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 4, 2020

Falwell’s foibles

CHATTANOOGA (TN)
Times Free Press

September 3, 2020

By Ron Hart

My great-grandfather was a Methodist minister with a sense of humor. His rural congregants loved him. When a parishioner suggested that he ask God for rain to relieve a drought, Great-Grandad told him he would but that he was in sales, not operations.

Today it seems that the era of the humble minister is long gone, replaced by televangelists and mega-church “charismatics” with big hair, hot wives and impossibly white smiles. They seem to be losing touch with those of their followers who are not zealots. Religion has been Swaggart-ed, Haggard-ed, Bakker-ed, Bishop Eddie Long-ed, pedophiled and, as a result, demeaned.

Sex scandals among the clergy seem all too common. This also explains where those Bibles left in all those hotel rooms come from.

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 Clymer priest arrested, accused in sexual assaults

INDIANA
Indiana Gazette

August 27, 2020

By Patrick Cloonan

Two priests who formerly served parishes in Indiana County are in the legal spotlight, one for being named in a Greensburg Catholic Diocese “Higher Standards” report, the other for charges of sexually abusing an altar boy for three years at a church in Fayette County.

On Wednesday state Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced the arrest of Father Andrew M. Kawecki, 65, now of Greensburg, on charges that he sexually assaulted an altar boy multiple times at Ss. Cyril and Methodius Church in Fairchance, Fayette County, starting in 2004 when the boy was 11, and lasting until the boy was 14.

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.

Readers Speak Out: September 3, 2020

TORONTO (CANADA)
Catholic Register

September 3, 2020

Support for priest

In a recent edition The Catholic Register reported that Fr. Nino Cavoto, pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Toronto, has been removed from ministry following the Archdiocese of Toronto receiving an allegation that he had abused a minor while serving at a parish in the New York archdiocese between 1979 and 1983.

This news undoubtedly came as a shock to the many who have known Fr. Cavoto as a good man and wonderful priest throughout his many years in ministry. Fr. Cavoto is grateful for the overwhelming support he has received since the announcement.

The removal from ministry was pursuant to the Toronto archdiocesan “Prodecure for Cases of Alleged Misconduct” which mandates immediate removal and in advance of the commencement of the investigation to follow.

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.

B.C. priest ‘should have been stopped,’ sex abuse victim says

VANCOUVER (BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA)
CBC.com

Updated September 1, 2020 [Note: This is an updated version of an article that we posted on Abuse Tracker earlier this week. This update corrects factual errors that appeared in the original article.]

By Bethany Lindsay

Lawyer for Rosemary Anderson says she hopes court victory will send a message to Kamloops diocese

A woman who was repeatedly sexually abused by a priest in Kamloops, B.C., says the leadership of the Catholic church failed her by not acting on previous reports of his misconduct.

Last week, a B.C. Supreme Court judge awarded Rosemary Anderson $844,140 in damages for the sexual battery she suffered at the hands of Father Erlindo Molon while he was a priest at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in the 1970s.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Kamloops was held directly and vicariously liable for those damages after the court heard church leadership was aware of Molon’s reputation as a playboy priest and an archbishop had even confronted him about it, but nothing was done to stop him.

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 Red Bank Catholic HS Student Alleges Clergy Sex Abuse

RED BANK (NJ)
The Patch

September 3, 2020

By Nicole Rosenthal

The former student is suing St. James Church and Red Bank Catholic, claiming abuse by one priest with a history of allegations.

A former student who attended Red Bank Catholic School in the 1980s was sexually abused by a priest who had a history of similar complaints, according to a lawsuit filed in the Superior Court of New Jersey.

Per the July 29 complaint filed in Mercer County, Francis McGrath abused the student (referred to only as initials B.T.) in 1982 and 1983. The accused abused multiple children while serving at St. James Church and Red Bank Catholic School, the suit reads.

The defendants – listed as the Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton, St. James Church in Red Bank and Red Bank High School – were sued on six counts, including civil conspiracy and intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress. The suit demands a trial by jury.

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.

As children they went to boarding school. As adults they’re still dealing with the trauma

AUSTRALIA
ABC Radio National

September 3, 2020

By Sophie Kesteven and Chris Bullock

Christine Jack has horrible memories from her time at boarding school.

When she was seven, she was sent away from home to a Catholic establishment in New South Wales.

“I was a little child and it was a shock to go into a very strict regime … it was virtually an enclosed convent,” she tells ABC RN’s Sunday Extra.

“I used to go to the toilet and cry for my mother and father.”

She made friends, but still felt isolated, and had to learn to cope on her own. The attachment bonds with her parents started to tear.

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.

Proposed class-action suit claims negligence by Vancouver Archdiocese

VANCOUVER (BRITISH COLUMBIA)
Catholic News Service via Crux

September 3, 2020

By Agnieszka Ruck

A proposed class-action lawsuit filed against the Archdiocese of Vancouver claims the archdiocese was “systematically negligent” in protecting parishioners from abuse by clergy.

“The archdiocese was aware of the abuse and allowed the abuse to continue. The archdiocese was also complicit in silencing survivors, who were required to take oaths of secrecy when making complaints to the archdiocese,” the claim states.

The plaintiff, a woman identified as K.S. in court documents, alleged she was abused by a religious order priest at St. Francis of Assisi Parish when she was about 11 years old. The documents say she has had no contact with her abuser since elementary school and “remains terrified of priests and the power of the archdiocese.”

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

Editorial: Former West Virginia bishop should reexamine his conscience

UNITED STATES
National Catholic Reporter

September 4, 2020

Repentance is something that Catholics usually understand.

That is one reason why former Bishop Michael Bransfield’s response to the charges leveled against him is so egregious.

Bransfield formerly led the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia. There he proceeded to, according to a church investigation, embezzle $792,000 while sexually harassing seminarians.

Bransfield, according to the diocese, has paid back $441,000, and will retire with benefits, including a $2,250 monthly pension. That’s far less than the normal $6,200 for a retired bishop, but not a bad deal for Bransfield considering the circumstances.

“I am writing to apologize for any scandal or wonderment caused by words or actions attributed to me during my tenure,” Bransfield wrote in an Aug. 15 letter of apology to his former 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.

Letters to the Editor: Your thoughts on Kamala Harris as Veep pick

UNITED STATES
National Catholic Reporter

September 4, 2020

By Nancy McGunagle

In Sr. Simone Campbell’s rah-rah piece for Sen. Kamala Harris, we, as Catholics, were urged to “evaluate Sen. Kamala Harris’ record carefully” and, we assume that means, as well, her record as district attorney for the city of San Francisco prior to her record as attorney general for the state of California.

Even limited research about Harris’ early career yields an impressive tally of her toughness on crime and her previous, meteoric rise in electable ranks thanks to more than a little help from Willie Brown, noted, political radical in the city and, eventually, its mayor. Willie’s wife, Blanche Vitero, would agree.

As for being tough on the horrific sexual abuse and cover-up crimes of the powerful San Francisco Archdiocese, there is little dispute now that, in her seven years as district attorney, Harris’ office did not proactively assist in civil cases against clergy sex abuse and ignored requests by activists and survivors to access the massive cache of investigative files regarding the diocese’s brutal crimes accumulated by her predecessor, Terence Hallinan — files that could have helped them secure justice in a timely fashion. This “evaluation” comes from several victims of clergy sex abuse living in California who spoke last year through the highly regarded, independent news source, The Intercept.

Sexual assault survivor, Joey Piscitelli, is quoted therein as saying: “It went from Terence Hallinan going hundred miles an hour, full speed ahead, after the Catholic Church to Kamala Harris doing absolutely nothing.”

No thanks. Clergy abuse survivors and their advocates did their evaluation of Harris years ago.

NANCY McGUNAGLE
Kalispell, Montana

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.

[Book Review] The cardinal, the courts and the controversies

AUSTRALIA
The Age

September 4, 2020

By Barney Zwartz

The Case of George Pell: Reckoning with Child Sexual Abuse by Clergy, by Melissa Davey,
Scribe, $35

This is a book of mixed merits, good in parts but requiring perseverance to reach them through tediously exhaustive accounts of Cardinal George Pell’s progress through the justice system on historical sexual abuse charges. Guardian reporter Melissa Davey takes us through the committal, mistrial, retrial, unsuccessful Supreme Court appeal and High Court acquittal.

Cardinal George Pell arrives at the Melbourne County Court for sentencing in February 2019. His conviction was later overturned on appeal by the High Court of Australia.
Cardinal George Pell arrives at the Melbourne County Court for sentencing in February 2019. His conviction was later overturned on appeal by the High Court of Australia.CREDIT:JASON SOUTH

It would have helped readers if Davey had set out what she was trying to achieve at the start. She does not do so until page 391, at the end of the book. There she says that, so far as she knows, she is the only journalist who covered the Royal Commission and all Pell’s trials and she wants readers to have the evidence, as much as possible, before they leap to judgment about his guilt or innocence – a matter on which she wisely gives no opinion. And she wants to set it in the context of wider research into child sexual abuse.

She certainly succeeds in the first aim, and up to a point in the second which, given how deeply the trials are etched into the public record, strikes me as the more important. I would have liked more on this and less of the evidence because, although Davey cites some interesting research, it comes across as a little perfunctory. In the hands of someone like the vastly more experienced David Marr, who has also written extensively on Pell for The Guardian and elsewhere, deeper questions might have been explored more widely.

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.

Holy See offers observations on Royal Commission recommendations

AUSTRALIA
Catholic Outlook

September 4, 2020

The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference has provided the Holy See’s observations on 12 recommendations from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse to the Australian Government.

The Royal Commission proposed that the Bishops Conference engage with the Holy See on those recommendations because they relate to universal Church law or practice. Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin confirmed that the recommendations, and the entire final report of the Royal Commission, were studied closely by several Vatican dicasteries.

The Holy See reiterated its commitment to child protection, and its desire to “spare no effort… in collaborating with civil authorities to pursue every avenue to end the scourge of sexual abuse”.

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

September 3, 2020

Parishioner sexually abused by Kamloops Catholic priest 40 years ago awarded $800,000

VANCOUVER (BRITISH COLUMBIA)
The Province

August 27, 2020

By Keith Fraser

‘Fr. (Erlindo) Molon’s abuse caused the plaintiff pain, anguish, grief and humiliation. It deeply affected her self-confidence. She has carried these wounds throughout her life,’ judge rules

https://theprovince.com/news/local-news/parishioner-sexually-abused-by-kamloops-catholic-priest-40-years-ago-awarded-800000/wcm/aac44752-74fd-4844-bc3e-5d96424ad3b7/

A parishioner who was sexually abused by a Catholic priest in Kamloops more than 40 years ago has been awarded more than $800,000 in damages, believed to be the highest award for a sexual abuse victim in B.C.

Rosemary Anderson, who was 26 years old at the time of the abuse and is now 70, had travelled to the Interior community in 1976 to take up a job as an elementary school teacher at Our Lady of Perpetual Help school.

Her father had recently died and she was grieving him and went to Father Erlindo Molon for comfort, guidance and care, but the priest took advantage of her and repeatedly sexually assaulted her over the course of several months in the rectory and in her home.

