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.

September 13, 2019

Editorial: Child sex abuse victims deserve time to sue

SEATTLE (WA)
The Seattle Times

September 12, 2019

This editorial originally appeared in The Seattle Times:

Despite revelations of pervasive child sexual abuse that have come to light in recent decades, the Washington Legislature has not provided victims more time to seek justice in civil court. This makes the state a national outlier and cries out for reform.

Legislators have not since 1991 modified the law that gives victims of child rape in Washington only three years of adulthood — until their 21st birthday — to sue attackers and hold accountable an irresponsible institution, such as a church or youth group. The same law allows another three-year window when a victim realizes that childhood abuse caused a harm, such as an addiction.

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.

Through ‘Lookback Window,’ Jewish Orgs Face Retribution for Child Sex Abuse

NEW YORK (NY)
The Jewish Week Times of Israel

September 11, 2019

By Hannah Dreyfus

As child abuse cases against yeshivas mount following a one-year lookback provision, questions turn to legal strategy. Are their fears of bankruptcy warranted?

When a one-year lookback provision created by New York’s new Child Victims Act opened last month — temporarily lifting the statute of limitations on civil child sex abuse cases and allowing survivors of any age to pursue justice through the courts — youth-serving institutions across the state braced for legal fire.

Now, just weeks after the lookback clause went into effect, Jewish institutions across the denominational spectrum are facing legal retribution for allegedly mishandling allegations of child sexual abuse, with claims reaching as far back as the 1950s. In the handful of cases filed thus far, prominent defendants include the National Ramah Commission, the Conservative movement’s camping arm; the Conservative movement’s flagship rabbinical school, Jewish Theological Seminary; Modern Orthodoxy’s flagship institution, Yeshiva University; prominent Modern Orthodox day school Salanter Akiba Riverdale High School (SAR); prominent Modern Orthodox day school Westchester Day School; Yeshiva Torah Temimah, a Brooklyn-based ultra-Orthodox school with a branch in Lakewood N.J.; Oholei Torah, a prominent Chabad yeshiva in Brooklyn; and Temple Beth Zion, a legacy Reform congregation in Buffalo.

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.

Clergy abuse survivor, parishioners react to Rochester diocese bankruptcy filing

ROCHESTER (NY)
WHAM

September 12, 2019

By Tanner Jubenville

Word that the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy spread fast among parishioners and clergy abuse survivors Thursday.

Brian DeLafranier, who filed a lawsuit last month against the diocese under the Child Victims Act, says he was caught off-guard by the decision. But he says it’s another “win” for clergy abuse survivors.

“Enough people have come forward to tell the diocese it’s a day of reckoning,” said DeLafranier. “Their (the diocese) time has come, now it’s time to face the music.”

DeLafranier claims he was sexually abused by a priest in the late 1970s. He’s one of several suing the diocese under the Child Victims Act.

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.

New lawsuit focuses on alleged sex abuse, lists Diocese of Rochester, Boy Scouts

ROCHESTER (NY)
WHAM

September 9, 2019

A new child sex abuse lawsuit filed in Monroe County under the Child Victims Act is focused on both the Diocese of Rochester and the Boy Scouts.

The plaintiff in the case claims that Father Robert O’Neill sexually abused him when he was 16. The lawsuit was filed on Monday against the Diocese of Rochester, Roman Catholic Parish of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, the Boy Scouts of America, and the Seneca Waterways Council for the Boy Scouts of America.

In February 1994, the lawsuit states the victim was an Eagle Scout and had told leaders in the Boy Scouts that he was “interested in religion, philosophy, and politics, among other subjects.” Fr. O’Neill was subsequently assigned to the victim as a mentor and counselor, as he was already active with local Boy Scout programs at the time.

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

Lawsuits mount as sex abuse ‘lookback window’ nears second month

BROOKLYN (NY)
Brooklyn Daily Eagle

September 11, 2019

By Emma Whitford

Ten anonymous survivors of childhood sexual abuse filed civil lawsuits against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn Tuesday, as the first month of a yearlong window for survivors of all ages to take legal action under the Child Victims Act draws to a close.

The lawsuits, brought by the firm Jeff Anderson & Associates and Robins Kaplan LLP, allege abuse of minors in Brooklyn and Queens (the Brooklyn Diocese oversees all parishes in Queens) carried out over three decades, starting in 1953.

“Anybody else out there: It’s not too late to step forward,” said Anderson client Tom Davis, 61, a survivor who sued the Brooklyn Diocese earlier this year, at a press conference in Midtown Tuesday. “Stand up to these monsters like I have, please.”

A total of 69 CVA cases had been filed in Kings County Supreme Court as of last week, according to data provided by the New York Unified Court System and updated weekly. That’s up from 55 on the first day of the so-called lookback window, Aug. 13. The totals for the other boroughs are 152 in Manhattan, 27 in the Bronx, 17 in Queens, and three in Staten Island.

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 OBJECTS TO SUBPOENAS IN DEFAMATION LAWSUIT

FRESNO (CA)
ChurchMilitant.com

September 12, 2019

By Bradley Eli, M.Div., Ma.Th.

Msgr. Craig Harrison doesn’t want diocese to turn over documents on alleged drug use, porn habit and homosexuality

After suing a Catholic watchdog group for defamation, a California priest facing multiple allegations of homosexual abuse is trying to block the release of potentially damning documents by his Fresno diocese.

Through his attorney, Paul Jonna, Stephen Brady and his organization Roman Catholic Faithful (RCF) subpoenaed the Fresno diocese on Sept. 3 for documents pertaining to Harrison’s alleged “sexual abuse, drug use, therapy, gambling, addictive disorders, use of pornography, homosexual behavior and misuse of parish funds.”

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.

Abuse case lawsuit tied to city parish filed

DUNKIRK (NY)
Observer Today

September 9, 2019

A former student at Holy Trinity Roman Catholic School in Dunkirk claims she was sexually abused by a Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church pastor starting at the age of 5.

In a Child Victims Act lawsuit filed Monday in state Supreme Court in Erie County, the plaintiff, referred to as PB-5 Doe, has filed a civil suit agianst the Diocese of Buffalo, Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church and Holy Trinity School. The lawsuit claims Monsignor Valerio Bernardo, then a pastor at the church, allegedly began abusing the girl when she was 5 and continued to abuse her for several years. The plaintiff, now 60, lives in Springville, N.Y., and was a student at the school in the 1960s during a time when she and her family were parishioners at Holy Trinity Church.

Bernardo became the seventh pastor in Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church’s history in July 1945 and remained at the church until February 1974, according to the church’s website. Bernardo was the driving force behind purchasing land on Central Avenue in Dunkirk for a school and convent in the 1960s with a new church and rectory built on the site in the early 1970s.

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.

Could more Catholic dioceses follow Rochester into bankruptcy court?

ALBANY (NY)
Times Union

September 12, 2019

By Larry Rulison and Steve Hughes

Action could have implications for victims of alleged sexual abuse

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester filed for bankruptcy protection on Thursday in the face of mounting clergy abuse lawsuits filed against the diocese in the wake of the passage of the state’s Child Victims Act.

The Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing could potentially provide a road map to the four other upstate dioceses, including the Diocese of Albany, on how to protect themselves from the sudden onslaught of abuse claims unleashed by the new law, signed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in February.

The Rochester diocese, like Albany’s, has been served with dozens of lawsuits alleging child sexual abuse by priests and other parish leaders reaching back decades.

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.

6 women reach settlement in priest sexual abuse lawsuit against Austin Diocese

AUSTIN (TX)
KXAN

September 12, 2019

By Chelsea Moreno

A settlement has been reached in a lawsuit filed by six women against a priest, bishop and the Austin Catholic Diocese alleging sexual abuse.

Sean Breen, the attorney representing the women and the Austin Diocese told KXAN on Thursday the case had been resolved.

According to the lawsuit, a Catholic priest within the Austin Diocese, identified in the suit as Father Isidore Ndagizimana, would regularly prey on, abuse and harass female parishioners.

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.

Missouri Attorney General Refers 12 Catholic Clergy for Prosecution

NEW YORK (NY)
The New York Times

September 13, 2019

By Elizabeth Dias

The investigation found that 163 priests or clergy members were accused of sexual abuse or misconduct against minors.

The Missouri attorney general will refer a dozen men who previously served as Roman Catholic clergy for potential criminal prosecution, his office announced on Friday after a yearlong statewide investigation into clergy sexual abuse.

The investigation found that 163 priests or clergy members were accused of sexual abuse or misconduct against minors.

“Sexual abuse by minors by members of Missouri’s four Roman Catholic dioceses has been a far-reaching and sustained scandal,” Attorney General Eric Schmitt said at a news conference Friday morning. “For decades, faced with credible reports of abuse, the church refused to acknowledge the victims and instead focused their efforts on protecting priests.”

Mr. Schmitt, a Republican who is also Catholic, said he believed his 12 referrals for prosecution were more than any other attorney’s general investigation so far.

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.

Archdiocese files documents to dismiss church sex abuse lawsuit based on NOLA No-call lawsuit dismissal

NEW ORLEANS (LA)
WVUE

September 12, 2019

By Amanda Roberts

The Supreme Court of Louisiana could decide if victims of church sex abuse have a right to sue their abusers, as well as the catholic church. The decision hinges on if two high-profile cases are related: church sex abuse cases and the NOLA no-call.

For about a year now, a John Doe’s lawsuit against the archdiocese and defrocked deacon George Brignac continues to work its way through the courts. The lawsuit outlines how Brignac sexually abused him at Holy Rosary Church from the time he was eight to 13-years-old in the 1970s and 80s.

The attorneys for the Archdiocese are now arguing the case should in part be thrown out on the same grounds the state Supreme Court threw out the NOLA-no call lawsuit.

“It’s very surprising they would make an argument like this,” said legal analyst Bobby Hjortsberg. “It seems like an attempt to use something that’s sensational, something on people’s minds to draw attention to it,” he said.

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

Echoing Boston crisis, Buffalo priest’s letter urges bishops to step down

BUFFALO (NY)
The Buffalo News

September 10, 2019

By Jay Tokasz

The pastor of one of the region’s largest and wealthiest Catholic parishes is urging fellow priests to call upon Bishop Richard J. Malone and Auxiliary Bishop Edward M. Grosz to resign and let others lead the Buffalo Diocese.

The Rev. Robert Zilliox, pastor of St. Mary Church in Swormville, has contacted about 200 priests and asked them to sign a letter demanding that Malone step down immediately in the wake of a series of scandals in which the bishop’s public statements on handling clergy sex abuse and misconduct accusations appeared to contradict what he was saying and doing in private.

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 Rochester becomes first diocese in New York State to file for bankruptcy in sex abuse scandal fallout

ROCHESTER (NY)
PIX 11

September 12, 2019

By Corey Crockett

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester filed for bankruptcy Thursday, the first in New York to seek protection from creditors in bankruptcy court as a part of the decades-long child sex abuse scandal that’s plagued the Catholic Church, according to the Democrat & Chronicle.

The diocese filed the petition for Chapter 11 reorganization Thursday morning, claiming that the financial liabilities — estimated between $100 million and $500 million — exceed the group’s assets — stated as $50 million to $100 million, according to court documents.

The Democrat & Chronicle — a Rochester local newspaper — said the filing does not mean the diocese is out of money, or that churches will close their doors.

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.

New Vatican law on abuse cover-up has a hit-and-miss week

DENVER (CO)
Crux

Sept. 13, 2019

By Charles Collins

The legislation – called Vos Estis Lux Mundi – enacted what is known as the Metropolitan Model, in which archbishops would play a prominent role in policing those bishops in their ecclesiastical province.

This week, the first investigation into misconduct being carried out under the procedures set out in the new law was announced: Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis will look into allegations that Bishop Michael J. Hoeppner of Crookston “carried out acts or omissions intended to interfere with or avoid civil or canonical investigations of clerical sexual misconduct.”

In a statement on Wednesday, the archdiocese said law enforcement had also been notified of the allegations.

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

Fugitive priest faces sentencing in US sex abuse case

ALBUQUERQUE (NM)
Associated Press

Sept. 13, 2019

By Mary Hudetz

A former Roman Catholic priest is scheduled to be sentenced Friday in Santa Fe, where a jury found him guilty this year of sexually abusing an altar boy in the early 1990s before fleeing the country.

Federal prosecutors are requesting a sentence of more than 30 years in prison for 81-year-old Arthur Perrault, once a pastor at an Albuquerque parish and a chaplain at Kirtland Air Force Base.

Perrault — who pleaded not guilty to charges after he was returned to the United States from Tangier, Morocco, in 2017 — maintained his innocence throughout his trial in April.

Federal authorities said their pursuit of Perrault that led them to Morocco, a country that does not have an extradition treaty with the United States, showed how far they were willing to seek justice. Perrault is among more than 70 clergy members who the Santa Fe Archdiocese has identified as credibly accused of abusing children in New Mexico.

The archdiocese also is in the midst of bankruptcy proceeding as a result of the church-wide abuse scandal, which has spanned the globe.

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.

September 12, 2019

“Stay With Us” Says the USCCB, But Can They Hear Themselves?

Patheos blog

Sept. 12, 2019

By Mary Pezzulo

In case you haven’t noticed, the Church is a ghastly mess.

I almost said “an ungodly mess,” but that’s not the case at all. God is here, suffering with us. But the hierarchy’s sins are being laid bare and we see that the Bride of Christ was abused by the people who were supposed to be her caretakers, and she is a mess. At the moment we are all watching the Diocese of Buffalo fall apart in real time, with that public disgrace Bishop Malone flailing and claiming he won’t resign. We’re told that Archbishop Dolan is looking into it, and I’m not really convinced that will help.

What seems like moments ago, we were supposed to be happy that a bill had been struck down in one part of the country which would’ve forced priests to report sexual abuse confessed to them, violating the seal of confession. And I do not think that priests ought to be forced to violate the seal. But it was hard to not find it a bit ironic when we found out that Malone had allegedly protected a priest who had a credible accusation of violating the seal of confession against him. One can be forgiven for surmising that in practice, it’s persecution if a priest is compelled to violate the seal to help somebody, but it’s perfectly fine to violate the seal in order to participate in sexual harassment. That’s just one example of the layers of horror we’ve had to process lately.

