ABUSE TRACKER

EVANSVILLE (IN)
Courier & Press

April 1, 2019

By Jon Webb

“Happy Birthday!”

“Father Joseph Clauss, a retired priest of the Diocese of Evansville, celebrates his birthday Sept. 27. He resides at Guadeloupe Retreat Center.”

That was one of several upbeat messages appearing in diocesan newspaper The Message all through the 1990s. The paper consistently marked Clauss’ birthday and the anniversary of his ordination.

But it never mentioned the reason for his “retirement.” Or why he lived at a complex in Southern California.

In 2002, the truth finally came out: Clauss was an “incurable pedophile.”

This February, the diocese released the names of 12 priests who have been credibly accused of sexually abusing minors. Clauss, who died in 2003, was one of them.

There were 10 substantiated allegations against him – the second-most of anyone on the list. He admitted to one.

The details of those accusations have never been made public. And for 12 years, the diocese shielded churchgoers from the truth about a man who once taught their children and worshiped alongside them for decades.

Pastor and teacher
Clauss was ordained as a priest in 1956.

He went on to serve as pastor or associate pastor at six churches throughout the diocese. That doesn’t include residencies or administrative work at four other churches, nor does it scrape his varied career in the Catholic school system.

He served as a teacher at Memorial High School before becoming superintendent at Loogootee’s St. John High School in 1967 and Washington Catholic High School in 1969.

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ALBUQUERQUE ((NM)
KRQE

April 1, 2019

Jury selection begins for a former Albuquerque priest facing federal sex abuse charges Monday.

Arthur Perrault is accused of assaulting an 11-year-old boy at the Santa Fe National Cemetery and Kirtland Air Force Base, where he served as a military chaplain in the 90s.

Court documents say Perrault had as many as eight other victims. He returned to the United States back in September after his arrest in Morocco. Perrault who is 80 has pleaded not guilty.

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EVANSVILLE (IN)
Evansville Courier & Press

April 1, 2019

By Jon Webb

“Happy Birthday!”

“Father Joseph Clauss, a retired priest of the Diocese of Evansville, celebrates his birthday Sept. 27. He resides at Guadeloupe Retreat Center.”

That was one of several upbeat messages appearing in diocesan newspaper The Message all through the 1990s. The paper consistently marked Clauss’ birthday and the anniversary of his ordination.

But it never mentioned the reason for his “retirement.” Or why he lived at a complex in Southern California.

In 2002, the truth finally came out: Clauss was an “incurable pedophile.”

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.

ALBUQUERQUE (NM)
The Associated Press

April 1, 2019

By Mary Hudetz

A priest who was captured in Morocco after fleeing the U.S. decades ago is facing a federal trial on charges that he sexually abused a New Mexico boy in the early 1990s at an Air Force base and veterans’ cemetery.

The trial of 80-year-old Arthur Perrault is set to begin Monday in Santa Fe with jury selection. Prosecutors are expected to call dozens of witnesses, including a former deacon, parents and former military members who knew Perrault in the early 1990s.

Federal authorities have said in court documents that Perrault may have had as many as eight other victims. But the charges against him only involve an 11-year-old altar boy.

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WASHINGTON (DC)
The Washington Post

March 31, 2019

By Erin Cox and Justin Wm. Moyer

Two years ago, Maryland lawmakers made it easier for adults sexually abused as children to sue institutions that harbored predators.

They may have also irreversibly granted some immunity to the Catholic Church.

A provision tucked into a 2017 law now stands in the way of Maryland joining a nationwide effort to bring justice to victims who come to terms with childhood abuse when they reach middle age and, for decades, have had no recourse in civil courts.

The language was pushed by lobbyists for the Catholic Church two years ago as part of a compromise to extend Maryland’s civil statute of limitations from age 25 to 38. Because it forbids the state from raising the maximum age above 38, it effectively inoculates the church and other organizations from costly lawsuits that could reveal whether they sheltered abusers decades ago.