In his ruling on the case, B.C. Supreme Court Justice David Crossin found that the abuse suffered by Anderson was protracted and ongoing and her encounters with Molon “degrading and highly invasive.”

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.

Nebraska priest sues Omaha Archdiocese for defamation

OMAHA (NEBRASKA)
Associated Press

September 3, 2020

By Margery A. Beck

A Roman Catholic priest is suing the Omaha Archdiocese for defamation nearly two years after he was removed from his parish in northeast Nebraska and listed among a group of clergy found to be credibly accused of sexual misconduct.

The Rev. Andrew Syring says in the lawsuit that his career and life have been in tatters since the archdiocese abruptly removed him from public ministry in West Point in October 2018. A month later, the archdiocese published his name on the list of clergy abusers.

Syring had been an ordained priest for two years when he was accused in 2013 of boundary violations that included “publicly hugging and kissing minors on the cheek,” his lawsuit says. Syring vehemently denied any wrongdoing, and after a psychological evaluation and investigations by the church and law enforcement that found no criminal misconduct, he said, he was returned to public ministry.

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 Phoenix sued for alleged child sex abuse by former priest

PHOENIX (AZ)
12 News

September 2, 2020

Father John P. Doran allegedly abused two boys while they attended the St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in the 1970s.

Two lawsuits were filed against the Diocese of Phoenix and one of its churches Wednesday for alleged sexual abuse from a former priest.

Father John P. Doran allegedly abused two boys while they attended the St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in the 1970s, according to the suit filed by the now-adult victims.

“The two men who have come forward today have waited decades for the Bishop of Phoenix to be fully transparent about the pedophile priests working in this Diocese,” said attorney Robert Pastor.

Doran, who died in 1997, served as a priest across Arizona after he was ordained in 1945.

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.

Sexual assault victims speak

ANDOVER (MA)
Andover Townsman

September 3, 2020

By Breanna Edelstein

Priest held posts in Lawrence, at Merrimack College

Two women who were sexually abused by the Rev. John J. Gallagher in the 1970s are speaking publicly — for the first time — about their childhood trauma with the hope of empowering other survivors and themselves.

The women, one who chooses to be named and another who does not, are among 11 people — 10 women and a man — represented by Boston Attorney Mitchell Garabedian in a joint lawsuit against the Catholic Church resolved earlier this year with a $1.4 million settlement.

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.

Dutch Cardinal emeritus Adrianus Simonis dies at age 88

THE HAGUE (NETHERLANDS)
Associated Press

September 2, 2020

Cardinal emeritus Adrianus Simonis, who led the Dutch Catholic Church during a period of secularization in society and, after his retirement, had to confront abuse in the church, has died at age 88, his former archdiocese of Utrecht announced Wednesday.

His successor, Cardinal Willem Eijk, said the church had lost someone “with a great pastoral heart.”

Simonis was named bishop of the port city of Rotterdam in 1970 and became Archbishop of Utrecht in 1983. Pope John Paul II appointed him a cardinal on May 25, 1985. The pope accepted his retirement in 2007 and he became a cardinal emeritus the following year.

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 Florida man sues university over religious freedom

FLORIDA
Catholic News Agency

September 2, 2020

The Catholic former head of Florida State University’s student senate is suing the school, saying his religious freedom was violated when he was removed from his position.

Jack Denton, a member of Florida State University’s (FSU) Class of 2021, was ousted from his position as head of the FSU student senate in June when comments he made in a private chat forum for Catholic students were made public. He had claimed that policy positions of BlackLivesMatter.com, the ACLU, and Reclaim the Block contradicted the teachings of the Catholic Church, in a conversation about racial justice.

A change.org petition called his comments “transphobic and racist” and the student senate subsequently voted to remove him as chair. He unsuccessfully appealed to the student supreme court and to university administrators for his reinstatement.

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 Catholic brother returned to face Mississippi charges

UNITED STATES
Associated Press

September 2, 2020

By Michael Rezendes

A former Catholic brother has been extradited from his home state of Wisconsin to Mississippi, where he faces sexual battery charges in a case involving two impoverished Black boys who say they were pressured as men into accepting paltry payouts to settle their abuse claims.

The men have accused Paul A. West, once a Franciscan Friar and fourth-grade teacher, of molesting them in Mississippi, Wisconsin and New York while they were elementary school students.

West, 60, did not contest his extradition at a hearing in Outagamie Country, Wisconsin on Aug. 17. He arrived at the Leflore County Jail in Greenwood, Mississippi, earlier this week following an investigation by the Mississippi attorney general’s public integrity division. West also has been charged with second-degree sexual assault of a child in Wisconsin.

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.

Email error revealed names of 47 Pittsburgh diocese abuse claimants

PITTSBURGH (PA)
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

September 2, 2020

By Peter Smith

When the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh launched its compensation program for victims of sexual abuse by priests, participants were guaranteed confidentiality.

But the names of 47 claimants were inadvertently leaked in an email from the program administrator to an unintended recipient.

While all agree the leak was unintentional and didn’t spread any further, the person who received it said the 47 should have been notified long ago.

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.

Fired Gay Catholic Church Choir Director Can Sue for Harassment

CHICAGO (IL)
Gay City News

September 2, 2020

By Arthur S. Leonard

A three-judge panel of the Chicago-based Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on August 31 that a gay man fired as music director by a Catholic church after he married his boyfriend can sue the church on a claim he was subjected to a hostile work environment by his supervisor, a priest, because of his sexual orientation and physical disabilities.

The US Supreme Court has defined a “ministerial exception” to anti-discrimination law — based on the First Amendment’s Free Exercise of Religion Clause — that protects religious organizations from being sued about their decisions to hire or terminate employees who can be described as “ministers,” a category broad enough to include a music director responsible for liturgical hymns used in services.

Here, however, the appeals panel voted 2-1 that the ministerial exception does not apply to an employee’s claim that his employer has subjected him to a hostile work environment for reasons prohibited by anti-discrimination laws.

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.

Alabama teacher’s assistant accused of sex with student

EUFAULA (AL)
Associated Press

September 3, 2020

A teacher’s assistant at an Alabama high school is facing charges for allegedly having sex with a student, police said.

Amy S. Priest, 44, of Eufaula, was charged Monday with two counts of a school employee engaging in sex with a student under 19 years old, al.com reported. It was unknown if Priest is represented by an attorney who could speak on her behalf.

The alleged incidents did not occur at Eufaula High School, where Priest worked as a paraprofessional, Police Chief Steve Watkins said Tuesday.

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Little Rock diocese adds priest to list of accused sex abusers

LITTLE ROCK (AR)
Arkansas Democrat Gazette

September 2, 2020

By Francisca Jones

The Catholic Diocese of Little Rock announced Wednesday that it has added another priest to its list of clergy that have been “credibly” accused of sexually abusing a minor.

Father Edward Simpson, who died in 1988, was a priest in Arkansas from the time of his ordination in 1954 until his retirement in 1986. Simpson’s record shows that he served at Catholic churches in Fort Smith, Little Rock, Blytheville, North Little Rock, Jonesboro, Searcy, Eureka Springs, Malvern and Texarkana.

According to a news release, a person alleging to have been sexually abused as a minor by Simpson contacted the diocese April 20.

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.

Lee Bartlett, former priest in Leominster accused of abusing teen in ’70s, loses status

WORCESTER (MA)
Telegram & Gazette

September 2, 2020

By Cyrus Moulton

A Roman Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing a man when he was a teenager in the 1970s has been stripped of his status at his request, Bishop Robert J. McManus of the Worcester Diocese announced last week.

Lee F. Bartlett III, 74, was dispensed from the clerical state by Pope Francis and, as a result, may not function in any capacity as a priest or be referred to as a priest or as “Father” in writing such as in event announcements or obituaries.

The laicization follows the Catholic Church’s commitment to the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, the diocese announced.

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 2, 2020

Vancouver archdiocese ‘negligent’ on abuse, suit says

VANCOUVER (CANADA)
Canadian Catholic News

September 2, 2020

By Agnieszka Ruck

A proposed class-action lawsuit filed against the Archdiocese of Vancouver claims the archdiocese was “systematically negligent” in protecting parishioners from abuse by clergy.

“The archdiocese was aware of the abuse and allowed the abuse to continue. The archdiocese was also complicit in silencing survivors, who were required to take oaths of secrecy when making complaints to the archdiocese,” the claim states.

The plaintiff, a woman identified as K.S. in court documents, alleged she was abused by a priest at St. Francis of Assisi Parish when she was about 11 years old. The documents say she has had no contact with her abuser since elementary school and “remains terrified of priests and the power of the archdiocese.”

K.S. reported the abuse to the Archdiocese of Vancouver in January of 2019.

None of the allegations have been proven in court and the priest in question is now deceased.

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 hiring guide to help churches prevent abuse

NASHVILLE (TN)
Baptist Press

September 1, 2020

By Tom Strode

A manual providing guidance on hiring staff members and selecting volunteers is the latest Southern Baptist resource designed to help churches prevent sexual abuse.

The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) – in cooperation with the Sexual Abuse Advisory Group – released the “Caring Well Hiring Guide” Aug. 31 as part of the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) ongoing effort to equip congregations to thwart sex abuse and to minister to survivors of abuse. The free guide describes itself as “a first step for church leaders on what to consider” when seeking, screening and choosing staff or volunteers.

The multi-faceted “Caring Well” endeavor, which was inaugurated two years ago in response to reports of abuse among Southern Baptist churches and entities, includes an eight-step challenge in which churches can participate to prevent predatory behavior and to care for survivors.

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

Priest: The Catholic Church Silenced Me for Criticizing Its Handling of Abuse

RICHMOND (VA)
Friendly Atheist (blog)

September 1, 2020

By Hemant Mehta

For years now, there have been stories about ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, defrocked in 2019 for sexually abusing boys under his care. One of the biggest critics of the Catholic Church’s handling of allegations against McCarrick — and other leaders accused of sexual abuse — was Rev. Mark White (below), a priest based in Virginia, whose blog included a number of entries denouncing what he was seeing.

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.

SNAP Demands Diocese of Houma Thibodaux Add Fr. Brian Highfill to List of Accused Priests

LOUISIANA
SNAP Network

September 1, 2020

Archbishop Gregory P. Aymond named Fr. Henry Brian Highfill to the Archdiocese of New Orleans list of credibly accused priests on Tuesday, August 18, 2020. According to his work history, Fr. Highfill was at St. Frances de Sales parish in 1975, and in charge of the altar boys.

It is well-documented that the vast majority of child predators abuse multiple children, multiple times. We urge Bishop Fabre to notify the good people in the Houma Thibodaux diocese of the allegations against Fr. Highfill. If there were innocent children who fell victim to him, SNAP is here to support and validate their years of anguish. We stand with all survivors of clergy sex crimes and their families.

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Liberty University Announces Investigation Involving Jerry Falwell Jr.

