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.

July 10, 2018

Archdiocese named in $5M sex abuse lawsuit

GUAM
The Guam Daily Post

July 10, 2018

By Mindy Aguon

A former Guam resident has filed a sex abuse lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Agana, alleging he was sexually molested and abused by a priest in 1967.

J.V.C., who used initials to protect his identity, now lives in Oregon and alleges he was sexually molested and abused by Antonio Cruz, who is now deceased.

According to the lawsuit filed by his attorney, David Lujan, J.V.C. was raised in a religious family, whose members were devout Catholics and active parishioners at Our Lady of Peace and Safe Journey Catholic Church in Chalan Pago.

Cruz was a priest at the Chalan Pago parish and lived in the rectory on the second floor.

One day after confession, when he was 14, J.V.C. recalled Cruz asking him to bring him a coconut. The boy went to the rectory to deliver it to Cruz and when he opened the door, he saw Cruz sitting on a chair.

The teen was instructed to step inside the room and noticed Cruz was naked and masturbating, court documents state. When the boy was within reach, Cruz allegedly pulled down the boy’s shorts and began sexually assaulting him, the court documents allege.

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.

Church magazine calls rape victims liars, accused priests victims

NEW DELHI (INDIA)
India Today

July 10, 2018

By Niharika Banerjee

Amodern-day Eve finds it convenient to claim that she was raped when she is caught in the act,” reads a column in a weekly magazine run by the Catholic Church that has come out in open support of a bishop and a few priests who have been accused of rape.

The article in the latest edition of Indian Currents by columnist AJ Philip claims that there were “no repeated rapes” in either of the two rape cases that have rattled Kerala churches.

The article titled “Villians as victims” tries to whitewash the accused bishop and the priests as Philip mentions a “memorable encounter” with one of the accused priests. “The priest had a reputation as a good counsellor,” Philip writes.

A school teacher, in Kerala, has alleged that four Orthodox priests blackmailed and sexually abused her after she confessed to having a premarital affair with a priest.

In his column, Philips asks that if the complainant was really a victim of a “terrible” thing as rape, why did she not inform her parents of the incident.

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.

OPINION: Preaching on #metoo and #churchtoo

UNITED STATES
Baptist News

July 10, 2018

By Doyle Sager

In August of 2017 I made a commitment to preach a series of sermons on rape, abuse and assault. Little did I know that two months later the #metoo movement would explode all over social media as women courageously stepped forward to tell their stories.

In the months leading up to the sermon series, I grew more nervous. What if this approach is too much? Not enough? What if the sermons trigger unanticipated responses? But gut-wrenching personal stories and pervasive data persuaded me to stay the course. One in every four girls will be sexually abused or assaulted by the age of 17. Sixty-three percent of all rapes go unreported. Estimating the size of my congregation, I did the math. My pastoral instincts told me that the issues needed to be addressed, and that words like sexual abuse, sexual assault, rape, bullying, domestic violence and harassment needed to be spoken from our pulpit (in later feedback, this proved to be among the most liberating and helpful things).

To prepare the congregation, we sent letters to the parents of all children, birth through high school, explaining the upcoming worship emphasis and its rationale. We also provided parents a resource list of books, online sites and state and national hotline numbers, encouraging them to read ahead and to have conversations with their families. This same resource list was available on our church’s webpage and in our lobby throughout the sermon series.

As an added layer of support, we enlisted several ordained clergy who are members of our church, all trained in clinical pastoral work and with years of experience, to be in the lobby during the most difficult sermon which recounted the rape of Tamar in 2 Samuel 13. I announced that if anyone became uncomfortable during worship, counselors were in the lobby, available to listen and offer support.

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.

Women say ex-Fort Worth youth pastor abused them as teens. 37 years later, he finally resigns

KANSAS CITY (MO)
The Kansas City Star

July 8, 2018

By Sarah Smith

On April 8, Pastor John Finley stood before his congregation in Tennessee with an announcement. After 31 years at the church, he resigned.

He held a microphone and read from a piece of paper.

“I made some poor choices and was involved with two females in inappropriate behavior,” Finley said. “There was no sex. Both ladies were over 18. In the best interest of our church, I choose to resign immediately.”

But the women who sent a letter that spurred Finley’s resignation from Bartlett Hills Baptist Church near Memphis have a different story to tell.

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.

‘Now is the time,’ witnesses say, to work harder against sexual abuse, discrimination in the church

AUSTIN (TX)
Episcopal News Service

July 5, 2018

By Mary Frances Schjonberg

People of all genders told the Safeguarding and Title IV Committee July 5 that the Episcopal Church must do more to eliminate sexual discrimination and abuse.

“What we witnessed last night was just a beginning,” the Rev. Cynthia Taylor, a Georgia deputy, told the committee, referring to the House of Bishops’ “Liturgy of Listening,” a service of lament and confession centered on stories of sexual abuse and exploitation in the Episcopal Church. “That work is incomplete, my sisters and brothers.”

Taylor said the work is incomplete if “we pat ourselves on the back for being open to discussion of the role of institutional discrimination, harassment and abuse of women.” The church must find a way to continue “not just the conversation but the hard work of seeking the truth, respecting the dignity of all human beings through the restoration of their God-given rights as children of God.”

Since she became the first woman ordained in the Diocese of South Carolina more than 32 years ago, Taylor said she has “had personally experienced gender biases in the form of equality of pay, sexual harassment, sexual abuse and gross misuse of power by ecclesiastical authorities” in clergy discipline cases.

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.

Kerala Orthodox church abuse: Next action in case after court hearing, say police

INDIA
The News Minute

July 9, 2018

Two of the accused priests have filed for anticipatory bail, which will be heard by the Kerala High Court on Monday.

The Kerala Police is waiting for the outcome of the anticipatory bail plea filed in the Kerala High Court by two of the four Orthodox priests, accused of sexually abusing a woman parishioner, before proceeding in the case, officials said.

If the court, which will hear the matter on Monday, turns down the plea, the accused priests of the Malankara Orthodox Church will be arrested, said informed sources.

All four accused are now on the run, but the sources say that police have tracked them down and is waiting for the court verdict, which will come out on Monday, to take further steps.

Police have come under further pressure with the National Commission for Women (NCW) monitoring the case.

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.

Invisible Scars: How the Trauma of Sexual Abuse Is Stored in the Soul and Spirit

WASHINGTON (DC)
Sojourners

July 9, 2018

By Kathy Manis Findley

The #MeToo stories touched me in a place deep inside. The stories of sexual abuse that so many women told brought up persistent memories that I have for years tried to forget.

I was abused multiple times by multiple trusted members of my faith community. I can say unequivocally that this caused me pain in the very core of my psyche. There are scars that never go away, lasting wounds that always hurt, wounds that I describe as invisible scars of the soul and spirit.

My story is not uncommon.

Research shows that 93 percent of sex offenders describe themselves as “religious.” 165,500 mostly Protestant churches reported 7095 claims of alleged sexual abuse by church staff, congregation members, or volunteers between 1987 and 2007.

My years of healing have taught me that childhood sexual abuse creates terrible trauma that is stored in our bodies, hiding in the nooks and crannies of a life, struggling to be normal and free of pain. I learned those truths because I was a victim of sexual abuse in what I believed to be a safe place, my faith community.

The healing journey for me was long and arduous. Over twenty years, I worked through my trauma with counselors, spiritual guides, friends, and mentors. When I was in seminary, a professor helped me see a way to move into my pain with courage and to persistently grapple with every personal demon that was holding me hostage. The colleagues in my chaplaincy training held me accountable for my hidden emotions and fears as I began to discern the origin of those emotions and fears. I began owning my trauma and learned that I found strength and resilience by embracing it.

And as a trauma specialist working with adults and children, I learned even more truth about trauma.

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.

Forcing church to report abuse suspicions would be counterproductive

ENGLAND
The Times

July 9, 2018

By Helen Hall

A regime of mandatory reporting might be attractive at first glance, but prevention would be better than cure

An internal Church of England review into allegations of sexual abuse was flawed, and failed to give a complete picture, concluded Sir Roger Singleton, a former head of Barnados in an independent report.

Although there was no evidence of a deliberate attempt to mislead the public, it appears that the scale of the issue was downplayed to protect the church’s reputation.

As a result, journalists and others have been asking whether it is wise for the church to continue to make its own judgments when it comes to reporting such abuse.

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.

Covenant is Next Step in Response to Abuse and Exploitation

UNITED STATES
Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs

July 9, 2018

Following a special listening liturgy on July 3 to acknowledge the #MeToo movement and hear personal stories of abuse, harassment and exploitation, bishops meeting at The Episcopal Church’s General Convention in Austin adopted a covenant that commits them to seek changes. The document, which applies only to bishops, is entitled “A Working Covenant for the Practice of Equity and Justice for All in The Episcopal Church.”

The stories which were read by bishops during the liturgy had been chosen from more than 40 testimonial letters submitted. Names and identifying information were redacted, but the readings and silence within the liturgy was both dramatic and profoundly uncomfortable for those attending. The Covenant is meant as a first step in the Church’s response.

Bishop Audrey Scanlan of Central Pennsylvania said that plans are underway to create a toolkit to help dioceses create their own kind of listening events to begin the hard work that is needed. “Sexual violence, aggression, exploitation and harassment exist in our church. We can’t let that be the last word,” she said.

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

Hikind Investigating Abuse Allegations Against Noted BP Doctor, Asks Victims To Come Forward

BROOKLYN (NY)
Vos Iz Neias?

July 9, 2018

Allegations of possible improprieties have surfaced against a Borough Park doctor, according to an elected official from Brooklyn.

Assemblyman Dov Hikind took to Twitter this morning to announce that his office is looking into possible instances of abuse perpetuated by “a prominent Boro Park doctor.”

Hikind said that he first began researching the matter after being contacted by two separate people and has spoken with a number of potential victims in alleged instances that took place as far back as approximately ten years ago. All of the reported incidents involve the same physician who Hikind declined to identify at this time.

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.

Ousted Catholic deacon accused of sexual misconduct continued serving ‘for several years’ as lector

NEW ORLEANS (LA)
NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune

July 9, 2018

By Chelsea Brasted

The deacon who prompted the Archdiocese of New Orleans to pay out more than half a million dollars to settle a lawsuit May 11 after he was accused of repeatedly raping an altar boy in the 1970s and ’80s continued to serve for years as a lector in the New Orleans metropolitan area.

George Brignac, now 83, was removed from Catholic ministry and education in 1988 after he was accused of fondling a 7-year-old boy after a Christmas party, according to a report in The New Orleans Advocate. By then, Brignac had also been criminally charged with sexually abusing children at least one other time — in 1977 in Jefferson Parish — though he was never convicted.

Before he was ordained, Brignac taught at St. Francis Cabrini School, St. John Vianney Prep and St. Matthew the Apostle. Once ordained, Brignac taught at Our Lady of the Rosary from 1976 to 1988, according to Archbishop Gregory Aymond, as well as Cabrini High School “for a time.”

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.

Group wants to raise $300K for Fr. Jonathan Wehrle ahead of priest’s embezzlement trial

OKEMOS (MI)
Lansing State Journal

July 10, 2018

By Christopher Haxel

An embattled priest accused of embezzling more than $5 million from a local Roman Catholic parish is trying to raise $300,000 to fund his defense.

The Rev. Jonathan Wehrle is “in dire need” of help, according to a letter dated June 11 and circulated on his behalf.

Opus Bono, a charity based in Lapeer County which raises money to assist priests across the country facing criminal charges or other problems, sent the letter to a “short list” of Wehrle’s family and friends, according to the letter.

Wehrle, the former pastor of St. Martha parish in Okemos, currently awaits trial on felony embezzlement charges. An insurer for the Catholic Diocese of Lansing has filed a separate civil lawsuit against Wehrle after so far paying out $2.9 million in damages.

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

Former Marine colonel sentenced to prison for abusing children

UNITED STATES
Stars and Stripes

July 10, 2018

By Nancy Montgomery

The former commander of the Marine Corps’ Wounded Warrior Regiment was sentenced Tuesday to 18 months in prison for abusing children.

Former Col. Todd Shane Tomko pleaded guilty the same day to three counts of misdemeanor assault and battery at the Virginia Beach Circuit Court in Virginia.

Tomko, 55, had been charged with indecent liberties, aggravated sexual battery, and child abuse and neglect involving three children related to him beginning in 2002. Tomko had maintained a high profile, meeting with celebrities, politicians and royalty, until he was forced to retire from the Marine Corps in July 2016 due to sexual harassment and other charges.

Tomko, who had become the pastor of the Parkview Church after retiring, has been in custody since his arrest last November in Quincy, Ill., on federal warrants. He has spent the last several months in the Virginia Beach City Jail.

