Search Results for: holtz

Two men are seeking justice after they claim they were sexually abused by a former employee of the First Baptist Church of Benton when they were teens.

The lawsuit filed in Pulaski County alleges the church and the entire Southern Baptist Convention knew or should have known the man posed a danger to the youth.

Lawsuit filed against The Lord’s Ranch youth facility in central Arkansas, claiming staff member sexually abused its children

The lawsuit claims the two men were sexually abused starting in 1994 by a former church employee who was fired after being arrested for 54 counts of sexual indecency in 2009. 

The 2009 arrest involving four juveniles associated with the church led to a 10-year sentence for the former church employee. That arrest and conviction were for a case that does not involve the two men filing this current lawsuit.

Mary Lui with Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis &…

Ever since the 2002 revelations of deep-seated problems of child sexual abuse by members of the Catholic clergy, the most common question among the faithful remains without an answer: “How could this have happened?”

Since then, scores of reports related to ongoing patterns of sexual abuse and cover-up by the episcopacy have shown that not only has this crisis not been resolved, it isn’t likely to end any time soon.  And while many rightfully point the finger at wicked bishops, homosexual networks in the clergy, and the fetid rot in seminaries, the fact of the matter is that all of these are mere symptoms of the issue.

One major source of the problem is a legal loophole contained within the Code of Canon Law itself which directly protects pedophile priests.  Simply put, canon law prevents criminal perverts in the clergy from being properly prosecuted and punished.  Not only does canon…

WASHINGTON (DC)
The Atlantic

October 21, 2020

By Tish Durkin

Some of Trump’s most committed Catholic supporters have leveled dark charges against Biden as they battle to sway the vote in crucial swing states. And wait until you hear what they think of the pope.

Joe Biden or Donald Trump: Who’s the better Catholic? If this seems like an odd question to raise in the context of a race for the highest secular office in America—and a race in which one of the two candidates is Protestant—never mind. Both campaigns, and their surrogates, are hotly contesting the answer.

The ex–Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz slammed Biden as a “Catholic in name only” in his appearance at the Republican National Convention.

“President Trump is ignoring Catholic teachings on care for the Earth, feeding the hungry, welcoming the immigrant,” Sister Simone Campbell, a social-justice activist who led a prayer at…

BIRMINGHAM (AL)
Church Militant

May 14, 2020

By Martina Moyski

The newly named bishop-designate of Birmingham, Alabama, who will serve as spiritual advisor to EWTN, is coming to his new position with unresolved allegations of cover-up on his back.

Bishop Steven J. Raica has been accused of “maintaining the ministry of priests who abuse kids,” according to a press release issued May 12 by St. Mary MacKillop Coalition for the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults.

The Coalition issued the statement “to help spread the word” of Bp. Raica’s cover-ups before he steps into the sphere of the world’s largest Catholic network.

E-mails, letters and news reports that circulated throughout the diocese of Gaylord, Michigan — Bp. Raica’s previous location — show that the bishop promised the community that a priest credibly accused of sexual misconduct who was to have been permanently removed from ministry in 2002, may never…

Patheos blog

May 1, 2019

By Kate O’Hare

On May 3, the documentary Hesburgh begins hitting select theaters, telling the story of larger-than-life Father Theodore “Ted” Hesburgh, who was president of the University of Notre Dame for 35 years, from 1952 to 1987.

It’s strange, then, that, outside of the admittedly large Notre Dame community, Hesburgh’s association with major issues of our time has faded from view. This film aims to change that.

Ticket and other information on Hesburgh can be found at the official site, HesburghFilm.com.

Born in Syracuse, N.Y., in 1917, into a German/Irish Catholic family, Hesburgh became a priest with the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1943, after an education that included stints at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Holy Cross College (part of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana) and the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

During his tenure at Notre Dame, Hesburgh…

RICHMOND (VA)
Capital News Service

March 27, 2019

By Corrine Fizer

In response in part to the child sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church, Virginia will have a new law on July 1 requiring priests, ministers, rabbis and other clergy members to report suspected cases of child abuse or neglect.