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HOLMDEL (NJ)
Asbury Park Press

March 31, 2019

By Kala Kachmar and Erik Larsen

A longtime St. Catharine’s parishioner said he was “shocked” when he learned one of the church’s priests was removed abruptly after the Diocese of Trenton announced a “credible” allegation of child sex abuse against him on Saturday.

“It’s all coming out now,” said John Revolinsky, of Holmdel, who was on his way to the 8 a.m. service at the church. “He was new, but he seemed alright.”

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ROME
CNN

March 29, 2019

By Delia Gallagher

The Vatican issued tougher, comprehensive laws Friday governing the sexual abuse of minors within the Vatican City State, Vatican offices and its diplomatic embassies abroad.

Pope Francis personally signed off on the new legislation that includes mandatory reporting of potential sexual abuse cases to Vatican authorities and the automatic dismissal of any employee found guilty of sexual abuse against minors.

The new laws also raise the statute of limitations for reporting a crime to 20 years following the 18th birthday of an alleged victim. The previous law was four years from the date of the alleged crime.

The move comes in the wake of the Vatican’s unprecedented summit last month in Rome to confront the Catholic Church’s clergy abuse scandal.

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CHARLESTON (WV)
WCHS/WVAH

March 27, 2019

By Jessi Starkey

Former West Virginia Bishop Michael Bransfield is facing new sexual assault allegations after an alleged victim came forward to say he endured years of abuse by Bransfield.

A lawsuit was filed by the alleged victim against the Wheeling-Charleston Diocese, former Bishop Michael Bransfield and 20 unknown men in the church.

In a 21-page lawsuit the alleged victim identified as J.E. claims he was sexually assaulted by Bransfield, who is now banned from any leadership position in the church. His attorney Bobby Warner told Eyewitness News his client was pursuing his dream of joining the clergy. The lawsuit says J.E. was in seminary school when he encountered the abuse. The alleged sexual assault caused J.E. to drop out of seminary school, and he stated he feared coming forward to talk about the alleged abuse.

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VATICAN CITY
Reuters Videos

March 29, 2019

Pope Francis has enacted new legislation aimed at preventing child sexual abuse on Vatican property. Previously the Roman Catholic Church headquarters was governed by a myriad of guidelines, some ad hoc. Matthew Larotonda reports.

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UNITED STATES
CNN

March 29, 2019

Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles opened up about how she coped with sexual abuse at the hands of former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nasser during an interview with actress Priyanka Chopra.

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DENVER (CO)
Hays Post

March 28, 2019

The Capuchin Franciscan Province of St. Conrad today released a list of names of friars with credible accusations of the sexual abuse of a minor or vulnerable adult. The list includes the names of 13 members or former members.

Of the 13, two are deceased and five have since left the order. None are in active ministry.

Of the 13, 12 had pastoral assignments in Hays or Victoria.

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DENVER (CO)
Capuchin Franciscans

March 28, 2019

The Capuchin Franciscan Province of St. Conrad today released a list of names of friars with credible accusations of the sexual abuse of a minor or vulnerable adult. The list includes the names of 13 members or former members.

Of the 13, two are deceased and five have since left the order. None are in active ministry.

Provincial Minister, Fr. Christopher Popravak, O.F.M.Cap, who commissioned the release, stated, “As friars and followers of St. Francis of Assisi, our vocation is to serve as lesser brothers. Therefore, the abuse of a minor by someone in such a sacred position of trust is all the more egregious. I have personally met with numerous victims and can attest to the devastation wreaked upon their lives and those of their families. Though the words may ring hollow as many other Church leaders are voicing similar sentiments, I can only say that I am sorry from the depths of my heart. I have asked the friars of our Province to commit to serious penance and reparation on behalf of the misdeeds of our brothers and for the healing of victims. The results of the audit we are releasing today is only the first step in a new age of transparency. We are striving to be vigilant and have taken serious steps in the last fifteen years to ensure the careful and diligent screening of candidates to our way of life. We must persevere in our efforts to ensure that such a scandalous series of violations never occurs again.”

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VATICAN CITY
Associated Press

March 29, 2019

Pope Francis on Friday issued sweeping new sex abuse legislation for Vatican personnel and Holy See diplomats that requires the immediate reporting of abuse allegations to Vatican prosecutors, a policy shift aimed at being a model for the Catholic Church worldwide.