LYNCHBURG (VA)
SNAP Network

September 1, 2020

An investigation into Jerry Falwell Jr.’s tenure as president of Liberty University will be conducted by an outside agency, something we believe is necessary in order to get to the bottom of the scandals that have rocked the institution in recent weeks. Given that Falwell is a second-generation leader, there could well be overlaps with his father’s tenure that may require exploration and we hope that the investigators have been given leave to explore any and all abuses of power that have occurred at Liberty.

This situation reminds us of a case at a megachurch in California’s Silicon Valley. The leader of Menlo Church, John Ortberg, was forced to step down when it became known that he left his own son in ministry after the son had confessed to having a sexual fixation on children. Like Menlo Church, Liberty University had been led in a monarchical fashion that could have led to other abuses of power. Similarly, there are elements of both sexual abuse and cover-up at Liberty too, especially as they relate to how Becki Falwell allegedly preyed on at least one young college student. It is important that the sexual aspects of the Liberty case, and how far back they go, are examined.

We do have doubts that this investigation will be truly independent, especially since the board at Liberty has yet to identify the outside firm they hired to handle the investigation. At the same time, this is at least a step in the correct direction and will hopefully identify areas where secular involvement is needed.

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.

Sexual Abuse Survivors Need to File Claims in Boy Scouts of America Bankruptcy by November 16, 2020

WILMINGTON (DE)
PRNewswire

September 1, 2020

The following is being released by Omni Agent Solutions the Court Appointed Claims and Noticing Agent for the Boy Scouts of America. The Boy Scouts of America (“BSA”) has filed bankruptcy in order to restructure its nonprofit organization and pay Sexual Abuse Survivors. Please read this notice carefully as it provides information about the rights of Sexual Abuse Survivors against BSA, BSA Local Councils and organizations that sponsored their packs, troops, crews, ships or posts and provides information about the case, In re Boy Scouts of America and Delaware BSA, LLC, No. 20-10343 (Bankr. D. Del.). This notice is a short summary. For more detail, visit www.OfficialBSAClaims.com or call 1-866-907-2721.

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News Release: Laicization of George DeCosta Jr.

HONOLULU (HI)
Diocese of Honolulu via Hawaii Catholic Herald

August 31, 2020

Bishop Larry Silva announces that Mr. GEORGE DE COSTA Jr., who previously served as a priest of the Diocese of Honolulu, ordained in 1964, was laicized by Pope Francis on July 29, 2020. The then-Father De Costa retired in 2002, but in 2009, when an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor was made against him, Bishop Silva permanently restricted him from all sacred ministry, a decision confirmed by the Holy See. Since then, several additional accusations have been made against Mr. De Costa. Being now laicized, he is no longer a member of the clergy and may not function as such anywhere in the world.

We pray for all victims of sexual abuse by clergy, and we pray God’s healing for them and their loved ones.

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Commentary: A Tale of 2 Archbishops: Capuchins O’Malley and Chaput Mark Golden Jubilees

UNITED STATES
National Catholic Register

September 1, 2020

By Father Raymond J. de Souza

Much of the recent history of the Catholic Church in the United States can be told in the lives of these two men, who were both ordained Aug. 29, 1970.

It is not a tale of two cities, but rather two archbishops. And while it has something of the best of times, it also has the worst of times — both a season of Light, and a season of Darkness, to borrow Dickens.

Much of the recent history of the Catholic Church in the United States can be told in the lives of two men ordained on the same day 50 years ago, Aug. 29, 1970.

It was “King Herod’s birthday,” as Cardinal Seán O’Malley of Boston sometimes characterizes his ordination day, the feast day of the beheading of St. John the Baptist (Matthew 14:1-12). He shares the same ordination day with his fellow Capuchin friar, Archbishop Charles Chaput, recently retired from Philadelphia. Cardinal O’Malley was ordained in Pittsburgh; Archbishop Chaput was ordained in Victoria, Kansas.

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Child sex assault allegations against Cliffside Park counselor resurrected in civil lawsuit

NEW JERSEY
NorthJersey.com

September 2, 2002

By Tom Nobile

Three years after sexual assault charges against a Cliffside Park guidance counselor were dropped, the family of the alleged victim has renewed the accusations in a lawsuit blaming the local school district for allowing the alleged abuse to occur on school grounds.

The lawsuit, filed in Superior Court last week, targets Cliffside Park’s school board and its superintendent for employing Edward Meier, who allegedly abused a 5-year-old girl at the high school and during school sponsored events from 2010 through 2014, according to the complaint.

Meier had worked at Cliffside Park High School for more than three decades, earning awards as a teacher and guidance counselor when he was arrested in October 2014 on sexual assault charges.

A Superior Court judge later dismissed all six counts against him over credibility issues with the alleged victim. The girl’s mother, however, is pressing forward in civil court for unspecified damages.

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September 1, 2020

What I Wish the Orthodox Community Knew about Sexual Assault

UNITED STATES
Alma

August 24, 2020

By Anonymous

The Orthodox community needs to do a better job of education around consent and protecting victims.

I am an Orthodox Jewish woman. I am proud of my identity and heritage, and find enormous value in my culture. I find that most of the flaws and challenges in my community stem from a severe lack of information, so I have an enormous amount of empathy for people who may not know the impact that their words may have. However, that does not erase the impact of their words. I have felt this most acutely when it comes to my community’s reaction to my sexual assault.

I was sexually assaulted two years ago. After the assault, as I recognized the enormity of what had happened, and especially as I realized that the case would be proceeding to trial, I slowly opened up to select family members and a few friends. Some people’s reactions could not have been more ideal. However, others left a lot to be desired.

Comments ranged from asking whether my knees were covered to stating that as long as I was not “technically raped,” I could still marry a kohen and would not have to worry about the assault. This attitude reflected what I was taught — the incorrect belief that yichud, the halacha (Jewish law) that stipulates that men and women should not be alone together, and shomer negiah, the halacha that says men and women should not touch unless they are close family or spouses, were established to protect women from assault because men cannot control their sexual appetites. Even in environments where these beliefs were not explicitly stated, the trickle down impact of these attitudes resonate throughout much of the Orthodox community as well as the wider Jewish community that I have been a part of.

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Liberty University: Now is the time for an independent investigation

LYNCHBURG (VA)
RNS

August 31, 2020

By Boz Tchividjian

In the past weeks, the world has learned some deeply troubling and devastating reports coming out of Liberty University involving its former president, Jerry Falwell Jr., and his wife, Becki.

These reports not only involve allegations of sexual misconduct with other adults, but they also include reports of the targeting, grooming and engaging in what could be non-consensual sexual contact with a Liberty University student.

This is in addition to a number of reports regarding very questionable financial dealings and self-dealings involving university funds. As someone who was a law professor at Liberty University for twelve years, I have profound respect and admiration for so many of the dear people who are part of that community.

Many of the faculty, students and staff of Liberty University are hurting at the moment, feeling betrayed and having countless unanswered questions regarding so much of what they have read or learned during the past weeks.

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Former Catholic School Coach Convicted in Child Porn Case, SNAP Calls for Update to Diocesan List

HAVELOCK (NC)
SNAP Network

August 31, 2020

A former coach at a Catholic high school in Havelock, North Carolina, has been convicted on twelve counts of second degree child sexual exploitation. We now call on Diocesan officials to update their list of those “credibly” accused to include this teacher and all other lay employees or volunteers in the Diocese of Raleigh that have hurt children or vulnerable adults.

Peter Van Vilet is a former city commissioner in Havelock as well as the former cross-country, lacrosse, and basketball coach at Annunciation High School there. He was arrested late last year on charges related to the possession of child pornography and was recently found guilty on those charges. Now that Van Vilet has been sentenced to two years in prison, it is time for his former employers to step up, urge anyone who may have been hurt to come forward, and ensure that Van Vilet is included on the Diocesan list of “credibly” accused abusers.

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‘Women are future of the Catholic church’: Anne Soupa leads renewed fight for equality

FRANCE
The Guardian

August 30, 2020

By Harriet Sherwood

French academic’s bid to become archbishop of Lyon reflects growing calls for women in leadership roles

A French female academic has put herself forward to be the next Catholic archbishop of Lyon in a move that is gathering support around the world even though she stands no chance of succeeding.

Anne Soupa, 73, a theologian and biblical scholar, says there is “an awakening of women within the Catholic church”. Seven other Catholic women in France have followed her move in applying for ministries that are open only to men.

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B.C. priest ‘should have been stopped,’ sex abuse victim says

BRITISH COLUMBIA (CANADA)
CBC News

August 31, 2020

By Bethany Lindsay

Lawyer for Rosemary Anderson says she hopes court victory will send a message to Kamloops diocese

A woman who was repeatedly sexually abused by a priest in Kamloops, B.C., says the leadership of the Catholic church failed her by not acting on previous reports of his misconduct.

Last week, a B.C. Supreme Court judge awarded Rosemary Anderson $844,140 in damages for the sexual battery she suffered at the hands of Father Erlindo Molon while he was a priest at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in the 1970s.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Kamloops was held directly and vicariously liable for those damages after the court heard church leadership was aware of Molon’s reputation as a playboy priest and an archbishop had even confronted him about it, but nothing was done to stop him.

In an interview with CBC Daybreak Kamloops host Shelley Joyce, Anderson spoke about how Molon took advantage of her in 1976 when she arrived in town as a 27-year-old teacher freshly grieving the death of her father.

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USA Gymnastics Lawsuit: Have the Sexual Abuse Victims Been Compensated?

UNITED STATES
TopClassActions.com (plaintiff attorney referral blog)

September 1, 2020

By Emily Sortor

As more cases of alleged sexual assault are shared by victims who gain the courage to move forward, some of these receive a great deal of press. Many different organizations and individuals have come into the spotlight as a result of claims of sexual abuse and USA Gymnastics is one of them.

How Did the USA Gymnastics Abuse Occur?

The accused abuser in the USA Gymnastics scandal was Dr. Larry Nassar, a physician at Michigan State University. He ultimately pleaded guilty to federal child pornography and criminal sexual conduct charges. The women in these cases claim that Dr. Nassar took advantage of his position and used it to harm young women instead of helping them.

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Letter to the editor: New archbishop must be vigilant against abuse

ST. LOUIS (MO)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

August 29, 2020

Regarding “Mitchell T. Rozanski installed as the 10th Archbishop of St. Louis” (Aug. 26): Past Archbishop Robert Carlson has referred to new Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski as “a breath of fresh air.” But the air from his most recent post in Springfield, Massachusetts, is anything but fresh. Indeed, it is fetid with corruption and omission in regards to its investigation of child sexual abuse accusations against former prelate, Bishop Christopher Weldon.

Only after extensive reporting from the Berkshire Record newspaper was it clear that Weldon had committed grave violations, including the rape of a youth. Rozanski apologized to Western Massachusetts Catholics pained by this clergy sex abuse scandal.

To his credit, Archbishop Rozanski then took corrective action. But an “I only know what I read” attitude will not suffice here in St. Louis, especially from someone who regards his assignment as being a “pastor.” A shepherd of the flock needs to demonstrate vigilance and perceptions beyond what he might read in a report.

