ABUSE TRACKER

MEXICO
24 Horas

[Mexico asks Interpol to issue red card against SLP priest wanted for sexual abuse.]

La Procuraduría General de la República (PGR) solicitó a la Secretaría General de Interpol la publicación, en el sitio web de la institución internacional, de la Notificación Roja del sacerdote, Eduardo Córdova Bautista, quien es buscado en 190 países por contar con una orden de aprehensión en su contra.

El mandamiento judicial en contra del sacerdote fue decretado por el Juez III Penal en San Luis Potosí por su probable responsabilidad en la comisión de los delitos de privación ilegal de la libertad, abuso sexual calificado, corrupción de menores de 18 años de edad o de personas que no tienen capacidad para comprender el significado del hecho o para resistirlo, y de violación equiparada.

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NORTHERN IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph

June 14 2017

Former residents of mother and baby homes in Northern Ireland have called for a public inquiry into allegations of abuse and forced adoptions.

The institutions, which were run by the Catholic Church, Church of Ireland and the Salvation Army, housed women and girls who became pregnant outside marriage.

Oonagh McAleer, who was forced into Marianvale mother and baby home in Newry when she became pregnant at 17, gave birth to a son in 1980.

However, she claims she was prevented from seeing or holding her baby before he was taken away for adoption against her will.

“My baby was taken from me as soon as he was born. I never even got to hold him, or even to look at his face. He was adopted against my knowledge or agreement.

“The nuns and the government did that to me. And they did it to my child and to so many other women and girls and their babies across Northern Ireland for decade after decade,” said Ms McAleer, who is chairwoman of the Birth Mothers and their Children for Justice NI campaign group.

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NORTHERN IRELAND
The Detail

By Kathryn Torney, 14 June 2017

THERE are growing calls from victims and campaigners for a public inquiry into Northern Ireland’s former mother and baby homes, with claims the findings would “shock this society to its core”.

Detail Data has examined archive documents and interviewed women and children who survived conditions in the homes for unmarried mothers that existed in Northern Ireland until the early 1980s – including institutions run by the Catholic Church, the Church of Ireland and the Salvation Army.

Files at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) include correspondence homes had with government departments, the minute book for one home and inspection records for a children’s home where some of the children would have moved to after their birth.

Pregnant girls as young as 13-years-old were sent into mother and baby homes and a letter from 1945 shows how the chairman of a home for unmarried mothers appealed for money and warned the government about the high infant mortality rate among “illegitimate” children.

Our research led us to look at the treatment more generally of children labelled as ‘illegitimate’ in Northern Ireland’s recent past. Official records from 1942 show that the ‘legitimate’ infant mortality rate for Northern Ireland was 72 per 1,000 births – it was 157 for ‘illegitimate’ children.

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NORTHERN IRELAND
Detail Data

Information from burial records and death certificates of children from Nazareth House and Nazareth Lodge in Belfast who died in 1942.

There are 63 children identified in the records as having died in 1942, including 43 babies who died from marasmus (malnutrition). Burial records are available only on microfilm and 1942 was chosen as records for that year were the most clearly legible.

The table was created by Detail Data using information from Milltown Cemetery’s burial records – owned by Down and Connor Diocese and available from the Public Records Office of NI – and death certificates from the General Register Office NI. Children’s surnames have been removed at the request of Down and Connor Diocese, due to Data Protection legislation, to prevent the potential identification of living relatives. Parents’ names and children’s former addresses have also been removed.

The Nazareth babies were among 388 children aged under 18 interred in Milltown Cemetery’s Public Ground site that year. Detail Data’s investigation identified the cause of death for 56 of the 63 children identified in the burial records through searching for matching death certificates held by the General Register Office.

As well as being unable to locate seven certificates, information in the burial records contradicted details recorded on the death certificates found by Detail Data. For example one death certificate states that the child died 10 days after the recorded burial date from the burial record. Children’s ages vary widely between the two sets of records, in some cases their gender is contradicted and the date of death comes after the burial date in at least nine cases involving the deaths of children from the homes. In other cases, the spelling of surnames varies.

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NORTHERN IRELAND
The Detail

AT least 43 babies died from severe malnutrition at two Sisters of Nazareth children’s homes in Belfast in a single year.

That is the disturbing key finding from the examination of a year of burial records for Milltown Cemetery’s Public Ground site – otherwise known as the Bog Meadows. Thousands of stillborn and unbaptised babies are among those buried in unmarked mass graves on the west Belfast site.

We now know that they include 63 children – 21 girls and 42 boys – from Nazareth House and Nazareth Lodge who were aged between two weeks and almost two-years-old when they died in 1942. See full details on each case in the table below.

One of the babies was six-week-old George who died from severe malnutrition (marasmus) and a “septic scalp” in October 1942.

Marie died aged two-months-old in January 1942 from “cardiac failure due to marasmus”. It appears to be her twin sister Jean who died two weeks later from “haemoptysis due to congenital heart disease”. The sisters were buried in separate mass graves.

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NORTHERN IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph

June 14 2017

Calls are growing for a public inquiry into Northern Ireland’s former mother and baby homes after it has emerged that 43 babies died from severe malnutrition at two Belfast homes in a single year.

The institutions, run by the Catholic Church, the Church of Ireland and the Salvation Army, housed women and girls who were pregnant outside of marriage.

The Detail website found that in the year 1942 the mortality rate of babies born outside of marriage was twice that of those born to married parents.

Files at the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland show that pregnant girls as young as 13-years-old were sent to stay in the homes that existed from 1934 to 1949.

Among the key findings from an examination of a year of burial records for Milltown Cemetery’s Public Ground site by the investigatory website, was that 43 babies died in a single year from severe malnutrition from Nazareth House and Nazareth Lodge in Belfast.

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NORTHERN IRELAND
BBC News

New research into infant mortality rates at former mother and baby homes in Northern Ireland has added weight to calls for a public inquiry.

The institutions housed women and girls who became pregnant outside marriage.

An investigative website has found that in 1942, the mortality rate of babies born outside marriage was twice that of those born to married parents.

The Detail’s research also claims the deaths of many babies in the homes were caused by “severe malnutrition”.

The website compiled its research by examining death certificates and archive files at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI).

It also analysed burial records for Milltown Cemetery, Belfast’s biggest Catholic Cemetery.

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UNITED STATES
National Catholic Register

COMMENTARY: The U.S. bishops’ June 14 penitential Mass for survivors of sex abuse comes on the 15th anniversary of the Dallas Charter.

J.D. Flynn

On June 14, as they begin the spring meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in Indianapolis, the bishops of the United States will celebrate a “Mass of Prayer and Penance” for survivors of sexual abuse within the Church.

This is a good and important occasion. Sexual abuse is a heinous crime, one that cries out for penance and prayer. This is especially true when the Church, the sacrament of salvation, is the setting in which sexual abuse has taken place, violating sacred trust and causing real spiritual harm.

The survivors of sexual abuse within the Church have suffered gravely and, in many cases, will continue to suffer in relationships, in health and in faith. The Church does well to continue praying for them and to continue making penance for the grave sins perpetrated against them.

The Church also does well to continue supporting survivors of sexual abuse by clergy or other church personnel, providing them resources for psychological assistance, pastoral care and personal healing.

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NORTHERN IRELAND
Irish Times

Kathryn Torney

Northern Ireland’s mother and baby homes closed decades ago, but their legacy continues to have an impact on birth mothers and their children.

Oonagh McAleer is chairwoman of the group Birth Mothers and Their Children for Justice NI, which is calling for a public inquiry into the former homes.

Ms McAleer was 17 and pregnant when she was sent to live in Marianvale mother and baby home in Newry in 1979. The home, run by the Good Shepherd Sisters, opened in the 1950s and closed in the early 1980s.

Ms McAleer, from Co Tyrone, told Belfast-based data journalism project Detail Data: “I was in the early stages of pregnancy and I was sent there initially by the priest and social services. I was brought there by a social worker in a car. I didn’t know where I was going.

“After a couple of hours at Marianvale, I realised that I was being put away. I didn’t know how long it was going to be for and I thought I was never going to get out of there.”

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NORTHERN IRELAND
Irish Times

Kathryn Torney

At least 43 babies died of severe malnutrition at two Sisters of Nazareth children’s homes in Belfast in a single year.

An examination of a sample year of burial records for Milltown Cemetery’s Public Ground site has established the graves include those of 63 children from Nazareth House and Nazareth Lodge who were aged between two weeks and almost two years when they died in 1942.

Some babies born to women sent to mother and baby homes went home with their mothers or were adopted, but others went into baby or children’s homes, including the Nazareth homes.

Belfast-based data journalism project, Detail Data, established the cause of death for 56 of the 63 children by searching for death certificates held by the General Register Office, which is part of the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. Detail Data is a partnership between the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action and The Detail news website.

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NORTHERN IRELAND
Irish Times

Statement from Diocese of Down and Connor

“It is always a matter of deep sadness when a baby or child dies. The sense of loss to a family and often a wider community is deeply felt. When we hear of the number of deaths of children and babies in 1942, at this distance in time, our hearts go out to those who endured and carried the trauma of the loss of their babies and children. All life is a gift and during a time of war, when so many lost their lives, the deaths of these children can so easily be forgotten. We acknowledge the loss and express our deep sadness for the sorrow that these deaths caused at the time and in the years that followed.

In 1884 the Sisters of Nazareth opened ‘Nazareth House’ on the Ormeau Road in Belfast to care for girls placed into adoption. A few years later, in 1900, ‘Nazareth Lodge’, Belfast, was opened for boys by the Sisters of Nazareth as a separate community, and was registered as an industrial school in 1902 where it served as an industrial school for boys until 1951.

The homes originally provided only for older children but there was a need to also provide a home for babies and younger children. The first baby was admitted to Nazareth Lodge on 16 October 1934, when the home took on the role of providing a diocesan service for babies. A purpose-built nursery named ‘Bethlehem’ was later established within the precincts of Nazareth Lodge with places for up to 90 babies. This was a Diocesan babies’ home staffed by the Sisters of Nazareth. These homes relied very heavily on charitable donations and the voluntary care provided by the Sisters.

It is a matter of deep regret that the homes were unable to provide the requisite care for the children and the recent HIAI Report noted that as state funding and training improved the facilities and care also improved.

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NORTHERN IRELAND
Irish Times

Patsy McGarry

The Northern Ireland Historical Institutional Abuse inquiry (HIA) report last January was unequivocal in its findings about the Nazareth House (girls) and Nazareth Lodge (boys) homes in Belfast, both run by the Sisters of Nazareth.

It investigated abuses in Northern Ireland residential institutions for children in the period between 1922 and 1995.

The HIA report concluded that at the homes in Belfast “the shortage of finance and its consequent impact on staffing levels and physical standards of care amounted to a form of neglect and constituted systemic abuse. Although both central government and the welfare authorities bore some responsibility, this was primarily the responsibility of the Sisters of Nazareth.”

Up to the 1960s, the state, it said, “was content to allow the Sisters to continue to proceed as before, relying solely on the funds they could raise from the Catholic community to cover their running costs”.

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AUSTRALIA
Western Advocate

JACINTA CARROLL
13 Jun 2017

A CALL for the Royal Commission to hold a stand-alone inquiry into historic sexual abuse at three of the city’s private schools has fallen on deaf ears, angering victims who say their voices have gone unheard for too long.

