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.

February 15, 2018

Catholic Diocese of Syracuse Starts Compensation Program for Clergy Sex Abuse Victims

SYRACUSE (NY)
The Christian Post

February 15, 2018

By Michael Gryboski

The Diocese of Syracuse, New York, announced Wednesday that its launching an Independent Reconciliation Compensation Program for victims of clergy sexual abuse.

Bishop Robert Cunningham of Syracuse admitted in his announcement that there “is no question we have made missteps in handling this crisis.”

He added that “over the past 15 years, the Diocese of Syracuse has addressed this problem aggressively by reporting all allegations to the appropriate district attorney, ensuring that no clergy with a credible allegation of abuse remains in ministry.”

“Survivors have been provided counseling, spiritual direction and other support to help them find ways to move forward. As we begin this Lenten season, we must continue to seek forgiveness as a Church and seek reconciliation for those who have been hurt.”

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

Vatican tries to ease pressure on pope over sex abuse stance

VATICAN CITY
The Associated Press

February 15, 2018

The Vatican said Thursday that Pope Francis meets frequently with victims of sexual abuse, seeking to defuse a mounting scandal over his unbridled support for a Chilean bishop accused by victims of witnessing and ignoring their abuse.

Spokesman Greg Burke said in a statement that Francis meets in private with victims individually or in groups several times a month to “listen to them and try to help them to heal their serious wounds.”

In comments also released Thursday, Francis called clerical sex abuse a “humiliation” that exposes the church’s “hypocrisy.”

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.

Ex-Las Cruces priest surrenders to Hobbs police

LAS CRUCES (NM)
Las Cruces Sun-News

February 14, 2018

By Carlos Andres López

A former Las Cruces priest accused of a sexually assaulting a Hobbs man surrendered to authorities earlier this week, more than three months after a warrant for his arrest had been issued, court records show.

Father Ricardo Bauza, 51, voluntarily surrendered to Hobbs police on Monday morning, according to his attorney, Jason Bowles of Albuquerque. A booking sheet indicates that Bauza was placed under arrest at 6:05 a.m.

Bauza had been wanted by authorities in Hobbs since last October, when police obtained an arrest warrant for the former Las Cruces priest, who served as the pastor of St. Genevieve Catholic Church for almost a decade.

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

Police: St. Cloud priest accused of sexual assault

ST. CLOUD (MN)
KMSP

February 14, 2018

By Allie Johnson

A priest in St. Cloud, Minnesota was arrested Tuesday following allegations of sexual assault.

Anthony Oelrich, 51, of St. Cloud is being held in the Stearns County Jail on pending charges of third degree criminal sexual conduct. He is a priest serving in the Diocese of St. Cloud.

The St. Cloud Police Department began investigating the allegations in late 2017.

According to police. The victim, a woman from St. Cloud, began seeing Oelrich for spiritual advice in 2013.

She reported engaging in a sexual relationship with him between 2013 and 2014 in St. Cloud. Under Minnesota law, a member of the clergy is prohibited from engaging in a sexual relationship under those circumstances.

As a result of the investigation, Oelrich was arrested. The Diocese of St. Cloud says Oelrich has been placed on administrative leave from his current assignment as pastor of Christ Church Newman Center in St. Cloud. He has also been suspended from his priestly duties, meaning he cannot function or present himself as a priest. An administrator has been appointed to the parish.

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.

Ex-priest who fled to Philippines pleads not guilty to sexually abusing kids in Fargo area

FARGO (ND)
The Jamestown Sun

February 14, 2018

By Helmut Schmidt

A former Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing children while he worked at churches in Fargo and West Fargo has pleaded not guilty to two Class B felony counts of gross sexual imposition.

Fernando Laude Sayasaya, 53, appearing in orange Cass County Jail garb, said little during the hearing Wednesday, Feb. 14, in Cass County District Court before Judge Steven McCullough.

Each count against Sayasaya has a maximum prison sentence of 10 years, prosecutor Ryan Younggren said after the hearing. Younggren said he could not comment on whether there have been any negotiations for a plea agreement in the case.

In a December hearing, Sayasaya’s bail was set at $5 million cash — a stratospheric amount nearly unheard of in area courtrooms.

Prosecutors had sought a high bail for Sayasaya, saying he posed a flight risk. Sayasaya fled to the Philippines about two decades ago and never returned of his own volition, even though he told investigators at the time that he would return, prosecutors said.

In 2002, Sayasaya was charged in Cass County District Court with the two felony counts of gross sexual imposition.

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 Fargo Catholic Priest Pleads Not Guilty To Molesting Boys

FARGO, (ND)
KVRR

February 14, 2018

By Joe Radske

IN DECEMBER, SAYASAYA’S BAIL WAS SET AT $5 MILLION DOLLARS BECAUSE PROSECUTORS CONSIDER HIM A FLIGHT RISK.

Fernando Sayasaya, the former Fargo Catholic priest accused of molesting two underage boys, plead not guilty in a Cass County Court this morning.

Sayasaya, 53, waived his preliminary hearing.

His next court date will be in April.

In December, Sayasaya’s bail was set at $5 million dollars because prosecutors consider him a flight risk.

Over the course of 19 years, it took the Fargo and West Fargo Police Departments, the FBI, U.S. Marshals and the Philippines national police to capture and bring former Catholic priest Fernando Sayasaya back to North Dakota.

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

Accused priest extradited from Philippines pleads not guilty

FARGO (ND)
The Associated Press

February 15, 2018

A Roman Catholic priest accused of molesting two boys in North Dakota in the 1990s has pleaded not guilty.

Fernando Sayasaya was recently returned to the United States from the Philippines, where he had been since 1998. He entered his pleas Thursday to two counts of felony gross sexual imposition.

Prosecutors allege that Sayasaya abused two underage siblings from 1995 to 1998, while he was assigned to the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church and St. Mary’s Cathedral in the Fargo area.

A Philippines court ordered his extradition in 2010. He appealed, lost and was ultimately arrested in November. He remains jailed on $5 million bond. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

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.

Oxfam: Former staff member dismissed by Cafod after abuse claims

UNITED KINGDOM
BBC News

February 14, 2018

A Catholic charity has sacked a worker after it emerged he had been accused of sexually exploiting vulnerable people in Haiti while working for Oxfam.

Cafod said it was “unaware” of the claims until contacted this week by the Times, which broke the Oxfam story.

Meanwhile, Sengalese singer Baaba Maal has told BBC Newsnight he is standing down from his role as a global ambassador to Oxfam after six years.

The star said he found the sex abuse claims “disgusting and heartbreaking”.

Describing the allegations as “very sad”, Maal said he was “disassociating” himself from Oxfam “immediately”.

Maal was one of 14 global ambassadors for Oxfam International.

Others include singer Annie Lennox, the band Coldplay, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and the model Helena Christensen.

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.

February 14, 2018

One of men accused of historic school abuse found not guilty

ENGLAND
The Westmorland Gazette

February 13, 2018

ONE of five men on trial over alleged historical physical abuse of pupils at a South Cumbria boarding school has been found not guilty of the only charge he was facing.

John Studley was acquitted of one assault allegation on the direction of a judge at Carlisle Crown Court.

Mr Studley, aged 66, had denied a charge which alleged that he was involved in the assault of one boy at Underley Hall School, near Kirkby Lonsdale. This was alleged to have occurred during the mid to late 1980s.

Mr Studley, of Silverdale, Lancashire, was found not guilty today after the alleged victim gave evidence during week three of the hearing.

After legal discussions, Judge James Adkin told the jury: “Ladies and gentlemen, you have heard evidence from that particular witness concerning his recollection of events at the school.

“In fact, he had been called to deal with count nine on your indictment (the alleged assault by Mr Studley). I am going to withdraw that count from your consideration and there is no evidence to prove the allegation against Mr Studley.

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.

63 people come forward following investigation into historic sex abuse at mental health unit

ENGLAND
St. Albans & Harpenden Review

February 13, 2018

By Rachel Russell

Around 63 people have come forward following an investigation into historic sex abuse against adolescents at a mental health unit.

Hertfordshire Constabulary launched Operation Meadow last year after receiving reports from various sources about physical and sexual abuse at the Hill End Hospital Adolescent Unit, in St Albans.

A team of specially trained officers have been investigating into the claims which allegedly occurred between 1969 and 1995.

A police spokesperson said: “We are continuing to gather information and evidence in relation to the adolescent unit and the experiences of those who stayed or visited there.”

The unit was open from 1899 until 1995 in the Highfield Park area of St Albans to help people with mental health issues.

However, it is now the site of a housing development.

Operation Meadow was announced in November with assistant chief constable Bill Jephson at the time saying he wanted to “lift the lid” on what could have happened at the hospital.

No arrests have been made.

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’s misconceived wealth and power, and its growing weakness

AUSTRALIA
The Sydney Morning Herald

February 15, 2018

By John Warhurst

The Catholic Church is a wealthy institution, but Archbishop Anthony Fisher is right that to compare its type of wealth to that of Westfield or Wesfarmers is crude and simplistic. Nevertheless, that wealth, however calculated, stands in stark contrast to the resistance and mean-spiritedness that, it has now been demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt, has characterised its leaders’ treatment of those who were sexually abused while in the church’s care.

This injustice has compounded the crimes that happened on its watch and its criminal cover-ups. Most of the victims were Catholics themselves at the time.

There is another disjunction that troubles many Catholics. The rhythm of church life experienced by most ordinary Catholics is not one of great wealth, but of local fund-raising and donations to church causes. This month, there are two major church-related campaigns: the Vinnies annual doorknock appeal and the Project Compassion annual Lenten appeal to support the church’s international aid and development arm, Caritas Australia. Last year, Project Compassion raised $359,000 in Canberra-Goulburn alone.

This disjunction between the hurt that has been done under the church’s name and the demands made on ordinary Catholics is one reason for the growing bewilderment and lack of trust that is now sweeping the church. The National Church Life Survey, conducted across 20 denominations, has reported that 48 per cent of Catholic respondents agreed (only 34 per cent disagreed) that sexual abuse by clergy had damaged their confidence in church authorities.

In the past, Catholics were mainly loyal and hard-working subjects rather than informed and vocal citizens within their own church. Bewilderment and lack of trust is now turning belatedly to activism and demands for renewal of church governance and structures, as well as for the transparency and accountability rightly demanded by the community at large. It remains to be seen whether the church’s authorities are really listening.

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

LDS women say Church leaders encouraged them to stay with their abusers

SALT LAKE CITY (UT)
KUTV

February 13, 2018

By Hannah Knowles

After the spousal abuse allegations against White House Staff Secretary, Rob Porter went public, many Mormon women are now saying their Church leaders encouraged them to stay with their abusers for the sake of the marriage.

According to an article from cnn.com, both women Porter had previously been married to shared how “the unique role the Mormon church played in their troubled relationships.”

For many Mormons, the first line of help for any issue or advice outside the family is often the local bishop or the home teachers. In a recent article by BuzzFeed News, 20 female members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said they “had been victims of marital abuse and confided in their Church leaders for help.”

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.

SYRACUSE CATHOLIC DIOCESE TO COMPENSATE VICTIMS OF CLERGY ABUSE

SYRACUSE (NY)
Spectrum News

February 14, 2018

Syracuse Catholic Diocese Bishop Robert Cunningham unveiled the establishment of a compensation fund for victims of abuse at the hands of clergy in the diocese.

The voluntary Independent Reconciliation Compensation Program has a goal to “promote reconciliation and further healing of those who were harmed by members of the clergy.”

Cunningham on Wednesday, commented that on a holy day for Catholics, Ash Wednesday is a day of pennance, and a fitting time to make the announcement.

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.

Two Diocese of Erie Priests Removed from Ministry, Prohibited from Contact with Minors

ERIE (PA)
Erie News Now

February 13, 2018

Two Diocese of Erie priests have been removed from ministry – one for alleged sexual abuse and the other for inappropriate contact with minors.

Father David Poulson, 64, pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Cambridge Springs, and Father Sean Kerins, 27, chaplain at Kennedy Catholic High School, Hermitage, have been prohibited from any public ministry, as well as from any contact with minors.

The diocese said it received what it believes are credible allegations against Father Poulson regarding the sexual abuse of minors. The matter has been turned over to law enforcement. A preliminary, independent investigation is ongoing.

Kennedy Catholic High School in Hermitage informed the Diocese’s Catholic Schools Office late last month about possible inappropriate communication from Father Kerins, who is a faculty member, to a student at Kennedy. ChildLine and law enforcement were informed, per school and diocesan policy. He was placed on temporary leave, but the diocese determined the text messages in question were inappropriate. He has been removed from his assignments at the school as well as Good Shepherd Parish.

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.

Two priests removed by Diocese of Erie

ERIE (PA)
The Meadville Tribune

February 14. 2018

Roman Catholic priests from parishes in Cambridge Springs and West Middlesex have been removed from any public ministry as well as from any contacts with children by the Diocese of Erie.

Father David Poulson, 64, pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Cambridge Springs, and Father Sean Kerins, 27, chaplain at Kennedy Catholic High School, Hermitage, also assigned to Church of the Good Shepherd Parish, West Middlesex, have been removed.

A statement from the Diocese said the two removal actions are unrelated to each other but come in the wake of investigations by the Diocese.

The diocese received what it believes to be credible allegations against Poulson regarding the sexual abuse of minors. A preliminary independent investigation is still ongoing, and the matter has been turned over to law enforcement, the Diocese said in a statement.

With Kerins, the Catholic Schools Office of the Diocese of Erie was informed in late January by Kennedy Catholic High School of a possible inappropriate communication from Kerins, a faculty member, to a student at Kennedy.

The Diocese had a preliminary independent investigation conducted which found a series of text messages in question were inappropriate according to diocesan and school standards, and in violation of diocesan policy, the Diocese 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.

Diocese of Syracuse creates program to compensate victims of clergy sexual abuse

SYRACUSE (NY)
syracuse.com

February 14, 2018

By Patrick Lohmann

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Catholic Diocese of Syracuse announced today it will create a program that will allow victims of clergy sexual abuse to seek compensation.

Bishop Robert Cunningham made the announcement at an Ash Wednesday news conference at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in downtown Syracuse.

The program, which the diocese called an “independent reconciliation compensation program for survivors,” is aimed at giving a measure of justice to dozens of churchgoers who alleged sexual abuse at the hands of clergy in this area.