Then again, if he fails in that endeavor, we still have a secular news media to investigate.

Richard Wagner • Kirkwood

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Catholic Diocese of Columbus reaches settlement in sexual abuse claims against Monsignor

COLUMBUS (OH)
WSYX/WTTE

August 26, 2020

The Catholic Diocese of Columbus has reached a $1 million settlement involving a complaint against Monsignor Thomas Bennett.

The settlement comes after a former student at Columbus’ St. Charles Preparatory School filed a lawsuit accusing the late Monsignor Bennett of sexual abuse.

The Diocese of Columbus encourages anyone who may have experienced sexual abuse by clergy or others associated within the Church to notify law enforcement immediately as well as the Diocesan Victim’s Assistance Coordinator at 614-241-2568 ext. 1546 or helpisavailable@columbuscatholic.org.

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Priest laicization announced by Diocese of Worcester

WORCESTER (MA)
Catholic Free Press

August 26, 2020

Following the Catholic Church’s commitment to the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, Bishop McManus announced Wednesday that Lee F. Bartlett III has been laicized at his request. He was dispensed from the clerical state by Pope Francis. As a result of the laicization, Mr. Bartlett may not function in any capacity as a priest or be referred to as a priest or as “Father” in writing such as in event announcements or obituaries.

“I ask that all the faithful join me in fervent prayer that Christ may bring healing and hope to anyone who has been abused by a priest or by anyone in the Catholic Church,” said Bishop McManus.

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Cura Pachado: Apelaciones conformó Tribunal para resolver la prescripción

[The Priest Pachado: Appeals court is formed to resolve the prescription]

ARGENTINA
El Esquiú

September 1, 2020

Denuncia por abuso sexual eclesiástico

El tribunal de Apelaciones no se integraba para resolver el caso por el escándalo de Morales y Da Pra.

El tribunal será compuesto por los jueces Álvarez, Navarro Foressi y Soria.

[GOOGLE TRANSLATION: Complaint of ecclesiastical sexual abuse

The Court of Appeals had not been able to resolve the case because of the Morales and Da Pra scandal.

The court will be composed of judges Álvarez, Navarro Foressi and Soria.]

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Un sacerdote “desterrado” cuenta los abusos de Moya y el encubrimiento de la Iglesia

[An “exiled” priest tells of Moya’s abuses and the Church’s cover-up]

PARANÁ (ARGENTINA)
El Heraldo

September 1, 2020

En una carta enviada al arzobispo de Paraná, monseñor Juan Alberto Puiggari, el padre Luciano Martín Porri detalla los abusos psicológicos que sufrió por parte de Marcelino Ricardo Moya y describe al cura condenado a 17 años de prisión por promoción de la corrupción de menores agravada y abuso sexual simple agravado en concurso real entre sí: “Es la persona más soberbia y sádica que he conocido en mi vida. Disfrutaba del dolor ajeno y de hacer sentir que nuestras vidas dependían de él”.

[GOOGLE TRANSLATION: In a letter sent to the Archbishop of Paraná, Monsignor Juan Alberto Puiggari, Father Luciano Martín Porri details the psychological abuse suffered by Marcelino Ricardo Moya and describes the priest sentenced to 17 years in prison for promoting aggravated corruption of minors and Simple sexual abuse aggravated in real competition with each other: “He is the most arrogant and sadistic person I have ever met in my life. He enjoyed the pain of others and making us feel that our lives depended on it. “]

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August 31, 2020

Polish bishops concerned by rise in acts of desecration

POLAND
Catholic News Agency

August 31, 2020

Poland’s bishops expressed concern Saturday about a rise in acts of desecration.

In a statement issued at the end of their plenary assembly Aug. 29, the bishops called for greater respect for religious sensibilities.

“The bishops … express their concern about the increasingly frequent cases of profanation of places of worship and religious symbols, which cause pain to so many people,” the statement said.

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A shepherd has come home to his flock’: Priest cleared of sexual abuse allegations returns to ministry

ALLENTOWN (PA)
WFMZ-TV

August 31, 2020

By Jaccii Farris

https://www.wfmz.com/news/area/lehighvalley/a-shepherd-has-come-home-to-his-flock-priest-cleared-of-sexual-abuse-allegations-returns/article_6cb38c6c-ebc8-11ea-be3d-b346255f8faf.html

With Allentown Bishop Alfred Schlert by his side, Father Robert Potts returns to St. Ursula’s Catholic Church in Fountain Hill after being cleared of sexual abuse allegations.

During his first sermon this year, Potts spoke about his time away from the ministry.

“When you are in a situation such as mine, days go by and you wonder is there light at the end of the tunnel?”

Potts told parishioners at times he felt very alone, “but you realize that God is with you every step along the way.”

Potts continued, “a shepherd has come home to his flock.”

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Indian archbishop calls priest’s accusations of mismanagement ‘baseless’

MUMBAI (INDIA)
Crux

August 28, 2020

By Nirmala Carvalho

An archbishop in India has called accusations by a priest of his archdiocese “baseless, concocted and lack[ing] authenticity.”

Archbishop John Barwa of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar was responding to a letter published by Father Kulakanta Dandasena on Nastik Nation, an website promoting atheism in India.

In his letter, Dandasena accuses the archdiocese of financial mismanagement and discrimination against clergy from a Dalit background – the lowest class in the Hindu caste system – and the priest makes allegations that the archbishop is involved in a “scandalous” relationship with a woman.

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Volunteer At 2 Aliso Viejo Churches Accused Of Molesting Girl Since 2010

LOS ANGELES (CA)
KCAL-TV, Channel 9

August 27, 2020

A Mission Viejo man who volunteered at two Aliso Viejo churches has been arrested on suspicion of molesting an underage girl, and investigators believe he may have more victims.

Jose Andres Lopez, 67, was arrested after the victim reported the sexual assault on Sunday. The victim told Orange County sheriff’s investigators she was familiar with Lopez and was 10 years old when the molestation began in 2010.

According to authorities, Lopez was a volunteer pastor at Pacific Hills Calvary Chapel in Aliso Viejo between 2003-2005.

An additional victim who has just come forward told CBSLA’s Michele Gile that oftentimes Lopez would bring children back home following church events.

Authorities say Lopez had been volunteering at Compass Bible Church in Aliso Viejo since 2012.

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Former Havelock commissioner, Catholic school coach convicted on child porn charges

NORTH CAROLINA
WITN / WRAL-TV

August 28, 2020

A former Havelock city commissioner was convicted on child pornography charges this week.

Peter Van Vilet, 42, of 1415 Scotch Pine Court, was arrested by the State Bureau of Investigations in December and charged with 12 counts of second degree sexual exploitation of a minor. He was convicted on these charges and registered on the state sex offender registry.

The SBI found computer video files of children, some possibly as young as two years old, engaged in various sex acts with other children as well as adults, according to arrest warrants obtained by WITN.

He was a commissioner until 2014. Vilet coached cross country, youth lacrosse and junior varsity basketball at Annunciation Catholic School. He hasn’t coached there since March 2019, officials told WITN.

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Child Victims Act lawsuit says student was victim of sexual misconduct at Chenango Forks

NEW YORK
Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin via PressConnects.com

August 31, 2020

By Anthony Borrelli

A teacher and a janitor who worked in the Chenango Forks Central School District during the 1980s are accused in a Child Victims Act lawsuit of separate instances of sexual misconduct against a female student.

The complaint also claims a pastor at the girl’s church tried to persuade her to drop her accusation against the janitor, who attended the same church, saying her accusation “could not be true.”

A lawsuit filed Aug. 15 in the state Supreme Court of Broome County on behalf of a woman who was about 17 when she attended high school at Chenango Forks in 1986, claims her social studies teacher, Richard Russ, engaged in sexual misconduct against her. It allegedly began after he’d invite her to his classroom for study halls or to work on projects after school.

Much like other lawsuits under the Child Victims Act, the Aug. 15 complaint argues the defendants, in this case the school district and the church, should’ve taken action once told about alleged sexual misconduct. The lawsuit, which names the Chenango Forks Central School District and Central Baptist Church as defendants, argues that didn’t happen.

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‘Our lives were in his hands’: Boys recount sexual abuse by ‘night bat’

INDONESIA
The Jakarta Post

August 30, 2020

By Margareth S. Aritonang

It was an hour past midnight on Sept. 9, 2019, when Joni, a teenage boy living in an orphanage, was awakened by what he described as a “painful feeling” on his genitals. When he opened his eyes, he beheld a nightmare.

“He was there. He was shocked,” Joni said. “I put on my pants and chased him down the stairs.”

“’What did you do to me, Brother? Why did you pull [my pants] down?’”

Recalling the horror of that night, Joni, who has chosen to use a pseudonym to protect his identity, explained how he confronted Lukas Lucky Ngalngola, the director of Joni’s orphanage, whom the boys referred to as the “night bat”. He said Lukas begged for forgiveness for “making a mistake” and got to his knees and kissed Joni’s feet.

Joni, who was 19 years old at the time, did not know what to do next with Lukas, or Brother Angelo as he styled himself. Joni wanted to hit Angelo, his sole guardian and the head of the Kencana Bejana Rohani orphanage in Depok, West Java, where Joni and dozens of other children lived under Angelo’s care.

But Joni could not think straight.

“I rushed to the chapel. I asked God to forgive my sin and his.”

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Opinion: Catholic priest says he was silenced by the church for speaking out on abuse

New Jersey
Star-Ledger

August 30, 2020

By Mark White

This spring, I received a letter from my boss ordering me to take down my blog or lose my job.

Workers all over the country have found themselves in this kind of situation. But I may yet become the first Catholic priest removed for blogging.

Until recently, I was the pastor of two parishes in southwest Virginia, one in Martinsville and the other in Rocky Mount. I love my work and my community of some 800 families. I began blogging in 2008 as an additional way of reaching the faithful. For the first decade, my digital homilies and musings attracted little attention outside my parishes.

In 2018, though, like many Catholics, I was shaken when news emerged of sexual abuse by Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the archbishop of Washington.

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Reflections on a Career Spent Advocating for Childhood Abuse Survivors

UNITED STATES
LegalExaminer.com (law firm blog)

August 30, 2020

By Joseph H. Saunders

Recently a confluence of events has led me to reflect upon a significant area of my work as a lawyer. For the last two decades, I have represented and advocated for survivors of childhood sexual abuse-whether they survived abuse from a Catholic priest, minister, rabbi, or Boy Scout leader. It is difficult work not only because many states still have antiquated statutes of limitations that frustrate a survivors’ quest for justice but also because of the tremendous suffering I’ve witnessed in those two decades.

The sexual abuse of a child leaves emotional and psychological scars that can last a lifetime. I believe it forever alters the way in which a survivor interacts with the world and with others. Many survivors turn to alcohol and drugs to mask the pain and suffering. Others have been alienated from family and significant others well into adulthood. Sadly, a small number become abusers themselves. This is not a common occurrence but it happens and inevitably leads to further alienation from friends, family, and society in general. Even some attorneys refuse to represent those who themselves have abused others. It is not an easy issue but I believe mercy and compassion should trump any feelings of moral superiority on my part. The simple fact is that we are all broken. Some are more broken than others but each person deserves our understanding and assistance when we can provide it.