Victims of abuse at St Stanislaus’ College, All Saints’ College and The Scots School, backed by Greens MP David Shoebridge, had called for a stand-alone inquiry.

However, that now appears unlikely after the Royal Commission released a one-line statement to the Western Advocate stating it had “completed its public hearing program” and had “no further comment”.

This week, one of the schools at the centre of the historic abuse, St Stanislaus’ College, will hold a public apology and service of healing aimed at expressing sorrow for the past and hope for the future.

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MINNESOTA
Legal Examiner

Posted by Mike Bryant
June 13, 2017

Survivors of sexual abuse have until Sept 28th, 2017 to seek justice against their attackers.

That is just a little over four months away. The Window that has been limited due to bankruptcy by the diocese is part of a federal court order. Anyone who was sexually abused by an priest of the order, or who believes the order is liable for their abuse must act before the Sept 28th bankruptcy filing.

Nationally renowned priest abuse attorney Jeff Anderson’s website details instructions. There are a number of key points:

• You must file a claim by Sept 28th.
• Your privacy and confidentiality can be protected.
• Filing your claim can help you and help protect children.

Please act now, because any further delay will result in loss of your right to make a claim

Abuse of children and the continued silence by the offenders needs to be prevented. If you suffered, saw, or suspected such events, it is important to know that there is help out there.

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NEW YORK
Staten Island Advance

COMMENTARY BY SHAUN DOUGHERTY

The New York Archdiocese compensation program provides access to compensation for adult survivors of child sexual abuse even though their claims may be barred under New York law. Clergy sex abuse survivors in Staten Island have a very small window to pursue their abusers in court–one of the shortest in the country and one that is woefully inadequate. New York’s “statute of limitations” leaves survivors with little recourse; however, for a short period of time the New York Archdiocese is offering its own compensation program, and I encourage all eligible survivors on Staten Island to participate before it’s too late.

As a survivor of clergy sex abuse in Pennsylvania, I understand how difficult it can be to come forward. I was abused at 10 years old by Father George Koharchik, who was my priest, teacher, and coach, as well as a close family friend. I kept silent about my abuse and years passed before I could share my story with family and friends.

During this time, I struggled in school and in relationships and experienced depression, addiction and even a suicide attempt. I am now happily married, have built a successful restaurant in Long Island City, and am an outspoken advocate for survivors in both Pennsylvania and New York. I’ve been fortunate, but I still struggle. I know others do too, which is why survivors need to be able to access services and support that can help them rebuild their lives.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Den of Geek

REVIEW

Louisa Mellor

This review contains spoilers.

Give me the child and I’ll give you the man, says an old Jesuit adage I’m paraphrasing and probably misattributing, but nonetheless the wisdom stands: what we learn in childhood forms us as adults. Of Broken’s many messages, that’s the loudest.

In childhood, Michael Kerrigan learned there was something wrong with him. He learned to keep quiet. He learned the sexual abuse he suffered was his fault. None of that’s exclusive to Catholicism – those are the lessons all abused children learn and they’re the fastest to sink in. Unlearning them can be the job of a lifetime.

It’s a job that Father Michael, now in his fifties, is still working on. As he struggles to support his bruised community and atone for his past wrongs, he’s also trying to make sense of the abuse he suffered. Why him? Why was it allowed to continue? And why didn’t he speak out about it? Episode three shows him still reeling from the trauma, and, in its most powerful scene, finally confronting his painfully indifferent abuser.

Father Michael’s story is Broken’s most affecting strand. Not because it’s the saddest—you can hardly rank these desperate stories by weight of wretchedness, they’re dreadful to a one—but because it has the most complexity. As a child, Sean Bean’s character suffered physical and sexual abuse by priests and then became a priest, a vocation in which he clearly believes. Michael was terribly wronged by the adults in his life, later went on to wrong others—women, and now lives a life of atonement. He gets angry. He can be selfish. He could have, but didn’t, save a boy’s life for want of picking up the telephone. He struggles to square his anger and pain with his faith’s aspirations to forgiveness and mercy. Put simply, he’s not perfect.

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UNITED STATES
Catholic Whisleblowers

Three national organizations dedicated to the protection of children, young people, and vulnerable adults unite to call on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to re-open and re-assess the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The USCCB is meeting from June 14-16 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

What – A press conference featuring the National Survivor Advocates Coalition, Catholic Whistleblowers, and Road to Recovery, Inc. which will call on the Catholic Bishops of the United States to place on its November, 2017, meeting agenda the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People that was developed in 2003 as “The Dallas Charter” and has not been fully complied with or implemented by dioceses and eparchies throughout the country.

When – Wednesday, June 14, 2017 at 4:00 PM

Where – On the public sidewalk outside the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, 1347 North Meridian Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202

Who – Kristine Ward (Ohio), Chairperson, National Survivor Advocates Coalition; Ginny Hoehne (Ohio) Member, National Survivor Advocates Coalition; Mary Heins (Indianapolis), Member, National Survivor Advocates Coalition; Rev. James Connell (Wisconsin), Member, Catholic Whistleblowers; and Dr. Robert M. Hoatson (New Jersey), President, Road to Recovery, Inc., and Member, Catholic Whistleblowers

Why – The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has used the nearly two decades-old “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People” as its guide for handling allegations of sexual abuse of children and young people, but the “Charter” has not been faithfully or successfully followed or implemented. Children, young people, and vulnerable adults continue to be at risk across the country. Several serious “issues” with the “Charter” will be exposed and discussed, including the fact that the “Charter” generally has “no teeth” to it. Advocates for victim/survivors, including a Church canon lawyer, will call on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to strengthen its commitment to and protection of children, young people, and vulnerable adults.

Contacts – Kristine Ward, 937-272-0308; Ginny Hoehne, 937-726-9360; Fr. Jim Connell, (414) 940-8054; Robert M. Hoatson, 862-368-2800

Mary Heins, 317-359-7128

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AUSTRALIA
Newcastle Herald

Joanne McCarthy
14 Jun 2017

A FORMER Newcastle man who was sexually assaulted by a priest at a Vincentian Brothers college has slammed the order, the college and the Catholic Church for an apology to victims on Friday, June 16, the day Vincentian founder St Vincent de Paul was made a saint.

“If he saw what’s happened at that school he’d be turning in his grave,” said Damien Sheridan of Bathurst’s St Stanislaus College, where 16 priests, Vincentian Brothers or laymen associated with the college have been the subject of serious child sex allegations, with multiple convictions.

“They’re saying sorry to try to make themselves look good, but putting it on that day shows it’s still all about them. It’s still all about the church. They couldn’t even make an apology without putting a church angle on it.”

Mr Sheridan was sexually assaulted by notorious St Stanislaus teacher and college chaplain Brian Spillane in 1985 when he was 13 and a boarder at the school.

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AUSTRALIA
Anglican Journal

BY MARITES N. SISON ON JUNE, 13 2017

(This editorial first appeared in the June issue of the Anglican Journal.)
In March, Australia’s Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse released its initial report on how Australian institutions—including churches, schools, sports clubs and government organizations—have responded to allegations of child sexual abuse.

The groundbreaking report revealed that children were allegedly sexually abused in more than 4,000 Australian institutions, including the Catholic and Anglican churches.

From 1980 to 2015, about 4,500 allegations of child abuse involving 1,880 alleged offenders were brought to the attention of authorities in the Australian Catholic church. In that same period, more than 1,100 complaints of child sexual abuse were made in the Anglican Church of Australia. The alleged abuses involved 285 laypeople and 247 clergy from 22 of the church’s 23 dioceses.

Since the numbers do not include unreported cases, the true magnitude of the abuse remains unknown. However, the inquiry clearly established the lasting and multi-generational impact of childhood sexual abuse and the great lengths institutions went to protect predators. The commission interviewed more than 1,200 witnesses in public hearings and held 6,500 private sessions with survivors and witnesses, including those in nursing homes and hospitals.

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AUSTRALIA
Newcastle Herald

SAINT Vincent de Paul was a French Catholic priest who died in 1660 after a life dedicated to helping the poor.

He was canonised a saint in 1737 and the modern society that bears his name was begun in France in 1833 by a lawyer and academic, Frédéric Ozanam. Known originally as the Conference of Charity, it expanded around the world during the 19th century, and today serves its mission in more than 130 countries.

Its work for the poor stands unchallenged, but as the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has shown, it has also – like many Catholic organisations – been a home to substantial numbers of paedophiles.

In its February 2017 analysis of child sexual abuse claims made against Catholic institutions, the Royal Commission, the Congregation of the Mission, as the Vincentian society is known, came 15th in a list of Catholic organisations ranked by the amount of compensation paid to victims.

All up, 49 people had made claims against the Vincentians, with 28 of these receiving a financial payment: the total of $3.7 million amounted to an average of $137,000 per person.

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NORTHERN IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph

June 13 2017

Theresa May must immediately implement a promised redress scheme for victims of historical child abuse in Northern Ireland, the Ulster Unionist Party has said.

The collapse of Stormont has meant that victims have been left without any redress, despite promises of a public apology, compensation and counselling following a major public inquiry into historical child abuse at churches, charities and state institutions.

Ulster Unionist leader Robin Swann said that due to the lack of a functioning government in Northern Ireland it is up to the Prime Minister to implement the redress scheme.

His comments come after the chairman of the inquiry into historical child abuse, former High Court Judge Sir Anthony Hart, publicly raised concern over the delay in introducing the scheme.

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MISSOURI
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

By Joel Currier
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

TROY, Mo. • A judge has denied a woman’s request for a new civil trial seeking damages against a Roman Catholic priest after a Lincoln County jury in April found insufficient evidence that he fondled her at her home.

St. Louis Circuit Judge Steven Ohmer on Monday also ordered the woman to pay legal expenses of the St. Louis Archdiocese and the Rev. Xiu Hui “Joseph” Jiang totalling $48,516.84. Ohmer’s order requires she pay $19,316.51 to the archdiocese and $29,200.33 to Jiang.

The woman sought a new trial last month after a jury found in favor of Jiang following a two-week trial. She had accused him of molesting her as a 16-year-old in June 2012 while her relatives were in the same room. The jury also rejected her claims that the St. Louis Archdiocese failed to protect her and should have known Jiang was dangerous to children.

Jiang denied the woman’s claims at trial and told jurors the woman’s family was trying to steal his dreams of serving as a priest in the United States.

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NEW YORK
Village Voice

by LAUREN EVANS

JUNE 13, 2017

As the state’s legislative session winds to a close, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has yet to announce his support for the Child Victims Act despite his promises to survivors that he’d help get a bill passed this year.

The act, which would extend the restrictive time frame for victims of child sexual abuse to seek justice, recently sailed through the Assembly with a vote of 139 to 7 before stalling, as such bills do, in the state Senate.

Politico reported that Cuomo met with survivors’ advocates last week, but his spokesperson, Rich Azzopardi, remained noncommittal. “All options remain on the table,” Azzopardi said.

But senators in the powerful Independent Democratic Conference have drafted an amended version of the legislation that stands a modest chance of appeasing everyone from abuse survivors to the act’s foes, who face intense pressure from the Catholic Church to oppose it.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse

13 June

The Inquiry has today launched a consultation on the impact of child sexual abuse on victim and survivors and access to and use of support services.

