ABUSE TRACKER

CHILE
El Mostrador

June 28, 2018

[OPINION: Abuses in the Catholic Church: Why do we need a Truth Commission?]

By Daniela Bolívar

La Comisión debe ser un espacio de escucha y recibimiento para las víctimas, pero el acto de escuchar no es suficiente: debe reunir los testimonios y analizarlos en un informe que sea de conocimiento público, donde queden plasmados los abusos y las falencias estructurales y sistemáticas que podrían haber facilitado la ocurrencia o el encubrimiento. La Comisión y el documento que puede generar tienen, por lo tanto, un alto contenido simbólico de reconocimiento del daño individual y social causado, así como de las responsabilidades individuales e institucionales.

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MINNEAPOLIS (MN)
MPR News

July 3, 2018

By Kerri Miller and Manda Lillie with Julie Craven and Father Kevin Finnegan

[This is an audio recording of a 50-minute call-in show.]

Should congregants pay the price for decades of priest sex abuse

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis will need to pay victims of abuse more than $210 million in a settlement that has brought them to the seek bankruptcy protection.

This money will go to about 450 survivors who are represented in the settlement. About $40 million of the $210 million will be paid by the church; the rest will be paid by insurers.

How does the church move on from this? Do parishioners trust the process? Are they confident that the issue of sexual abuse is over within the church?

Host Kerri Miller spoke to two guests: Julie Craven who is the director of communications Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Minneapolis and Father Kevin Finnegan of Our Lady of Grace in Edina.

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LONDON (ENGLAND)
BBC

July 4, 2018

A Catholic archbishop in Australia says he will appeal against his conviction for concealing child sexual abuse.

Archbishop of Adelaide Philip Wilson was found guilty in May of covering up abuse by a paedophile priest in New South Wales (NSW).

He is the most senior Catholic globally to be convicted of the crime.

During his trial, Wilson denied that he knew of the abuse of altar boys by a paedophile priest in the 1970s. He has so far refused to step down.

“I am conscious of calls for me to resign and have taken them very seriously,” he said in a statement.

“However, at this time, I am entitled to exercise my legal rights and to follow the due process of law.”

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SPRINGFIELD (MA)
MassLive/The Republican

Updated July 3, 2018

By Anne-Gerard Flynn

The clergy sex abuse crisis for the Roman Catholic Church in Chile is widening beyond a Vatican investigation.

On June 13, Chilean police and prosecutors raided Church offices in two Chilean cities for documents related to the Church’s probe into the crisis carried out by Vatican investigator Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta.

On June 19, Chilean prosecutors questioned Sciciuna at the airport as he was preparing to depart, according to Reuters, about abuse cases involving 25 Marist brothers and 30 alleged victims that Sciciuna has been investigating during his recent visits.

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BATAVIA (NY)
The Daily News

July 3, 2018

By Matt Surtel and Mallory Diefenbach

http://www.thedailynewsonline.com/bdn01/allegations-against-former-area-priest-not-substantiated-diocese-says-as-alleged-victims-attorneys-protest-20180703

Dunkirk – A former Batavia priest has returned to active ministry after sexual abuse allegations against him were found to be “not substantiated.”

Rev. Dennis G. Riter was placed on administrative leave in March. He returned to his duties at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Dunkirk this past weekend.

The complaints against Riter had been investigated by former Erie County assistant district attorney Scott F. Riordan on behalf of the Buffalo Diocese. Riordan was assistant chief of the Sexual Assault Bureau in the Erie County District Attorney’s Office and is currently a village justice in Kenmore.

Riter was pastor from 2002 to 2009 at the former St. Mary’s Church in Batavia.

Allegations were made against Riter this past spring by two former altar boys and their families at a Buffalo-area church. They did not include Batavia.

The allegations were detailed in a news release issued Monday afternoon by Jeff Anderson and Associates, the firm representing Matthew Golden, one of the two altar boys who accused Riter of molesting him as a child.

In addition to the reports of two sexual abuse survivors, Golden and Nick Caetano, a May 1992 letter from a then-seminarian in the diocese to Bishop Edward D. Head and Bishop Edward Grosz, was uncovered by press reports and details the alleged abuse of another boy at Queen of All Saints in Lackawanna. The 1992 letter from a student at Christ the King Seminary detailed a father’s frantic search for his young son who had gone missing.

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NEW DELHI (INDIA)
Times of India

July 3, 2018

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kozhikode/sexual-abuse-by-priests-woman-record-statement-before-magistrate/articleshow/64844670.cms

Kottyam – The sworn affidavit of the woman who is alleged to have been sexually abused by four priests of the Orthodox Church was recorded before a Magistrate on Tuesday. The woman arrived at the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Thiruvalla by around 5.20pm to record the statement. Earlier in the day, the State Crime Branch officials had handed over the copy of the FIR against the four priests to the court and submitted an application for recording the statement of the woman under section 164.

The woman was presented before the Magistrate after conducting her medical tests. Merin Joseph SP was also added to the Crime Branch probe team.

In another related development, Crime Branch IG S Sreejith called on the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church head Catholicos Baselius Mar Thomas Paulose II at the church headquarters in Devalokam here on Tuesday. The officer arrived here around 1pm and spend over one hour in conversation with the church head behind closed doors. While leaving, Sreejith told the media persons that the church head has extended all possible help for the investigation of the case. The officer also apprised the church head of the status of the case and the also the possibility of the arrest of the priests. The Church head gave the go ahead for the officer regarding this.

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SANTO DOMINGO (DOMINICAN REPUBLIC)
DIARIO LIBRE

July 3, 2018

[The priest Elvin Taveras accused of murdering a young man is sent to trial]

El tribunal excluyó del caso al Arzobispado de Santo Domingo

El Segundo Juzgado de la Instrucción de Santo Domingo Este envió este martes a juicio de fondo al sacerdote Elvin Tavera Durán, quien está acusado del asesinato del adolescente y ex monaguillo Fernelis Carrión Saviñón en octubre del año pasado. El religioso fue suspendido por la Iglesia Católica tras darse a conocer el hecho.

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CHILE
El Dínamo

July 3, 2018

[Marianistas case: prosecutor’s office formalized priest accused of repeated sexual abuse against a minor]

Durante la mañana de este martes, la Fiscalía Metropolitana Sur formalizó al sacerdote José Burgos Lara por abusos sexuales en calidad de reiterados en contra de un menor.

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EMMANUEL (ISRAEL)
The Age

June 30, 2018

By Gabrielle Weiniger

Atop the shadow-cast hills at the northern end of the West Bank, in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish settlement of Emmanuel, abusers of children have found a safe haven.

Malka Leifer, the former Melbourne school principal and accused child molester, came to live here in 2016 after an Israeli judge found she was mentally unfit to face extradition to Australia.

And here, even though she is wanted by Victoria Police on 74 counts of alleged sexual assault and rape involving girls, one resident claims Leifer was able to continue abusing children, including his own teenage daughter, without consequence.

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CHICAGO (IL)
Chicago Tribune

July 3, 2018

By Katherine Rosenberg-Douglas

The Vatican on Tuesday announced three auxiliary bishops have been appointed to the Archdiocese of Chicago, replacing two who resigned their positions.

Pope Francis tapped the Revs. Mark Bartosic, Robert Casey and Ronald Hicks as bishops-elect until their episcopal ordination at Holy Name Cathedral, the seat of the Catholic Church in the Chicago area, on Sept. 17, according to the Archdiocese of Chicago.

In 2015, Hicks was appointed vicar general of the archdiocese by Cardinal Blase Cupich, Chicago’s archbishop; since then he has been celebrating Mass at a different parish each weekend. For the last two years, Bartosic has served as pastor of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary church in Little Village and has been director of the Kolbe House Jail Ministry. Casey serves on the placement board of the archdiocese, which involves assigning priests to parishes.

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COLUMBUS (OH)
Fox News

July 3, 2018

By Andrew O’Reilly

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, Tuesday denied reports that he “turned a blind eye” to alleged sexual abuse perpetrated against students by an Ohio State wrestling team doctor when the lawmaker coached at the university more than two decades ago.

“Congressman Jordan never saw any abuse, never heard about any abuse, and never had any abuse reported to him during his time as a coach at Ohio State,” Ian Fury, a spokesperson for Jordan, told Fox News.

“He has not been contacted by investigators about the matter but will assist them in any way they ask, because if what is alleged is true, the victims deserve a full investigation and justice.”

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COLUMBUS (OH)
The Associated Press

July 3, 2018

By Andrew Welsh-Huggins

An Ohio congressman isn’t being truthful when he says he wasn’t aware of allegations that a team doctor at Oho State University was abusing athletes, according to two former university wrestlers.