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Auction held at home of late priest who lived like a prince

MICHIGAN
Associated Press

August 29, 2020

An auction was held Saturday at the Lansing-area mansion of a Catholic priest who was accused of embezzling millions of dollars before he died in March while awaiting trial.

There were nearly 1,000 items for sale, including about 100 pieces of furniture from the six-bedroom home, the Lansing State Journal reported.

“It’s about four sales in one with the amount of stuff that’s out here,” auctioneer Mel White said.

The Rev. Jonathan Wehrle was pastor at St. Martha Church in Okemos.

He lived in a 12,000-square-foot mansion in Wheatfield Township, near Williamston, which included an indoor pool, an elevator, baby grand pianos, a pipe organ, three sets of washers and dryers and enough kitchen supplies to outfit a restaurant, the newspaper reported.

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Big payout for a woman abused by a ‘popular playboy priest’

CANADA
Freethinker via Patheos.com (blog)

August 29, 2020

By Barry Duke

A LAWSUIT filed almost four years ago against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kamloops in British Columbia ended this week with the victim of an abusive priest being awarded more than $800,000.

According to this report, Archbishop Emeritus Adam Exner, above right, had ample evidence that Father Erlindo Molon, left, was taking advantage of his female parishioners.

But he chose to turn a blind eye to the sexual misconduct of the man he described as “popular” and a “playboy priest” who told him “I’m only human” when his predatory behaviour was challenged.

One of Molon’s victims was a young teacher named Rosemary Anderson, and it was she who sued the diocese in 2016. The case ended with her being awarded $844,14 by BC Supreme Court judge, Justice E David Crossin, who said:

The diocese failed the plaintiff profoundly in a moment of great need. Bishop Exner was aware of troubling rumours about Fr Molon as early as the spring of 1976.

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Diocese of Greensburg host virtual farewell mass for local bishop

GREENSBURG (PA)
WTAE-TV

August 30, 2020

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg is hosting a virtual farewell mass for local bishop, Edward Malesic.

The mass will be live-streamed as a COVID-19 safety measure and will start at 3 p.m. Sunday afternoon.

Malesic spent five years as a bishop of the Diocese of Greensburg, and is now heading to Cleveland’s diocese.

During his time at the Diocese of Greensburg, Bishop Malesic helped lead through the grand jury findings on clergy sex abuse, the opioid crisis, financial hardships and the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Greensburg Bishop Malesic bids farewell to diocese

GREENSBURG (PA)
TribLive.com

August 30, 2020

By Rich Cholodofsky

It was five years ago that Bishop Edward C. Malesic celebrated Mass at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Greensburg to formally take the reins of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg.

On Sunday, Malesic, 60, again presided over Mass at the cathedral, but this time it was to bid farewell to his flock of 138,000 Roman Catholics.

Malesic will be installed Sept. 14 as bishop for the Diocese of Cleveland.

“It’s not that I am not excited about going to Cleveland,” Malesic said in his closing homily. “Truthfully, I am. It’s another new adventure for me. So for those of you watching from Cleveland, I am coming to you with great joy. There’s no mistake about that. But the heavy heart comes from having to say goodbye to a diocese that I have called my home, and made my home, for these last five years and to bid farewell to people I have come to know as my friends.”

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August 30, 2020

St. Mary’s sex-assault victims speak out

LAWRENCE (MA)
Lawrence Eagle-Tribune

August 29, 2020

By Breanna Edelstei

Women are among 11 in $1.4M Catholic church settlement

Two women who were sexually abused by the Rev. John J. Gallagher in the 1970s are speaking publicly — for the first time — about their childhood trauma with the hope of empowering other survivors and themselves.

The women, one who chooses to be named and another who does not, are among 11 people — 10 women and a man — represented by Boston Attorney Mitchell Garabedian in a joint lawsuit against the Catholic Church resolved earlier this year with a $1.4 million settlement.

In conversations with The Eagle-Tribune Thursday and Friday, the victims described sexual abuse that happened to them and others when Gallagher was assigned to St. Mary’s Church in Lawrence and the associated parish school from 1972 to 1979.

They also described the aftermath: sadness, anger, fear — the gamut of emotions — and alienation from their church.

“He taught us terror,” said the unnamed victim, who estimates Gallagher abused her hundreds of times from when she was 9 until she graduated from middle school.

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Lawsuit alleges sex-abuse at community residence overseen by Mount Loretto

STATEN ISLAND (NY)
Staten Island Advance

August 29, 2020

By Maura Grunlund

A boy was sexually abused decades ago in a community residence overseen by the Mission of the Immaculate Virgin at Mount Loretto, a new lawsuit alleges.

The boy revealed some of the abuse to a doctor and priest at Mt. Loretto during the time period when he was being sexually assaulted in the early 1980s, but the charity took no action to protect the victim, who eventually left the home and ended up living on the streets, the filing alleges.

The Archdiocese of New York and Catholic Charities of Staten Island are named as defendants in the suit, which was filed on Aug. 20 in state Supreme Court, St. George, on behalf of the anonymous victim.

“He is a survivor of abuse,” said attorney Bradley Rice, who represents the plaintiff. “It has had a profound impact on his life throughout his entire life.”

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Report reveals young order’s passion for safeguarding

AUSTRALIA
Catholic Weekly

August 30, 2020

Safeguarding steps no ‘tick-the-box exercise’ for MGLs

A young Aussie religious institute has revealed a strong culture of safeguarding following an independent audit by Catholic Professional Standards Ltd.

The report released on 19 August found that the Missionaries of God’s Love had either implemented or was substantially progressed in the implementation of all 108 (100 per cent) of the indicators relevant to them under the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards.

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Ex-priest is accused of abusing 4 kids. Monett woman says church ignored her pleas

SPRINGFIELD (MO)
Springfield News-Leader

August 29, 2020

By Harrison Keegan

For at least the past 16 years, Elizabeth Mangler has kept a file saved on her computer:

“FatherGaryCarr.doc.”

Mangler, 59, had a feeling that some day a man would come forward and accuse Father Gary Carr of child sexual abuse.

And she wanted people to know that in Monett, they tried to stop him.

“We did follow the best chain of command the Catholic Church has to offer,” Mangler said.

And she’s got the receipts.

This year, four men have come forward and accused Carr, 66, of sexually abusing them when they were kids.

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Monks leave their home of 200 years due to abbey’s former connection to school investigated for child sexual abuse

SOMERSET (ENGLAND)
CambridgeshireLive.com

August 30, 20

By Charlotte Penketh-King and Daniel Smith

Monks living at an abbey previously associated with a school investigated for child sexual abuse have decided to leave their home of over 200 years following the scandal.

Downside Abbey was formerly affiliated with Downside School in Stratton-on-the-Fosse, Somerset, before the school and abbey separated in September 2019.

The separation followed the school being highlighted in an independent inquiry into child sexual abuse where it was found ‘appalling abuse’ was inflicted upon pupils.

Both Downside School and Ampleforth School in North Yorkshire were accused of trying to cover up allegations of abuse to protect their reputation.

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[News Release] Father Robert Potts restored to ministry

ALLENTOWN (PA)
Diocese of Allentown

August 27, 2020

Father Robert J. Potts, Pastor of St. Ursula Church, Fountain Hill, has been returned to ministry after being cleared of all allegations following a 10-month inquiry conducted by independent investigators.

Father Potts will celebrate Masses at St. Ursula’s this weekend.

The allegation against Father Potts was received by the Washington, D.C., administrators of the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program, who then notified the Diocese.

On the day the Diocese was notified of the complaint, Bishop Alfred Schlert removed Father Potts from ministry and directed that law enforcement be notified. The Diocese had no knowledge of the complaint before being notified of it.

The person who made the allegation told the Compensation Fund Administrators that Father Potts sexually abused him in the 1980s and early 1990s, when Father Potts, now 83, was pastor of the former St. George Parish, Shenandoah.

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Finalizó el juicio canónico al cura denunciado por abusos sexuales

[The Vatican removed the clerical state of the priesthood from Emilio Lamas]

SALTA (ARGENTINA)
Pagina12.com

August 29, 2020

Finalizó el juicio canónico al cura denunciado por abusos sexuales

El Arzobispado de Salta dio a conocer que encontraron al religioso culpable de las violaciones y que la sentencia ya es definitiva e inapelable.

[GOOGLE TRANSLATION: The canonical trial of the priest denounced for sexual abuse has ended

The Archbishopric of Salta announced that they found the religious guilty of the violations and that the sentence is now final and unappealable.]

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Avanza la investigación contra el cura denunciado por abuso sexual en un colegio de La Plata

[The investigation against the priest reported for sexual abuse in a school in La Plata advances]

LA PLATA (ARGENTINA)
Clarín

August 28, 2020

https://www.msn.com/es-ar/noticias/argentina/avanza-la-investigaci%C3%B3n-contra-el-cura-denunciado-por-abuso-sexual-en-un-colegio-de-la-plata/ar-BB18sRkX?li=BBOLz0c

Mientras esperan que la Justicia platense comience a mover el expediente de la denuncia contra el sacerdote acusado de abuso en un colegio de La Plata, familiares y ex alumnos que asistieron a ese instituto hicieron pública una carta que aporta detalles de los hechos que le imputan al religioso. La difusión de la denuncia derivó en un pedido del Arzobispo de La Plata, Víctor Fernández, para que el sospechado “no tenga contacto con menores” en sus actividades en Misiones, el nuevo destino donde fue derivado por la conducción eclesiástica.

[GOOGLE TRANSLATION: While they wait for the Justice of La Plata to begin to move the file of the complaint against the priest accused of abuse in a school in La Plata, relatives and former students who attended that institute made public a letter that provides details of the facts that are attributed to the religious. The dissemination of the complaint led to a request from the Archbishop of La Plata , Víctor Fernández, so that the suspect “does not have contact with minors” in his activities in Misiones, the new destination where he was referred by the ecclesiastical leadership.]

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August 29, 2020

Lawsuit says St. Louis priest abused boy in 1980s

ST. LOUIS (MO)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

August 28, 2020

By Robert Patrick

A federal lawsuit says the Archdiocese of St. Louis has failed to remove a De Soto priest who has had four accusations of sexual abuse against him.

A man identified in the suit only as John Doe contends the Rev. Alexander R. Anderson sexually abused him as a boy in the late 1980s at St. Joseph’s Home for Boys in St. Louis, where Doe was living at the time and Anderson was chaplain.

Anderson fondled Doe and later took him to his den for what the children called “late night with Father,” where “the touching became discussions of masturbation” and forced sexual acts, the suit says.

In a statement, officials with the archdiocese said a “third-party independent investigative team” found the allegations against Anderson “to be without merit. Fr. Anderson has denied the allegations, and the Archdiocese of St. Louis supports Fr. Anderson in defending himself against false allegations,” the statement said.