The consultation marks the start of an ongoing engagement with victims and survivors and their families to gather views about support service provision. The consultation will be open for three months, from now until early September.

The consultation will examine a series of issues relating to victims’ and survivors’ experiences of support services. There are questions dealing with a range of issues connected to the impact of abuse and support service provision. We want to know more about experiences of the different types of support and the differences in the way they are experienced by children and adults.

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UNITED KINGDOM
The MJ

By Mark Conrad | 13 June 2017

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) has been rocked after a second influential victims group with strong links to council children’s homes quit.

Senior figures within the Survivors of Organised and Institutional Abuse (SOIA) group – which represents many victims of alleged historical sexual abuse at local authority homes – have said the organisation has withdrawn its support for the inquiry, citing a loss of confidence in the process.

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SCOTLAND
Scotsman

CHRIS MARSHALL

The head of a religious order which ran a controversial children’s home has described allegations of abuse as a “mystery”.

Sister Ellen Flynn, leader of the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul in Great Britain, told the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry her congregation could find “no evidence” of abuse taking place at Smyllum Park in Lanark, South Lanarkshire.

The inquiry, led by Lady Smith, heard more than 4,000 children passed through the home between 1930 and its closure in 1981.

Former residents have alleged the sisters administered severe beatings at Smyllum, where the bodies of up to 100 orphans lie in an unmarked grave.

Asked by Colin MacAulay QC, the senior counsel to the inquiry, if she accepted children had been abused at Smyllum, Sr Flynn said: “The first view is that we are extremely saddened that accusations were made. We are very apologetic, but in our records we can find no evidence or anything that substantiates the allegations.”

Asked what her reaction would be if the allegations were proved to be true, she said: “If true, it tells us there was a systemic failure, but we have no evidence there was.”

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OHIO
Vindicator

YOUNGSTOWN — Bishop George V. Murry of the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown appointed 11 people to a committee that will review allegations of sexual abuse of minors by church personnel.

The Diocesan Review Board for the Protection of Children and Young People is comprised of Dr. Joseph Irilli, Brigid Kennedy, Atty. Alan Kretzer, Dr. Ronald Mikilich, Dr. Joseph Mosca, Sister Jean Orsuto, Timothy Schaffner, Rev. John Sheridan, Rev. Mark Williams, Deacon Gregory Wood and Mary Ann Woods.

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AUSTRALIA
Christian Today

James Macintyre 13 June 2017

A leading Australian writer and former politician has likened child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church to ‘terrorism’ and extremism, arguing that it is responsible for many deaths, mainly by suicide.

Kristina Keneally, a former Australian Labor party leader and premier of New South Wales, wrote in the Guardian that the label ‘institutional sexual abuse’ was inadequate and ‘too bland to confront us with the terror and deadly impact on the victims’. She added: ‘It allows abusers – individually or as a class – to continue hiding behind the institution.’

Instead, Keneally wrote: ‘The end result of this flawed theology and ecclesiology is the nauseating, terrifying, grotesque, ritualised and repeated violent assaults and rapes of children by Catholic clergy and religious.

‘Should we label this “Catholic terrorism”? The Australian victims of sexual abuse have been terrorised by the Catholic church, no doubt. Is it “radical Catholic ideology” or “extremist Catholic belief” to cover up the sin of sexual abuse for “the greater good”? It’s hard to deny it. As a Catholic, I shudder at the thought. But I know that such labels would be truthful. ‘

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AUSTRALIA
The Australian

June 14, 2017

DENNIS SHANAHAN
Political Editor
Canberra

Police are still canvassing for new evidence and allegations against George Pell in relation to sexual abuse claims almost a month after Victorian Police Commissioner Graham Ashton said a decision on laying charges would be made “fairly quickly”.

Victoria Police confirmed last night that a decision on laying charges was expected “soon”.

Last week, however, police were still investigating the claims and interviewed at least three men who were choirboys at St Patrick’s Cath­edral between 1996 and 2001, when Cardinal Pell was the archbishop of Melbourne

The Australian understands the police were told none of the men had any knowledge of any abuse when they were there and they had offered to make further statements for police or in court.

Police have been investigating allegations of sexual abuse by Cardinal Pell for more than two years, including that he sexually abused two choir boys at St Patrick’s Cathedral in East Melbourne, and have twice sought advice from the Victorian Office of Public Prosecutions in the past year.

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RUSSIA
RAPSI

ST. PETERSBURG, June 13 (RAPSI, Mikhail Telekhov) – The Priozersk City Court in the Leningrad Region will begin hearing the case against Russian priest Gleb Grozovsky, who stands charged with sexual abuse of children, on June 22, RAPSI reports from the court on Tuesday.

Earlier, the court extended Grozovsky’s detention until December 2, his attorney Mikhail Utkin told RAPSI. A motion to return the case to prosecutors has been dismissed, the lawyer added.

According to investigators, Grozovsky committed several crimes against minors in 2011 and 2013.

In 2013, he fled to Israel and applied for citizenship. However, his application was dismissed.

In April 2014, Grozovsky was put on the international wanted list. Israeli police arrested him in September. In January 2015, a court in Jerusalem ruled that the priest should be extradited to Russia pursuant to the European Convention on Extradition. The ruling was appealed but rejected. In April 2016, the Justice Minister signed an order on Grozovsky’s extradition.

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LOUISIANA
KATC

An appeals court has rejected the appeal of a former priest convicted of rape, molestation and sexual battery of children.

Mark Broussard was convicted by a Calcasieu Parish jury last spring of five child sex charges. The crimes occurred while he was a Catholic priest in the 1980s. He’s no longer a priest; he left the church in 1994, according to evidence presented at his trial.

Broussard was convicted of molesting and raping an altar boy over the course of four years, beginning when the child was 10 years old. He is serving two life sentences, plus 55 years on the charges. All the sentences are being served consecutively, or one after the other. The life sentences are without benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence.

Shortly after he was sentenced, he asked the Court to reconsider that sentence. His motion was denied without a hearing.

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MINNESOTA
The Worthy Adversary

June 13, 2017

Joelle Casteix

<– Back to Part One: Altoona-Johnstown

Last month, Crookston, MN Catholic deacon and child sex abuse survivor Ron Vasek (pictured above) came forward and filed a lawsuit saying that “Crookston Bishop Michael Hoeppner threatened to undermine his religious work and that of his son’s [a priest in that diocese] if he didn’t retract a child sex clergy abuse claim.”

This alleged threat happened in 2015. Yes … 2015. As in TWO YEARS AGO.

Vasek says he was sexually abused as a child by Monsignor Roger Grundhaus, the former Vicar General of the Crookston Diocese, a very powerful and well-known priest.

According to the lawsuit, during a closed-door 2015 meeting, Hoeppner said that Vasek’s son’s priestly career would be in jeopardy if he didn’t sign the document saying he was never sexually abused by Grundhaus.

That’s bad news. No one likes to ruin their son’s vocation. So Vasek signed the letter. And he immediately regretted it. So in 2017, Vasek decided to come forward and tell the truth.

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HAWAII
Honolulu Civil Beat

By Denby Fawcett

Sometimes people call me with information that’s so maddening I wish I had never heard it.

Such was a call I received recently from a friend who told me St. Anthony of Padua Church in Kailua is still referring to its parish hall as “Father Henry Hall.”

Father Joseph Henry was a serial child sex abuser.

One of his victims, on learning that the now deceased Catholic priest’s name is still on the church website, was surprised and upset.

“”Father Henry destroyed many lives,” says John Michael Pedro Jr. of Kailua. “His name should not be anywhere, not on St. Anthony’s parish building, not on the website, not in church publications.”

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INDIANA
Fox 59

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Archdiocese of Indianapolis will introduce its new archbishop Tuesday morning.

Pope Francis named Bishop Charles C. Thompson as the seventh archbishop of Indianapolis. Thompson will be introduced during a 10 a.m. news conference. He’ll succeed Cardinal Joseph Tobin, who was relocated to Newark, N.J., last year.

Thompson, 56, is the oldest of three children and was born in Louisville, Ky., according to the archdiocese. He attended Moore High School in Louisville and graduated from Bellarmine College in 1979 with a degree in accounting. He attended St. Meinrad School of Theology in Indiana, where he earned a master of divinity degree in 1987. He received his Licentiate (Master in Canon Law) from Ottawa’s St. Paul University in 1992.

He was ordained as a priest for the Archdiocese of Louisville in May 1987. His previous assignments include: Associate Pastor of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral, in Bardstown, 1987-90; Part-time Associate Pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish, in Louisville, 1992-93; Metropolitan Judicial Vicar & Director of Tribunals, 1993-98; Parish Administrator of St. Peter Claver Parish, in Louisville, 1994-96; Pastor of St. Augustine Parish, in Lebanon, 1996-2002; Pastor of Holy Trinity Parish, in Louisville, 2002-June 2011).

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NORTHERN IRELAND
The Irish News

CLAIRE SIMPSON
13 June, 2017

THE chairman of the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry has called on the north’s political leaders to implement a compensation scheme for victims.

Sir Anthony Hart said he had taken the “highly unusual” step of writing to the politicians asking them to urgently set up the payments.

The inquiry, which found widespread abuse and mistreatment of children in homes run by some churches, charities and the state, published its report in January.

It recommended victims receive compensation of between £7,500 and £100,000.

However, the collapse of power-sharing has meant the report’s recommendations have not been advanced.

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NORTHERN IRELAND
RTE News

The chairman of an inquiry into historical child abuse has demanded that Northern Ireland’s political leaders implement a victims’ redress scheme as a matter of urgency.

Former High Court Judge Anthony Hart said he had taken the “highly unusual” step of writing to all party leaders at Stormont to voice his concern over the delay in bringing forward a promised redress scheme.

He said the delay was adding to the burden already being carried by abuse victims, many of whom are in poor health.

In January the inquiry into historical institutional child abuse found that children’s homes run by some churches, charities and state institutions in Northern Ireland were the scene of widespread abuse and mistreatment of young residents.

Judge Hart recommended compensation, a memorial and a public apology to abuse survivors.

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NORTHERN IRELAND
BBC News

The Historical Institutional Abuse (HIA) Inquiry panel has written to political party leaders urging a “speedy implementation” of its recommendations.

The inquiry studied allegations of abuse in 22 homes and other residential institutions between 1922 to 1995.

Its verdict recommended compensation, a memorial and a public apology to abuse survivors.
The panel was chaired by Sir Anthony Hart.

Sir Anthony said a tax-free payment should be made to all survivors, including in homes and institutions that were not covered by the inquiry.

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GUAM
The Guam Daily Post

Neil Pang | neil@postguam.com Jun 13, 2017

Archbishop Anthony Apuron has not agreed to any settlement talks as he expects a decision in the ongoing canonical trial as soon as this summer, according to his attorney, Jacqueline Terlaje.

“I’ve received word that there may be a decision forthcoming but it’s always prospective,” she said.

Terlaje’s announcement came as the U.S. District Court of Guam held a status conference this morning on cases involving the island’s suspended leader of the Catholic Church.

Walter Denton, Roy Quinatanilla, Roland Sondia and Doris Concepcion, on behalf of her late son Sonny Quinata, filed civil suits against Apuron accusing him of child sex abuse when they were altar boys at the Mount Carmel Church in Agat in the 1970s.