U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, a former standout college wrestler at the University of Wisconsin and later a coach at Ohio State, knew when he was at the university that the doctor was groping male wrestlers, said ex-wrestlers Mike DiSabato and Dunyasha Yetts.

The wrestlers’ allegations were first reported Tuesday by NBC. Jordan, a two-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion, denies them.

Jordan, a founder of the conservative Freedom Caucus, is one of the most powerful Republicans in Congress and a potential contender for speaker. He’s taken leading roles in fighting the Affordable Care Act and in pushing back against the government’s Russia investigation, most recently interrogating Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in committee.

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WASHINGTON (DC)
Washington Post

July 3, 2018

By Jena McGregor

Even in the #MeToo era, with heightened sensitivity to sexual harassment claims and fears of damaging headlines, companies might take an allegation of sexual misconduct a little less seriously than they do a claim of financial fraud. A new study suggests – at least when it comes to their public image – maybe they should not.

In a working paper reported by the Harvard Business Review, researchers at UCLA and the University of Amsterdam found even a single allegation about sexual harassment can damage the way people view an employer. There does not need to be a Harvey Weinstein on the payroll, with multiple allegations in play, to have an effect.

Even after one alleged violation, said Serena Does, one of the paper’s co-authors, “people adjusted their perceptions of how fair the organization was to men and women in much broader terms,” she said. “What we show is that a single claim is enough to set that psychological process into gear. When people get cues like this, they adjust their perceptions of inequality.”

Across several experimental studies using participants from the Amazon Mechanical Turk platform, the researchers found participants saw organizations with a sexual harassment claim not only as less equitable than those in a control group, where no misconduct was reported, but as less equitable in those with other transgressions, such as those with financial misconduct allegations.

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NEW YORK (NY)
The Washington Post

July 2, 2018

By Elahe Izadi

Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein faces additional counts of sexual assault that could carry a potential life sentence if he is convicted, prosecutors announced Monday.

A Manhattan grand jury voted to charge the once-powerful movie executive with the two counts of predatory assault, which carry a minimum 10-year sentence, and an additional count of criminal sexual act in the first degree, stemming from what prosecutors said was a forcible sexual act against a woman in 2006.

The three new charges add to three other counts Weinstein was charged with in May that stemmed from encounters with women in 2004 and 2013.

“A Manhattan grand jury has now indicted Harvey Weinstein on some of the most serious sexual offenses that exist under New York’s penal law,” Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said in a statement. “This indictment is the result of the extraordinary courage exhibited by the survivors who have come forward.”

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SAN FRANCISCO (CA)
The Associated Press

July 2, 2018

A Northern California judge has dismissed criminal charges against the founder of a startup tech company who was arrested and charged last year with assaulting and sexually abusing a toddler.

Zain Jaffer, the founder of mobile advertising company Vungle, said Monday that he was grateful to the San Mateo County district attorney’s office for taking a closer look at the evidence and requesting that the case be dismissed.

District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said he sees the dismissal as evidence of the judicial system working as intended.

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NEW YORK (NY)
Reuters

July 2, 2018

By Brendan Pierson

The Manhattan district attorney on Monday announced new criminal charges against film producer Harvey Weinstein, accusing him of sexually assaulting a third woman in addition to the two mentioned in earlier charges.

The new indictment accuses Weinstein of forcibly performing oral sex on a woman in July 2006. The new charges, which include predatory sexual assault, carry a sentence of 10 years to life in prison, according to the office of District Attorney Cyrus Vance.

Weinstein, 66, once one of Hollywood’s most powerful filmmakers, has pleaded not guilty to the first set of charges and has denied ever having non-consensual sex. His lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, could not be reached immediately for comment on Monday.

Vance issued a statement about the new charges saying, “This indictment is the result of the extraordinary courage exhibited by the survivors who have come forward. Our investigation continues.”

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AUSTRALIA
9News

July 2, 2018

By Ben Avery

Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson is hours away from learning if he’ll go to jail for covering up child sex abuse by a paedophile priest.

The 67-year-old will be sentenced by a Magistrate at Newcastle Court at 9.30am tomorrow, after already being found guilty of the crime in a landmark verdict on May 22.

Magistrate Robert Stone found Wilson failed to report the repeated abuse of two altar boys by paedophile Priest Jim Fletcher in the 1970s.

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CHEYENNE (WY)
KGWN

July 2, 2018

By Britney Carter

The Wyoming Bishop is releasing results in an investigation against one of their own.

Bishop Steven Biegler of the Diocese of Cheyenne says he will continue restrictions on Bishop Emeritus Joseph Hart due to sexual abuse allegations. The allegations came from 2 boys from Wyoming.

Hart served as the Bishop of Cheyenne from 1976 to 2001.

In the release, the Bishop says in 2002 the District Attorney in Casper issued a report that there was no evidence to support the allegations. However, after civil claims against Bishop Hart in Kansas, Biegler ordered an internal investigation in December of last year.

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WORCESTER (MA)
Telegram & Gazette

June 29, 2018

By Clive McFarlane

In 1974, Joseph A. Fredette, a local priest and the live-in manager of a halfway house for juvenile delinquents, fled the country after Worcester police issued a warrant for his arrest on charges that he had sexually assaulted some of the boys in his care.

Years later, as the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal dominated headlines, a dogged pair of Telegram & Gazette reporters, Kathy Shaw and George Griffin, began searching for the fugitive priest. The duo learned that the priest, after fleeing the country, had been writing frequently to one of his victims, who shared the letters with Mr. Griffin and Ms. Shaw.

From those letters they were able to pinpoint his location and contact him in New Brunswick, Canada.

“I called him up, and I thought he was going to crap in his pants,” Mr. Griffin, now an adjunct professor at Worcester State University, recalled.

After the priest hung up and refused to accept further calls, Mr. Griffin said, he and Ms. Shaw flipped a coin to decide which of them would go to Canada to confront him.

Ms. Shaw won the honors, and in her bio she described “walking up and rapping on the front door of his rustic house in the wilderness,” and discovering that “questions had been raised by some area residents regarding young men he had living with him when he served in a nearby parish.”

The pair’s investigative work eventually led to the priest being extradited back to Massachusetts to face trial in 1994.

“It remains the only time one of these pedophile priests has been extradited from another country to stand trial here,” Mr. Griffin noted.

For Ms. Shaw, who died on Sunday, that investigative effort was the start of what would become a lifelong commitment to chronicling the atrocities of the clergy sexual abuse scandal, a commitment she kept up to her death.

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CHEYENNE (WY)
Casper Star-Tribune

July 2, 2018

By Seth Klamann

A former Cheyenne bishop sexually abused two Wyoming boys and a 2002 investigation into the claims by the Casper district attorney — which found the allegations had no evidence — was “flawed,” the diocese alleged Monday in an announcement.

Joseph Hart served as the bishop or auxiliary bishop of Cheyenne from 1976 to 2001. Before that, he was a priest in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph in Missouri for 20 years. He faced allegations of sexual abuse from several men from his time in Missouri. He has repeatedly denied the allegations in Wyoming and Kansas City and did so again Monday in a statement from his lawyer. He said he would cooperate with any investigation related to the claims.

According to a diocese statement, a Wyoming man had accused Hart of sexual abuse by 2002, and a second man came forward recently. Former Natrona County District Attorney Kevin Meenan investigated the claims in 2002 and found “there was no evidence to support the allegations,” according to the diocese.

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COLLEGE STATION (TX)
The Associated Press

July 1, 2018

As Texas A&M University faces backlash from current and former students over its handling of sexual assault allegations, records since 2003 show that 20 students were allowed to continue attending classes after the school found them responsible for sexual misconduct.

A review of thousands of student conduct hearings by the Houston Chronicle comes as Texas’ largest public university is under scrutiny after a female student in June accused the school of not doing enough to punish her alleged assailant, who was suspended one semester and allowed to rejoin the swim team.

The cases reviewed by the newspaper included a total of 51 students since 2003 held responsible for sexual misconduct, which can include sexual abuse, sexual contact or sexual assault. Ten students were expelled, and 21 were suspended.

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INDIANAPOLIS (IN)
Indianapolis Star

July 3, 2018

By Tim Swarens

One of Matt Sprague’s most searing memories, he says, is of being trafficked out of hotel rooms during Indianapolis 500 race weekends

Kelly Sprague knew her husband had a severe problem.

Night after night, he thrashed about violently in their bed. He wandered the house aimlessly in the early morning hours. He cut himself with knives.

All while he slept.

Matt Sprague recalls the exhaustion he felt when he woke up each morning. He also understands now that he suffered from deepening depression, and a lifelong struggle with negative self-talk — which left him feeling worthless after even small mistakes or minor criticisms — had become harder to control.