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.

Nun’s kin say she informed Delhi Archbishop of abuse by Bishop

INDIA
The Indian Express

July 10, 2018

By Shaju Philip

CBCI vice-president Bishop Joshua Mar Ignathios said the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India is probing the incident.

Although the Catholic Church has maintained silence on allegations of sexual abuse against Jalandhar Bishop Franco Mulakkal, the family of the victim, a nun, said Monday that she had informed Delhi Archbishop Anil Couto about the alleged abuse.

The diocese of Jalandhar comes under the Delhi Archdiocese. Bishop Mulakkal is a member of the Kerala-based Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, but the Kerala Church head Cardinal George Alancherry has argued that Bishop Mulakkal belonged to the province of Delhi Archdiocese and “it was up to them to investigate the matter’’.

The nun, who is living at her Missionaries of Jesus’ house at Kuravilangad in Kottayam district, said, “My brother would speak on my behalf,’’ she said.

Her brother, a priest, said: “It was in the first week of May this year. Couto visited the Missionaries of Jesus’ house at Kuravilangad. Then, the nun had directly told the bishop about the incident. Couto stated he would investigate. But, nothing has happened so far,’’ he said.

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

Creating a safe Catholic Church conference

AUSTRALIA
Catholic Outlook

July 10, 2018

The Diocese of Parramatta and the Diocese of Wollongong and are co-hosting two days of presentations by Fr Hans Zollner SJ.

The two-day event is being sponsored by Carroll & O’Dea, Makinson d’Apice and Catholic Church Insurance. The event is also being supported by the Catholic Diocese of Broken Bay, Catholic Professional Standards Ltd, the NSW Professional Standards Office and the NSW Ombudsman. Fr Hans will address the most significant issues facing the Catholic Church today with respect to harmful behaviour, including the theological and spiritual implications arising from the abuse crisis and their impact on victims and survivors, together with members of the Church.

Fr Hans will be providing two distinct and separate presentations on Friday 31 August and Saturday 1 September 2018.

Fr Hans will explore why and how the Catholic Church needs to change to survive, flourish and ensure the safest place for the most vulnerable.

Fr Hans is regarded as one of the leading ecclesiastical experts in the field of safeguarding of minors and on areas concerning sexual abuse both in the Roman Catholic Church and beyond. He has been a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors since 2014 and head of the Centre for Child Protection (CCP) at the Gregorian University, headquartered in Rome.

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

Former teacher acknowledges sexually assaulting students

AURORA (CO)
The Associated Press

July 9, 2018

A former suburban Denver middle school teacher has acknowledged sexually assaulting multiple students over several years.

The Aurora Sentinel reports Brian Vasquez pleaded guilty Monday to three counts of sexual assault and one count each of sexual exploitation and attempted sexual exploitation. He faces at least 40 years in prison.

Police say that when they went to Prairie Middle School to question Vasquez, they were initially only investigating accusations from one girl who said she had exchanged inappropriate text messages with the teacher. But Vasquez immediately offered the names of four other students and said the relationships included sexual contact.

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.

Catholic Church delivering on longstanding promises about clerical abuse

KANSAS CITY (MO)
The Kansas City Star

July 6, 2018

By Mary Sanchez

To even casual observers of recent news about the Catholic Church, it’s clear that a new day has dawned.

Finally, after decades of stalling, denials and civil lawsuits, Catholic dioceses seem to recognize their accountability for the criminal behavior of pedophile priests.

Consider the case of retired Bishop Joseph Hart. The former prelate of Cheyenne, Wyo., now 86 years old, could face criminal charges under what the current bishop of Cheyenne has deemed credible and substantiated accusations of sexual abuse.

News of the case traveled ahead of the headlines to Kansas City, where Hart was ordained in 1956. Many believe that is where he first groomed young boys for sexual abuse in the parishes where he served until 1976.

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 Navy SEAL leaders relieved of duty after sexual misconduct allegations

UNITED STATES
Good Morning America

July 9, 2018

By Luis Martinez

2 Navy SEAL leaders relieved of duty after sexual misconduct allegations originally appeared on abcnews.go.com

The commander and the senior enlisted officer of a U.S. Navy SEAL team have been relieved of their duties after investigations into alleged sexual assault and sexual harassment while their unit was deployed to East Africa, officials said.

Both senior leaders had been sent back to the United States in May while the allegations were investigated and could possibly face administrative punishments.

“The commanding officer and command master chief of an East Coast-based Naval Special Warfare command were relieved of their duties on July 9,” said Lt. Jacqui Maxwell, a spokesperson for Naval Special Warfare Group Two.

“Cmdr. Jarrod Donaldson and Master Chief Jon Franklin were relieved from their position by Capt. Jamie Sands, commander, Naval Special Warfare Group Two,” Maxwell added.

“Donaldson and Franklin have been administratively reassigned to Naval Special Warfare Group Two.”

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.

Blame the victim and shield the accused: Church’s way of dealing with rape accusations

INDIA
Opindia

July 10, 2018

By Sanghamitra

The weekly magazine Indian Currents, owned by the Catholic church and published under the patronage of the Capuchins of the Krisht Jyothi province of North India, has published a guest column by author AJ Philip. The article, titled ‘Villians as victims’ openly supports the rape accused Bishop Franko Mulakkal and the priests of the Malankara Orthodox Church against whom allegations of rape and abuse were filed recently.

The article starts with hailing the cordial behaviour and sense of humour of Bishop Fanko, with several anecdotes and examples, the author tries to establish that the Bishop was a great man. The author also mentions he knows the bishop personally and how he had inspired them to write an article about the canonization and subsequent sainthood of sister Alphonsa. He also cites how a priest in the US was ‘caught’ by a camera installed by a woman’s husband while he had gone to their house to settle a marital dispute between the two.

On the issue of the rape allegations against the priests of the Malankara church, the author states his mother belonged to that church and thus he has some idea about their traditions.

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.

Louisiana gymnastics coach accused again of child sex abuse

LULING (LA)
The Associated Press

July 9, 2018

A gymnastics coach in Louisiana accused earlier this year of sexually abusing at least six children has been arrested on new child sex charges.

NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune reports 26-year-old Jonathan West was arrested Friday by Kenner Police on charges including sexual battery and indecent behavior with a juvenile. The Luling Flipnastics coach is accused of sexually abusing children while giving them rides home and having them send him sexual videos through social media.

West was arrested in May and June by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office, respectively, and charged with similar crimes. West also was rearrested Friday by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office on new charges including sexual battery and indecent behavior with a juvenile.

———

Information from: The Times-Picayune, http://www.nola.com

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.

Rape Case Filed Against Another Orthodox Kerala Church Priest Binu George

KERALA (INDIA)
CNN-News18

July 10, 2018

By Neethu Reghukumar

The complainant, a 39-year-old married woman, has alleged that the priest Binu Georgee had called her to his office for some discussion and then sexually abused her.

Thiruvanathapuram: A rape case against a priest belonging to the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church has been filed in Kayamkulam in Alappuzha district of Kerala.

The complainant, a 39-year-old married woman, has alleged that the priest Binu George had called her to his office for some discussion and then sexually abused her. According to her, the incident happened in the beginning of 2014.

“He called the victim to his office saying that he needed to discuss with her about some family matters. However, he raped her in the office. We registered a case of rape against the father,” said Circle Inspector K Sadan.

According to police, her medical examination was also conducted, but will not be of help as the incident happened in 2014 and she is a married woman.

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.

39-year-old Kerala woman files rape case against Malankara Orthodox Church priest

KERALA (INDIA)
First Point

July 10, 2018

A 39-year-old woman has filed a rape case against a priest of a Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church in Kerala.

The woman accused the priest Binu George of raping her four years ago at Alappuzha district.

George is serving under the diocese at Koypallikaranma. The complainant said George sexually assaulted her at the office of the church when she approached him for help to settle some family dispute in 2014.

In her complaint to the police, the woman said she informed church authorities soon after the incident and was promised she would not face any further harassment. However, when George continued to torment her and spread “baseless gossip” she decided to take legal recourse, police said.

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

Sex Abuse Victim Petitions High Court to Unseal Grand Jury Report

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Legal Intelligencer

July 9, 2018

By Max Mitchell

A sex abuse victim who testified as part of secret grand jury proceedings investigating alleged sex abuse in several Catholic Diocese across Pennsylvania has asked the state Supreme Court to unseal a report outlining the grand jury’s findings.

On July 6, Todd Frey, who was allegedly abused by a Harrisburg priest as a child, petitioned the justices to intervene in the proceedings before the high court, saying that their recent decision to block the release of the report has “exacerbated” the emotional trauma he has suffered.

“For his sake and other victims like him, Mr. Frey now seeks to intervene in order to pursue a lifting of the stay preventing public access to Report No. 1 and to encourage public access to the Supreme Court’s docket sheets and filings,” Frey said in the petition.

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.

Just as Rampant? Adult Sexual Harassment in the Church

NEW YORK (NY)
Commonweal

By Paul Moses

July 9, 2018

The U.S. Catholic bishops’ system for responding to allegations of clergy sexual abuse of children has shown itself effective if it can act decisively on an accusation against a churchman who once stood near the apex of ecclesial power, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. But the cardinal’s downfall also shows the need for better, more transparent ways for responding to what may be just as widespread a problem within the church: sexual harassment of adults.

With the disclosure of the child molestation claim, two New Jersey dioceses McCarrick once led acknowledged that they had received three allegations “purporting that he had engaged in sexual improprieties with adults during his time here; two of these resulted in settlements.” The Newark and Metuchen dioceses added that “all were reported to law enforcement at that time.”

On that basis, mainstream news media began reporting longstanding accusations about McCarrick’s alleged sexual pursuit of seminarians and young priests. Previously, a number of reporters for major newspapers had tried but failed to verify these allegations.

The charge that McCarrick sexually assaulted a teenaged altar boy in the sacristy of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York forty-seven years ago—which a review board at the New York archdiocese found to be “credible and substantiated”—will advance to the Vatican for further review. McCarrick, who at eighty-seven years old has been a sort of international ambassador for the church since his retirement as archbishop of Washington in 2006, is barred meanwhile from publicly exercising his ministry as a priest. He says he is innocent, and he will have a chance to present his case.

It’s all relatively transparent. But the cases involving adults—alleged “improprieties” deemed serious enough for church officials to refer them to law enforcement at the time they were received—remain a matter of secrecy and speculation. The two settlements were reached out of court, before a lawsuit was filed, so there is not an official court record.

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.

Loyola University, church officials settle claims that Jesuit priest raped 5-year-old on campus

NEW ORLEANS (LA)
The New Orleans Advocate

July 9, 2018

By Jim Mustian

Catholic Church officials have settled a sexual abuse lawsuit that accused a popular Jesuit priest of raping a young girl dozens of times at Loyola University more than three decades ago.

The lawsuit, filed nearly two years ago, claimed the Rev. Benjamin L. Wren sexually assaulted the girl beginning in 1978 — when she was 5 years old — and warned her she would go to hell if she told anyone about their “special secret.”

Wren, an eccentric professor who taught Zen Buddhism at Loyola, died of lung cancer in 2006.

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.

Editorial: Release report on Catholic priest abuse allegations now

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
The Inquirer

July 10, 2018

For decades, the Roman Catholic Church has gone to extremes to ignore, cover up and downplay the widespread sexual abuse and rape of boys and some girls across the world. So it comes as no surprise that nearly two dozen current and former priests are seeking to block the release of a grand jury report detailing serial sexual abuse in Catholic dioceses across Pennsylvania.

Fight, deny, and delay have been the Catholic Church’s playbook when it comes to clergy sexual abuse. When all else fails, the church quietly pays confidential settlements to sweep cases under the rug.

But the truth must come out if the church and its victims can ever move past this sordid scandal. That is why the Pennsylvania Supreme Court must allow the release of the more than 800-page grand jury report that shines a light on alleged clergy abuse in all of the state’s Catholic dioceses except for Philadelphia and Altoona-Johnstown, which were the subject of earlier investigations.

The report is the culmination of a two-year investigation by Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s office, which included grand jury testimony by dozens of sexual abuse victims.

Church officials in the six dioceses that were the focus of the investigation said they would not try to stop the report’s release. But attorneys for nearly two dozen current and former clergy went to court to block the report’s release, claiming it was full of inaccuracies that tarnish the clergymen’s reputations.

It would be good to know who is paying the legal fees for the clergy, who are represented by the high-powered firm of Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP.

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.

There are now 74 Catholic priests in Buffalo accused of sexual misconduct

BUFFALO (NY)
WKBW ABC 7

July 10, 2018

By Charlie Specht and Christine Streich

[Includes many links to video reports.]

7 Eyewitness News has compiled comprehensive list

To date, 74 current or former Buffalo priests have been publicly accused of sexual misconduct.