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GUAM
Pacific News Center

Written by Janela Carrera

His attorney, Jacque Terlaje, says the archbishop’s canonical trial should be coming to an end sometime this summer.

Guam – Attorney Jacque Terlaje says her client, Archbishop Anthony Apuron, will not be participating in any settlement negotiations pending the outcome of Apuron’s canonical trial in the Vatican which she says should be rather soon.

There are still a number of issues that are tying up settlement talks between the Archdiocese of Agana and the scores of victims suing for civil claims of sexual abuse. Specifically, Attorney David Lujan, who represents all victims who have filed in federal court, says he’s still waiting for Hope and Healing Guam Executive Director Michael Caspino to turn over financial statements for the archdiocese as well as the church’s insurance policy.

In addition, Lujan told US Magistrate Judge Joaquin Manibusan that he needs more time to determine which parties will be a part of an alternative dispute resolution or ADR. This ADR would open up the door for a settlement agreement. Most parties are on board with only a few who have yet to state their position. However, so far, out of the parties who are aware of the potential settlement, the one defendant who is not willing to participate is Archbishop Anthony Apuron.

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AUSTRALIA
The Guardian

Kristina Keneally

Call it the Abbott Test for Moral Action. We can’t defeat a threat until we properly identify and name it, and the most important threats are those that have already proven deadly.

Former prime minister Tony Abbott led a chorus of voices last week demanding that political leaders define recent deadly terrorist attacks as Islamic. Abbott rejected concerns that such comments could inflame anti-Islam sentiment: “Islamophobia hasn’t killed anyone,” he said.

Abbott is wrong on that point. The recent murders in Portland, Oregon appear to be just the latest prompted by “Islamophobia.” But Abbott is right that we ought to correctly identify the mortal threats we face.

I’ve never had a problem using phrases like “radical Islam” or “extremist Islamic terrorists.” Being theologically trained, I understand that scripture is always interpreted in context and culture, and some interpretations are radical, extreme and seriously flawed.

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WASHINGTON
NBC Right Now

Posted by Veronica Padilla, Reporter

GRANGER, WA – The pastor of the Catholic Church in Granger is permanently taken out of his parish by the bishop of the diocese of Yakima after an allegation of abuse that was found by the Diocese to be credible. This is the first abuse allegation against a priest in the diocese of Yakima in 18 years, and they are taking it seriously.

“We know that sexual abuse is a reality throughout our society,” said Monsignor Robert Siler, Episcopal Vicar & Chancellor for the Diocese of Yakima. “In our families, in our schools, and in the church too…but we want to make the church a safe place for everyone. Especially for our children and youth.”

Bishop Joseph Tyson removed Father Gustavo Gomez Santos from all public ministry, including being a pastor of Our Lady Of Guadalupe Parish in Granger.

“You know, it’s a shock for people to hear that someone that they love who has been so kind and good to them could even possibly do this,” Monsignor Siler said. “We’re just going to continue to reach out to the community and help them to work their way through this.”

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WASHINGTON
El Sol de Yakima

MOLLY ROSBACH EL SOL DE YAKIMA

El sacerdote Gustavo Gómez Santos, de la parroquia de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, en Granger, ha sido suspendido de todo ministerio público tras las denuncias de un joven, a quien Gómez Santos abusó sexualmente durante su adolescencia, informó la Diócesis de Yakima, esta mañana.

La víctima, de 21 años, vivía en Mattawa, cuando el sacerdote lo manoseó por cinco o seis años mientras Gómez Santos servía en la Parroquia de San Juan Diego en Cowiche, declaró la víctima ante la oficina del Sheriff del Condado de Yakima.

Gómez Santos, de 51 años, es de Guadalajara, México, y fue ordenado en Yakima en 2002. Luego de las acusaciones, fue puesto en libertad el 5 de mayo, después de que la Oficina del Sheriff compartió las declaraciones con la Diócesis. Éste continuará viviendo en un “ambiente supervisado”, mientras sigue la investigación de la iglesia, dijo la Diócesis.

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MASSACHUSETTS
TheMediaReport

For many people, sometimes the facts hit too close to home, and there comes a breaking point.
For many years, TheMediaReport.com has been a relentless critic of the Boston Globe and its corrupt reporting on the Catholic Church abuse story.

This site has repeatedly exposed the paper’s dishonest “Spotlight” narrative and unmasked its rank hypocrisy in reporting sex abuse.

So it comes as little surprise that the folks at the Globe would eventually reach a point that they would snap. And that point apparently came with our post last week. Using data from the actual report, we revealed how the Globe completely deceived its readership.

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GUAM
KUAM

Updated: Jun 12, 2017

By Krystal Paco

The attorney representing Archbishop Anthony Apuron in four of his clergy sexual abuse cases isn’t proceeding with out-of-court settlement. According to Attorney Jacque Terlaje, it’s too soon to do so.

This is because Archbishop Apuron is currently undergoing a canonical trial in Rome. According to Attorney Terlaje, a decision is expected to be made in the summer months.

Attorney David Lujan who represents the plaintiffs says he too can’t proceed with out-of-court settlement until he’s received financial documents from Hope and Healing Guam, specifically the Archdiocese of Agana’s insurance policies and audited financial statements dating back to 2010.

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GUAM
Pacific News Center

Haidee V Eugenio, heugenio@guampdn.com June 13, 2017

Archishop Anthony Apuron isn’t considering settling sex abuse lawsuits against him while his canonical trial is ongoing.

The canonical trial may be coming to a conclusion, said his attorney in the abuse lawsuits, Jacqueline Terlaje.

“I’ve received word that there may be a decision forthcoming but it’s always prospective, especially when it comes from a sovereign nation,” Terlaje said after a hearing at the District Court of Guam Tuesday morning.

Attorney David Lujan, counsel for all Guam clergy sex abuse cases filed in federal court, said he doesn’t care much about Aputon’s Vatican canonical trial.

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VATICAN CITY
The Tablet

12 June 2017 | by Christopher Lamb

Results will be seen as a boost for Pope Francis’ Vatican financial reforms, which he has entrusted to Australian Cardinal George Pell

The Vatican Bank has reported a more than 100 per cent increase in profits in their latest annual report thanks to what they describe as a “prudent approach” to managing investments.

In the 136 page annual report, the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR) report that net profits for 2016 were €36 million up from €16.1 million the year before, with these gains then being distributed in aid of the Holy See’s mission.

The latest statement, released this afternoon (12 May), also reveals a €4 million decrease in expenses to €19.1 million which was achieved by a “rationalisation” of outside contractors.

These results will be seen as a boost for Pope Francis’ Vatican financial reforms, which he has entrusted to Australian Cardinal George Pell. Soon after taking over as Prefect of the Secretariat of the Economy, Cardinal Pell announced a new management of the bank, including appointing billionaire hedge fund guru Michael Hintze to its board.

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VATICAN CITY
Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) A statement from the Institute for the Works of Religion, popularly known as the Vatican Bank, published its annual financial report on Monday, showing net gains of €36 million for the year 2016.

That figure is more than twice the €16.1 million income of the previous year, which the statement says was achieved through “a prudent approach in managing IOR’s investments in a year characterised by high volatility, global political uncertainty due to unexpected outcomes of major electoral events and low interest rates”.

The statement shows that in 2016 the IOR served nearly 15,000 clients worldwide, who entrusted to the Institute assets worth € 5.7 billion.

Please see below the full statement from the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR)

Vatican City, 12 June 2017 – For the fifth year, the Istituto per le Opere di Religione (IOR) has published its financial statements. The financial statements have been audited by the independent audit firm Deloitte & Touche S.p.A. The Board of Superintendence of the Istituto per le Opere di Religione unanimously approved the 2016 financial statements on April 26 and proposed to the Cardinals Commission the distribution of the entire amount of profits to the Holy See. In 2016 IOR has continued to serve with prudence and provide specialized financial services to the Catholic Church worldwide and the Vatican City state. The highlights are as follows.

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VATICAN CITY
Catholic News Service

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service
6.12.2017

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Institute for the Works of Religion, often referred to as the Vatican bank, made a profit of 36 million euros (about $40 million) in 2016, according to its annual report.

The institute held assets worth 5.7 billion euros at year’s end, which included deposits and investments from close to 15,000 clients — mostly Catholic religious orders around the world, Vatican offices and employees, and Catholic clergy.

Before the report’s release, the 2016 financial statements were audited by the firm Deloitte & Touche and were reviewed by the Commission of Cardinals overseeing the institute’s work.

According to a statement from the bank June 12, all of the profits will be turned over to the Holy See, with none being placed in the institute’s reserve account.

According to the report, most of the institute’s clients “are active in missions or perform charitable works at institutions such as schools, hospitals or refugee camps.” That work is conducted all over the world, including “in countries with very basic infrastructure and underdeveloped banking and payment systems,” which means they rely on the institute, particularly in transferring donations from wealthier nations to poorer ones.

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NEW YORK
Gothamist

BY JAKE OFFENHARTZ ON JUN 12, 2017

Back in January, Cuomo promised that passage of the Child Victims Act—a law extending the amount of time that abuse victims can seek justice as adults—would be one of his top priorities. But six months later, in the waning days of the state’s legislative session, some survivors of sexual assault are beginning to wonder if the governor has hung them out to dry.

“[Cuomo] looked me in the eye three times while shaking my hand and said to me ‘I got this, Andrew, I got this,'” Andrew Willis, a childhood survivor of rape and the founder of the Stop Abuse Campaign, told Gothamist. “But I’m getting nervous. There’s very few days left for the governor to show that he’s got it, and I keep saying to myself: Why wouldn’t he want to get this bill passed?”

The bill, which passed 139-7 in the State Assembly last week, extends the current statute of limitations for childhood abuse victims seeking to bring civil or criminal charges against their abusers. Under current state law, most victims can only bring charges against their abusers until the age of 23. In the assembly’s version of the CVA, that statute of limitations would be extended between five and fifty years (depending on the nature of the suit). Additionally, the bill would create a one-time “look back” window for one year, in which victims of any age would be permitted to bring civil suits against individuals or institutions.

These changes would throw a life raft to the estimated 43,000 children who are abused in New York each year, Willis says, as research shows that a majority of childhood victims wait at least five years before telling anyone. Willis himself was raped at the age of 10, but says he was too racked with guilt to mention it to anyone until he was almost 50 years old. The teacher responsible was eventually accused of abusing more than 100 other students, Willis told me.

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WASHINGTON
KIMA

by Marie Schurk

GRANGER, Wash. – A Granger pastor has been removed from his position in the Roman Catholic Church due to reports of sexual abuse of a minor.

Reverend Gustavo Gómez Santos, who was most recently the pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, was permanently removed from all public ministry, according to a June 12 news release from the Yakima Diocese.

Gómez Santos, 51, was placed on leave May 5 after Yakima County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) detectives shared an interview from a 21-year-old former Mattawa resident with the Diocese.

The victim reported he was fondled by the priest while he was serving as pastor at St. Juan Diego Parish in Cowiche roughly five years ago.

The Diocese began an investigation after YCSO officials determined the incident could not be prosecuted due to the statute of limitations, reports said.