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MONTPELIER (VT)
The Associated Press

July 1, 2018

By David Jordan

A new Vermont law inspired by the #MeToo movement strengthen protections for workers facing sexual harassment.

The law taking effect Sunday extends the types of employees protected from sexual harassment, which now includes interns, volunteers and independent contractors.

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UNITED STATES
Glamour

June 30, 2018

By Julyssa Lopez

Our favorite ladies in leotards returned to Netflix on Friday with the second-season premiere of GLOW, and, as predicted, there’s a ton the characters need to untangle as they duke it out in the wrestling ring. In a candid interview with Mashable, show star Alison Brie went into some of the issues that the new episodes are tackling (no pun intended) and shared that #MeToo figures into one of the storylines—an experience that made her confront her own attitudes about misconduct in Hollywood.

Without spoiling too much, there’s an episode where Brie’s character, Ruth, has a gross encounter with the head of a TV network. The executive seems interested in talking about Ruth’s career ambitions and invites her to his hotel, where an upsetting incident unfolds. The scenes mirrors the many casting couch stories women have come forward with amid the #MeToo movement, and Brie says they made her do some personal reflecting.

“Shooting those scenes did bring up some personal feelings for me—which I sort of didn’t expect,” Brie told Mashable. “Honestly, when I first read it I was like, ‘Is this scene bad enough? Is he really doing anything bad?’ And then I had to stop and realize, ‘Oh, wow, I’ve been in a lot of bad situations. And I’ve really normalized that kind behavior, even for myself.'”

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CONCORD (NH)
The Associated Press

July 1, 2018

By Holly Ramer

An elite prep school’s decision to pay for therapy for sexually abused alumni mirrors an increasingly successful approach taken by other institutions, according to victims and their advocates.

St. Paul’s School in Concord recently announced three initiatives to support abuse survivors: an independent arbitration system for those seeking monetary compensation, an alumni-led effort to encourage further discussion and the victims’ therapy fund.

Sexual abuse scandals at New England boarding schools in recent years have resulted in investigations, efforts to adopt safeguards for students and requests for alumni to come forward with memories of misconduct. Several schools have created victim therapy funds, including Choate Rosemary Hall in Connecticut and St. George’s School in Rhode Island.

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BOSTON (MA)
Entertainment Weekly

July 1, 2018

By Maureen Lee Lenker

Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Junot Díaz has vehemently denied allegations of sexual misconduct and misogynistic verbal abuse leveled against him by three women in May.

In his first interview since he was accused of inappropriate behavior, Díaz told The Boston Globe he was “shocked” by the allegations. “I was, like, ‘Yo, this doesn’t sound like anything that’s in my life, anything that’s me,’” he said.

Díaz also tried to differentiate between his fiction (which often features male characters treating women poorly) and his own life, and between sexual misconduct and consensual relationships gone awry. “There is a line between being a bad boyfriend and having a lot of regret, and predatory behavior,” he said.

In early May, Díaz was accused of cornering and forcibly kissing writer Zinzi Clemmons when she was a grad student, and of verbally bullying two other fellow writers, Carmen Maria Machado and Monica Byrne. The accusations came in the wake of Díaz’s own revelation in an essay that he had been sexually assaulted as a child.

Immediately following the accusations, Díaz issued a statement to the New York Times that said, “I take responsibility for my past. That is the reason I made the decision to tell the truth of my rape and its damaging aftermath. This conversation is important and must continue. I am listening to and learning from women’s stories in this essential and overdue cultural movement. We must continue to teach all men about consent and boundaries.”

Speaking to the Globe, Díaz lamented that statement. “I’ve written a lot of crap in my life,” he said. “One does when one’s a writer. But, definitely, that statement is the worst thing I’ve written, the worst thing I’ve put my name to. Boy, I wish I’d had the presence of mind to rewrite the damn thing.”

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LONDON (ONTARIO, CANADA)
The Star

June 28, 2018

By Sandro Contenta and Mary Ormsby

This is how money was paid out in settlements involving the Roman Catholic Diocese of London, Ont.

A one-page document filed with London’s Superior Court provides a rare window at how a Canadian diocese dealt with a string of sexual abuse allegations against its priests. The chart was part of a decade-long court battle between the Roman Catholic Diocese of London and its insurance company. The settlement amounts total $15 million, plus legal and other costs. We provide a breakdown.

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SALT LAKE CITY (UT)
Daily Herald

June 28, 2018

By Genelle Pugmire

When Kristy Johnson was just starting first grade in the 1960s, life changed for her at home as well.

Now, decades later, Kristy Johnson, of La Habra, California, has filed a complaint and is seeking a jury trial against her father, Dr. Melvin Kay Johnson, of Lehi, with the U.S. District Court District of Utah, Central Division.

Kristy Johnson is accusing her father of years of sex abuse that occurred in their home, and in other locations. The family are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

While not a defendant in the case, the lawsuit call the LDS Church to task for the way in which members are reportedly counseled to handle sex abuse issues. The case seeks changes to the LDS Handbooks 1 and 2 when it comes to zero tolerance.

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SALT LAKE CITY (UT)
The Salt Lake Tribune

June 28, 2018

By Courtney Tanner and Nate Carlisle
·
Kristy Johnson remembers the routine. Growing up, her father would take her to a basketball game at Brigham Young University, where he worked, and each time, after the final buzzer, they’d walk over to his office. There, she says, he would close the door, lock it and molest her for a few minutes.

They always went out for ice cream when he was done.

Johnson says she was 6 years old when it started. Now, 55, she says it’s time for him to be held accountable.

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NOVA SCOTIA (CANADA)
The Chronicle Herald

June 29, 2018

By Aaron Beswick

A 193-year-old monastery in northern Nova Scotia has been put up for sale against the wishes of the local diocese and the nuns who live there.

The sale coincides with a lawsuit against the Chicago-based Order of St. Augustine, also known as the Augustinians of the Midwest Province.

That group administers a charity called Augustinian Fathers (Ontario) Inc., which claims to own the monastery.

The Our Lady of Grace Monastery in the community of Monastery, Antigonish County, has been listed for $895,000. The 361-hectare property includes a 60,000-square-foot, three-storey residence, church, central heating plant, a 15,000-square-foot barn/wood shop, house, gymnasium and five nuns who don’t want to leave.

Mother Superior Gloria told The Chronicle Herald that in February the parent order informed her that the monastery would be put up for sale if they didn’t buy it for $790,000.

“But we have no money,” said the Mother Superior.

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CORPUS CHRISTI (TX)
Corpus Christi Caller Times

June 28, 2018

By Eleanor Dearman

Krzysztof Bauta, a Catholic priest released from his job at a Port Aransas church last year, is accused of stealing at least $150,000 from the diocese, court documents show.

In December 2017, officials from the Diocese of Corpus Christi met with a Texas Ranger. They alleged Bauta “had continuously stolen or defrauded the Diocese out of a large sum of money from July 2013 through December 2017,” an arrest warrant affidavit shows.

Bauta was arrested Tuesday by Texas Rangers for theft, a second-degree felony, according to his booking sheet. Sgt. Nathan Brandley, of the Texas Department of Public Safety, confirmed the arrest and said “there is still an open and ongoing investigation going on with the Texas Rangers.”

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ALLENTOWN (PA)
The Morning Call

June 27, 2018

By Paul Muschick

The anger and disappointment over the last-minute hold on a potentially damning grand jury report on priest sex abuse in Pennsylvania is understandable.

The victims, the Catholic faithful and the public have waited too long already for these secrets to be spilled. We want the names. We want to know whether church officials or others tried to cover up their despicable actions.

The legal maneuvering to delay, or permanently block, publication of the report is being viewed as just another attempt to keep these secrets buried. I can see why. History shows the church has not handled these scandals well. Fears of continued cover-ups are warranted.

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BOSTON (MA)
Catholic Culture

Jun 20, 2018

By Phil Lawler

At least fifteen years ago, I wrote a confidential email message to a few trusted friends, telling them to brace themselves. Within a few days, I said, a major secular newspaper would break a sensational story about Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. To my surprise, the newspaper never ran the story—which finally came out today.

At the time, several reporters had spoken with me about the cardinal. Most had been unable to find anyone willing to go on record with complaints. Rod Dreher, one of the journalists who was investigating the rumors, now writes about the frustration he felt when witnesses refused to go public. I ran into the same brick wall; while I heard multiple accusations, without a willing witness I had only hearsay evidence. But at least one reporter found a former seminarian who was ready to tell his story—or so I was told. Yet that story never emerged— at least not in the mainstream media.

Today Rod Dreher reveals that a delegation had gone to Rome sometime before 2000, to caution Vatican officials against the rumored appointment of then-Archbishop McCarrick as Cardinal-archbishop of Washington. Their advice was ignored. In 2003, as the rumor mill churned, I heard that a bold American bishop had confronted the cardinal, urging him to resign in order to avoid a scandal. Again the plea was dismissed.