The program will be run by Kenneth Feinberg and Camille Biros, who were involved in mediation and administration of compensation for survivors of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the British Petroleum oil spill and similar programs in Downstate dioceses.

The pair will work with those who have previously notified the diocese that they were harmed by a member of the clergy. There are 40 priests in the seven-county area who have been credibly accused of fraud, though 11 of them have not been named, officials said.

Eighteen of the priests are still alive, officials said.

There are 76 victims who have previously alleged sexual abuse by priests in the Syracuse diocese, officials said. Those victims will get letters inviting them to participate in the voluntary program.

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.

Syracuse Bishop: New settlement program for sex abuse victims

SYRACUSE (NY)
Press Connects

February 14, 2018

By Hannah Schwarz

The Diocese of Syracuse is establishing a settlement program for victims of clergy sexual abuse spanning decades, Syracuse Diocese Bishop Robert Joseph Cunningham announced Wednesday.

More than 70 people will receive letters informing them of the possibility of settling, Cunningham said. Those cases relate to roughly 40 priests, none of whom are still serving in the Diocese, and many of whom are no longer alive.

The settlement program will be administered by lawyers who oversaw compensation programs for 9/11 survivors, the BP oil spill and three compensation programs in downstate dioceses.

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.

Syracuse Diocese to offer compensation for abuse survivors

SYRACUSE (NY)
Observer-Dispatch

February 14, 2018

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse announced Wednesday it is establishing a voluntary program to provide compensation for survivors of clergy sexual abuse.

The Independent Reconciliation Compensation Program (IRCP) is meant to “promote reconciliation and further healing of those who were harmed by members of the clergy,” according to a news release. Only those who reported alleged abuse prior to Wednesday will be eligible to participate.

Bishop Robert Cunningham made the announcement at the cathedral in Syracuse on Wednesday morning. In a letter posted to the diocese website, he said the date of the announcement was significant.

“It is fitting that I am announcing this program on Ash Wednesday — the beginning of our Lenten Journey,” the letter states. “The ashes that we receive are a sign of penance, biblical in origin which express our human condition as affected by sin. In this sign, we outwardly express our guilt before God and thereby prompted by hope that the Lord is kind and compassionate, patient and abounding in mercy.”

In the release, Cunningham similarly stated that while the diocese “cannot reverse the damage that was done,” it hopes that “this new effort will provide an opportunity seek forgiveness for the irreparable acts of the past.”

How the program will work

According to the release, the ICRP program was created, in part, based on the success of similar programs in the Archdiocese of New York, the Diocese of Brooklyn and the Diocese of Rockville Centre. It will be independently administered by Kenneth Feinberg and Camille Biros, who have previous experience coordinating mediation and compensation for those programs, as well as survivors of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and those affected by the BP oil spill.

Individuals who have previously notified the diocese that they have been harmed by a member of the clergy will be contacted by letter and invited to participate in the program. Beyond that, Feinberg and Biros will “retain complete and sole discretion over all eligibility agreements and settlement compensation amounts” and the diocese “will accept their determinations without question,” the release states.

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.

Retired priest who fought against child sex abuse arrested for child pornography: report

BOISE (ID)
Fox News

February 14, 2018

A retired Idaho priest who fought against child sex abuse in the Catholic church was arrested Friday for possession of child pornography and drug charges, the Idaho Statesman reported.

Authorities had received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and obtained a warrant to search Fr. W. Thomas Faucher’s home, the Statesman reported.

Authorities found images of young children subjected to sexual acts on Faucher’s computer, prosecutors said at a probable cause hearing Monday morning. In email and chat conversations viewed by investigators, Faucher expressed of his desire to “rape and kill children,” another proesutor said.

Faucher was held on a $250,000 bond, forbidden from using the internet and prohibited from having any contact with children under 18, the Statesman reported.

Mark Manweiler, Faucher’s lawyer, pressed for his release, arguing that despite being around “tens of thousands” of children, there has never been a claim of abuse or impropriety.

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.

Two priests fired after alleged sexual abuse and inappropriate contact with minors

ERIE (PA)
Your Erie

February 13, 2018

The Diocese has announced that two priests, Father David Poulson, 64, and Father Sean Kerins, 27, have been removed from the Erie Catholic Diocese. According to a memo from the Diocese, the two have been “prohibited from any public ministry, as well as from any contact with minors”.

They tell us the situations are unrelated. In the case of Poulson, who was the pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Cambridge Springs, the Diocese received what they said they believe “to be credible allegations against [him] regarding the sexual abuse of minors”. A preliminary independent investigation is ongoing and the matter has been “turned over to law enforcement”. Monsignor Robert Brugger, former pastor of Saint Anthony Parish, will take over Poulson’s parish, effective immediately”.

In the case involving Father Sean Kerins, Chaplain at Kennedy Catholic High School in Hermitage and Church of the Good Shepherd Parish in West Middlesex, Kerins allegedly inappropriately texted a student at Kennedy. Law enforcement has been informed and a preliminary independent investigation is complete. After the findings of the investigation, the Diocese concluded that the text messages were, in fact, inappropriate according to diocesan and school standards. Kerins has been removed and ordered to have no contact with minors while law enforcement conducts their own investigation.

Professional counselors are available to the children at the school today.

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.

SYRACUSE DIOCESE ANNOUNCES COMPENSATION PROGRAM FOR CLERGY SEX ABUSE VICTIMS

SYRACUSE (NY)
WKTV

February 14, 2018

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse has established a compensation program for survivors of clergy sexual abuse, Bishop Robert Cunningham announced Wednesday.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse has established a compensation program for survivors of clergy sexual abuse, Bishop Robert Cunningham announced Wednesday morning at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Syracuse.

The Independent Reconciliation Compensation Program (IRCP) is a voluntary program meant to “promote reconciliation and further healing of those who were harmed by members of the clergy,” according to Cunningham. Only those who reported their abuse prior to Feb. 14, 2018 will be eligible to receive the compensation.

Kenneth Fienberg and Camille Biros – who previously helped administer compensation programs for survivors of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the BP oil spill and IRCP programs with other Catholic dioceses – will be responsible for administering the program.

Feinberg and Biros will work with people who previously notified the Diocese of Syracuse that they had been abused or harmed by a member of the clergy. Those victims will receive a letter inviting them to participate in the program, and then Feinberg and Biros will “retain complete and sole discretion over all eligibility agreements and settlement compensation amounts for the eligible individuals.”

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

St. Cloud Priest Arrested, Charged With Sexual Misconduct

ST. CLOUD (MN)
The Associated Press

February 14, 2018

A priest who serves in the Diocese of St. Cloud has been arrested and charged on accusations of sexual misconduct.

The Rev. Anthony Oelrich, 51, is jailed in Stearns County Wednesday and appeared in court on allegations of third-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Oelrich, of St. Cloud, is charged with one felony count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Between Dec. 1, 2013 and April 30, 2014, Oelrich is accused of engaging in sexual misconduct with a woman who sought his spiritual advice after a sexually abusive relationship. The victim said that they engaged in a sexual relationship.

Minnesota statue prohibits a member of the clergy from engaging in a sexual relationship under these circumstances, 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.

Priest charged after accusations of sexual misconduct

ST. CLOUD (MN)
KARE 11

February 14, 2018

The priest was arrested on Feb. 13.

An ordained priest with the St. Cloud Diocese is accused of sexual assaulting a woman who came to him for spiritual guidance due to a prior relationship which included sexual abuse.

Father Anthony Joseph Oelrich, 51, is charged with criminal sexual conduct for an inappropriate relationship with the victim that started in 2013. He was arrested on Feb. 13 and is currently in custody in Stearns County. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Wednesday.

According to the criminal charges, the woman sought the help of Father Oelrich after confessing she was the victim of sexual abuse in December of 2013. After her initial disclosure with Oelrich, he began asking further questions about the abuse. The woman told investigators she became suicidal at one point and Oelrich reached out to her and consoled her.

The criminal complaint details a number of incidents where Father Oelrich asked the victim to touch him inappropriately when she sought his help.

The victim also told authorities she was suffering from insomnia so Oelrich would tuck her in at night and often sleep with her in her bed until 1 a.m.

In January 2014, the woman said she was invited to the rectory in St. Cloud to have dinner with Father Oelrich. That night, he suggested she stay the night and the two engaged in sexual intercourse. This occurred repeatedly until April of 2014.

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.

Kennedy Catholic priest accused of sending inappropriate text to student

HERMITAGE (PA)
WKBN

February 13, 2018,

Father Sean Kerins is no longer at the school and has been ordered not to contact the student

A 27-year-old priest at Kennedy Catholic High School in Hermitage has been removed from the Erie Catholic Diocese.

Father Sean Kerins was the chaplain at the school, as well as a priest in residence at Church of the Good Shepherd in West Middlesex.

Through an investigation, the diocese said Kerins sent a series of inappropriate texts to a student at Kennedy Catholic.

Kerins is no longer at the school and has been ordered not to have contact with minors.

Law enforcement has been notified and is doing its own investigation.

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.

Jennie Willoughby The story of my abuse is also the story of the millions of victims who still can’t speak out

UNITED STATES
NBC News

February 13, 2018

As the smoke clears following my ex-husband Rob Porter’s resignation from the White House, a deeper narrative is developing.

Even people who knew me did not know the details of my marriage. You see, society encourages us to keep some secrets hidden. But in an attempt to conquer the shame that had been plaguing me for the three years since my divorce, I chose to reveal my darkest one online. I drove to my former home and snapped a picture of a Post-It note reading: “I stayed with my abusive husband.” Then I sat in my car in the light drizzle of the evening and composed an Instagram post which, a mere eight months later, would spark a hashtag — #AndSoIStayed — and a national controversy.

As the smoke clears on the initial news of my ex-husband Rob Porter’s White House dismissal, a deeper story is developing. People responded intensely to my words because this is a story that occurs all too often behind closed doors. Locked in closets and bathrooms. Trapped in cars. Isolated at school or at church or at work. Hiding under the bed. Indeed, cowering in kitchens and living rooms all across America are the unspoken stories of abuse. And speaking out about my own story has showed me just how desperate people are for a way to express what they themselves are going through.

For days, pleas have poured into my DMs on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Thousands are seeking answers about how to leave, how to overcome shame, or how to start over. Hundreds of comments flooded my blog post from those who are still suffering and scared.

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.

Victims critical of Paul de Jersey’s intervention in church debate on limiting abuse cases

QUEENSLAND (AUSTRALIA)
Australian Broadcasting Corporation

February 13, 2018

By Josh Robertson

Queensland Governor and former chief justice Paul de Jersey and a fellow judge played a key role in thwarting an internal push by Anglican clergy for the church to abandon a contentious legal defence against child sex abuse claims, victims and their supporters say.

Abuse survivors and supporters have criticised the judges’ intervention in the 2009 general meeting of the Anglican Brisbane Diocese, which voted down a motion to stop using legal time limits.

The limits forced victims to sue by the age of 21, effectively limiting any institution’s potential legal exposure.

The motion, which called on the church to “set an ethical lead in the community by … not invoking the statute of limitations defence”, would have set a nationwide precedent.

But the Queensland Governor, who in 2009 was chief justice and chancellor, or legal advisor, to the diocese, warned the church would lose its insurance.

According to notes of the meeting by an abuse survivor, the chief justice also referred to victims suing because of the church’s “deep pockets”.

It comes after legal experts raised doubts about the appropriateness of judges’ roles as legal advisors to the church.

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

Church of England’s reputation damaged by sexual abuse claims

UNITED KINGDOM
La Croix International

February 13, 2018

Calls for a “culture change” are growing as the Church of England now faces 3,300 sexual abuse claims, with one-fifth directed against clergy and other church officials.

Denial is no longer an option as recent inquiries highlight “the continuing need for a culture change within the church,” Roger Singleton, a member of the Anglican Church’s national safeguarding panel, told The Guardian.

He said a minority of parish clergy are either “unwilling to accept the need for sensible, proportionate measures” or seek to downplay the damage caused by physical, sexual, emotional or spiritual abuse.

But while the church has been accused for decades of trying to bury its head in the sand mounting litigation is forcing a head-on collision with an avalanche of sexual abuse cases.

The Church of England has seen its spending in this area quintuple over the last four years. Next month it will go under the microscope again amid a stepped-up independent inquiry into child sexual abuse.

“This will not be an easy couple of years — we will hear deeply painful accounts of abuse, of poor response, of ‘cover-up’,” the daily quoted Bishop Peter Hancock of Bath and Wells, the Church of England’s lead bishop on safeguarding, as saying.

While 80 percent of the sexual abuse claims are reportedly aimed at volunteers and other congregation members, clergy are increasingly being urged to admit any wrongdoing by their peers.

Reflecting the turning tide, each diocese has now appointed a professional adviser to safeguard against abuse.

Moreover, the archbishops of Canterbury and York recently showed their support for survivors of church sexual abuse by holding a two-minute vigil outside Church House in Westminster.

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Chile sex abuse victim’s credibility praised, challenged

VATICAN CITY
The Associated Press

February 14, 2018

By Nicole Winfield and Eva Vergara

When a Vatican court convicted a Chilean predator priest of sex crimes, it went out of its way to affirm the credibility of his victims. Their testimony had been consistent and corroborated, while their motives in coming forward had been only to “free themselves of a weight that had tormented their consciences,” the tribunal said.

One key witness in the Rev. Fernando Karadima’s 2010 trial is preparing to testify again, this time in a spinoff case with potentially more significant consequences. Juan Carlos Cruz’s allegations of a cover-up raise questions about Pope Francis’ already shaky track record on preventing clergy sex abuse and concealment.

Cruz has accused Chilean Bishop Juan Barros of having been present when Karadima kissed and fondled him as a 17-year-old, and of then ignoring the abuse. One of Francis’ top advisers has privately called Cruz a liar who is out to destroy the Chilean church. Francis, who has called allegations against Barros slander, may have accepted the adviser’s take.

After his defense of Barros sparked an outcry during his recent trip to Chile, Francis did an about-face and asked Maltese Archbishop Charles Scicluna, a former Vatican sex crimes investigator, to gather testimony about Barros and then report back. Cruz, who now works in communications in the U.S., is his first witness Saturday.

“We’ve been giving this testimony for years and years, but finally it’s being heard,” Cruz told The Associated Press. “So when the pope says he needs evidence, he’s had it for a long time.”