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FRANCE
La Croix

Emeritus Bishop André Fort of Orleans was charged last Thursday with failing to report pedophile acts allegedly committed by a priest of his diocese in 1993. This comes as a relief for victims of the priest, who was finally charged in 2012 after three successive bishops failed to report him to authorities.

Gauthier Vaillant

The decision of the Republic Prosecutor of Orleans last Thursday to prosecute Emeritus Bishop Fort is the first such case for more than fifteen years.

The last similar case and the only other one to date took place in 2001 when Pierre Lacan, a former bishop of Bayeux-Lisieux, was charged.He was eventually convicted and given a suspended prison sentence of three months.

Bishop Fort, now 81, was bishop of Orleans from 2002-2010. He now lives in a retirement home in the sanctuary of Notre Dame du Laus in the Diocese of Gap in the Hautes Alpes region.

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WASHINGTON
Clay Center Dispatch

GRANGER, Wash. (AP) — A Catholic priest in the Yakima Valley town of Granger has been removed from all public ministry following allegations by a young man that the priest sexually abused him.

The Catholic Diocese of Yakima said Monday that it took the action against the Rev. Gustavo Gomez Santos from Our Lady of Guadalupe parish.

The Yakima Herald-Republic says the 21-year-old victim told the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office the priest had fondled him five or six years earlier when Gomez Santos was serving in a church in the town of Cowiche.

The priest denies the allegations.

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UNITED STATES
The Worthy Adversary

June 12, 2017 Joelle Casteix

The 2002 Dallas Bishops’ Conference was a barn-burner. On the heels of the Spotlight series and scandals in dioceses across the nation, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) got together at their annual June meeting to put together “massive reforms.”

Those reforms became the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People and its accompanying Norms. It was later referred to as the 2002 Dallas Charter.

CrimeCon to BishopCon

Flash forward to 2017. The bishops’ June meeting is currently underway in Indianapolis. As luck or fate would have it, I found myself in the same city, at their very hotel (The JW Marriott Downtown) as the 2017 USCCB June Conference. I am in town attending CrimeCon 2017 (a conference for true crime aficionados) to meet some people interested in my work. (And wouldn’t you know it, The Keepers was the talk of the conference.)

Less than 3 hours after CrimeCon checked out last night, the bishops began checking in.

While the USCCB official schedule says the spring meeting doesn’t begin until June 14, they are well entrenched in the third floor conference center of the hotel, where CrimeCon signs still point people to the USCCB conference rooms (ah, the irony). Meetings are going on as I type.

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PENNSYLVANIA
The Worthy Adversary

June 12, 2017 Joelle CasteixChild

Read the Introduction to this series here.

In 2016, the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General announced that “a statewide investigating grand jury has determined that hundreds of children were sexually abused over a period of at least 40 years by priests or religious leaders assigned to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona-­Johnstown.”

The two-year investigation included a search warrant of the Altoona Bishop’s “secret archive.” That secret archive is the file cabinet under lock and key in the bishop’s office that holds evidence of child sex abuse and cover-up, including letters, reports, photos, records, statements, memos, etc. A bishop is required to keep this file under Canon Law.

The report also determined former Altoona Bishop Joseph Adamec was at the forefront of the cover-up and acted to avoid scandal rather than protect children.

The widespread abuse involved at least 50 priests or religious leaders and endangered thousands of children and allowed proven child predators to abuse additional victims.

The complete grand jury report can be read here.

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UNITED STATES
The New York Jewish Week

BY HANNAH DREYFUS May 25, 2017

he seeds for Shira Berkovits’ organization were planted in rural Minnesota at the breakfast table of a devout Lutheran family.

The table belonged to Victor Vieth, founder of a national child protection training center and an expert in addressing child abuse in small communities. During the summer of 2013, Berkovits, who is Orthodox, lived with Vieth and his family in order to absorb everything she could about systematically preventing abuse.

“We’d sit at the breakfast table and start brainstorming,” recalled Berkovits, who was a law student at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at the time — the summer experience with Vieth was a legal internship.

“I remember saying, ‘Victor, what would it look like if we did all this in the Jewish community?’”

Sacred Spaces, a nonprofit that aids institutions across the broader Jewish communal landscape in developing policies to prevent institutional abuse and properly handle it when it occurs, is the realization of that dream. Launched last July, the initiative aims to train Jewish community professionals around the world about child protection policies, best practices and boundary violations. The end goal is to create an accreditation system for the Jewish community.

Unlike other initiatives that have sprung up to address this problem, Sacred Spaces is not focused on helping victims or exposing offenders — it is aimed at reshaping institutions.

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WASHINGTON
Yakima Herald

By Molly Rosbach
mrosbach@yakimaherald.com Jun 12, 2017

GRANGER, Wash. — Rev. Gustavo Gomez Santos from the Our Lady of Guadalupe parish in Granger has been removed from all public ministry following allegations by a young man that the priest sexually abused him in his teenage years, the Yakima Diocese reported Monday morning.

The 21-year-old victim is a former Mattawa resident who told the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office the priest had fondled him five or six years earlier when Gomez Santos was serving in the St. Juan Diego parish in Cowiche.

Gomez Santos, 51, is from Guadalajara, Mexico, and was ordained in Yakima in 2002. He was placed on leave on May 5 after the Sheriff’s Office shared the allegations with the diocese. He will continue to live in a “supervised setting” while the church’s investigation continues, the diocese said.

The priest continues to deny the allegations. But his credibility was undermined by admissions that he violated the diocese’s code of conduct in numerous other ways, including giving alcohol to minors, giving and receiving massages to and from minors, giving them expensive gifts, and allowing them to stay overnight in his residence in several parishes, the diocese release said.

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NEW YORK
The Legislative Gazette

Written by THOMAS GIERY PUDNEY, assistant editor on June 12, 2017

With the legislative session winding down, advocates as well as legislators, are looking to Governor Cuomo to cut through the cacophony and use his political influence to pass a bill that would expand protections for survivors of childhood sexual abuse.

A version of the Child Victims Act passed by the Assembly on Wednesday faces an uncertain fate in the Senate as the factioning within the state’s upper chamber — and multiple versions of child victims’ rights bills — causes some confusion as to what comes next. The bill passed Wednesday (S.6575) is sponsored by Sen. Brad Hoylman, and provides for some of the strongest legal options for victims of childhood sexual abuse.

Hoylman’s bill would raise the statute of limitation for sexual abuse of a minor. Currently in New York, there is a five-year statute of limitations for filing legal actions once the victim turns 18, meaning that a victim must take action against their abuser before the age of 23. Hoylman’s bill would start the clock on that five-year statute at the age of 23, effectively doubling the current limit. It also would provide a one year look-back window during which victims of abuse that occurred many years ago would have an opportunity to take legal action against their alleged abuser.

Independent Democratic Conference Leader Senator Jeff Klein has sponsored a CVA bill (S.6585) similar to Hoylman’s with the exception of a commission set up by Klein’s, which would determine if cases occurring beyond the statute of limitations have merit.

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ISRAEL
Times of Israel

BY TAMAR PILEGGI June 12, 2017

A Jerusalem business owner now working at a girl’s seminary was arrested Sunday on suspicion of raping dozens of ultra-Orthodox women he employed.

Police launched an undercover investigation into the suspect last month following a tip-off by a nonprofit organization that works with rape victims that had received numerous sexual assault complaints by the female employees of the 30-year-old advertising manager.

On Monday, the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court approved a police request to search the suspect’s home and office. The judge ordered the suspect’s name not be released out of consideration for his victims.

A statement from police spokeswoman Luba Samri on Monday said an initial investigation revealed the suspect carefully groomed each of his victims prior to assaulting them. He promised certain women and girls help in advancing their careers and lavished them with attention.

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ITALIA
Rete L’Abuso

[Priest accused of abuse in the Rozzano the diocese: “We acted with conscience”.]

«La diocesi e la parrocchia di Rozzano – si legge in una nota dell’Ufficio comunicazioni sociali della diocesi di Milano – hanno gestito il caso con scrupolo e coscienza, provvedendo cautelativamente a sollevare don Mauro Galli dal ministero e a trasferirlo a Roma per completare i suoi studi. Il trasferimento è avvenuto diversi mesi prima che fosse presentata la denuncia querela da parte del legale del giovane, intervenuta solo nel luglio 2014. Tutto questo in attesa che la giustizia faccia luce con il processo penale».

Così sul quotidiano cattolico Avvenire viene commentata dalla Diocesi di Milano la vicenda che vede coinvolto un sacerdote, don Mauro Galli, con un passato a Legnano, accusato di reati sessuali ai danni di un giovane della parrocchia di Rozzano.

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CONNECTICUT
Cleveland Jewish News

JTA

A Connecticut yeshiva whose founding rabbi was ordered to pay $20 million to a former student who claimed he was raped by the rabbi is operating without proper certification, the state said.

The school came under additional scrutiny from state regulatory agencies last month after a federal jury ordered Rabbi Daniel Greer and the Yeshiva of New Haven to pay Eliyahu Mirlis $15 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages in a civil lawsuit filed last year.

The yeshiva has not filed any paperwork with the state since 2011 and never received permission to operate as a boarding school, the New Haven Independent reported.

The newspaper reported that the school lost most of its students in 2016 when news of Greer’s alleged molestation became public. Today the students come from outside the state and the school is under new management transplanted from New Jersey. Greer, the Orthodox Jewish school’s former principal, reportedly does not play a large role in the yeshiva, but does participate in daily prayers with the students.

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NEW YORK
The New York Times

By FABIO COTZA
JUNE 12, 2017

I was only 9 years old when my landlord’s teenage son led me into the basement with the promise of new toys. Instead, he forced me to touch him. He made me do things my young body and mind weren’t prepared to do. I distinctly remember how the damp floor and walls smelled of mildew, and how cold it was. I begged him to stop.

He said he would call me a “faggot,” and warned that his father could kick my immigrant family out of our apartment if I ever told anyone. Terrified, I kept silent.

But the memories tormented me every single day into adulthood. One night, I wrote my goodbye letter to the world and swallowed a bottle of pills.

My suicide attempt failed — luckily. But I decided that after 20 years of silence and fear I had to face what happened to me. I was 28 when I finally told someone that I had been sexually abused. But the law told me that I was five years too late to seek justice.

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ISRAEL
Arutz Sheva

David Rosenberg, 12/06/17

Rabbi Eliezer Berland, the former dean of the Shuvu Banim Yeshiva in the Old City of Jerusalem, was rushed to the hospital Monday morning.

Berland was convicted in a plea bargain agreement and sentenced to 18 months in jail last November after two female followers complained of sexual abuse by the 80-year old Breslov rabbi.

After the complaints surfaced in 2012, Berland fled the country, evading authorities in Europe and Africa until he was finally caught and extradited to Israel in 2016.

Berland served five months in jail and was released to house arrest in April.

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CANADA
CBC News

The chief commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission is receiving an honorary degree from the University of Calgary.

Sen. Murray Sinclair, who was appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to the upper chamber in 2016, spent six years documenting the dark legacy of Canada’s residential schools.

Sinclair, the first Indigenous judge appointed in Manitoba, will receive a doctor of laws, the highest academic honour at the University of Calgary, which is bestowed upon individuals whose notable achievements and community service merit recognition.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, borne out of the largest class-action settlement in Canadian history, issued 94 calls to action at the end of its mandate touching on a host of problems including health and education.