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KANSAS CITY (MO)
National Catholic Reporter

June 21, 2018

by Michael Sean Winters

Cardinal Theodore McCarrick resigned from public ministry yesterday after the Holy See determined that allegations of sexual abuse against a minor dating back almost 50 years were “credible and substantiated.” The Archdiocese of Newark and the Diocese of Metuchen also released information that allegations of sexual misconduct with adults against McCarrick had been made in the past, with two of the three allegations resulting in a settlement.

McCarrick served as a priest for 60 years. He served the church as president of the Catholic University in Puerto Rico, as bishop of Metuchen, New Jersey, and as archbishop of Newark, New Jersey, and later of Washington. He became a cardinal and participated in the conclave of 2005 that elected Pope Benedict XVI. McCarrick was a “man of the conference” serving on a variety of committees over the years.

He was one of the church’s foremost ambassadors, traveling to countries most of us could not spell and some we had never heard of, building relationships across ethnic and racial and denominational lines. Even in retirement, his schedule would have been daunting to a person half his age, but he kept at it. All for the good of the church.

None of that protected him from the charge of having abused a minor. None of it should have protected him. It is now clear that after years, decades and probably centuries of covering up the crimes of the clergy regarding the sexual abuse of children, now a regime of transparency and accountability is firmly enough in place that no one, not even a cardinal, can be considered above the law. They may get a pass for other crimes and failings, but not this. For all the continued problems — the Chile situation, the curial foot-dragging that led Marie Collins to resign from the Pontifical Commission on Child Protection — the culture at the Holy See has begun to change on this issue. Twenty years ago, such allegations would have been swept under the rug. Not anymore.

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SANTIAGO (CHILE)
La Nacion

June 28, 2018

[Church investigates another priest accused of sexual abuse 30 years ago]

By Giselle Saure

Mientras dure el proceso de investigación, el clérigo ha sido apartado del oficio sus oficio y no puede realizar actos públicos propios de su ministerio.

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CHILE
Tele13 Radio

June 13, 2018

[Accuser of former Bishop Duarte: “The process of purification of the Chilean Church” has begun]

[AUDIO]

El ex seminarista aseguró que existe un movimiento anti Papa, el que plantea que se están cometiendo errores doctrinales serios.

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CHILE
El Dínamo

June 12, 2018

[Accuser of former Bishop Duarte: “There are ultra-conservative anti-Pope movements that are gaining strength”]

A poco más de 24 horas de que se confirmara que el Papa Francisco aceptara la renuncia de cuatro obispos, el ex seminarista de San Rafael y denunciante del renunciado Gonzalo Duarte, Sebastián del Río, celebró la noticia, pero sostuvo que la Iglesia chilena ha actuado de manera torpe cuando a las denuncias de abuso por parte de religiosos.

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SANTO DOMINGO (DOMINICAN REPUBLIC)
Listin Diario

June 30, 2018

[Preliminary hearing for priest accused of killing altar boy is recessed until next Tuesday]

By Wanda Méndez

El Segundo Juzgado de la Instrucción de la provincia Santo Domingo recesó para el próximo martes, a las 9:00 de la mañana, el conocimiento de la audiencia preliminar seguida al sacerdote Elvin Taveras Durán, acusado de asesinar al monaguillo Fernelis Carrión Saviñón, el 4 de agosto del 2017.

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VIÑA DEL MAR, VALPARAÍSO (CHILE)
Quinta Visión

July 2, 2018

[Interview with Monsignor Gonzalo Duarte, former bishop of Valparaíso.]

[VIDEO] A Fondo. Monseñor Gonzalo Duarte García de Cortázar. Ex Obispo de Valparaíso.
Conduce Rodrigo Oliver.

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CHILE
El Dínamo

July 3, 2018

[Former Bishop of Valparaíso accuses complainant of sexual abuse of “changing history”]

A semanas de que el Papa Francisco aceptara su renuncia junto a la de Cristián Caro y Juan Barros, el ex obispo de Valparaíso, Gonzalo Duarte, se refirió a la decisión que lo llevó a presentar su dimisión.

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CUENCA (ECUADOR)
El Comercio

July 3, 2018

[The Catholic Church issues a second statement on the investigations of the Cuenca priest]

Este lunes 2 de julio, la Arquidiócesis de Cuenca remitió un segundo comunicado –casi en los mismos términos que el del 30 de mayo- sobre las investigaciones que se siguen contra el sacerdote cuencano, César C., de 91 años de edad.

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NEWCASTLE (AUSTRALIA)
ABC

July 1, 2018

By Giselle Wakatama and Liz Farquhar

Prominent Hunter Valley clerical abuse survivors will boycott a Catholic safeguarding standards forum, saying it is a sham that lacks independence.

A consultation forum will be held in Newcastle today as part of an Australia-wide engagement with survivors of child sexual abuse, advocates, Catholic Church personnel and others to discuss draft national Catholic safeguarding standards.

The standards are being developed by the company Catholic Professional Standards Ltd (CPSL), established by the Catholic Church as part of its response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse to develop, audit and report on compliance with professional safeguarding standards across Catholic entities.

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NEWCASTLE (AUSTRALIA)
ABC via The Guardian

July 3, 2018

[A brief video showing clips from two survivors’ statements.]

Peter Gogarty and Daniel Feenan speak outside Newcastle local court after Philip Wilson was sentenced to 12 months’ detention for concealing child sexual abuse. The Adelaide archbishop is the most senior Catholic official in the world to be convicted over his failure to report to police the abuse of two altar boys by a paedophile priest in the 1970s. He is likely to be spared time in prison.

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PITTSBURGH (PA)
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

July 2, 2018

By Peter Smith

http://www.post-gazette.com/news/faith-religion/2018/07/02/Pennsylvania-Roman-Catholic-dioceses-sexual-abuse-report-Supreme-Court-grand-jury/stories/201806260169

At a recent weekday Mass, the Rev. Lou Vallone dealt directly with the looming grand jury report on sexual abuse in Pittsburgh’s and five other Pennsylvania Roman Catholic dioceses.

“We know it’s coming, we know it’s not going to be pleasant, but we know it’s necessary,” said Father Vallone, pastor of St. John of God Parish in McKees Rocks and St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Crescent. As the church teaches about its sacrament of penance or confession, he said, “the sinner has to go in and say, ‘I did this,’ or he’s never going to be on the path of reconciliation.”

As the Pennsylvania Supreme Court considers whether and when to authorize the release of the voluminous grand jury report, some priests are raising the issue with parishioners, but others are waiting until the report comes out to respond to it.

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HARRISBURG (PA)
Associated Press

July 2, 2018

By Mark Scolforo

[This article provides a link to a docket that lists the media motion, Application to Intervene to Seek Public Access to Grand Jury Report and Associated Docket Sheets.]

A lengthy report into allegations of sexual abuse and related cover-ups within Pennsylvania’s Roman Catholic churches remained on hold Monday, as the state’s highest court gave those who wanted to keep the grand jury report under wraps three days to weigh in.

The state Supreme Court, through its filing office, told lawyers for those who have pending appellate challenges to the report’s release that they will have until Thursday afternoon to respond to a request to unseal it by The Associated Press and six other media organizations.

The media organizations on Friday asked to intervene and make the argument to the Supreme Court that the report should be released. They said those who wanted to respond to the report itself had apparently already been given such an opportunity by the judge who supervised the investigative grand jury.

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KANSAS CITY (MO)
National Catholic Reporter

June 29, 2018

By Michael Sean Winters

The news broke last week that Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the retired archbishop of Washington, had been ordered to abstain from any public ministry because of a credible and substantiated allegation of sexual abuse against a minor. We also learned that two settlements had been made in New Jersey involving adults who alleged sexual impropriety against the cardinal when he served as a bishop and archbishop in that state. Cardinal Joseph Tobin, who is now the archbishop of Newark, also announced that he was lifting the confidentiality requirement those settlements contained, and he said the victims could come forward if they wished to do so. I stand by what I wrote at the time the news broke.

Then, some in the media decided that this information warranted opening a floodgate of rumors and speculations, not only about McCarrick but also about reporters covering the Catholic Church. Phil Lawler, at CatholicCulture.org, wrote “How did Cardinal McCarrick’s secret last so long?” He concludes that short essay by suggesting the press was either lazy or biased. “Why were so many journalists willing to let the rumors go unexplored? Or, if they did explore the rumors, why were they willing to drop the story, at a time when so many other allegations were splashed across the headlines?” Lawler asked. “Could it be because, for anyone seeking to influence a cardinal, the threat of disclosure is more effective than disclosure itself?”

