ABUSE TRACKER

A digest of links to media coverage of clergy abuse. For recent coverage listed in this blog, read the full article in the newspaper or other media source by clicking “Read original article.” For earlier coverage, click the title to read the original article.

December 13, 2016

Church named in lawsuit filed in Lewis

KENTUCKY
Ledger Independent

MARY ANN KEARNS

A lawsuit has been filed in Lewis County, on behalf of a “John Doe,” who, as a child, was sexually abused by a former pastor of the church.

The complaint is in relation to former VCC minister Duncan Akers and involves acts which took place between 2007 and 2010. Aker pleaded guilty to five counts of first-degree sexual abuse on March 4.

The lawsuit, filed Monday by attorneys Konrad Kircher, Bruce W. MacDonald, Stephen F. Crew and Peter B. Janci, claims the Vanceburg Christian Church had a duty to protect the plaintiff from harm and to closely supervise leaders and was negligent in doing so.

As a result of Akers’ abuse, the plaintiff has suffered permanent and lasting damages, the complaint alleges.

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

More harrowing accounts of historic abuse at Church of England children’s home in Gravesend

UNITED KINGDOM
Kent Online

by Tom Acrestacres@thekmgroup.co.uk

Harrowing accounts of historical child abuse have been revealed by a further review into a Church of England home for young girls.

More than three decades of cruelty at Kendall House in Gravesend was first exposed by the findings of an expert panel in June, with residents found to have been drugged, sexually assaulted, locked in an isolation room and kept in straitjackets.

The 137-page report, compiled by Dr Sue Proctor, part-time judge Samantha Cohen and former police detective superintendent Ray Galloway, described Kendall House as “a frightening, violent and unpredictable place to live”.

Dr Proctor, who chaired the investigation into disgraced DJ Jimmy Savile, said the abuse at Kendall House was the most troubling thing she had worked on.

So many other former residents came forward after its publication that the Rt Rev James Langstaff, Bishop of Rochester, agreed to an extended review, which has resulted in testimonies from one woman who was just nine when she was sent to Kendall House.

She had never been in a children’s home previously and it remains unclear why she was sent there, with other girls sent there by the Dioceses of Rochester and Canterbury ranging from 11 to 16-years-old.

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

December 12, 2016

Anglican priest from Secret Harbour church charged with child sex abuse

AUSTRALIA
ABC News

By Graeme Powell

An Anglican priest from Preston Beach south of Perth has been charged with child sex offences after allegedly abusing a young girl during a 16-month period.

The priest, 64, has been accused of sexually assaulting the girl between August 2010 and November 2011 while working at a church in Secret Harbour, north of Mandurah.

The child was 10 when the abuse allegedly began.

The man has been charged with three counts of indecent dealing with a child under 13 and one count of persistent sexual contact with a child under 16.

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

Former Anglican Priest charged with sexually assaulting a young girl

AUSTRALIA
WA Today

Brendan Foster

A former Anglican priest has been charged with alleged sexual offences against a 10-year-old girl from more than 15 years ago.

Police allege the 64-year-old man from Preston Beach sexually assaulted the young girl from August 2010 to November 2011 when he was an Anglican Priest at a church in Secret Harbour.

He has been charged with three counts of indecent dealing of a child under 13 years, and one count of persistent sexual conduct with a child under 16 years and will appear in Rockingham Magistrates court on Tuesday.

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

Stopping Predators

CALIFORNIA
OC Family

BY JOELLE CASTEIX
November 28 – 2016

I am many things. I am a wife and a mother. I am a writer and an advocate. But there is one thing that shaped the adult I have become more than anything else:

I am a survivor of child sexual abuse.

A teacher at my well-known Orange County Catholic high school sexually molested me for two years when I was a young teen. He left me pregnant and with a sexually transmitted disease.

The crime was pernicious, but it was only the beginning. School administrators knew about the abuse and did nothing, even though they knew he had molested other girls.

What wounded me the most, however, wasn’t the actual abuse. It was the cover-up by school officials. It was the fact that my parents and many of my peers blamed me for what happened. The adults who were supposed to protect me instead threw me to the wolves. They protected a school instead of a child.

I left my teen years isolated, depressed, ashamed, self-destructive and hurt. Very, very hurt. I spent years wanting to die. I trusted no one, because to me, friendship meant betrayal. I didn’t know how to have a healthy romantic relationship within my peer group, because my predator had isolated me and flung me into a manipulative and abusive world.

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

At The D.A.’s Office, The Shit Is About To Hit The Fan

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Big Trial

By Ralph Cipriano
for BigTrial.net

Seth Williams should bring an umbrella to work.

Why? Because our corrupt district attorney, already under investigation by the FBI, the IRS and a grand jury, is about to see his proudest achievement as a prosecutor get splattered with excrement.

What does Seth Williams consider to be his proudest achievement? Why his self-described “historic” prosecution of Msgr. William J. Lynn, the first Catholic cleric in the country to be sent to jail, not for touching a child, but for failing to control sexually abusive priests. It’s an achievement that has caused church haters and so-called victims advocates to swoon over Seth. At the height of this adulation, New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd proclaimed Seth, raised Catholic, to be the “avenging altar boy.”

But there’s long been a problem with the Lynn case, namely that the alleged victim — former altar boy Danny Gallagher AKA “Billy Doe” — is a transparent fraud, as revealed in his copious medical records, legal depositions, and in two interviews with a couple of psychiatrists.

Today, Lynn’s lawyer, Thomas A. Bergstrom, filed a motion in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court that seeks to take the pre-trial testimony of retired Detective Joseph Walsh. Here’s why alarm bells are about to go off at the D.A.’s office as soon as they read Bergstrom’s motion — Walsh was the lead investigator in the Billy Doe case. And, according to Bergstrom’s motion, Walsh has talked to defense lawyers and “provided exculpatory evidence” never revealed to defense lawyers during two previous archdiocese sex abuse trials.

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

PA–Altoona bishop must un-do harm caused by predecessor, SNAP says

PENNSYLVANIA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Monday, Dec 12, 2016

Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790cell, 314 645 5915 home, davidgclohessy@gmail.com)

Altoona’s Catholic bishop must take strong steps now to “un-do” the harm caused when his predecessor deceitfully and quietly sent a serial predator priest across state lines. We suggest that he use newspaper and radio ads to aggressively seek out and help other victims of the child molesting cleric.

Long secret, just-released church records show that then-Bishop James Hogan gave a “glowing recommendation” as he sent a Msgr. Francis McCaa – who authorities call a “monster” who may have “molested hundreds” – to West Virginia where he worked for years among especially vulnerable families.

[Tribune-Democrat]

No rational person thinks a three hour road trip cures pedophilia. Msgr. McCaa no doubt assaulted West Virginia kids too. So current Altoona Bishop Mark Bartchak must do all he can to try to find and console and compensate Msgr. McCaa’s victims in West Virginia. That’s the bare minimum moral obligation he faces.

If Bartchak’s predecessor burned down a church, Bartchak would rebuild it. If Bartchack’s predecessor made terrible investments, Bartchak would re-invest. So since Bartchak’s predecessor enabled a predator to hurt kids, Bartchak must try to find and help them.

Why wouldn’t Bartchack do this? Because he values his personal comfort more than the pain of abuse victims? Because he values his diocese’s wealth more than the still-deep suffering of boys and girls who were assaulted by an Altoona priest?

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

Media Release: Victims welcome conclusion of Yeshivah election process and call for action

AUSTRALIA
Manny Waks

​12 December 2016

​On behalf of some of Yeshivah Melbourne’s victims and survivors of child sexual abuse, I welcome the conclusion of the formal election process at the Yeshivah Centre Melbourne.

We believe it is imperative that the new boards of Chabad Institutions of Victoria Limited and Yeshivah-Beth Rivkah Schools Limited act decisively and expeditiously to address those issues emanating from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse Report into Yeshivah Melbourne and Yeshiva Bondi, so that the community can truly move forward from this stain.

In particular we note the findings of the Royal Commission in respect of Yeshivah Melbourne that:

a. “The leadership did not create an environment conducive to the communication of information about child sexual abuse. If anything, the mixed messages are likely to have produced inaction.”

b. “There was a marked absence of supportive leadership for survivors of child sexual abuse and their families within Yeshivah Melbourne. Halachic principles were stridently – even if incorrectly applied. Criticism of those that spoke out was forceful.”

c. “If the Yeshivah Melbourne, the Committee of Management and Rabbi Telsner had shown leadership, survivors of child sexual abuse and their families and supporters might have received a very different response from the members of the Yeshivah Melbourne community.”

As the Community is already aware, following the release of the findings of the Royal Commission, the Rabbinic Council of Australia and New Zealand, Rabbinical Council of Victoria and Rabbinical Council of New South Wales, released a public statement, calling on:

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

Church responds to latest allegations

GUAM
Guam Daily Post

Neil Pang | Post News Staff

The Archdiocese of Agana released a statement yesterday in response to the latest allegations of child sexual abuse, apologizing for allegations of abuse made against clergy who served on Guam over the past several decades.