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AUSTRALIA
The Age

Jane Lee

People who were sexually abused by Victorian clergy as adults are being excluded from the Catholic Church’s pledge to top-up historic compensation payments.

Last November, Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart doubled the ceiling for payments to victims, through the Melbourne Response compensation scheme, to $150,000.

This was one of the recommendations of former federal court judge Donnell Ryan, QC, who reviewed Melbourne Response in 2014.

The church also came under pressure to make the scheme more generous and transparent during the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

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GUAM
The Guam Daily Post

Neil Pang | The Guam Daily Post Jun 11, 2017

Although their ultimate mission is to see Archbishop Anthony Apuron defrocked, the Concerned Catholics of Guam considers out-of-court settlement talks for the victims of sexual abuse by former Guam priests a positive effort toward community healing.

“That is excellent that the attorney for the victims is willing to sit with his clients and the (Hope and Healing program) to seek justice and fair compensation for the pain and agony experienced by these former young children and altar boys who suffered such terrible abuse,” Sablan told The Guam Daily Post.

The Archdiocese of Agana established Hope and Healing to receive complaints of abuse, provide counseling and try to negotiate a possible compensation on a case-by-case basis.

The attorney representing the bulk of the now 70-plus cases in both local and federal courts, David Lujan, announced Thursday he would be asking the U.S. District Court of Guam hold off on the cases he has filed against the Archdiocese of Agana, the Boy Scouts of America, and several former priests, including Apuron, who are accused of abusing and molesting young boys under their care in decades past.

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ITALIA
Rete L’Abuso

[Survey on pedophiles in the church and possible solutions; Here’s what the Italians think.]

Un sondaggio di cinque domande rivolte a chiesa, governo e legislatore che ha l’obiettivo di capire quale è la percezione dello stato delle cose da parte dell’opinione pubblica e proporre possibili soluzioni già attuate con ottimi risultati in altri paesi.

La partecipazione è stata notevole basti pensare che un sondaggio simile era stato proposto nel 2014 da IL FATTO QUOTIDIANO e, sulla base già buona di un campione di circa 1600 votanti, il risultato come vedremo è coerente con quello che abbiamo ottenuto noi tre anni dopo ma su un campione notevole, 4010 votanti raccolti tra il nostro sito e i vari social network in 31 giorni.

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ITALIA
Rete L’Abuso

[Sexual abuse. The Supreme Court: the parish priest Don Vito Canto cannot avoid prosecution.]

Già condannato dal tribunale ecclesiastico, don Vito Cantò patirà anche il giudizio terreno: il suo ricorso ritenuto «inammissibile»

PESCARA. «Inammissibile». Un parroco, accusato di presunti abusi sessuali, non può sottrarsi al giudizio di un tribunale dello Stato. Anche se, per lo stesso reato, è stato condannato già dalla Chiesa. Lo ha deciso la Corte di Cassazione che ha bocciato il ricorso presentato da don Vito Cantò, l’ex parroco della chiesa di San Camillo de Lellis a Villa Raspa di Spoltore accusato di presunti abusi sessuali commessi su un minorenne tra il 2011 e il 2012 e per questo finito sotto processo. E, nell’udienza di ieri, si è parlato proprio di quel ricorso che avrebbe potuto cambiare i rapporti tra Stato e Chiesa.

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FRANCE
Le Parisien

[Bishop André Fort was indicted for non-denunciation of acts of pedophilia to authorities after receiving a report of sexual abuse in the Orleans diocese.]

Florence Méréo|10 juin 2017

Un ex-évêque est mis en examen pour non-dénonciation. Une procédure rare.

Le silence n’est plus d’or dans l’Eglise. Pour ne pas avoir dénoncé à la justice des actes de pédophilie dont il avait été informé, l’ancien évêque d’Orléans (Loiret) a été mis en examen jeudi. André Fort, 81 ans, aujourd’hui retraité, était resté muet, même après avoir reçu Olivier, victime présumée d’attouchements en 1993 de la part d’un prêtre. Un tournant dans la lutte contre la pédophilie dans l’Eglise : depuis 2001, aucun évêque n’avait été mis en examen pour ne pas avoir dénoncé de tels faits. «On est très heureux. Le cœur de notre indignation, de notre combat, c’est le silence coupable de ceux qui savent mais ferment les yeux», commente François Devaux, président de l’association de victimes la Parole libérée.

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DEUTSCHLAND
Evangelisch

[The Independent Commission for the Elimination of Sexual Child Abuse set up by the federal government in 2016 does not have enough money according to a report by “Spiegel”. It can therefore no longer accept applications for confidential hearings of interested parties.

This year the commission received only 1.6 percent of the funds that it had originally calculated were necessary, the news magazine continued. A commission set up in England and Wales with similar tasks would have 23 million euro per year. The Commission’s website states that the budget of the Commission is € 1.4 million annually from the budget of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens.]

Die 2016 vom Bund eingesetzte Unabhängige Kommission zur Aufarbeitung sexuellen Kindesmissbrauchs hat nach einem Bericht des “Spiegels” zu wenig Geld. Sie könne deshalb keine Anmeldungen für vertrauliche Anhörungen von Betroffenen mehr entgegennehmen, schrieb das Nachrichtenmagazin am Wochenende unter Berufung auf einen Zwischenbericht, den die Kommissionsvorsitzende Sabine Andresen am Mittwoch in Berlin vorstellen will.

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Zwar reichten die Mittel für die knapp 1.000 Anmeldungen, die das Gremium bislang bekommen habe. “Wir wissen aber schon heute, dass der Bedarf viel höher ist”, zitiert “Der Spiegel” die Kommissionsvorsitzende Andresen: “Doch dafür brauchen wir mehr Zeit und mehr finanzielle und personelle Ressourcen.”

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NEW YORK
New York Daily News

BY
KENNETH LOVETT
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Saturday, June 10, 2017

ALBANY — Some child sex assault survivors fear they’ve been strung along by Gov. Cuomo in their push to enact a law making it easier for victims to seek justice as adults.

Cuomo in January said passage of the Child Victims Act was a top priority this year.

But while his staff continues to meet with advocates behind closed doors, he has barely brought the issue up publicly since January nor has he introduced his own version of a bill that staffers told advocates for weeks was coming.

With just two weeks left in the legislative session time is running out.

“We saw in the marriage equality fight that the governor was able to bring Republican senators to the table and stand up to the Catholic Church, which also opposed that bill,” said Kat Sullivan, who was raped as a student in 1998 at Emma Willard, a private Albany-area girl’s school. “But with the (Child Victims Act) he thinks there’s no political cost to short-changing survivors by cynically claiming he ‘cares’ about the issue while failing to take any action.”

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UNITED STATES
The Open Tabernacle: Here Comes Everybody

[Pope Francis and Clergy Sexual Abuse in Argentina – BishopAccountability.org]

Posted on June 11, 2017

by Betty Clermont

Recent Argentine articles reported the pope’s personal involvement in the sexual torture of children (one of the two UN committees the Pope Francis obstructed and ignored “found that the widespread sexual violence within the Catholic Church amounted to torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment”) and his role in the aftermath of the Dirty War.

His envoy heaped insult on top of injury after Pope Francis, informed of horrible sex abuse, did nothing and children suffered.

On May 19, the priest sent by the pope to investigate the horrific sexual assaults in the Provolo Institute for the Deaf in Argentina, dismissed some cases because, he said, children can be “spiteful. For example, [when] a girl or a boy falls in love with a priest, and he doesn’t respond back.” On the same day, the pope’s representative stated he was refusing to cooperate with the civil court prosecuting the atrocities.

By open letter and video message “handed to Pope Francis” in May 2014, former students at the notorious Provolo Institute for the Deaf in Italy begged the pope for justice. More than one hundred deaf and mute children had been sexually abused at the boarding school.

The letter told Pope Francis that three of the Italian perpetrators – including Fr. Nicola Corradi – held current positions at the Provolo Institute in Argentina. The pope took no action to stop the pedophiles.

Corradi and four others in the Argentine school were arrested in Nov. 2016 and charged with raping and molesting at least 22 children. Other reports poured in and “it’s now thought that as many as 60 children fell victim to abuse.”

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IRELAND
Irish Independent

A new TV series has shone a light on a low-key American priest who counselled vulnerable Irish children in the 1990s after fleeing multiple allegations of abusing US schoolgirls and a suspicion of being involved in murder. John Meagher on Father Joseph Maskell

John Meagher
June 11 2017

The green fields and high hedgerows in the Wexford countryside around the villages of Castlebridge, Screen and Curracloe must have felt utterly alien to Joseph Maskell.
Born and bred in the blue-collar city of Baltimore, Maryland, Maskell found himself in his mid-50s – after a completely urban life – in the rural heartland of the country of his father, who hailed from Limerick.

He arrived in this south-east corner of Wexford in 1994 and lived in Castlebridge – just a few miles from bustling Wexford town – but he would have been familiar with the pretty churches that were a short drive away, such as St Cyprian’s in Screen and St Margaret’s in Curracloe.

And it was in one of these churches, in April 1995, that he first came to the attention of the Diocese of Ferns. The file does not confirm whether it was in St Cyprian’s or St Margaret’s that Maskell – a Catholic priest – said Mass in place of Fr Frank Barron, who had been seriously ill, but word reached the bishop’s office and it immediately sought a response.

“I wish only to offer Mass privately and carry out my spiritual activities in a like manner,” Maskell wrote, adding that the had been granted temporary leave from his last posting and had no “plan or desire to engage in any public ministry while here”. He did not respond to a follow-up letter from the diocese seeking confirmation of his status. Fr Barron died shortly afterwards.

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VIRGINIA
The News & Advance

Casey Gillis

I never watched “Making A Murderer” or “The Jinx,” and I didn’t listen to the insanely popular podcast “Serial” when it became a phenomenon back in 2014.

But, for some reason, I decided to queue up Netflix’s crime documentary series “The Keepers” last weekend.

I was instantly hooked, and kept watching even as the subject matter became increasingly more disturbing with each installment.

The seven-episode series focuses on the 1969 disappearance and murder of Baltimore nun Catherine Cesnik, as investigated by two of her former students, as well as an allegedly wide-ranging cover-up that protected a priest accused of sexual abuse at the Catholic high school where Cesnik taught.

Now in their 60s, those former students, Gemma Hoskins and Abbie Schaub, doggedly pursue leads, talk to witnesses and even suspects, and reconnect with former classmates from the school, Archbishop Keough High School.

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MINNESOTA
Pioneer Press

[assignment record – BishopAccountability.org]

By DAVID MCGRATH |
June 11, 2017

Father Kenneth Gansmann, pastor of St. John’s Church in Union Hill in New Prague, sexually assaulted me when I was 6 years old.

He was a friend of the family and a Franciscan who wore the familiar brown robe, knotted white cord, and sandals, when he wasn’t saying Mass.

I remember him as a people-friendly monk: soft spoken, with an infectious laugh, more like a chuckle, when he talked about baseball with my father, or politics with my uncles.

And Gansmann was implicitly trusted by my parents, who felt honored to have a man of God visit their home. With charm, deception, and gifts, he manipulated a family who revered his office and power.