Rod Dreher was one of the journalists who tried to nail down the stories about McCarrick’s sexual deviancy in the beginning part of the century and he used the new revelation to print now rumors about McCarrick’s behavior that he did not print previously. He dismissed McCarrick’s claim of innocence, writing at The American Conservative, “Innocence? I believe McCarrick is lying, and that he knows he is lying. I have been waiting for this story to break since 2002.” The power of denial in sexual matters is much stronger than Dreher thinks, and McCarrick could well think he is telling the truth if he has repressed this incident.

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CASPER AND CHEYENNE (WY)
WTWO

July 2, 2018

By Fr. Carl Gallinger, Vicar General
With comment by Tom Morton

[This article helpfully provides the text of a PDF press release of the Diocese of Cheyenne, and identifies the DA referenced in the release as Kevin Meenan.]

A former bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Cheyenne, which covers the geographical area of Wyoming, allegedly abused two boys during his tenure, according to a statement from the Bishop Steven Biegler on Monday.

This is the statement verbatim from the diocesan website:

“Bishop Steven Biegler of the Diocese of Cheyenne said that he is continuing restrictions on Bishop-Emeritus Joseph Hart, due to a new investigation of allegations that he sexually abused two boys from Wyoming after he became Bishop of Cheyenne. Hart served as Bishop or Auxiliary Bishop of Cheyenne from 1976 to 2001. From 1956 to 1976, he was a priest of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph.

“Beginning in 1989 and thereafter, several men alleged that Bishop Hart sexually abused them years earlier when he was a priest in Kansas City and they were boys. By 2002, a Wyoming man accused the bishop of sexually abusing him as a boy. The man said it occurred in a sacramental confession and on outings after Hart had become the bishop in Wyoming. Recently, a second Wyoming man alleged that Bishop Hart also abused him.

“In 2002, the District Attorney in Casper, Wyoming, issued a report concluding “that there was no evidence to support the allegations” originating in Wyoming. The Diocese of Cheyenne now questions that conclusion based upon a recently completed exhaustive investigation.

“As a result of civil claims against the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, based on alleged sexual misconduct by Father Joseph Hart and other priests, there were financial settlements in 2008 and 2014. However, there were no trials and no determination of guilt or innocence. Bishop Hart has consistently denied all allegations that he sexually abused minors.

“Since this matter was not resolved, Biegler ordered a fresh, thorough investigation. In December 2017, he retained an outside investigator who obtained substantial new evidence and concluded that the District Attorney’s 2002 investigation was flawed and that Bishop Hart sexually abused two boys in Wyoming. The Diocesan Review Board reviewed the investigative report and concurred with the investigator’s assessment that the allegations are credible and substantiated.

“In March 2018, the Diocese reported the alleged abuse to the Cheyenne District Attorney as required by Diocesan policy, national Catholic Church policy, and Wyoming law. The Cheyenne Police Department then opened an investigation. The Diocese is cooperating with that investigation. In May 2018, Bishop Biegler sent the Initial Investigation (Investigatio Praevia) report to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) in Rome.

“Previously, Bishop Paul Etienne restricted Bishop Hart from celebrating public liturgical services in the Diocese of Cheyenne. Bishop Steven Biegler learned of the allegations when he was ordained the Bishop of Cheyenne in June 2017. He continued the restrictions. The Congregation for Bishops in Rome has extended these same restrictions everywhere. After the recent investigation, Bishop Biegler decided that St.Joseph’s Children’s Home in Torrington should remove Hart’s name from a building in the facility.

“Bishop Biegler concluded, ‘I hope that our investigation will lead to a final determination by the CDF that these sexual abuse allegations against Bishop Hart are credible and require disciplinary action. Nothing is more important that the safety of our children. We have zero tolerance for sexual abuse of any kind. 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.'”

___________

The District Attorney referred to in Bishop Biegler’s press release was Kevin Meenan. In 2003, Meenan was indicted and later pleaded guilty to forgery and identity theft involving his stepchildren in 2003. Before he left office in 2010, former Gov. Dave Freudenthal pardoned him.

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KANSAS CITY (MO)
Kansas City Star

July 2, 2018

By Judy L. Thomas

A former Kansas City priest who went on to become a Wyoming bishop has been credibly accused of sexually abusing two boys, the bishop of the Diocese of Cheyenne said Monday in a surprise announcement in which he criticized a previous investigation by civil authorities as “flawed.”

Bishop Steven Biegler, of the Diocese of Cheyenne, said he was continuing restrictions placed years ago on Bishop-Emeritus Joseph Hart after a new investigation into allegations that he sexually abused two Wyoming boys found the claims to be “credible and substantiated.”

“Nothing is more important than the safety of our children,” Biegler said. “We have zero tolerance for sexual abuse of any kind. 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, 86, served as Bishop or Auxiliary Bishop of Cheyenne from 1976 to 2001. He was a priest of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph from 1956 to 1976.

Starting in 1989 and after, several men alleged that Hart had sexually abused them when he was a priest in Kansas City and they were boys. In 2002, a Wyoming man accused Hart of sexually abusing him as a boy. The abuse, the man said, occurred in sacramental confession and on outings after Hart had become bishop.

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NEW YORK CITY (NY)
New York Times

July 2, 2018

By Adam Baidawi

Melbourne, Australia – The highest-ranking Catholic official to have been found guilty of concealing sexual crimes against children was sentenced to 12 months in detention by an Australian court on Tuesday.

The official, Philip Wilson, the archbishop of Adelaide, was sentenced a month after being found guilty of failing to report child sexual abuse. Archbishop Wilson is expected to serve his sentence under home detention, if a court agrees to the arrangement.

After his conviction, the archbishop gave up his duties but refused to resign. He was convicted of covering up abuse by a priest, Jim Fletcher, in the state of New South Wales in the 1970s.

“We have made history in Australia,” said Peter Gogarty, an abuse survivor, according to ABC News.

There were no immediate indications on Tuesday that the archbishop would resign. Bishop Greg O’Kelly, who was appointed to administer the Adelaide archdiocese after Archbishop Wilson gave up his duties, said in a statement that his role had not changed.

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HARRISBURG (PA)
Associated Press

July 2, 2018

By Mark Scolforo

[See the complaint.]

Two sisters asked a judge Monday to invalidate broad confidentiality agreements other family members made with a Pennsylvania Roman Catholic diocese so they can speak publicly about sexual abuse at the hands of a parish priest more than two decades ago.

The lawsuit in county court in Harrisburg by two adult women said their silence was required in settlements made with the Harrisburg Diocese over sexual abuse of two other sisters in the same family by the Rev. Augustine Michael Giella.

New Jersey court records indicate Giella confessed to fondling one of the girls and taking photos of her unclothed. Giella was facing sexual assault, child endangerment and child pornography charges in Ocean County, New Jersey, when he died in 1993 at about age 72.

A spokesman for the Harrisburg Diocese, Mike Barley, said it no longer enforces nondisclosure agreements in priest abuse settlements.

“There’s nothing that would prevent them from speaking,” Barley said.

The four sisters’ lawyer, Ben Andreozzi, said he wants to get that in writing before the four women speak publicly about what they endured.

Andreozzi said all four women have appeared before a grand jury that spent two years investigating child sexual abuse in the dioceses of Allentown, Erie, Greensburg, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh and Scranton, churches with 1.7 million members.

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LONDON (ENGLAND)
BBC

July 2, 2018

By Simon Atkinson

[Note: This is a 2 1/2 minute video interview of survivor Peter Creigh, who was abused by Fr. James Fletcher. Creigh informed now-Archbishop Philip Wilson twice about Fletcher’s crime, but no action was taken.]

Australian archbishop Philip Wilson has become the highest-ranking member of the Catholic Church to be convicted of covering up sex abuse.

On Tuesday, the archbishop of Adelaide was given a maximum sentence of 12 months in detention.

A victim of that concealed abuse tells the BBC how his story was ignored more than 40 years ago – and the destruction that caused.

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NEW DELHI (INDIA)
Indian Express

July 3, 2018

By Shaju Philip

The issue has rocked the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, a prominent non-Catholic Church in Kerala, after the victim’s husband wrote to the Church, alleging that the priests had blackmailed and abused his wife, a school teacher.

Kerala Crime Branch on Monday registered a rape case against four priests of Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church who have been accused of sexually exploiting a married woman belonging to their Church.

The issue has rocked the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, a prominent non-Catholic Church in Kerala, after the victim’s husband wrote to the Church, alleging that the priests had blackmailed and abused his wife, a school teacher.

Last week, veteran CPM leader V S Achuthanandan had moved a complaint with the state police chief, seeking a probe into the allegations.