The Diocese of Buffalo in March 2018 released a list of 42 “diocesan priests who were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse with a minor.” It included deceased priests “with more than one allegation made against them.”

That list did not include the names of dozens of additional priests who were members of religious orders, were publicly accused of sexual misconduct with adult women or men, left the diocese and moved to other parts of the country, or were identified in reporting by 7 Eyewitness News and other media outlets since March. The full list of all accused priests is below.

John R. Aurelio (d. 2009) – The 1990s child sex abuse case against Fr. Bernard Mach and Fr. John Aurelio was one of Buffalo’s first high-profile abuse scandals involving Catholic priests. Aurelio was suspended in 2003 after admitting to sexually abusing multiple children with Fr. Bernard M. Mach. During his tenure as a priest, Aurelio worked at Cardinal Mindszenty High School (1968), St. Leo in Amherst (1969), West Seneca State School (1970-75), St. Catherine of Siena in West Seneca (1976-81), the West Seneca Development Center (1982-86), St. John the Evangelist in Buffalo (1987-90), and Christ the King Seminary (1991-93). Aurelio is believed to have ceased functioning as a priest and moved to Venice, Florida after being suspended from ministry. On March 20, 2018, the Diocese of Buffalo included Aurelio on its list of priests who “were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor.”

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Grand jury witness joins legal battle to make clergy-abuse report public

PITTSBURGH (PA)
Tribune-Review

July 9, 2018

By Patrick Varine

A Philadelphia law firm representing a man who testified he was abused in the 1980s by a Harrisburg priest has joined in the push to unseal a statewide grand jury report into sexual abuse by members of the clergy.

Kline & Specter joined the Pennsylvania attorney general and members of the news media in the legal battle to make the report public.

The firm represents Todd Frey, who testified before the grand jury and believes he and others have a right to see the more than 800-page report completed by the grand jury. The report is expected to detail clergy sexual abuse in six of the state’s eight Catholic dioceses, including those based in Greensburg and Pittsburgh.

“Mr. Frey is one of many victims whose voice must be heard in opposition to those who seek to keep this grand jury report secret. We hope that the court will act quickly to release the entire report,” said firm co-founder Tom Kline, who represents Frey along with partners David Inscho and Charles Becker.

Kline and Inscho only a few weeks ago obtained the largest-ever settlement against the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for the family of Sean McIlmail in a case involving his alleged prolonged sexual abuse by a serial pedophile priest at Resurrection of Our Lord Parish in Northeast Philadelphia. The lawsuit claimed that McIlmail was abused between the ages of 11 and 14 and that the archdiocese knew about more than a decade of allegations against his alleged attacker, Rev. Robert Brennan, who was twice removed from prior parishes. McIlmail died of a drug overdose at the age of 26.

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Oregon man sues over alleged priest abuse around 1967

GUAM
Pacific Daily News

July 10, 2018

By Haidee V Eugenio

A former Guam resident now living in Oregon said a now deceased priest sexually abused him at the Chalan Pago church rectory around 1967 and that incident led him to quit being a Catholic, according to a $5 millionlawsuit filed on Tuesday in federal court.

The plaintiff, identified in court documents only as J.V.C. to protect his privacy, said he was about 14 or 15 when Father Antonio C. Cruz molested and abused him.

The abuse and molestation included fondling the boy and trying to force him to penetrate the priest, the lawsuit said. It allegedly happened on the day the priest asked J.V.C., after confession, to bring a coconut to his room.

“As J.V.C. walked towards Cruz, he noticed Cruz was naked and masturbating. Once J.V.C. was within arm’s reach, Cruz pulled J.V.C.’s shorts down and began fondling and masturbating J.V.C.,” the lawsuit says. Further abuse allegedly happened in the room.

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DA joins push to release priest abuse report at 6 Pa. dioceses, including Allentown

EASTON (PA)
Express-Times and Lehigh Valley Live

July 9, 2018

By Pamela Sroka-Holzmann

https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/easton/index.ssf/2018/07/da_all_state_district_attorneys_need_to_support_release_of_of_report_on_priest_abuse_at_6_pa_dioceses_including_allentown.html

Northampton County’s District Attorney is calling on all state district attorneys to support the release of a grand jury report discussing the handling of sexual abuse claims involving six Roman Catholic dioceses, including Allentown.

Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli held a news conference Monday afternoon, saying he wants the state’s District Attorneys Association to file an “amicus curiae” brief supporting state Attorney General Josh Shapiro and making it clear the state’s district attorneys supports the release of the 40th Statewide Investigating Grand Jury report.

Like-minded organizations should also file briefs, Morganelli said.

“Pennsylvania’s grand jury practice is under assault,” he said. “Pennsylvania’s entire grand jury system could be undermined if a group of people are successful in blocking publication of the grand jury report by the 40th Statewide Investigating Grand Jury into alleged sexual abuse in Catholic dioceses across Pennsylvania.”

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Morganelli seeks release of diocesan sex abuse report from grand jury

ALLENTOWN (PA)
The Morning Call

July 9, 2018

By Tim Darragh

[Includes a video of DA Morganelli’s statement.]

Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli is calling on the state District Attorney’s Association to petition for the release of a two-year state grand jury investigation into sexual abuse by priests and others in six Pennsylvania Catholic dioceses, including Allentown.

The Supreme Court on June 20 blocked the report’s release, which was expected at the end of June.

The court’s order came after about two dozen unnamed people, including current and former clergy, challenged the release, arguing that naming people who have not been charged with crimes would damage their reputations in violation of the state constitution. The challenge also questioned whether the report adheres to the grand jury law.

In a news conference Monday, Morganelli said those filings put the grand jury process under assault and if they’re successful, would wipe out the grand jury as a corruption-fighting tool.

“The petitioners’ demands in these cases would essentially eradicate the grand jury report as an instrument of accountability for public and private institutions,” Morganelli said.

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The church brutalised Ireland. People have a right to protest against the pope’s visit

LONDON (ENGLAND)
The Guardian

July 9, 2018

By Emer O’Toole

Ireland’s political leaders are calling protests against Pope Francis’s visit ‘petty’. Have they forgotten the decades of abuse?

In 1979, Pope John Paul II visited the Republic of Ireland, and approximately 2.7 million people – 79% of the population – came out to honour him. At the time, contraception, divorce, and homosexuality were illegal, and John Paul II was a god.

On 25 August, when Pope Francis becomes the first pontiff to travel to Ireland in 39 years, he will arrive on the shores of a very different island.

Throughout the 1990s, abuse scandals rocked the Irish Catholic establishment and hastened the process of secularisation. Since then, progressive constitutional and legal change has been slow but consistent, signalling rejection of the church’s moral authority. In 1993 homosexuality was decriminalised; in 1995, a referendum to legalise divorce passed by the slimmest of margins; in 2015, the country voted overwhelmingly to legalise gay marriage; and in June, 66% of the electorate voted to legalise abortion.

The separation of church and state in Ireland is far from complete. For example, the church is still involved in running 90% of state-funded primary schools. It is deeply enmeshed in our medical system. We are still wrestling with the scars of decades of abuse, implemented by the church and facilitated by the state. We are still finding children’s bodies in unmarked mass graves.

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Yet another Kerala priest booked over rape allegation

MUMBAI (INDIA)
DNA India

July 10, 2018

A case of alleged rape has been filed against yet another priest of a church in Kerala, where a string of clergymen are facing accusations of sexual misconduct, police said on Tuesday.

Binu George, a priest of Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, was alleged to have raped the parishioner in Alappuzha district four years ago. He is currently serving at a church under the diocese at Koypallikaranma.

The victim woman has claimed the priest sexually assaulted her at the office of the church when she approached him for help to settle some family dispute in 2014.

In her complaint to the police, the woman said she had informed the church authorities about the incident soon thereafter, and was promised she would not face any harassment from him in the future.

However, when the priest continued to torment her and spread “baseless gossip”, she decided to take legal recourse, police said.

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July 9, 2018

Deeply Misguided #MeToo Joke Causes Uproar in Miss Massachusetts Pageant

BOSTON (MA)
Boston Magazine

July 9, 2018

By Spencer Buell

Maude Gorman has ditched her Miss Plymouth County title in protest after a dumb joke about the movement at a pageant.

I guess we should have expected that the #MeToo movement’s success over the past year would prompt powerful people and institutions to start lashing out and belittling the movement with boneheaded jokes, and that’s what has apparently gone down at the Miss Massachusetts pageant.

Maude Gorman, a former Miss Plymouth County, attracted national attention this weekend after she announced that she would hand in her crown in protest of a tone-deaf joke about #MeToo in a skit during the June 30 Miss America event. In the skit in question, the pageant’s host plays the role of someone telling God she is confused as to why the pageant will no longer include a swimsuit competition, to which a man playing God responds, “Me too,” and holds up two signs reading, “#MeToo.” Video of the performance, which elicited cheers from the crowd but prompted an immediate backlash, can be found on the Observer’s website.

The 24-year-old Gorman, a rape survivor, shared the rationale behind her decision on Instagram. “As both a survivor, and advocate for victims rights and sexual violence on a whole, I refuse to stand idly by and simply ‘let this go,’” she wrote. “Instead, I will stand up for every individual who has ever had the courage to speak out; and for every person who felt liberated by the #metoo movement.”

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Rev. Leo Thomas Riley, C.S.S.– Assignment History

WALTHAM (MA)
Bishopaccountability.org

Summary of Case: Leo T. Riley was ordained in 1954 for the Congregation of the Sacred Stigmata (Stigmatines). For over then years he taught at Elm Bank, which was the Order’s minor seminary in Wellesley, MA, then assisted at a Milford, MA parish. There appears to be a gap in his assignments 1968-1970, after which he was assigned to parishes in Waltham and then Lynn, Milford and, finally, Agawam, MA, where he was the sole priest. He died in 1995. Per Riley’s obituary, “He was delegate in several provincial chapters. As a general councillor (1976-1979) he contributed much to insure the stability of the Thailand province.”

In 2002 a man informed the Stigmatines that Riley had sexually abused him over a four-year period when the man was a student at Elm Bank and Riley was a teacher. While still a student the man reported the alleged abuse to the Provincial, Rev. Charles Egan. In 2002 Egan acknowledged having received the allegations, and said he did not remember sharing the information with anyone and did not record it.

Ordained: 1954
Died: February 22, 1995

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Assignment History– Rev. Richard J. Ahern, C.S.S.

WALTHAM (MA)
Bishopaccountability.org

Summary of Case: Richard J. Ahern was a priest of the Congregation of the Sacred Stigmata (Stigmatines), ordained in 1954. He was assigned to Stigmatine parishes in the in the Archdioceses of Boston and New York, and the Dioceses of Richmond, VA and Springfield, MA. Additionally, he was Director in the 1960s of Camp Elm Bank in Wellesley, MA. From 1985 until his death in 2001 Ahern resided at St. Joseph’s Hall, which was a retirement home for priests and brothers at the Stigmatine’s headquarters in Waltham, MA. He was Administrator of the residence from 1988 on. There are several unexplained gaps in Ahern’s assignment history.

The Stigmatines were aware of allegations of child sexual abuse against Ahern at least as early as 1979. Four men are known to have come forward, one alleging abuse as a sixth and seventh-grade altar boy in VA in the 1959-1961, and three others reporting that Ahern sexually abused them at Camp Elm Bank in Wellesley, MA in the 1960s. The boys were said to have been ages 11 to 15, and the abuse allegedly spanned the decade.

By 1988 Ahern’s ministry was restricted. He died in February 2001.

Born: April 12, 1927
Ordained: June 12, 1954
Died: February 1, 2001

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Church of England ombudsman to oversee sexual abuse cases

ENGLAND
The Guardian

July 7, 2018

By Harriet Sherwood

General synod backs plan for independent body with powers at national or diocese level

The Church of England is to establish an independent ombudsman to deal with complaints over its handling of sexual abuse cases, and will seek other ways of strengthening independent scrutiny of its processes.

Survivors of sexual abuse within the church have repeatedly called for an independent body to oversee abuse cases following evidence of cover-ups and collusion by senior figures.

The C of E’s general synod, meeting in York, voted overwhelmingly to back priorities for action set out by the national safeguarding steering group (NSSG), which could include an independent body being given powers to intervene at national or diocese level.

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Massachusetts beauty queen steps down from pageant after #MeToo joke

MASSACHUSETTS
Fox News

July 9, 2018

By Ryan Gaydos

A Massachusetts beauty pageant winner gave up her crown Saturday after a host made a joke about the #MeToo movement.

Maude Gorman, 24, who was the reigning Miss Plymouth County beauty queen and a survivor of sexual assault, resigned from the Miss Massachusetts Miss America Organization competition over a joke made about the women’s movement. The emcee was referencing the removal of the swimsuit competition, according to The Boston Globe.