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Diocese of Syracuse starting compensation program for past sexual abuse victims

SYRACUSE (NY)
CNY Central

February 14, 2018

The Diocese of Syracuse is starting an independent compensation program for victims of past clergy sexual abuse.

Bishop Cunningham announced the establishment of the voluntary Independent Reconciliation Compensation Program (IRCP) during a news conference Wednesday. According to the Diocese, the purpose of the program is to promote reconciliation and further the healing of those harmed by members of the clergy.

“Child sexual abuse is a grave sin and a crime. And no child is responsible for his or her abuse ever,” Cunningham said. “We will not return to the mistakes of the past.”

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Catholics urging for publication of Apuron’s verdict

GUAM
KUAM News

February 13, 2018

By Krystal Paco

Guam Catholics want answers. The recent sighting of Guam’s suspended Archbishop Anthony Apuron in Rome is concerning for the Faithful who continue to wait for a verdict on Apuron’s canonical trial.

Concerned Catholics of Guam President David Sablan tells KUAM “Since he is in Rome, he more than likely was informed.”

Sablan urges the Tribunal to publicly release the verdict.

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Olympian admitted to indecent assault of girl in letter to ex-wife, court hears

NEW ZEALAND
Stuff

February 14, 2018

By Catrin Owen

An Olympic athlete admitted to indecently assaulting a girl in a letter to his ex-wife, a court has heard.

New Zealand gold medallist Arthur Parkin is on trial in the Auckland District Court for allegedly indecently assaulting three young girls.

The fourth witness in the trial is Parkin’s ex-wife. Their marriage ended in 2007.

In court on Wednesday, she said Parkin sent her a letter during their divorce proceedings stating that he had exposed himself and asked one of the complainants to touch his penis.

She later burned the letter, she said.

Parkin had told her sometime in the early 1990s he had indecently assaulted the complainant, she said.

Parkin used a “brutal word” she had never heard before, she told the court.

“I went into turmoil and into a state of shock . . . it was devastating.”

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NY Diocese Begins Program for Survivors of Clergy Abuse

SYRACUSE (NY)
The Associated Press

February 14, 2018

Syracuse diocese of the Roman Catholic Church setting up reconciliation program for survivors of clergy sexual abuse.

The Syracuse diocese of the Roman Catholic Church is establishing a reconciliation program for survivors of clergy sexual abuse.

Bishop Robert Cunningham announced the voluntary program Wednesday. It’s aimed at promoting reconciliation and healing, and possibly compensation, for those who have been harmed by members of the diocese’s clergy.

The program will be administered by Kenneth Feinberg and Camille Biros, who were involved in programs for survivors of 9/11, the British Petroleum oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and programs in three downstate New York dioceses.

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ST. CLOUD PRIEST ACCUSED OF SEXUAL MISCONDUCT WITH ADULT WOMAN

ST. CLOUD (MN)
WJON AM 1240

February 14, 2018

By Lee Voss

A St. Cloud Priest is charged with 3rd-degree criminal sexual conduct while acting as clergy and providing ongoing spiritual advice. Fifty-one-year-old Father Anthony Oelrich is a pastor at Christ Church Newman Center and has been put on administrative leave and suspended of his priestly duties by the Diocese of St. Cloud.

The St. Cloud Police Department began investigating after an adult woman came forward in December alleging a number of sexual encounters in late 2013 and early 2014.

The woman told investigators she began seeing Father Oelrich for spiritual guidance following a sexually abusive relationship. The abuse came to light during confession in December 2013.

According to the criminal complaint, the woman said she was suicidal and Father Oelrich offered to console her whenever she needed to talk about it.

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Porter was up for promotion despite abuse allegations

WASHINGTON (DC)
CNN

February 13, 2018

By Kaitlan Collins and Kevin Liptak

Rob Porter was involved in serious discussions to be promoted when he abruptly resigned from the White House last week amid allegations that he abused his two ex-wives, multiple sources familiar with the matter tell CNN.

His anticipated elevation further highlights how top White House officials were willing to overlook indications from the FBI that there were potential abuse allegations in his background in exchange for professional competence in a tumultuous West Wing.

Porter had been actively lobbying to take on new policy portfolios outside the traditional scope of the staff secretary, one person familiar with the matter said, which included speechwriting duties and a role in planning policy rollouts. Neither of those tasks is traditionally carried out by the staff secretary.

One of the areas Porter was set to delve further into was trade policy, according to the person. Porter was a regular attendee at a weekly trade meeting among top-level administration officials.

He was also being considered for the deputy chief of staff position, another source familiar with the situation said. CNN reported Friday that Jim Carroll, who served as the deputy chief of staff for less than three months, was stepping down to helm the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

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Australian cardinal blames abuse inquiry for sex allegations

MELBOURNE (AUSTRALIA)
The Associated Press

February 14, 2018

Lawyers for Cardinal George Pell, the most senior Catholic cleric to face sex charges, told an Australian court on Wednesday that the allegations stemmed from publicity surrounding a national inquiry into child abuse three years ago.

Pope Francis’s finance minister was charged last year with offenses involving multiple complainants in his native Australia. The exact details and nature of the charges have not been disclosed to the public, though police have described them as “historical” sexual assaults, meaning they are alleged to have occurred decades ago.

Pell’s lawyers failed in his application in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday to gain access to his alleged victims’ medical records.

The court will hold a preliminary hearing next month to determine whether prosecutors have sufficient evidence to warrant a jury trial. The charges and potential penalties have not been made public.

Pell has vowed through his layers to fight the charges. He returned to Sydney to face the allegations but was not required to attend court on Wednesday.

His lawyer, Ruth Shann, told Magistrate Belinda Wallington that the first complainant approached police in 2015, 40 years after the alleged crimes, in response to media reports about Australia’s Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

“We will be saying that that complaint and the basis for it lacks reliability and credibility,” Shann told the court.

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Update: St. Cloud priest arrested on suspicion of sexual misconduct with adult

ST. CLOUD (MN)
St. Cloud Times

February 13, 2018

By Stephanie Dickrell

St. Cloud police arrested a priest who serves in the Diocese of St. Cloud Tuesday morning.

The Rev. Anthony Oelrich, 51, of St. Cloud was arrested at about 10 a.m.

Stearns County Jail records say he was jailed on suspicion of third-degree criminal sexual conduct. A St. Cloud Police Department spokesman said Tuesday night that no further information would be released until Wednesday.

In a statement released Tuesday night, Bishop Donald Kettler said he was notified by St. Cloud police of Oelrich’s arrest following “an investigation of alleged sexual misconduct involving an adult woman.”

Kettler placed Oelrich on administrative leave from his current assignment. Oelrich is listed as a pastor at Christ Church Newman Center Catholic Student Community on its website.

Kettler also suspended Oelrich from his priestly faculties, which means Oelrich cannot function or present himself as a priest pending the outcome of the judicial process.

“The diocese is cooperating with civil authorities and encourages all victims of abuse to come forward,” the statement from the Diocese of St. Cloud said.

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The ugly story of Shaun White’s sexual-harassment lawsuit and trying to reconcile it with his Olympic gold

PYEONGCHANG (SOUTH KOREA)
Yahoo Sports

February 14, 2018

By Jeff Passan

They grabbed, pawed, frothed, hopeful he might deign to make eye contact or maybe even snap a selfie. For nearly two hours following his Olympic gold medal-winning run in snowboard halfpipe, Shaun White, in the midst of television appearances and radio hits, never ignored the cadre of fans who stayed to pay homage for too long. Every few minutes, he acknowledged them, and they roared back. Eventually he veered toward those who braved the frigid air. The reaching arms almost swallowed him. Personal space does not exist in cults of personality.

Halfway across the world, those who don’t deify White struggled to reconcile what he’d done Wednesday morning – throw arguably the greatest run in halfpipe snowboarding history – with what he’d allegedly done in previous years. The 100th Winter Olympics gold medalist in American history – according to a lawsuit by Lena Zawaideh, the former drummer in his band, that White later settled – texted her pictures of penises. He showed her video of a couple having sex on top of a bear that the man had shot dead and another “hardcore porn” video involving a priest, a nun and feces when she was 17 or 18 years old. He allegedly forced her to drink vodka. He insisted she change her look and wardrobe, once threatening to send her home because he didn’t like a fleece sweater she had worn. He stuck his hands down his pants, then shoved them in her face to smell them, the lawsuit alleged.

“After losing at the Olympics [in 2014],” the lawsuit said, “White became increasingly hostile and threatening, especially toward Zawaideh.”

White, who admitted to sending the texts but denied other allegations, has acknowledged being in a dark place following his fourth-place finish in the Sochi Games and cast his gold medal in PyeongChang, the third of his Olympic career, as the denouement of a redemptive arc. White refused to address questions about the lawsuit, calling it “gossip.” “I am who I am,” he said. “And I’m proud of who I am. And my friends love me and vouch for me, and I think that stands on its own.”

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Why Isn’t Anyone Talking About Shaun White’s Sexual Harassment Lawsuit?

UNITED STATES
Glamour

February 14, 2018

By Stacey Leasca

UPDATE 2/14: After immense coverage—and criticism— online, NBC addressed Shaun White’s sexual harassment lawsuit on the air Wednesday. “I’ve grown as a person over the years,” White said during an interview on the “Today” show, hours after winning his third gold medal in the men’s snowboarding halfpipe. White also apologized for calling the allegations as “gossip” during a post-competition press conference. “I’m truly sorry that I chose the word ‘gossip.’ It was a poor choice of words to describe such a sensitive subject in the world today,” he said.”I was so overwhelmed with just wanting to talk about how amazing today was and share my experience.” White also told “Today” he feels like he’s “a much more changed person than I was when I was younger. I’m proud of who I am today.”

Original story 2/13: On Tuesday, snowboarder Shaun White competed in the halfpipe finals at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. The 31-year-old—arguably the biggest celebrity in Olympic village beloved by fans, the media, and advertisers—took the gold medal. Deserved, as far as the competition goes, but according to a 2016 lawsuit, White has a history that’s being overlooked.

According to USA Today, In May 2017, White settled a lawsuit leveled against him a year earlier by Lena Zawaideh, the former drummer of his band Bad Things. In the suit, Zawaideh alleged that White repeatedly sexually harassed her and forced her to watch “sexually disturbing videos, including videos sexualizing human fecal matter.” Moreover, TMZ reported that Zawaideh said she was also forced to watch a video showing a couple killing a bear and fornicating on top of it.

Zawaideh, according to USA Today, first put forth a suit against White and his company for breach of contract for failing to pay her $3,750 monthly retainer from September 2013 through August 2014. She later amended the complaint to include sexual harassment allegations and pointed to screenshots of vulgar messages allegedly sent by White as evidence.

“Shaun took some kind of joy in seeing how much he could break me down and mess with me,” Zawaideh told Page Six in 2016. “I don’t know why, but every time he saw that I was uncomfortable with something, he would just keep going just to be like, ‘Can I break her?’ That’s not acceptable for an employee, which I was. Contractually.”

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Aly Raisman poses unclothed for Sports Illustrated: ‘Women do not have to be modest to be respected’

UNITED STATES
Yahoo Lifestyle

February 13, 2018

By Raechal Leone Shewfelt

Olympic great Aly Raisman has returned to the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue, and this time, she brought along a message.

The 23-year-old, who led the U.S. gymnastics team to gold medals in 2012 and 2016, posed with inspiring words scrawled on her body, such as “survivor” across her chest, “live 4 you” and “every voice matters” down one arm, and “fierce” on the other. “Women do not have to be modest to be respected” ran down one side of her body. There was no swimsuit, no clothing at all, just those words, which Raisman — not the photographer or stylists — chose, as did all the women featured in the what the magazine called its “In Her Own Words” project.

Raisman has been showing her strength beyond the physical, which audiences saw on display in London and Rio de Janeiro. In November, she revealed on 60 Minutes that she was one of the more than 265 people who had been sexually abused by Larry Nassar, the disgraced former doctor for the USA gymnastics team who’s been convicted of molesting athletes. Then, Raisman was one of around 100 victims who addressed Nassar in the courtroom as he was sentenced in January.

When it was her turn to speak — she was the 73rd victim to address Nassar — Raisman did not mince words. She was, well, fierce.

“Larry, you do realize that this group of women you heartlessly abused over a long period of time are now a force. And you are nothing,” Raisman said, as she faced her abuser. “The tables have turned Larry. We are here. We have our voices. And we are not going anywhere.”

In the wake of the Nassar scandal, Raisman also has called out the USA Gymnastics culture that enabled Nassar to continue abusing for decades.

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USA Gymnastics: There are no other non-disclosure agreements

LANSING (MI)
The Associated Press

February 13, 2018

By David Eggert

USA Gymnastics told Congress it has not used non-disclosure agreements in investigations except in the case of Olympic gold medalist McKayla Maroney, one of more than 200 women and girls who have said now-imprisoned sports doctor Larry Nassar sexually abused them under the guise of treatment.

The Indianapolis-based organization’s statement was part of its response to an initial congressional inquiry that was made public Tuesday. The leaders of a Senate subcommittee with jurisdiction over the health and safety of athletes also released answers provided by Michigan State University — Nassar’s longtime employer until 2016 — and the U.S. Olympic Committee.

The Senate probe, one of at least three investigations in Congress, is partly focused on the non-disclosure agreement for Maroney, who in December sued to invalidate the deal that had been reached with USA Gymnastics more than a year before. She said she was forced to sign the confidential settlement and argued it violated California law.

USA Gymnastics President and CEO Kerry Perry in a letter to Sens. Jerry Moran, a Kansas Republican, and Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, denied that the organization coerced Maroney and said it had worked with its insurer to resolve the claim “expeditiously without the need for litigation.” USA Gymnastics took “absolutely no action” against Maroney with respect to the confidentiality provision when she disclosed the abuse publicly in October and has publicly praised her for coming forward, Perry said. Maroney also had a victim impact statement read on her behalf when Nassar was recently sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison in Michigan.

“At this time, USA Gymnastics deems the parties mutually released from the mutual confidentiality agreement (and certain other settlement provisions challenged in her lawsuit) and has communicated that to Ms. Maroney’s counsel,” Perry wrote.