And this is on top of what happened in the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston a few short months ago, and all that’s gone on in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, and what’s going on all over the country.

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

Retired priest Nolan angry about child sexual abuse allegations: ‘It didn’t happen’

JEFFERSON (WI)
Channel 3000

Sept. 12, 2019

By Rose Schmidt

The retired priest being tried on child sexual abuse charges took the stand Thursday in his own defense.

William Nolan is accused of sexually assaulting an altar boy more than 100 times over four years, starting in 2006 when the accuser was 13 years old. At the time the accuser says the abuse began, Nolan was the priest at St. Joseph’s Church in Fort Atkinson.

Nolan testified in Jefferson County court Thursday morning. His defense attorney, Jonas Bednarek, asked at one point how one of the accusations made him feel.

“Mad, angry,” Nolan replied.

“Why?” Bednarek asked.

“Because it didn’t happen,” Nolan said.

The judge dropped one of the six felony charges Nolan is facing.

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 bankruptcy: Matano says it was ‘a very difficult and painful decision’

ROCHESTER (NY)
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Sept. 12, 2019

By Steve Orr

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester, facing potentially huge judgments for past sexual abuse by its priests and other ministers, filed for bankruptcy protection Thursday morning.

“This was a very difficult and painful decision,” Rochester Bishop Salvatore Matano said at an afternoon news conference that detailed the action.

The diocese filed its petition for Chapter 11 reorganization in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Rochester at about 9:30 a.m. The petition estimates the diocese’s assets as $50 million to $100 million — and its financial liabilities as $100 million to $500 million.

Rochester’s diocese becomes the first of New York state’s eight dioceses — and the 20th nationwide — to seek protection from creditors in bankruptcy court because of financial fallout from the Catholic Church’s decades-long child sexual abuse scandal.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester filed for bankruptcy on Sept. 12, 2019. The Diocese held a press conference talking about why they did that. Bishop Salvatore R. Matano read from a prepared statement before answering questions with Lisa Passero CFO for the diocese, and Stephen Donato, with the law firm, Bond, Schoeneck, and King that is representing the diocese in the bankruptcy, beside him.Buy Photo
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester filed for bankruptcy on Sept. 12, 2019. The Diocese held a press conference talking about why they did that. Bishop Salvatore R. Matano read from a prepared statement before answering questions with Lisa Passero CFO for the diocese, and Stephen Donato, with the law firm, Bond, Schoeneck, and King that is representing the diocese in the bankruptcy, beside him. (Photo: Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)

The bankruptcy filing does not mean the diocese is penniless and does not mean its churches will close.

The intent of a Chapter 11 filing such as this is to reorganize the diocese’s finances, marshal funds to pay fair compensation to sex-abuse accusers and create a plan for the diocese to continue operations much as they were before.

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.

Tasmanian abuse law puts priests on notice

AUSTRALIA
The Australian

September 13, 2019

By Matthew Denholm

Tasmanian priests have been warned they face prosecution for failing to report child abuse disclosed during confession, after the state’s upper house passed “nation leading” laws.

Tasmania’s legislation, passed by the Legislative Council on Wednesday, means it joins South Australia, Victoria and the ACT in mandating that clergy must ­report abuse, even when disclosed in confession.

Queensland and Western Australia are proceeding down a similar legislative path, recommended by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

Tasmanian Attorney-General Elise Archer said the laws were the first tabled in Australia.

Amid Catholic Church threats to defy them, Ms Archer warned those found to have done so faced prosecution, with penalties ­including fines of up to $3360 and jail terms of up to 21 years, in ­theory at least.

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.

Abuse reporting law passes Vic parliament

AUSTRALIA
Canberra Times

September 10, 2019

By Benita Kolovos

Victorian parliament has passed laws making it mandatory for priests to report child abuse, including when it is revealed to them during confession.

A bill introduced by the state Labor government passed the upper house on Tuesday after last week getting a green light from the Legislative Assembly, with opposition support.

“Today we’ve made Victoria a safer place for children. The special treatment for churches has ended and child abuse must be reported,” Child Protection Minister Luke Donnellan said in a statement.

“I thank all the abuse survivors, their families and advocates who helped us deliver these reforms. We can’t undo the harm to so many children in the past, but this will help ensure it never happens again.”

Under the laws, priests and religious leaders face up to three years’ jail if they don’t report child physical and sexual abuse allegations.

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

Can Petition Drive Hurt Malone’s Credibility?

BUFFALO (NY)
WBEN

September 10, 2019

By Tom Puckett

Garabedian says Vatican will look at other factors, including donations

As a petition drive continues to remove Bishop Richard Malone from the Buffalo Catholic Diocese, An attorney who dealt with priest sex abuse in Boston says it could be an element in taking away Malone’s credibility.

Mitchell Garabedian says this could help diminsh Malone’s good standing with the Vatican. “Petition drives can be effective especially when coupled with lawsuits being filed, the information being released about the diocese not protecting children. It’s a complicated matter,” says Garabedian. “If Bishop Malone loses enough credibility, he will step down.”

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.

Judge In Brock Turner Case Fired From New Job As Girls Tennis Coach

CALIFORNIA
Huffington Post

September 11, 2019

By Alanna Vagianos

Aaron Persky, the judge who infamously sentenced Turner to six months for sexual assault, recently lost his new job at Lynbrook High in California.

Aaron Persky, the former judge in the Brock Turner sexual assault case, has lost his new job as a high school girls tennis coach following swift criticism from the community.

“Effective September 11, 2019, Mr. Persky’s employment with the District as the Junior Varsity Girls Tennis coach has ended,” Rachel Zlotziver, a spokesperson for the Fremont Union High School District, told HuffPost Wednesday night.

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.

A New Report Shows the Lengths MIT Went to Hide its Ties to Jeffrey Epstein

BOSTON (MA)
Boston Magazine

September 10, 2019

By Spencer Buell

Evidence suggests higher-ups knew about his secret donations to the Media Lab.

Another day, another major news break on the MIT Media Lab’s deep ties to Jeffrey Epstein, and the lengths to which the university appears to have gone to keep it hush-hush.

The prestigious lab made headlines last month, when some of its members announced they would resign in protest due to the way its now-former director, Joi Ito, accepted donations from and socialized with the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender. At the time, Ito apologized for accepting money from Epstein for both the lab and his own personal investment fund, and promised to give it all back.

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.

Statement of Attorneys Jeff Anderson and Steve Boyd

ROCHESTER (NY)
Jeff Anderson & Associates

September 12, 2019

Statement of Attorneys Jeff Anderson and Steve Boyd Regarding Diocese of Rochester Filing Bankruptcy

Survivors’ Attorneys’ Statement Regarding Filing Of Bankruptcy by Diocese Of Rochester

(Rochester, New York) – The Diocese of Rochester filed bankruptcy this morning after being named as a defendant in dozens of clergy sexual abuse lawsuits filed since New York’s Child Victims Act’s one-year window opened on August 14.

“The bishop’s choice to use reorganization as a legal tactic is very disturbing and disappointing,” said attorney Jeff Anderson of Jeff Anderson & Associates, who represents several survivors who have lawsuits against the Diocese of Rochester, along with attorney Steve Boyd. “Bishop Salvatore Matano’s choice is simply a legal tactic to protect assets and prevent jury trials, and an attempt to prevent the truth from being revealed.”

“We want to assure the survivors and their family members who have been harmed for so long and have brought claims under the Child Victims Act that this is not the end,” Boyd said. “This will not stop us or the survivors and we know there are battles to be fought.”

Anderson and Boyd, who represent hundreds of sexual abuse survivors in New York, will conduct a press conference at 3:00 p.m. (ET) today in Rochester. Additional details on the press conference are forthcoming soon.

Contact: Steve Boyd: Office: (716)400-0000; Cell: (716)856-7777
Jeff Anderson: Office: (646)759-2551; Cell: (646)499-3364
Mike Finnegan: Office: (646)759-2551; Cell: (612)205.5531

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

The Pulitzer Prize-winning authors of She Said assess #MeToo after Weinstein on The Late Show

UNITED STATES
AV Club

September 11, 2019

By Dennis Perkins

New York Times journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey told Stephen Colbert about the time that an enraged Harvey Weinstein finally barreled right into the NYT offices, toting folders of “material to smear his accusers.” That’s after the now-disgraced movie mogul had already hired ex-Mossad agent private investigators to “put a stop” to the reporters’ efforts, and threatened to file a massive lawsuit against them and the paper, all tactics that, as Kantor and Twohey’s work on the culture of workplace sexual harassment (and worse) uncovered, had served the bullying Weinstein ably in the past. But that was then, as Colbert interviewed two of the women who helped bring down one of the most powerful sexual predators in show business, and whose quest to get the Weinstein story right helped sear the societal ills behind what had already become known as the #MeToo movement into the national consciousness, inescapably.

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.

Clergy Abuse Report – Retraction, Correction and Apology

NEW YORK (NY)
Jeff Anderson & Associates

September 11, 2019

Retraction, Correction and Apology

(New York, NY) –The law firm of Jeff Anderson & Associates released information identifying the incorrect individual as being subject to allegations of child sex abuse.

• The Anderson Report on Sexual Abuse in the Diocese of Brooklyn released on September 10, 2019, incorrectly and erroneously identified Sr. Kathleen McKinney CSJ, a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph, as being subject to allegations of abuse.
• In fact, the allegations should have referred to Sr. Kathleen McKinney CSFN, a member of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, who was identified in a lawsuit titled Ark68Doe vs. Diocese of Brooklyn et al., Supreme Court, Index Number 517909/2019. The plaintiff in that matter alleged wrongdoing associated with St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Jamaica, New York.
• Sr. Kathleen McKinney, CSJ was not involved and/or associated with St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Jamaica New York.
• Jeff Anderson & Associates apologizes to Sr. Kathleen McKinney CSJ and will be providing her with a letter confirming the mistake and deeply apologizing. The firm will make other amends as may be requested to mitigate any harm done.

Contact: Jeff Anderson: Office: (646)759-2551; Cell: (646)499-3364
Mike Reck: Office: (646)759-2551; Cell: (646)493-8058

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.

200 Names of Abusers are Released in Brooklyn

BROOKLYN (NY)
SNAP

September 10, 2019

Today at a press conference in New York, important information about abusive clergy in Brooklyn was released to the public. We applaud the work of these independent advocates who prepared this report and hope that this information will help create more informed communities in New York.

We are grateful to Jeff Anderson and his team for exposing this information about known abusers in Brooklyn. It is disappointing that, once again, more facts about clergy abuse scandals are made public by independent advocates instead of church officials themselves.

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.

Bishop Malone travels to New York City as potential probe from New York Archdiocese looms

NEW YORK (NY)
WBFO NEWS

September 12, 2019

Buffalo Bishop Richard Malone traveled to New York City this week as he faces a potential investigation from the cardinal of the Archdiocese of New York.

The embattled Malone was seen at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport Tuesday boarding a plane to New York City. Diocese of Buffalo spokesperson Kathy Spangler told WBFO Wednesday Malone travels frequently on church matters, including several times a year to New York City.

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 Bridgeport Adds Two Names to “Credibly Accused” List

BRIDGEPORT (CT)
SNAP

September 10, 2019

Church officials in Bridgeport have updated their list of “credibly accused” priests to include two more names of deceased priests. Now we hope they follow up by actively reaching out to members of their flock and urging witnesses, whistleblowers, and victims to come forward and make a report.

The Diocese of Bridgeport has acknowledged that two different priests – Monsignor William Genuario and Rev. Vincent Cleary – were abusers of children. However, this acknowledgement comes years after reports about both men were made to diocesan officials. We can only hope that others were not abused by these men while the reports against them were ignored by Bridgeport church officials.

At least one report against Msgr. Genuario was made in 2002, meaning it took 17 years for the Diocese of Bridgeport to act. Bishop Frank Caggiano writes off the delay by saying that his review board “investigated the allegations” against Msgr. Genuario in 2002 and 2004, but did not find them “credible” at the time. Such a delay is inexcusable and only put more innocent children in harm’s way.

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

Jodi Kantor & Megan Twohey Detail Harvey Weinstein’s Efforts To Derail Their Reporting

UNITED STATES
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

September 11, 2019

The authors of the new book ‘She Said’ talk to Stephen Colbert about the drama surrounding their investigative reporting on Harvey Weinstein’s abusive behavior, including his efforts to intimidate journalists and their sources. #Colbert #LSSC #Interviews

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.

Cardinal Dolan Weighing Options in Buffalo

NEW YORK (NY)
SNAP

September 10, 2019

New York’s top Catholic official is reportedly weighing his options for intervening in the scandal ridden Diocese of Buffalo.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York is expected to publicly weigh in on Bishop Richard Malone and the abuse scandal currently engulfing the Diocese of Buffalo. As Metropolitan for the state of New York, this situation is one of the first real tests of the USCCB’s new “metropolitan model” for bishop accountability. In order to help Cardinal Dolan pass this test, we have a few suggestions.

First, he should publicly denounce his colleague to the north and urge him to resign. In 2002, bishops promised that “fraternal correction” will help ensure that bishops followed the rules and standards laid out in the Dallas charter. Yet in the 17 years since, we have not really seen any public evidence of this correction at all. Now, Cardinal Dolan has the chance to live up that promise from 2002 and publicly encourage Bishop Malone to step down and let someone else take over in Buffalo.

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.

Amid lawsuits, Diocese of Rochester files for Ch. 11 bankruptcy

ROCHESTER (NY)
WHAM

September 12, 2019

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester filed for bankruptcy Thursday morning, less than one month after dozens of lawsuits were filed against clergy.

The Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing was made in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Rochester.

At least 47 sex abuse lawsuits have been filed under the Child Victims Act in Monroe County as of Thursday. Of those 47, 45 lawsuits name the Diocese of Rochester as a defendant. The Child Victims Act allows a one-year window, beginning on August 14, for child sex abuse victims to file suit without a statue of limitations.

The filing lists the Diocese as a tax-exempt entity and estimates it has fewer than 1,000 creditors. Estimates in the filing also state somewhere between $50 and 100 million in assets, with somewhere between $100 and 500 million in liabilities. Among those liabilities are “various sex abuse claimants”. The bankruptcy filing includes a list of 264 creditors.