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Vatican told whistleblower priest to be a hostile witness: friend

SYDNEY (AUSTRALIA)
Sydney Morning Herald

August 28, 2020

By Harriet Alexander

Whistleblower priest Father Glen Walsh told his next-door neighbour that the Vatican had instructed him to be a hostile witness when he was called to testify against an Archbishop accused of concealing crimes of sexual abuse.

Neighbour Jamie Hay said he chatted to Father Walsh in October 2017, about 10 days before he took his life and three weeks before the Archbishop’s trial was due to begin. Father Walsh was expecting a visit from a senior member of the clergy, who he planned to take to task over the number of paedophile priests being housed by the Catholic Church.

The conversation turned to his disillusionment with the church over its handling of sexual abuse claims and Father Walsh told Mr Hay that he had met with the Pope about the upcoming trial of Archbishop Philip Wilson, in which he was due to testify for the prosecution.

“He didn’t name anyone in particular, but he said the expectation from Rome was, they didn’t ask him but they said, ‘You will be a hostile witness’,” Mr Hay said. “He was a really devoted servant of the Catholic Church and it was heartbreaking.”

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Oblates clear former St. Mary’s priest of wrongdoing

ADRIAN (MI)
Adrian Daily Telegram

August 28, 2020

By Spencer Durham

A priest accused of financial impropriety has been cleared after two accounting reviews revealed no evidence of wrongdoing, according to the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales.

Rev. Jack Loughran, provincial superior of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, Toledo-Detroit Province, issued a bulletin to the parishioners of Holy Family Catholic Parish in Adrian that said the allegations of financial wrongdoing by the Rev. William Auth were unfounded.

Auth was once an assistant pastor at St. Mary of Good Counsel Church in Adrian. He served in various roles in the church in the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s. He was a temporary administrator at St. Mary in 1986 and served in the role until 1991.

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Allentown priest cleared of abuse allegations

ALLENTOWN (PA)
Times-News

August 28, 2020

An Allentown Diocese priest who had Carbon and Schuylkill County ties was returned to ministry after being cleared of all allegations following a 10-month inquiry conducted by independent investigators.

The diocese announced that the Rev. Robert J. Potts, pastor of St. Ursula Church, Fountain Hill, has returned to ministry and will celebrate Masses at St. Ursula’s this weekend.

Potts had been accused last year of sexually abusing a minor in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The allegation was received by the Washington, D.C., administrators of the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program, who then notified the diocese.

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Bishop’s Stortford law firm Nockolds appeals for victims of paedeophile priest Michael Studdert to claim compensation from £4.7m estate

BISHOP’S STORTFORD, ENGLAND
Bishop’ Stortford Independent

August 28, 2020

By Sinead Corr

https://www.bishopsstortfordindependent.co.uk/news/nockolds-appeal-for-victims-of-dead-stortford-paedophile-to-claim-from-4-7m-estate-9121200/

A Bishop’s Stortord law firm is co-ordinating the international search for victims of a paedophile priest who lived in the town.

Michael Studdert is suspected of carrying out sex attacks on children in England, Wales, Italy, Poland and Denmark. Nockolds Solicitors is appealing for them to come forward and claim compensation from his estate of £4,717,515.

Studdert, who lived at The Wraglings, off Beldams Lane, made his will in February 2016, 18 months before he died “peacefully” in August 2017 and left the bulk of his assets to EAC Educational Trust. He was 78.

The former priest, Anglican minister and school chaplain set up the fund in 1985 “to relieve poverty and to advance education for the benefit of the public and particularly amongst the families of clergy of the Church of England, single-parent families and other poor families”.

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‘Angry because he was in love’: Outspoken Archbishop Oscar Cruz laid to rest

MANILA (PHILIPPINES)
ABS-CBN News

August 28, 2020

By Erik Tenedero

Archbishop Oscar Cruz, one of the strongest voices in the Philippine Catholic Church, was laid to rest on Friday in Dagupan City, where he served as metropolitan archbishop for almost two decades.

At the funeral mass at Saint John the Evangelist Cathedral, Archbishop Socrates Villegas paid tribute to his predecessor, calling him a saint who constantly sought a better Church and a better society for the people.

“He was a saint who rallied with us and joined us in picket lines against illegal gambling and prostitution, championing social justice and the rights of women,” Villegas said.

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Delaware church’s youth leader faces over 80 counts of sex abuse

UNITED STATES
Patheos (blog)

August 28, 2020

By Barry Duke

FURTHER proof that no youngster is ever safe in a religious environment comes from Delaware, where John C Sapp Jr, 34, has been indicted on more than 80 counts of sex abuse arising from sexual relationships he had with two teenage girls who attended his youth group.

Sapp, above, who served as a youth leader at Maranatha Fellowship of Dover, was indicted following a confession to his pastor in February.

A spokesman for Delaware’s Department of Justice revealed this week that the charges include 33 counts of unlawful sexual contact second degree, 29 counts of sexual abuse of a child by a person of trust first degree, 13 counts of rape fourth degree sexual intercourse victim less than 18 years old, and seven counts of rape fourth degree sexual penetration of another person without consent.

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‘Tell me why’ reckons with the dark side of Filipino Catholicism

UNITED STATES
Inverse.com

August 28, 2020

By Eric Francisco

Dontnod’s newest game nimbly explores the church’s deep roots in Filipino-American culture.

It wasn’t so dramatic when I left my faith.

12 years of Catholic education simply took its toll, leaving me with confusion, apathy, and fatigue instead of fulfillment. Rampant abuse throughout the church and the unrelenting persecution of LGBTQ communities made leaving easy. I just woke up one day and decided it wasn’t for me.

What I can’t change is my ethnicity. I am the American child of Filipino immigrants. Not unlike Irish and Italian families, Catholicism is rooted in the Filipino way of life. Ask any of us: Leonardo’s The Last Supper triggers memories of the family dining room. (Growing up, I was extra careful to not knock over one of these with a plastic lightsaber.)

When you’re Filipino, “leaving” Catholicism doesn’t mean the cultural values and expectations of Catholicism leave you. That infamous Catholic guilt manifests differently when mixed with filial piety. The possibility of disappointing parents who raised you triggers anxiety as you prioritize their satisfaction over your independence and well-being. Throw in “God is watching” and you have is a deadly cocktail of shame, emotional paralysis, and an inability to move past mistakes.

Which is why I’m so awed over a new video game that accurately depicts the toxicity of these values in a distinctly Filipino way and presents them as an opportunity for tolerance, forgiveness, and change.

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Abused and frightened, orphanage boys cry for help but the state, church fail them

INDONESIA
The Jakarta Post

August 28, 2020

By Margareth S. Aritonang and Evi Mariani

[PHOTO: The Depok Police investigation in September appeared to set itself up for failure from the beginning. Even though Angelo made a documented confession that he had molested some of the boys, the police said they could not bring Angelo to court. The police said the prosecutor’s office wanted them to add more statements from the victims and witnesses but they could not find the three boys who had made the original police reports. ]

A proverb says that it takes a village to raise a child but oftentimes, it takes only a person to ruin a child’s life and in Depok, West Java, a whole community of powerful adults seems to have abandoned children who were allegedly molested in a locally run Catholic orphanage.

Far away from their parents, with no one to look after them except for the head of the orphanage, known as Brother Angelo Ngalngola, the alleged molester himself, the children cried out for help. A collaborative team between The Jakarta Post and Tirto.id has uncovered facts that confirm that both the state and the Catholic Church heard the boys’ cries but washed their hands of them, allowing the suspect to walk free from police detention to celebrate Christmas, and a few months later set up a new orphanage and live among vulnerable boys again.

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William Segodisho joins Afternoon Drive to explain how he is doing two years after a Catholic priest apologised for sexual abuse.

SOUTH AFRICA
702 Radio, Johannesburg – FM 92.7 and FM 106

August 29, 2020

“It hasn’t been an easy road for me it was a matter of principle after so many years of not being believed and knocking on closed doors with no one wanting to give me an ear.”

“At the end of it all I think justice was done and I stand as proof to all other victims out there that as long as you know what you are saying is the truth, justice will triumph over evil.”

William Segodisho, Survivor

William Segodisho joined the Afternoon Drive to explain how he felt after former Catholic priest Father William MacCurtain issued an apology in which [he] acknowledged allegations of sexual abuse.

Segodisho was the first South African to accuse a Catholic priest of molestation when he spoke of his abuse at the hands of a British Catholic priest, who was based in South Africa during the 1980s and 1990s, at a media briefing in Rosebank, Johannesburg on 9 October 2018.

Segodisho says he could not have spoken out if it was not for his attorney, the media and the need for him to tell the truth so that something could be done. He added that the church has sent him a letter revealing that they are taking charge of sexual abuse cases that are happening within the church.

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Class-action lawsuit claims systemic negligence by archdiocese

VANCOUVER (BRITISH COLUMBIA)
B.C. Catholic

August 29, 2020

By Agnieszka Ruck

Although the Archdiocese of Vancouver isn’t commenting on a proposed class-action lawsuit, a statement says it hopes “the attendant publicity will help give any other victims/survivors the confidence to come forward and get the help they deserve.”

A proposed class-action lawsuit filed against the Archdiocese of Vancouver claims the archdiocese was “systematically negligent” in protecting parishioners from abuse by clergy.

“The Archdiocese was aware of the abuse and allowed the abuse to continue. The Archdiocese was also complicit in silencing survivors, who were required to take oaths of secrecy when making complaints to the Archdiocese,” the claim states.

The plaintiff, a woman identified as K.S. in court documents, alleged she was abused by a priest at St. Francis of Assisi Parish when she was about 11 years old. The documents say she has had no contact with her abuser since elementary school and “remains terrified of priests and the power of the Archdiocese.”

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Opinion: David Shoebridge’s request for an inquest into Father Glen Walsh and other Catholic suicides deserves support

NEWCASTLE (AUSTRALIA)
Newcastle Herald

August 29, 2020

https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/6900595/david-shoebridges-request-for-an-inquest-into-father-glen-walsh-and-other-catholic-suicides-deserves-support/?cs=12

AS foreshadowed last week in the Newcastle Herald, Greens MLC David Shoebridge has written formally to the NSW Coroner, Teresa O’Sullivan, and the Attorney General, Mark Speakman, seeking a coronial inquest into the death of Catholic priest Father Glen Walsh, as well as a broader investigation into dozens of suicides, overdoses and other deaths by misadventure of boys and men from the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle.

This is a call that the Herald supports without qualification.

It is also a call the diocese says it supports, having posted a statement on its website yesterday, “welcoming a police inquiry into the tragic suicide” of Father Walsh.

At the same time, however, the diocese says that “as stated previously, (it) does not believe there is substantive gain to be had from further judicial inquiries”.

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August 28, 2020

Antecedentes del cura abusador Sidders: las denuncias en el Inadi

LA PLATA (ARGENTINA)
Prensa Obrera [Buenos Aires, Argentina]

August 28, 2020

By Julieta Rosas

Read original article

Misoginia, discriminación y fascismo en el colegio y en la TV.