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U.S. restaurant workers target low wages in campaign against sexual harassment

UNITED STATES
Reuters

February 13, 2018

By Lisa Baertlein

Restaurant workers in seven U.S. cities on Tuesday lobbied state and local lawmakers to combat sexual harassment in the industry by shifting from the $2.13 federal minimum wage for tipped employees to a higher “fair” wage.

Some 70 percent of workers who receive tips in addition to their hourly pay in the United States are women.

The combination of low hourly pay and dependence on customer gratuities makes them particularly vulnerable to harassment from customers and colleagues, said Saru Jayaraman, president of the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC) which advocates for better working conditions.

Women workers earning their state’s full minimum wage before tips reported half the rate of sexual harassment as women in the states that pay $2.13 per hour, according to a study from ROC, which has called on lawmakers to follow the lead of California, Washington, Nevada and four other states that pay the more generous “fair” wage.

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Queens man who claimed clergy sex abuse gets $500,000 award

ROCKVILLE CENTRE (NY)
Newsday

February 13, 2018

By Bart Jones

The money comes from a program set up in October by the Diocese of Rockville Centre to give victims compensation if they agree not to sue the diocese.

A Queens man who said he was sexually abused by a priest in the Diocese of Rockville Centre decades ago said Tuesday he was awarded $500,000 through a compensation fund set up by the diocese.

Thomas McGarvey, 52, said he received notification of the payment last month from the administrators of the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program. The settlement, announced at a news conference Wednesday, is the first to be publicly disclosed.

The program, established in October, provides victims with financial compensation if they agree not to take legal action against the diocese. It was modeled after programs launched in the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Brooklyn.

McGarvey said the settlement was bittersweet for him. “Whatever settlement they gave me is not going to wipe out the pain that I went through,” he said.

But he added that he hopes it will at least give him some closure to the events that have haunted him for decades, and help him move on with his life.

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February 13, 2018

I’ve Been a Mormon for 75 Years. Here’s What I Know About the Church and Assault.

NEW YORK (NY)
The Cut

February 13, 2018

By Judy Dushku

The most shocking thing about the outing of Rob Porter this week is not that there is another accused wife-batterer in the White House — it’s who did the outing: his Mormon ex-wives. Mormon women pretty reliably show up in comedy and drama as naïve, passive, and sweet mothers; gentle women who do not take the reins in blowing up an abuser and a criminal. In bringing down Porter, Jennie Willoughby and Colbie Holderness defied their church bishops, who had dismissed their allegations about how he punched and choked them, and instead went public. They shared photographs, and details of the alleged abuse, and refused to back down — even in the face of a president who doubts them. To see Mormon women take on a Mormon man of such stature is quite a new image.

I’m a 75-year-old woman, and I’ve been a Mormon my whole life. I am so proud of these breakers of the mold, these bold and honest survivors who have taken a well-protected bull by his horns and refused to give up.

Mormon women often ask ourselves if we are “too nice” and “too timid.” In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we are urged to speak up and take a stand on important issues of the day, but we acknowledge that we are culturally socialized to be polite and gentle to the point of being submissive. In talks by our leaders, women held as role models are typically described as modest, humble, and kind, people who accomplish great things through quiet persistence or meekness. We tease each other about how often we begin a sentence with “I’m sorry, but …” Or if we decide to criticize something, we say, “I don’t mean to be mean, but … ” Often, we back down from our firmest declarations of disagreement and anger.

And if a woman acts in ways out of sync with this style, she is usually shunned. Administrative and teaching roles in Church congregations are filled by members who are “called to serve” by a local male leader. Women who are “called” are likely to be charismatic and energetic — but still able to appear docile and dutiful. Women who seem to have mastered the art of leading with an air of the eager harmonizer are the ones who rise to the “top” spots in a congregational or ward hierarchy.

Women habituated to this style of interacting with others are perhaps not the best prepared to fight back if they are mistreated. In our church, the abuse of women by men is not new. And in the last decade it has been widely discussed, and acknowledged as a problem. Yes, there are manuals for ward bishops that are intended to help them deal with the complaints of women who describe abuse — but everyone knows about incidents of spousal abuse in every ward, which still often go minimized or ignored. When Colbie Holderness confided in her bishop about Porter’s alleged abuse, he cautioned that filing a protective order could harm her husband’s career. Jennie Willoughby says her bishop did not respond to her complaints about her husband being “physical” with any great concern.

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FBI Chief Disputes White House Claims On When It Heard Of Rob Porter Allegations

WASHINGTON (DC)
The Huffington Post

February 13, 2018

By S.V. Date

Christopher Wray said the FBI turned in a partial report about the domestic abuse accusations nearly a year ago.

WASHINGTON ― The White House’s attempts to explain why it allowed a top aide accused of domestic violence by both of his ex-wives to keep his job took another hit on Tuesday, this time from FBI Director Christopher Wray.

President Donald Trump’s other top aides have been claiming that they did not know about the domestic violence allegations against former staff secretary Rob Porter until recently and that they did not appreciate the full extent of the accusations until photographs of one woman’s injuries were published by news outlets.

But Wray, who was named to that job by Trump, told the Senate Intelligence Committee that the FBI had given the White House a preliminary report on Porter nearly a year ago.

“I can’t get into the content of what was briefed,” he said in response to a question from Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). “What I can tell you is that the FBI submitted a partial report on the investigation in question in March and then a completed background investigation in late July.”

Wray added that the FBI “soon thereafter” received a request for a follow-up from the White House, which it completed and returned in November.

The FBI closed out its investigation in January, but then received “additional information” in early February, which it passed along as well, Wray said.

White House officials did not respond to multiple requests for comment about Wray’s testimony, which contradicts timelines offered by the White House press office over the past week.

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Lee students blast sexual assault scandals through podcast

CLEVELAND (TN)
Lee Clarion

February 13, 2018

By Kiersten Powers

If there’s something to be said about the students featured on the Thoughts of the Roundtable podcast, it’s that they aren’t shying away from the tough subjects.

The students, Juan and Rebeca Molina, Chris Seders and Gabby Oechsle, have a mission of addressing important topics to further educate and discuss solutions with each other.

And recently? Sexual abuse in the church.

In a recent episode of Thoughts of the Roundtable entitled “Chris Hansen, Where Are You?,” the group discussed the multitude of recent sexual harassment scandals, from those in Hollywood to the accused in politics and religion.

Pope Francis is currently receiving backlash for his support of a bishop who has been accused of covering up one of the largest sexual assault cases.

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Judge: Lawsuit Claiming Montana Priest Sex Abuse Can Proceed

GREAT FALLS (MT)
The Associated Press

February 13, 2018

A federal judge is allowing lawsuits to proceed in state court by two people who claim they were sexually abused in a small southern Montana town by a Roman Catholic priest in the 1970s and 1980s.

A U.S. judge has granted a request for lawsuits to proceed in Montana state court that were filed by two people who claim they were sexually abused as children by a Roman Catholic priest in the small southern town of Absarokee in the 1970s and 1980s.

Monday’s order by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Jim Papas said the parties were not making progress in settlement negotiations, the Great Falls Tribune reported .

“Time to do something else,” he wrote.

The Diocese of Great Falls-Billings, which covers the eastern half of Montana, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection while working to settle 86 claims of abuse from the 1940s to the 1980s.

Attorneys for the two victims whose cases are moving forward argued deciding their claims in state court could help determine damage amounts due to the other 84 plaintiffs.

The claims involve a woman who said the Rev. Joseph Heretick abused her from 1983 to 1986 and a man who said he was abused by Heretick and another priest from 1974 to 1980. Heretick died in 1999.

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‘Bill & Ted’ Star Alex Winter Says ‘Silly’ Films Helped Him Heal Sexual Abuse Trauma

LOS ANGELES (CA)
The Wrap

February 2, 2018

By Rosemary Rossi

Actor says “hellish” experience left him with PTSD

Alex Winter best known as Bill to Keanu Reeves’ Ted in the cult classic “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” has come forward as a victim of sexual abuse.

In an interview with BBC Radio 5, the former teen star said he was sexually abused when he was a child actor in the 1970s, and making the “Bill & Ted” films and short-lived series was “therapeutic.”

“It was an opportunity to be child-like… innocent and sweet,” the actor said in an interview Friday. “I absolutely feel like a survivor.”

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More than 60 women have filed sexual harassment complaints against IHOP, Applebee’s restaurants

UNITED STATES
Vox

February 7, 2018

By Alexia Fernández Campbell

They describe a work environment where groping and sexual requests from co-workers were rampant.

In late 2011, a 16-year-old girl from suburban St. Louis landed her first job as a waitress at a local IHOP restaurant. She needed to work there for at least a year to complete her high school co-op program. At first, it made her uncomfortable when her boss repeatedly complimented her appearance. Within a few months, his behavior made her terrified to go to work.

The Illinois teen’s fear of getting fired — and not graduating on time — led her to put up with escalating sexual harassment from the restaurant’s general manager, according to allegations described in federal court documents filed in September. At one point, the manager allegedly threatened to “get violent” if she didn’t have sex with him.

Ten of the waitress’s female co-workers described similar experiences with two male cooks at the restaurant in a sexual harassment lawsuit they filed together in September 2017 against the IHOP franchise owner. They all accused the general manager and other supervisors of ignoring their complaints — and even condoning the behavior in some cases.

Those complaints were just a few of the nearly 7,000 sexual harassment reports against employers that were reviewed in 2017 by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which enforces federal civil rights laws. Sexual harassment at work is a form of illegal gender discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. The women each filed a separate EEOC complaint, and the EEOC decided to file a class-action lawsuit on their behalf.

Sexual harassment is a particularly serious problem in restaurant and hotel jobs. From 2005 to 2015, hotel and restaurant workers filed at least 5,000 sexual harassment complaints with the EEOC — more than any other industry, according to an analysis from the Center for American Progress. This number represents only a fraction of all complaints filed by restaurant workers, as only about half of the 85,000 sexual harassment complaints filed with the EEOC in that time frame designated a specific industry.

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One in five women have been sexually assaulted, analysis finds

ENGLAND and WALES
The Guardian

February 8, 2018

By Alan Travis

Official analysis from latest Crime Survey of England and Wales lays bare extent of problem

One in five women in England and Wales have experienced some type of sexual assault since the age of 16, according to official analysis of violent crime figures.

The latest release of findings from the Crime Survey for England and Wales shows more than 510,000 women – an estimated 3.1% of all women aged 16 to 59 – experienced some type of sexual assault in the past year.

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Judges Hear Arguments in Spanier Appeal

STATE COLLEGE (PA)
State College

February 7, 2018

By Geoff Rushton

A panel of Superior Court judges heard oral arguments on Wednesday as former Penn State President Graham Spanier seeks to have his conviction on a charge of endangering the welfare of children overturned.

Spanier was found guilty in March on the misdemeanor charge related to his handling of a 2001 report about Jerry Sandusky, but the jury found him not guilty on a felony child endangerment charge and a felony count of conspiracy.

The two-year statute of limitations had long run out when he was charged in 2012, he argues. Spanier’s attorney, Bruce Merenstein, said trial judge John Boccabella made a post-trial ruling granting an exception for an extension that applies to a child endangerment charge when a minor under the age of 18 was the victim of a sexual offense, until the victim is 50, according to the Associated Press.

That issue was never raised before Boccabella made the post-trial ruling and Spanier’s attorneys had no opportunity to address it, Merenstein argued.

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RTAB #82: JOHN BARR

UNITED STATES
PodcastOne

February 11, 2018

By Andrew Brandt

ESPN Investigative reporter John Barr is this week’s guest on the Business Of Sports. He talks with Andrew about covering the Larry Nassar case.

Length: 0:43:28

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Judge grants clergy abuse plaintiffs 2 more months to serve papers

GUAM
Pacific Daily News

February 13, 2018

By Haidee V. Eugenio

U.S. District Court Chief Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood granted seven clergy sex-abuse accusers up to early April to serve legal documents to three defendants in their lawsuits.

This includes the Capuchin Franciscans and the Congregation of Holy Cross, which are both in Italy, and former Saint Anthony Catholic School teacher Ray Caluag in the Philippines.

“The court finds good cause for and finds defendants will not be prejudiced by the requested extensions,” the judge wrote, granting a two-month extension that takes effect from the date of her Feb. 12 order.

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Commentary: Mormon church needs to train bishops better — and teach them that most domestic violence reports turn out to be true

SALT LAKE CITY (UT)
Religion News Service via the Salt Lake Tribune

February 13, 2018

By Jana Riess

I’m angry, but I’m trying to understand.

White House aide Rob Porter resigned last week from his job as staff secretary because a story broke that his two ex-wives had accused him of abuse. Despite that, this administration had kept him in power.

Apparently, after the FBI’s investigation early in 2017, it did not grant Porter a full security clearance, and he’s been operating all this time on an interim clearance.

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Evidence shows Pope Francis is a ‘principal in a cover-up’ of clergy sex-abuse in Chile: Expert

WASHINGTON (DC)
LifeSiteNews

February 12, 2018

By Lisa Bourne

Those familiar with Jorge Bergoglio in Argentina before he became Pope Francis say it is a “classic” move of his to provide “mercy” to clergy who are sexual predators while asking everybody else to simply “move on,” said attorney and child advocate Elizabeth Yore on an EWTN show last week.

“I think this is a misplaced mercy. It is mercy for the predator priests,” she told EWTN’s Raymond Arroyo on the February 8 episode of World Over.

“There are many people who know the Pope from Argentina who have said this is classic Bergoglio to provide mercy to the predators and ask everybody else to move on,” she added.

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Australian Bishops: Pray and fast in reparation for child sexual abuse

AUSTRALIA
Vatican News

February 13, 2018

By Richard Marsden

Catholics in Australia will observe a four day period of fasting and reparation in sorrow for child sex abuse and for the healing of victims.

The Catholic Bishops of Australia are calling on the Catholic community to make the first four days of Lent a period of fasting and reparation in sorrow for the “tragedy” of child sex abuse within the Church.

In a letter published by the Australian Bishops Conference, Catholics are encouraged to pray at home and in their parishes – that is, both privately and publicly – for the healing of victims and survivors ahead of the Church giving its response to recommendations made by the Royal Commission into child sex abuse.

The bishops conference has also published texts of special liturgies and prayers for the period of reparation (February 14-17) on its website – including a Holy Hour and Benediction, a Penitential Celebration, and Evening Prayer of the Church.