The latest suit, filed Dec. 7, came from Robert Aguon Perez, a 45-year-old Los Angeles resident, and named former Guam priest Rev. David Anderson. The suit alleges that Anderson sexually abused Perez when he was a child serving as an altar boy at the St. Jude parish in Sinajana and a student of Father Duenas Memorial School between the years 1982 and 1986. According to Post files, Perez would have been between the ages of 11 and 15 when the alleged abuse took place.

Yesterday’s statement released by the archdiocese confirmed that Anderson was a priest who served on Guam during the period of time indicated by Perez’s suit.

“Regarding the latest allegation of sexual abuse by clergy and lawsuit filed by Mr. Robert Aguon Perez, the Archdiocese confirms that David Anderson was a priest who served on Guam in the 1970s and ‘80s under the order of the Capuchin Franciscan Friars,” the statement read. “He was assigned at St. Jude Thaddeus Church in Sinajana from 1978-83. He also taught at Father Duenas Memorial School from 1978 to the 1980s.”

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

Danish priest charged with new cases of child sex abuse

DENMARK
CPH Post

December 12th, 2016 by Lucie Rychla

A 46-year-old priest from Tømmerup near Kalundborg in west Zealand, who has been in custody since June facing charges that he sexually abused an underage girl, has now been accused of doing the same to four boys.

According to the West Zealand Police, the priest is currently being investigated on 11 charges of sexual abuse relating to four boys and one girl aged 12-17.

The charges include sexual intercourse, attempted sexual intercourse and indecent exposure.

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

£300m… what it could cost to compensate ex-residents of Northern Ireland residential homes

NORTHERN IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph

By Michael McHugh
PUBLISHED
01/11/2016

Compensating everybody who spent time in a residential home in Northern Ireland run by or on behalf of the state could cost £300m, a lawyer who specialises in abuse cases has suggested.

Sir Anthony Hart is drawing up his report for ministers following two-and-a-half years of Historical Institutional Abuse (HIA) inquiry hearings involving abuse victims and institutions.

He has already said that there should be an award of compensation to those children who suffered abuse in children’s homes and other institutions in Northern Ireland between 1922 and 1995.

A group of survivors is calling for a common experience payment of £10,000 per resident and an additional payment of £3,000 for each year spent in an institution.

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

Probes of Kiryas Joel principal video still open

NEW YORK
The Journal News

Jonathan Bandler , jbandler@lohud.com December 11, 2016

Through early January, reporters will be looking back at and following up on stories and topics that were the most popular with our readers in 2016, according to metrics on lohud.com. This story is part of that series.

A Kiryas Joel principal seen on a pair of videos in close physical contact with young boys had no choice but to leave the school because of the firestorm of publicity, a longtime community activist said this week.

But Joseph Waldman, whose own children and grandchildren had gone to the school, insisted that his inquiries into the videos and the principal’s behavior revealed what he had suspected: that the longtime, respected educator was no molester, but used a loving form of discipline to straighten out misbehaving students.

“He showed a very, very fine fatherly type of love to the kids,” Waldman said. “Instead of expelling the kid, throwing him out of school, bringing anguish to his parents … he is expressing love, expressing feeling, so the kid knows they’re not a throwaway kid.”

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

December 11, 2016

Santa Sede expulsa del estado clerical a sacerdote acusado de abusos en Argentina

SAN ISIDRO (ARGENTINA)
ACI Prensa [Lima, Peru]

December 11, 2016

By Giselle Vargas

Read original article

El Obispado de San Isidro en Argentina informó que la Santa Sede declaró el pasado 16 de noviembre la dimisión del P. Cristian Gramlich, “quedando privado de todo ejercicio del ministerio sacerdotal”. La diócesis por su parte pidió perdón a las víctimas de los abusos cometidos por el ahora exsacerdote y expresó su deseo de reparar y promover una cultura de protección de menores.

El comunicado emitido el 2 de diciembre señala que en marzo de 2012, el Obispo de San Isidro, Mons. Oscar Ojea, recibió información “referida a comportamientos graves e indebidos” del P. Cristian Gramlich que en ese momento era párroco de Santa Rita, localidad de Boulogne, y director pastoral del colegio Juan XXIII.

Si bien las víctimas no quisieron iniciar una investigación judicial, el Obispado de San Isidro se puso “inmediatamente a disposición de los denunciantes y cumpliendo con las normas de la Santa Sede se iniciaron los procedimientos previstos por la Iglesia para examinar esas conductas”, indica el comunicado.

Mientras se desarrollaba la investigación preliminar, Mons. Ojea apartó de sus labores al P. Gramlich. En mayo de 2013 a partir de nuevos antecedentes, se le prohibió realizar confesiones además de ser expulsado de la diócesis de San Isidro. 

En 2014 el presbítero comenzó a realizar algunos servicios ministeriales en la Diócesis de San Martín y actualmente se encuentra no habido. Esta diócesis y la de San Isidro señalaron a ACI Prensa que no conocen el paradero de Gramlich.

“En nombre de la comunidad diocesana de San Isidro y de modo especial de sus obispos y sacerdotes, expresamos el pedido de perdón a quienes han sido afectados por estas conductas”, citó el texto.

“Compartimos el dolor de las personas afectadas, y expresamos nuestro deseo de promover una cultura del cuidado de los niños y de los jóvenes”, concluyó el mensaje firmado por el vocero de la diócesis de San Isidro, P. Máximo Jurcinovic. 

El colegio Juan XXIII también emitió un mensaje a la comunidad escolar el pasado 17 de noviembre donde invitó a orar por la “sanación de nuestra comunidad y de todos los involucrados y heridos”, además de la realización de una misa efectuada el 28 de noviembre.

“Esta noticia nos entristece y conmueve profundamente como comunidad educativa y parroquial. También nos fortalece en la esperanza y nos renueva la confianza en la Iglesia, servidora de la verdad y la justicia”, indicaron.

Lea el comunicado AQUÍ.

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

Media Release – December 10, 2016

NEW JERSEY
Road to Recovery

Jamaican girl sexually abused by New York-based Franciscan priest, Fr. Paul A. Walsh, OFM, a/k/a Fr. La Salle Walsh, has asked the Franciscan Friars for help so she can heal. The Franciscan Friars have told her to “take a hike”

Franciscan Friars of the Holy Name Province, based in Manhattan with parishes and ministries throughout the NY City/northern New Jersey metropolitan area, refuse to help a Jamaican woman even with the costs of counseling so she can begin to heal. She was sexually abused by a Franciscan missionary when she was approximately 10 years old in Kingston, Jamaica

What
Demonstration and leafleting in Northern NJ alerting the media, parishioners, and ordinary citizens of the refusal of the Franciscan Friars of the Holy Name Province, based on West 31st Street, Manhattan, to help a Jamaican childhood sexual abuse victim of Fr. Paul A. Walsh, heal

When

Sunday, December 11, 2016 – 6:00 am until 9:00 am

Where
On the public sidewalk and alongside a procession for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe beginning at St. Anthony of Padua Church, 65 Bartholdi Avenue, Butler, NJ, as the procession makes its way through the Town of Butler, and on to St. Mary’s Parish, Pompton Lakes, NJ, where a 9:00 am Mass will be held

Who
Members of Road to Recovery, Inc., a New Jersey-based non-profit charity based in New Jersey that assists victims of sexual abuse and their families, including its co-founder and President, Robert M. Hoatson, Ph.D.

Why
The Franciscan Friars of the Holy Name Province, based in Manhattan, refuse to assist in the recovery of a childhood sexual abuse victim of one of their priests, Fr. Paul A. Walsh, OFM. This Kingston, Jamaica, woman was a little girl of approximately ten years old at Our Lady of Angels Parish and School in Kingston, Jamaica, when Fr. Paul A. Walsh, OFM, also known as Fr. La Salle Walsh, sexually abused her. This innocent victim wants to heal, but the Franciscan Friars have told her to “take a hike,” refusing, even, to help her with the costs of counseling. Demonstrators will call upon parishioners of Franciscan parishes in Butler and Pompton Lakes, NJ, and ordinary citizens to demand of the Franciscan Friars of the Holy Name Province that they do the right thing and help this Jamaican woman heal.

Contacts
Robert M. Hoatson, Ph.D., Road to Recovery, Inc. – 862-368-2800 – roberthoatson@gmail.com
Attorney Mitchell Garabedian, Boston, MA – 617-523-6250 – garabedianlaw@msn.com

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

Senators: Number of clergy sex abuse accusers shocking, unfortunate

GUAM
Pacific Daily News

Haidee V Eugenio , heugenio@guampdn.com December 10, 2016

The author of the bill that has paved the way for 12 former altar boys, so far, to sue for alleged rape or sexual abuse they went through in the hands of priests decades ago, said the sheer numbers come as a shock but not necessarily a surprise.

