

What … set Most Precious Blood [the parish church] apart from other parishes was the span in which one accused priest after another worked in the parish for nearly 30 consecutive years.

The Rev. Fred G. Fingerle was assigned as an associate pastor there from 1967 to 1977, except for one year at another parish in 1970. Fingerle was succeeded by the Rev. John P. Hajduk from 1977 to 1982. And Hajduk was followed by Monsignor J. Grant Higgins, who served as pastor from 1983 until 1997.

I wonder if they traded tips about their victims as they passed the baton.

The fourth accused priest was the Rev. James H. Cotter, assigned to Most Precious Blood from 1955 to 1958.

A true pioneer, that one.

“The sticker shock was the number, not that it had happened,” said longtime member Karen A. Erickson. “The sticker shock of so many in your community was what had people talking.”

Her fellow believers in certain other towns in upper New York state surely feel the same way.

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.

Press Office: Statement on Cardinal George Pell

VATICAN CITY
Vatican News

The Holy See releases a press statement after the Australian court orders Cardinal George Pell to stand trial.

The Holy See on Tuesday released the following statement regarding Cardinal George Pell.

Holy See’s Statement

“The Holy See has taken note of the decision issued by judicial authorities in Australia regarding His Eminence Cardinal George Pell. Last year, the Holy Father granted Cardinal Pell a leave of absence so he could defend himself from the accusations. The leave of absence is still in place.”

Today’s ruling

Cardinal George Pell appeared in an Australian court on Tuesday and entered a not guilty plea to the criminal charges against him. At the conclusion of preliminary hearings, a Melbourne magistrate dismissed some of the charges against Cardinal Pell, but decided that others warrant a jury trial. Trial proceedings will begin on Wednesday in Victoria State County Court.

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.

Why Won’t Pope Francis Quit Cardinal Pell, His Sketchy No. 3?

ROME
The Daily Beast

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU

05.01.18

ROME—Cardinal George Pell, the 76-year-old head of the Vatican’s Secretariat of the Economy, will stand trial in Melbourne, Australia, for criminal sexual abuse he is alleged to have inflicted on young boys in his home country during the 1970s and ’90s.

Exact details of the charges have not been made public due to victim privacy laws, but one of the alleged incidents apparently took place over a 12-month period with a child from St. Joseph’s Boys Home, according to reporters in Australia. Another is purported to have occurred at various times with the same victim in a local swimming pool frequented by a Catholic youth group under Pell’s supervision.

Pell’s alleged behavior has been the focus of a committal hearing in Australia meant to determine if there is enough criminal evidence to support a jury trial. Pell left Vatican City last June to face his accusers, despite initially pleading ill health that would have kept him safe inside the protected Vatican city-state, where he enjoys diplomatic status.

After a month of hearings in which the court heard disturbing details of the alleged abuse from a number of victims, including one event that is said to have occurred during the screening of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Magistrate Belinda Wallington ruled that several of the accusations were to be dismissed due to either lack of or incoherent evidence. Only two of the many allegations against him have enough solid evidence to warrant a trial, she said, though it cannot yet be reported which two those are.

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.

Masses of security, media and protesters at Cardinal George Pell trial

AUSTRALIA
Newstalk ZB

1 May 2018

A mass of security, media and protestors honed in today for a court appearance of Australia’s Cardinal George Pell.

The 76-year-old pleaded not guilty to historic sex offences dating back to the 1970’s and 1990’s at a Melbourne magistrate’s court.

Pell has maintained his innocence since allegations came to light, and taken leave from his position at the Vatican to fight the complaints.

Australian correspondent Murray Olds told Larry Williams several more charges were on the table but ultimately thrown out.

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

The Latest: Cardinal Pell has court appearance Wednesday

AUSTRALIA
Associated Press

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The Latest on Cardinal George Pell (all times local):

3:30 p.m.

Cardinal George Pell has been ordered to appear Wednesday in the Victoria state County Court where he will eventually stand trial.

Under his bail conditions, Pell cannot leave Australia, contact prosecution witnesses and he must give police notice of any change of address.