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SOUTH AFRICA
Christian Today

Joseph Hartropp 10 June 2017

A Nigerian pastor accused of child sex abuse and human trafficking was yesterday denied bail from the Magistrate’s Court at Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

Tim Omotoso, the televangelist pastor of the Jesus Dominion International church, Durban, has been held in jail since April 20, and was expected to flee South Africa if granted bail, according to Independent Online.

Magistrate Thandeka Mashiyi made the judgement, and said that the pastor, a Nigerian national whose family are all UK nationals, faced a sentence of at least life imprisonment.

‘His family, wife and children are all United Kingdom citizens, his church has international branches which he visits from time to time, he is regarded as an illegal immigrant [and] there is nothing tying the applicant to South Africa, Mashiyi said.

Omotoso is also accused of using fraudulent travel documentation.

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CANADA
CKNW

Charmaine de Silva
Posted: June 08, 2017

Mounties are investigating an alleged sexual assault involving students from a Metro Vancouver Catholic school.

“A report was made to the police over the weekend about an incident between a small number of our students.”

Catholic Independent Schools Vancouver Archdiocese Superintendent Dan Moric says details of that report aren’t clear.

However, CKNW has learned the allegations involve a sexual assault with an aspect of it captured and shared on social media.

Moric says it’s sensitive because there are no charges, and official complaints haven’t been made to the school.

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CANADA
CTV

CTV Vancouver
Published Thursday, June 8, 2017

Mounties are investigating sexual assault allegations involving students of a North Vancouver Catholic high school.

Few details have been provided because of the age of the students, but police said the incident occurred over the weekend. Officers have asked that the media not name the school due to privacy concerns.

The Vancouver Archdiocese, which oversees the school in question, said the incident involved several students and occurred off school property, after school hours.

“I know there was a misconduct of some nature that purportedly has a criminal element to it and that the police are investigating it,” said Dan Moric, superintendent of the Catholic Independent Schools of Vancouver Archdiocese.

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CANADA
Vancouver Sun

Stephanie Ip

The RCMP is looking into an alleged sexual assault involving teens at a Vancouver-area Catholic school.

The investigation was first reported by CKNW on Thursday and involves an unknown number of students from one school. It is believed the alleged incident was possibly captured and shared via social media.

Dan Moric is the superintendent with the Catholic Independent Schools Vancouver Archdiocese. In an email to Postmedia on Friday, he confirmed the investigation was taking place and that it was prompted by a report “made directly to police.”

“I believe concerned parent(s) may have also let the school know, but not sure about timing of that,” Moric wrote. He also couldn’t confirm if or how social media was involved.

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SCOTLAND
Scotsman

CHRIS MARSHALL

A “dreadful misunderstanding” of child abuse led the Catholic Church to offer therapy to paedophile priests and agree deals to avoid prosecutions.

The Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry heard the Church attempted to “repair” clerics who committed offences against children and had made “horrible mistakes” in its treatment of victims.

Speaking on behalf of the Bishops’ Conference, Monsignor Peter Smith said the Church “seldom” used its own formal processes in the past to punish sex offenders, choosing instead to send them to retreat houses for therapy.

Mgr Smith said in cases where the police and prosecution service became involved, often no further action was taken when it was agreed the priest would receive help.

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CONNECTICUT
Associated Press

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — A Jewish boarding school’s licensing is now under scrutiny by Connecticut officials after the school was ordered to pay more than $20 million in a lawsuit accusing its founding rabbi of sexually abusing a student.

Officials say the school – Yeshiva of New Haven – apparently has been operating without the proper state credentials for several years. The state Department of Children and Families is warning the school it could face court action if it doesn’t obtain required state approvals.

A federal court jury last month awarded $15 million in compensatory damages to a former student who alleges he was repeatedly raped and molested by Rabbi Daniel Greer when he attended the school from 2001 to 2005. This week, a judge tacked on $5 million in punitive damages and about $1.7 million in interest to the sum the school and Greer must pay.

Greer denies the allegations and has not been criminally charged. His lawyer has said an appeal is planned. During a deposition in the case, Greer invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

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NEW YORK
New York Daily News

BY
KENNETH LOVETT
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Friday, June 9, 2017

ALBANY — The head of a breakaway group of state Senate Democrats is amending his proposal to help child sex abuse victims in a way that has won over some skeptical advocates.

Sen. Jeffrey Klein’s bill contained a provision to create a commission to examine, evaluate and make binding recommendations on time-barred civil claims within a one-year window to determine if they could move forward.

Klein said the idea of the commission is to screen cases that are barred from proceeding to trial under current law to make sure they’re not frivolous and allowing legitimate ones to proceed.

But after a number of survivors complained a commission would merely set up another hurdle that victims have to get through that victims of other crimes do not, Klein agreed to make changes.

According to his spokeswoman, in addition to having a former prosecutor and a defense attorney, the five-member commission would now also be required to include a medical trauma expert and another plaintiff lawyer with experience litigating sexual abuse claims. The panel would also have to use a “good faith standard” when deciding whether a case can proceed.

Klein initially proposed having the court system develop new standards for the commission.

With the changes, Klein said that “I stand by the legislation as the best way to move forward to get a very important issue resolved.”

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MARYLAND
The Baltimore Sun

Phil Davis
Baltimore Sun Media Group

A former Bible study instructor at an Annapolis church was arrested and charged with sexually abusing a child, Anne Arundel police said Friday.

Police said Erick Ernesto Granados-Zeledon, 39, was arrested without incident at his home in the 1700 block of Oldtown Road in Edgewater on Thursday.

A child told investigators he had been sexually abused by Granados-Zeledon, who was a chaperone and Bible study instructor at Iglesia Hispana Emmanuel in Annapolis. The child was 10 at the time of the alleged abuse.

Police spokesman Lt. Ryan Frashure said none of the abuse happened at the church, but the department is concerned there may be more victims because Granados-Zeledon’s position put him in regular contact with children.

Charging documents state Granados-Zeledon was a friend of the victim’s family through the church and that he would take the child “from [the family’s] residence to church, out to eat and occasionally to his residence in Edgewater.”

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AUSTRALIA
The Australian

GERARD WINDSOR
The Australian
June 10, 2017

Two confessions. First, I’m a practising, albeit sinful, Catholic. Second, I’ve crossed swords, in print, with ­George Pell.

So, is the lengthening charge sheet against the cardinal merely a vast smear campaign? In particular, is it one fuelled by a fierce antipathy to religion, to Christianity, and especially to Catholicism?

Certainly there is a stark contemporary context for this public indictment. By virtue of his status as a cardinal, his uncompromising personality and his position in the Vatican, Pell is perceived as the representative Australian Catholic. And that too at a time when the Catholic Church is seen as the major obstacle to a raft of proposed liberal social reforms: euthanasia bills before the NSW and Victorian parliaments, an abortion liberalisation bill in NSW, and the nationwide marriage equality debate.

The logic is obvious: discredit Pell and you discredit Catholic opinion on these issues. It’s a knockout blow.

Certainly we are seeing widespread expressions of the feeling that the Catholic Church has lost any right to be dictating, or even joining a discussion, on moral issues. There are secular zealots barracking shrilly as each new nail is hammered into the Pell coffin. And you know that it’s not simply justice they’re after.

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CONNECTICUT
CT Post

By Daniel Tepfer Saturday, June 10, 2017

NEW FAIRFIELD — When The Rev. Martin Federici looked out the window of the rectory of St. Edward Confessor Church that spring afternoon in 1984, he spied a 15-year-old boy getting the best of another in a fistfight.

“Father Fed,” was drawn to athletic boys.

Thirty-four years later the boy— who said he was sexually abused by Federici over a six-year period, starting that very day — accepted a settlement from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport. The Church’s action this past week was the last to address the more than 60 people who claimed in lawsuits they were similarly victimized by priests in the 1970s and 80s.

Now an adult, that boy says he is still suffering the aftershocks of those long ago sex assaults.

Because he hasn’t told members of his family about the abuse, including his four teenage sons, he asked that Hearst Connecticut Media identify him only as “Patrick.”

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AUSTRALIA
The Guardian

Michael Arditti
Saturday 10 June 2017

Although Christ equivocally declared that some men “have made themselves eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven’s sake”, nowhere in the New Testament is celibacy enjoined on priests. St Paul, while advocating chastity as an ideal, assumed that most church leaders would be married, and St Peter, traditionally regarded as the first pope, had one of the most prominent mothers-in-law in the Bible.

Priestly celibacy, which was only enshrined in law in medieval times, emerged less for spiritual than for practical reasons. The church was determined to consolidate its property and its power: in the first case, by preventing priests from leaving their possessions to their children, and in the second by controlling their most powerful human instincts. Carnal passion was denigrated as animalistic and women as the instigators of their downfall. Priests should strive to emulate the sinless, sexless Christ.

Historically, clerical celibacy has been more honoured in the breach than in the observance. The most notorious offenders were the Renaissance popes, but there has been a long tradition of “the priest’s woman”, often his housekeeper. Statistics are understandably hard to obtain, but in a survey by the University of Chicago, quoted by Thomas Keneally in his new novel, 60% of Catholic priests admitted to sexual experience of one kind or another, findings that have been duplicated elsewhere.

It is those who repress their sexuality until, at breaking point, they target their most vulnerable charges who wreak irreparable damage on both their victims and their church. In an authorial preface, Keneally, who as a youth trained for the priesthood, acknowledges that “the education to make me celibate … could create, encourage or license the young men whose abusive tendencies are mourned in this novel”. That awareness permeates the entire book, from its central conflict to case studies, such as that of the priest who, having abused an altar boy, declares with horrifying candour that “a man is only human”.

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MARYLAND
CBS Baltimore

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A former chaperone and bible study instructor at Iglesia Hispanic Emmanuel Church in Annapolis faces several charges after being accused of sexually abusing a juvenile.

The Anne Arundel County Child Abuse Unit launched an investigation in May, interviewing the victim identifying 39-year-old Erick Ernesto Granados-Zeledon as a suspect.

Detectives obtained an arrest warrant and charged the suspect with Second Degree Sex Offense, Second Degree Child Abuse, Third Degree Sex Offense, Fourth Degree Sex Offense, Sexual Abuse of a Minor, Sodomy and Second Degree Assault.

On Thursday, they arrested him without incident at his residence in the 1700 block of Oldtown Road in Edgewater.

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MARYLAND
Capital Gazette

Phil DavisContact Reporter
pdavis@capgaznews.com

A 39-year-old bible study instructor at an Annapolis church was arrested and charged with sexually abusing a child, Anne Arundel police said Friday.

The police department said Erick Ernesto Granados-Zeledon was arrested without incident at his home in the 1700 block of Oldtown Road in Edgewater on Thursday.

A child told investigators they had been sexually abused by Granados-Zeledon, who was a chaperone and bible study instructor at the Iglesia Hispanic Emmanuel Church in Annapolis.

Police spokesman Lt. Ryan Frashure said none of the abuse happened at the church itself, but the department is concerned there may be more victims as his position put him in regular contact with children.

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MARYLAND
WBAL

ANNAPOLIS, Md. —
A church chaperone and Bible study instructor is accused of sexually abusing a child, Anne Arundel County police said.

Erick Ernesto Granados-Zeledon, 39, of the 1700 block of Oldtown Road in Edgewater, is charged with second-degree sex offense, second-degree child abuse, third-degree sex offense, fourth-degree sex offense, sexual abuse of a minor, sodomy and second-degree assault.