Sen. Frank Blas Jr., R-Barrigada, said Thursday that providing a venue for individuals to seek justice and closure and preventing others from laying a hand on children today is worth the criticism he got in introducing Bill 326-33, to allow victims of child sex abuse to sue their abusers and the institutions with which they are associated, at any time. Gov. Eddie Calvo signed the bill into law on Sept. 23.

“If I have to relive my life, I would have introduced the bill much earlier,” Blas said. “Any person should not live his life in fear, in shame and with guilt for something that happened to him when he was a child. And if this bill stops an individual today from sexually assaulting a young child, then it’s well worth any criticism.”

As of Wednesday, 12 child sex abuse lawsuits had been filed against Catholic priests, the Archdiocese of Agana and up to 50 other unnamed persons who may have helped, abetted, concealed or covered up the abuses.

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Vatican investigated priest

PENNSYLVANIA
Wayne Independent

By Kevin Kearney
kkearney@wayneindependent.com

A Roman Catholic priest recently charged in a child pornography case in Wayne County had been vetted by the Vatican 13 years ago on accusations he molested a 16-year-old boy in New Jersey, the Archdiocese of Newark confirmed Tuesday.

The Rev. Kevin Gugliotta, 54, currently in the Wayne County prison on $1 million bail on 40 counts of possessing and disseminating child pornography at his Lehigh Township vacation home, was suspended from ministry in New Jersey in 2003 after the accusations were made he had molested the boy.

Gugliotta was ordained in 1996 and the alleged molestation happened prior to that, in the 1980s, said Jim Goodness, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Newark.

Since Gugliotta was not in ministry at the time of the alleged molestations, the archdiocese referred the case to the Vatican for guidance, Goodness said.

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Quebec ex-cop charged with rape was residential school survivor

CANADA
Toronto Star

By ALLAN WOODS
Quebec Bureau
Sat., Dec. 10, 2016

MONTREAL—A former police officer charged with rape after a massive investigation into abuse of indigenous women by law enforcement officials in Quebec is a residential-school survivor who says he was sexually assaulted by a priest, the Star has learned.

Jean-Luc Vollant, a 65-year-old Innu man, is a former officer with a native police force who was charged last month after a probe of nearly 40 allegations from indigenous people who say they had been mistreated by police.

Vollant was among more than 30 current and former officers in Quebec who were the subject of the allegations. He was one of just two people to be charged with a criminal offence.

He faces three charges of rape, indecent assault on a female and sexual assault ― stemming from incidents that allegedly occurred between 1980 and 1986 in Schefferville, Que., a remote town near the border with Labrador that is home to a small, predominately Innu population.

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

Three decades later, Altoona–Johnstown diocese doesn’t object to the release of information in abuse cases

PENNSYLVANIA
Tribune-Democrat

By Dave Sutor
dsutor@tribdem.com

After the passage of three decades – and the release of a scathing report by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General that provided details about an alleged cover-up of rampant child sexual abuse within its ranks – the Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona–Johnstown changed positions as to whether information in a civil litigation against Msgr. Francis McCaa should be made public.

In 1986, counsel for the monsignor, diocese, former Bishop James Hogan, and Holy Name Catholic Church in Ebensburg argued that pretrial documents – in a case brought by four plaintiffs – should be sealed in order to “prevent serious and irreparable harm to the defendants through the disclosure of information which may not be relevant or admissible at the trial of the case,” as described in the papers.

But, when The Tribune-Democrat sought to have the documents unsealed this year, the diocese did not resist, so long as the accusers’ names were redacted.

“Their policy now is to be as transparent as possible without hurting someone else,” Eric Anderson, an attorney for the diocese, said.

Michael Sahlaney, a lawyer who handled the action for the newspaper, complimented the diocese for not fighting the legal action.

“The diocese, I want to give them credit,” he said. “They were very open. They had no objection to the file being open at this time. It is what it is.”

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Buried secrets no more: Court unseals pretrial records in abuse case against Altoona-Johnstown diocese

PENNSYLVANIA
Tribune-Democrat

By Dave Sutor
dsutor@tribdem.com

Thirty years ago today – on Dec. 11, 1986 – an order was issued to seal the pretrial records in a case filed by petitioners against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, former Bishop James Hogan, Holy Name Catholic Church and Msgr. Francis McCaa.

The decision prohibited parties and attorneys from publicly disseminating any information obtained from pleadings or documents.

The seal was to remain in place “until the time of trial,” according to the decision issued by then Cambria County Judge Gerard Long – who attended Holy Name parish, where McCaa served, and who years later decided to not recuse himself in the case, in which a newspaper attempted to have the records unsealed.

McCaa had been accused of sexually abusing an unknown number of children, but never went to trial. A financial settlement was reached in 1987.

And the records remained locked away for decades, until current Cambria County President Judge Norman Krumenacker III released the information at the request of The Tribune-Democrat in the aftermath of a grand jury report that accused the diocese of carrying out a decades-long cover-up to protect religious leaders accused of child sexual abuse.

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

The unmasking of a monster: Report exposes how church abuse case was handled by Cambria County legal system

PENNSYLVANIA
Tribune-Democrat

By Dave Sutor
dsutor@tribdem.com

Msgr. Francis McCaa was allegedly one of the most egregious sexual abusers of children in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona–Johnstown.

A grand jury report issued earlier this year by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, which detailed an alleged decades-long coverup of abuse in the diocese, succinctly called him a “monster” with a “sickening hunger for innocence.”

The report alleges, based on testimony from interviewed victims, that McCaa may have abused hundreds of children when he served at Holy Name Catholic Church in Ebensburg from 1961 to 1985.

A civil case was brought against McCaa in 1986.

Pretrial records were sealed by a Cambria County judge on Dec. 11, 1986, leaving them unseen until they were opened this year following an appeal by The Tribune-Democrat.

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December 10, 2016

DA: CNY priest on leave does not pose any danger to minors

NEW YORK
CNY Central

ROME, N.Y. — Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick said that after investigating the allegations made against a Catholic priest in Central New York they found no proof, evidence, or witnesses to back up the allegations.

Rev. Paul Angelicchio, pastor of St. John the Baptist and Transfiguration parish in Rome, is currently on a leave of absence after allegations surfaced of abuse of a minor from nearly three decades ago.

The investigation is currently being conducted by the Diocese of Syracuse who have confirmed that Angelicchio has been accused of abusing a minor 27 years ago.

DA Fitzpatrick says that the “allegation is of passive conduct on the priest’s part while faced with knowledge of sexual abuse.” He goes on to also say that, “The complainant only revealed this last year although he has been interviewed many times in the past and never disclosed this.”

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

Secrets of the Watchtower

UNITED STATES
Reveal: The Center for Investigative Journalism

How Jehovah’s Witnesses leaders hide child abuse secrets at all costs

For the past two years, Reveal reporter Trey Bundy has been uncovering how the Jehovah’s Witnesses hide child sexual abuse in their congregations – in fact, it’s official policy. The religion’s leaders have been going to extreme lengths to keep the details from public view.

On this episode of Reveal, we track down people who know the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ secrets and expose stories behind a religion with 8 million followers across the globe.

We begin in San Diego, where Trey meets an attorney trying to get access to a Jehovah’s Witnesses database containing the names and whereabouts of likely thousands of accused child abusers within the organization – living freely in communities across the U.S.

Later in the hour, we hear from a victim who tells us how the threat of being banished from their communities keeps members from reporting abuse.

Trey’s investigation also takes him to the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, the Watchtower, where the culture of secrecy goes far beyond child abuse – it’s a core part of life. Watchtower leaders have refused to talk to Trey, but a former insider told him some of their secrets.

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‘Everything about this relationship was risky’

IRELAND
Irish Examiner

Saturday, December 10, 2016

Ann O’Loughlin

A woman, who claims she was sexually abused by a chaplain when she was a secondary school student, yesterday alleged in the High Court the priest performed oral sex on her in the school oratory.

The 28-year-old woman said that, after the sexual activity, the two of them got ready for a sixth-year graduation Mass. She said she was in fifth year at the school in the South-East at the time and was wearing her school uniform.

Referring to the alleged encounter, Miriam Reilly, counsel for the former Catholic priest, asked was it not very risky. The woman said “everything about this relationship was risky”. Replying to Ms Reilly, who put it to her this did not happen, the woman said she knew it happened and the priest had performed oral sex on her.

The woman has sued alleging that, between 2004 and 2007, she was repeatedly and wrongfully physically and sexually assaulted, falsely imprisoned, sexually abused, and subjected to sexualised behaviour by the Catholic chaplain and teacher. She has sued the now former priest, as well as the school and the local bishop.

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Investigation into Sanibel priest dropped

FLORIDA
ABC 7

SANIBEL –
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is dropping their investigation into Father Christoper Senk after the State Attorney’s Office announced they would not be pursuing charges.

The two-year long investigation was halted when the sheriff’s office attempted to get an arrest warrant for Senk to charge him with exploiting parishioner Marion McIntyre.