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.

Minnesota archbishop investigates bishop over alleged interference in sexual misconduct probe

WASHINGTON (DC)
The Hill

Sept. 11, 2019

By Rachel Frazin

The Roman Catholic archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis has opened an investigation into allegations that a Minnesota bishop interfered with a sexual misconduct probe in the diocese.

Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda said in a Tuesday statement that he had been authorized to begin an investigation into allegations that Bishop Michael Hoeppner “carried out acts or omissions intended to interfere with or avoid civil or canonical investigations of clerical sexual misconduct” in the Diocese of Crookston.

Hoeppner is the bishop for Crookston, a city in Polk County.

Hebda said in his statement that law enforcement had been notified about the allegations. He also noted that the probe is preliminary and has a limited time period to gather information. That information will be send to the Pope’s U.S. representative and to the Congregation for Bishops in Rome to determine whether further procedures will be warranted.

Hoeppner and the Diocese of Crookston declined to comment through a spokesperson who cited the investigation.

The Associated Press reported that the investigation is the first known review under a new papal law outlining preliminary investigation procedures. The law issued by the Pope in May aims to increase accountability.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests said in a statement that “survivor advocates will be watching the outcome closely.”

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.

Bishop Malone travels to New York City as potential probe from New York Archdiocese looms

BUFFALO (NY)
WBFO News

Sept. 12, 2019

Buffalo Bishop Richard Malone traveled to New York City this week as he faces a potential investigation from the cardinal of the Archdiocese of New York.

The embattled Malone was seen at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport Tuesday boarding a plane to New York City. Diocese of Buffalo spokesperson Kathy Spangler told WBFO Wednesday Malone travels frequently on church matters, including several times a year to New York City.

It’s unclear whether Malone’s visit is related to the possible review of his handling of the Buffalo Diocese’s clergy sexual abuse crisis from Cardinal Timothy Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York, which is based in New York City.

Archdiocese spokesperson Joseph Zwilling said earlier this week that Dolan has been following the Buffalo Diocese situation very closely and consulting extensively, and that Dolan will make an announcement “in the near future.”

That news was first reported by the Catholic Herald Monday.

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 Winona priest investigated

MINNEAPOLIS (MN)
Associated Press

Sept. 12, 2019

The Roman Catholic archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis said Wednesday that he has opened an investigation — the first known of its kind under a new Vatican protocol — into allegations that a bishop in northwestern Minnesota interfered with investigations into clerical sexual misconduct.

Archbishop Bernard Hebda said in a statement posted on the archdiocese’s website that the investigation targets Bishop Michael Hoeppner of the Crookston diocese. Hebda said the allegations are that Hoeppner “carried out acts or omissions intended to interfere with or avoid civil or canonical investigations of clerical sexual misconduct in the Diocese of Crookston,” but he gave no further details. He said law enforcement has been informed.

Advocates for clergy abuse victims say it’s the first known investigation by one bishop into another under a groundbreaking church law issued by Pope Francis in May aimed at holding the Catholic hierarchy accountable for failing to protect their flocks. Among other things, it outlines procedures for conducting preliminary investigations of bishops accused of sexual misconduct or cover-ups.

Jeff Anderson, a St. Paul attorney who has represented hundreds of survivors of clerical sexual abuse, told The Associated Press that the allegations against Hoeppner likely stem from lawsuits against the Crookston diocese that have been settled, including one by Ron Vasek, who was aspiring to be a deacon when, he alleged, Hoeppner blackmailed him into signing a letter in 2015 that essentially retracted his allegation that a popular priest had abused him when he was 16.

That lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed sum in 2017. In July, the diocese reached a $5 million settlemen t with 15 people, including Vasek, who were children when they were sexually abused by priests. As part of the new settlement, the diocese agreed to release the names and files of clergy accused of abuse. Anderson said that information, along with depositions he took from Hoeppner and other Crookston diocese officials, will be released “in the days and weeks ahead.”

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 Rochester files for bankruptcy

ROCHESTER (NY)
WROC TV

Sept. 12, 2019

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester has filed for bankruptcy.

This follows a flurry of lawsuits against the organization, mostly sexual assault cases, that were filed following the enactment of the Child Victims Act.

The Child Victims Act, which went into effect on August 14, extended the statute of limitations on child sexual abuse cases for one year.

Rochester’s Diocese is the first to file bankruptcy in our state, and the 20th to do so in the nation.

The Diocese of Rochester represents 86 parishes in 12 counties.

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.

Jimmy Savile allowed to ‘roam freely’ in boys’ dorms of Highlands Catholic school

LONDON (ENGLAND)
Scottish Sun

Sept. 12, 2019

By John Jeffay

JIMMY Savile was allowed to “roam freely” in the boys’ dorms of a Catholic school in the Highlands, an inquiry heard yesterday.

The serial sex predator would turn up in his Rolls-Royce at a time when young boys say they were being abused by staff, a former pupil told relatives.

Another witness said yesterday that he had been drugged and raped by monks at the Benedictine Fort Augustus Abbey and that he was also sexually assaulted at Pluscarden Abbey, near Elgin.

The youngster was warned he would be thrown into the Moray Firth or Loch Ness if he reported the abuse, he said.

The allegations were made as witnesses at the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry gave evidence of sexual and physical attacks at Fort Augustus Abbey.

In a written statement, a man given the pseudonym “Rory” said that his brother “Doug”, who was born in 1951 but has since died, told him that Savile was given access to the school in the 1960s, when he was already a famous DJ with Radio Luxembourg.

It read: “Savile would park his Rolls-Royce car outside the school. Doug said Savile was allowed to roam freely at the school, even the boys’ dormitories.

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 Bishop’s student files sexual abuse lawsuit against alma mater in La Jolla

LAJOLLA (CA)
LaJolla Light

Sept. 11, 2019

By Ashley Mackin-Solomon

A sexual abuse lawsuit was filed Aug. 28 against The Bishop’s School in La Jolla and the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego by a former student alleging two years of abuse by a teacher while he was a student at the school in the 1990s.

The recent suit comes after the 2018 discovery of more than a dozen other alleged incidents of sexual misconduct, which took place over the span of 30 years.

The latest lawsuit alleges that plaintiff John H. Doe was repeatedly sexually molested and harassed by a female computer sciences teacher beginning when he was a 16-year-old student (she was 32 years old at the time).

The suit names the charges as sexual harassment; sexual battery; assault; gender violence; negligence; negligent supervision; negligent hiring/retention; negligent failure to warn, train or educate; intentional infliction of emotional distress; and constructive fraud.

The alleged abuse included, but was not limited to, hand holding, flirting, touching, fondling, oral sex, and sexual intercourse on the Bishop’s School campus, at the teacher’s house, at a local hotel, at a local restaurant, at a local park, and across various other San Diego area locations. The teacher is no longer listed as an employee of The Bishop’s School.

According to the lawsuit, the teacher would bring the Plaintiff into the computer lab, with the windows covered and the door locked, and subject him to sexual acts. On multiple occasions, teachers and a Bishop’s administrator saw John H. Doe and the teacher exiting the computer lab together, with no other person in the room.

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 in Tasmania won’t follow new confession laws

ULTIMO (AUSTRALIA)
Australian Broadcasting Service

Sept. 11, 2019

By Emily Baker

The Catholic Church says it will not follow new Tasmanian laws that require priests to break the seal of confession to report suspicion of child sex abuse.

The Legislative Council yesterday passed Government legislation making religious ministry and MPs mandatory reporters of child sex abuse, along with teachers, police and health professionals.

The laws also require any Tasmanian with knowledge of child sex abuse to report the crime to police — or face up to 21 years’ imprisonment or fines of up to $3,360.

But Tasmania’s most senior Catholic said the laws would make paedophiles less likely to come forward.

In a statement, Archbishop Julian Porteous said priests were “unable” to follow secular law that required them to break the seal of confession.

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.

University Catholic chaplain Father Gabriel Zeis resigns in light of sexual abuse allegation

PRINCETON (NJ)
The Daily Princetonian

September 11, 2019

By Marie-Rose Sheinerman

Father Gabriel Zeis, the director of and chaplain at the University’s Catholic campus ministry, resigned on Wednesday following an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor, which dates back to 1975. According to an email sent to student members of the Aquinas Institute, the on-campus Catholic ministry, Zeis denied the allegation but immediately resigned from both his position at the Institute and his position as Diocesan Vicar for Catholic Education.

The email, sent by the Diocese of Trenton, said that the Provincial Superior of the Third Order Regular Franciscans (TOR) was notified on the evening of Monday, Sept. 9 of the allegation against the chaplain. The email stated that the Order is “pursuing an investigation into the allegation to determine its credibility” and asked that anyone with information or questions related to the notification contact the Franciscans through their website.

With the approval of Bishop David O’Connell of the Diocese of Trenton, Father Zeis served at the University. In an email statement to The Daily Princetonian, University spokesperson Ben Chang explained, “Father Zeis was not a University employee, and the University had no role in his resignation. The Diocese notified us that this action had been taken.”

Chang went on to encourage any students in need of support “to speak with a member of their residential college staff, the Graduate School, or one of our confidential resources, including SHARE, Counseling and Psychological Services, and the chaplains in the Office of Religious Life.”

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.

Archbishop’s 1987 diary entry contradicted evidence about awareness of criminal liability: report

NEWCASTLE (AUSTRALIA)
Newcastle Herald

Sept. 7, 2019

By Joanne McCarthy

ARCHBISHOP Philip Wilson’s evidence to a Special Commission of Inquiry about his knowledge of notorious Hunter paedophile priest Denis McAlinden in the 1980s and 1990s was “improbable”, “unsatisfactory” and “implausible”, a confidential 2014 report released on Friday found.

Archbishop Wilson’s evidence in 2013 that he had forgotten communications with anti-corruption crusader MP John Hatton in 1987 about “sexual misbehaviour” complaints involving McAlinden and young children was “improbable”, Commissioner Margaret Cunneen found after an inquiry into police and Catholic Church responses to Hunter child sexual abuse allegations.

The future archbishop assured Mr Hatton in a letter in July, 1987 that his complaint about McAlinden was “receiving attention”. Their communications also included phone contact on four occasions and a further letter in which the then Maitland-Newcastle Vicar General assured the MP that McAlinden had left the parish for “a full program of psychiatric assessment and help”.

The confidential fourth volume of the Special Commission of Inquiry was released more than five years after the first three volumes were made public, and following Archbishop Wilson’s conviction in 2018 for concealing child sex allegations about Hunter priest Jim Fletcher, which was overturned on appeal in December.

The Commission regarded as “unsatisfactory and implausible” the archbishop’s evidence in 2013 that he had “honestly forgotten” liaising with a psychiatrist about McAlinden, and talking with the priest by phone on five occasions between October, 1987 and February, 1988.

Mr Hatton’s report was one of a number of complaints about McAlinden to the future archbishop in 1987, the Commission found.

While the Hatton letter was raised during the inquiry hearings in 2013, Archbishop Wilson’s role – including having a direct confrontation with McAlinden, referring him to a psychiatrist and repeated phone calls with the paedophile priest before he was moved to Western Australia – has not been revealed until now.

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.

Archbishop Philip Wilson has had major surgery only days after a sharply critical report

NEWCASTLE (AUSTRALIA)
Catholic Herald

Sept. 12, 2019

By Joanne McCarthy

A HUNTER survivor advocate criticised for demanding an apology from Archbishop Philip Wilson after his conviction for concealing a priest’s child sex crimes has repeated the demand after a damning report into Catholic abuse responses in the Hunter.

Peter Gogarty said survivors of church abuse and the Hunter community had the right to an apology from the archbishop and Maitland-Newcastle diocese after a confidential 2014 report released last Friday revealed the extent of church knowledge of allegations involving paedophile priests Denis McAlinden and Jim Fletcher.

Archbishop Wilson in December successfully appealed his May, 2018 conviction for concealing allegations about Fletcher, but was strongly criticised in the confidential report for “improbable”, “unsatisfactory” and “implausible” evidence about his knowledge of allegations about McAlinden while a Hunter priest in the 1980s and 1990s.

Six days after the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet released the damning confidential fourth volume of the NSW Special Commission of Inquiry final report there has been no response from Archbishop Wilson, Maitland-Newcastle diocese or Bishop Bill Wright.

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. Mary’s hosts symposium on “A Church in Crisis Moves to the Future”

SAN ANTONIO (TX)
St. Mary’s University

Sept. 12, 2019

St. Mary’s University will host a joint lecture and symposium on the theme “A Church in Crisis Moves to the Future” on Wednesday, Sept. 18, and Thursday, Sept. 19. Both days will feature discussion by Peter Steinfels, Ph.D., scholar and former New York Times journalist.

St. Mary’s University’s MacTaggart Lecture Series and the newly established Center for Catholic Studies will jointly present the free public discussion that will take place in the University Center, Conference Room A.

“This program demonstrates that St. Mary’s has heeded the call given by St. John Paul II, who as pope stressed that ‘a Catholic University must have the courage to speak uncomfortable truths which do not please public opinion, but which are necessary to safeguard the authentic good of society,’” said Alicia Cordoba Tait, D.M.A., Beirne Director of the Center for Catholic Studies.

“St. Mary’s offers this program to help the church and all people of faith, or none, to consider multiple viewpoints to issues and ideas that we are grappling with each day,” Tait said.

At 7 p.m. on Sept. 18, Steinfels will discuss, “Sex Abuse and the Future Church,” as the first lecture of the year in the MacTaggart Catholic Intellectual Tradition Lecture Series. This free, annual lecture series features men and women who have helped shape the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, which is at the heart of the educational experience at St. Mary’s.

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.

AMBS’s New President (or What Were they Thinking?)

Spacious Faith blog

Sept. 11, 2019

By Joanna

I invite you to do a thought experiment with me. Imagine that I am qualified to lead a seminary: I have a PhD in Mennoniteness and have taught graduate level classes in Missional Transformation Transforming Missional Paradigms. I’m the perfect candidate for seminary president. Except the seminary has recently committed itself to the “traditional” position that same-sex marriage is unacceptable. Would that seminary hire me? Ever? Even if I said I would respect the school’s position? Even if the only other person willing to take the job was some twenty-four-year-old dude who barely graduated from two-year Bible college?