Gov. Ralph Northam has signed into law two bills — HB 1659, sponsored by Del. Karrie Delaney, D-Fairfax, and SB 1257, introduced by Sen. Jill Holtzman Vogel, R-Fauquier. The measures mandate that religious officials must report any suspected abuse to local law enforcement.

The bills passed unanimously in the House and Senate last month.

Existing state law lists 18 categories of people who must report information to local authorities if they “have reason to suspect that a child is an abused or neglected child.” They include health-care providers, police officers, athletic coaches and teachers.

The new law will…

KANSAS CITY (MO)
KCTV Channel 5

March 7, 2019

By Chris Oberholtz, Angie Ricono

The Kansas City Police Department is investigating after one of their chaplains has been accused of abuse.

Local advocacy group SNAP, which keeps track of priests and ministers accused of sexual abuse, revealed the information that they say the department should have known.

Kansas City attorney Rebecca Randles, who has represented hundreds of clergy sex abuse victims, identified the chaplain as Baptist minister Stan Archie, who has been part of the department’s program for about 10 years, police said.

Archie has been sued twice. Randles said one filing was resolved out of court which involved a 15-year-old girl who claimed Archie encouraged her to go out have sex with men and then call him so they could talk about it. He would then masturbate to her phone calls, Randles said.

Another was a civil case…

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

February 28, 2019

Though a Michigan priest was supposedly “permanently removed from ministry” in 2002, he was recently working as a sacristan and alone around boys in church according to a new report.

In 2016, Gaylord Bishop Steven J. Raica received a letter complaining that Fr. James A. Holtz was seen helping an altar boy with his belt. Then, six months later, he received a second letter.

It was only then that Raica supposedly began taking action. But he should have shouted from the rooftops and called police the minute he heard Fr. Holtz was working again in a church. Tragically, Bishop Raica did not. He kept quiet instead. We shudder to think of how many children were put at risk because of this reckless decision.

Given how easily Fr. Holtz was able to begin working again in a…

GAYLORD (MI)
9 & 10 TV News

February 27, 2019

By David Lyden and Derrick Larr

A 9&10 News investigation is uncovering new information about a former priest removed from the ministry 17 years ago over a credible claim of sexual misconduct involving a minor.

Father Jim Holtz was permanently removed from ministry back in 2002.

Holtz is one of 10 priests the Diocese of Gaylord says have been credibly accused of sexual misconduct in its nearly 50 year history.

9&10 News was the first to report back in November that the Diocese of Gaylord had released a list of priests credibly accused of misconduct with a minor.

To fully understand this story we have to go back to November, when 9&10 News first started reporting on priests credibly accused of misconduct with minors in the Diocese of Gaylord.

That is when the phone calls and emails started. That…

KANSAS CITY (MO)
KCTV TV

December 7, 2018

By Chris Oberholtz

A Roman Catholic Jesuit province that covers 13 Midwestern and Southern states, Puerto Rico and Belize said Friday that it has found “credible allegations” of sexual abuse involving 42 priests and other ministry leaders dating back to 1955.

The Jesuits U.S. Central and Southern Province, which is based in St. Louis, also released the men’s names. Most are deceased and others are no longer Jesuits. A spokeswoman said four are still members of the province but are not active in ministry and live in supervised housing.

The list names mostly priests, but it also names some brothers, who serve some ministry functions but who are not ordained, and “scholastics,” which are men training to become priests.

Six priests on the list had pastoral connections at some point to either Rockhurst High School or Rockhurst University. Click here for…

KANSAS CITY (MO)
KCTV 5

November 28, 2018

By Chris Oberholtz &Angie Ricono

The Catholic church is under the microscope according to Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley, but some key people say that is not true.

A new opinion column in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch blasts Hawley’s office and their investigation of the Catholic church. Hawley has blasted back.

“I think a lot more needs to be done,” said Kansas City attorney Rebecca Randles.

She has spent more than a decade investigating the Catholic church and trying to hold predators priests and the church itself accountable.

“We’ve spoken to over 400 witnesses concerning childhood sexual abuse in the Kansas City Diocese … not in any of the other diocese, just Kansas City,” Randles said.

KCTV5 News spoke with Randles months ago, and at that time she was concerned about how the investigation was unfolding.