The host did a skit last week with someone portraying God. The host, a woman, tells “God” she doesn’t understand why Miss America officials would get rid of the swimsuit competition. The person then holds up a sign reading “#MeToo.”

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7th Former Wrestler: Rep. Jim Jordan ‘Definitely’ Knew About Abuse

COLUMBUS (OH)
The Daily Beast

July 8, 2018

7th Former Wrestler: Jordan ‘Definitely’ Knew About Abuse

A seventh former wrestler at Ohio State University has come forward to accuse Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) of turning a blind eye to alleged sexual abuse by the school’s athletic doctor several decades ago. David Range, a wrestler at the school in the late 1980s, told The Washington Post on Saturday that Jordan, the assistant wrestling coach from 1987 to 1995, was present for conversations about the alleged sexual misconduct by Richard Strauss. “Jordan definitely knew that these things were happening—yes, most definitely. It was there. He knew about it because it was an everyday occurrence,” he said. “We talked about it all the time in the locker room” while Jordan was present, he said. Jordan has been accused of covering up the alleged abuse by several former wrestlers, though he has denied ever being aware of the allegations. On Friday, he told Fox News, “Conversations in a locker room are a lot different than people coming up and talking about abuse.”

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Facing new accusations, Jim Jordan shifts his strategy

COLUMBUS (OH)
MSNBC

July 9, 2018

By Steve Benen

At first, it was three people who alleged that Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), during his tenure as a coach at Ohio State, knew about a team physician’s sexual misconduct toward student athletes, but he turned a blind eye at the time. The were soon joined by a fourth witness. And then a fifth. And a sixth.

The Washington Post updated the tally in a report over the weekend.

A seventh former Ohio State University wrestler said Saturday that he believes Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) knew about inappropriate behavior that allegedly took place in the school’s athletic department three decades ago, as two more former team members came to Jordan’s defense.

David Range, who wrestled for Ohio State in the late 1980s, said Jordan had to have known about alleged sexual misconduct by Richard Strauss, an athletic doctor whose behavior is under investigation by the school, because it happened regularly to team members and people talked about it. Jordan has denied he knew, saw or heard about any inappropriate behavior while he was an assistant wrestling coach from 1987 to 1995.

Range told the Washington Post, “Jordan definitely knew that these things were happening – yes, most definitely.”

For his part, the Republican congressman went on Fox News on Friday afternoon, and seemed to take a slightly different posture than he had earlier in the week, saying, “Conversations in a locker room are a lot different than allegations of abuse.”

Asked, however, if he’d heard locker-room banter on the subject, Jordan replied, “No. No. No type of abuse. We did not hear that.”

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The list of Jim Jordan accusers keeps growing

COLUMBUS (OH)
ThinkProgress

July 9, 2018

By Adam Peck

A seventh wrestler now says Jordan had to have known about rampant sexual abuse, and did nothing.

Over the weekend, a seventh former wrestler at Ohio State University came forward and accused Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) of doing nothing in the face of the largest sexual abuse scandal in U.S. sports history.

For weeks, Jordan has insisted that, while he was an assistant coach for the Buckeyes wrestling team in the 80’s and 90’s, he was completely unaware that team trainer Richard Strauss was systematically abusing hundreds of OSU athletes.

Three former wrestlers told NBC News that Jordan had to have known about the allegations, and did nothing to stop the abuse. Since then, four more former teammates have corroborated those accounts, saying there was simply no way Jordan didn’t know what was going on.

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Robin Wright Opens Up About Former House of Cards Costar Kevin Spacey’s Sexual Assault Allegations

UNITED STATES
People

July 8, 2018

By Karen Mizoguchi

Robin Wright is speaking out about former House of Cards costar Kevin Spacey, months after sexual assault allegations were brought against him.

In an interview with Today‘s Savannah Guthrie, airing on Monday, the actress, 52, opens up about her interactions with Spacey on set of the hit Netflix series.

“Was there any kind of red flag, or anything that would have made you think this was possible?” Guthrie inquires as Wright recalls, “Kevin and I knew each other between action and cut, and in between setups where we would giggle.”

However, when the cameras were off, Wright says she did not interact with him.

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Harvey Weinstein Pleads Not Guilty To New Charges, Won’t Face Home Confinement

NEW YORK (NY)
Deadline

July 9, 2018

By Dade Hayes

Harvey Weinstein was led into a New York courtroom in handcuffs this morning and entered a plea of not guilty to charges of committing a forcible sexual act in the first degree.

Along with the plea, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice James Burke heard but did not rule on prosecutors’ demands for a more stringent bail arrangement. The debate about bail took up most of the 15-minute arraignment.

Weinstein, who wore a black suit and tie, has been out on $1 million bail and staying at his longtime family home in Connecticut in recent months. Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzzi, the lead prosecutor, began the proceeding by asking that Weinstein instead be confined to house arrest in Manhattan given the more serious charges he now faces.

Last month, the Manhattan District Attorney hit Weinstein with heavier charges than he had previously been facing in New York, a more serious degree of sexual assault which could potentially put him in prison for life. The charge of committing a forcible sexual act in the first degree pertains to the allegations of a third woman, following the previous case based on the accounts of two other women.

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Mother Teresa India charity home ‘sold babies’

INDIA
BBC News

July 5, 2018

A woman working at Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand has been arrested for allegedly selling a 14-day-old baby.

Two other women employees from the centre have been detained and are being questioned about other possible cases.

Police took action after the state’s Child Welfare Committee (CWC) registered a complaint.

The charity said the incident had “shocked” its members.

“We are shocked to know what has happened in our home… It is completely against our moral conviction. We are carefully looking into this matter. We will take all necessary precautions that it never happens again, if it has happened,” Sunita Kumar of the Missionaries of Charity told the BBC.

Police officials said they were widening the scope of their inquiry.

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Victims say grand jurors were compassionate during investigation into sex abuse in six Pennsylvania dioceses

HARRISBURG (PA)
The Associated Press

July 7, 2018

By Marc Levy

One after another, witnesses beat back fear of revealing details many had kept largely private and recounted to grand jurors their stories of sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests whom they had trusted.

As they spoke, many said they felt compassion from the grand jurors in the sweeping investigation into allegations of child sexual abuse and cover-ups in six Pennsylvania dioceses. And they felt believed.

Now, many are eagerly anticipating the public release of the grand jury report, which is pending clearance from Pennsylvania’s highest court as justices sort through arguments by current and former clergy named in the document that releasing it would violate their constitutional rights.

“I was scared and probably, in the first few minutes, visibly shaking because it’s big,” said James VanSickle, recalling his experience as a witness. “It’s like, ‘Wow, I’ve held this secret for so long and now I’m telling you the details and I want to get this right.’ There’s a lot going through your head.”

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Stan Rosenberg Files Lawsuit to Reveal Hefner Accuser’s Identity

BOSTON (MA)
Boston Magazine

July 6, 2018

By Hayley Glatter

Last month, Doe filed court documents alleging Rosenberg knew his husband posed a threat to others but did not act.

As Bryon Hefner’s sexual misconduct scandal unfolded, his husband, former Senate President Stanley Rosenberg, lost his powerful position at the State House, the trust of his colleagues, and the respect of his constituents.

And now, it seems, he’s comfortable with losing his polite, wonkish, nice-guy reputation, too.

On Tuesday, Rosenberg’s attorney filed court documents requesting that the identity of Hefner’s unnamed accuser be revealed publicly on the grounds that there’s not a strong enough case to warrant anonymity, the Boston Herald reports.

“[John Doe] fails to advance any grounds sufficient to justify permitting him to continue to level highly public, incendiary, and destructive allegations against Mr. Rosenberg from behind ‘a cloak of anonymity,’” Rosenberg’s attorney, Michael Pineault, wrote in the filings, according to the Herald.

Hefner’s attorney, Tracy Miner, filed court documents to the same effect on Thursday and told the Herald that releasing Doe’s name is necessary because “nobody can challenge his credibility publicly because he is anonymous.”

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Stanley Rosenberg seeks to publicly identify Bryon Hefner’s sex assault accuser

BOSTON (MA)
Boston Herald

July 6, 2018

By Brian Dowling

Ex-Senate President Stanley C. Rosenberg and his estranged husband, Bryon Hefner, want to remove the “cloak of anonymity” shielding the John Doe who has sued them over his sexual assault claims, but a victim’s rights advocate is calling it an “intimidation tactic.”

In a filing made minutes before Suffolk Superior Court closed Tuesday ahead of the Fourth of July holiday, Rosenberg’s attorney argued the alleged victim’s request to remain known publicly as John Doe is not compelling enough to outweigh the court’s default of having parties in a lawsuit reveal their names.

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New Australian law requires that all partners must say ‘yes’ – out loud

AUSTRALIA
Yahoo Lifestyle

July 7, 2018

By Tanya Edwards

The nuances of sexual consent have been on the table recently thanks to the #MeToo movement, and one state in Australia is trying to clarify what consent should actually look like.

The new law states, in effect, that if you want to have sex you must ask for it clearly, and then hear a verbal “yes” back, under new reforms announced by the New South Wales (NSW) government in Australia, the New York Post reports.

The state, which is on the east coast of Australia (Sydney is its capital), has placed sexual consent at the core of a strategy to battle sexual assault after a high-profile rape case seemed to show that the existing laws did not protect victims.

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[LISTEN] WHISTLE-BLOWER IN SOWETO CHURCH SEXUAL ABUSE SCANDAL OPENS UP

CAPE TOWN (SOUTH AFRICA)
Eyewitness News

July 9, 2018

Sinethemba Mbuli was employed by the Kingdom Prayer Ministry in 2017.

He exposed child sexual abuse after witnessing an incident at one of the church’s branches in December last year.

“I started experiencing bad things that were happening at the church. In December last year, they had a huge service in one of the community halls in Soweto and that was the first time I saw the prophet sleeping with a minor in one of the pastor’s cars.”

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Hewlett-Woodmere teacher charged with sexual abuse

GARDEN CITY (NY)
LI Herald

July 6, 2018

By Jeff Bessen

Dylan T. Stolz teaches fourth grade at Ogden Elementary School

A fourth-grade teacher at Ogden Elementary School in the Hewlett-Woodmere School District who was working at an upstate summer camp for boys was arrested on July 4 and charged with five counts of first-degree sexual abuse, state police said.

The school district sent a letter to parents on July 5. In part the letter states: The district “has taken appropriate and responsible action to address this matter. The Hewlett-Woodmere School District immediately placed this individual on administrative reassignment pending the outcome of this matter.”

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Nun at charity founded by Mother Teresa arrested, accused of trafficking babies

INDIA
Fox News

July 7, 2018

By Hollie McKay

A nun and one other employee serving at a Missionaries of Charity center in India founded by Mother Teresa has been arrested and accused of child trafficking.

Acting on a series of complaints, the Indian Child Welfare Committee (CWC) affirmed that they are in the process of investigating the sale of a newborn baby boy from the Nirmal Hriday (Pure Hearts) home to a couple in Uttar Pradesh for 120,000 rupees – around $1,700. The baby was reported to have been born at the charity on March 19 and sold through the black market to a couple on May 14.

The nun at the center of the scandal, publicly identified only as Concilia, was detained on July 4 and the following day was placed under judicial custody by the court. Another employee from the center, set up by the late Mother Teresa — who was canonized as St. Teresa in 2016 — was also arrested in connection to alleged trafficking cases.

The charity has expressed shock over the allegations.

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SUSPENDED GREENE COUNTY PRIEST PERMANENTLY BARRED FROM MINISTRY

ALBANY (NY)
Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany

June 30, 2018

Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger announced today that he has permanently barred Rev.
Jeremiah Nunan, 81, from ministry after the Albany Diocese Review Board found reasonable grounds to believe he had sexually abused a minor in the early 1990s.

Nunan was placed on administrative leave by the Diocese six years ago. He was barred from officiating at sacraments, wearing clerical garb, or presenting himself as a priest. Bishop Scharfenberger accepted the recommendation of the Diocese Review Board following an independent investigation and confirmed Nunan’s permanent removal from ministry. Nunan has denied the allegation.

The Bishop’s actions were taken in accordance with the U.S. Bishops’ Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People and the Albany Diocese’s zero-tolerance policy for sexual abuse of children by clerics. Nunan’s name will be added to the list of known clergy offenders published by Bishop Scharfenberger two years ago on the diocesan website. (www.rcda.org/offices/protecting-children-young-people)

When Nunan was accused of sexual abuse in 2012, the Albany Diocese, consistent with its policy, immediately notified the Greene County District Attorney and announced that Nunan had been placed on administrative leave. An earlier allegation against Nunan, received in 2006 and involving alleged abuse in the late 1960s and early 1970s, was investigated by the Independent Mediation Assistance Program but could not be substantiated.