In case you’re struggling with this, the answer is “no.” They would never hire me. And they shouldn’t. And, frankly, I shouldn’t have applied in the first place.

But enough about hypothetical me. Let’s talk about Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary appointing Dave Boshart as president.

First, two relevant facts about Dave:

He is a NICE GUY. I mean, really, super-nice. That’s what a lot of people will say about his appointment as president. He’s so nice. And it’s true. I’ve had a few opportunities to communicate directly with Dave, and he’s always been nice.

He is LITERALLY a spokesperson for MC USA’s official “teaching position” against same-sex marriage. When Western District Conference wanted to hold a workshop exploring “both sides of the issue,” Dave was the guy they brought in to talk about why I shouldn’t have kept my ministerial credentials after officiating a same-sex wedding. This was several years ago, but I have seen nothing from Dave that would indicate his position on this has changed.

I’ve dealt intimately with institutional politics at the congregational, conference, and denominational levels for over a decade now. I am often frustrated by the actions of institutional leaders, but I generally understand them. I don’t agree with everything church officials do, but I have a pretty good idea why they do it. Yet when it comes to this decision by AMBS, I am truly baffled. Why would they say they are fully supportive of queer students and then hire an anti-gay spokesperson for their president?

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

In US tour, Marie Collins exposes clerical culture behind abuse cover-up

KANSAS CITY (MO)
National Catholic Reporter

Sept. 12, 2019

By Tom Roberts

The Catholic Church has reached a crossroads. Its leaders can either change, become open and accountable, or maintain the status quo: an institution lacking transparency, wrapped in secrecy and beholden to a clerical culture that is at the heart of the institution’s problems.

That bleak assessment was made by Marie Collins, the Irish clerical sexual abuse survivor who was an original member of a papal commission dealing with the sex abuse crisis, and who said she is “hanging on by my fingernails.”

The scandal, she said in remarks Sept. 8 opening a five-city U.S. tour, is both systemic and global, and clericalism remains at its core.

“The church is at a crossroads. It can either continue to behave as it has for centuries, protecting itself, or open up and become the church we all want it to be, the church that it should be.”

Collins, in a separate interview with NCR following the news conference, expanded on her understanding of clericalism and how it played into her decision to resign, after serving for three years, from the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.

During the past 20 years, she said, the church “has been reactive” and “has not changed one single thing unless forced to by survivors and those in the media. … I don’t believe the church has made any changes of its own volition.” She made her remarks at the United Methodist Building on Capitol Hill at the outset of her tour, titled, “A Crisis of Culture: Seeking Justice to Reclaim 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.

Late nun, at Dwenger in ’60s, on abuser list

FT. WAYNE (IN)
Journal Gazette

Sept. 11, 2019

By Rosa Salter Rodriguez

A deceased former religious sister has been added to the list of those who have worked in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend and been found to have a credible allegation of sexual abuse of a minor.

The allegation regarding the late Sister Susan Whitten is reported in a statement from the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ in Wednesday’s issue of Today’s Catholic, the diocese’s weekly newspaper.

Whitten was a teacher at Bishop Dwenger High School in Fort Wayne in her last assignment before being dispensed from her vows in 1967, the statement said.

The person making the allegation was a member of the class of 1967 and accused Whitten “of engaging in an inappropriate relationship,” according to the statement. “Out of respect for the privacy of the individual who made this credible allegation, the Poor Handmaids will not say anything further regarding the allegation or the response to it.”

The statement also said the order is “saddened to hear of this abuse” and adds the safety and well-being of children “is of the highest importance to us.”

Julie Dowd, the order’s communications director, told The Journal Gazette on Wednesday she did not know when Whitten joined the order or left it.

But Dowd said Whitten’s leaving was “just her choice” and not the result of official discipline.

Dowd also said she would not disclose the gender or any information about the person making the allegation.

An online history of the Poor Handmaids lists Whitten as one of four of the order’s sisters assigned to Dwenger as teachers when it first opened in 1963. A Poor Handmaids sister also was assigned as assistant principal.

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.

‘She was scared’: Mother testifies in trial of KCK priest accused of sexual abuse

KANSAS CITY (KS)
Kansas City Star

Sept. 11, 2019

By Robert Cronkleton

The adoptive mother of a girl allegedly sexually abused by a Catholic priest in Kansas City, Kansas, testified Wednesday that she waited to report the inappropriate touching she witnessed because she didn’t think the church would do anything.

She saw the priest carrying her daughter in a way he shouldn’t have been, she said. But she did not see him touch her daughter’s breast as the girl later reported.

Because the mother hadn’t witnessed sexual abuse, she felt the incident she did witness would be “swept under the rug” and forgotten about, she testified.

It wasn’t until months later that she came forward and reported what happened.

The testimony came during the trial of the Rev. Scott Kallal, 37, who is charged in Wyandotte County District Court with two felony counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child.

The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas suspended Kallal in July 2017 after receiving allegations of inappropriate conduct involving two people, one a minor.

Kallal has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The trial, which continues this week, concerns two incidents that allegedly occurred in 2015, according to testimony at a preliminary hearing in December 2017. The girl testified at the hearing that twice when she was 10, Kallal had tickled her breasts against her wishes.

The first alleged incident was at a friend’s graduation party in Bonner Springs in spring 2015. The second allegedly took place a few months later at the parish hall gymnasium at St. Patrick’s church in Kansas City, Kansas.

It was the second incident that the adoptive mother testified about Wednesday.

In June 2015, she was helping coordinate appointments for the church’s pictorial directory in the parish hall, she said. Her daughter was in the gym playing when Kallal came to get his picture taken. Kallal heard the sound of a basketball bouncing and asked who was in the gym, the woman testified.

When she responded that it was her daughter, Kallal made a “bee line” to the gym, the woman testified. Shortly thereafter, she heard her daughter scream.

Her daughter came “flying out” the gym door with Kallal right behind her. The girl ran into the women’s restroom, where she tried to lock herself into a stall, the woman testified. Kallal followed her in. He then came out carrying the girl with his arms wrapped around her.

When the woman saw that, she told Kallal to put her daughter down — that it was inappropriate to do that, she testified. She had to say that about three times before he put the girl down, she said.

“She was scared,” the woman said.

The woman testified that she was mortified and shell-shocked at what happened. She didn’t know what what to do.

The woman clutched a rosary for comfort and strength during her testimony. She said the fact that Kallal was a priest also affected how she responded. She was a “cradle Catholic” and raised to hold priests in higher regard, she said.

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

Former Wisconsin priest may testify in his own defense in sex abuse trial

JEFFERSON (WI)
WKOW TV

Sept. 11, 2019

A former Wisconsin priest on trial for the alleged sexual assaults of an altar boy over a decade ago will decide by Friday whether to take witness stand in his own defense.

The 26-year old accuser testified earlier he felt he was gay as early as middle school and welcomed the sexual contact with Father William Nolan of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Fort Atkinson. The accuser testified there were at least one hundred sexual encounters between Nolan and himself between 2006 and 2009.

One of the accuser’s friends, Tyler Zaspel testified Thursday and contradicted the accuser’s claim of the timing of the initial, 2006 sexual assault. Zaspel said the accuser confided to him two years ago that the first sex with Nolan was during a 2009 ski trip.

A Wisconsin Department of Justice forensic investigator testified there was nothing retrieved from the accuser’s cell phone or Nolan’s lap top computer to establish any past, electronic connections between the two before Nolan’s May 2018 arrest.

The accuser testified earlier watching a film on Boston’s priest sex abuse scandal, Spotlight, motivated him to come forward to Fort Atkinson Police last year.

Nolan’s attorney indicated to the judge it was possible Nolan would testify, but any testimony would come just before the defense rests Friday. During the jury selection process, the attorney stressed to potential jurors they could not legally hold any lack of testimony by Nolan against him.

The judge says jurors are expected to begin deliberations in the 66-year old priest’s trial on six, felony child sex crimes Friday afternoon.

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.

September 11, 2019

Catholics poured their hearts out to Bishop Malone. He blocked their emails.

BUFFALO (NY)
WKBW TV

Sept. 11, 2019

By Charlie Specht

Last week, Bishop Malone said he was getting mostly positive feedback from Catholics about his handling of multiple sexual abuse scandals .

“Just today [I got] probably 12 or 13 either voicemails or emailing saying, ‘Stay with it, we need you, do not resign,’” Malone said Friday.

But that would soon change.

Within hours of hearing the bishop’s interview, Catholics across Western New York — young and old, practicing and lapsed — began flooding the bishop’s email with letters asking him to resign.

Many of the Catholics — 52 of them, to be exact — copied the 7 Eyewitness News I-Team on the emails sent to the bishop. All 52 asked for his immediate resignation.

“I think we’ve all come to the realization now that it’s time for the bishop to go,” said William Ogilvie, a parishioner at Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Clarence. “The large majority of people in my parish specifically — and in all the parishes, from what I have seen — the large majority want the bishop to resign.”

The messages sent by Catholics to the bishop said things like:

“…You have failed your people. You have failed your flock. It is time to step down…”

“…Because of you Bishop, I have thought of leaving the faith…”

“…I pray that you do the right thing. Step down – let us heal…”

Click here to read all of the letters sent to Bishop Malone and the I-Team.

But by Sunday night, Catholics like John Polvino began receiving error messages saying the bishop’s email address — bishop.malone@buffalodiocese.org — “couldn’t be found”.

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.

MONSIGNOR IN CHARGE OF HANDLING PEDOPHILE PRIESTS ACCUSED OF MOLESTING TEEN BOY

NEW YORK (NY)
Newsweek

Sept. 11, 2019

By Daniel Avery

Apopular Catholic priest has been named in two sex abuse lawsuits filed this week in New York City.

Monsignor Otto Garcia, a vicar at St. Teresa’s Church in Woodside, is accused of sexually assaulting 61-year-old Tom Davis when Davis was a teenage alter boy in the 1970s.

“He was able to pick me as a prime victim because of my parents’ involvement in the church,” Davis said in a press conference Tuesday. “I just didn’t think anyone would believe me. I said nothing until my parents passed.”

The abuse allegedly occurred between 1971 and 1973, when Davis was an altar boy at St. Michael’s Church in Flushing, Queens. His family was fully enmeshed in church life — his mother was a teacher in the parish school and his father was the parish basketball coach. Davis got a job answering phones in the rectory and Garcia would allegedly come by to visit alone.

“He would start with, ‘You look tense, let me rub your back.’ Then he’d say, ‘Let me rub lower, stand up,’ Davis told the New York Daily News in February. “He’d make me stand up, he’d put his hands under my shirt and try to get under my pants. Then he would start grinding me from behind and rub my nipples. I was terrified.”

Davis says he tried to push back, but “he was bigger than me — he’d use physical force to keep me trapped, rubbing his groin against me,” he recounted. “He’d see how far he could go.”

Getting a job at a local grocery store, Davis finally quit working at the rectory. But he still couldn’t bring himself to come forward with the abuse because his parents — and his community — held Father Garcia in such high regard. Later, as an adult working as a plumber at Shea Stadium, he feared speaking out would damage his career.

Eventually Garcia was made monsignor, while Davis felt so ashamed he began abusing drugs and alcohol and sabotaging relationships. After years of soul searching and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, he finally reported the abuse to the Diocese of Brooklyn’s review board in 2017.

The board determined there was “a lack of evidence” for his accusations, and prosecutors said the statute of limitations had long run out.

“I reported [Garcia] to the diocese and even picked him out of a lineup, but after a two-day investigation, they just swept it under the rug,” Davis at Tuesday’s press briefing. “I’m not looking for a payday,” he told the Daily News. “I’m just trying to get [Monsignor Garcia] out of the ministry.”

A second suit against Garcia was also filed by a John Doe, though details have not been made available.

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.

Parish survey shows little support for Bishop Malone

ELMA (NY)
WKBW TV

Sept. 11, 2019

By Ed Reilly

Bishop Richard insists that he has the majority of support among his clergy in the Diocese of Buffalo, despite troubling revelations about his handling of the priest sex abuse crisis.

Influential Catholic groups, like the “Movement to Restore Trust,” have called for the Bishop to resign after secret audio recordings were released showing Malone was hesitant to deal with an active pastor accused of sexually harassing a seminarian because the Bishop was worried about a public scandal.

In the recording, Bishop Malone referred to the accused priest as “dangerous” and a “sick puppy.”

After the story went public, Malone called a press conference where he said that he has no plans to step down and believes he still has the majority of support from his clergy.

But is that true?

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.

Parishioners, politicians, lawyers call for Bishop Malone’s resignation

BUFFALO (NY)
West Seneca Bee

Sept. 11, 2019

By Alan Rizzo and Taylor Nigrelli

Lawyers, local politicians and Catholic parishioners from around the region are calling for the resignation of Bishop Richard Malone, in the wake of an increasing number of Child Victims Act lawsuits against priests from the Diocese of Buffalo, as well as his handling of the growing scandal.

On Sept. 4, attorneys Jeff Anderson and Steve Boyd, both of whom are representing child sexual abuse survivors in Child Victims Act lawsuits filed against the diocese, called for Bishop Malone’s resignation after news that he had discussed his possible resignation with diocesan officials in the wake of a scandal regarding Christ the King Seminary and claims of sexual harassment by the Rev. Jeffrey Nowak, a diocesan priest.

Anderson and Boyd criticized Bishop Malone for continuing to “deflect, deny and disparage” accusations of clergy sexual misconduct.

“Truth is simple,” Anderson said. “Deception, denial and prevarication are complex. Bishop Malone is a master at it.”

According to the attorneys, during a recent press conference on the scandal Bishop Malone was less concerned with the damaging content of the recordings referencing Rev. Nowak’s behavior and more concerned that a diocesan official had recorded conversations about the scandal — including the resignation discussion and one in which he had called Rev. Nowak a “sick puppy.”

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.

A church lured in homeless people – then locked them in houses and forced them to panhandle, feds say

WASHINGTON (DC)
Washington Post

Sept. 11, 2019

By Meagan Flynn

Inside a beige bungalow in California’s Imperial Valley with a well-trimmed lawn and beds of pink flowers, the 17-year-old girl felt imprisoned. The doors were locked from the inside. The windows were nailed shut.