“There needs to be an…

GAYLORD (MI)
Channel 9 & 10

November 15, 2018

By David Lyden, Jeff Blakeman

We’re diving deeper into the clergy sex abuse investigation across the state by taking a look at where some of those priests used to work.

We were the first to report that the Diocese of Gaylord had released a list of all the priests credibly accused of sexual misconduct involving minors.

That list includes ten priests but does not include a record of where they spent time.

Father Ronald Gronowski was serving as pastor of parishes in Lake City and Manton when he was removed from the ministry back in 2002.

It came after a 1995 allegation surfaced accusing Gronowski of sexual misconduct back in the 1970’s.

We also know Gronowski spent time in Indian River.

Father Jim Holtz was pastor in Fife Lake and Kalkaska when he was removed from ministry in 2002.

He’s…

MICHIGAN
Michigan.Live.com

November 15, 2018

By Justin P. Hicks

The Catholic Diocese of Gaylord has created an online list of priests and deacons who have been “credibly accused” of sexual abuse of a minor dating back to 1971.

As of Thursday, Nov. 15, the list featured 10 clergy. Eight of the priests are deceased. The two living priests — Ronald Gronowski and James Holtz — have been “permanently removed from public ministry.”

The release of the list comes amid a state investigation of sexual abuse by priests being led by the Michigan attorney general’s office. In August 2018, the state agency began investigating the handling of allegations dating back to 1950.

The diocese said it has previously released information about the allegations of sexual abuse of minors involving priests or deacons, but chose to publish and maintain the list because it “may be helpful to the healing process for…

KANSAS
KCTV

[with video]

Posted by Chris Oberholtz, Digital Content Manager

KANSAS CITY, KS (KCTV) –
Authorities say a Catholic priest charged in Wyandotte County with child sex crimes has been arrested in Maryland.

The Wyandotte County prosecutor’s office announced Tuesday that the Rev. Scott Kallal was charged Friday with two counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. Online court records show the 35-year-old was arrested Monday in Rockville in Maryland’s Montgomery County.

Prosecutor’s office spokesman Jonathan Carter said he didn’t know whether Kallal had an attorney. No details were provided about the allegations.

The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas announced last week that Kallal was pulled from public ministry duties after two sources accused him of “boundary violations.” The archdiocese said its preliminary investigation “revealed violations of some of the archdiocese’s safe environment guidelines which all clerics, employees and volunteers are asked to observe when…

KANSAS
KCTV

[with video]

By Daniel Barnett, Digital Producer
By Chris Oberholtz, Digital Content Manager
By Lisa D’Souza, News Reporter

OVERLAND PARK, KS (KCTV) –
A man is in jail accused of trying to strangle a 4-month-old girl at and Overland Park Walmart.

That man is from Clifton, NJ. Police say they’re trying to figure out what he was doing in Kansas City and what would have motivated him to go after an infant.

Police say a man in his 40s named Oleh Zhownirovych tried to strangle the child in the checkout line with her mother. The store is located in the 7700 block of Frontage Road.

Officers say other customers and security quickly got involved, pinning the suspect to the ground until police arrived. The baby was treated at the scene. She is OK.

Zhownirovych was taken to a hospital before he was sent to…

PENNSYLVANIA
Fox 43

CLINTON COUNTY — A grand jury investigation into sexual abuse by Catholic priests in Pennsylvania determined dozens of priests in the Altoona-Johnstown diocese molested children for decades.

Now some of those alleged victims are speaking out to share their stories.

The men, now in their 50s, spoke with WNEP because they say they want people to know the truth.

They say they were 6 or 7 when they were molested by Father Joseph Bender, but kept the memories of abuse tucked away for decades.

Robert Holtzapple told WNEP, “He led you to believe that he cared about you and he loved you. You know what I mean? That’s what he did. He manipulated you mentally as well as physically.”

PENNSYLVANIA
WNEP

[with video]

BY KRISTINA PAPA

CLINTON COUNTY — One day after the announcement that dozens of Roman Catholic priests in the Altoona-Johnstown diocese molested children for decades. Two of those alleged victims reached out to Newswatch 16 to share their stories. The diocese includes Catholic churches in both Centre and Clinton counties.