An Australian magistrate earlier Tuesday ordered the most senior Vatican official to be charged in the Catholic Church sex abuse crisis to stand trial.

He entered a plea of not guilty. Melbourne Magistrate Belinda Wallington dismissed some charges but decided the prosecution’s case on others was strong enough to warrant a trial by jury.

Details have not been disclosed about the crimes alleged to have occurred decades ago.

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.

Mikvah-peeping Rabbi Barry Freundel’s jail sentence reduced by over a year due to good behavior

WASHINGTON (DC)
JTA

By Josefin Dolsten

April 26, 2018

(JTA) — The jail sentence of Rabbi Barry Freundel, a once-prominent Modern Orthodox rabbi in Washington, D.C. who secretly filmed women in his synagogue’s mikvah, has been shortened by over a year due to good behavior, his lawyer said.

Freundel’s 6 1/2-year sentence also was reduced because he participated as an instructor in a program to educate other inmates, the attorney, Jeffrey Harris, told JTA on Thursday.

A day earlier, the D.C. Department of Corrections had sent an email to Freundel’s victims saying the rabbi would be released on Aug. 21. On Thursday, however, the department sent another email saying that Freundel will be released on Aug. 21, 2020. Director Quincy Booth told JTA in a statement that the original email was sent in error.

“In the case of Mr. Freundal [sic], the email incorrectly calculated his scheduled release date and sent the email to Mr. Freundal’s victims who signed up for the VINE service,” Booth said, referring to the department’s automated notification system. “DOC has corrected the error that caused the incorrect release calculation and email notification.”

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.

Malka Leifer – Alleged Sexual Predator

ISRAEL/AUSTRALIA
Times of Israel

May 1, 2918

Shoshana Mael

In my lifetime, I’ve met hundreds of people who’ve been sexually abused. It’s not something I’ll ever get used to, although it doesn’t shock me in the same way that it once did. Still, hearing stories about children being victimized in the Orthodox community is something that will forever shake me to my core. Maybe it’s because I still feel a familial connection to that community, and personal tragedy isn’t something you can inoculate yourself against. Whatever the reason, today I feel compelled to write about Malka Leifer, a former high school principal from Australia, and the three sisters who went public with allegations of sexually abusive behavior and are in the process of fighting for justice.

I want to focus on three elements of this situation that are unique to Orthodox communities, and make this story all the more painful.

1. The sisters were raised by a mercurial and abusive mother. This made them particularly susceptible to the manipulative tactics of Ms. Leifer, as they were desperate for maternal affection and attention. Ms. Leifer preyed on them, knowing that they were keeping their volatile home situation a secret. To them, this secrecy was necessary because should word get out that they came from a dysfunctional family, their shidduch prospects would be negatively affected. While there are many reasons why children don’t disclose parental abuse, fear of not finding a ‘suitable’ husband should never be one of them.

2. Within the Orthodox community, there exists a lack of boundaries that allows abuse and molestation to fester. The sisters relate how Ms. Leifer would invite girls to her house and and spend time alone with them in her office, with the blinds drawn and the door closed. In the closeness of the Orthodox community, questionable boundaries are allowed to exist because the small size of the community is rife with dual relationships. It’s common for your pediatrician to also be your neighbor and also be the person you sit next to in shul. There’s a dangerous and naive sense of trust that all such behavior is innocent. Ms. Leifer was able to exploit this fact and crossed boundaries with the three sisters — in public — and later progressed to significantly worse violations. It is a shame that her behavior was chalked up to ‘taking girls under her wing’ and wasn’t recognized for the grooming behavior that it was.

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‘We are deeply sorry’ – boarding schools apologise for child abuse

UNITED KINGDOM
tes

By Charlotte Santry

01 May 2018

Boarding schools must correct “the wrongs of the past” and create “obstructive obstacles” to deter potential abusers, headteachers have been told today.

Martin Reader, the chair of the Boarding Schools’ Association (BSA), is today set to apologise for the abuse suffered by former pupils, on behalf of his organisation’s members.