Police said detectives interviewed the juvenile victim and learned that Granados-Zeledon was a volunteer at the Iglesia Hispanic Emmanuel Church in Annapolis.

The church has been cooperating with law enforcement in regards to the investigation, police said.

Police said Granados-Zeledon is no longer a volunteer at the church and had no affiliation with its private school or day care.

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UNITED STATES
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

WASHINGTON—As they begin the Spring General Assembly, Bishops from across the U.S. will gather at Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis for a Mass of Prayer and Penance for survivors of sexual abuse within the Church. The Mass is being held in response to a call from Pope Francis for all episcopal conferences across the world to have a Day of Prayer and Penance for victims of sexual abuse within the Church and will be held June 14, 2017 at 5:00 pm at Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis.

The bishops will gather together in solidarity to pray for victims and to acknowledge the pain caused by the failures of the Church in the past. The Mass will mark the opening for the June Plenary Assembly of bishops taking place June 14-15 in Indianapolis. Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston and President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will be the principal celebrant. Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory, of Atlanta, and former President of the USCCB, will be the homilist.

In an act of penance and humility, the bishops will also kneel and recite a commemorative prayer that has been written for survivors of abuse in their healing. Intercessory Prayers of the Faithful will also be offered for those who have suffered due to clergy sex abuse. All dioceses and eparchies have been provided the suggested intercessory Prayers of the Faithful for use at any time of their choosing after June 14.

In addition to this specific Day of Prayer and Penance, many dioceses and eparchies will also schedule their own Masses or other events to promote healing within their diocese/eparchy throughout the year.

The Mass is scheduled to be livestreamed. The livestream link will be available on the USCCB website.

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UNITED STATES
Catholic News Service

By Carol Zimmermann Catholic News Service
6.8.2017

WASHINGTON (CNS) — The 14th annual report on diocesan compliance with the U.S. Catholic Church’s “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People” shows that church leaders have taken steps to help many find healing as victims of clergy sexual abuse, but there is still work to be done.

Introductory remarks in the 2017 report urge church leaders not to assume that “sexual abuse of minors by the clergy is a thing of the past and a distant memory. Any allegation involving a current minor should remind the bishops that they must rededicate themselves each day to maintaining a level of vigilance,” wrote Francesco Cesareo, chairman of the National Review Board, which oversees the audits.

The newly released report — based on audits conducted between July 1, 2015, and June 30, 2016 — shows that 1,232 survivors of child sexual abuse by clergy came forward with 1,318 clerical abuse allegations in 132 Catholic dioceses and eparchies. The allegations represent reports of abuse that occurred from the 1940s to the present.

The report also shows an increase of 730 allegations from the previous year’s report and stresses that a most of the increase in allegations this year comes from the six dioceses in Minnesota, because the state in 2013 opened its civil statute of limitations for such claims until May 2016, giving victims over age 24 a three-year window to sue for past abuse. These six dioceses reported 351 more allegations than they did in the 2015 audit year.

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NEW YORK
BishopAccountability.org

Summary of Case: Kenneth F. O’Connell was ordained for the Archdiocese of New York in 1956. He served as an assistant at parishes in Manhattan and Mt. Vernon before being named pastor in Larchmont in 1981. O’Connell was involved throughout his career with the Catholic Boy Scouts, locally and nationally; he was chaplain and chair of the National Catholic Committee on Scouting 1973-1975. He also held leadership positions for the Archdiocesan Catholic Youth Organizations, as assistant director 1973-1975, then director 1975-1978. In 1973 O’Connell founded a scouting camp called Camp Spes Mundi, in Hope Falls, NY. He died in 1984 at age 54.

In May 2017 O’Connell was accused publicly of having perpetrated sexual abuse against a boy scout in 1973. O’Connell’s accuser claimed that when he was 12-years-old, O’Connell raped him at Camp Spes Mundi. The former boy scout said that, after injuring his ribs while wrestling with fellow campers, he was prescribed muscle-relaxants by a doctor and told to sleep indoors. That was when he said O’Connell had him spend the night in his room to “keep an eye” on him, then forcefully sodomized him. He said O’Connell left camp the next day and he never saw him again.

O’Connell’s accuser received a financial settlement from the archdiocese in 2017 via its Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program.

Ordained: 1956
Died: November 21, 1984

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IRELAND
Irish Examiner

Friday, June 09, 2017

By Conall Ó Fátharta
Irish Examiner Reporter

The Justice For Magdalenes Research (JFMR) group has written to the Ombudsman expressing its long-held concerns over the Magdalene redress scheme.

Ombudsman Peter Tyndall notified the Department of Justice of its intention to launch an investigation into the scheme last December.

In February, JFMR sent a 14-page letter to the office of the Ombudsman outlining eight separate areas where it claimed the scheme was not being administered fairly by the department, including:

The failure to provide the full range of health and community care services recommended by Mr Justice Quirke in 2013;

* Failure to backdate pension payments to retirement age;
* The lack of assistance for particularly vulnerable Magdalene survivors;
* The failure to establish important aspects of the recommended dedicated unit;
* The lack of fair procedures and/or transparency regarding the duration of time assessment;
* The unreasonable exclusion of women who worked as children in Magdalene Laundries on the basis of an irrationally narrow interpretation of the “admitted to” criterion;
* Lack of public access to the archive of state records informing the IDC Report;
* The refusal to accept state responsibility for forced labour or other abuse in Magdalene Laundries.

The department has at all times claimed it is administering the scheme in line with recommendations.

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FRANCE
L’Independent

Dix ans après avoir été informé par une victime présumée d’attouchements sexuels de la part d’un prêtre de son diocèse, l’ancien évêque d’Orléans André Fort a été mis en examen jeudi pour n’avoir pas dénoncé les faits à la justice.

Mgr André Fort, évêque d’Orléans de 2002 à 2010, a été mis en examen jeudi matin par un juge d’instruction à la suite d’une décision de la chambre d’instruction d’Orléans, ont indiqué Martin Pradel et Edmond-Claude Fréty, avocats de trois victimes présumées du prêtre, qui se sont portées partie civile.

Mgr André Fort fut évêque du diocèse de Perpignan-Elne entre 1995 et 2002, date à laquelle il a été transféré à Orléans.

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FRANCE
GMA News

Published June 9, 2017

ORLEANS, France – The former bishop of the French city of Orleans was charged Thursday with failing to report a pedophile priest under his watch, lawyers for the plaintiffs said.

Andre Fort, who was bishop of Orleans from 2002 until his retirement in 2010, was charged by investigators in the northern city, according to Martin Pradel and Edmond-Claude Frety, lawyers for three alleged victims pressing civil charges against disgraced priest Pierre de Castelet.

De Castelet, 66, is accused of child abuse dating back to 1993 when he served as chaplain at a camp for young Christians and was charged in 2012. He also worked as a chaplain for the European Scouts movement.

It was Fort’s successor Jacques Blaquart who reported de Castelet to authorities after one of the alleged victims contacted him in 2011. Blaquart said last year that the case involved “eight or nine cases of the touching of minors, of victims aged around 12”.

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NEW YORK
Staten Island Advance

BY DIANE C. LORE

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Clergy sex abuse survivor Shaun Dougherty will be attending upcoming community board meetings in Staten Island to discuss the New York Archdiocese compensation program for abuse victims.

The deadline to apply for the program was set for July 31, but the Archdiocese has extended it to Nov. 1.

A total of 145 victims have submitted claims under the program so far since it was announced by Cardinal Timothy Dolan in October, 2016; 122 have accepted the compensation offered, according to archdiocesan spokesman Joseph Zwilling.

Dougherty said he wants to encourage survivors to register before the program expires.

As part of his effort to raise awareness for the program, he is also sending letters to local churches urging them to discuss the program with their parishioners.

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IRELAND
Irish Examiner

Friday, June 09, 2017

By Conall Ó Fátharta
Irish Examiner Reporter

Gardaí have forwarded a complaint for the personal attention of the Data Protection Commissioner that files relating to vaccine trials in Bessborough mother and baby home were altered in 2002.

The complaint was made by Mari Steed after the Irish Examiner revealed in November that the files of mothers and children used in the 1960/61 4-in-1 vaccine trial were altered in 2002 — just weeks after the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse sought discovery of records from the religious order running the home.

Ms Steed was one of the children used in the trial and was subsequently adopted in the US. Her natural mother’s file is one of those listed as having been changed. Gardaí investigating the matter have written to her to say the complaint has been forwarded for the “personal attention” of Data Protection Commissioner Helen Dixon.

Ms Steed said she felt she had a personal obligation to make a Garda complaint on the matter, She said Tusla, which now holds the records, has “an ethical, moral, and public interest” in contacting all of the people it can confirm were part of a trial.

The Irish Examiner put a series of questions to the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in relation to the document outlining the above changes. The order declined to answer any of them.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Islington Gazette

Sam Gelder

The name of a paedophile priest who raped and assaulted boys for decades before being jailed last month was handed to police in 1992, the Gazette can reveal.

“Father Eugene” was identified in information about suspected child abuse given to former Islington social worker and whistleblower Liz Davies, who passed it on to police.

Dr Davies contacted the Gazette after reading our story last week about Father Eugene Fitzpatrick, who was jailed for 22 years for carrying out horrific abuse at Our Lady and Saint Joseph Roman Catholic Church in Balls Pond Road and elsewhere in Islington.

It follows an investigation by the Gazette that revealed new evidence about child abuse in the borough in the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s.

Dr Davies and former Evening Standard journalist Eileen Fairweather, who blew the lid on the borough’s child abuse scandal in 1992, have both confirmed the name “Father Eugene” was passed to Scotland Yard.

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SCOTLAND
Scotsman

CHRIS MARSHALL
Friday 09 June 2017

A “dreadful misunderstanding” of child abuse led the Catholic Church to offer therapy to paedophile priests and agree deals to avoid prosecutions.

The Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry heard the Church attempted to “repair” clerics who committed offences against children and had made “horrible mistakes” in its treatment of victims.

Speaking on behalf of the Bishops’ Conference, Monsignor Peter Smith said the Church “seldom” used its own formal processes in the past to punish sex offenders, choosing instead to send them to retreat houses for therapy.

Mgr Smith said in cases where the police and prosecution service became involved, often no further action was taken when it was agreed the priest would receive help.

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SCOTLAND
The Daily Mail

By Graham Grant For The Daily Mail

The Catholic Church in Scotland has admitted it made a ‘huge mistake’ by sending paedophile priests away to be ‘fixed’ rather than prosecuting them.

A senior cleric said yesterday that abuse was seen as a ‘sin’ and the church focused more on ‘treating’ child molesters than on helping their young victims.

He said there were occasions when prosecutors turned a blind eye and agreed not to bring charges on the condition abusers received therapy, with their crimes seen as a ‘moral fault that could be fixed by prayer and retreat’.

Some abusers were sent to a hospital in Ireland, he revealed.

Monsignor Peter Smith, former chancellor of the Archdiocese of Glasgow, told a hearing of the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry in Edinburgh that abuse had ‘always been seen as a serious sin for a cleric’ and that there was an internal court process for accused priests.

But he said the ‘reality was these processes were seldom used’ because the abuse was seen as a ‘sin’ that could be ‘sorted’.

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