The SAO determined that there was not enough evidence of intimidation or deception on Senk’s part.

ABC7 spoke with McIntyre’s niece, who said Senk crossed the line and accepted lavish gifts from her aunt.

In the lengthy report by LCSO, they explain how the investigation began after a $30,000 gold and diamond ring belonging to McIntyre went missing from her hospital room. McIntyre’s family said the last person to be in the room with her was Senk. The ring would turn up later in a drawer as McIntyre was being moved, but it forced family to look into the relationship between Senk and Marion. They discovered in that time that Senk had been on the receiving end of thousands of dollars from McIntyre. Family members said McIntyre mysteriously withdrew $5,000 on one occasion and $3,500 on another occasion as gifts to the church. Other times McIntyre would write checks for the church, but would write the checks to Senk.

Before McIntyre’s husband died, friends said she took a trip through Europe with Senk and his family. McIntyre reportedly fronted the bill and paid for everyone’s trip.

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Woman’s family pushes for more investigation into Sanibel priest

FLORIDA
NBC 2

By Levi Ismail, Reporter

SANIBEL –
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is dropping their investigation into Father Christoper Senk after the State Attorney’s Office announced they would not be pursuing charges.

The two-year long investigation was halted when the sheriff’s office attempted to get an arrest warrant for Senk to charge him with exploiting parishioner Marion McIntyre.

The SAO determined that there was not enough evidence of intimidation or deception on Senk’s part.

NBC2 spoke with McIntyre’s niece, who said Senk crossed the line and accepted lavish gifts from her aunt.

In the lengthy report by LCSO, they explain how the investigation began after a $30,000 gold and diamond ring belonging to McIntyre went missing from her hospital room. McIntyre’s family said the last person to be in the room with her was Senk. The ring would turn up later in a drawer as McIntyre was being moved, but it forced family to look into the relationship between Senk and Marion. They discovered in that time that Senk had been on the receiving end of thousands of dollars from McIntyre. Family members said McIntyre mysteriously withdrew $5,000 on one occasion and $3,500 on another occasion as gifts to the church. Other times McIntyre would write checks for the church, but would write the checks to Senk.

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DA: No proof of abuse in case of suspended Rome priest

NEW YORK
WSYR

SYRACUSE, NY (WSYR-TV)

The Pastor of St. John the Baptist and Transfiguration Church in Rome, Oneida County has been placed on leave by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse.

However, Onondaga County District Attorney Bill Fitzpatrick says there has not been any evidence to substantiate the claims of abuse against Reverend Paul Angelicchio.

The Diocese was looking into an allegation of abuse of a minor 27 years ago.

Cummings says “the allegation has not been substantiated…but under diocese policy and in conformity with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Father Angelicchio is not permitted to publicly function as a priest until the matter is resolved.”

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Proposals for Compensating Survivors of Priest Sex Abuse

MINNESOTA
WNAX

Two proposals for compensating survivors of priest sex abuse remain in play after a hearing in federal court. Attorney Charles Rogers says the plan submitted by the Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis earmarks 155 million dollars or more for a victims’ fund.

Finnegan says the archdiocese has 1.3 billion dollars in assets and well over a billion dollars of insurance money that’s potentially available to compensate victims of priest sex abuse.

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Q&A with Alixe Callen

RHODE ISLAND
St. George’s School

Meet the 12th Head of St. George’s School

What drew you to St. George’s?

St. George’s holds a special place for my family. My maternal grandfather (James B. Congdon, ’41), great grandfather (Johns H. Congdon, ’03 – I think), great uncle (Charles B. Congdon, ’40), and uncle (James B. Congdon, Jr. ’66) all graduated from St. George’s. That history is obviously very important to me. I am proud to continue their legacy. That said, as a professional, I am drawn to the St. George’s of today and its commitment to help all students develop into compassionate and contributing community members. Not only are St. George’s kids acquiring the skills necessary to compete in the mid-21st century economy, they are becoming forces for good. My entire career has been spent helping teenagers to be kind, to watch out for each other, and to be contributing community members. To now do that work in a school that has such deep roots for my family makes me humble and proud.

What are the greatest challenges a school leader faces in today’s world? And what are the greatest opportunities?

Oh goodness. There is so much to say. We are living in a time of such change and evolution. In fact, in many ways the only constant for our kids is change. In their short lifetimes, smart phones, social media and Wi-Fi have gone from practically non-existent to ubiquitous. There is no doubt that rate of change will continue. As a result, our students need to be well situated to embrace change, learn new skills, and assimilate knowledge. And it is no exaggeration to say that they will need to do this daily. There is an oft-cited statistic that something like 50 percent of the jobs our students will inhabit haven’t even been invented yet. It is our job as educators to prepare students for that world. In addition to teaching kids a body of knowledge, we need to teach them how to approach new situations, how to adapt to change, how to access information – in short, how to think. To do this well, teachers need to put their students at the center of the classroom. No longer is it important for students to spit back facts and figures. Instead, they need to know how to approach a problem, how to manipulate data, how to construct an argument, and how to collaborate.

As someone who has spent her professional life in the presence of adolescents, I also feel a deep commitment to helping them develop into good people. I am excited to join the St. George’s community because I think a boarding school provides a unique opportunity to help students learn to be contributing citizens. We can be an incubator of sorts, a place where amazing faculty model what it means to be a good community member, and then inspire (and occasionally compel) similar behavior in their students.

What do you want parents to know about you? … What do you want alumni to know about you?

I want parents to know that I approach the work of educating and caring for adolescents with the expertise of a professional educator and the spirit of a mom. In each of those capacities, I have come to understand that no two teenagers are alike. What it takes to inspire one kiddo isn’t always what it takes to inspire the next. It is our job as educators to figure out how to inspire each one – and then to do it!

As for alumni, I want them to know that I am working hard to understand the school’s history – both the parts that make people proud, and the difficulties that a number of students experienced. My commitment is to create a school of which they will all be proud, and at which they all feel welcome.

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Alexandra Callen named St. George’s head of school

RHODE ISLAND
Providence Journal

Callen holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Brown University and a master’s degree and doctorate from Harvard University. She has been head of the upper school at Lakeside School in Seattle, Wash., since 2013.

By Karen Lee Ziner
Journal Staff Writer

MIDDLETOWN, R.I. – Alexandra “Alixe” Callen will become the first female to lead the 120-year-old St. George’s School when she begins her tenure on July 1, 2017. The school’s Board of Trustees announced Callen’s appointment Friday at the 12th head of school.

Callen holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Brown University and a master’s degree and doctorate from Harvard University. She has been head of the upper school at Lakeside School in Seattle, Wash., since 2013.

The elite Episcopal boarding school – embroiled in a sex-abuse scandal this year – launched a search after current Headmaster Eric F. Peterson announced in June that he would not seek to extend his contract after it ends in June 2017. Peterson had served as headmaster for 12 years.

Watch an interview with Callen.

Controversy had embroiled the school since allegations of systemic sexual abuse at the school in the 1970s and ’80s became public a year ago.

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R.I. school embroiled in sex abuse scandal names a new headmaster

RHODE ISLAND
Boston Globe

By Laura Krantz and Michael Levenson GLOBE STAFF DECEMBER 09, 2016

The Rhode Island prep school embroiled in a sexual abuse scandal for the past year has named the former principal of Acton-Boxborough High School as its new headmaster, the school announced Friday.

St. George’s School has hired Alexandra “Alixe” Callen as its 12th headmaster and the first female to lead the 120-year-old institution. She is currently the head of upper school at Lakeside School in Seattle, Wash., and was principal in Acton from 2008 to 2013.

A New England native with multiple degrees from Brown University and Harvard, Callen will face the challenge of steadying the elite prep school in Middletown, R.I., whose reputation has been badly damaged.

“We are confident that she will steer the course boldly for St. George’s, continuing to build on our long-standing strengths while at the same time moving St. George’s confidently into the future,” wrote Leslie Heaney, chair of the board of trustees, in a letter to the school co-authored by Tad Van Norden, an alumnus and chair of the search committee.

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After wild sex abuse scandal St. George’s School names new leader

RHODE ISLAND
ABC 6

By: News Staff
news@abc6.com

MIDDLETOWN, R.I. – A Rhode Island boarding school rocked by widespread sexual abuse says it has hired a new head of school to succeed its departing leader.

St. George’s School in Middletown said on Friday that Alexandra Callen will become the first woman to lead the 120-year-old school when she takes over in July.

Callen has held leadership positions in public and private schools in Seattle and Massachusetts.

Dozens of alumni have said they were abused at St. George’s from the 1970s to the 2000s.

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St. George’s names woman as new head of school

RHODE ISLAND
Turn to 10

The St. George’s School Board of Trustees announced Friday that they appointed a new head of school.

According to a press release, Alexandra Callen will become the twelfth head of the school when she begins her tenure in July 2017.

Callen, who has a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Brown University, as well as a master’s and doctorate from Harvard University, will also become the first woman in the school’s history to hold the position.