Addressing the BSA’s annual conference in Brighton today, he will say: “It is to our great shame that there have been those adults at our schools who have used their positions of power to abuse those they were supposed to be looking after, or have failed to use their positions of power to stand up against those abusers, putting school reputations before children.

“We are deeply sorry to the victims and survivors of the abuse that happened in our schools and are thoroughly committed to making our schools as safe as possible.”

His comments follow recent media reports about the scale of abuse at UK boarding schools, including in recent years.

Ampleforth College, in North Yorkshire, is currently subject to three ongoing police investigations into historic allegations of sexual offences.

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Australian cardinal to face trial on sexual abuse charges

AUSTRALIA
Associated Press

By ROD McGUIRK

May 1, 2018

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australian Cardinal George Pell, the most senior Vatican official to be charged in the Catholic Church sex abuse crisis, must stand trial on charges alleging he sexually abused multiple victims decades ago, a magistrate ruled Tuesday.

Magistrate Belinda Wallington dismissed around half the charges that had been heard in the four-week preliminary hearing in Melbourne but decided the prosecution’s case was strong enough for the remainder to warrant a trial by jury. The number of charges has not been made public

When she asked Pell how he pleaded, the cardinal said in a firm voice, “Not guilty.” Wallington gave the 76-year-old permission not to stand, which is customary. …

Anne Barrett Doyle, of BishopAccountability.org, a Massachusetts-based online abuse resource, described the magistrate’s decision to make Pell stand trial as “a turning point in the global abuse crisis in the Catholic Church.”

“Whatever its outcome, the judge’s decision marks the victory of accountability over impunity, and of the rule of secular law over the Vatican’s failed strategy of cover-up,” she said.

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Cardinal George Pell trial ruling welcomed by survivors’ rights group

ROME
The Guardian (UK)

Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Rome

1 May 2018

A survivors’ rights group has hailed as a “turning point” an Australian magistrate’s ruling that Cardinal George Pell, one of the most senior officials in the Vatican, will stand trial on historical sexual offence charges.

The decision by Belinda Wallington comes as the church in Rome continues to be dogged by accusations that it has failed to do enough to come to grips with a sexual abuse crisis.

For some advocates, the development in Melbourne was a rare victory for secular law, after decades in which the church has handled priests and senior clergy accused of sexual abuse within the Vatican’s own judicial system.

“[The] decision today … marks a turning point in the global abuse crisis in the Catholic church,” said a statement by BishopsAccountability.org, which tracks cases of alleged abuse. “The Australian government has put the Catholic church on equal footing with other institutions, and treated its leaders as fellow citizens.”

In Rome, the question now is whether Pope Francis is prepared to take tougher action against accused priests, as well as the bishops who have been accused of protecting them.

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Lancaster Co. man sexually abused by priest says testimony to grand jury afforded emotional release

PENNSYLVANIA
PennLive

May 1, 2018

By Ivey DeJesus idejesus@pennlive.com

In the fall of 2016, after a lifetime of torment from painful memories, Todd Frey got an emotional release.

After nearly four decades of living with the pain and confusion of having been sexually molested by his priest, Frey got the chance to talk about it before a panel of men and women who he hopes can help give him the opportunity to seek legal recourse.

Frey in October of that year testified before the 40th Statewide Grand Jury, which is investigating the sexual abuse of children across six dioceses in Pennsylvania.

“Ever since grand jury listened to me that day that I spoke, I felt like I was truly counted,” said Frey, who is nearing his 50th birthday. “It made a difference. It made a big difference.”

Frey, of Lancaster County, is among an untold number of victims who in the past 18 months have testified before the grand jury as the state attorney general’s office wraps up its investigation into the dioceses of Harrisburg, Allentown, Pittsburgh, Erie, Scranton and Greensburg.

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Cardinal Pell to remain on leave after indictment: Vatican says

VATICAN CITY
Yahoo!

May 1, 2018

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Cardinal George Pell will remain on a leave of absence from the Vatican after an Australian court ordered him to stand trial on charges of historical sexual offences, the Vatican said on Tuesday.