The alleged victims we spoke with on Wednesday tell us they were 6 or 7 years old when they were molested by Father Joseph Bender in Renovo. Now, in their mid to late 50s, they contacted Newswatch 16 because they want people to know the truth. They want people to hear their stories.

At 55 years old, Robert Holtzapple remembers a lot about his childhood and his time as an altar boy at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Renovo.

“Benderites, I don’t know where that came from. They called us bender boys,” said Holtapple.

Holtzapple…

MISSOURI
Berger’s Beat

FORMER ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE PROF Larry Stukenholtz has passed away. He was suspended in 2007 after SNAP had disclosed he’d been sued for child sex crimes at a Catholic school in Orange County, CA

KANSAS CITY (MO)
KCTV

By Chris Oberholtz, Multimedia Producer
chris.oberholtz@kctv5.com
By Brandon Richard, News Reporter

[with video]

KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) –
The Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph gets a new bishop on Wednesday.

Pope Francis appointed Bishop James V. Johnston Jr., 55, as the new leader in September. He had previously been the leader of the Springfield-Cape Girardeau Diocese since 2008.

The selection comes five months after former Bishop Robert Finn resigned after he was found guilty in 2012 of failure to report suspected child sex abuse and was sentenced to two years of probation. He is the highest-ranking church official in the United States to be convicted of not taking action in response to abuse allegations.

An Installation Mass will be held at 2 p.m. There, Johnston will knock three times on the door of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Kansas…

KANSAS CITY (MO)
KCTV

By Chris Oberholtz, Multimedia Producer
chris.oberholtz@kctv5.com
By Brandon Richard, News Reporter

KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) –
Pope Francis has appointed a new leader of the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese, permanently replacing a bishop convicted of failing to report child sex abuse.

The Vatican named Bishop James V. Johnston, Jr. as the new bishop of diocese. Johnston has been been leader of the Springfield – Cape Girardeau Diocese since 2008. He will be installed in his new post on Nov. 4.

This comes five months after former Bishop Robert Finn resigned after he was found guilty in 2012 of failure to report suspected abuse and was sentenced to two years of probation. He is the highest-ranking church official in the United States to be convicted of not taking action in response to abuse allegations.

The temporary caretaker of the church, Archbishop Joseph Naumann,…

KANSAS CITY (MO)
WFSB

[with video]

By Chris Oberholtz, Multimedia Producer
chris.oberholtz@kctv5.com
By Elisabeth Rentschler, Multimedia Journalist

KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) –
Bishop Robert Finn, who was convicted three years ago of failing to report suspected child abuse, has resigned, but some in the Catholic community are still angry.

The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests maintains that Kansas City, KS, Archbishop Joseph Naumann, who was appointed temporary leader of the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese after Finn resignation, isn’t the right choice.

SNAP members say Naumann is part of a child sex abuse cover-up that happened at the Catholic Archdiocese in KCK. They are calling for systemwide change in the Catholic church.

They held a protest at the Kansas City-St Joseph Diocese after they found out that Finn will preside over the ordinations of seven deacons next month due to a scheduling conflict for his…

KANSAS CITY (MO)
KPAX

Chris Oberholtz and Elisabeth Rentschler

Kansas City, MO — Bishop Robert Finn, who was convicted three years ago of failing to report suspected child abuse, has resigned, but some in the Catholic community are still angry.

The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests say Kansas City, KS, Archbishop Joseph Naumann, who was appointed temporary leader of the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese after Finn resignation, isn’t the right choice.

SNAP members say Naumann is part of a child sex abuse cover-up that happened at the Catholic Archdiocese in KCK. They are calling for system-wide change in the Catholic church.

They held a protest at the Kansas City-St Joseph Diocese after they found out that Finn will preside over the ordinations of seven deacons next month due to a scheduling conflict for his temporary replacement.

Naumann will be leading the ordination ceremony of deacons in the…

KANSAS
KCTV

[with video]

By Chris Oberholtz, Multimedia Producer
By Brix Fowler, Multimedia Journalist

OVERLAND PARK, KS (KCTV/AP) –

To spank or not to spank.