“I am honored and humbled to be asked to serve as St. George’s next head of school,” Callen said in the release. “The chance to lead this highly professional faculty is a tremendous opportunity. To do so with the endorsement of a dedicated and supportive board is icing on the cake.”

The 120-year-old boarding school, which is located in Middletown, has made headlines in recent years, as authorities launched an investigation into widespread sexual abuse reported by former faculty members and students.

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Church nursery volunteer charged with sex abuse

MARYLAND
The Intelligencer

TIMONIUM, Md. (AP) — Baltimore County police say a church nursery volunteer has been charged with sexual abuse.

Cpl. John Wachter said in an email Friday that officers called to the Church of the Nativity in Timonium on Nov. 27 learned that a 4-year-old girl told her mother that a man volunteering in the nursery during mass sexually abused her.

Twenty-six-year-old Terrence Smalls of Cockeysville was charged with sex abuse of a minor and other offenses Thursday.

The Archdiocese of Baltimore says it alerted parishioners after police notified them of an investigation. The county school system says Smalls, hired as temporary elementary school employee in 2013 and who was a classroom assistant, hasn’t worked for the system since Nov. 28.

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Ex-con trusted with church finances embezzles again, gets 3 years’ prison

OREGON
The Oregonian

By Aimee Green | The Oregonian/OregonLive

A 63-year-old woman who embezzled more than $73,000 from her Northeast Portland church was sentenced Friday to three years in prison.

It won’t be Christine Marie Culver’s first stint in prison. This is at least the third time Culver has been convicted of charges related to fraud or embezzlement, stretching back nearly 40 years.

In this latest case, she was entrusted as the bookkeeper at Metropolitan Community Church, at Northeast 24th Avenue and Broadway. She stole $73,208 over the course of about 21/2 years — 2013 to 2015.

The church learned of Culver’s theft after the Oregon Department of Revenue contacted the church because its payroll taxes weren’t being paid, said prosecutor Ryan Lufkin.

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How Jehovah’s Witnesses leaders hide child abuse secrets at all costs

UNITED STATES
Reveal: The Center for Investigative Reporting

Secrets of the Watchtower

By Trey Bundy / December 10, 2016

The leadership of the Jehovah’s Witnesses has boldly defied court orders to turn over the names and whereabouts of alleged child sexual abusers across the United States.

Since 2014, courts have slapped the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ parent corporation – the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York – with multimillion-dollar judgments and sanctions for violating orders to hand over secret documents.

The documents could serve as a road map to what are likely thousands of alleged child abusers living freely in communities across the country, who still could be abusing kids. The files include the names of known and suspected perpetrators, the locations of their congregations and descriptions of their alleged crimes.

“I’ve been practicing law for 37 years, and I’ve never seen anything like it,” said attorney Irwin Zalkin, who represents victims of sexual abuse by Jehovah’s Witnesses. “They do everything to protect the reputation of the organization over the safety of children.”

Zalkin said he believes that state and federal law enforcement agencies have a moral obligation to investigate the Watchtower’s child abuse policies and seize its files.

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Former Lake Forest Youth Pastor Sentenced for Sexual Battery

CALIFORNIA
Patch

By Ashley Ludwig (Patch Staff) – December 9, 2016

LAKE FOREST, CA — A former Lake Forest youth pastor was sentenced Friday to two years in state prison and mandatory lifetime sex offender registration for sexual battery of four female church members.

Sean Patrick Aday, a 39-year-old Lake Forest resident, pleaded guilty on Nov. 4, to two felony counts of sexual battery by restraint and two misdemeanor counts of sexual battery, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office chief of staff, Susan Kang Schroeder.

“At the time of the crime, Aday was working as a youth pastor at Grace Community Church in Lake Forest,” she said. “The defendant sexually assaulted four adult female church members on church property or during church trips overseas.”

According to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, between Jan. 1, 2008, and Nov. 6, 2015, Aday sexually touched four women against their will for the purpose of the defendant’s sexual arousal, gratification and abuse.

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Church pastor sentenced to prison in sex assault of 4 women

CALIFORNIA
Clay Center Dispatch

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — A former pastor in Southern California has been sentenced to two years in state prison after pleading guilty to sexual battery against four female church members.

Authorities say 39-year-old Sean Patrick Aday was working as a youth pastor at Grace Community Church in Lake Forest when he committed the crimes.

According to prosecutors, Aday sexually assaulted the women on church property and during church trips overseas between 2008 and 2015.

During a pre-trial hearing in November, one of the victims said Aday abused his authority and “tried to use God to manipulate me.”

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Lawsuit to be filed against Vanceburg Christian Church

KENTUCKY
Lewis County Herald

Attorneys for a sexual abuse victim have said they will file a lawsuit Monday at the Lewis County Justice Center against Vanceburg Christian Church.

An advisory from Kircher Law Office in Mason, Ohio, states the lawsuit “will allege that the Vanceburg Christian Church is liable to the victim for the sexual abuse inflicted upon him by the church’s pastor and the victim’s resulting injuries.”

The advisory states the victim (Plaintiff “John Doe”) is a teenager who suffered severe and repeated sexual abuse at the hands of former Vanceburg Christian Church pastor Duncan Aker Jr.

Aker pleaded guilty in March to five counts of first degree sexual abuse as part of a plea agreement in which charges of four counts of first degree sodomy were dropped.

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‘Whistleblower’ launches bullying claim against Newcastle Anglican diocese

AUSTRALIA
The Guardian

The business manager of the Newcastle Anglican Diocese has launched legal action against the church with the employment watchdog, alleging he has been ostracised and bullied because of his stand for victims of child sexual abuse.

John Cleary says he has filed a case with the Fair Work Commission against the church claiming he was marginalised because of his advocacy for victims of child sexual abuse inside the church.

Cleary has been an outspoken supporter for victims of abuse in the church, and has spoken out in favour of reforms.

The Newcastle Herald reported that his statement said he had been marginalised and bullied: “I have been punished by the church for being a ‘whistleblower’, and for my actions in trying to get the best outcome for survivors.”

They reported Cleary’s claim is an “adverse action” application for bullying and harassment.

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December 9, 2016

Onondaga County DA: No proof or evidence of wrongdoing in case of suspended priest

NEW YORK
NewYorkUpstate

By Elizabeth Doran | edoran@syracuse.com
on December 09, 2016

SYRACUSE, NY – Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick said today his office investigated an allegation against Rev. Paul F. Angelicchio and found no proof, evidence or corroborating witness to back up the allegation.

Angelicchio, a priest for decades in the Syracuse area and more recently in Rome in Oneida County, has been placed on leave by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse while it investigates a claim of abuse that is alleged to have happened 27 years ago, a diocese spokeswoman confirmed this week. Angelicchio is pastor of St. John the Baptist and Transfiguration parish in Rome.

Fitzpatrick said when the allegation against Angelicchio surfaced, his office investigated and found nothing to back up the claim – no physical evidence, no crime and no corroborating witness. In addition, the alleged crime was decades old, thus the statute of limitations had run out, he said.

In addition, Angelicchio vehemently denied the allegation, Fitzpatrick said.

Fitzpatrick said his office determined Angelicchio “was not a clear and present danger to any minors,” and turned the allegation over to the Syracuse diocese, the DA’s normal practice.

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NC–Savvy mom & cops nail youth pastor for nude photos

NORTH CAROLINA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release, December 9, 2016

Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790cell, 314 645 5915 home, davidgclohessy@gmail.com)

Nude photos of a man found on a boy’s cellphone have been traced to a Raliegh North Carolina youth pastor. We are grateful to the boy’s mom and to law enforcement for quick action. Now, it’s time for church officials to step up aggressively, by reaching out to others who may have seen, suspected or suffered the cleric’s alleged crimes.

[ABC 11]

Tyler Simkus Smither of Raleigh, who’s with Harbor United Methodist Church in Masonboro, apparently sent the Florida child the inappropriate pictures. He’s now behind bars.

We’re grateful that Rev. Russ Nanney called police when he learned of the offense. Too many ministers put their comfort and careers, and those of colleagues, ahead of kids’ safety. They try to avoid “scandal” and “embarrassment” (and litigation) by keeping abuse reports secret. Hopefully, more in leadership posts are beginning to understand that this is self-defeating and immoral. We hope other clergy will follow Rev. Nanney’s excellent example and immediately involve the independent, unbiased and experienced professionals in law enforcement in cases like this, rather than try to talk of “forgiveness” and sweep them under the rug.

We call on Rev. Nanney and every other person who works at or attends Harbor United to work hard to find and help others who may have been hurt by Smither. That’s their moral and civic duty.

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MD–Catholic volunteer is arrested on child sex charges

MARYLAND
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Friday, Dec. 9, 2016

Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314-503-0003 cell, bdorris@SNAPnetwork.org)

A Catholic church volunteer has been arrested on child sexual abuse. Now Baltimore Archbishop William Lori must act. If he doesn’t other church staff and members should.