A statement said the Holy See had “taken note” of the ruling. [L8N1S814C].

It said the leave of absence that Pope Francis had granted Pell, head of the Vatican’s economy ministry, last year so he could defend himself “is still in place”. Pell pleaded not guilty.

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Vatican treasurer to face trial in Australia on historical sexual offense charges

AUSTRALIA
Reuters

May 1, 2018

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Vatican Treasurer George Pell must face trial on charges of historical sexual offences, an Australian court ruled on Tuesday, making him the most senior Catholic official to be tried on such allegations. He pleaded not guilty.

Magistrate Belinda Wallington handed down her decision that Pell’s case will proceed to trial in a Melbourne court, following a month-long pre-trial hearing.

Pell did not comment when he left the court, surrounded by police and flanked by his legal team.

Pope Francis has said he would not comment on the case involving his economy minister until it was over.

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From the Vatican to William Street: George Pell’s next journey is across the street

AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald

By Adam Cooper

May 2018

It takes seconds to walk across William Street to get from Melbourne Magistrates Court to Victoria’s County Court.

Usually a magistrate’s decision to refer a criminal case to the higher court is just as straightforward, in some cases a formality from the start of a pre-trial hearing.

But in the case against George Pell, things weren’t so clear.

After a four-week hearing in March, which featured more than 30 witnesses and some rigorous cross-examination by Cardinal Pell’s lawyers, prosecutors and defence lawyers submitted pages of arguments advising magistrate Belinda Wallington what to do: commit Australia’s most senior Catholic to stand trial or strike out the multiple sexual assault charges he faced.

The credibility and believability of witnesses – particularly accusers, who gave evidence in a closed court – was to be considered, as was the passage of time, the influence of media reports and the cardinal’s profile, and timelines and geographic layouts which would help determine whether the allegations were plausible or improbable.

At the start of her ruling on Tuesday, Ms Wallington said it was a magistrate’s job to sort the wheat from the chaff, to comb the evidence and determine whether it was capable of convincing a jury of 12 ordinary folk to find an accused person guilty.

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Cardinal George Pell to stand trial on historical sex assault charges

AUSTRALIA
The Age

By Adam Cooper & Tom Cowie

1 May 2018

George Pell will be the most senior Catholic leader to face a jury after being committed to stand trial on multiple historic sexual assault charges.

In a decision that will ring loud through the Vatican and around the religious world, Australia’s most senior Catholic and the man who a year ago oversaw management of the Vatican’s finances was on Tuesday committed to stand trial on half the charges he faced, involving multiple accusers.

However, magistrate Belinda Wallington struck out a series of serious charges at the start of her ruling, finding there was insufficient evidence for him to be convicted by a jury.

Ms Wallington committed the 76-year-old on charges against multiple complainants, involving alleged sexual offending at a swimming pool in the 1970s in Ballarat, where the accused man was then working as a priest; and at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne in 1990s, when he was the then Archbishop of Melbourne.

Asked to enter a plea, Cardinal Pell said in a loud, clear voice: “Not guilty.”

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Cardinal Pell, Vatican treasurer, to become most senior member of Catholic church to stand trial on sex charges

AUSTRALIA
Telegraph (UK)

Jonathan Pearlman, Sydney

1 MAY 2018

Cardinal George Pell, the Vatican’s treasurer, has become the most senior Catholic figure to face sexual assault charges after a court in Melbourne committed him to stand trial on historical offences involving multiple victims.

After being asked for a plea, 76-year-old Pell, a trusted aide of Pope Francis, stated firmly and loudly: “Not guilty”.

Magistrate Belinda Wallington dismissed about half the charges because of a lack of evidence or concerns about witness credibility. These included – according to Pell’s lawyer – the more “vile” of the alleged offences.

But Ms Wallington ordered the Cardinal to face a trial by jury for alleged sexual offending at a pool in the 1970s in Ballarat, near Melbourne, and at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne in the 1990s when he was the city’s Archbishop. After the magistrate left the court, a group of the Cardinal’s critics broke into applause.