Los múltiples testimonios de exalumnos del colegio San Vicente de Paúl de La Plata sobre los abusos y violencias cometidas por el cura abusador Raúl Anatoly Sidders, que proliferaron en las últimas semanas a partir de la publicación en Prensa Obrera de la experiencia de Ana, madre de un estudiante, tienen sus antecedentes. Nos referimos a las denuncias radicadas en el Inadi hace ocho años contra el sacerdote por utilizar expresiones de “violencia simbólica y mediática” en un programa de televisión que conducía.

Durante 2011 y 2012 el Arzobispado de La Plata emitió un programa de TV local llamado “Ave María Purísima” bajo la conducción de Sidders, y la participación de alumnos del colegio platense que actuaban de público en vivo. A partir de las graves declaraciones brindadas por el conductor al calificar de “loquitas”, “chirusas” y “yeguas” a las mujeres movilizadas en la ciudad contra la violencia de género y para reclamar por la legalización del aborto, Marta Úngaro (hermana de Horacio, desaparecido en la Noche de los Lápices), Adelina Alaye (madre de Plaza de Mayo) y Julián Axat (defensor penal juvenil) presentaron una denuncia en el Inadi por discriminación y manipulación televisiva, y solicitaron al canal Somos La Plata a cesar con la transmisión.

“Su programa lo pescamos de casualidad. Mi hijo estaba mirando tele y me dijo: mamá escuchá lo que está diciendo este tipo”, contó Marta Ungaro. “Decía barbaridades como que debían llamar Massera a una plaza. Pero lo que más nos indignó es que lo haga utilizando chicos”, agregó.

“Todos los sábados aparecía este hombre, Sidders, hablándole a niños y a adolescentes que estaban en el programa, con un discurso homofóbico y misógino, hablaba contra las mujeres en general, con un discurso digno de violencia de género, patriarcal y discriminador, absolutamente discriminador. Esos estereotipos discriminadores se reproducían y se difundían por televisión. Entonces hicimos una presentación en el Inadi, que sacó una resolución llamando la atención al canal de La Plata observando que tenía que levantar o cambiar esos contenidos discriminatorios”, manifestó Julian Axat.

Inmediatamente el Arzobispado platense sacó del aire el programa y se borraron todos los registros que se encontraban en YouTube. Afortunadamente un medio platense grabó un fragmento del programa, breve pero contundente, para que el Inadi pueda dictaminar que Sidders tuvo expresiones discriminatorias hacia las mujeres, cargadas de “violencia simbólica y mediática”, constituyendo una “práctica contraria a los principios fundantes de la democracia”.

Axat también expresó que “el cura en ese entonces venía de Neuquén, donde había estado prestando servicio como cura en el Servicio Penitenciario Federal y había sido denunciado allá. Fue asignado por (Héctor) Aguer como docente en el San Vicente de Paul, colegio privado católico, ya que Sidders era un protegido del entonces arzobispo de La Plata. Ahí también algunos padres habían denunciado al cura porque enseñaba a los menores de edad contenidos homofóbicos, discriminadores, sobretodo siempre haciendo hincapié en el tema de las mujeres como de un rango inferior a los hombres. Hablaba del Che Guevara como un terrorista, me acuerdo que uno de los contenidos era la subversión, y seguía con ese discurso vinculado al terrorismo de Estado”.

Otro hecho que ocasionó denuncias por parte de padres y madres de niños y niñas que participaban del programa televisivo fue que Chinda Brandolino, la médica legista pro aborto clandestino que se desempeñaba como columnista en “Ave María Purísima”, mostró al aire un video de una práctica de aborto a ñiñes de tercer grado.

Las repudiables y discriminatorias declaraciones que el cura daba en su programa de televisión se repetían hacia las alumnas del colegio confesional de La Plata. “Gatos” era uno de los calificativos más utilizados por Sidders al referirse a las estudiantes de la institución, algo que era naturalizado por las autoridades del colegio. Más aún, a pesar de estas denuncias Sidders no fue separado de su cargo eclesiástico, y continuó con sus expresiones misóginas y fascistas en el Colegio San Vicente de Paul.

El caso Sidders es todo un testimonio de la necesidad de avanzar en la  separación de la Iglesia del Estado. ¡Justicia para las víctimas del cura abusador!

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Diocese of Greensburg announces ‘credible and substantiated’ child sex abuse allegations against priest

GREENSBURG (PA)
Latrobe Bulletin

August 28, 2020

By Greg Reinbold

The Diocese of Greensburg on Wednesday announced that a priest convicted of stealing money from a South Huntingdon Township church has been added to a list of clergy who have had “credible and substantiated” allegations of child sexual abuse lodged against them.

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Lawsuit claims former priest sexually abused minor at St. Mary’s in Dansville

DANSVILLE (NY)
Livingston County News

August 28, 2020

By Matt Leader

A new lawsuit details acts of sexual assault and rape former Catholic priest Eugene Emo is accused of perpetrating against a child at St. Mary’s Church in the late 1960s.

Emo’s victim, who is identified in court records only as “SWRO 1 Doe,” was 17 years old in 1968 when he told Emo during confession that he had been sexually abused by some “neighborhood boys.” Emo told Doe to go up to his bedroom in the church rectory so the two could “pray together in peace.” Once there, Emo instructed Doe to touch him sexually.

The abuse continued in this manner for a period of about four months, according to court documents. One time, Emo raped Doe in his rectory bedroom. Another time, Doe was attending a wedding at St. Mary’s when Emo took him into the vestibule and told Doe to perform oral sex on him, according to court documents.

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Priest Convicted of Theft Also a Credible Child Abuser According to Diocese of Greensburg

GREENSBURG (PA)
SNAP Network

August 27, 2020

A priest from the Diocese of Greensburg who was previously convicted of theft is also a “credibly accused” child abuser, according to church officials. We call on Bishop Edward Malesic to personally visit each parish where this priest worked, urging others who may have been hurt by him to come forward to local law enforcement.

Church officials were first informed of sex abuse allegations against Fr. Emil Payer in 2018 yet for some reason waited for two years to make those allegations public. We cannot understand why the Diocese of Greensburg waited so long to disclose these allegations but cannot help but notice that Bishop Malesic waited until he had one foot out the door to warn the public about Fr. Payer. We hope that parishioners at Greensburg churches will demand answers from their pastors and bishop about this obvious lack of transparency.

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Greensburg Priest Charged with Sexual Abuse is 54th Cleric since 2018 Grand Jury Report to be Outed as a Perpetrator

GREENSBURG (PA)
SNAP Network

August 27, 2020

A Catholic priest from the Diocese of Greensburg was arrested and charged for sexually assaulting an altar boy in 2004, making him the 54th priest since the 2018 Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report to be outed as an abuser. These revelations would never have happened if it were not for the work done by A.G. Josh Shapiro. We call on attorneys general in every other state to follow in his footsteps and make tangible progress towards keeping children and vulnerable adults safer.

Fr. Andrew Kawecki is accused of abusing an 11-year-old altar boy at St. Cyril and Methodius Church in Fairchance, Pennsylvania. Despite consistent rhetoric from Catholic officials that the sexual abuse scandal is a thing of the past, it is clear that the claim is not true. In Pennsylvania, there has been an 18% increase in the number of “outed” perpetrators since the grand jury report was released.

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Former Liberty University Student Allegedly Had a ‘Sexual Encounter’ with Becki Falwell

LYNCHBURG (VA)
Jezebel

August 27, 2020

By Justice Namaste

Mere days after allegations came out that the now-former president of Liberty University Jerry Falwell Jr. and his wife Becki Falwell were involved in a long-standing affair with their business partner Giancarlo Granda, Politico is reporting that a former Liberty University student has come forward to allege that he had a “sexual encounter” with Becki Falwell back in 2008.

The former student, who has chosen to remain anonymous, claims that he first met Becki at the age of 22 when he was attending Liberty University, and the Falwells’ eldest son Trey joined his band. Although Trey was several years younger than the other band members, he was a talented guitarist, and the Falwells allowed the band to practice in an abandoned church next to the family home in Goode, Virginia. The student and other members of the band recall when Becki began showing up at their rehearsals, offering them snacks but then staying to watch them practice.

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Un prêtre catholique américain accusé d’avoir agressé sexuellement un jeune garçon aux Cayes

[American Catholic priest accused of sexually assaulting young boy in Les Cayes]

HAITI
Ayibo Post

August 26, 2020

La victime n’avait que douze ans, à l’époque des faits

[The victim was only twelve years old at the material time]

Un prêtre catholique américain est accusé d’avoir violé en 2009 un jeune homme haïtien âgé de douze ans à l’époque des faits dans un orphelinat aux Cayes. Le 25 septembre prochain, le père Marc Roméo Boisvert qui vit aux États-Unis doit se présenter devant un tribunal de la juridiction des Cayes pour répondre aux questions de la justice dans le cadre de cette affaire.

[GOOGLE TRANSLATION: An American Catholic priest is accused of having raped in 2009 a young Haitian man aged twelve at the time of the facts in an orphanage in Les Cayes. On September 25, Father Marc Roméo Boisvert, who lives in the United States, must appear before a court in the jurisdiction of Les Cayes to answer questions from the courts in the context of this case.]

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11 victims who claim Lawrence priest sexually abused them settle for $1.4M: Mitchell Garabedian

LAWRENCE (MA)
Boston Herald

August 27, 2020

By Rick Sobey

The victims were 8 to 14 years old when the abuse happened, the lawyer said

11 victims who claim Lawrence priest sexually abused them settle for $1.4M: Mitchell Garabedian

A Catholic order has agreed to pay nearly $1.4 million to 11 “courageous” clergy sexual abuse victims who claimed that a Lawrence priest abused them in the 1970s, their lawyer announced on Thursday.

Boston attorney Mitchell Garabedian, who specializes in sexual abuse cases, said he settled the clergy sexual abuse claims with the Augustinian Order in February for a total amount of $1,375,000.

The 10 women and one man — now in their 50s — claimed that Father John J. Gallagher sexually abused them at St. Mary’s School in Lawrence, where they were students.

Gallagher, who died in 2006, was also previously accused of abusing three women when they were children at the Lawrence parish — which led to a $1 million settlement in 2018.

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Court: Church must pay $844K to victim of sex abuse by Filipino priest

BRITISH COLUMBIA (CANADA)
Inquirer.Net (Philippines)

August 27, 2020

By Teodoro ‘Ted’ Alcuitas

The Kamloops Roman Catholic Diocese must pay a priest’s sexual abuse victim $844,140 in damages, a B.C. Supreme Court judge ruled Aug. 25.

Rosemary Anderson, now 70, named Erlindo Molon, now 88, and the Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Kamloops, A Corporation Sole, in her sexual abuse claim, seeking $2.45 million in damages.

Anderson alleged in a Dec. 22, 2016, notice of civil claim that sexual abuse at the hands of Molon started when she was 26.

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Fountain Hill pastor returns to ministry after sex abuse allegation

ALLENTOWN (PA)
LeHighValleyLive.com

August 27, 2020

By Kurt Bresswein

A Roman Catholic priest removed from the ministry last fall has been restored after being cleared of alleged sexual abuse, the Diocese of Allentown said in a news release Thursday.