[ABC 2]

Terrence Shondry Smalls is charged this week with sex abuse of a minor, second degree assault, child abuse, second-degree custodian and second-degree sex offense, crimes he allegedly committed at Church of the Nativity in Lutherville. He also worked or volunteered at a Girl Scout troop, Epworth church and at Pot Spring Elementary School.

Lori should personally visit Nativity this weekend. He should beg anyone with information or suspicions about Smalls to call police. He should use church bulletins, parish websites and pulpit announcements across the archdiocese to do the same.

Why? Because that’s what a caring shepherd would do. Because that’s what will help police and prosecutors resolve this case. Because that’s what will help keep Smalls behind bars longer if he’s convicted. Because that might help avoid Smalls exploiting technicalities and going free. And because that’s how Catholic officials will start to break the centuries-long culture of secrecy in the church about sexual crimes, misdeeds and cover-ups.

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A day that will live in irony…

UNITED STATES
Questions from A Ewe

75 years ago yesterday, Franklin Roosevelt said it was a “date which will live in infamy.” However, yesterday in Catholic hierarchy land was a day which will live in irony. Here are a few highlights:

* The Vatican began its first organization for female workers in the Vatican.
* Pope Francis begged media outlets to be responsible and not spread disinformation.
* The Vatican updated its guidelines for priestly formation.

Since it first emerged in the 15th and 16th centuries, the Vatican never had an organization for female employees – a group currently numbering around 750 or 20% of the Vatican population. I’ve not found many details on the new organization’s activities but I suspect they do not include grooming women for executive positions in the Vatican. In general, women are not groomed for anything in the church other than obedience and servitude.

However, boys and men willing to consider the priesthood merit volumes of guidelines, programs and efforts to support their development. The latest in the lot was published yesterday.

Reading the updated priest formation guidelines kind of reinforces my sneaking suspicion about the Vatican’s women’s organization lacking executive leadership development. The document is a masterpiece of self-admiration for clergy calling themselves “diamonds” and emphasizing how grateful we all should be that priests are better than other humans. It is a truly bizarre document feigning humility whilst reeking of hierarchical arrogance. It scorns clericalism but is so very clerical itself. It says priests should be shepherds that smell like sheep but then extols priests hanging out with other priests. It says priests should learn how to interact with women but then suggests myriads of clerical figures to help, etc….

Meanwhile, Pope Francis, who leads an organization which sometimes makes stuff up and declares it “truth,” appeals to media outlets not to spread misinformation or disinformation. He thinks the media shouldn’t just make things up and pass them off as factual news.

Though I agree that spreading disinformation is reprehensible, I found the pope’s plea rather ironic. I can provide a litany of examples where hierarchy members spread disinformation…from various hierarchy members’ lies covering up for abusive priests, to rejecting scientific understandings about human physiology and psychology, to pretending women were never ordained as deacons though they were for centuries, to made-up “facts” about women and their roles, to a September, 2015 US bishops’ smear campaign which propagated false news that a US social service organization sold aborted baby parts.

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Three alleged predators go to San Diego

UNITED STATES
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

By David Clohessy

It’s 23 degrees in St. Louis, the coldest day of winter so far. At times like this, my mind wanders to the hundreds of proven, admitted and credibly accused predator priests who’ve quietly been sent or moved to warmer clients.

Today, I think of two who are in San Diego and one who was arrested there:

–Fr. Denis Heames of Saginaw now works for San Diego lawyer Richard McEntyre (619-221-0279). He claims, on his Linked In page, that he moved to California for “family” reasons. But Fr. Heames makes no mention of the pending lawsuit against him which says he sexually exploited a 22 year old student who worked under him. Nor does he mention the findings by officials at Central Michigan University that he sexually harassed that brave young woman,

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2016/01_02/2016_02_15_Sydney_Life_Internal_sexually.htm

https://www.linkedin.com/in/denis-heames-9a9736122

–Fr. Paul E. Hosler of Kansas City Kansas works (as best we can tell) for Catholic Charities of San Diego. https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-hosler-15237ba9

He’s accused of breaking his vow of celibacy and sexually exploiting at least one married adult parishioner back in Kansas. Larry Davis of Lenexa saw his 11 year marriage “wrecked” when his wife was sexually manipulated by Fr. Hosler.

http://www.snapnetwork.org/ks_man_appeals_to_vatican

–Joel A. Wright of Vermont and Ohio (Steubenville and Columbus) is now in prison. In January, he was arrested in San Diego. Why? Because he was trying to buy babies and toddlers to abuse them.

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Editorial: Victims need more time to come forward

NEW YORK
Daily Gazette

If state legislators don’t want to extend the statute of limitations on sex crimes, then let them volunteer to put their child or grandchild in a room with Louis VanWie.

VanWie will be getting out of prison at the end of the month after serving 20 years for sexually abusing three children.

He actually admitted to abusing more than 300 children from the 1960s until his conviction in 1996. But because of short statutes of limitations on sex crimes in New York, only three of his victims were allowed to press charges.

Had the law allowed prosecutors to charge him with sodomizing and sexually abusing more children, he’d likely have not been able to abuse as many children as he did. And he’d likely be in prison the rest of his miserable life, unable to take advantage of the state’s early-release laws and unable to prey on more children.

Instead, just four days after Christmas, he’ll be out walking around our streets again. Maybe he’ll be working in a fast-food restaurant or as a volunteer somewhere. More likely, the 74-year-old — who was denied parole fi ve times — will just be lying around all day, waiting for the next wave of urges to overcome him.

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Washington, DC–Catholic officials beat back abuse reform

WASHINGTON (DC)
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For Immediate Release, December 9, 2016

Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790cell, 314 645 5915 home, davidgclohessy@gmail.com)

We’re very disappointed that DC Catholic officials have again apparently blocked reforms that would protect kids, expose predators and deter cover ups of heinous child sex crimes.

[NBC Washington]

Police and prosecutors are underpaid and overworked. Most sex crimes aren’t reported or pursued. So thousands are assaulted by repeat offenders. Most prisons are overcrowded.

So it’s crucial, if rape and abuse are to be stopped, that victims are given a chance to warn parents and protect kids through the civil justice system. And it’s crucial that those who ignore or conceal sex crimes are also exposed – and punished – in civil courts, so other employers and employees stop enabling heinous wrongdoing by their actions and inaction.

But Catholic officials and their high-priced, quiet lobbyists fight reforming the statute of limitations time and time again. Why? Because they know that if victims can file lawsuits, complicit bishops will be undergo uncomfortable depositions and face tough questions and be discredited and disgraced when their corruption becomes unmasked.

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Former Grafton priest jailed for Newcastle child sex

AUSTRALIA
South Burnett Times

Chris Calcino | 9th Dec 2016

A FORMER Anglican priest who sexually preyed on two young boys before moving to the Diocese of Grafton has been jailed for at least one year and 10 months.

Lindsay Thomas McLoughlin, 65, pleaded guilty to performing oral sex, fondling and attempting to have anal intercourse with a young teen, and exposing himself while approaching another child in the 1980s.

McLoughlin was linked to former senior priest Peter Rushton, whom a royal commission has heard ran a child sex ring from the Hunter region of New South Wales.

Rushton died in 2007 without ever being charged.

McLoughlin carried out the sexual attacks while employed in the Diocese of Newcastle.

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Baltimore County church volunteer charged with child sex abuse

MARYLAND
ABC 2

TIMONIUM, Md. – A volunteer at the Church of the Nativity in Lutherville has been charged with sexually abusing a 4-year-old girl, Baltimore County Police said.

Terrence Shondry Smalls, 26, of Lutherville was charged this week with sex abuse of a minor, second degree assault, child abuse, second-degree custodian and second-degree sex offense. He is being held without bail at the Baltimore County Detention Center.

Police said the girl told her mother last month she had been sexually abused by a man volunteering in the church nursery during a Sunday morning mass.

Police said Smalls has been employed or has volunteered at a number of locations that put him in contact with children, including:

* Babysitting services for children under six advertised on www.Sitter.com
* An assistant at Pot Spring Elementary School
* Volunteer with the Girl Scout troop that met at Pot Spring Elementary School and Epworth Church from 2011 to 2015
* Before and After Care program at Pot Spring Elementary School from 2011 to 2014
* Church of the Nativity
* Little Gym in Hunt Valley from July to October of 2016

There are no known victims at locations other than the Church of the Nativity, Baltimore County Police said.

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Sharing stories of sexual abuse ‘helps to heal the hurt’

UNITED STATES
National Catholic Reporter

Paul F. Morrissey | Dec. 9, 2016

VIEWPOINT

“Having the horror heard helps to heal the hurt.” My stepmother, Dot, shared her wonderfully alliterative mantra with me years ago as we pondered the benefits of a person going to a counselor when stuck in pain. In her wise and eye-twinkling way, Dot — whose husband had been struck by a car and killed many years before, leaving her with 12 children to raise — was telling me how she had survived.