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Accused pastor may not attend hearing on sex charges

ALABAMA
WTVY

By Ken Curtis

Apr 30, 2018

Dothan, AL (WTVY)- In a unique request, the attorney for a minister charged with sexual abuse doesn’t want his client to attend a hearing to determine if charges will be dropped.

Williams Wesley “Wes” Williamson, 28, was arrested in March on three felonies involving the alleged molestation of two boys under the age of 12 at a church camp last summer.

On Friday, he has a preliminary hearing scheduled to determine if there is sufficient evidence to send the case to a grand jury or if charges will be dismissed.

However, defense attorney Thomas Smith doesn’t want Williamson in the courtroom during the hearing and recently filed a motion asking his appearance to be waived. He didn’t give a reason.

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‘Let’s talk about sex’ has taken on new meaning

UNITED STATES
The Mennonite

4.30. 2018

Written By: Indigo Rey Miller

“Let’s talk about sex,” doesn’t mean what it used to. At one time these provocative song lyrics spoke specifically to the act of sex and would never have been spoken openly in many of our church communities. Mennonites, and the majority of Christians, have a long history of shutting down conversations about the body, but the past few years have forced our hand.

Mennonite Church USA got a cold shock when influential Mennonite theologian John Howard Yoder’s decades of harassment and sexual abuse of more than 50 women finally came to full light in 2013. The Mennonite Church has had to grapple with what it means to face the reality that leaders—champions of peace and ethics no less—and members of our own congregations are capable of such persistent violent disrespect for the bodies of humans.

Harvey Weinstein, the #MeToo movement and a wave of sexual assault survivors coming forward over the past year should be no surprise to Mennonites. Now the lyrics “Let’s talk about sex,” have a profound relevance in our churches and communities. Now it’s a plea for our faith communities to explore the complexities of our embodied human sexuality, both as a healing response to profound trauma and a hope that we can learn to embrace the embodied existence God has gifted us.

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Former Gresham pastor gets 12 years for abusing family member

OREGON
The Bulletin

April 30, 2018

GARRETT ANDREWS
THE BULLETIN
@GarrettGAndrews

Former Gresham pastor James Daniel “Jamie” Worley was sentenced to 12½ years in prison Monday in Deschutes County Circuit Court for sexually abusing a family member when he lived in Bend in the early 2000s, when his victim was between age 5 and 7.

Worley’s recent trial lasted four weeks before a jury returned guilty verdicts on March 14.

The drama on Monday came down to whether Judge Beth M. Bagley would choose to run three 75-month sentences concurrently — as the defense had asked — or consecutively, as the prosecution asked.

Bagley said that despite an expert witness who testified Worley represented a low level of risk to the community, the pain he caused his victim needed to be addressed in her sentence.

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Rundown of sex abuse within the Catholic church

GLOBAL
The Straits Times (Singapore)

May 1, 2018

MELBOURNE (AFP) – Vatican finance chief Cardinal George Pell on Tuesday (May 1) became the highest-ranked Catholic ever to be sent to trial for sex offences, adding to a series of scandals facing the church globally.

Here is a rundown of notable cases:

AUSTRALIA
Cardinal George Pell, the third highest member of the Vatican hierarchy, has been ordered to stand trial on “multiple” historical sex charges, which he denies.

His case coincided with a public enquiry that found that seven percent of priests were presumed to have committed paedophilic acts in Australia between 1950 and 2010.

AUSTRIA
Two scandals forced the Vatican to revoke two high-ranking ultra-conservative clerics, Viennese Archbishop Hans Hermann Groer in 1995 and the bishop of Sankt-Poelten, Kurt Krenn in 2004.

BELGIUM
In 2010, the bishop of Bruges, Roger Vangheluwe, resigned after acknowledging sex abuse of two nephews. Since 2012 the Catholic Church in Belgium has received hundreds of complaints and paid almost 4.13 million euros in compensation.