In the Lenten statement, the bishops write: “Through fasting, we stand in solidarity with the victims and survivors of abuse whose much deeper hunger is for healing and peace in their lives. Through reparation, we make amends for the sin of those in the Church who abused children or failed to listen and act when they should have.” The message adds that these spiritual exercises “express our desire for God’s reconciling and healing grace.”

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Investigator | Church suspends controversial Bishop following alleged sex abuse

CLEVELAND (OH)
WKYC3

February 12, 2018

By Tom Meyer

Joseph White has been suspended.

Dr. Joseph White, presiding Bishop of the Church of the Living God International (CLGI), has been suspended following allegations of sexual misconduct.

The church’s board of directors placed White on leave from any official duties or capacity with the church until the matter is resolved.

In a letter to CLGI members, the board said, “…these are serious allegations…we must allow the legal process to work…so that justice may be served.”

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Porter ex-wife: Strength doesn’t ‘inoculate a person against abuse’

WASHINGTON (DC)
CNN

February 13, 2018

By Eli Watkins

WH staff secretary Rob Porter reresigned last week

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Colbie Holderness, one of the women who have gone public with allegations of spousal abuse by a former top White House aide, wrote in a piece published Monday evening that abuse affects many different types of people.

“Being strong — with excellent instincts and loyalty and smarts — does not inoculate a person against abuse. It doesn’t prevent her from entering into a relationship with an abuser. Abuse often doesn’t manifest itself early on — only later, when you’re in deep and behind closed doors. The really ugly side of Rob’s abuse only came out after we married, following three years of dating,” Holderness wrote in a Washington Post op-ed.

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Rob Porter’s first ex-wife responds to Kellyanne Conway

WASHINGTON (DC)
Politico

February 13, 2018

By Louis Nelson

Colbie Holderness, an ex-wife of a former Trump administration official Rob Porter, took umbrage in a Washington Post op-ed at the seeming suggestion from counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway that victims of domestic violence lack strength.

Conway, in an appearance last weekend on CNN’s “State of the Union,” was asked about Porter, the former White House staff secretary who resigned last week amid allegations of abuse from Holderness and another ex-wife, Jennifer Willoughby. The counselor to the president told CNN she had no reason not to believe the allegations from Willoughby and Holderness, but when asked if she feared for White House communications director Hope Hicks, reported to be dating Porter, Conway said, “I’ve rarely met somebody so strong with such excellent instincts and loyalty and smarts.”

“Her statement implies that those who have been in abusive relationships are not strong,” Holderness wrote in her op-ed, published online Monday night. “I beg to differ.”

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WHITE HOUSE THINKS HOPE HICKS IS ‘IMMUNE’ TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE FROM ROB PORTER, MSNBC HOST SAYS

WASHINGTON (DC)
Newsweek

February 13, 2018

By Harriet Sinclair

The Trump White House has taken an unusual position on Hope Hicks’s romantic relationship with alleged domestic abuser Rob Porter, MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell has claimed.

On Monday, O’Donnell slammed counselor Kellyanne Conway for her assertion that the White House Communications Director Hicks is a “strong woman.”

On his show, The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell, the host singled out White House counselor Kellyanne Conway for claiming she is not worried about communications director Hicks’s relationship with Porter because Hicks is a “strong woman.”

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Judge allows two claims in diocese sex abuse case to proceed in district court

GREAT FALLS (MT)
Great Falls Tribune

February 12, 2018

By Seaborn Larson

A federal judge on Monday granted a motion allowing two claims of sexual abuse by an Absarokee priest in the 1970s and ’80s to proceed to conclusion through the state courts.

The order by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Jim Papas allows two claims to move forward in district court, which was not previously an option after the Great Falls-Billings Diocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year to move toward a settlement for the 86 people who have filed claims of sexual, physical and emotional abuse. Most claim the abuse took place in their youths at the hands of eastern Montana clergy from 1940s to the 1990s.

“The parties have negotiated, and are not making any progress in the Chapter 11 case,” Papas said during the hearing. “Time to do something else.”

Attorneys for the victims argued in January that while settlement negotiations are not moving forward, processing two claims at the state court level would provide more insight when working toward a settlement for the remaining 84 victims.

The district court case will likely decide whether or not the diocese was negligent in these instances of abuse, as alleged by attorneys for the victims.

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Surprised John Kelly would overlook abuse? The military that bred him is rife with it.

UNITED STATES
USA Today

February 13, 2018

By Joanne Lipman

Military leaders believe the brothers in arms they know, not the female victims they don’t. It’s not surprising that Kelly would defend Porter.

For days, pundits have been puzzling over how John Kelly, the straight-arrow retired general brought in to restore order to the Trump White House as chief of staff, could have tolerated an accused wife-beater as staff secretary.

After all, Kelly was told about Rob Porter’s alleged abuse weeks ago by the FBI, which also informed him that Porter was unlikely to receive security clearance because of it, according to Politico. On Friday, a second White House staffer stepped down after he too was accused of abusing his wife.

The question is, why would Kelly have put up with it?

Here’s one answer that few have dared raise: the ingrained, extensive culture of sexual harassment in the military. Not just tolerating abuse, but allowing it to fester, particularly at the highest levels. The military culture that turned a blind eye to domestic abuse and sex scandals by top brass over a period of many years is the same one that bred John Kelly.

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The conversation we need to have about abuse

ST. GEORGE (UT)
Deseret News Hive via The Spectrum

February 12, 2018

By Lois M. Collins

Domestic violence has stepped to the forefront of national discussion with the resignations last week of two well-placed White House staffers amid allegations they abused their former spouses.

Both Rob Porter, who was serving as staff secretary, and speechwriter David Sorenson have denied the accusations.

The national conversation on domestic violence overlaps increased awareness of sexual harassment and assault, courtesy of the #MeToo and Time’s Up campaigns. Those rose from myriad allegations of sexual wrongdoing against prominent men in media, entertainment, politics and elsewhere. The #MeToo social media campaign has focused on how women are treated and some experts believe the openness engendered there is spilling over to benefit victims of domestic violence, most of whom are women.

“I can’t believe that it wouldn’t to some degree,” although no one’s studied if #MeToo has impacted victims of domestic abuse, said David Derezotes, University of Utah social work professor and director of the Peace and Conflict Studies Program.

To Kathleen Lopez, the shattered silence sounds beautiful.

“Calling it ‘time’s up’ is perfect. It’s time to have these conversations and make things better,” said Lopez, owner and CEO of Sentinel Sales & Management in American Fork. Three decades ago, she packed only a diaper bag and took her 8-month-old son to a battered-women’s shelter to escape domestic abuse.

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Resignation of White House staffer shines light on LDS Church’s abuse training

SALT LAKE CITY (UT)
FOX13

February 12, 2018

By Matt McDonald

The resignation of White House staffer Rob Porter is shining a light on domestic abuse and the role LDS bishops have in aiding victims.

“I hold no ill will towards that bishop. I think he was making a decision the best that he could,” said Jennie Willoughby, one of Porter’s ex-wives. She says she told her LDS bishop about the abuse and was counseled to consider the impact a protective order would have on Porter’s career.

Her story has sparked many to post their own experiences in online forums.

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Jury told accused priest threw out pills

SYDNEY (AUSTRALIA)
9News

February 13, 2018

A Russian Orthodox priest accused of molesting a 14-year-old boy threw out a rubbish bag containing tablets after he was questioned by police, a Sydney jury has been told.

Stanislav Vakhabov, known as Father Christopher, has pleaded not guilty to detaining the boy for his own sexual gratification, giving him intoxicating substances to make it easier to have unlawful sexual activity and four counts of indecent assault in 2014

The Crown has alleged the now 35-year-old invited the overseas boy to stay with him at his single-bedroom flat on the Croydon church grounds, not informing church authorities.

Giving evidence in the District Court on Tuesday, Deacon Ivan Bots said Vakhabov phoned him about midnight around the middle of 2014 saying he had just got back from the police station after being interrogated.

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Native American Boarding School Abuse Victims Seek New Law

PIERRE (SD)
The Associated Press

February 12, 2018

By James Nord

South Dakota lawmakers may establish a new window for victims of childhood sexual abuse at Native American boarding schools to file lawsuits against organizations like schools and churches.

South Dakota lawmakers are considering establishing a three-year window for victims of childhood sexual abuse at Native American boarding schools to file lawsuits against organizations like schools and churches, a move that supporters say would allow survivors to have their stories heard.

The Senate Judiciary Committee plans to debate a measure Tuesday that would create the new time frame for victims to file civil claims and repeal a provision in state law banning victims 40 and older from recovering damages from people or entities other than the actual abuser.

Louise Charbonneau Aamot is one of nine sisters who unsuccessfully sued over alleged sexual abuse committed before 1975 at St. Paul’s Indian Mission, a boarding school in Marty, South Dakota. The 67-year-old member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa said officials need to ensure it never happens again at any school or church.

“We know that God’s with us on this journey. We’ve been through so much, and there’s so much pain,” she said. “But we’re hoping, you know, they listen to us this time.”

The Associated Press typically doesn’t identify sexual assault victims unless they come forward publicly.

Attorney Michelle Dauphinais Echols, the bill’s author, said it’s for “healing and justice.” Victims haven’t had an opportunity to have their cases heard on the merits of their claims, she said.

“I think this would be a great first step to just try to help them along their journey to healing and closure,” Dauphinais Echols said.

The South Dakota Supreme Court in 2012 dismissed the sister’s and others’ claims against religious groups including the Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls. The court found that the lawsuits were filed years after the applicable statute of limitations had expired and that the diocese wasn’t liable because it wasn’t responsible for the children.

The new legislation would clarify that any person or organization engaged in the Native American boarding school system may be held liable for childhood sexual abuse. The bill’s original language would eliminate the statute of limitations, but an amendment aims to create a three-year window for filing claims, Dauphinais Echols said. It also would revive claims barred because the applicable statute of limitations has expired.

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UK Catholic aid agency suspends staff member implicated in Oxfam sex scandal

LEICESTER (UK)
Crux

February 13, 2018

By Charles Collins

A scandal involving a British anti-poverty charity in Haiti has impacted CAFOD, the Catholic international aid agency for England and Wales.

An investigative series by The Times, an English newspaper, revealed Oxfam staff used prostitutes in “Caligula”-like sex parties while providing aid in Haiti in 2011. The newspaper alleges some of those prostitutes may have been underaged.

Oxfam is a global international aid agency founded in Oxford in 1942. It now consists of 19 separate international committees, and is one of the largest aid federations in the world.

It was revealed that one of the persons accused of sexual misconduct later began working for CAFOD in the Philippines, after leaving Oxfam.

“CAFOD has a zero-tolerance approach to misconduct breaching our Code of Behavior, including fraud, abuse, intimidation and other acts,” said Chris Bain, the director of the Catholic agency.

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Survivors respond to Ballarat Diocese meeting abuse compensation

BALLARAT (AUSTRALIA)
The Courier

February 13, 2018

By Rochelle Kirkham and Siobhan Calafiore

Clergy abuse survivors are pushing for a more comprehensive redress model as the Catholic Diocese of Ballarat reveals it is confident in being in a financial position to meet all compensation claims.

The Ballarat Diocese has paid more than $4.9 million in compensation to survivors of child sexual abuse and more than $1 million in pastoral support to abuse survivors so far.

But Ballarat clergy abuse survivor Tony Wardley has said while the figure may seem big, broken down it was simply not enough when it came to redress for survivors.

He estimated using the money as compensation for the victims of disgraced paedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale alone would equate to about $30-40,000 each.

“If you divide that up by the amount of survivors you’ll see how pathetic the actual compensation has been for (the Catholic Church’s) Towards Healing,” he said.

“We want just compensation, not more money because more money doesn’t fix anything. It’s ongoing care like medical, that’s where the redress scheme has let everyone down. We need specialist help from the medical side and just can’t afford it.”

Diocesan business manager Andrew Jirik has said the diocese would continue to meet compensation claims from its assets and insurance.

“The Diocese of Ballarat has drawn these funds from its own resources, including its insurer where its policies apply, without recourse to the assets of its 51 parishes which belong to local parish communities across the diocese,” Mr Jirik said.

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Australian bishops dedicate start of Lent to abuse victims

SYDNEY (AUSTRALIA)
CNA/EWTN News

February 13, 2018

The bishops of Australia have called on the faithful of the country to begin the season of Lent with four days of fasting and reparation for victims of sexual abuse within the Church.

One suggested prayer for the penitential period asks God: “May all those who have been abused physically, emotionally and sexually by your ministers be respected and accompanied by tangible gestures of justice and reparation so that they may feel healed with the balm of your compassion.”

It adds: “We pray that your Church may be a secure home where all children and vulnerable adults are brought closer to your Beloved Son.”

The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference in a Feb. 5 message asked Catholics to dedicate Feb. 14-17 as days of fasting and reparation for cases of sexual abuse within the Church.

They said that they and other Church leaders have often expressed sorrow and apologies for “the harm suffered by victims and survivors, the instances of cover-up, the failure to believe survivors’ stories and to respond with compassion and justice, and the distress that many still experience.”

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This is how Boise’s Catholic Diocese investigates sexual abuse accusations

BOISE (ID)
Idaho Statesman

February 12, 2018

By Ruth Brown

Until his recent arrest, Catholic Church officials say they didn’t investigate any complaints about the Rev. W. Thomas Faucher because they had none.

If the Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise had been aware of allegations of sexual misconduct against 72-year-old Faucher before his arrest, it would have followed existing policy, officials said.

Faucher, a longtime Catholic priest in Boise, was arrested last week on accusations of possessing and sharing child pornography, and possessing drugs such as marijuana and ecstasy. Prosecutors have no reason to believe any of the images were of local children, though they had not verified all of the victims’ identities last week.

The diocese’s 63-page policy is readily available and easily accessible. But it’s unclear how often the diocese investigates complaints of sexual misconduct, because investigations are not public record.

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Larry Nassar case, #MeToo spur new Michigan legislation to combat sexual assault

DETROIT (MI)
Detroit Free Press

February 13, 2018

By Kristen Jordan Shamus

A group of Michigan lawmakers came together Monday to call for a three-pronged approach to combating sexual assault and harassment, especially on college campuses, aiming to pass new laws that will bolster prevention and education, better protect assault survivors and offer more accountability.