Like the other homeless and vulnerable people who came to Imperial Valley Ministries seeking shelter, food and rehab, the teenager was not allowed to leave without supervision, was not allowed to contact her family, to “discuss things of the world” or read any book but the Bible, according to federal prosecutors. Those who lived in the church’s group homes had to turn over their money and welfare benefits, their identification and all of their personal belongings, so that even if they wanted to leave, they couldn’t, prosecutors said.

Then, once they settled in, they were allegedly forced to panhandle up to nine hours a day for six days a week in parking lots and on street corners – turning over every penny they earned 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.

Queens pastor tasked with investigating pedophile priests for diocese accused of child sex abuse by Flushing man

NEW YORK (NY)
Queens Times Ledger

Sept. 10, 2019

By Bill Parry

The longtime pastor of St. Joan of Arc Church in Jackson Heights and current parochial vicar at St. Teresa’s Church in Woodside was named in two lawsuits filed Tuesday under the Child Victims Act as an alleged sexual abuser.

Monsignor Otto Garcia, who was cleared after a Diocese of Brooklyn investigation in February determined allegations against him were “unsubstantiated,” was accused of child sexual abuse by Tom Davis, 61, during a Manhattan press conference on Sept. 10.

Garcia is a vicar general with the Diocese of Brooklyn, and part of his duties involve investigating allegations of sexual abuse made against clergy members. He remains an active priest, and celebrated Mass at St. Teresa’s Church as recently as Sept. 8.

Davis told reporters on Sept. 10 that he kept the incident to himself for nearly five decades before finally coming forward.

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.

‘It’s a public shaming:’ Pa. Supreme Court hears arguments on grand jury report

YORK (PA)
York Daily Record

Sept. 10, 2019

By Dylan Segelbaum

Brian Platt appeared before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Tuesday to argue that a grand
jury report that names Charles Quinton “C.Q.” Smith should never see the light of day. He was finished in less than five minutes — and after facing minimal questions.

Platt and Stephanie Cesare represent Smith, a pillar of the Chambersburg community who served as scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 127 from 1966 to 1991. A York Daily Record/Sunday News investigation revealed that he had been the subject of the grand jury inquiry, which was into allegations of decades of sexual abuse.

The statute of limitations has expired, and Smith cannot be criminally charged. Franklin County President Judge Carol L. Van Horn, who supervised the grand jury, ordered for the report to be publicly released, writing that Smith was “afforded all the protections of due process.”

But Smith has asked the state Supreme Court to permanently seal the report, or, alternatively, to shield his identity. He’s only identified in court records by his initials, C.S., and is anonymously proceeding in the petition.

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

Accuser says he didn’t want to get retired Catholic priest ‘in trouble’ by reporting sexual abuse

JEFFERSON (WI)
Channel 3000

Sept. 10, 2019

By Rose Schmidt

A man who says a Catholic priest sexually abused him when he was a teenager took the stand Tuesday in the second day of the now-retired cleric’s sexual assault trial.

The accuser, now 26, alleges that William Nolan sexually assaulted him more than 100 times over a span of four years starting in 2006 when the alleged victim was in middle school. At the time of the alleged incidents, the accuser said he was an altar boy at St. Joseph’s Church in Fort Atkinson and Nolan was the priest.

He testified that he never “never felt like a victim” because he was often the one who instigated the sexual encounters with Nolan.

“Part of me did feel guilty for doing it because … I also sought it out, so I felt bad for getting a man in trouble who I do not hate or did not dislike. I felt bad and had a hard time calling the police knowing that it would put him in very serious trouble,” the accuser said in Jefferson County court Tuesday.

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 Brooklyn hit with 10 new lawsuits under Child Victims Act

NEW YORK (NY)
New York Post

September 10, 2019

By Elizabeth Rosner and Ebony Bowden

Three newly-accused clergymen were named in a batch of sexual abuse lawsuits filed against the Diocese of Brooklyn on Monday in Brooklyn civil court.

The victims filed 10 separate suits under New York State’s new Child Victims Act, claiming they were repeatedly sexually abused by Catholic clergy in Brooklyn between the 1950s and 1980s.

Father Patrick Fursey O’Toole, Friar Rudolph Manozzi and Brother Julio Ortiz were newly accused of engaging in “unpermitted sexual contact” with the altar boy victims, according to court docs.

Both O’Toole and Manozzi are dead. Ortiz’s whereabouts are unknown.

O’Toole is accused of abusing an altar boy over a 9-year period in the 1980s at the now-demolished St. Ann’s Church, formerly in Brooklyn, when he was aged 9 to 18.

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.

Attorney General Morrisey Reacts To Pivotal Hearing in Case Against Wheeling-Charleston

CHARLESTON (WV)
Huntington News

Sept. 11, 2019

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey’s office urged a circuit court at a hearing Tuesday in Parkersburg to allow its case against the Wheeling-Charleston Diocese to proceed.

“We are pleased and appreciate having had our day in court,” Attorney General Morrisey said after the hearing. “These allegations are very serious, and we are hopeful now that we can begin a process of bringing true transparency to this ordeal and ensure compliance with our state’s consumer protection laws.”

The Attorney General argues his office’s lawsuit does not seek to dictate how the Diocese can hire, teach and operate, rather it seeks to enforce state law that requires honesty in advertising when the Diocese markets its fee-based schools and camps.

These facts include allegations that the Diocese hid its knowing employment of abusive priests and its failure to conduct the comprehensive background checks it promised.

The Attorney General contends attempts to dismiss the state’s lawsuit rely upon a flawed reading of the state’s Consumer Credit and Protection Act.

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.

Remove Malone, make the metropolitan model work in Buffalo

KANSAS CITY (MO)
National Catholic Reporter

Sept. 11, 2019

By Michael Sean Winters

Monday, the Catholic Herald reported that New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan was preparing to make an announcement regarding Buffalo, New York, Bishop Richard Malone. “[Cardinal Dolan] has been following the situation very closely, and has been consulting extensively,” Joseph Zwilling, longtime communications director for the New York Archdiocese told the Herald by email. “I would anticipate that we will hear something within the near future regarding this matter,” he concluded.

Malone has been embattled since last year when, on “60 Minutes,” his former secretary, Siobhan O’Connor, alleged Malone covered up cases of clergy sex abuse and provided documents that supported her allegation. Malone has denied the allegations.

This summer, there was a series of charges and counter-charges involving Malone’s handling of what he himself deemed a “love triangle.” Malone removed a pastor whom a seminarian alleged had made unwanted sexual advances on him, but a love letter from the bishop’s priest secretary to the same seminarian raised the possibility that the pastor was taking the fall. The priest secretary is now on a leave of absence as well.

The situation in Buffalo has unfolded at the same time as the universal church, under the leadership of Pope Francis, has finally taken steps to hold bishops accountable not merely for any sexual abuse they commit, but also for covering up the abuse of others. In May, the Holy Father issued the letter “Vos estis lux mundi” on his own initiative (motu proprio) that accorded metropolitan archbishops responsibility for conducting investigations into suffragan bishops against whom an allegation has been made. In a first for the ever-slow Vatican, the new law contained deadlines: Once the metropolitan requests authority to conduct an investigation, the relevant dicastery in the Vatican curia has 30 days to respond, and then the metropolitan must file a monthly report and complete the investigation within 90 days.

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.

Bishop of Crookston Diocese first in U.S. to be investigated under new Vatican protocol

FARGO (ND)
WDAY News

Sept. 11, 2019

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis announced it has been authorized to investigate the bishop of the Crookston Diocese under recently enacted policies directed by Pope Francis aimed at rooting out sex abuse crimes and the covering of those crimes within the Catholic Church.

The archdiocese posted a statement attributed to Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda regarding the investigation of Bishop Michael Hoeppner on its website Wednesday morning.

“I have been authorized by the Congregation for Bishops to commence an investigation into allegations that the Most Reverend Michael Hoeppner, the Bishop of Crookston, carried out acts or omissions intended to interfere with or avoid civil or canonical investigations of clerical sexual misconduct in the Diocese of Crookston. Law enforcement has been notified of the allegations. The allegations were reported to me under the procedures set out in Pope Francis’ recent legislation addressing bishop accountability, the motu proprio Vos estis lux mundi.”

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.

Elma church calls for Bishop Malone’s resignation

BUFFALO (NY)
WIVB TV

Sept. 11, 2019

By Evan Anstey

An Elma church is calling for Bishop Richard Malone’s resignation.

The request came in the form of a letter, written by Rev. Eugene P. Ulrich, of Church of the Annunciation. The church is located on Clinton St.

“You added that you can only continue your service as Shepherd with the support of clergy and laity,” Ulrich wrote. “As pastor, I have a responsibility to our faith community and to you as our Bishop, to gauge to some degree the measure of that support and convey it to you.”

Malone has come under fire for his handling of various sex abuse allegations and lawsuits within the Catholic Diocese.

“It is difficult to see how, with continuing disclosures, that you can effectively lead the Catholic Church at Buffalo,” Ulrich wrote.

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.

September 10, 2019

Memphis church investigates decades-old sex abuse allegations against former pastor

MEMPHIS (TN)
WMC TV

Sept. 9, 2019

By Kendall Downing

A Memphis church says it is investigating “severe allegations” of sexual abuse against a former pastor dating back two decades. Woodland Presbyterian Church on Park Avenue notified its membership of the allegations and the ensuing investigation Sunday.

At this time the church is aware of four alleged victims.

WMC Action News 5 has learned the men are now adults in their late 30s and early 40s. The church is bringing in an independent firm to conduct an investigation, and they have encouraged the men to filed reports with Tennessee Department of Children’s Services.

“It’s been a devastating thing for me personally, for our whole church to understand and try to wrap our head around this,” said Matt Miller, senior pastor of Woodland Presbyterian Church.

In recent days, four men told leadership at Woodland Presbyterian Church about sexual abuse they say they suffered at the hands of a former pastor who led the church for 18 years. WMC Action News 5 is not naming that former leader, who has been identified by the church, because no criminal charges have been filed.

“We’ve made it a top priority to understand the nature of the allegations and to be as transparent as possible,” said Miller.

Miller is the church’s current pastor and he says no one currently on the church staff was there when the alleged abuse took place.

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.

‘Michael Cohen Of Brooklyn Diocese’ Faces Own Sex Abuse Suit

BROOKLYN (NY)
Patch

Sept. 10, 2019

By Kathleen Culliton

The “Michael Cohen of the Brooklyn Diocese” who allegedly worked as a fixer for pedophile priests himself stands accused of child sex abuse by people deeply concerned that he continues to practice in Queens.

Thomas Davis and an anonymous accuser have filed child sex abuse suits against Monsignor Otto Garcia — accused by a Diocese nun of covering up at least three child sex abuse investigations — who currently serves as parochial vicar at the Church of St. Teresa in Woodside, according to his accuser, attorneys and reports.

“I was molested by father Otto Garcia when I was a child,” Davis said at a press conference Tuesday. “He was able to pick me out as a prime victim because my parents were very involved in the church, because I didn’t think anyone would believe me.”

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

Legal Team Files 10 Child Sex Abuse Lawsuits Against Brooklyn Diocese

BROOKLYN (NY)
Brooklyn Reader

Sept. 10, 2019

A group of law firms on Tuesday held a joint press conference in Manhattan to announce the filing of 10 clergy sexual abuse lawsuits against the Diocese of Brooklyn.

Following the signing into law of New York’s new Child Victims Act (CVA) in February 2019, beginning August 14, victims of child sexual abuse received a one-year window to file old civil claims for child sexual abuse, no matter when the abuse occurred. Since that time, tens of thousands of New Yorkers have come forward.

The law firms of Jeff Anderson & Associates and Robins Kaplan LLP held the press conference to release what they are calling The Anderson Report on Sexual Abuse in the Diocese of Brooklyn, which contains the identities, histories, photographs and information on 200 perpetrators accused of child sexual abuse in the Diocese of Brooklyn. Most of the victims were ages 30-70.

“This is one of the most important historic and culture-changing times of child protection in America, because of the opening of the [statute of] limitations,” Anderson told BK Reader. “In the past, every time we brought actions, they were shut down. So this will be considered a massive cleanup following a massive coverup.”

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.

Alleged rape victim’s case shakes up JCOPE

ALBANY (NY)
Times Union

Sept. 10, 2019

By Chris Bragg

The normally staid monthly meeting of the state Joint Commission on Public Ethics on Tuesday featured a first: two women dressed in red cloaks and white bonnets stationed outside the ethics agency’s offices in downtown Albany, reading a satiric children’s book detailing the panel’s alleged failings.

The small Albany protest — with costumes inspired by Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel “The Handmaid’s Tale” — was organized by Kat Sullivan, an alleged rape survivor who has been extensively targeted by JCOPE since 2018 for possible lobbying violations while advocating for passage of the Child Victim’s Act.

In Manhattan, a larger protest was held in front of a building housing the law offices of Michael K. Rozen, JCOPE’s chairman. That protest was similarly theatrical, and in both cases Sullivan sought to raise questions about why Rozen has not recused himself from her case. Sullivan in recent days even took out a billboard on I-787 posting the same question.

JCOPE staff has repeatedly declined to state whether Rozen has recused himself in its dealings with Sullivan. Rozen was not in Albany on Tuesday, but teleconferenced into the meeting from a location that was not identified in the public portion of the meeting.

In an interview, Sullivan said she was planning to now take several legal steps. With the assistance of her attorney David Grandeau, the state’s outspoken former top lobbying official, she plans to file an Article 78 proceeding targeting JCOPE.

Two women dressed as characters from The Handmaid’s Tale and supporters of Kat Sullivan, a former Emma Willard student and alleged rape victim, attend a meeting of the New York State Joint Commission on Public Ethics on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2019, in Albany, N.Y. JCOPE is pursuing Sullivan for alleged violations of lobbying regulations. (Paul Buckowski/Times) Photo: Paul Buckowski, Albany Times Union / (Paul Buckowski/Times Union)
Photo: Paul Buckowski, Albany Times Union
IMAGE 1 OF 24
Two women dressed as characters from The Handmaid’s Tale and supporters of Kat Sullivan, a former Emma Willard student and alleged rape victim, attend a meeting of the New York State Joint Commission on Public … moreBuy Photo

ALBANY — The normally staid monthly meeting of the state Joint Commission on Public Ethics on Tuesday featured a first: two women dressed in red cloaks and white bonnets stationed outside the ethics agency’s offices in downtown Albany, reading a satiric children’s book detailing the panel’s alleged failings.