Subsequently, the Crime Branch recorded the woman’s statement, leading to the case against the four priests, three of them married — in Malankara Orthodox Church, priests have the option to lead a married life. The accused priests are Jaise K George, Abraham Varghese, Johnson V Mathew and Job Mathew.

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NEWCASTLE (AUSTRALIA)
ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

July 3, 2018

By Nancy Notzon

Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson has been sentenced to 12 months’ detention for concealing child sexual abuse.

Magistrate Robert Stone adjourned the matter to August 14 while Wilson’s home detention order is assessed for suitability.

He will be eligible for parole after six months.

In May, the 67-year-old was found guilty of concealing the sexual abuse of children between 2004 and 2006 at the hands of paedophile priest Jim Fletcher in the 1970s.

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NEWCASTLE (AUSTRALIA)
Associated Press

June 3, 2018

By Rod McGuirk

The most senior Roman Catholic cleric in the world to be convicted of covering up child sex abuse was sentenced in an Australian court on Tuesday to 12 months in detention.

Newcastle Magistrate Robert Stone ordered Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson to serve at least 6 months before he is eligible for parole.

But Wilson will not immediately go into custody. Stone will consider on Aug. 14 whether Wilson is suitable for home detention. He could live with his sister near Newcastle.

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YORK (PA)
York Daily Record

June 29, 2018

By Randy Parker

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro does not intend to let his investigation into child sexual abuse in the Catholic church go unnoticed.

On Friday, Shapiro said that he would take legal action next week to allow him to release a grand jury report on allegations of such abuse.

Earlier this month, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court blocked the release of the report that details clergy sexual abuse cases in six Catholic dioceses across the state.

The Supreme Court had invited the attorney general to “lodge an objection to a continued stay” of the report’s release. In a news release Friday, Shapiro said he would do just that on Monday.

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MECHANICSBURG (PA)
PennLive

July 2, 2018

By Ivey DeJesus

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro last week vowed to petition the state’s high court to allow the release of a long-awaited grand jury report on clergy sex abuse.

Shapiro may have done just that on Monday – or not.

PennLive had no way of confirming either way since all documents pertaining to the report remain under tight seal.

Shapiro on Monday was poised to petition the state Supreme Court to release the findings of a grand jury investigation into the sex abuse of children by priests across the state.

Shapiro last week vowed to file an objection to the court’s decision to block the release of the report, noting that residents of the state had the right to see the report. Shapiro even tweeted his intentions to ask the court to make public the names of the individuals who challenged the report leading to the block and the reasons for their objection to the report.

But on Monday, the secret nature of grand jury investigations continued to check any public release of any information – including whether the state’s top law enforcement agent had filed the motion he vowed to file last week.

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MECHANICSBURG (PA)
PennLive

July 2, 2018

By Ivey DeJesus

[See the complaint described in this article.]

Two women who were sexually abused by a priest in the Diocese of Harrisburg on Monday petitioned a court to lift a gag order prohibiting them from speaking about their abuse.

Patty Julius and Lara McKeever, who are sisters, filed the motion in the Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas seeking to overturn an agreement with the diocese that was part of a settlement made with several other sisters years ago.

Julius and McKeever allege that throughout the 1980s the Rev. Augustin Giella sexually molested several members of their family, including they themselves.

Giella served with the diocese in Hanover, but was later assigned to the St. John’s parish in Enhaut, in Dauphin County. The complaint identifies Julius and McKeever as residents of Pennsylvania.

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CHILLÁN (CHILE)
TVU

June 28, 2018

[Catholic Church of Chillán investigates two complaints of sexual abuse]

El obispo de Chillán, Carlos Pellegrin, informó que están investigando dos denuncias de abuso sexual al interior de la Iglesia local. Entregó detalles solo sobre uno de los casos.

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CHILLÁN (CHILE)
La Discusión

June 26, 2018

[Confirmed new cases of sexual abuse in Chillán church]

El obispo de Chillán, Carlos Pellegrin, confirmó que la Iglesia Católica local investiga dos presuntos casos de abuso sexual que han sido denunciado durante este mes de junio, y de los cuáles, uno fue constatado el pasado miércoles 27 de junio.

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PITTSBURGH (PA) and PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Philadelphia Inquirer

June 29, 2018

By Peter Smith, Angela Couloumbis, and Liz Navratil

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.

But the supervising judge of the 40th statewide grand jury dismissed the argument, according to newly unsealed records.

It’s the first indication that any of the six dioceses under scrutiny actually took steps to quash the investigation, which is looking into seven decades’ worth of allegations of sexual abuse and cover-up in the dioceses of Pittsburgh, Greensburg, Erie, Harrisburg, Allentown and Scranton.

Supervising Judge Norman A. Krumenacker III’s order, originally under seal like virtually all grand jury deliberations to date, was recently unsealed in Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court.

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PITTSBURGH (PA)
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

June 29, 2018

By Peter Smith

Facing a grand jury investigation and its biggest internal reorganization in a generation, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh has indefinitely postponed its 175th anniversary celebration.

Bishop David Zubik had invited a papal representative to celebrate a July 29 Mass at St. Paul Cathedral in Oakland to commemorate the 1843 creation of the Diocese of Pittsburgh.

But a massive report by a statewide investigative grand jury is awaiting release. It remains sealed pending challenges before the state Supreme Court from individuals criticized in the report who are seeking to block its publication. The report looks into seven decades of allegations of sexual abuse and cover-up in Pittsburgh’s and five other Pennsylvania dioceses.

At the same time, reorganization efforts are in full swing across the Diocese of Pittsburgh.

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MILWAUKEE (WI)
Urban Milwaukee

July 1, 2018

By State Reps Chris Taylor and Melissa Sargent

[Note: This op-ed links to a detailed memo by Taylor and Sargent.]

And why two Democratic legislators felt they must oppose Matt Flynn for governor.

Scott Walker’s devastating actions inspired us to run for state office, and we have seen up close the harmful consequences of his agenda on so many of the things we hold dear. We have been his consistent and outspoken critics, and we will work tirelessly to defeat him in November.

It was after much research, deliberation and some hesitation that we recently called for Matt Flynn to withdraw from Wisconsin’s Democratic gubernatorial primary.

We took such an unusual step not because we wanted to, but because we had to. Before anything else, we have to act as human beings. If our actions or inactions are solely guided by party affiliation, we are mimicking the trance we often criticize in our Republican colleagues as they cast vote after harmful vote in lockstep.

Media accounts in May that referenced Flynn’s role in one of the largest coverups of priest child sexual abuse in the country by the Milwaukee Archdiocese and his treatment of the victims spurred us to do our own research.

What we discovered when looking at the electronic files of a handful of priests, consisting of hundreds of documents (thousands more remain that we didn’t review, but are publicly available), was that Flynn played a central role in facilitating the coverup of priest sexual abuse of children. As chief legal counsel to the Milwaukee Archdiocese from 1989-2004, Flynn was aware of priests’ sexual abuse of children, assisted in transferring abusive priests to other parishes, failed to—and sometimes prevented others from—reporting instances of child sexual abuse by priests to law enforcement, paid off priests who went on to pursue professions working with families and children, negotiated settlements with victims requiring secrecy, and filed liens against survivors whose cases fell outside the statute of limitations. We drafted a memo detailing just a portion of these findings. Some of our findings were also independently corroborated by media reports.

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ERIE (PA)
Erie Times-News

June 29, 2018

By Ed Palattella

Shapiro says he will ask state Supreme Court to lift stay quickly.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said he is tired of waiting for the release of one of the most sweeping reports of its kind in the United States.

Shapiro said on Friday that he will file a legal motion on Monday to make public the grand jury investigative report on child sexual abuse in six of the state’s Roman Catholic dioceses, including the Catholic Diocese of Erie.

“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,” Shapiro said in a statement.

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BUFFALO (NY)
Buffalo News

July 1, 2018

By Jay Tokasz

[Note: This article references two NY grand jury reports – Westchester County (released on June 19, 2002), and Suffolk County (released on February 10, 2003).

Special agents with the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office used search warrants and subpoenas last year to seize evidence of a massive cover-up of clergy sex abuse in six Catholic dioceses in the state.

But despite growing revelations of sex abuse by priests in the Diocese of Buffalo, law enforcement authorities in New York aren’t investigating whether crimes were committed in keeping the abuses hidden for so long.

Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn and a spokeswoman for the state attorney general both said that their offices don’t have the authority to investigate a diocese for criminal matters, although district attorneys in Westchester and Suffolk counties used grand juries to do that 16 years ago.

“My only jurisdiction is against individual people,” said Flynn. “I have no authority to bring a case against an organization. That would be something the attorney general would need to look into.”

Amy Spitalnick, spokeswoman for Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood, said investigation of sex abuse crimes falls outside the scope of what the AG’s office does and should be handled by district attorneys.