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A year since leader’s death, ultra-Orthodox ‘cult’ hibernates in Central America

GUATEMALA
Times of Israel

July 7, 2018

By Maya Kroth

As elusive as they are radically devout, Lev Tahor, which fled from North to Central America following accusations of child abuse, lays low after chief rabbi drowns in river

It’s been almost a year since Shlomo Helbrans drowned in Mexico, leaving Lev Tahor, the controversial religious sect he founded in Israel in the 1980s, without its charismatic leader.

The flock, which followed Helbrans from Jerusalem’s Beit Yisrael neighborhood to Brooklyn to the snowy suburbs of Montreal before settling in tropical Guatemala, now faces an uncertain future.

Driven by Helbrans’s anti-Zionist beliefs and known for its extreme customs — women and girls are covered head-to-toe by full-length black garments, marriages are arranged and separation by gender is strictly enforced — Lev Tahor has been dogged by legal troubles everywhere it’s gone.

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Archbishop Philip Wilson losing faith of Adelaide priests following NSW court conviction

ADELAIDE (AUSTRALIA)
The Advertiser

By Matthew Abraham and Andrew Hough

July 7, 2018

A senior Adelaide Catholic Church priest has publicly called for Archbishop Philip Wilson to resign over his conviction for covering up child-sex abuse, signalling a mounting grassroots crisis of confidence.

Monsignor Rob Egar, a respected and influential cleric, told the Sunday Mail that many, if not most South Australian-based priests, now believed Wilson, 67, should quit.

His public intervention came as the Vatican and Australia’s Ambassador to the Holy See remained silent.

Monsignor Egar, a former Vicar-General in the 1990s and a member of the Council of Priests, said he should offer his resignation to Pope Francis as a clear sign of “compassion” for abuse victims.

“The priests of the archdiocese have great sympathy for Archbishop Wilson in his daunting dilemma and are conscious of his tireless leadership in the area of the protection of children,” he said in a statement.

“However, many priests, if not most, believe that, as a demonstrable sign of the Church’s compassion towards the victims of abuse, it would be most appropriate for the Archbishop to offer to Pope Francis his resignation.”

In his 60 years as a priest, Monsignor Egar has worked in the Croydon, Brighton, Morphett Vale, Salisbury, Glenelg and Seacombe Gardens parishes.

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Where does a priest get the money to retain an expensive lawyer?

MECHANICSBURG (PA)
PennLive

July 9, 2018

By Ivey DeJesus

When they take their vows, Catholic priests make two promises: to be celibate and to obey. They are expected to lead simple lives. (Only religious order priests take vows of poverty.)

So where does a priest get the money to hire a high-power attorney?

The answer underscores the long-standing patterns that have emerged nationwide and even worldwide in the decades-old clergy sex abuse scandal.

“They are not paying for it themselves. Of that I’m sure,” said Charles Zech, director of the Center for Church Management and Business Ethics at Villanova University.

There are several possible funding sources, he said. The dioceses, or religious orders, even pro bono work, but that’s not likely.

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Police investigating after priest ‘spat on and verbally abused’ during Orange Walk

DUBLIN (IRELAND)
Buzz.ie

July 8, 2018

By Ruairi Scott Byrne

Police in Scotland are investigating after it was claimed a catholic priest had been spat on, verbally abused and attacked as a large Orange parade passed by.

The incident happened outside St Alphonsus’ church in Glasgow at around 4.20pm yesterday as Canon Tom White was meeting parishioners following Mass.

The Archdiocese of Glasgow claims the priest was spat on, ‘lunged at’ by a man carrying a weapon and pelted with verbal abuse as people congregated for vigil mass.

In a statement on Facebook, the Archdiocese said that both Canon White and his parishioners had been “subjected to vile abuse”.

He wrote: “Yesterday evening after vigil Mass at St Alphonsus, Canon Tom White was meeting and greeting parishioners. An Orange march approached.

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Catholic Bishop Says Gay Adoption Is ‘Moral Abuse’ of Children

LA GRANGE (IL)
Catholic Citizens of Illinois

July 8, 2018

By Thomas D. Williams

“Entrusting children to so-called homosexual couples constitutes in the last analysis a moral abuse of children, the smallest and most defenseless,” said Bishop Athanasius Schneider in an interview with Italian media last week.

Mincing no words, the bishop said gay adoption “will go down in history as one of the greatest degradations of civilization. Those who daily combat this gross injustice are the true friends of children and the heroes of our age.”

An auxiliary bishop of Astana, Kazakhstan, Schneider told the Italian daily Il Giornale that the “Catholic Church, just like every human person with good sense and sound reason, has always rejected homosexual activity.”

Handing children over to homosexual couples “is a violation of the fundamental right of every child to grow up and be raised by a dad and a mom,” he said.

The bishop’s words come in the wake of an ongoing battle in the United States over the unwillingness of adoption and foster care agencies run by the Catholic Church to place children in homes with gay couples.

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Growing Calls for Australian Archbishop Who Concealed Child Abuse to Resign

SYDNEY (AUSTRALIA)
Voice of America

July 7, 2018

By Phil Mercer

The Australian archbishop convicted for covering up child abuse says he will appeal his sentence and will not resign. His defiance has prompted criticism from the Prime Minister and other political leaders, who are urging Philip Wilson to quit. He is the most senior Catholic in the world to be convicted of concealing child sexual abuse.

Archbishop Wilson has been given a maximum sentence of 12 months in custody, but is likely to avoid jail and serve his time in home detention.

He has said he would only resign if his appeal against his conviction for covering up child abuse fails. It is, however, a stance that has been widely condemned. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said he was surprised the 67-year old Catholic cleric had decided not to quit immediately, and urged him to do so. There is also mounting pressure within the Catholic Church for Wilson to stand down from a position he has held for 18 years.

Members of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, which represents the Church’s hierarchy, are also reported to have advised him to resign.

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Cheyenne Diocese: Abuse allegations against retired bishop ‘credible’

KANSAS CITY (MO)
National Catholic Reporter

July 3, 2018

by Brian Roewe

Joseph Hart, restricted from ministry, served as bishop from 1976-2001

A recent investigation by the Diocese of Cheyenne, Wyoming, found that allegations of sexual abuse of minors against retired Bishop Joseph Hart are “credible and require disciplinary action,” challenging a past inquiry by a local district attorney that has now been called “flawed.”

Hart, who served as Cheyenne bishop from 1976 to 2001, has been restricted from public ministry since September 2015. He has faced allegations of sexual abuse dating back to his time as a priest (1956-1976) in the Kansas City-St. Joseph, Missouri, Diocese.

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The ministerial restrictions will remain in place, said Cheyenne Bishop Steven Biegler, 59, following an outside investigator’s report that concluded Hart, 86, as bishop had sexually abused two boys in Wyoming.

“Nothing is more important than the safety of our children. We have zero tolerance for sexual abuse of any kind,” Biegler said in a statement issued Monday. “If there is ever any indication of abuse brought to our attention, it will be reported to the civil authorities and investigated thoroughly, even when the allegations involve a Bishop.”

Hart has repeatedly denied all accusations of sexual abuse of minors.

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Pope to Bishops: Do as You Please, But Say Nice Stuff and the Media with Cover for You

UNITED STATES
The Open Tabernacle

July 8, 2018

By Betty Clermont

Some facts withheld by the mainstream U.S. media:

– Pope Francis has sponsored only 6 refugee families although the Vatican owns thousands of apartments in Rome.
– Over 800 U.S faith communities provide sanctuary for immigrants but not the American bishops although they own an estimated 70,000 buildings.
– Pope Francis gives only 20% of billions earmarked for charity to the poor.
– Catholic Charities of Chicago gives only 27% of its revenue to the poor.
– Pope Francis has packed the Vatican with vulture capitalists.
– Many U.S. bishops use “Catholic Foundations” to hide their assets and investments.

Chicago Cardinal Blasé Cupich is “the American point person for Pope Francis.” Cupich often acts as his mouthpiece, defender and envoy.

Cupich had a private audience with Pope Francis last May 17, less than a month before the U.S. bishops held their spring meeting. Under discussion was the document, “Faithful Citizenship,” a voting guide issued every four years by the United State Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) since 1976, last revised in 2015.

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July 8, 2018

Archdiocese of New Orleans pays ‘substantial’ sum to resolve rape claims against deacon

NEW ORLEANS (LA)
The New Orleans Advocate

June 20, 2018

By Jim Mustian

[Note: When it appeared several weeks ago, this article was not blogged in Abuse Tracker.]

The Archdiocese of New Orleans has paid more than a half-million dollars to settle claims that a longtime deacon and teacher repeatedly raped an altar boy at Holy Rosary School in New Orleans more than three decades ago.

The settlement, paid this month, brought a swift conclusion to a lawsuit filed earlier this year that accused the archdiocese of allowing a “sexual predator” to work among children in Our Lady of the Rosary Parish and doing “nothing to intervene and prevent such misconduct from occurring.”

The lawsuit, filed in Orleans Parish Civil District Court, claimed the abuse began in 1979, when the boy was 8 years old and in the third grade, and continued until he was in the sixth grade.

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Disgraced New Orleans deacon continued as lay minister despite abuse claims; archbishop ’embarrassed’

NEW ORLEANS (LA)
The New Orleans Advocate

July 7, 2018

By Jim Mustian

Last weekend, a parishioner pulled up to St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church but drove away before walking into the sanctuary.

The woman decided not to attend Mass, she said, because she could no longer stomach the sight of George F. Brignac, a defrocked deacon who as recently as last month served as a lector at the Metairie church — reading Scripture and announcements — despite years of sexual abuse allegations that prompted his removal from the ministry in 1988.

Brignac, 83, remained in this public role even after the Archdiocese of New Orleans this spring quietly paid more than $500,000 to settle claims that he repeatedly raped an 8-year-old altar boy at Holy Rosary School more than three decades ago.

At least a half-dozen other boys accused Brignac of molestation throughout his tenure as a Catholic school teacher — allegations that fell on deaf ears within a church that stubbornly supported him through three police investigations.

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Publisher’s Notebook: Torn Between Faith and Profession

WASILLA (AK)
The Frontiersman

July 8, 2018

By Dennis Anderson

I’m a cradle Catholic. I typically avoid movies concerning the church. Hollywood doesn’t always portray Catholics and our faith in the best of lights. When the movie ‘Spotlight’ was released, I had zero interest in watching the film. ‘Spotlight’ tells the story behind the Boston Globe’s investigative journalism team’s efforts to uncover the widespread of child sex abuse by priests in the Boston area. Subsequently, they uncovered that the church not only knew about these priests, but made unbelievable efforts to conceal the epidemic.

All told, there were over 90 priests confirmed to have been involved. The Globe’s investigation revealed that the church, lawyers and some of the faithful went to great links to keep the accusations quiet. The team also exposed the fact that psychologists working with the church believed that these priests could be rehabilitated. Some were declared cured and sent back into parishes only to abuse again. One such priest was John J. Geoghan, and since the mid-1990’s, more than 130 people have come forward with horrific tales of his abuse, according to the original Boston Globe article released in January of 2002. Geoghan was the early focus of the team because the church successfully had the court documents attached to his case sealed.

Released in 2015, the movie was critically acclaimed. Those involved in the movie raked in the awards in 2016 including the Academy Award of Best Picture. I’ll typically search out movies that are this lauded. I just wouldn’t budge on this one. Another shot fired at the faithful, I reconciled in my mind. But I had no idea what the movie was about, other than a scandal that I was personally in denial about.

One evening, while searching through Netflix for something to watch, ‘Spotlight’ appeared in the recently added folder. I checked out the trailer and decided to acquiesce. The trailer had me intrigued because it portrayed that the movie was focused on the passionate efforts of the Spotlight team. So, I watched.

At this time, I was in my first year as Publisher of the Frontiersman. As I watched the movie I never felt so conflicted. As the reporters dug deeper and actors portraying victims told their stories, I was riveted. My emotions ranged from disbelief because, after all, it’s just a movie to the embarrassment that I blindly followed my church to the point where it could do no wrong.

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Duterte confesses: I stopped as Catholic after priests’ abuse

MANILA (PHILIPPINES)
Manila Bulletin

July 8, 2018

By Genalyn Kabiling

Under fire for his controversial statements about God, President Duterte has revealed that he stopped being a Catholic after enduring sexual abuse from a priest in high school.

The President said after the “terrible” incident in school, he created his own God who values justice and fairness.

“Something terrible happened when we were young. It’s not really that serious. But fondling while confessing, we were being fondled so when I graduated, hindi na ako Katoliko. Hindi na ako Katoliko [I was no longer a Catholic. I was no longer a Catholic] at that age. I was not even in politics then,” Duterte said during the inauguration of Malayan Colleges Mindanao in Davao City.