The small Albany protest — with costumes inspired by Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel “The Handmaid’s Tale” — was organized by Kat Sullivan, an alleged rape survivor who has been extensively targeted by JCOPE since 2018 for possible lobbying violations while advocating for passage of the Child Victim’s Act.

In Manhattan, a larger protest was held in front of a building housing the law offices of Michael K. Rozen, JCOPE’s chairman. That protest was similarly theatrical, and in both cases Sullivan sought to raise questions about why Rozen has not recused himself from her case. Sullivan in recent days even took out a billboard on I-787 posting the same question.

JCOPE staff has repeatedly declined to state whether Rozen has recused himself in its dealings with Sullivan. Rozen was not in Albany on Tuesday, but teleconferenced into the meeting from a location that was not identified in the public portion of the meeting.

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.

Laws forcing priests to report child abuse passed in Victorian parliament

MELBOURNE (AUSTRAIA)
The Age

September 11, 2019

By Simone Fox Koob and Benita Kolovos

Priests in Victoria will now have to report child abuse if it is revealed to them during confesssion, or face up to three years in prison, after legislation was passed by Parliament last night.

The bill passed the upper house on Tuesday night after last week getting a green light from the Legislative Assembly, with opposition support.

“Today we’ve made Victoria a safer place for children. The special treatment for churches has ended and child abuse must be reported,” Child Protection Minister Luke Donnellan said on Tuesday night.

“I thank all the abuse survivors, their families and advocates who helped us deliver these reforms. We can’t undo the harm to so many children in the past, but this will help ensure it never happens again.”

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.

New allegations of abuse lodged against disgraced retired Wyoming bishop

NEW YORK (NY)
Crux

Sept. 10, 2019

By Christopher White

The diocese of Cheyenne, Wyoming announced on Tuesday that it has substantiated three new allegations of abuse against retired Bishop Joseph Hart who could soon become the first U.S. bishop to face criminal prosecution for sexual abuse.

The diocese has previously investigated the cases of three other individuals, which were deemed credible and substantiated, bringing the total number of Cheyenne victims who have come forward to six.

“The allegations have been reported to the civil authorities, and the Diocese of Cheyenne has cooperated fully with the police,” the diocese said in a statement on Tuesday.

The diocese said Hart had declined to be interviewed in its review of the new cases, which they had been given authorization by the Holy See to conduct prior to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) passing new directives for bishop accountability measures.

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 authorizes ‘Vos estis’ investigation into Minnesota bishop Hoeppner

WASHINGTON (DC)
Sept. 10, 2019

By J.D. Flynn

Bishop Michael Hoeppner is the first sitting U.S. bishop to be investigated under new misconduct protocols introduced by Pope Francis earlier this year.

Hoeppner, Bishop of Crookston, Minnesota, will be investigated by Minneapolis’ Archbishop Bernard Hebda, on charges that Hoeppner thwarted a police or canonical investigation of clerical sexual misconduct in his diocese.

“I have been authorized by the Congregation for Bishops to commence an investigation into allegations that the Most Reverend Michael Hoeppner, the Bishop of Crookston, carried out acts or omissions intended to interfere with or avoid civil or canonical investigations of clerical sexual misconduct in the Diocese of Crookston,” Hebda told CNA Sept. 10.

“Law enforcement has been notified of the allegations. The allegations were reported to me under the procedures set out in Pope Francis’ recent legislation addressing bishop accountability, the motu proprio Vos estis lux mundi.”

Hebda did not state directly what charges he will investigate. However, Hoeppner has been accused of pressuring Ron Vasek, a former diaconal candidate in the diocese, to recant the allegation that he was molested in 1971 by a Crookston priest.

In 2015, Vasek signed a letter withdrawing the allegation. He told CNA last year that Hoeppner coerced him into signing that letter.

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

Child sex abuse victims deserve time to sue

SEATTLE (WA)
Seattle Times

Sept. 9, 2019

Despite revelations of pervasive child sexual abuse that have come to light in recent decades, the Legislature has not provided victims more time to seek justice in civil court. This makes the state a national outlier and cries out for reform.

Legislators have not since 1991 modified the law that gives victims of child rape in Washington only three years of adulthood — until their 21st birthday — to sue attackers and hold accountable an irresponsible institution, such as a church or youth group. The same law allows another three-year window when a victim realizes that childhood abuse caused a harm, such as an addiction.

Victims of child sex crimes deserve more time to grapple with trauma and contemplate a public lawsuit. The vast majority of states, including Oregon and Idaho, have laws that provide at least a few years longer. The nonprofit Child USA traces a national reform movement on this issue to 2002, the year The Boston Globe brought to light the Catholic Church’s systematic concealment of abusers.

Since then, 38 states and Washington, D.C. have expanded the time victims have to bring lawsuits. Ten states have eliminated the civil statute of limitations entirely, Because these laws are not retroactive, 16 states have given all past victims a temporary window to file child sex-abuse lawsuits. The Washington Legislature should consider both policies.

Marci Hamilton, Child USA’s chief executive officer, said extensive national coverage of sex-abuse cases against Harvey Weinstein, Jeffrey Epstein and Larry Nassar, the Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics doctor, as well as the #MeToo movement, helped drive sex abuse law changes in 20 states in 2019 alone.

Washington counts in that number because the Legislature this spring eliminated statutes of limitations on criminally prosecuting those who sexually abuse children. The civil liability remained static, as it did during a 2013 expansion of prosecutors’ ability to go after child rapists.

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.

“No one ever knew:” Prosecutor says Wisconsin priest concealed his child sex assaults

MADISON (WI)
WKOW TV

September 9, 2019

“No one ever knew,” a prosecutor told jurors on the opening day of the trial of a priest charged with assaulting a 12-year-old altar boy in 2006.

William Nolan is facing six counts of child sexual assault in the trial that began Monday at the Jefferson County courthouse.

Nolan has denied the allegations, and in his opening statement, Nolan’s attorney Jonas Bednarek called the accuser a self-admitted “…thief, shoplifter … compulsive liar.”

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.

Bridgeport Diocese: 2 dead priests credibly accused of abuse

BRIDGEPORT (CT)
Connecticut Post

September 10, 2019

By Daniel Tepfer

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport has acknowledged for the first time that a prominent cleric, who according to court documents played a major role in hiding cases of abuse by priests, was “credibly accused” of abusing a child.

Monsignor William Genuario, who died in June 2015, had been the vicar general of the diocese and reviewed accusations of sexual abuse against priests. Genuario also was a prominent priest in Greenwich for almost 20 years.

The diocese also stated that another dead priest, the Rev. Vincent Cleary, was determined to have a credible allegation of abuse against him.

“It is with deep regret that I must inform you of the inclusion of two deceased priests of the diocese on the list of those credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor,” Bishop Frank J. Caggiano stated in a letter to parishioners dated Sept. 7.

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 Whistleblower 2: Bishop Grosz ‘should be removed’ from diocese

BUFFALO (NY)
WIVB TV

Sept. 9, 2019

By Daniel Telvock

Rev. Ryszard Biernat can calmly discuss the sexual abuse complaint he filed in 2004 against a priest, but it is how he says Auxiliary Bishop Edward Grosz handled the situation that brings him to tears.

Biernat, the second whistleblower from the diocese who took a leave of absence last month as the bishop’s priest secretary, told News 4 Investigates that both Grosz and Bishop Richard Malone should be removed from their positions.

Biernat said Grosz “blackmailed” him in 2004 when he filed the abuse complaint by allegedly saying to him that he needed to keep quiet about the incident if he wanted to be ordained.

When Biernat told another priest about that meeting, he said Grosz called him moments later to remind him that he must not discuss the abuse with others.

“That meeting and his phone call crushed me,” said a tearful Biernat.

“It got at me, I became like a shell of a person and I think it was not only what he said but what he stood for. Not only he was not willing to hear my hurt, was not willing to listen to what happened to me, but to threaten and blackmail me?”

The diocese, in a statement Monday, said Grosz “categorically denies the statement that he threatened to block seminarian Ryszard’s ordination as reported.”

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.

September 9, 2019

Columbus Diocese Adds Names To List Of Abusive Priests

COLUMBUS (OH)
Associated Press

Sept. 10, 2019

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus has added eight names to the list of priests it says have been credibly accused of sexually abusing minors.

Seven of the eight involve allegations against priests who served in the diocese but allegedly committed abuse elsewhere. All eight are deceased. The additions bring the list to 48 names. The Diocese is creating a task force to review its policies for handling abuse allegations. Task force members will include abuse survivors, law enforcement and mental health professionals, social workers, and both laypersons and clergy.

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.

Advocacy Group Criticizes Kansas City-St. Joseph Bishop

COLUMBIA (MO)
Associated Press

Sept. 9, 2019

An advocacy group for people sexually abused by Roman Catholic priests is criticizing the bishop of the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese for not naming more people on a list of clerics who have been credibly accused of sexually abusing children.

Bishop James Johnston Jr. released a list Friday of 19 clerics from the diocese who he said had substantiated allegations of sexual abuse of children against them. Another 11 former clerics were named in different categories.

On Monday, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests said at a news conference that the bishop’s list was incomplete because it didn’t include priests who at some point lived or worked in the Kansas City area but who were accused of sexual abuse in other dioceses.

David Clohessy, Missouri director for SNAP, argued the diocese should do all it can to publicize the names of any cleric accused of abuse, even if that person was not assigned to the diocese, even if they have already been publicly named by other dioceses.

“The bishop has a simple choice,” Clohessy said. “If you want to safeguard the vulnerable, there’s absolutely no reason why you wouldn’t put these names on your list and warn the flock of every single child molester, nun, bishop, monk, seminarian, priest or even lay teachers who they should be concerned about … Bishop Johnson has had more than enough time to look at the work of his fellow bishops and say ‘I can do better’ and he hasn’t.”

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.

NY Cardinal Dolan may step in to examine Buffalo Diocese

BUFFALO (NY)
WKBW TV

Sept. 9 2019

By Charlie Specht

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York may step in to examine the scandal-plagued Buffalo Diocese.

The news, which was first reported by the Catholic Herald , comes as Catholics across Western New York have mounted an intense campaign to remove their bishop after damaging audio recordings were published by the 7 Eyewitness News I-Team .

“Cardinal Dolan is very aware of his responsibilities as Metropolitan under Vos estis,” Joseph Zwilling, spokesman for the New York Archdiocese, confirmed to the I-Team. “Vos estis lux mundi” is the new reform law Pope Francis enacted last spring to deal with clergy sexual abuse and cover-up by the world’s bishops.

Referring to the cardinal, Zwilling said, “He has been following the situation very closely, and has been consulting extensively. I would anticipate that we will hear something within the near future regarding this matter,” he concluded.

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.

NY Cardinal Dolan may step in to examine Buffalo Diocese

BUFFALO (NY)
WKBW TV

Sept. 9 2019

By Charlie Specht

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York may step in to examine the scandal-plagued Buffalo Diocese.

The news, which was first reported by the Catholic Herald , comes as Catholics across Western New York have mounted an intense campaign to remove their bishop after damaging audio recordings were published by the 7 Eyewitness News I-Team .

“Cardinal Dolan is very aware of his responsibilities as Metropolitan under Vos estis,” Joseph Zwilling, spokesman for the New York Archdiocese, confirmed to the I-Team. “Vos estis lux mundi” is the new reform law Pope Francis enacted last spring to deal with clergy sexual abuse and cover-up by the world’s bishops.

Referring to the cardinal, Zwilling said, “He has been following the situation very closely, and has been consulting extensively. I would anticipate that we will hear something within the near future regarding this matter,” he concluded.

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.

Cardinal Dolan considering options over scandal-hit Buffalo diocese

LONDON (ENGLAND)
Catholic Herald

September, 2019

By Christopher Altieri

The cardinal has been ‘consulting extensively’ regarding his duties as metropolitan as the crisis over Bishop Malone deepens

The Catholic Herald has learned that the Archdiocese of New York is closely monitoring the crisis in the Diocese of Buffalo, and that broad consultations are ongoing, with a view to possible action.

The embattled Bishop of Buffalo, Richard J. Malone, faced several new calls for his resignation last week and over the weekend, including one from a group — the Movement to Restore Trust — that had previously sought to work with the bishop, and an editorial published Saturday by The Buffalo News. Rank-and-file clergy and faithful have also begun writing letters calling on Malone to step down, and forwarding them to local news outlets for publication.

Bishop Malone inherited a diocese with serious cultural and disciplinary problems in the chancery and throughout the clergy. Though Malone defends his record of leadership, two whistle-blowers highly placed within his office have brought evidence before the public reasonably purporting to show serious failures and lapses in judgment with regard to several cases involving both minors and adults, as well as evidence Malone participated in efforts to keep information potentially damaging to his reputation from reaching the public.

Bishop Malone admits he has made mistakes, but steadfastly denies criminal wrongdoing. The clergy and faithful of Buffalo grow daily more impatient with their appointed leader.

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.

Cardinal Dolan considering options over scandal-hit Buffalo diocese

LONDON (ENGLAND)
Catholic Herald

September, 2019

By Christopher Altieri

The cardinal has been ‘consulting extensively’ regarding his duties as metropolitan as the crisis over Bishop Malone deepens

The Catholic Herald has learned that the Archdiocese of New York is closely monitoring the crisis in the Diocese of Buffalo, and that broad consultations are ongoing, with a view to possible action.

The embattled Bishop of Buffalo, Richard J. Malone, faced several new calls for his resignation last week and over the weekend, including one from a group — the Movement to Restore Trust — that had previously sought to work with the bishop, and an editorial published Saturday by The Buffalo News. Rank-and-file clergy and faithful have also begun writing letters calling on Malone to step down, and forwarding them to local news outlets for publication.

Bishop Malone inherited a diocese with serious cultural and disciplinary problems in the chancery and throughout the clergy. Though Malone defends his record of leadership, two whistle-blowers highly placed within his office have brought evidence before the public reasonably purporting to show serious failures and lapses in judgment with regard to several cases involving both minors and adults, as well as evidence Malone participated in efforts to keep information potentially damaging to his reputation from reaching the public.