The Michigan Progressive Women’s Caucus hopes to lift the statute of limitations on sexual assault cases involving those under the age of 16, create a new position of Title IX ombudsman within the state Department of Civil Rights, and increase funding for sexual assault prevention and education programs, among other measures.

The action comes in the midst of the #MeToo movement, and after the sentencing hearings of former Michigan State University sports medicine doctor Larry Nassar, who will serve the rest of his life in prison after assaulting hundreds of women and girls in the guise of medical care.

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ALLEGED SEX-OFFENDER ARRESTED FOR FAKING MENTAL ILLNESS TO AVOID EXTRADITION

ISRAEL
The Jerusalem Post

February 12, 2018

By Jeremy Sharon

– Israel to extradite suspected haredi sex abuser to Australia
– Washing away the trauma of abuse

Malka Leifer is accused of having sexually abused several former pupils of hers while she served as the principal of the Adass Israel School in Melbourne, Australia.

Suspected sex offender Malka Leifer was arrested on Monday morning by police after an undercover investigation indicated that she has been feigning mental illness to avoid extradition to Australia.

Leifer is accused of 74 charges of sexual abuse against former pupils, who were minors at the time, at the Adass Israel School in Melbourne Australia where she served as a teacher and principal from 2003 to 2008.

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She fled to Israel in 2008 to avoid criminal proceedings, but extradition proceedings only began in 2014.

Leifer has managed to avoid extradition, however, by claiming mental illness ever since – claims that until now have been upheld by a medical review panel dealing with her case.

The Australian authorities have been anxious for Leifer’s extradition to be expedited given the gravity of the charges against her, and officials from the Australian government have met with Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked regarding the case on several occasions.

The police said in a statement on Monday that they had been requested to investigate the truth of Leifer’s mental status by Interpol and subsequently initiated their investigation.

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Accused sex abuser Malka Leifer in Israel arrest

ISRAEL
The Australian

February 13, 2018

By Cameron Stewart

Accused sex offender and former school principal Malka Leifer has been re-arrested in Israel, a move welcomed by her victims who have fought a high-profile campaign to extradite her to Australia.

Police in Israel confirmed overnight that they had arrested Ms Leifer after a covert investigation into her claims that she was too mentally ill to face extradition to Australia. Israeli authorities said they would now renew extradition proceedings to bring her back to Melbourne where she is wanted for 74 counts of child sex abuse.

Dassi Erlich, one of Ms Leifer’s victims along with her two sisters Elly and Nicole, has welcomed the news.

“It is with a mixture of elation and relief coupled with anticipation towards the future, that we welcome the news of Malka Leifer’s arrest,” the sisters said in a statement. “We see this as a very important breakthrough in our long journey to achieve justice. It is shocking that charges of fraud and the feigning of mental illness have been used to evade justice for such a long time, but we are relieved that Malka Leifer’s arrest removes her from posing a potential threat to other vulnerable children.”

“It has been a very long ten years since Malka Leifer fled Australia. We are hopeful that this is a turning point in the extradition process.”

The covert police investigation into Ms Leifer came after Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull raised the issue with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during Mr Turnbull’s visit to Israel in October.

Both sides of Australian politics as well as influential members of Australia’s Jewish community have lobbied Israel over the Liefer case.

Ms Leifer, who allegedly sexually abused girls in her care while principal of the ultra-orthodox Jewish Adass Israel school, fled Australia in 2008 before charges could be laid.

Ms Leifer was initially arrested in August 2014 but extradition proceedings against her all but collapsed in May last year when Ms Leifer’s lawyers successfully argued that she was psychologically unwell and too ill to attend extradition hearings. She was allowed to walk free but was ordered to undergo psychiatric treatment — a development that could have dragged on for years.

Concerns that Ms Leifer was faking her illness to avoid justice were raised when she was spotted at a festival in northern Israel last year.
Israeli police initiated a covert investigation into Ms Leifer to see whether her claims to be too ill to attend court were valid.

Child sex abuse activist and former abuse victim Manny Waks also welcomed the news. “I’m delighted to hear of Malka Leifer’s arrest and hope that it is the re-commencement of a process that leads to her extradition to Australia to face her accusers,” he said. “Her arrest is a credit to the many people who have worked tirelessly to ensure that she will be held to account and can no longer be a potential threat to children in Israel. I’m especially happy for her courageous alleged victims.”

Ms Leifer was helped by senior members of Melbourne’s ultra-orthodox Adass community in 2008 after they became aware of allegations of sexual abuse involving Ms Leifer, who was principal of the Adass Israel School. Victoria Police would eventually charge her with 74 counts of sexual assault and rape.

In 2015, former Victorian Supreme Court judge Jack Rush ordered the school to pay $1,024,428 in damages after Ms Erlich sued the school.

Ms Leifer’s alleged abuse of Ms Erlich began when Ms Erlich was 15 and allegedly continued for years. The leaders of the Adass community were widely criticised for helping Ms Leifer to fly to Israel on the night when allegations against her were first raised with them.
In his judgment Justice Rush stated: “The failure of the board to report the allegations to police prior to arranging Leifer’s urgent departure is deplorable.”

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La Iglesia Católica encubre curas pederastas y «les corta la cabeza» a los que incumplen con el celibato

OAXACA (MEXICO)
Página 3 [Oaxaca de Juárez, Oaxaca, Mexico]

February 13, 2016

By Pedro Matias

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OAXACA, Oax. (#página3.mx).- La Iglesia Católica podría ser calificada como una institución “retrógrada, anti evangélica y anti humanista” porque es más sancionado el que los sacerdotes incumplan con el celibato que violar niños, como lo demuestra la abierta protección de la pederastia clerical.

Aunque el Papa Francisco ha manifestado que el celibato no es parte del dogma sino una medida disciplinaria, lo que significa que puede revisarse, la realidad es que en México la Iglesia tolera que tengas una relación con una mujer y tengas tus hijos siempre y cuando no se haga público, pero si trasciende “te cortan la cabeza”.

En vísperas de la visita Papal, un grupo de sacerdotes de la Arquidiócesis de Antequera-Oaxaca accedió a hablar del tema con la condición de guardar el anonimato porque “si estás dentro del Presbiterio, una de las cosa más riesgosas, aunque no es dogma ni herejía, es hablar contra el celibato, te cortan la cabeza”, sintetizaron.

Incluso se atrevieron a mencionar que cuatro gobernadores de Oaxaca -no quisieron revelar nombres-, únicamente se limitaron a decir que uno de ellos mandó a poner cuatro ángeles en el campanario de San Juan de Dios para dejar testimonio de esa realidad.

Para reforzar su dicho mencionaron que un presbítero es pariente cercano del general Marcos Pérez porque su hermano el cura Mateo Pérez es padre de Nicolás Pérez y a la vez es abuelo de un sacerdote en funciones.

Y el caso más reciente de protección a pederastia es el que presuntamente cometió el padre Gerardo Silvestre Hernández, quien fue detenido el 29 de noviembre de 2013 por el presunto abuso sexual de casi un centenar de niños indígenas y por el cual a la fecha no ha sido sentenciado.

Mientras que por ese presunto delito los párrocos de Cristo Rey, Apolonio Merino Hernández, y de Santiago CamotlánÁngel Noguera Nieto, fueron suspendidos de sus funciones sacerdotales en agosto pasado por el arzobispo de Antequera-Oaxaca, José Luis Chávez Botello, por no ocultar el caso de pederastia cometido por su compañero el padre Gerardo Silvestre Hernández.

El padre Apolonio Merino Hernández denunció que a partir del pasado 7 de agosto fue notificado que quedó suspendido de sus funciones sacerdotales, al tiempo que se quejó de que fue amenazado de que si hacía algún escándalo público ventilarían que violó el celibato al formar su propia familia y de prefabricarle un delito por el supuesto abuso sexual a una mujer.Antes de que le notificaron su “destierro” de la Arquidiócesis le ofrecieron darle una mesada de ocho mil pesos para que tenga un apoyo y tenga una “vida digna”; sin embargo, el sacerdote decidió no callar este atropello de la Iglesia Católica porque por encima de su seguridad está la justicia para los niños indígenas que fueron abusado sexualmente.

Gerardo Silvestre Hernández, ex párroco de Santa María Ozolotepec, fue aprehendido el 29 de noviembre de 2013 en Tlaxiaco en cumplimiento a una orden de aprehensión librada por el Juzgado VII de lo Penal, según consta en el expediente penal 140/2013 por el delito de corrupción de personas menores de 18 años.

Posteriormente, el Juzgado Séptimo de lo Penal dictó el auto de formal prisión a Silvestre Hernández, también ex párroco en San Pablo Huitzo, Santiago Camotlán y Villa Alta; sin embargo, es la fecha que el Poder Judicial no le ha dictado sentencia.

Ni tampoco el Arzobispo ha dado una disculpa pública ni existe la reparación del daño cometido a unas 100 personas que en el 2009 tenían entre 11 y 13 años.

En enero de 2014, sacerdotes de la Arquidiócesis de Antequera-Oaxaca exigieron a las autoridades eclesiásticas “extirpar de raíz el infame crimen de la pederastia que se dejó incubar en la Iglesia con su silencio cómplice”.

Para ello, es necesario que las autoridades eclesiásticas encabezadas por el arzobispo José Luis Chávez Botello, pidan perdón por los casos de pederastia cometidos por el sacerdote Gerardo Silvestre Hernández, quien solo fue removido de sus parroquias.

El Foro Oaxaqueño de la Niñez (Foni) integrado por 25 organizaciones y ocho sacerdotes católicos exigieron al presidente del Tribunal Superior de Justicia, Alfredo Lagunas Rivera, imponer la pena máxima al presbítero detenido por corrupción de menores contra dos niños de Villa Alta, hechos que ocurrieron durante los años 2009 y 2010.

Y mientras el arzobispo José Luis Chávez Botello se quejó que desde hace seis años la Arquidiócesis ha sido calumniada y difamada por el presunto caso de pederastia del sacerdote Gerardo Silvestre Hernández -quien perteneció al presbiterio y ahora enfrenta un proceso penal que aún no concluye-, resaltó que han sido categóricos al afirmar que nadie tiene derecho a dañar la integridad y la vida de las niñas, niños y adolescentes, razón por la cual “condenamos enérgicamente la pederastia”.

En clara alusión al cura Apolonio Merino Hernández que denunció que fue suspendido de sus funciones sacerdotales por denunciar el caso de pederastia, el purpurado también consideró que nadie tiene el derecho a dañar la honorabilidad y la buena fama de las personas y de las instituciones, desinformando y falseando la verdad, por lo que con la misma energía condenó la “mentira”.

ANACRÓNICO EL CELIBATO

“Ya lo dijo un cura, mis nietos ya no lo verán”, “No hay cosa más segura que la mujer del cura”, y “Si no eres casto, sé cauto”, con estas frases el propio presbiterio se burla del celibato.

Al respecto, el obispo emérito de Tehuantepec, Arturo Lona Reyes, se pronunció porque la Iglesia modifique esa disciplina porque si llegara esto a resolverse -que los sacerdotes casados puedan regresar al ejercicio de su ministerio sacerdotal- estaría de acuerdo, lástima que yo haya llegado tarde porque “ya lo dijo un cura, mis nietos ya no lo verán”.

Consideró que “es de humanos equivocarse y son miles de sacerdotes que no pueden ejercer por esa razón y su vocación es el servicio dentro de la Iglesia, pero si yo fuera escuchado, porque soy Emérito y ya no nos hacen caso, estaría de acuerdo (en que eliminara el celibato)”.

Sin embargo, reconoció que “sí hay granos negros en el arroz, sí hay fallas, pero desde mi punto de vista el Papa debería tomar esa acción y regresarán mucho al redil porque hay sacerdotes ejemplares que acercan a sus hijos y añoran que quieren regresar al servicio sacerdotal”.

Por su parte, el ex sacerdote y defensor de derechos humanos Alberto Athié, afirmó que “el celibato como tal no es el problema porque la Iglesia tolera esto mientras no se sepa, mientras no se haga público, pero si se hace público y te portas mal, te la cobran. Ahí esta el caso de Apolonio”.

Entonces, “si tienes tu pareja y trabajas bien, ni quien te toque, pero te la cobran si te portas mal con los jerarcas. Si se la aplicaran a todos los que tienen parejas, ¿cuántas quedarían en el equipo?”.

Lo preocupante, dijo, es que “es más sancionable y punible que tú tengas una relación con una mujer y tengas tus hijos con ella siendo sacerdote, a que abuses de niños”.

Por consiguiente la Iglesia “no solo es retrógrada, es anti-evangélica y anti-humanista porque tener relaciones heterosexuales dentro de la antropología eclesiástica y de la revelación es normal, está en la creación”.

Entonces, agregó, “el haber dicho que para ser sacerdote tienes que ser célibe, de alguna manera contradice la creación. Hay que dejarlos libres, el que quiera ser célibe que lo haga, quien no, no. Jesús tenía apóstoles casados y célibes y no les impuso a unos ni una ni otra, los dejó en plena libertad”.

Considera que el celibato es por razones económicas, para controlar las herencias y los patrimonios.

Por su parte, los sacerdotes afirmaron que el celibato en Oaxaca ha sido un punto que siempre ha imperado porque desde los tiempo de los arzobispos Eulogio Guillow, Othón Núñez y Zárate, Fortino Gómez León, Ernesto Corripio Ahumada, Bartolomé Carrasco, Héctor González y ahora Chávez Botello, hay curas que tienen una pareja.

Aclararon que en Oaxaca, particularmente en comunidades indígenas, no es mal visto que el sacerdote tenga su familia, lo que no aguanta la gente es que los trates mal o cometan atrocidades con menores y jóvenes.

El problema es con el mundo gay porque nadie los entiende, no son aceptados en las comunidades, pero al sacerdote nunca lo tocan, lo ven muy natural.

“A través de la historia, desde tiempo inmemorial, esto está escrito, pero en Oaxaca en la vida clerical, habla de muchos compañeros que tienen su familia y son ejemplares, con una entrega al 100 por ciento a su pueblo”, mencionaron.