“But pag-graduate ko, I created my own God. ‘Yung nakikita kong values na justice [After graduation, I created my own God based on the values I have seen like justice] — what is justice, fairness — I have always said in Davao, ‘My God is my service to the people.’ Period,” he added.

The President earlier bared that the late Fr. Mark Falvey molested him and other high school students while studying at Ateneo de Davao University. The incident allegedly happened during the sacrament of penance or confession in school.

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Women’s panel to monitor sexual abuse case against priests

ABU DHABI (UAE)
Gulf News

July 7, 2018

NCW member Rekha Sharma meets victim at her house

Thiruvalla (Kerala) – The National Commission for Women (NCW), which took suo motu cognisance of a woman’s allegation of sexual exploitation by five priests of the Kottayam-headquartered Malankara Orthodox Church, on Saturday said that they will closely monitor the case.

NCW member Rekha Sharma met the victim at her house in the presence of her close relatives and found out from her about the case. She later told the media that it was most unfortunate that these priests have misused their position.

“It’s to be noted that one of the accused passed on the information to the other accused about the victim. I will be calling them as hooligans, as they have misused their position. We will ask the head of the Church why these things are happening,” she said.

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Witnesses await church sex abuse report with hope for change

HARRISBURG (PA)
Associated Press

July 8, 2018

By Marc Levy

One after another, witnesses beat back fear of revealing details many had kept largely private and recounted to grand jurors their story of sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests whom they had trusted.

As they spoke, many said they felt compassion from the grand jurors in the sweeping investigation into allegations of child sexual abuse and cover-ups in six of Pennsylvania dioceses. And they felt believed.

Now, many are eagerly anticipating the public release of the grand jury report, which is pending clearance from Pennsylvania’s highest court as justices sort through arguments by current and former clergy named in the document that releasing it would violate their constitutional rights.

“I was scared and probably, in the first few minutes, visibly shaking because it’s big,” said James VanSickle, recalling his experience as a witness. “It’s like, ‘wow, I’ve held this secret for so long and now I’m telling you the details and I want to get this right.’ There’s a lot going through your head.”

Dozens of witnesses testified in the state attorney general’s two-year grand jury investigation that victim advocates expect will produce the largest and most exhaustive clergy sexual abuse report by a U.S. state.

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July 7, 2018

Hunter abuse survivor Peter Gogarty has invited Pope Francis for a talk about Archbishop Philip Wilson’s future

NEWCASTLE (AUSTRALIA)
Herald

July 6, 2018

By Joanne McCarthy

Hunter abuse survivor Peter Gogarty has gone straight to the Pope with a plea for him to sack Archbishop Philip Wilson, and an offer to discuss the reasons why over the phone.

Mr Gogarty has included his mobile phone number in a letter to Pope Francis on Thursday after Wilson refused to resign following a jail sentence after he was convicted of concealing Hunter Catholic priest Jim Fletcher’s child sex crimes. He intends to appeal the conviction.

“As the only person in the world who can take decisive action in this regard, I urge you to dismiss him from his post immediately,” wrote Mr Gogarty, who was sexually abused by Fletcher in the 1970s, and whose calls for Wilson to resign or be dismissed were backed this week by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten.

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More allegations against Kerala bishop in abuse case

ABU DHABI (UAE)
Gulf News

July 7, 2018

By Akhel Mathew

Priest claims that complaint against bishop had been brought before church leadership

Thiruvananthapuram – Churches of different denominations in Kerala continued to face allegations of abuse, with a priest being the latest to state that the Catholic Church leadership was in the know of the abuse case involving a nun.

The nun had accused a bishop from the state, now based at Jalandhar in Punjab, of sexually abusing her as many as 13 times during his visits to the church guest house in Kuravilangad near Kottayam.

The bishop has denied the nun’s claim, alleging instead that she had a personal vendetta against him for changing her from her duties.

Giving a different twist to the controversy, a priest based in Jalandhar told a local television channel that the complaint against the bishop had been brought before the church leadership, and that the leadership had “behaved irresponsibly”. He said the church leaders, instead of providing justice to the aggrieved nun, began to threaten her.

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Fortieth statewide investigating grand jury: Selected postings

HARRISBURG (PA)
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania

July 6, 2018

[The Supreme Court has posted six pleadings supporting and objecting to the media’s Application to Intervene Seeking Public Access to Grand Jury Report, Docket Sheets, and Filings. These include AG Shapiro’s response, a joint response in opposition and four other responses in opposition.]

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Pa. court agrees to hear objections to church abuse report

HARRISBURG (PA)
Associated Press via PennLive

July 6, 2018

By Mark Scolforo and Marc Levy

[Includes video ‘It will be the worst’: Rep. Mark Rozzi speaking on upcoming Catholic Church grand jury report and on SOL reform in Pennsylvania.]

Pennsylvania’s highest court on Friday decided against immediately releasing an investigative grand jury’s report into allegations of decades of child sexual abuse in six Roman Catholic dioceses, instead saying it would hear arguments from priests and others that making it public would violate their constitutional rights.

The state Supreme Court gave lawyers for those who object to being named in the nearly 900-page report and want to prevent its disclosure until Tuesday to lay out their arguments in writing, and the attorney general’s office until July 13 to respond.

Attorney General Josh Shapiro has said he wants the report made public as soon as possible, noting that unindicted people who were cited in the report in a way that “could be construed as critical” were given an unrestricted right to file responses that are expected to be released along with the report.

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Challenging a grand jury is rare, but some legal observers say it might make sense

PITTSBURGH (PA)
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

July 6, 2018

By Julian Routh

The legal battle over the release of a report on sexual abuse has called into question the very nature of the grand jury that investigated and wrote about decades of abuse in Catholic dioceses across Pennsylvania.

The Roman Catholic dioceses of Greensburg and Harrisburg last year sought to shut down the statewide grand jury investigating sexual abuse by priests in six dioceses, including their own, contending that the creation of the grand jury lacked a legal justification. And in filings on behalf of more than two dozen clergy petitioners, lawyers on Thursday challenged the release of the mammoth report, claiming it leaves their clients “wrongly accused and falsely implicated.”

According to two Pennsylvania legal experts, the courtroom maneuvering over this grand jury’s report is unprecedented in its strategy, and has triggered a complex discussion about the rights of the accused and the defense of their reputations. The challenges have been both to the validity of the grand jury itself and to the way in which it has done its work.

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July 6, 2018

Una “Pastoral para Comerciantes” en La Merced

MEXICO CITY (MEXICO)
Revista Desde la Fé [Ciudad de México, Mexico]

July 6, 2018

By Vladimir Alcántara

Read original article

El P. Gabriel Piña asegura que la integración y consolidación de la

comunidad parroquial se ha logrado a partir de un trabajo de Iglesia en

salida, en el que “todo ha sido ir, ir e ir”.

La Parroquia de Santo Tomás Apóstol “La Palma”, erigida en 1772 en el

barrio de La Merced, ampliará la celebración de su fiesta patronal (3 de

julio) hasta la siguiente semana, mediante una exposición denominada el

“Museo de la Biblia”, que contiene datos de gran interés, y la realización de

un torneo juvenil de futbol, que se llevará a cabo en el marco de este

festejo, como parte de las actividades que la parroquia realiza para alejar a

los jóvenes de los vicios.

Sobre la fiesta patronal y el caminar pastoral de la comunidad, habla para

Desde la fe el P. Gabriel Piña Landa, quien desde hace cinco años realiza

una labor de acercamiento con vecinos y comerciantes, bajo el concepto

arquidiocesano de “Pastoral de Ambiente”.

El P. Piña señala que hace un lustro, cuando llegó a esta parroquia, no había

propiamente una comunidad de gente organizada para el trabajo de Iglesia,

por lo que se vio en la necesidad de emprender acciones para integrarla.

“Lo primero –explica–, fue tratar de sembrar confianza en la gente. El barrio

de La Merced tiene muy pocos habitantes, ya que la mayoría de los

inmuebles funcionan como bodegas de comerciantes; pero comenzamos a

visitar a esos pocos para involucrarlos en el trabajo pastoral a través de

diferentes actividades. A partir de ese acercamiento, pudimos formar dos

coros parroquiales”.

Sin embargo –señala–, como la mayoría de las personas que hay en esta

zona son comerciantes, se tuvo que emprender otro tipo de acciones. “Así

como en la Arquidiócesis existe la ‘Pastoral para Empresarios’, la ‘Pastoral

para Académicos’ y otras, aquí vimos propicio una ‘Pastoral para

Comerciantes’, circunscrita a lo que sería una ‘Pastoral de Ambiente’.

Explica que se comenzó por ir a bendecir los negocios, pero no de una

manera exprés, sino como es debido: uno por uno, haciendo una oración y

conversando detenidamente con el dueño del local. “Posteriormente

comenzamos a hacer Horas Santas en algunos espacios, y a hablar con los

comerciantes de los problemas de la zona. Es así como se han ido

integrando a la Iglesia. No estamos esperando a que la gente venga. Todo

ha sido ir, ir, e ir”.

En La Merced los comerciantes siempre están ocupados, pero con frecuencia encargan el

negocio al empleado para asistir a la parroquia; o bien, el empleado pide permiso para hacerlo.

P. Gabriel Piña

Señala que, por otra parte, se ha trabajado bastante en materia de

religiosidad popular, a través de diferentes actividades para las que la gente

abre gustosa sus espacios, pues son personas que tienen mucha sed de

Dios. “Tratamos de alimentar su fe. Desde aquí salen algunas

peregrinaciones a la Basílica de Guadalupe, pues existen varios gremios,

como el de los dulces, el de las flores o el de las verduras, y en todas los

acompañamos como parroquia. La gente realmente percibe mucha cercanía

de su iglesia; por eso participa, por eso celebra con gusto a su santo

patrono”.

Finalmente, el P. Gabriel Piña externó que además de la exposición “Museo

de la Biblia” y del torneo juvenil de futbol que se llevarán a cabo en el marco

de la celebración de la fiesta patronal, se realizó un concurso denominado

“Relatos y Retratos del Barrio de La Merced” –que tuvo una extraordinaria

participación, especialmente de niños–, sobre historias verídicas o ficticias

en torno a la zona, bajo dos categorías: una para personas relacionadas con

la literatura, y la otra para vecinos, de la cual saldrá un anecdotario que

posteriormente se abrirá al público en la página de Facebook de la

parroquia.

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Obispo de Calama suspende a sacerdote acusado de abuso sexual a menor

CALAMA (CHILE)
El Mostrador

July 5, 2018

[Bishop of Calama suspends priest accused of child sexual abuse]

El obispo de Calama, Oscar Blanco, informó que suspendió al sacerdote Jordi Jorba Navarro, de la Parroquia Asunción de la Virgen, luego de recibir una denuncia por abuso sexual en contra de un menor de edad, hecho que habría ocurrido en el año 2003.

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Clergy claim false accusations in grand jury report

PITTSBURGH (PA)
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

July 5, 2018

By Peter Smith

http://www.post-gazette.com/news/faith-religion/2018/07/05/Clergy-sexual-abuse-Catholic-priests-grand-jury-attorney-general-Josh-Shapiro-Diocese-of-Pittsburgh-Greensburg-Harrisburg-Allentown-Erie-Scranton/stories/201807050134

Attorneys for more than two dozen people, including current and former clergy members, are challenging the release of a mammoth report by a statewide grand jury of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, claiming Thursday the report leaves them “wrongly accused and falsely implicated.”

The challengers — who also include the executrix for a deceased person named by the grand jury as an offender within the Diocese of Pittsburgh — denounced the report as riddled with “inaccuracies and falsities” and alleged that the supervising judge of the 40th statewide grand jury failed in his duty to ensure the report was based on at least a “preponderance of evidence.”

Attorney General Josh Shapiro defended the report’s integrity in a statement later Thursday.

“The report is accurate and these individuals have had the chance to respond, and their responses will be included in the final grand jury report,” he said. “This legal filing is nothing more than a desperate attempt to stop the public from learning the truth about their abhorrent conduct.”

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Former priest charged with historic abuse of young boy at a Huddersfield school

HUDDERSFIELD (ENGLAND)
Huddersfield Daily Examiner

July 5, 2018

By Emma Davison

David Crowley allegedly assaulted the child while working at a Catholic primary school in Huddersfield

See our privacy notice
A former priest has appeared in court accused of abusing a young boy at a Huddersfield school.

David Crowley, 64, is charged with three counts of indecent assault and three offences of gross indecency with a boy.

The charges are historic, dating between the late 1970s and early 1980s when Crowley was a priest and working at a Catholic primary school in the town.