Bishop Malone admits he has made mistakes, but steadfastly denies criminal wrongdoing. The clergy and faithful of Buffalo grow daily more impatient with their appointed leader.

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.

Lectures at The University of Scranton explore response to clergy sexual abuse

SCRANTON (PA)
Abington Journal

September 9, 2019

The University of Scranton’s Task Force on Healing, Reconciliation and Hope will host two public lectures this fall, one exploring “Insights from History and Theology” and the other discussing “Prevention, Healing and Reconciliation.” Both lectures are free of charge and open to the public.

On Sept. 16, award-winning authors Massimo Faggioli, Ph.D., professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova University, and Rita Ferrone, a writer and frequent speaker on issues of liturgy and church renewal, will discuss lessons that can be gleaned from history about the clergy sexual abuse crisis and how prayer and liturgy can be a source of healing and courage. The lecture will begin at 7 p.m. in the second-floor Kane Forum of Leahy Hall.

A lecture on Oct. 3 will examine structural reforms might help to end the crisis of clergy sexual abuse and the Church’s response to survivors of abuse. Michael Vanderburgh, a survivor of clergy sexual abuse and current executive director of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Dayton, Ohio, and Rev. Thomas Berg, author and vice rector and professor of moral theology at St. Joseph’s Seminary (Dunwoodie) in Yonkers, New York, will present the lecture that will begin at 7 p.m., also in the Kane Forum of Leahy Hall.

A church historian, Dr. Faggioli has written numerous articles and books during his career. His book “Catholicism and Citizenship” received a 2018 award for Faithful Citizenship/Religious Freedom from the Catholic Press Association. He is a columnist for La Croix International, a contributing writer for Commonweal magazine. He was awarded the 2019 Barry University Yves Congar Award for Theological Excellence, which recognizes the contributions of contemporary theologians in working, writing, and teaching in light of the Catholic tradition while moving that tradition forward to meet the challenges of 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.

Lectures at The University of Scranton explore response to clergy sexual abuse

SCRANTON (PA)
Abington Journal

September 9, 2019

The University of Scranton’s Task Force on Healing, Reconciliation and Hope will host two public lectures this fall, one exploring “Insights from History and Theology” and the other discussing “Prevention, Healing and Reconciliation.” Both lectures are free of charge and open to the public.

On Sept. 16, award-winning authors Massimo Faggioli, Ph.D., professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova University, and Rita Ferrone, a writer and frequent speaker on issues of liturgy and church renewal, will discuss lessons that can be gleaned from history about the clergy sexual abuse crisis and how prayer and liturgy can be a source of healing and courage. The lecture will begin at 7 p.m. in the second-floor Kane Forum of Leahy Hall.

A lecture on Oct. 3 will examine structural reforms might help to end the crisis of clergy sexual abuse and the Church’s response to survivors of abuse. Michael Vanderburgh, a survivor of clergy sexual abuse and current executive director of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Dayton, Ohio, and Rev. Thomas Berg, author and vice rector and professor of moral theology at St. Joseph’s Seminary (Dunwoodie) in Yonkers, New York, will present the lecture that will begin at 7 p.m., also in the Kane Forum of Leahy Hall.

A church historian, Dr. Faggioli has written numerous articles and books during his career. His book “Catholicism and Citizenship” received a 2018 award for Faithful Citizenship/Religious Freedom from the Catholic Press Association. He is a columnist for La Croix International, a contributing writer for Commonweal magazine. He was awarded the 2019 Barry University Yves Congar Award for Theological Excellence, which recognizes the contributions of contemporary theologians in working, writing, and teaching in light of the Catholic tradition while moving that tradition forward to meet the challenges of 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.

Former Cincinnati and Santa Fe Priest Arrested in the Philippines

ST. LOUIS (MO)
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests

Sept. 9, 2019

Archbishops in Ohio & New Mexico must take active steps now to help law enforcement convict a US priest who has been arrested and is accused of molesting at least 20 Philippine children.

Fr. Pius Hendricks, a former Franciscan Brother, was arrested in the village of Talustusan on Biliran Island in the central Philippines for molesting at least twenty boys. We fear that there are likely more who are still suffering in shame and self-blame.

We hope that this arrest will give hope to his victims and will encourage other survivors in both the Philippines and in the U.S. to come forward and make a report to law enforcement. The Philippines is one of the most Catholic countries in the world and one where priests are treated with extreme deference, a notable risk factor for clergy abuse. We hope that this news will encourage more victims to come forward and find help and healing from secular, independent sources.

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 Cincinnati and Santa Fe Priest Arrested in the Philippines

ST. LOUIS (MO)
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests

Sept. 9, 2019

Archbishops in Ohio & New Mexico must take active steps now to help law enforcement convict a US priest who has been arrested and is accused of molesting at least 20 Philippine children.

Fr. Pius Hendricks, a former Franciscan Brother, was arrested in the village of Talustusan on Biliran Island in the central Philippines for molesting at least twenty boys. We fear that there are likely more who are still suffering in shame and self-blame.

We hope that this arrest will give hope to his victims and will encourage other survivors in both the Philippines and in the U.S. to come forward and make a report to law enforcement. The Philippines is one of the most Catholic countries in the world and one where priests are treated with extreme deference, a notable risk factor for clergy abuse. We hope that this news will encourage more victims to come forward and find help and healing from secular, independent sources.

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.

Bishop Grosz denies threat to ex-seminarian over abuse complaint

BUFFALO (NY)
Buffalo News

Sept. 9, 2019

By Jay Tokasz

Auxiliary Bishop Edward M. Grosz denies threatening to block the Rev. Ryszard S. Biernat’s ordination, after Biernat complained to diocese administrators in 2004 that he was sexually assaulted by a priest, a Buffalo Diocese spokeswoman said.

The Buffalo News on Sunday reported the accusation by Biernat, who also said that Grosz’s treatment of his complaint was “10 times worse” than the alleged sexual abuse.

Diocese spokesman Kathy Spangler provided a written response in an email late Sunday, after the story was published online and in print.

“Bishop Grosz categorically denies the statement that he threatened to block seminarian Ryszard’s ordination as reported,” Spangler said in the email.

The News had contacted Spangler on Friday seeking comment from Grosz.

The News on Monday asked for a sit-down interview with Grosz. Through Spangler, Grosz requested a list of questions in writing, which The News declined to provide.

Biernat, 38, alleged that the Rev. Arthur J. Smith sexually abused him in the rectory of St. Thomas Aquinas Church in 2003, when Biernat was a seminary student. Smith denied abusing Biernat.

Biernat said when he reported the abuse to diocese officials in 2004, Grosz blamed him.

“He says to me, ‘Well, it’s your fault. You didn’t lock the door,’ ” said Biernat.

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.

Bishop Grosz denies threat to ex-seminarian over abuse complaint

BUFFALO (NY)
Buffalo News

Sept. 9, 2019

By Jay Tokasz

Auxiliary Bishop Edward M. Grosz denies threatening to block the Rev. Ryszard S. Biernat’s ordination, after Biernat complained to diocese administrators in 2004 that he was sexually assaulted by a priest, a Buffalo Diocese spokeswoman said.

The Buffalo News on Sunday reported the accusation by Biernat, who also said that Grosz’s treatment of his complaint was “10 times worse” than the alleged sexual abuse.

Diocese spokesman Kathy Spangler provided a written response in an email late Sunday, after the story was published online and in print.

“Bishop Grosz categorically denies the statement that he threatened to block seminarian Ryszard’s ordination as reported,” Spangler said in the email.

The News had contacted Spangler on Friday seeking comment from Grosz.

The News on Monday asked for a sit-down interview with Grosz. Through Spangler, Grosz requested a list of questions in writing, which The News declined to provide.

Biernat, 38, alleged that the Rev. Arthur J. Smith sexually abused him in the rectory of St. Thomas Aquinas Church in 2003, when Biernat was a seminary student. Smith denied abusing Biernat.

Biernat said when he reported the abuse to diocese officials in 2004, Grosz blamed him.

“He says to me, ‘Well, it’s your fault. You didn’t lock the door,’ ” said Biernat.

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.

Columbus diocese adds names to list of priests accused of abusing minors

COLUMBUS (OH)
WCMH TV

Sept. 9, 2019

The Catholic Diocese of Columbus has confirmed a credible allegation of abuse of a minor against a priest.

The diocese says the accusation was made against Father John Gamba, who died in 2009. Gamba served in parishes across central Ohio, including Columbus, Zanesville and Lancaster, starting in the 1950s.

Most notably, he was chaplain at Ohio State University Hospital from 1961-1969.

The diocese cannot confirm the parish where the accusation was made.

Gamba served at the following parishes:
St. Ladislas, Columbus (1949-50)
St. Nicholas, Zanesville (1950-51)
St. Mary, Lancaster (1951-54)
St. Peter, Columbus (1954-58)
Sacred Heart, New Philadelphia (1958-60)
Christ the King, Columbus (1960-61)
Chaplain at Ohio State University Hospital (1961-69) with residence at St. Margaret of Cortona (1961-62)
Our Lady of Victory (1962-69)
Pastor of St. Genevieve, Calmoutier and chaplain of Apple Creek State Institute from 1970 until his retirement in 1985
The diocese also moved the name of Msgr. Robert Brown to the list of priests who were credibly accused within the diocese after their death. He was previously on a list of priests who were accused of acts outside the diocese, but served in the diocese at one point.

Seven priests were added to the list of clergy who served in the Diocese of Columbus who were accused of abuse elsewhere.

Father Stuart Campbell, OP
Father Joseph Herlihy, OP
Father James Kilkenny, OP
Father Thomas McCarthy, OP
Father Joseph McGuiness, OP
Father Robert Pelkington, OP
Father John Powers, OP

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.

Columbus diocese adds names to list of priests accused of abusing minors

COLUMBUS (OH)
WCMH TV

Sept. 9, 2019

The Catholic Diocese of Columbus has confirmed a credible allegation of abuse of a minor against a priest.

The diocese says the accusation was made against Father John Gamba, who died in 2009. Gamba served in parishes across central Ohio, including Columbus, Zanesville and Lancaster, starting in the 1950s.

Most notably, he was chaplain at Ohio State University Hospital from 1961-1969.

The diocese cannot confirm the parish where the accusation was made.

Gamba served at the following parishes:
St. Ladislas, Columbus (1949-50)
St. Nicholas, Zanesville (1950-51)
St. Mary, Lancaster (1951-54)
St. Peter, Columbus (1954-58)
Sacred Heart, New Philadelphia (1958-60)
Christ the King, Columbus (1960-61)
Chaplain at Ohio State University Hospital (1961-69) with residence at St. Margaret of Cortona (1961-62)
Our Lady of Victory (1962-69)
Pastor of St. Genevieve, Calmoutier and chaplain of Apple Creek State Institute from 1970 until his retirement in 1985
The diocese also moved the name of Msgr. Robert Brown to the list of priests who were credibly accused within the diocese after their death. He was previously on a list of priests who were accused of acts outside the diocese, but served in the diocese at one point.

Seven priests were added to the list of clergy who served in the Diocese of Columbus who were accused of abuse elsewhere.

Father Stuart Campbell, OP
Father Joseph Herlihy, OP
Father James Kilkenny, OP
Father Thomas McCarthy, OP
Father Joseph McGuiness, OP
Father Robert Pelkington, OP
Father John Powers, OP

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 bishops on Mo. diocese’s list of substantiated clergy abusers

KANSAS CITY (MO)
Catholic News Service

Sept. 9, 2019

The names of two bishops appear on a list of clergy with “substantiated abuse of minors allegations” from the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph released Sept. 6.

The bishops are retired Bishop Joseph H. Hart of Cheyenne, Wyoming, and now-deceased Bishop Joseph V. Sullivan of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

According to the list assembled by the diocese, which dates back to its founding in 1956, the abuse claims for each bishop took place within the Missouri diocese’s territory. Each bishop also had more than one abuse allegation reported.

A forthcoming Vatican trial was announced in June on charges against Hart of abuse allegations in the Cheyenne Diocese, where he served as bishop from 1978 to 2001, and as auxiliary bishop from 1976 to 1978. Hart has maintained his innocence once the Wyoming allegations surfaced.

Hart, ordained a priest in 1956, had been accused of three instances of abuse dating to the late 1960s and early 1970s in Missouri. In 2008, the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese announced a $10 million settlement with 47 victims of sexual abuse by 12 clergy and former clergy of the diocese. Attorneys for the victims said the group included Hart, although the diocese, then headed by Bishop Robert W. Finn, did not disclose any of the clerics’ names. A second financial settlement was reached by the diocese in 2014.

Sullivan, born in 1919, died in 1982 after serving eight years as bishop of Baton Rouge.

The Kansas City-St. Joseph list includes the names of 19 diocesan priests — all but six of whom are now dead — with substantiated allegations. A 20th priest was on a separate list with Hart and Sullivan because, like them, he had been incardinated for service in another diocese after the incidents of abuse are alleged to have occurred.

A third list carries the names of two religious-order priests who were accused of abuse during their time serving in Kansas City-St. Joseph.

Of those priests still living, they are either permanently removed from ministry or laicized. One is in federal prison. With the exception of the ex-priest now in prison, all abuse incidents took place before 1990.

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 bishops on Mo. diocese’s list of substantiated clergy abusers

KANSAS CITY (MO)
Catholic News Service

Sept. 9, 2019

The names of two bishops appear on a list of clergy with “substantiated abuse of minors allegations” from the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph released Sept. 6.

The bishops are retired Bishop Joseph H. Hart of Cheyenne, Wyoming, and now-deceased Bishop Joseph V. Sullivan of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

According to the list assembled by the diocese, which dates back to its founding in 1956, the abuse claims for each bishop took place within the Missouri diocese’s territory. Each bishop also had more than one abuse allegation reported.

A forthcoming Vatican trial was announced in June on charges against Hart of abuse allegations in the Cheyenne Diocese, where he served as bishop from 1978 to 2001, and as auxiliary bishop from 1976 to 1978. Hart has maintained his innocence once the Wyoming allegations surfaced.