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BUFFALO (NY)
Spectrum News

July 1, 2018

By Kevin Jolly

Dunkirk, N.Y. – Three months after being out on administrative leave following allegations of sexually abusing at least three boys, Father Dennis Riter was back at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Dunkirk celebrating mass Sunday.

Parishioner Maria Kuschel was outside to welcome him back.

“I feel very happy. The parishioners are all welcoming him back and I think we had him away for too long already and he’s a good pastor, a wonderful pastor, and he’s done nothing wrong whatsoever,” said Kuschel.

Buffalo Catholic Diocese Spokesperson George Richert says Riter was reinstated following an investigation.

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UNIONTOWN (PA)
Herald-Standard

July 1, 2018

By Mike Tony

The Diocese of Greensburg announced Saturday that a vicar for four Uniontown area Roman Catholic churches also serving as chaplain at Uniontown Hospital has been removed from those assignments following an allegation received by the diocese Thursday.

In a statement released Saturday evening, the diocese reported that it had received an allegation Thursday regarding Father James W. Clark dating back to events five decades ago, while Clark was a janitor at the former St. James School in Apollo, Pa. before he entered the seminary and was ordained as a priest.

The Diocese of Greensburg did not go into further details about the allegation, which resulted in Clark being removed from his assignment as chaplain of Uniontown Hospital and as parochial vicar of St. Mary (Nativity) in Uniontown, St. John the Evangelist in Uniontown, St. Therese, Little Flower of Jesus in Uniontown, and St. Joseph Parish in South Union Township.

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VATICAN CITY
Associated Press

July 1, 2018

By Nicole Winfield

Pope Francis has taken measures to address a spiraling sex abuse scandal in Chile, but he hasn’t moved on a problem closer to home: Vatican City itself does not have policies to protect children from pedophile priests or require suspected abuse to be reported to police.

Seven years after the Vatican ordered all bishops conferences around the world to develop written guidelines to prevent abuse, tend to victims, punish offenders and keep pedophiles out of the priesthood, the headquarters of the Catholic Church has no such policy.

The gap in Francis’ oft-pledged “zero tolerance” for abuse is surprising, given that the Holy See told the United Nations five years ago that it was developing a “safe environment program” for children inside the 44-acre Vatican City.

Asked about the promised child protection guidelines, the secretary general of the Vatican City State administration, Monsignor Fernando Vergez, told The Associated Press he couldn’t respond “since the study and verification of the project are still underway.”

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DENVER (CO)
Crux

July 2, 2018

By Charles Collins

When the Archdiocese of New York announced a “credible and substantiated” allegation of sexual abuse against a minor was confirmed against Cardinal Theodore McCarrick – the former Archbishop of Washington, who had served as a priest in New York – it was the first time an American cardinal was personally charged with a crime involving a minor, against the backdrop of a crisis that’s enveloped the Church for nearly two decades.

Yet the most overlooked announcement was from across the state line, when the Archdiocese of Newark, which McCarrick led from 1986-2000, revealed that the cardinal had been accused of having “engaged in sexual behavior with adults,” and that “two of these allegations resulted in settlements.”

It was not that surprising because such rumors have dogged McCarrick for years. New York Times columnist Ross Douthat said on June 23 that journalist friends had told him, “McCarrick or ‘Uncle Ted’ as he urged his paramour-victims to address him, had such a long history of pursuing seminarians and priests that a group of Catholics went to Rome to warn against making him Washington’s archbishop (to no avail).”

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
CBS

July 1, 2018

By Joe Holden

The Pennsylvania Attorney General is petitioning for the release of the “Clergy Sex Abuse” report involving six catholic dioceses.

Victim advocates say keeping the Grand Jury investigation under wraps is protecting the wrong people.

The Attorney General will take his step in the morning to unleash this report and the pressure is growing on the Supreme Court to get their review over with and make this Grand Jury report a public document.

For victim advocate Karen Polesir, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court can’t keep secret the Grand Jury investigation of six catholic dioceses any longer.

“It makes a person feel unheard, and unbelieved,” said Polesir.

In just hours, Attorney General Josh Shapiro will file a formal objection with the high court. The Supreme Court blocked the report’s release two weeks ago.

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ALLENTOWN (PA)
Morning Call

July 2, 2018

By Steve Esack

Harrisburg – For more than two years, adults scarred by the memory of child sex abuse have sought personal and legal salvation in a pending state grand jury report about sexual misconduct and cover-ups in six Catholic dioceses across Pennsylvania.

They believed that the report’s publication — now delayed by the state Supreme Court — would galvanize lawmakers to pass a bill letting them have their day in civil court, too.

The goal is for the Legislature to pass a bill that will change how courts treat child sex abuse claims. They want the House and Senate to pass a bill that would lift the legal prohibition preventing adults 31 and older from retroactively suing their alleged abusers and enablers who didn’t report the crimes to authorities.

But now support for retroactive lawsuits could be waning, according to the legislation’s prime sponsor, state Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Berks, who says he was abused as a youth by a Catholic priest.

Rozzi said House Speaker Mike Turzai has told him he no longer supports the legislation. Turzai did in 2016, when it passed the Republican-controlled House and then failed in the GOP-led Senate, where a majority of lawmakers viewed retroactive lawsuits as unconstitutional.

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PITTSBURGH (PA)
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

June 29, 2018

By Liz Navratil and Angela Couloumbis

Harrisburg – Seven news organizations went to the state’s highest court Friday to force the release of a long-awaited grand jury report detailing allegations of decades of child sexual abuse covered up by Catholic dioceses across the state.

The news outlets, including The Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, are asking the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to lift its indefinite stay on the report’s release and make public the names of those individuals and organizations waging a fierce but secret court battle to block the document from being disseminated.

Lawyers for the news organizations called the report a “matter of extraordinary public importance.”

“Needless to say, Report No. 1 [grand jury report] is of extraordinary importance to the public in general and to abuse victims in particular,” Eli Segal and Michael A. Schwartz, the Pepper Hamilton LLP lawyers representing the media organizations, wrote in court papers filed Friday. The coalition of outlets also includes The Associated Press, WHYY, LNP Media Group Inc., NBC subsidiary WCAU-TV and Telemundo Mid-Atlantic LLC.

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ECUADOR
El Comercio

June 29, 2018

[Second prize withdrawn from Cuenca priest accused of abusing children]

By Linea Castillo

Ayer, jueves 28 de junio, la Cámara Provincial le retiró una segunda presea al sacerdote cuencano, César C., acusado de abusos sexuales y violaciones a niños, hechos ocurridos hace más de 50 años. En este mismo mes, el Concejo Cantonal ya le retiró una.

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EL SALVADOR
La Prensa Grafica

June 27, 2018

[“He is also a man and can make mistakes!”: Parishioners defend a priest accused of sexual aggression against minors]

By Beatriz Calderón and Ezequiel Barrera

Este día se desarrolló la audiencia inicial contra el párroco de Zaragoza, capturado la semana pasada por abuso sexual contra un menor, al que también remuneraba por los actos. Unos 50 feligreses llegaron al juzgado para defenderlo y justificar su posible crimen.

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EL SALVADOR
Diario1.com

June 27, 2018

[They send to prison a priest accused of raping a child in the parish of Zaragoza]

El sacerdote obligó a la víctima a que le hiciera actos sexuales y a raíz de esos actos, le daba $50, $20 y $10 y finalmente no le daba nada de dinero, informó anteriormente la Fiscalía.

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EL SALVADOR
ElSalvador.com

June 27, 2018

[Court of Zaragoza sends to prison priest accused of sexual abuse against minor]

By Jaime López

La Fiscalía ordenó el viernes pasado la captura del religioso luego de que la familia del menor, quienes encontraron conversaciones en un celular, lo denuciara ante las autoridades.

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EL SALVADOR
La Prensa Grafica

June 27, 2018

By Ezequiel Barrera

[Priest accused of sexually assaulting a child in Zaragoza is sent to prison]

Hoy fue la audiencia inicial contra el párroco de Zaragoza. Varias personas llegaron a apoyarlo afuera del juzgado y algunos hasta justificaron la posible comisión de un delito.

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BUFFALO (NY)
Buffalo News

July 1, 2018

By Jay Tokasz
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The Rev. Dennis G. Riter, in his first Mass since being suspended from ministry due to a sex abuse complaint, told parishioners he was happy to be back in the pulpit and acknowledged that “it’s been a long three months.”

“I am so very, very happy to be with you today,” Riter said during the Saturday evening Mass in St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Dunkirk. “I certainly felt your prayers and your support over the past three months.”

Riter didn’t specifically address the abuse claim, reported to the Diocese of Buffalo in March, that resulted in his suspension. Another priest sent to the church by Bishop Richard J. Malone told parishioners just prior to the start of the Mass that an investigation had determined the complaints against Riter “were not substantiated.”