“El Derecho Canónico te marca casi pena de excomunión a quien deliberadamente divide a la Iglesia y la otra, aunque no es de ese tamaño, están los sacerdotes que violan el celibato públicamente, como los casos del cura Alberto Cutié de Miami, Florida, EU, (2009) que fue fotografiado con una mujer, y en 2012 el obispo argentino Fernando Bargalló, quien tuvo que renunciar al ser exhibido en una playa mexicana desplegando muestras efusivas de afecto hacia una mujer”.

Sin embargo, conoce de casos de pederastas y lo único que hacen es reubicarlos para protegerlos.

Ya desde la administración del arzobispo de los pobres, Bartolomé Carrasco Briseño, reconoció que “el 70% del presbiterio tenían problema del celibato”, lo que no significa que necesariamente fuera con una mujer cuando en la Iglesia Católica no se permite la ordenación de homosexuales.

Aclararon que “el celibato no hace al sacerdote. Las Iglesias Ortodoxa y la Anglicana no tienen el celibato. El que yo no sea célibe no mengua mi sexualidad ni mi relación con Dios, yo me puedo equivocar humanamente, calenturientamente, pero el que da los hijos no se equivoca”.

“El celibato no fue puesto institucional por Jesús, no es mandato divino, es un mandato humano que se dio en el Concilio de Elvira”.

Además, “Dios nos creó y nos crió para procrear e imponer el celibato es contra natura”, finalizaron.

Si se permitiera al sacerdote tener su propia familia, no habría déficit de curas, muestra de ello es que 14 parroquias de Oaxaca se encuentran sin presbítero y en el seminario solo hay cuatro aspirantes a ser ordenados.

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MEDIA RELEASE – FEBRUARY 12, 2018

NEW YORK
Road to Recovery

Road to Recovery, Inc. – P.O. Box 279, Livingston, New Jersey 07039 – 862-368-2800

A childhood victim of clergy sexual abuse in the Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York, Thomas McGarvey, received $500,000 through the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program of the Diocese of Rockville Centre

Thomas McGarvey was sexually abused by Rev. Robert Brown (deceased) over the course of many years at St. Catherine of Sienna Parish, Franklin Square, Long Island, at other “Church” locations in the Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York, and in secular locations on Long Island

What

A press conference announcing that childhood clergy sexual abuse victim, Thomas McGarvey of Queens, New York, has received a settlement of $500,000 from the Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York, through its Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program

When

Tuesday, February 13, 2018 at 11:45 am

Where

On the public sidewalk across from St. Agnes Cathedral, 29 Quealy Place, Rockville Centre, New York 11570

Who

Robert M. Hoatson, Ph.D., President of Road to Recovery, Inc., the non-profit charity based in New Jersey that has worked with Thomas McGarvey for years to help him recover and heal from childhood clergy sexual abuse. Thomas McGarvey and his attorney, Mitchell Garabedian of Boston, will be available by telephone

Why

Thomas McGarvey was a child when he was sexually abused many times over the course of many years by Fr. Robert Brown at St. Catherine of Sienna Parish in Franklin Square, Long Island and at other parishes and locations throughout Long Island. Thomas McGarvey courageously came forward to report that he had been sexually abused by Fr. Robert Brown and submitted his case to the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program (IRCP) of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, Long Island. The IRCP found Thomas McGarvey’s allegations credible and settled with him for $500,000.

Contacts

Robert M. Hoatson, Ph.D., Road to Recovery, Inc., 862-368-2800 – roberthoatson@gmail.com

Attorney Mitchell Garabedian, Boston, MA – 617-523-6250 – mgarabedian@garabedianlaw.com
(portrayed in the 2016 Academy Award-winning Best Picture, “Spotlight”)

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February 12, 2018

Clergy still believe some complainants are ‘simply out for the money’, abuse expert tells church leaders

ENGLAND
The Telegraph

February 10, 2018

By Olivia Rudgard

Clergy believe some abuse complainants are “simply out for the money”, an expert has told General Synod.

Roger Singleton, a former chair of the Independent Safeguarding Authority, said that while attitudes among church members had improved, some priests still treated abuse allegations with “ambivalence, even hostility,” and were “unable or unwilling to accept the need for sensible, proportionate measures” to prevent abuse.

As part of an update by church leaders on the Church of England’s preparation for a series of abuse inquiries later this year, the former chief adviser to the government on the safety of children said some clergy “minimise the impacts which physical, sexual, emotional or spiritual abuse can have on people’s lives”. In some cases, he said, they “believe that complainants are simply out for the money”.

He added that the Church needed to “grasp the nettle of dealing with clergy, readers, priests with PTO [permission to officiate] and lay leaders who persistently fail to attend training opportunities or speak disparagingly about reasonable safeguarding measures”.

The bishop of Leeds also said that relations with the police needed to be improved, and said bishops were “frustrated by having to take the rap for things which are not our responsibility”.

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Catholic Church’s massive wealth revealed

AUSTRALIA
The Sydney Morning Herald

February 12, 2018

By Royce Millar, Ben Schneiders, and Chris Vedelago

The Catholic Church in Australia is worth tens of billions of dollars, making it one of the country’s biggest non-government property owners, and massively wealthier than it has claimed in evidence to major inquiries into child sexual abuse.

A six-month investigation by The Sydney Morning Herald has found that the church misled the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse by grossly undervaluing its property treasures in both NSW and Victoria while claiming that increased payments to abuse victims would require cuts to its social programs.

The investigation was based on intricate data from local councils that allowed more than 1860 valuations of church-owned property in Victoria. That showed that across 36 municipalities – including nearly all of metropolitan Melbourne – the church had land and buildings worth almost $7 billion in 2016.

Extrapolated nationally, using conservative assumptions, the church owns property worth more than $30 billion Australia-wide.

This put the Catholic church among the largest non-government property owners, by value, in NSW and Australia, rivalling Westfield’s network of shopping centres and other assets. It dwarfs all other large property owners.

“These figures confirm what we have known; there is huge inequity between the Catholic Church’s wealth and their responses to survivors,” said Helen Last, chief executive of the In Good Faith Foundation.

“The 600 survivors registered for our Foundation’s services continue to experience minimal compensation and lack of comprehensive care in relation to their Church abuses. They say their needs are the lowest of church priorities.’’

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At the #metoo Olympics, organizers confront sexual abuse

PYEONGCHANG (SOUTH KOREA)
The Associated Press

February 12, 2018

By Claire Galofaro

A Catholic nun waits eight hours each day at a folding table, ready for a call but praying nothing has happened to cause the phone to ring.

Her office, the “Gender Equality Support Centre,” a tiny trailer tucked between a bathroom and a police post under the ski lift at the Phoenix Snow Park, is a nondescript acknowledgment of the revolution in women’s rights that, outside the Olympic gates, is thundering through the world.

Sungsook Kim — who goes by her religious name, Sister Droste — speaks little English. But to describe her mission, she says the name of the American movement: “me too.”

The Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang arrives amid the reckoning that has brought down celebrities, politicians and the entire board of U.S.A Gymnastics. NBC star Matt Lauer was fired for sexual misconduct, and his accuser said the harassment began at the last Winter Olympics, in Sochi.

During the Summer Games in Rio, two athletes were accused of assaulting housekeepers. A horrified world recently watched dozens of women and girls, some of them Olympians, describe in detail how Larry Nassar, the gymnastics doctor, had sexually abused them for decades as layers of elite athletic organizations failed to stop it.

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With $30b in wealth, why is the Catholic Church struggling to pay for justice?

WOLLONGONG (AUSTRALIA)
Illawarra Mercury

February 12, 2018

By Ben Schneiders, Royce Millar, and Chris Vedelago

After a lifetime contributing to the Catholic Church, Neil Ormerod could give no more.

Following a Sunday mass in 2014, the Australian Catholic University theology professor told his parish priest he no longer trusted the church to use its resources in a way Jesus Christ would approve.

The trigger for his rebellion was the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in 2014 – in particular, Cardinal George Pell’s testimony about the church’s brutal legal assault on John Ellis, a former altar boy abused by a priest in the 1970s.

When Ellis finally confronted the Sydney archdiocese in 2002, then led by Pell, it offered him $25,000 in compensation, which he rejected.

The church then dismissed Ellis’s proposal for a $100,000 settlement, instead spending $800,000 fighting him in court, successfully arguing it could not be sued because it did not exist as an entity.

The church threatened to pursue Ellis for its legal costs.

“That money was the accumulated wealth of generations of good faithful Catholics who gave with the best will in the world,” says Ormerod. “It was used in an immoral attack on an abuse survivor and church member.”

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Church facing years of shame as extent of abuse emerges, bishop warns

ENGLAND
Christian Today

February 10, 2018

By Harry Farley

The Church of England has upped its spending on safeguarding five-fold since 2014 as it attempts to address hundreds of abuse allegations against clergy and officials.

Despite this rapid increase in spending, Peter Hancock, the Bishop of Bath and Wells and the CofE’s lead on safeguarding, warned the Church faces a painful couple of years as it goes before the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (ICCSA)’s public hearings.

‘This will not be an easy couple of years – we will hear deeply painful accounts of abuse, of poor response, of “cover up”,’ he told the ruling general synod on Saturday. The Church, he added, will ‘feel a deep sense of shame’.

In a presentation on safeguarding to the synod, he said: ‘For too long, the Church has not responded well to those who allege abuse within our church communities. This is now changing and further change is needed.’

He added that while progress was made on safeguarding as a result of the spike in spending, the pace of that change must accelerate even more.

Figures revealed to synod revealed the Church dealt with 3,300 safeguarding cases in 2016 alone, around 594 of which were claims against clergy and officials. These include a mixture of new and historic accusations.

‘I want to pay tribute to victims and survivors of abuse, regardless of their age or the circumstance in which the abuse took place or how long ago it took place. I have been humbled by their courage,’ he said.

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Children’s Publishing Reckons with Sexual Harassment in Its Ranks

NEW YORK (NY)
School Library Journal

January 3, 2018

By Drew Himmelstein

A writer was making small talk during the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ (SCBWI) annual conference when she says the man she was chatting with, a successful children’s book illustrator, reached over and touched her hair.

“He fondled a lock of my hair and leaned in to my ear and said, ‘You’re kinky, aren’t you?’” says the writer, who asked not to be identified. (See updated story: “Ishta Mercurio Goes Public as David Díaz Accuser.”)

The exchange, which happened in 2012 at SCBWI’s winter conference in New York and was witnessed by one of the writer’s friends, left the woman feeling “horrified” and “disgusted.” The illustrator, David Díaz, was a member of SCBWI’s board and a faculty member at the conference. Still, the writer, who at that point in her career was an unpublished aspiring children’s book author, did not complain about the incident at the time. However, in December 2017, Díaz resigned from his position on the SCBWI’s board, after sexual harassment complaints emerged about his past.

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Cardinal Cupich defends Pope’s record on doctrine and abuse

ENGLAND
Catholic Herald

February 10, 2018

By Dan Hitchens

Cardinal Cupich called for a ‘paradigm shift’ in pastoral practice and said that the Pope recognised the need to ‘listen’ to abuse survivors

Cardinal Blase Cupich has defended Pope Francis’s record and called for a “paradigm shift” in Catholic practice.

Addressing the Von Hügel Institute at St Edmund’s College, Cambridge, under the title “Pope Francis’ Revolution of Mercy: Amoris Laetitia as a New Paradigm of Catholicity”, Cardinal Cupich called for “a major shift in our ministerial approach that is nothing short of revolutionary”.

The hoped-for “paradigm shift”, the cardinal said, would be from an approach focused on “the automatic application of universal principles” to one which is “continually immersed” in “concrete situations”.

Vigorous debate has followed the publication of Amoris Laetitia in April 2016, with different cardinals, bishops and theologians advancing varying interpretations.

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Catholic Church national wealth estimated to be $30 billion, investigation finds

AUSTRALIA
Australian Broadcasting Corporation

February 12, 2018

By Emily Bourke

There are calls for the Catholic Church’s tax-free status to be reviewed after a Fairfax investigation revealing the extent of property, assets and investments owned by the church in Australia.

Fairfax’s six-month investigation found the Catholic Church was worth more than $9 billion in Victoria alone.

The investigation extrapolated that figure to estimate the church’s national wealth at $30 billion.

The Age’s journalists obtained property valuations from dozens of Victorian councils.

They found 1,800 church-owned properties, including churches, presbyteries, schools, nursing homes, hospitals, offices, tennis courts and even mobile phone towers.

But beyond real estate, there was superannuation, telecommunications, Catholic Church Insurance and Catholic Development Funds, which serve as an internal treasury.

Catholics for Renewal’s Peter Johnstone, a corporate governance consultant, said most Catholics would have no idea about the extent of the church’s assets.

“Certainly there’s been no public record available to Catholics,” he said.

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Tribune Editorial: Sen. Hatch, and the LDS Church, minimize domestic violence

SALT LAKE CITY (UT)
The Salt Lake Tribune

February 11, 2018

Now that Sen. Orrin Hatch has announced his retirement, it appears that his handlers have taken the muzzle off.

Hatch made headlines this past week after he cavalierly dismissed reports of spousal abuse by his former chief of staff, Rob Porter.

Porter resigned as staff secretary to President Trump after information about his alleged physical and mental abuse of two ex-wives became public.

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How the Ballarat Diocese is paying for abuse survivors compensation

BALLARAT (AUSTRALIA)
The Courier

February 12, 2018

By Rochelle Kirkham

The Catholic Diocese of Ballarat has revealed it is confident it will be in a financial position to meet all compensation claims for survivors of abuse.

The Ballarat Diocese has paid over $4.9 million in compensation to survivors of child sexual abuse and over $1 million in pastoral support to abuse survivors so far.

Diocecan business manager Andrew Jirik said the diocese would continue to meet compensation claims from its assets and insurance.

“The Diocese of Ballarat has drawn these funds from its own resources, including its insurer where its policies apply, without recourse to the assets of its 51 parishes which belong to local parish communities across the diocese,” Mr Jirik said.

“The diocese has been able to meet all claims to date and is confident that it will be in a position to continue to do so.”

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Catholic Church asked to acknowledge priest’s daughter

AUCKLAND (NEW ZEALAND)
Radio NZ

February 12, 2018

By Phil Pennington

Kathleen* holds the rosary that was her mother’s.

On the living room wall behind her is the wooden cross that was her father’s.

Her father was a Catholic priest.

He took Holy Orders. He had a high profile in the Auckland diocese, said Kathleen. He was meant to be celibate.