The victim came into contact with Crowley and other boys during the course of his employment, prosecutor Andy Wills said.

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Catholic Church finally cracking down on pedophile priests

EVANSVILLE (IN)
Courier & Press

July 5, 2018

By Mary Sanchez

To even casual observers of recent news about the Catholic Church, it’s clear that a new day has dawned.

Finally, after decades of stalling, denials and civil lawsuits, Catholic dioceses seem to recognize their accountability for the criminal behavior of pedophile priests.

Consider the case of retired Bishop Joseph Hart. The former prelate of Cheyenne, Wyo., now 86 years old, could face criminal charges under what the current bishop of Cheyenne has deemed credible and substantiated accusations of sexual abuse.

News of the case traveled ahead of the headlines to Kansas City, where Hart was ordained in 1956. Many believe that is where he first groomed young boys for sexual abuse in the parishes where he served until 1976.

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Current and former clergy members behind push to block report on clergy sex abuse

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
The Inquirer

July 5, 2018

By Angela Couloumbis and Liz Navratil

Harrisburg – Nearly two dozen current and former members of the clergy are among those seeking to block the release of a highly anticipated grand jury report outlining decades of alleged sexual abuse by clergy in Catholic dioceses across the state, according to a court document filed Thursday.

The revelation that clergy members are behind the fierce secret legal battle came in response to a push by the Inquirer and Daily News, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and seven other news organizations, which have together asked the state Supreme Court to lift its stay on the report’s release.

News organizations have called the report a “matter of extraordinary public importance.” The more than 800-page grand jury report, which was expected to have been released last month, details alleged clergy abuse in all of the state’s Catholic dioceses except for Philadelphia and Altoona-Johnstown, which already were the subject of similar investigations.

The documents filed Thursday offered a glimpse into the intense legal maneuvering that could result in the report’s being permanently shielded from the public. They also offered the most detail to date about the people who have fought for months to keep their names out of the public realm.

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Pennsylvania attorney general, lawyers for clergy, argue over grand jury report release

ALLENTOWN and HARRISBURG (PA)
Associated Press via Morning Call

July 5, 2018

By Mark Scolforo

[See the docket.]

Pennsylvania’s attorney general and lawyers for current and retired priests came down on opposite sides over an effort by news organizations, including The Morning Call, to unseal an extensive report into child sexual abuse and attempts to cover it up in several Roman Catholic dioceses.

Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in a filing to the state Supreme Court supporting the release that his office opposes requests by unnamed parties to present their own evidence, question witnesses and rewrite the grand jury report “in accordance with their preferred view of the facts.” He argued the report should not be delayed, calling it a matter of exceptional public interest.

“Hundreds of victims, thousands of parishioners and many members of the community are awaiting the report,” Shapiro wrote. “The longer it is held, the greater the risk of undermining public confidence in the judicial system.”

Shapiro called the priests’ criticism of the report “nothing more than a desperate attempt to stop the public from learning the truth about their abhorrent conduct.”

Lawyers for nearly two dozen unnamed current and retired clergy members filed a group response that described the report as replete with errors and “improper assertions,” arguing that without revisions the report will irreparably harm their reputations and deny them the due process the law guarantees.

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July 5, 2018

Rev. Dozia J. Wilson– Assignment History

ALBANY (NY)
BishopAccountability.org

Summary of Case: Dozia J. Wilson was a priest of the Diocese of Albany, ordained in 1972. Early on he was an assistant parish priest in Albany, Diocesan Director of Urban Ministry and Chaplain at the La Salle School for Boys. In May 1976 Wilson was transferred to the Archdiocese of Boston, where he was Administrator of St. Joseph’s in Roxbury until April 1979. He was moved to a Rochester NY parish for several months, to St. Ann’s in Fort Ann for a short while, followed by a decade at St. Mary’s in Hudson. While there he was Chaplain at the Columbia County jail and Columbia-Greene Community College.

Allegations against Wilson are first known to have surfaced in 1976, when some parents complained to the District Attorney that Wilson had sexually abused two boys at an Albany hotel. The diocese was given an ultimatum by the D.A.: either move the priest out of the area or he faces prosecution. Wilson was quietly moved to Boston. In 1997 a young man reported to Cardinal Law in a letter that Wilson sexually abused him over a two-year period, beginning in 1976, when he was a 15-year-old boy. The man said that Wilson had begun giving him alcohol and marijuana in Albany in 1973, and that he and his younger brother were taken by Wilson to Boston, where they lived with him in the rectory of St. Joseph’s. The man filed a civil lawsuit which was settled in 2003. In another lawsuit, filed in 2004, Wilson was accused of the sexual abuse of a boy from 1980 to 1985, beginning when the boy was age 14. This accuser said he first met the the priest at St. Ann’s at age 14, and considered him a father figure. Wilson allegedly would give the boy gifts and take him on trips, including to Boston and the West Coast, and abused him after plying him with alcohol and marijuana.

Records show that Wilson was sent for treatment in November 1978 and that, in May 1979, he asked the Bishop of Tulsa OK for permission to work in his diocese. Nothing came of that. In 1991 he was sent to a rehabilitation for the treatment of alcoholism, after which he was not reassigned. He resigned from ministry in 1993.

Wilson went on to work for ten years as a spiritual advisor at a residential treatment program for boys in Dobbs Ferry. He was fired in 2003 after being beaten up by an 18-year-old male he had picked up in Manhattan.

Ordained: May 13, 1972

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Rev. Dennis C. Chludzinski– Assignment History

ERIE (PA)
BishopAccountability.org

Summary of Case: Dennis C. Chludzinski was a priest of the Diocese of Erie, ordained in 1976. He assisted for a year each at two parishes then, in 1978, went on leave of absence. From 1979 to 1982 he was assigned to St. Mark’s Seminary, after which he is no longer indexed in the Official Catholic Directory.

Chludzinski’s name was included on the diocese’s list released April 6, 2018 of priests, lay employees and volunteers accused of sexually abusing minors. He was noted to have been laicized and living in Erie.

Ordained: 1976

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Rev. Thaddeus T. Kondzielski – Assignment History

ERIE (PA)
BishopAccountability.org

Summary of Case: Thaddeus T. Kondzielski was ordained for the Diocese of Erie in 1967. He taught at Cathedral Preparatory High School for twenty years, living most of that time at St. Hedwig parish. He went on leave of absence in 1987 and was assigned the following year to St. Philip’s in Crossingsville, where he remained until his retirement in 2013.

Kondzielski’s name was included on the Erie diocese’s list released April 6, 2018 of priests and lay employees and volunteers accused of sexually abusing minors. He was noted to be not allowed to function as priest, and was living in Waterford, PA.

Ordained: 1967
Retired: 2013

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Republican congressman calls police on former students who say he ignored sex abuse

COLUMBUS (OH)
ThinkProgress

July 5, 2018

By Addy Baiird

“Please leave me out of it.”

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) claims he is being “bullied” by former Ohio State wrestlers who accuse the congressman of turning a blind eye to the sexual abuse of hundreds of student athletes while he worked as the assistant wrestling coach from 1986 to 1994.

According to a CNN report Wednesday, Jordan will contact the Capitol police after receiving emails from one of the wrestlers who has accused Jordan of doing nothing about the sexual abuse by the team doctor, Dr. Richard Strauss.

A source in Jordan’s office told CNN that the emails were threatening because of how many had been sent but provided no other details about why the congressman believes he is being “bullied.”

CNN did report that emails between Ohio State wrestler Michael DiSabato and the congressman obtained by CNN show DiSabato sent Jordan an email on April 24 expressing concerns about the sexual abuse scandal, and asked Jordan to help given his knowledge of it. DiSabato told CNN there was no response.

CNN reported that DiSabato has been sending emails for “months” and Jordan didn’t respond because he didn’t want to “encourage the behavior.”

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Michigan State criticized over head of complaints office

LANSING (MI)
The Associated Press

July 3, 2018

Michigan State University has hired an attorney who defended the school against sexual assault lawsuits to head the office handling sexual assault complaints, sparking pushback from victim advocates.

The university’s interim president, John Engler, appointed Robert Kent this month to temporarily lead the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Education and Compliance, the Detroit Free Press reported. The school cited his expertise in such cases as its assistant general counsel.

The move comes in the wake of the sexual abuse scandal involving former sports doctor Larry Nassar . Hundreds of women and girls have said he sexually abused them under the guise of medical treatment, including when he worked for Michigan State and USA Gymnastics.

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Theo Fleury can talk to Graham James while abuser serves sentence

CANADA
Montreal Gazette

July 4, 2018

By Paul Cherry

The change to James’s parole appears to be based on a request from Fleury, who said in an interview that he wants to speak with James as part of a documentary.
The Parole Board of Canada has modified one of the conditions imposed on former junior hockey coach Graham James to allow the players he sexually abused to communicate with him while he continues to serve his sentence in Montreal.

The parole board recently made the decision while reviewing the conditions it set when James, 64, was released on full parole in September 2016 following a hearing at a federal penitentiary in Laval.

His first sentence, a 42-month prison term, began in 1997 and expired in 2000. One of the victims involved in that sentence was Sheldon Kennedy, who later played in the NHL. James did not reoffend, but other victims of his crimes, including former NHL player Theo Fleury, pursued charges several years later, which ultimately resulted in the seven-year prison term James is still serving.

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Kevin Spacey: British police probing new sexual-assault allegations from three accusers

UNITED KINGDOM
USA TODAY

July 3, 2018

By Maria Puente

Kevin Spacey: London police probe new allegations

Kevin Spacey, the Oscar-winning actor who vanished from public view last fall after he was accused of sexually assaulting scores of young men or boys over years, was back in the news Tuesday with word that British police are investigating new allegations linked to him.

Scotland Yard confirmed to USA TODAY that it is investigating accusations of sexual assault made by three men who came forward in February and April, which would bring the known total of Spacey accusers in Britain to at least six.

Meanwhile, Australian actor Guy Pearce, who appeared with Spacey in the 1997 film “L.A. Confidential” (which garnered two Oscars), stunned an audience Down Under Tuesday when he obliquely suggested that Spacey had groped him during filming.

In an interview with chat-show host Andrew Denton, Pearce, 50, said it was “slightly difficult” to star opposite Spacey because he was “handsy.” Pearce was hesitant to talk about Spacey when Denton mentioned his name.

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BU Garners 16 CASE Awards

BOSTON (MA)
BU Today

July 3, 2018

Earns more honors for creative work than any other school worldwide

Boston University won a record 16 of this year’s CASE Circle of Excellence Awards, an international competition that honors outstanding work in advancement services, alumni relations, communications, fundraising, and marketing. For the fifth year in a row, the University took more honors than any other college or university belonging to the international organization.

The 2018 awards were announced earlier this month by CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education), one of the world’s largest professional associations for educational institutions.

Stephen Burgay, BU senior vice president for external affairs, says the extraordinary number of awards reflects the professionalism of the University’s staff and is indicative of a vibrant campus, where “faculty, staff, and students have award-winning stories to tell.

“Bringing these stories to life in interesting and compelling ways helps to define our community,” says Burgay. “It puts a human face on it, and it demonstrates the impact BU has in the city and the world at large.”

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Ex-wrestler says Rep. Jim Jordan witnessed lewd shower acts while a coach at Ohio State

COLUMBUS (OH)
Yahoo Sports

July 4, 2018

By Jason Owens

Multiple former Ohio State wrestlers have accused U.S. Representative Jim Jordan of turning a blind eye to alleged sexual abuse committed by team doctor Richard Strauss while he was was a coach for the Buckeyes.

Jordan, a prominent Republican from Ohio, was an assistant coach at OSU from 1986-94. NBC reported on Tuesday that three former OSU wrestlers described the alleged abuse by Strauss as common knowledge and that he assaulted as many as 2,000 student athletes from 1978-98.

“I considered Jim Jordan a friend,” Mike DiSabato, one of Strauss’s accusers, told NBC. “But at the end of the day, he is absolutely lying if he says he doesn’t know what was going on.”

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Retired French bishop to be tried for failing to report sexual abuse

FRANCE
La Croix

June 29, 2018

By Gauthier Vaillant

The former bishop of Orleans is charged with not reporting a priest even though he had been informed of the situation

A retired French bishop is expected to face trial before the end of this year along with the priest whose actions of sex abuse he is accused of having failed to report.

Retired Bishop André Fort, was bishop of Orleans from 2002 to 2010 while the 69-year-old Fr de C. is now accused of sexual assault “by violence, coercion, threat or subterfuge” on minors aged 15 who were in his charge.