Father Robert J. Potts, ordained in 1964, is assigned as pastor of St. Ursula Church in Fountain Hill and will celebrate Masses beginning this weekend.

Allentown Bishop Alfred Schlert removed Potts from the ministry and ordered law enforcement be notified last October, on the day the allegation against Potts was received. It came into the Washington, D.C.-based administrators of the diocese’s Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program set up for victims of sexual abuse, and the administrators in turn notified the diocese.

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Survivor of horrific abuse at Fife residential school claims victims will suffer under new financial redress legislation

SCOTLAND
The Courier

August 28 2020

By Aileen Robertson

Survivor of horrific abuse at Fife residential school claims victims will suffer under new financial redress legislation

A man who was brutally abused by priests at a Fife residential school has blasted the Scottish Government’s plans to compensate victims.

The Redress for Survivors (Historical Child Abuse in Care) (Scotland) Bill was introduced last week and if passed in Parliament, would allow victims to apply for payments of up to £80,000.

As a child, Dave Sharp, 61, was repeatedly beaten and raped by members of the Congregation of Christian Brothers at the former St Ninian’s School in Falkland.

He claims the legislation would protect the Catholic church from making compensation payments, while discouraging survivors to come forward.

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47 names of clergy abuse victims part of accidental email leak

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
National Catholic Reporter

August 28, 2020

By Christopher White

A clergy abuse victim who participated in the Philadelphia Archdiocese’s independent compensation program for survivors is alleging that the confidentiality of nearly 50 other victims was compromised when the program administrator mistakenly sent the individual an email in 2019 with the names of participants from another diocese’s program.

Since October 2016, Kenneth Feinberg and Camille Biros, national mediation experts who managed the compensation payouts to victims of the Sept. 11 attacks and the Boston Marathon bombing, have partnered with Catholic dioceses throughout the country to implement voluntary programs where victims pursue their claims outside of court.

Victims whose cases fall outside the statute of limitations are allowed to seek compensation under these programs, which often rely on a lower standard of evidence than court proceedings.

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‘Together we can eliminate abuse’

FIJI
The Fiji Times

August 28, 2020

By Luke Nace

Domestic violence can only be eliminated if there is a collective approach to it, says the head of the Catholic Church in Fiji, Archbishop Peter Loy Chong.

“We believe that together, we can make a change and eliminate domestic violence and sexual abuse,” he said.

Archbishop Loy Chong said the Catholic Church of Fiji, through the Caritas Archdiocese of Suva, conducted a three-day workshop titled “First Responders to Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse”.

He said workshop participants learnt how to establish first responders teams in their respective parishes and communities. He highlighted that the workshop used the “see, judge, act” method which is a tool used to help faith-based organisations respond effectively to social issues.

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The Altar Boys: new questions about suicides of clergy abuse survivors should spark another inquiry

AUSTRALIA
The Conversation

August 27, 2020

By Kathleen McPhillips, Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Science, University of Newcastle. Disclosure statement: Kathleen McPhillips receives funding from the Marist Brothers and the Copley Bequest Foundation.

Investigative journalist Suzie Smith’s new book The Altar Boys is a searing read that raises new questions about the suicides of three former victims of Catholic clergy child sexual abuse.

Smith, a former award-winning ABC journalist, has been covering the clerical abuse crisis in the Maitland-Newcastle diocese for many years. She wrote the book in part to bring new attention to the three victims, whose suicides remain shrouded in mystery, despite two public inquiries.

The Altar Boys recounts the lives — and deaths — of Glen Walsh, Steven Alward and Andrew Nash. All three of them were victims of child sexual abuse by Catholic clerics in the diocese.

Andrew Nash was just 13 years old when he committed suicide in 1974 after being sexually abused at St. Francis Xavier College in Hamilton, NSW. Andrew was in the care of two Marist Brothers who have since been convicted on child sex offences.

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Seminar in Dublin church on Tuam children’s home cancelled due to Covid-19

IRELAND
Irish Times

August 27, 2020

By Patsy McGarry

Topics included ‘False allegations of child abuse against the Catholic Church, including homicide’

A “history seminar” challenging findings of various Commissions of Inquiry into child abuse and planned for Dublin’s University Church on Stephen’s Green next Sunday has been cancelled.

Advertised as a history seminar “with particular reference to the Tuam Children’s Home” likely attendees had been advised to “arrive early as numbers are restricted due to Government Covid-19 restrictions.”

A spokeswoman for Dublin’s Catholic archdiocese said staff at the University Church had “confirmed that the event due to take place this Sunday has been cancelled. Current Government guidance permitting people to gather at places of worship is for religious services only. No other gatherings are permitted.”

The theme of the seminar was: “Do modern Irish historians exaggerate the role of the Catholic Church in independent Ireland” and speakers scheduled to take part included Brian Nugent, author of the book @Tuambabies: A critical look at the Tuam Children’s Home Scandal.

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Opinion: Why my church is done singing David Haas’s songs

UNITED STATES
Christian Century

August 28, 2020

By Melissa Florer-Bixler

It’s not because we don’t believe in grace.

I find myself, from time to time, with a song running through my head:

Rejoice and be glad:
Blessed are you. Holy are you.
Rejoice and be glad:
Yours is the kingdom of God.

This song has anchored me through seasons of catastrophe for people at the margins of power. Its words, from Jesus’ beatitudes, remind me that those who suffer oppression are the bearers of God’s reign.

Now, when I sing “Blest Are They” I catch myself and wince.

The song I find myself humming was written by David Haas, a prolific Catholic songwriter whose influence extends to the Mennonite church I pastor. There are at least five Haas compositions that my church regularly sings as part of worship. Some people in my church refer to these as “heart songs.”

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B.C. court awards teacher abused by Catholic priest $844,000 in damages

VANCOUVER (CANADA)
Canadian Press

August 27, 2020

By Amy Smart

A former elementary school teacher who says she was sexually assaulted by a Roman Catholic priest more than 40 years ago in Kamloops, B.C., has been awarded nearly $850,000 in damages by a judge.

Justice David Crossin of the B.C. Supreme Court says in a decision released Tuesday that Rosemary Anderson was 27 when she began teaching at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in 1976.

It says Anderson sought comfort and solace following the death of her father from Rev. Erlindo Molon, an assistant pastor living in the rectory at the same parish.

The decision says Molon, who was about 20 years her senior, began a sexual relationship with Anderson that was born of a betrayal of trust and perpetuated by an abuse of power.

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Archdiocese of Vancouver covered up systemic abuse, silenced survivors for decades, lawsuit claims

VANCOUVER (CANADA)
CBC NEWS

August 28, 2020

By Rhianna Schmunk

Archdiocese hopes ‘publicity’ will help give survivors ‘confidence to come forward; get the help they deserve’

A woman who claims she was assaulted as a child at a Catholic elementary school in Vancouver is suing the local archdiocese for perpetuating and covering up decades of alleged systemic abuse by priests, bishops and other members of its clergy, forcing survivors into silence in order to protect their own.

The proposed class-action lawsuit filed this week said the Archdiocese of Vancouver not only knew for years about allegations of systemic sexual, physical and psychological abuse, but “fostered a culture” of misconduct and actively buried complaints filed against the clergy.

“The Archdiocese was aware of the abuse and allowed the abuse to continue … This was especially true in instances of sexual abuse,” the claim reads.

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Camden Catholic teacher accused of sexually assaulting student

CAMDEN (NJ)
Cherry Hill Courier-Post

August 27, 2020

By Jim Walsh

A Camden Catholic High School teacher had sex with a student about 60 times over an 18-month period, according to a probable cause statement for the woman’s arrest.

Bridget Sipera, 36, of Cherry Hill, allegedly initiated a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old boy in January 2019, according to the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office.

Sipera, who was also the coach of the girls’ lacrosse team at Camden Catholic, admitted to offenses “which took place in multiple towns,” the prosecutor’s statement alleged.

It noted she could face additional charges.

Sipera’s employment as a teacher and coach at Camden Catholic “was terminated immediately,” the Cherry Hill school said in a statement Thursday.

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August 27, 2020

Former priest accused of rape asks for case to be dismissed

ALBUQUERQUE (NM)
KRQE

August 26, 2020

A former priest accused of raping a young girl nearly three decades ago is asking a judge to dismiss his case. The attorney general’s office says 81-year-old Sabine Griego raped the girl at Queen of Heaven church in Albuquerque in the early 90s.

Griego was arrested in 2019. Griego’s attorneys claim prosecution delays and witness credibility is enough to dismiss the case. Arguments are still going on.

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Lee Bartlett, former priest in Worcester, Leominster and Southbridge, accused of abusing teen in 70s, loses status

WORCESTER (MA)
Telegram & Gazette Staff

August 26, 2020

By Cyrus Moulton

Roman Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing a man when he was a teenager in the 1970s has been laicized at his request, Bishop Robert J. McManus of the Worcester Diocese announced Wednesday.

Lee F. Bartlett III, 74, was dispensed from the clerical state by Pope Francis and, as a result, may not function in any capacity as a priest or be referred to as a priest or as “Father” in writing such as in event announcements or obituaries.

The laicization follows the Catholic Church’s commitment to the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, the diocese announced.

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Priest accused of financial misconduct at Brazil’s second largest shrine

SÃO PAULO (BRAZIL)
CRUX

August 26, 2020

By Eduardo Campos Lima

A priest who runs the Basílica do Divino Pai Eterno in Trindade, in Goiás State, one of the most important points of pilgrimage in Brazil, is under investigation for allegedly embezzling more than $21 million donated to the shrine.

The shrine is the only one in the world dedicated to the Divine Eternal Father.

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Erie Diocese issues statement on abuse-related lawsuits

ERIE (PA)
The Bradford Era

August 27, 2020

By Marcie Schellhammer

Despite a policy of declining comment on litigation, the Erie Diocese did just that Wednesday, reminding the public that the ability of 31 suits lodged against the diocese to move forward depends on the success of a case being considered in the state Supreme Court.

The 31 cases, one of which was filed in McKean County by abuse survivor Ed Rodgers, relate to allegations of sexual abuse dating back years, and are not new allegations, the statement indicated.

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ROZANSKI BRINGS BAGGAGE TO ST. LOUIS

Springfield (MA)/St. Louis (MO)
ChurchMilitant

August 25, 2020

By Kristine Christlieb

Sex abuse victims from two states want justice

St. Louis’ new archbishop, Mitchell T. Rozanski, is under siege from sex abuse survivors in two states.

Protestors gathered outside the city’s Cathedral Basilica on Monday while survivors from Springfield, Massachusetts, Rozanski’s former diocese, are warning Catholics in St. Louis of the cleric’s history of delay tactics.

Olan Horne, who is a survivor advocate and is himself a sex abuse victim, has firsthand experience with Rozanski while he was bishop of Springfield.

He says Pope Francis should not have elevated the cleric to his new post: “Bishop Rozanski has no right going to St. Louis when he has left such spilt milk here in Springfield. These cases are still not resolved.”

One case involves Bp. Christopher Weldon, now deceased, who led the Springfield diocese from 1950–1977.

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