After my mother died suddenly from brain cancer at 64, my father, Tom, was traumatized with grief and seemed to be on his way “out of the picture,” as he used to say of others who had died. One of my nine sisters, Kate, challenged him to get up and start living again. “Because at least you had a life before Mama, but we never did,” she reminded him. My father not only started to live again, five years later he married Dot. Between the two of them — Dot with her 12 kids, and Tom with his 14 — they had 26 mostly grown children. Talk about having the horror heard!

Dot’s mantra shows how she understands people getting over the pains of life. They need to be heard. If someone is willing to listen to the horrors that befall us, it feels like we are not alone. We can bear it and even find meaning in it. As St. Paul wrote to the Galatians, “Bear one another’s burdens and so you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

I believe this is one of the keys to understanding and healing the sexual abuse wounds in the church. It isn’t that people are just looking to bash the church, or that they want to wallow in victimhood. They desperately need to be heard so that the hurt can be healed in God’s way.

When I experienced this phenomenon recently, Dot’s almost hokey way of describing our primal human need came back to me.

At first I had resisted the invitation. The “Circle of Healing” would be dealing with the clergy sexual abuse crisis and cover-up in the Catholic church. Even though this gathering would take place in a beautiful, sunny, comfortable living room of someone’s Victorian home in Philadelphia, I wondered what the real agenda was. I knew the facilitator who had invited me, a former member of my religious order’s novitiate class over 50 years ago, and I trusted him. But as one of perhaps only a few priests participating, would I be a target for the anger of any survivors of abuse there? Could I really listen to all of their grief on a Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.?

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Lancaster Co. clergy abuse victim: My report wasn’t passed on

PENNSYLVANIA
York Daily Record

Brandie Kessler, bkessler@ydr.com December 9, 2016

For 25 years, Sharon Tell didn’t know why she got no response after reporting she had been sexually abused by a priest.

As an adult, she told a priest at a Lancaster County church that a priest in the Allentown diocese had abused her for two decades, beginning when she was 12. Although Tell eventually notified the Allentown diocese herself, she said she never heard from anyone in the Harrisburg diocese, which oversees churches in Lancaster County.

A York Daily Record investigation published in August offered a clue about what might have happened, said Tell’s son, Patrick Conlin.

The article detailed accusations of sexual abuse against 15 priests with ties to the Harrisburg diocese. Among them was William Geiger, who was at Our Mother of Perpetual Help in Ephrata when Tell disclosed her abuse.

A light bulb went off. Tell said Geiger, whose name she had forgotten over time, was the priest she told of her abuse. Conlin said the family now believes that Geiger didn’t pass along Tell’s report because he was allegedly an abuser.

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Group speaks out on alleged church sex abuse case

ARIZONA
Daily Courier

By Scott Orr
Originally Published: December 9, 2016

A national advocacy group, pushing to find more alleged victims of abuse at the hands of Rev. Thomas Chantry, called out the current leader of the suspect’s Prescott church for “distancing himself” from the issue.

However, Pastor Chris J. Marley, Miller Valley Baptist Church, says his church strives to minister to the alleged victims and has a stringent background check now in place.

David Clohessy, director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, issued a news release Wednesday, Dec. 7. “These churches (in Arizona and Wisconsin) gave Chantry access to kids. So their civic and moral duty doesn’t end with his arrest. They must help put him behind bars and help ameliorate the severe harm he’s caused.”

Clohessy said that “one minister essentially distanced himself, basically saying, ‘Hey, I wasn’t around when he was here,’” referring to Marley.

In an email to the Daily Courier, Marley wrote, “I can tell you that everyone at our church who was here that far back is well aware of the situation and that we have been striving to minister to those who have come to us as victims. We also have a background check policy for all who are involved in children’s ministry that exceeds standard legal requirements.”

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Pope Francis appoints new bishop to Diocese of Rockville Centre

NEW YORK
News 12

December 9, 2016

ROCKVILLE CENTRE – Pope Francis has announced his appointment of a new bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre.

Rev. John Barres, 56, bishop of the Diocese of Allentown, Penn., will succeed Bishop William Murphy. Murphy, 76, lead the Rockville Centre Diocese since 2001.

Bishop Murphy released a statement regarding the appointment saying, “It is my deep conviction that he will be a bishop for all of us without exception. He has shared with me his love of youth and his care for the elderly.”

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Vatikan erließ neue Richtlinien für Priesterausbildung

VATIKANSTADT
der Standard (Osterreich)

[Vatican issued new guidelines for priestly education.]

8. Dezember 2016

Missbrauchsprävention und soziale Netzwerke werden berücksichtigt – Schwule, die ihre Sexualität ausleben, sind ausdrücklich ausgeschlossen

Vatikanstadt – Der Schutz von Minderjährigen vor sexuellem Missbrauch soll künftig weltweit fester Bestandteil der Ausbildung römisch-katholischer Priester sein. Diesem Thema müsse “größte Aufmerksamkeit” gewidmet werden, heißt es in aktualisierten vatikanischen Richtlinien zur Priesterausbildung, die die Zeitung “Osservatore Romano” laut Kathpress am Donnerstag veröffentlichte.

Es sei darauf zu achten, das Kandidaten für das Priesteramt “in diesem Bereich nicht in ein Verbrechen oder problematisches Verhalten verwickelt gewesen sind”, heißt es in dem Dokument weiter. Der Vatikan ermahnt die Bischöfe in diesem Zusammenhang dazu, “sehr vorsichtig” zu sein, wenn aus Priesterseminaren anderer Diözesen entlassene Kandidaten um Aufnahme in ihrem Seminar ersuchten.

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Bishop Murphy of Rockville Centre retires; Bishop Barres named successor

PENNSYLVANIA/NEW YORK
Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON (CNS) –- Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop William F. Murphy of Rockville Centre, New York, and appointed as his successor Bishop John O. Barres of Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Bishop Barres, 56, has headed the Diocese of Allentown since 2009. Bishop Murphy, who has been Rockville Centre’s bishop since 2001, is 76. Canon law requires bishops to turn in their resignation to the pope when they turn 75.

The changes were announced Dec. 9 in Washington by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

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Allentown Bishop John Barres leaving for suburban New York diocese

PENNSYLVANIA
The Morning Call

Dan Sheehan
Of The Morning Call

Allentown Diocese Bishop John Barres transferring to diocese on Long Island
Allentown Bishop John O. Barres, who has served the diocese since 2009, has been appointed bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre in New York.

Barres, 56, will be installed Jan. 31 to lead the Long Island diocese, which serves 1.5 million Catholics in Nassau and Suffolk counties and is the sixth-largest by population in the United States.

“I must thank the priests and the entire people of God of the Diocese of Allentown,” Barres said in a statement. “You will always be in my heart, my memories, my prayers and my Masses as I remember our days of holiness and mission together.”

Barres will be introduced to his new diocese today when he concelebrates Mass with retiring Bishop William Murphy at the Cathedral of St. Agnes in Rockville Centre. The Mass will be streamed on telecaretv.org at 8:30 a.m.

At 10:30, Barres and Murphy will appear on the website’s “Everyday Faith Live” program.

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Pope Francis announces transfer of Diocese of Allentown

PENNSYLVANIA
Reading Eagle

Pope Francis has appointed Diocese of Allentown Bishop John O. Barres as the next bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, N.Y., which consists of Nassau and Suffolk Counties on Long Island, church officials announced this morning.

The Allentown diocese consists of Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton and Schuylkill counties.
Barres, 56, is the first Bishop in the Allentown diocese’s 55 year history to be transferred to another diocese.

The Rockville Centre Diocese, established in 1957, is the sixth largest diocese by Catholic population in the United States. It serves 1.5 million people with 291 active priests in 133 parishes.

Barres has led the Allentown diocese since July 2009. In a statement on his new appointment, he said: “I must…thank the priests and the entire people of God of the Diocese of Allentown, where I have had the great blessing of serving as bishop for the last seven-and-a-half years. You will all always be in my heart, my memories, my prayers and my Masses as I remember our days of ‘holiness and mission’ together.”

Bishop Barres will take his new post on Jan. 31. Until then he will serve as administrator for the Diocese of Allentown. Upon his installation, the Diocese of Allentown’s College of Consultors, a group of 10 senior priests, will elect an administrator who will serve until a new bishop is installed.

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Bishop Barres leaving Allentown Diocese for Long Island

PENNSYLVANIA
Lehigh Valley Live

By Jim Deegan | For lehighvalleylive.com

Bishop John Barres is leaving the Diocese of Allentown.

Barres, the leader of Catholics in a five-county region that includes the Lehigh Valley, has been appointed by Pope Francis as bishop of Rockville Centre, N.Y. The diocese consists of Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, and its 1.5 million Catholics make it the sixth-largest diocese by population in the nation.

Barres, 56, becomes the first Allentown bishop transferred to another diocese in the diocese’s 55-year history. He has headed Allentown for more than seven years.

Barres became bishop here in July 2009.