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L’ancien évêque d’Orléans sera jugé pour non dénonciation de pédophilie

ORLEANS (FRANCE)
France Bleu Béarn, France Bleu Orléans et France Bleu

June 28, 2018

By Eric Normand and Anne Oger

The former bishop of Orleans will be tried for non-reporting of pedophilia

André Fort, l’ancien évêque d’Orléans, est renvoyé devant le tribunal correctionnel d’Orléans pour n’avoir pas dénoncé les agressions sexuelles présumées d’un des prêtres de son diocèse, le père Pierre de Castelet. Six ans après le début de l’enquête, les deux hommes devraient donc être jugés.

Pierre de Castelet, l’ancien curé de Lorris, dans le Loiret est renvoyé devant la justice pour agressions sexuelles sur mineurs de moins 15 ans. Il devrait être jugé avant la fin de cette année devant le tribunal correctionnel d’Orléans aux côtés de l’ancien évêque d’Orléans, André Fort, renvoyé, lui, pour n’avoir pas dénoncé ces agressions, dont il aurait eu connaissance dès 2010.

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Pédophilie dans l’église : “briser la culture du secret c’est très lourd dans un département comme le Loiret”

LOIRET (FRANCE)
France Bleu Orléans

June 28, 2018

By Anne Oger

Pedophilia in the church: “breaking the culture of secrecy is very heavy in a department like Loiret”

Après le renvoi devant la justice de l’ancien curé de Lorris, l’abbé Pierre de Castelet, et de l’ancien évêque d’Orléans, Monseigneur André Fort, pour agressions sexuelles et non-dénonciation de celles-ci, les victimes espèrent que cela contribuera à rompre la culture du silence au sein de l’Eglise.

Il y aura sans doute un procès dans l’affaire Pierre de Castelet, l’ancien curé de Lorris, très investi et très présent, jusqu’à une période récente (2016, date à laquelle l’évêque d’Orléans Jacques Blaquart l’a démis de toutes ses fonctions) dans les mouvements catholiques de jeunes, et notamment les scouts d’Europe, dont il a été l’aumônier à plusieurs reprises. Un procès pour agressions sexuelles sur mineurs de 15 ans par personne ayant autorité pour des faits remontant à juillet 1993, lors d’un camp de vacances organisé dans le Béarn par le Mouvement Eucharistique des Jeunes.

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Pope Francis names Msgr. Michael Fisher as new auxiliary bishop of Washington

WASHINGTON (DC)
Catholic Standard

June 8, 2018

By Mark Zimmermann

Pope Francis has named Msgr. Michael William Fisher as a new auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Washington. Since 2006, Bishop-elect Fisher has served as Episcopal Vicar for Clergy and Secretary for Ministerial Leadership for the archdiocese, overseeing the recruitment, formation and care of its clergy.

The announcement of Pope Francis’s appointment of Bishop-elect Fisher was made on June 8 by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio of Washington.

In a statement, Cardinal Donald Wuerl expressed gratitude to Pope Francis for appointing Bishop-elect Fisher as a new auxiliary bishop for Washington, noting that the priest “has made significant contributions to the pastoral life of this archdiocese.”

“Msgr. Fisher brings to this ministry recognized talent and demonstrated ability,” the cardinal said. “In particular, his concern for his brother priests, dedication to priestly ministry and his kind yet directive leadership will be gifts to this local Church as he serves in this new capacity.”

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Centenas de brasileiros foram escravizados por igreja evangélica nos Estados Unidos

BRAZIL
Diario de Noticias

First Published on July 24, 2017

By Lusa

Hundreds of Brazilians were enslaved by evangelical church in the United States

Igreja tirava os passaportes das vítimas, que falavam pouco inglês. Brasileiros eram depois forçados a trabalhar 15 horas por dia, sem salário

Centenas de brasileiros foram escravizados pela igreja evangélica Irmandade da Palavra da Fé (Word of Faith Fellowship Congregation) nos Estados Unidos, segundo uma investigação da agência de notícias Associated Press (AP) hoje divulgada.

De acordo com a investigação da AP, a Irmandade da Palavra da Fé utilizava as suas ramificações no Brasil para manter um fluxo constante de jovens trabalhadores — que viajavam com vistos de turistas ou estudantes — para o seu território de 14 hectares na zona rural de Spindale, na Carolina do Norte.

Os brasileiros falavam pouco a língua inglesa quando chegavam ao país e muitos viram os seus passaportes apreendidos. As vítimas eram forçadas a trabalhar 15 horas por dia, sem salário.

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Editorial: Investigate the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo

BUFFALO (NY)
Buffalo News

July 4, 2018

By Buffalo News Editorial Board

Imagine an organization. It’s well-regarded and has a long, storied history. But it has a dark side.

In addition to its many good works, certain members committed some of the worst offenses imaginable – crimes against children. Even worse, imagine that administrators had concocted a scheme to hush it all up in an effort to protect the organization.

A question inevitably arises: What then is the culpability of the organization?

In any setting but a church, the answer would be shouted from the courthouse steps. Should it be different when it is a church?

It shouldn’t, but in Erie County, it appears it is.

It is a matter of record here – and in Catholic dioceses around the world – that a notable minority of priests sexually abused children and that those cases were kept quiet. In some instances, priests were put on leave or, unthinkably, reassigned to other parishes.

Yet neither Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn Jr. nor Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood say they can follow the obvious trail and determine what responsibility, if any, extends into the church’s hierarchy. Both claim lack of jurisdiction, though expert observers disagree.

That leaves only a couple of likely explanations: lack of resources or, in a heavily Catholic region, lack of will.

The former is simply unacceptable, given the circumstances. So is the latter, but it also sells Catholics short. People of faith don’t need to be coddled. Strength is inherent in faith.

In other places, public officials have been willing to stand up for decency and accountability.

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Evangelical Lutheran synod updating sexual misconduct policy that doesn’t follow state law

ALLENTOWN (PA)
The Morning Call

July 2, 2018

By Tim Darragh

While six Catholic dioceses across the state await the release of a grand jury report cataloging decades of sexual misconduct by priests, the local synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church continues to operate under a sexual misconduct policy that doesn’t comply with state law.

The policy, posted on the Northeast Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church’s website, says those who receive complaints about sexual misconduct should “consider whether civil authorities need to be informed when the alleged victim(s) is a minor.”

Elsewhere on the site, the synod lists the state’s child protective services law, which requires all congregation leaders, paid church employees who work with children, volunteers over age 18 who work with children, Sunday school teachers, nursery attendants, vacation Bible school volunteers and youth group leaders to be “mandated reporters.” Contrary to the synod’s policy, mandated reporters must contact law enforcement if they suspect abuse of a minor; the law does not allow them to “consider” whether to report it or not.

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Harrisburg Diocese tried to stop grand jury investigating sex abuse claims, court documents say

LANCASTER (PA)
WGAL News 8

July 3, 2018

By Matt Barcaro

Harrisburg – The Harrisburg Catholic Diocese tried to stop a grand jury from investigating sex abuse claims last year, newly released court documents show.

This is the first time WGAL has confirmed details of dioceses trying to halt the grand jury probe.

According to the documents, the Harrisburg and Greensburg dioceses asked the court to stop the grand jury investigating sex abuse allegations at six dioceses in Pennsylvania. They argued that a grand jury can only be convened to investigate allegations of organized crime and public corruption.

A judge rejected that argument in November.

WGAL also learned the prior grand jury investigation into the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese ended without finishing its work. The current grand jury was needed to pick up where the previous one left off.

A spokesman for the Harrisburg Diocese said Tuesday that the diocese has always supported the release of the grand jury report but believes the investigation should have been handled by local district attorneys instead of a statewide grand jury.

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Out of the dark, into the light: With abuse reports released, bishop looks to the future of Erie Diocese

SHARON (PA)
The Herald

July 3, 2018

By Melissa Klaric

http://www.sharonherald.com/news/local_news/out-of-the-dark-into-the-light-with-abuse-reports/article_c4b90dce-1dc5-560d-a904-899f7ddb6739.html

With abuse reports released, bishop looks to the future of Erie Diocese

Erie – Bishop Lawrence T. Persico says he didn’t set out to be a trailblazer.

But he has been touted as the first Catholic bishop to release a complete list of names of people accused of misconduct, including not only priests affiliated with his Erie Diocese, but lay people as well. He has also received praise for expanding the role of the office for the protection of children and updating its policy.

“I just wanted to do what was right,” the bishop said.

And that is his intention moving forward, he says, as the grand jury report is about to be made public on its investigation into sexual misconduct allegations by clergy and lay people over the past 70 years. The report covers the Erie Diocese along with five others in Allentown, Greensburg, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh and Scranton.

Persico has had a chance to read the report on the Erie Diocese, but public release of the report was held up pending the resolution of legal issues. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro filed legal action Monday to have the report made public.

But now, in addition to looking back, the Erie bishop is looking forward.

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State Supreme Court should order release of grand jury report on child sexual abuse in Catholic dioceses

LANCASTER (PA)
Lancaster Online

July 5, 2018

By the LNP Editorial Board

https://lancasteronline.com/opinion/editorials/state-supreme-court-should-order-release-of-grand-jury-report/article_d3a7eb08-7f2c-11e8-af99-03e481700233.html

Those seeking to keep under wraps a grand jury report on child sexual abuse allegations in the Roman Catholic Church in Pennsylvania have until this afternoon to respond to a request to unseal it from The Associated Press, LNP and five other media organizations. As the AP reported, the deadline was set by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which put a stay on the release of the grand jury report last month. The grand jury’s supervising judge signaled his intention to file the report publicly, but its release was thwarted by the Supreme Court, which said it had to review legal challenges filed by individuals cited in the report. The grand jury investigation, which began in 2016, covered six of the state’s eight Catholic dioceses (grand jury reports on the Philadelphia and Altoona-Johnstown dioceses were released previously).

Metaphors of darkness and light are frequently invoked by religious leaders, in religious writing, in the Bible itself.

Sin is believed to dwell in the darkness. Redemption lies in the light.

The metaphor applies here, too: The grand jury report detailing sexual abuse and cover-ups of that abuse in Pennsylvania Catholic dioceses needs to be made public without further delay.

That way lies light and healing for the victims of abuse. And they should be the priority here — at long last, they should be the priority.

The only people served by keeping the report sealed are the alleged offenders and those who enabled them. And they’ve already been given too much time, and much too much slack, to elude accountability.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro took legal action Monday to press for the report’s release. He said in a statement that the “people of Pennsylvania have a right to see the report, know who is attempting to block its release and why, and to hear the voices of the victims of sexual abuse within the Church.”

We strongly agree.

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Appeal looming over ‘abuse’ at seminary by Wigan priest

WIGAN (ENGLAND)
Wigan Today

July 4, 2018

By Peter Magill

An appeal is set to be heard later this month for a Catholic priest convicted of repeatedly abusing a teenage boy at a seminary near Wigan.

Law lords will rule upon the case of Father Michael Higginbottom, who worked at St Joseph’s College at Up Holland in the late 70s, after a hearing on July 24.

The 74-year-old, who last lived at West Farm Road in Newcastle, is currently serving a 17-year jail sentence.

Appeal court judges will be asked to consider the verdicts on eight sexual offences, said to involve Higginbottom, between September 1978 and March 1979.

The priest was convicted of abusing his alleged victim while he was a physics teacher at St Joseph’s which trained young boys wanting to become priests.

Earlier this year the Court of Appeal gave the minister leave to appeal after considering submissions from his legal team.

Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett, sitting with Mr Justice Teare and Mr Justice Kerr, ruled that a previous fraud charge relating to the alleged victim, should have been admitted into evidence during the trial.

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French priest-therapist removed from ministry for alleged sexual abuse

MONTROUGE (FRANCE)
La Croix International

July 5, 2018

By Céline Hoyeau

Msgr. Tony Anatrella is accused of having practiced ‘body therapy’ in order to ‘heal’ homosexuality and of having been involved in sexual abuse

The French Catholic Church has announced sanctions against Msgr. Tony Anatrella, who has been the subject of accusations by his former patients for more than 15 years.

Msgr. Anatrella, 77, is accused of having practiced “body therapy” in order to “heal” homosexuality and of having been involved in sexual abuse.

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July 4, 2018

Juez envía a sacerdote a juicio de fondo, excluyen Arzobispado

SANTO DOMINGO (DOMINICAN REPUBLIC)
Listin Diario

July 4, 2018

[Judge sends priest to substantive trial, excludes archdiocese]

By Santiago Benjamín de la Cruz

Tras considerar que no se daban las condiciones legales para mantener la acusación en contra del Arzobispado de Santo Domingo en el caso del asesinato del menor Fernelis Carrión, por cuyo hecho guarda prisión el sacerdote Elvin Taveras Durán, el Segundo Juzgado de la Instrucción de Santo Domingo lo excluyó del caso y envió a juicio de fondo al acusado.

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