CANADA
In the late 1980s, a huge scandal broke out regarding the mistreatment of children at an orphanage in Newfoundland in the 1950s-1960s.

CHILE
Some 80 members of the Chilean clergy have been implicated in a series of sex abuse affairs over the past few years.

Controversy over the bishop Juan Barros, accused of covering for a paedophile priest, marred Pope Francis’ trip to the country in January 2018 when he hugged and defended the bishop.

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Another priest with local ties placed on leave after allegations of abuse

NEW YORK
The Daily News

By SCOTT DESMIT
SDESMIT@BATAVIANEWS.COM

MAY 1, 2018

BATAVIA — Another priest who once served in Batavia has been placed on leave after allegations of sexual abuse were made to the Diocese of Buffalo.

The Rev. Samuel J. Venne, who once served at St. Anthony’s Church, was placed on administrative leave after Bishop Richard J. Malone received an abuse complaint,” the diocese announced on its website last week. Venne is believed to have been with St. Anthony’s in the 1970s. He also served as a chaplain and scoutmaster in the Boy Scouts.

The diocese and Malone also placed Rev. Arthur Smith on leave as an investigation continues.

Venne is a retired priest who still serves at St. Stephen’s Parish in Grand Island. Smith serves at Blessed Mother of Teresa of Calcutta Parish in Depew.

“In both cases, please note that this administrative leave is for the purpose of investigation and does not imply any determination as to the truth or falsity of the complaint,” Malone wrote on the website.

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Cardinal George Pell To Face Sexual Assault Charges In Australia

AUSTRALIA
Maine Public Radio

May 1, 2018

By SCOTT NEUMAN

A magistrate in Australia has ordered Cardinal George Pell, one of the Vatican’s senior-most officials, to stand trial on sexual abuse charges involving allegations from multiple individuals dating back decades.

Pell is the highest-ranking Vatican official to be charged in the church’s long-standing sex abuse scandal.

Although Melbourne Magistrate Belinda Wallington dismissed many of the charges against Pell, who was appointed archbishop of Sydney in 2001 and later oversaw the Vatican’s finances under Pope Francis, she said that the prosecution’s case was strong enough to warrant a jury trial on the remaining charges.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Wallington, following a month-long hearing committed the 76-year-old cleric “on charges against multiple complainants, involving alleged sexual offending at a swimming pool in the 1970s in Ballarat [near Melbourne], where the accused man was then working as a priest; and at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne in 1990s, when he was the then Archbishop of Melbourne.”

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PRIEST SCANDAL Who is Cardinal George Pell, what has the Vatican treasurer been accused of and when will he stand trial?

AUSTRALIA
The Sun (UK)

By Thea Jacobs

1st May 2018

Cardinal George Pell is the most senior member of the Australian clergy who has now come under fire for historic child sexual abuse allegations.

He is the most senior catholic clergy member to face sexual abuse allegations. In light of the allegations we’ve brought together everything you need to know about him.

Who is Cardinal George Pell?

Cardinal George Pell was born in Ballarat, Australia, on June 8 1941 to George Arthur and Margaret Lillian Pell and his mother was a devout catholic.

In his early life he was a keen American Football player, including being signed to Richmond Football Club – however, he says he realised he had an unavoidable calling to become a priest.

In 1960 he started his studies to become a Catholic priest at Corpus Christi College in Werribee and in 1963 he was assigned to continue his studies at the Pontifical Urban University in Rome.

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Vatican Treasurer to stand trial on sex abuse charges in Australia

AUSTRALIA
Newstalk (Ireland)

1 May 2018

The man in charge of the Vatican’s finances is to face sex abuse charges in Australia.

Cardinal George Pell is the most senior Catholic Church official to be charged with such offences, which relate to his time as a priest and bishop in Australia.

Following a month-long pre-trial hearing, magistrate Belinda Wallington ruled that some of the historical allegations against the 76-year-old should be tested in court.

Cardinal Pell has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

He will next appear in court on Wednesday in Melbourne. He is facing at least one charge after being accused of sexually abusing multiple victims decades ago.

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