It is an issue parents have dealt with for years. But now those in favor of it have a powerful supporter after Pope Francis made his stance clear being in favor of spanking.

“Spanking is a very simple form of punishment,” said Laticia Vargas.

Vargas knows about abuse. She says her biological father used to beat her, but she believes what Pope Francis is talking about is not abuse.

“I have been hit in the face by my previous male influence, and it does a lot damage. It is humiliating and it causes a lot of problems with my self-esteem,” she said.

That is why her new father figure, Larry Reyes, refuses to spank her, but he has spanked two of his other…

KANSAS CITY (MO)
KCTV

By Chris Oberholtz, Multimedia Producer
By Erika Tallan, Reporter

KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) –
Earlier this month a judge ordered the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City – St. Joseph to pay $1.1 million to 42 victims of clergy sex crimes.

A Jackson County judge is hearing arguments Wednesday about whether the award should stand or be overturned.

The diocese is facing the penalty for not doing more to stop now-defrocked priest Shawn Ratigan from taking pornographic pictures of young parishioners after the diocese had pledged more than five years ago to prevent future abuse cases.

The diocese and Bishop Robert Finn, who has previously admitted in a criminal court that he failed to report child abuse by Ratigan to state authorities, are seeking to have the arbitrator’s order nullified.

The diocese is appealing the judge’s decision to pay up.

Survivors Network of those…

KANSAS CITY (MO)
KCTV

Documents via BishopAccountability.org:
Arbitrator’s Modified Final Award
Judge’s Order Sending the Complaint to Arbitration
Complaint, Including the Settlement Documents
Our nonmonetary feature with links to the KC nonmonetaries and other examples

By Chris Oberholtz, Multimedia Producer
By DeAnn Smith, Digital Content Manager

KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) –
An arbitrator has ordered the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese to pay an additional $1.1 million to dozens of victims of clergy sex crimes because the diocese failed to meet its promises for handling abuse cases.

The diocese is facing the penalty for not doing more to stop now-defrocked priest Shawn Ratigan from taking pornographic pictures of young parishioners after the diocese had pledged more than five years ago to prevent future abuse cases.

The diocese and Bishop Robert Finn, who has previously admitted in a criminal court that…

KANSAS CITY (MO)
KCTV

Posted by Chris Oberholtz, Multimedia Producer
By DeAnn Smith, Digital Content Manager

KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV/AP) –
Roman Catholics in the Kansas City area have joined a formal request to Pope Francis to discipline Bishop Robert Finn, who was convicted in 2012 of failing to report a priest involved in child pornography.

An online petition signed by more than 110,000 people worldwide asking for Finn’s removal was also sent to the Vatican. The petition asks for Finn’s resignation.

Others want Pope Francis to initiate a “canonical penal process” against the area’s top bishop.

Finn, the head of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, was placed on two years of court-supervised probation after pleading guilty to the misdemeanor charge.

The case was related to Finn’s handling of complaints against the Rev. Shawn Ratigan, a priest who admitted taking lewd photographs of young parishioners. Ratigan…

KANSAS CITY (MO)
KCTV

[with video]

[the report]

By Chris Oberholtz, Multimedia Producer
By Heather Staggers, Reporter

KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) –
The newly appointed ombudsman for the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph to investigate reports of sexual abuse or sexual misconduct released her findings Thursday.

In her report, diocesan ombudsman Jenifer Valenti stated there were 20 reports of sexual abuse, seven of which were removed from public ministry or employment.

Two of the reports were cleared, and eight were found to be inconclusive. The report also found that an investigation is pending in one case while one another was removed and referred to religious order.

KANSAS CITY (KS)
KCTV

By Chris Oberholtz, Multimedia Producer

KANSAS CITY, KS (KCTV) –

The Archdiocese of Kansas City, KS, has removed a Roeland Park priest from his ministry while it investigates an allegation of abuse.

Father John Wisner has been the associate pastor at St. Agnes Parish in Roeland Park since 1985.

A 45-year-old Kansas City, KS, man alleges Wisner touched him improperly 30 years ago, when he was 15 years old. The man claims that the alleged misconduct took place while on a youth outing.

Wisner has denied the allegation.