Outside the church, on a sidewalk across Washington Street, a former priest who advocates on behalf of victims criticized the bishop’s move to return Riter to ministry as reckless. Robert M. Hoatson, who runs a nonprofit organization that works with victims of clergy sex abuse, held signs that read “Shame on Malone” and “Remove Riter.”

“We knew some people would question this decision, but that’s not a reason to keep someone out of ministry,” said George Richert, diocesan spokesman.

The diocese hired Scott Riordan, a former assistant district attorney, to investigate. Riordan then met multiple times with a diocesan review board, which gave a recommendation to Malone.

“The bishop accepted the report of investigator Riordan and the recommendation of the diocesan review board, and as a result Father Riter has been returned to active ministry here at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton,” said the Rev. Mark Noonan, who is vicar general for the diocese.

Matt Golden, the man who made the complaint against Riter, continues to allege that the priest abused him on multiple occasions in the late 1990s inside the rectory of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in South Buffalo, according to Michael Reck, Golden’s attorney. Golden was between the ages of 10 and 13 at the time, said Reck.

Riordan interviewed Golden, who described his own abuse and witnessing the abuse of another boy who was a childhood friend and is now deceased, said Reck.

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BUFFALO (NY)
WGRZ

June 30, 2018

A one-person protest at a Dunkirk church served to remind parishoners that not everyone is happy with the Diocese’s decision to reinstate a priest who was recently cleared of allegations.

Dunkirk, N.Y. – A one-person protest at a Dunkirk church served to remind parishoners that not everyone is happy with the Diocese’s decision to reinstate a priest who was recently cleared of allegations.

Father Dennis Riter, who was placed on leave back in March for sexual abuse allegations, was cleared to return to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Roman Catholic Church on Thursday.

Riter was originally accused by two men who said the priest abused them in Buffalo while Riter was serving at Our Lady of Perpetual Help church in Buffalo.

Saturday, as parishoners came to and from services, Robert Hoatson held up signs that said “Remove Riter” and “Shame on Malone.”

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ALLENTOWN (PA)
Morning Call

June 28, 2018

Letter to the Editor by Robert T. Corby Sr.

I am a victim of sexual abuse by a priest in 1948. I am now 83 years old. A lot of victims, including myself, testified before the Pennsylvania grand jury looking into sexual abuse in the state’s Catholic dioceses.

Some traveled great distances to testify over the past two years. The grand jury report was to come out — all the victims only want accountability from the Catholic Church for the cover-up all these years — and it is hard to believe the state Supreme Court didn’t release the report.

Whose side is the Supreme Court siding with — the Catholic Church or the victims? Certainly not the victims. I am so disappointed in the ruling of the Supreme Court.

Robert T. Corby Sr.
Bethlehem

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CHILE
La Tercera

June 28, 2018

[Why the Pope took 43 days to decide the departure of the first 5 bishops]

By María José Blanco

Hoy fue el turno de Alejandro Goic, de Rancagua, y Horacio Valenzuela, de Talca. Se habla de falta de candidatos y de un chequeo estricto de los currículum.

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CHILE
La Tercera

June 28, 2018

[Church: the contrast of the farewell between Goic and Valenzuela]

By P. Moreno and P. Riquelme

El prelado de Rancagua leyó una declaración en la sede del obispado. Su par de Talca envió una carta.

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CHILE
La Tercera

June 27, 2018

[Bishop Ossandón starts a meeting with whistleblowers]

By María José Blanco

El administrador apostólico de la Diócesis de Valparaíso se reunió con tres exseminaristas que acusaron de supuestos abusos del obispo emérito Gonzalo Duarte y a otros religiosos.

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KERALA (INDIA)
India.com

June 30, 2018

After Sexual Abuse Allegations Against 5 Kerala Priests, Kottayam Nun Claims Bishop Assaulted Her

Days after five Kerala priests were accused of sexually assaulting and blackmailing a woman, a nun on Saturday filed a complaint alleging that she was sexually abused by a bishop. The Kottayam Police have registered a complaint based on the complaint of the nun. Denying the charges, the bishop filed a counter complaint against the nun alleging that she was taking revenge against him for transferring her, news agency ANI reported.

The alleged assault incident has come a few days after a woman’s husband alleged that his wife’s confession to one of the accused priests was supposed to be a secret but was rather used to blackmail her.

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JOHNSTOWN (PA)
Tribune-Democrat

July 1, 2018

By Melissa Klaric

Erie – Bishop Lawrence T. Persico sat in front of 23 angry grand jury members in April and apologized.

“I said that I was sorry that they had to sit there and listen for two years to hear all that,” said the Most Rev. Persico, who heads the diocese of Erie. “Well, they were upset. I can understand that. They are trying to get an understanding of what happened.”

* * *

Persico, 10th bishop of the Erie diocese, was the only bishop of the six to testify face-to-face with grand jury members at the hearings.

“All of the bishops who were subpoenaed by the grand jury were given an option – to appear in front of the grand jury, to plead the Fifth (Amendment) or to submit a written statement,” Persico said. “All of us chose to submit a written statement.”

Then, in April, Persico held a press conference announcing an update to the Erie Diocese policy on protecting children. The diocese also released a list of people in the diocese who have been banned from working with children due to credible accusations of misconduct.

This caught the attention of the state Attorney General Josh Shapiro, whose office asked Persico if he would speak to the grand jury.

* * *

Dye, who was assigned to the grand jury hearings into sexual abuse allegations within the Altoona-Johnstown Catholic diocese, questioned Persico in front of the jury for about 20 minutes. Then, the members asked their own questions for roughly 40 minutes. Next, the bishop left the room for a short time, and was called back and questioned by Dye again.

* * *

Although the report is stalled, Persico has read the findings concerning the Erie Diocese and “other sections,” he said.

“I think it will be very sobering,” Persico said. “The report is not sanitized. It’s very graphic.”

The bishop compared it to the Altoona-Johnstown Catholic Diocese report released in February 2016.

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VATICAN CITY
Associated Press

June 30, 2018

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Melbourne’s archbishop, who said he’d prefer jail to telling civil authorities about any sex abuse of children that might be revealed to him in the confessional.

The Vatican said Friday that the pontiff has appointed Monsignor Peter Comensoli, 54, to head the archdiocese, replacing Archbishop Denis Hart.

At 77, Hart is two years older than the age at which all bishops must offer the pope their resignation.

Last year in an interview, Hart objected to a recommendation from Australia’s Royal Commission on child sexual abuse that priests be required to report cases of abuse heard in the confessional to authorities.

Then head of Australia’s bishops’ conference, Hart defended the special nature of confession as part of religious freedom.

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GREENSBURG (PA)
Diocese of Greensburg

June 30, 2018

​Priests in Armstrong, Indiana, Fayette and Westmoreland counties were instructed today to announce to every parish at every Mass this weekend that a priest in active ministry was removed from his assignment Friday. An allegation was received by the Diocese of Greensburg on Thursday, June 28, against Father James W. Clark, which dates to events five decades ago, prior to his entrance into the seminary and ordination as a priest, while working as a janitor at the former St. James School in Apollo, Pa.

The primary reason for this unilateral announcement among all the parishes in the Diocese of Greensburg is to remind any victim that we stand ready to help them.

The Diocese followed a policy that has existed for more than 15 years: The allegation was reported immediately to ChildLine and to the District Attorneys of Westmoreland and Armstrong counties. Less than 24 hours after receiving the allegation, Father Clark was removed from his assignment as parochial vicar of St. Mary (Nativity), St. John the Evangelist, St. Therese, Little Flower of Jesus, and St. Joseph Parishes, all in Uniontown, Fayette County, and as chaplain of Uniontown Hospital.

This was the first allegation the Diocese has received involving Father Clark.

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GREENSBURG (PA)
Tribune Review

June 30, 2018

By Matthew Medsger

A priest with the Diocese of Greensburg has been removed from his assignment following allegations of abuse about 50 years ago at an Apollo parochial school.

The Rev. James W. Clark, assigned as parochial vicar for five Uniontown-based parishes, was removed from his positions with the diocese Friday, according to a release issued Saturday evening.

The parishes are St. Mary (Nativity), St. John the Evangelist, St. Therese, Little Flower of Jesus and St. Joseph. He also was removed as chaplain of Uniontown Hospital.

“An allegation was received by the Diocese of Greensburg on Thursday … against Father James W. Clark, which dates to events five decades ago, prior to his entrance into the seminary and ordination as a priest, while working as a janitor at the former St. James School in Apollo,” the release reads, in part.

That school closed in 1998, according to information provided by the Apollo Historical Society.

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