The mandatory reporting provision of the legislation marks the first time the Vatican has put into law requirements for Catholic officials to report allegations of sex crimes to police or face fines and possible jail time.

Francis also issued child protection guidelines for Vatican City State and its youth seminary, acting after the global sex abuse scandal exploded anew last year and The Associated Press reported that the headquarters of the Catholic Church had no policy to protect children from predator priests.

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VATICAN CITY
Reuters

March 29, 2019

By Philip Pullella

Pope Francis on Friday made it compulsory in law to report the sexual abuse of children within the Vatican and in its diplomatic missions worldwide.

Although the city state within Rome is tiny, and very few children live there, the sweeping legal changes reflect a desire to show that the Catholic Church is finally acting against clerical child abuse after decades of scandals around the world.

The changes signed by the pope – who is Vatican head of state as well as head of the Church – make it obligatory for superiors and co-workers to report abuse allegations; punish failure to report with dismissal, fines or jail; and offer assistance to victims and families.

There are also provisions to protect vulnerable adults.

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VATICAN CITY
AFP

March 29, 2019

Pope Francis issued stringent child abuse legislation for Vatican City employees on Friday, as part of the Church’s bid to address a wave of sex abuse allegations against priests.

The legislation requires officials and employees in the Vatican City State as well the Roman Curia, the central administration of the Catholic Church, to immediately report any abuse against minors and vulnerable people or face fines or a prison sentence.

Anyone convicted of abuse must be “removed from office” under the new rules, which set a statute of limitations for such crimes at 20 years from the date victims turn 18.

Francis said in a letter released with his “motu proprio” decree that it was the duty of everyone “to generously welcome children and vulnerable persons, and to create a safe environment for them”.

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UNITED STATES
Complicit Clergy

March 31, 2019

Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput had strong words for the church’s top leadership this week, declaring that many bishops are upset with Rome for its failure to address the crisis of homoclericalism.

Many bishops are frustrated with Rome “for its unwillingness to acknowledge the real nature and scope of the abuse problem,” Chaput said in a meeting with seminarians in Ohio. “Not naming the real problem for what it is, a pattern of predatory homosexuality and a failure to weed that out from Church life, is an act of self-delusion.”

“Clerical privilege is not the problem,” the archbishop insisted. “Clericalism may be a factor in the sexual abuse of minors, but no parent I know – and I hear from a lot of them – sees that as the main issue.”

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ROME (ITALY)
Associated Press

March 31, 2019

Pope Francis defended his decision to reject French Cardinal Philippe Barbarin’s resignation after he was convicted of covering up for a predator priest, saying Sunday that the appeals process must run its course before a final decision is made.

Francis also explained why he rejected proposals by U.S. bishops to respond to the sex abuse scandal there, saying they neglected the spiritual dimension required for a true reform.

The pope referred to both cases during an in-flight news conference en route home Sunday from Morocco.

Francis’ papacy has been thrown into turmoil by the eruption of the scandal on multiple continents and his own handling of cases at the Vatican. Currently, two of his cardinals — Barbarin and Australian Cardinal George Pell — have criminal abuse-related convictions hanging over them, though both are appealing.

Asked Sunday about Barbarin, Francis said the archbishop of Lyon was entitled to the presumption of innocence as long as the case remained open.

“He has appealed, so the case is open. After the second tribunal decides, we’ll see what happens,” he said.

Francis said that presumption of innocence was necessary to guard against a “superficial media condemnation.”

Barbarin offered his resignation to Francis this month after a court in Lyon gave him a six-month suspended sentence for failing to report the Rev. Bernard Preynat to civil authorities when he learned of his abuse. Preynat, who is scheduled to be tried on sexual violence charges next year, confessed to abusing Boy Scouts in the 1970s and 1980s. His victims accuse Barbarin and other church authorities of covering up for him for years.

After Francis declined to accept the resignation, Barbarin decided to take a leave and turned over the day-to-day management of the archdiocese to his deputy.

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