Hart, ordained a priest in 1956, had been accused of three instances of abuse dating to the late 1960s and early 1970s in Missouri. In 2008, the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese announced a $10 million settlement with 47 victims of sexual abuse by 12 clergy and former clergy of the diocese. Attorneys for the victims said the group included Hart, although the diocese, then headed by Bishop Robert W. Finn, did not disclose any of the clerics’ names. A second financial settlement was reached by the diocese in 2014.

Sullivan, born in 1919, died in 1982 after serving eight years as bishop of Baton Rouge.

The Kansas City-St. Joseph list includes the names of 19 diocesan priests — all but six of whom are now dead — with substantiated allegations. A 20th priest was on a separate list with Hart and Sullivan because, like them, he had been incardinated for service in another diocese after the incidents of abuse are alleged to have occurred.

A third list carries the names of two religious-order priests who were accused of abuse during their time serving in Kansas City-St. Joseph.

Of those priests still living, they are either permanently removed from ministry or laicized. One is in federal prison. With the exception of the ex-priest now in prison, all abuse incidents took place before 1990.

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.

Advocacy group criticizes Kansas City-St. Joseph bishop in church abuse cases

KANSAS CITY (MO)
Associated Press

Sept. 9, 2019

An advocacy group for people sexually abused by Roman Catholic priests is criticizing the bishop of the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese for not naming more people on a list of credibly accused clerics.

Bishop James Johnston Jr. released a list on Friday of 19 clerics who had substantiated allegations of sexual abuse of children against them. Another 11 former clerics were named in different categories.

On Monday, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests said the bishop’s list was incomplete because it didn’t include priests who lived in the Kansas City area in the past but who were accused of sexual abuse in other dioceses.

A diocese spokesman said it would be impossible to research every priest who may have worked or lived in the Kansas City area but who wasn’t assigned to the diocese.

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.

Advocacy group criticizes Kansas City-St. Joseph bishop in church abuse cases

KANSAS CITY (MO)
Associated Press

Sept. 9, 2019

An advocacy group for people sexually abused by Roman Catholic priests is criticizing the bishop of the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese for not naming more people on a list of credibly accused clerics.

Bishop James Johnston Jr. released a list on Friday of 19 clerics who had substantiated allegations of sexual abuse of children against them. Another 11 former clerics were named in different categories.

On Monday, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests said the bishop’s list was incomplete because it didn’t include priests who lived in the Kansas City area in the past but who were accused of sexual abuse in other dioceses.

A diocese spokesman said it would be impossible to research every priest who may have worked or lived in the Kansas City area but who wasn’t assigned to the diocese.

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 Memphis bishop removed from mural after child sexual abuse allegation

MEMPHIS (TN)
Commercial Appeal

Sept. 9, 2019

By Katherine Burgess

Memphis’ first Catholic bishop no longer appears on a mural of Memphians who stood up for others.

Instead, Bishop Carroll T. Dozier has been painted over, replaced by Jose Guerrero, a founder of Latino Memphis.

Facing History and Ourselves made the change Saturday after the publication of a Commercial Appeal article highlighting the fact that Dozier had appeared on a list of clergy “credibly accused” of the sexual abuse of a child.

“We wish to extend our sincerest wishes of comfort, healing and strength to the victims and families touched by the scourge of clergy sex abuse,” Facing History and Ourselves said in a written statement.

The list including Dozier was made by the Catholic Diocese of Richmond, Virginia, where Dozier was assigned to three parishes before being appointed the first bishop of the Diocese of Memphis after it separated from the Diocese of Nashville. The allegation of abuse was made after his death, but other details were not given.

The Catholic Diocese of Memphis is currently at work on its own list of credibly accused clergy and has said it will consider Dozier’s inclusion on the Richmond list.

The mural, announced in 2016 and intended to honor people who helped others, is on a wall across from the National Civil Rights Museum.

“When we conceived of creating a mural on the outside of our building, our aim was to celebrate Memphis’ leading historical figures who have made invaluable contributions to bringing our communities together and moving forward across racial, ethnic, cultural, and religious boundaries. It was in that spirit that we included Bishop Dozier,” Facing History and Ourselves said. “Given the allegations against Bishop Dozier, we have decided that in the best interests of our students, schools, and communities, to replace Bishop Dozier with another Memphis historical figure.”

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 Memphis bishop removed from mural after child sexual abuse allegation

MEMPHIS (TN)
Commercial Appeal

Sept. 9, 2019

By Katherine Burgess

Memphis’ first Catholic bishop no longer appears on a mural of Memphians who stood up for others.

Instead, Bishop Carroll T. Dozier has been painted over, replaced by Jose Guerrero, a founder of Latino Memphis.

Facing History and Ourselves made the change Saturday after the publication of a Commercial Appeal article highlighting the fact that Dozier had appeared on a list of clergy “credibly accused” of the sexual abuse of a child.

“We wish to extend our sincerest wishes of comfort, healing and strength to the victims and families touched by the scourge of clergy sex abuse,” Facing History and Ourselves said in a written statement.

The list including Dozier was made by the Catholic Diocese of Richmond, Virginia, where Dozier was assigned to three parishes before being appointed the first bishop of the Diocese of Memphis after it separated from the Diocese of Nashville. The allegation of abuse was made after his death, but other details were not given.

The Catholic Diocese of Memphis is currently at work on its own list of credibly accused clergy and has said it will consider Dozier’s inclusion on the Richmond list.

The mural, announced in 2016 and intended to honor people who helped others, is on a wall across from the National Civil Rights Museum.

“When we conceived of creating a mural on the outside of our building, our aim was to celebrate Memphis’ leading historical figures who have made invaluable contributions to bringing our communities together and moving forward across racial, ethnic, cultural, and religious boundaries. It was in that spirit that we included Bishop Dozier,” Facing History and Ourselves said. “Given the allegations against Bishop Dozier, we have decided that in the best interests of our students, schools, and communities, to replace Bishop Dozier with another Memphis historical figure.”

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.

W.Va. AG urges court to advance lawsuit against Wheeling-Charleston Diocese

CHARLESTON (WV)
Herald-Mail Media

September 5, 2019

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey urged a circuit court to allow the state to proceed with allegations that the Wheeling-Charleston Diocese violated state law through its knowing employment of pedophiles and its failure to conduct adequate background checks for those working at its schools and camps.

Morrisey’s response, served Wednesday afternoon, argues that the diocese’s motion to dismiss mischaracterized the state’s intent and distorted state law.

“The diocese’s motion to dismiss is yet another attempt to duck our calls for transparency,” Morrisey said in a news release. “Our response proves the strength of our case and why it should be decided in court. The decades-long pattern of cover-up and abuse must end and public trust must be restored.”

Wednesday’s filing argues that the lawsuit doesn’t seek to dictate how the diocese can hire, teach and operate. Rather, it seeks to enforce state law that requires honesty in advertising when the diocese markets its fee-based schools and camps.

Those facts include allegations that the diocese hid its knowing employment of abusive priests and its failure to conduct the comprehensive background checks it promised.

Morrisey contends that attempts to dismiss the state’s lawsuit rely on a flawed reading of the state’s Consumer Credit and Protection Act.

The state argues that a consumer transaction occurs every time a parent or other person pays a fee for the diocese’s education and recreation services, and enforcing the law’s requirement for honest communications doesn’t intrude into any constitutionally protected area.

The state’s response also takes issue with factual disputes set forth by the diocese. While it contends such differences are irrelevant at this stage in the case, it argues that many allegations contained in the lawsuit were based on documents the diocese provided to the state describing conduct purposely hidden from public view for 44 years after the state Consumer Credit and Protection Act became law.

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.

W.Va. AG urges court to advance lawsuit against Wheeling-Charleston Diocese

CHARLESTON (WV)
Herald-Mail Media

September 5, 2019

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey urged a circuit court to allow the state to proceed with allegations that the Wheeling-Charleston Diocese violated state law through its knowing employment of pedophiles and its failure to conduct adequate background checks for those working at its schools and camps.

Morrisey’s response, served Wednesday afternoon, argues that the diocese’s motion to dismiss mischaracterized the state’s intent and distorted state law.

“The diocese’s motion to dismiss is yet another attempt to duck our calls for transparency,” Morrisey said in a news release. “Our response proves the strength of our case and why it should be decided in court. The decades-long pattern of cover-up and abuse must end and public trust must be restored.”

Wednesday’s filing argues that the lawsuit doesn’t seek to dictate how the diocese can hire, teach and operate. Rather, it seeks to enforce state law that requires honesty in advertising when the diocese markets its fee-based schools and camps.

Those facts include allegations that the diocese hid its knowing employment of abusive priests and its failure to conduct the comprehensive background checks it promised.

Morrisey contends that attempts to dismiss the state’s lawsuit rely on a flawed reading of the state’s Consumer Credit and Protection Act.

The state argues that a consumer transaction occurs every time a parent or other person pays a fee for the diocese’s education and recreation services, and enforcing the law’s requirement for honest communications doesn’t intrude into any constitutionally protected area.

The state’s response also takes issue with factual disputes set forth by the diocese. While it contends such differences are irrelevant at this stage in the case, it argues that many allegations contained in the lawsuit were based on documents the diocese provided to the state describing conduct purposely hidden from public view for 44 years after the state Consumer Credit and Protection Act became law.

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.

Questions remain after pastor’s departure at Hudson megachurch

HUDSON (OH)
Beacon Journal/Ohio.com

September 7, 2019

By Amanda Garrett

Tom Randall — a former pastor at Christ Community Chapel who departed amid scandal — is trying to move on.

He and his wife put their ranch home in Stow on the market last month for $289,900 and sent a letter to their international following. In the letter, Randall said he was leaving behind his nonprofit — worth more than $3 million — with the Hudson megachurch and planned to launch a new nonprofit to independently continue his 43-year-old ministry.

But moving on may not be that simple for Randall, who was asked to resign from Christ Community Chapel (CCC) in June amid an internal review that concluded child abuse likely happened at an orphanage his ministry supported in the Philippines.

CCC — with a main campus in Hudson, and satellites in Akron’s Highland Square neighborhood and Aurora — has since told the Beacon Journal/Ohio.com that it turned over “information and documentation relevant to this situation” from its review to the FBI.

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.

Questions remain after pastor’s departure at Hudson megachurch

HUDSON (OH)
Beacon Journal/Ohio.com

September 7, 2019

By Amanda Garrett

Tom Randall — a former pastor at Christ Community Chapel who departed amid scandal — is trying to move on.

He and his wife put their ranch home in Stow on the market last month for $289,900 and sent a letter to their international following. In the letter, Randall said he was leaving behind his nonprofit — worth more than $3 million — with the Hudson megachurch and planned to launch a new nonprofit to independently continue his 43-year-old ministry.

But moving on may not be that simple for Randall, who was asked to resign from Christ Community Chapel (CCC) in June amid an internal review that concluded child abuse likely happened at an orphanage his ministry supported in the Philippines.

CCC — with a main campus in Hudson, and satellites in Akron’s Highland Square neighborhood and Aurora — has since told the Beacon Journal/Ohio.com that it turned over “information and documentation relevant to this situation” from its review to the FBI.

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-clergyman says US priest in Philippines a known pedophile

TALUSTUSAN (PHILIPPINES)
Associated Press

September 9, 2019

By Tim Sullivan

The American priest’s voice echoed over the phone line, his sharp Midwestern accent softened over the decades by a gentle Filipino lilt. On the other end, recording the call, was a young man battered by shame but anxious to get the priest to describe exactly what had happened in this little island village.

“I should have known better than trying to just have a life,” the priest said in the November 2018 call. “Happy days are gone. It’s all over.”

But, the young man later told The Associated Press, those days were happy only for the priest. They were years of misery for him, he said, and for the other boys who investigators say were sexually assaulted by Father Pius Hendricks.

His accusations ignited a scandal that would shake the village and reveal much about how allegations of sex crimes by priests are handled in one of the world’s most Catholic countries.

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-clergyman says US priest in Philippines a known pedophile

TALUSTUSAN (PHILIPPINES)
Associated Press

September 9, 2019

By Tim Sullivan

The American priest’s voice echoed over the phone line, his sharp Midwestern accent softened over the decades by a gentle Filipino lilt. On the other end, recording the call, was a young man battered by shame but anxious to get the priest to describe exactly what had happened in this little island village.

“I should have known better than trying to just have a life,” the priest said in the November 2018 call. “Happy days are gone. It’s all over.”

But, the young man later told The Associated Press, those days were happy only for the priest. They were years of misery for him, he said, and for the other boys who investigators say were sexually assaulted by Father Pius Hendricks.

His accusations ignited a scandal that would shake the village and reveal much about how allegations of sex crimes by priests are handled in one of the world’s most Catholic countries.

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.

News Briefing: Church in the World

AMAZON
The Tablet

September 4, 2019

By James Roberts

‘The Catholic Church has been present in the Amazon region since the seventeenth century, concerned with evangelisation and human development’

A Cameroonian man who worked with Wycliffe Bible Translators has been murdered in his home in Cameroon during an overnight attack. Angus Abraham Fung was one of seven people killed in the village of Wum on 25 August. His wife, Eveline, had a hand cut off and is recovering in a local hospital. Wum is in the Anglophone northwest of the country, a region that has been at the heart of the conflict between Cameroon’s government and separatist guerrillas. Fung had helped to translate the New Testament into the Aghem language, and was a Literacy Coordinator on the Aghem Bible translation project. The translation was completed in 2016 and more than 3,000 copies were printed. However, the conflict in the region has prevented the New Testaments being distributed.

Wum is among several localities where youth from the nomadic Fulani herding community are being encouraged by pro-government actors to carry out attacks against local farming communities that support the separatist rebels.

Meanwhile a Catholic priest was killed across the border in neighbouring Nigeria. Fr David Tanko was murdered by armed men in Taraba State on Thursday last week. He was on his way to the village of Takum to mediate a peace agreement between Tiv and Jukun populations.

An Argentinian priest accused of rape was found dead on 26 August after going missing from a monastery in Chile. The Diocese of Valparaiso, Chile, published a press release on behalf of the Benedictine Monastery of San Benito de Lliu Lliu, stating that Guillermo Jaime Cabalín had died. The press release also said that Cabalín, 57, was the subject of a canonical investigation after a woman came forward in 2018, accusing him of raping her in 1995.

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.