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Top U.S. diplomat highlights mandatory sexual harassment training

CAIRO
Reuters

February 12, 2018

CAIRO (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Monday urged department employees to intervene if they witness sexual harassment, two days after U.S. President Donald Trump expressed sympathy for those accused of harassment and not given due process.

“There is no form of disrespect for the individual that I can identify, anything more demeaning than for someone to suffer this kind of treatment,” he said.

“It’s not OK if you’re seeing it happening and just look away. You must do something. You must notify someone. You must step in and intervene,” Tillerson added, speaking in Cairo to about 150 U.S. embassy staff outside the ambassador’s residence.

Tillerson’s comments came amid a chorus of sexual misconduct accusations against powerful men in media, business and politics in the United States that in recent days has reached top aides in the White House.

His remarks also stand in stark contrast to those expressed by Trump, who last week defended a top aide who resigned after domestic violence allegations against him came to light and over the weekend also took to Twitter to raise doubts about such allegations.

A second White House aide left late last week after domestic violence allegations against him also surfaced. Both men have denied the accusations. Reuters has not independently verified either case.

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Chile Sex-Abuse Victim: ‘Vatican Investigation Must Be Fair’

CHILE
TeleSurTV

February 9, 2018

Juan Carlos Cruz said Pope Francis had “set the clock back years and years” with his recent comments casting doubt on the credibility of victims of abuse.

A Chilean victim of clerical sexual abuse who is the key witness in the case of a bishop accused of covering it up says a Vatican investigation must be rigorous and fair if the church is to salvage its reputation on the issue.

In a telephone interview with Reuters from his home in the United States on Thursday, Juan Carlos Cruz said Pope Francis had “set the clock back years and years” with his recent comments casting doubt on the credibility of victims of abuse.

On Jan. 30, the Vatican said the pope had appointed the church’s most experienced sexual abuse investigator to look into accusations that Bishop Juan Barros of the diocese of Osorno in Chile had covered up crimes against minors.

It was a dramatic U-turn for the pope, who eight days earlier told reporters aboard his plane returning from Latin America he was sure Barros was innocent and that the Vatican had received no concrete evidence against him.

Cruz said he had been “very touched and grateful” when the investigator, Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta, telephoned him to arrange a meeting in New York next week on his way to Chile.

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Call for church to acknowledge priest was woman’s father

AUCKLAND (NEW ZEALAND)
Radio New Zealand

February 12, 2018

An Auckland woman is breaking a half century of secrecy around her father. It’s believed to be the first time in New Zealand that the child of a supposedly celibate Catholic priest has gone public. This comes after an international support website told RNZ a week ago, that half a dozen New Zealanders have contacted it saying they are the children of priests. The priest, who has since died, had a high profile in the Auckland Diocese. RNZ has seen the evidence he is the father – as has Bishop of Auckland Patrick Dunn.

An Auckland woman is asking the Catholic church to acknowledge her father was a priest.

The unnamed woman says her father was forced to keep the secret for decades as Catholic priests are meant to be celibate, RNZ reported.

The woman had received scientific evidence the priest was her father, and had taken that to Auckland Bishop Pat Dunn.

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Former Priest Charged With Sexual Abuse Pleads to Battery

AURORA (IL)
NBC Chicago

February 11, 2018

His attorney says he expects Pedraza-Arias to leave the country soon

A former Catholic priest in suburban Chicago who was charged with sexually abusing two girls is likely returning to his native Colombia soon after pleading guilty to misdemeanor battery.

The Kane County State’s Attorney’s office says it agreed to the plea deal Friday after prosecutors analyzed evidence, communicated with the victims’ families and received assurances that Alfredo Pedraza-Arias will be “removed from the United States.”

A jail official says Pedraza-Arias was released Saturday “to the custody of another agency” but wouldn’t elaborate. His attorney says he expects Pedraza-Arias to leave the country soon.

Pedraza-Arias was charged in 2016 with aggravated criminal sexual abuse of two girls younger than 13 after he allegedly abused one of them at Sacred Heart Church in Aurora and the other at her Aurora home.

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Revealing #MeToo as #WeToo in Jewish Communal Life

NEW YORK (NY)
JGirls Magazine

February 2018

By Ayelet Kalfus

The night started with song. The words of Shehecheyanu, the Jewish blessing for gratitude at experiencing something new, washed over the crowd as Naomi Less sang: “Blessed are You who has enabled us to reach this moment.” We weren’t singing in gratitude for what had brought us here; rather, we were grateful to be, for the first time, confronting an issue that had been wrongfully denied and neglected for years within our community.

We, nearly 300 communal professionals, lay leaders, and members of the public, were at the “Revealing #MeToo as #WeToo in Jewish Communal Life” event at the Jewish Women’s Foundation of New York (JWFNY). Using two events in the theater industry as a model, JWFNY organized the night to reveal the prevalence of gender-based harassment in Jewish organizations and strategize for the future.

The first half of the night was storytelling. When I was first invited to the event as a teen reporter, I imagined that these stories would be long, court-like testimonies. I was wrong. Performers from the Jewish community, varying in race and gender stood from their seats, slowly walking to carefully-placed microphones spread throughout the audience. JWFNY had collected the stories of anonymous Jewish-community professionals. The performers read parts of these stories—moments taken from long accounts of gender-based harassment.

For 40 minutes, the crowd was silent, except for sharp intakes of breath, sounds of surprise and disgust. The air was crackling with anger, sadness, pain. I had chills the entire time. The fact that the performers were standing within the audience amplified the night’s message: these stories were our own. This pain was the pain of our fellow community members.

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How the Catholic Church vastly understated its true wealth

AUSTRALIA
AAP

February 12, 2018

The Catholic Church has vastly understated the value of its multi-billion-dollar property portfolio, amid claims it cannot afford to pay compensation to abuse victims, according to an investigation of its assets.

An investigation by Fairfax Media published on Monday found that the church owns more than $30 billion in property and other assets across Australia.

Fairfax estimated the church’s total wealth in Victoria alone to be about $9 billion, almost 82 times larger than the the $109 million it revealed to the royal commission in 2014 as the estimated value of its Victorian property portfolio.

The investigation makes the church Victoria’s largest non-government property owner, casting serious doubt over its claims that it would be forced to cut back on social work if forced to compensate victims of clergy sexual abuse.

The reported wealth of the church also contrasts with findings by the royal commission, which found the average payout by the church’s compensation scheme established by former archbishop George Pell 20 years ago was $35,000 or less for those who had been abused by clergy.

“These figures confirm what we have known; there is huge inequity between the Catholic Church’s wealth and their responses to survivors,” Helen Last, chief executive of the In Good Faith Foundation, which supports abuse survivors told Fairfax.

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Church ‘facing two years of abuse revelations’

ENGLAND
The Week

February 12, 2018

The Church of England is facing two years of revelations about sexual abuse and attempts to cover it up, its ruling general synod has been told.

Responding to reports the Church is dealing with more than 3,000 reports of sexual abuse within its parishes, the Bishop of Bath and Wells, Rev Peter Hancock, said: “We will hear deeply painful accounts of abuse, of poor response, and over cover-up.”

Hancock, the lead bishop for safeguarding, told the synod that “this will not be an easy couple of years”.

The most recent figures for 2016 showed that dioceses are dealing with 3,300 “concerns or allegations”, the vast majority related to “children, young people and vulnerable adults within Church communities”.

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Las Cruces Diocese sued in alleged Hobbs sexual abuse case

HOBBS (NM)
Associated Press

February 11, 2018

A man who alleges a former New Mexico priest sexually abused him is suing the Diocese of Las Cruces.

The lawsuit, filed last week against the diocese and St. Helena Parish in Hobbs, says the diocese facilitated sexual battery and assisted Father Ricardo Bauza in evading authorities, the Hobbs News-Sun reports.

It comes three months after Hobbs police issued a warrant for Bauza’s arrest following a complaint he sexually assaulted an adult male.

According to a criminal complaint filed in the fall, Bauza got into a shower with an adult male and washed the victim’s body with a loofah in the church rectory in April 2016.

The complaint says two male church members also told police Bauza showed them cellphone photos of his genitals.

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In abuse scandal, Pope stakes his case on evidence, not authority

ROME
Crux

February 9, 2018

By John L. Allen Jr.

ROME – In many ways, it’s surprising that Pope Francis’s spontaneous, shoot from the hip style of public speech hasn’t gotten him into serious trouble long before now.

There have been mini-fracases along the way – for instance, what exactly did he mean that Catholics “don’t have to breed like rabbits,” as he put it in a memorable press conference in January 2015 on the way back from the Philippines? – but never enough to put much of a dent in the broad media love affair with Francis.

If anything, the pontiff’s maverick style and penchant for plain speech has been part of that romance, contrasting favorably with the bland corporate boilerplate one often gets from officialdom.

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Catholic Church asking wealthy followers to help pay for Pope’s visit to Ireland

IRELAND
The Irish Mirror

February 11, 2018

By Gavin O’Callaghan and Edel Hughes

The visit is expected to cost €20m

The Catholic Church in Ireland is trying to persuade wealthy followers to donate millions of euro to pay for the Pope’s visit here.

The World Meeting of Families, which will take place from August 21 to 26, is estimated to cost around €20million.

And the collection bowl is being passed to rich followers and businesses who will be asked to dig deep and contribute thousands of euro.

A spokesman for the organisers said the Church is following methods used by charities and a “limited number of tickets” were put aside for donations.

He added: “ WMOF2018 is in the process of approaching a number of individuals and corporates, both in Ireland and internationally, to assist in defraying the cost of hosting the event.

“In our conversations with potential donors, we are discussing the nature of the event and asking them if they would like to contribute.

“From our conversations with potential donors, we understand this practice of seeking donations from individuals and corporates is very common in the charity sector.

“The level of an individual’s or corporate donation is their own decision.”

The source told the Sunday Business Post the event will include a concluding mass in Dublin’s Croke Park with a “limited supply” being set aside for contributors.

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Harvey Weinstein, His Brother And Their Company Hit With Civil Rights Lawsuit

NEW YORK (NY)
NPR

February 11, 2018

By Colin Dwyer

Harvey Weinstein, the Hollywood megaproducer accused of sexual harassment and assault dating back decades, has been slapped with a civil rights lawsuit by New York’s attorney general. Eric Schneiderman announced the suit Sunday, saying his office has sued not only Weinstein, but also his brother, Robert, and The Weinstein Company.

“As alleged in our complaint, The Weinstein Company repeatedly broke New York law by failing to protect its employees from pervasive sexual harassment, intimidation, and discrimination,” Schneiderman said in a statement.

“Any sale of The Weinstein Company must ensure that victims will be compensated, employees will be protected going forward, and that neither perpetrators nor enablers will be unjustly enriched. Every New Yorker has a right to a workplace free of sexual harassment, intimidation, and fear.”

The lawsuit also threatens to disrupt a reported $500 million sale of the company the Weinstein brothers co-founded in 2005. As The Los Angeles Times reports, former Obama administration official Maria Contreras-Sweet had been in weeks-long negotiations to buy the troubled organization and set up a proposed fund for Weinstein’s alleged victims.

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Weinstein Attorney Responds to NY Suit: ‘He Will ‘Vigorously Defend Himself’

NEW YORK (NY)
The Wrap

February 11, 2018

By Rosemary Rossi

“Harvey Weinstein promoted more women to key executive positions than any other industry leader,” attorney Ben Brafman says

Harvey Weinstein’s attorney says that his client deserves credit for promoting “more women to key executive positions than any other industry leader.”

That statement from Ben Brafman was a response to a civil rights lawsuit filed by New York’s attorney general, Eric Schneiderman.

“If the purpose of the inquiry is to encourage reform throughout the film industry, Mr. Weinstein will embrace the investigation,” Brafman writes. “If the purpose, however, is to scapegoat Mr. Weinstein, he will vigorously defend himself.”

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Weinstein Company Sale Halted by Lawsuit Accusing the Studio of Enabling Harassment

NEW YORK (NY)
Slate

February 12, 2018

By Molly Olmstead

New York’s attorney general has filed a lawsuit against the Weinstein Company accusing the studio of creating a “toxic environment” that allowed movie producer Harvey Weinstein to sexually abuse and harass women at his company.

The suit, filed Sunday in the State Supreme Court in Manhattan, halted the company’s sale, which was expected to be finalized that day, according to the New York Times. If the sale doesn’t go through, the company, which has struggled since accusations against Weinstein began piling up in October, will be headed toward bankruptcy, according to the Times.

The lawsuit alleges that the Weinstein Company and the two Weinstein brothers who founded it violated state and city laws related to discrimination, harassment, abuse, and coercion, according to the Times.

The investor group that planned to buy the company said it would set aside $20 million to $30 million for a settlement fund for Weinstein’s victims, according to Variety. Weinstein’s brother, Bob Weinstein, would leave the studio, and the group had said it planned to put more women in leadership positions. But the new owners would make David Glasser, Harvey Weinstein’s right-hand man, the new CEO.

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Larry Nassar sent to maximum security prison in Arizona

TUCSON (AZ)
CBS/AP

February 11, 2018

Prison records show that disgraced former gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar has been transferred to a federal prison in Tucson, Arizona. The Federal Bureau of Prisons online inmate registry on Saturday showed that the 54-year-old was housed at the high security prison that also has an adjacent minimum security satellite camp.

Nassar faces two long prison sentences in Michigan for molestation. But first he must serve 60 years in federal prison for child pornography crimes.

The Nassar scandal upended the gymnastics world and raised alarms about the sport’s ask-no-questions culture. His serial sexual abuse of girls and young women has shaken Michigan State University and elite sports associations.

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Disgraced former USA Gymnastics doctor sent to Arizona federal prison

TUCSON (AZ)
Reuters

February 10, 2018

By Suzannah Gonzales

Former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar has been transferred to a high security federal prison in Tucson, Arizona, after being convicted of molesting scores of young women who went to him for treatment, authorities said on Saturday.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons said the 54-year-old Nassar was at the United States Penitentiary, Tucson, which holds about 1,390 male inmates. The bureau’s website listed his release date as March 23, 2069.

After weeks of horrifying testimony from nearly 200 victims about his decades of abuse, Nassar was sentenced on Monday in Michigan to 40 to 125 years in prison.

He had already received a 40-to-175-year sentence in a neighboring Michigan county, and was sentenced to a 60-year federal term for child pornography convictions.

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