“I must…thank the priests and the entire people of God of the Diocese of Allentown, where I have had the great blessing of serving as bishop for the last seven-and-a-half years,” he said in a statement.

“You will all always be in my heart, my memories, my prayers and my Masses as I remember our days of ‘holiness and mission’ together.”

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Pope Francis names new bishop to lead Rockville Centre Diocese

NEW YORK
Newsday

Updated December 9, 2016
By Bart Jones bart.jones@newsday.com

Pope Francis on Friday named Bishop John O. Barres of Allentown, Pennsylvania, as the new bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, one of the largest Catholic dioceses in the country.

Barres, 56, will succeed Bishop William Murphy, who has led the diocese — home to 1.5 million Catholics — since Sept. 5, 2001. Barres will be the fifth bishop of the diocese, created in 1957 when it was carved.

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Bishop John Barres to be transferred

PENNSYLVANIA
WFMZ

ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Pope Francis has announced that Bishop John Barres is being transferred out of the Diocese of Allentown.

Bishop Barres has been appointed the next bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York, consisting of Nassau and Suffolk Counties on Long Island.

Barres is 56 years old and is now the first Bishop in the diocese’s 55 year history to be transferred.

He’s been with the diocese since 2009 and will join his new diocese on January 31st.

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Pope Appoints Bishop Barres Next Bishop Of Rockville Centre

PENNSYLVANIA
Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown

December 9, 2016

Pope Francis has appointed Diocese of Allentown Bishop John O. Barres as the next Bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, NY, which consists of Nassau and Suffolk Counties on Long Island. The announcement was publicized this morning by the Papal Nuncio to the United States Archbishop Christophe Pierre.

Bishop Barres, 56, is the first Bishop of Allentown in the diocese’s 55 year history to be transferred to another diocese. The Rockville Centre Diocese, established in 1957, is the sixth largest diocese by Catholic population in the United States. It serves 1.5 million Catholics with 291 active priests (diocesan and extern) in 133 parishes.

Bishop Barres will succeed Bishop William Murphy, 76, who has led the Rockville Centre Diocese since 2001. Bishop Murphy turned 75 in May 2015 and submitted his letter of resignation at that time as required by church law. The Pope accepted Bishop Murphy’s resignation today.

Bishop Barres will be introduced to his new diocese when he concelebrates morning Mass with Bishop Murphy at the Cathedral of Saint Agnes in Rockville Centre. The Mass will be streamed on telecaretv.org at 8:30 AM. At 10:30 AM, Bishops Murphy and Barres will appear jointly on Telecare’s news program “Everyday Faith Live,” also live streamed at telecaretv.org

Bishop Barres has been shepherd of the Diocese of Allentown since July 2009. In a statement on his new appointment, Bishop Barres said, “I must…thank the priests and the entire people of God of the Diocese of Allentown, where I have had the great blessing of serving as bishop for the last seven-and-a-half years. You will all always be in my heart, my memories, my prayers and my Masses as I remember our days of ‘holiness and mission’ together.”

Bishop Barres will be installed as the new Bishop of Rockville Centre at the cathedral there on January 31. Until that date, he will serve as the Diocesan Administrator for the Diocese of Allentown. Upon his installation, the Diocese of Allentown’s College of Consultors, a group of ten senior priests, will elect an Administrator who will serve until a new bishop is installed.

Contact: Matt Kerr
610-871-5200, Extension 263

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Pope Francis Names Bishop John Barres as Fifth Bishop of Rockville Centre

NEW YORK
Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. – December 9, 2016 – Pope Francis today appointed Most Reverend John O. Barres, S.T.D., J.C.L., D.D., 56, to serve as the fifth Bishop of Rockville Centre. Until today, he was serving as Bishop of the Diocese of Allentown, PA. He succeeds Bishop William Murphy, 76, who has led the Diocese of Rockville Centre since 2001.

The appointment was made public in Washington, December 9, 2016 by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Bishop-designate Barres will assume leadership of the Diocese during a Mass of Installation at the Cathedral of Saint Agnes on January 31, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. Until that time, Bishop Murphy will serve as Apostolic Administrator.

“It is my deep conviction that he will be a Bishop for all of us without exception,” said Bishop William Murphy in a statement today. “He has shared with me his love of youth and his care for the elderly. He has a keen sense of parish life and has a special expertise in education. He has a deep love for the poor and will support Catholic Charities, parish outreach as well as Catholic Hospitals on Long Island. He will be a good neighbor to our brothers and sisters of the Christian Churches, our Jewish and Muslim friends and the many civic and political leaders with whom he will work in building up Long Island for future generations. Above all he is a man of prayer, both the prayer of the Church through Eucharist and the sacraments as well as the many devotions of our Catholic tradition, especially the Blessed Virgin and St. Agnes,” said Bishop Murphy.

Bishop Barres will be introduced to his new diocese when he concelebrates the 7:30 AM Mass with Bishop Murphy at the Cathedral of Saint Agnes in Rockville Centre. The Mass will air on TelecareTV and stream on telecaretv.org at 8:30 AM. At 10:30 AM, Bishops Murphy and Barres will appear jointly on Telecare’s news program “Everyday Faith Live,” which will be live streamed at telecaretv.org.

PRESS AVAILABILITY
A press event will be held today with Bishop-designate Barres and Bishop Murphy:
When: Friday, December 9, 2016, 12:30 PM
Where: Monsignor Kelly Parish Center (adjacent to St. Agnes Cathedral)
29 Quealy Place
Rockville Centre, NY 11570

Bishop Barres has been shepherd of the Diocese of Allentown since July 2009. In a statement on his new appointment, Bishop Barres said, “I must thank the priests and the entire people of God of the Diocese of Allentown, where I have had the great blessing of serving as bishop for the last seven-and-a-half years. You will all always be in my heart, my memories, my prayers and my Masses as I remember our days of ‘holiness and mission’ together.”

Bishop John Barres

Bishop Barres was ordained a Bishop and installed as the fourth Bishop of Allentown on
July 30, 2009. He was the first priest ordained a bishop within the Diocese of Allentown.
Recognizing that vibrant parishes make a vibrant diocese, Bishop Barres has initiated a pastoral planning process for parishes across the Diocese of Allentown and has called on every parish to establish a Parish Pastoral Council. As shepherd of the Diocese, Bishop Barres has supported efforts of pastors, teachers and parents to strengthen our Catholic schools.

Bishop Barres has guided the Diocese of Allentown in its ongoing pastoral and strategic planning which has resulted in cutting edge efforts to enhance evangelization and pastoral ministries and helped to strengthen the financial condition of the Diocese. The Bishop sees the value of social media in spreading the Gospel message and the New Evangelization. Nationally, Bishop serves on the USCCB Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis and is the USCCB’s Episcopal Liaison to the Pontifical Mission Societies.

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Pope Taps Allentown, Pa Bishop for Rockville Centre

VATICAN CITY
New York Times

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has named a new bishop for Rockville Centre, New York, tapping the bishop of Allentown, Pennsylvania whose diocese is one of six undergoing a statewide grand jury investigation into clerical sex abuse.

Bishop John Barres has said the Allentown diocese is fully cooperating with investigators and noted that since 2002, it has given county prosecutors all records of accused priests.

The abuse scandal, which exploded in the U.S. in Boston in 2002, has heated up recently in Pennsylvania. In March, a state grand jury report said two former bishops who led the Altoona-Johnstown diocese had helped cover up the abuse of hundreds of children.

Barres replaces Rockville Centre’s retiring bishop, William Murphy, in the eighth-largest U.S. diocese that serves 1.45 million Catholics on Long Island.

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Rome Priest Being Investigated for Abuse of a Minor

NEW YORK
WIBX

By Andrew Derminio December 9, 2016

The pastor of a church in Rome is being investigated for abuse of a minor. Fr. Paul Angelicchio is the pastor of St. John the Baptist and Transfiguration parish, and the diocese announced that the decision was made as a result of an allegation of abuse that has surfaced after 27 years.

Syracuse.com reports that the diocese said its practice is to prohibit Angelicchio from functioning publicly as a priest until the matter is resolved. The allegation will be reviewed by professionals and the Diocesan Review Board. Fr. Angelicchio has served the diocese since the 1970s, and spent several years as the Syracuse police chaplain.

In a statement from the diocese spokeswoman Danielle Cummings said, “The allegation was first made to the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office who forwarded it to the diocese after their review. Please note that the allegation has not been substantiated.” It was back in mid-November that Fr. Angelicchio notified parishioners he would be taking a leave of absence. The investigation is ongoing.

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Bill Cosby Accuser Seeks End of D.C.’s Sex Assault Statute of Limitations

WASHINGTON (DC)
NBC Washington

By Mark Segraves

The sun is about to set on proposed legislation that would make it easier for victims of sexual assault to seek justice in the District of Columbia.

Current law in the District requires sex assault victims to report allegations before the statute of limitations runs out in order for prosecutors and courts to act on the allegations. For civil cases the statute of limitations is three years; for criminal cases it’s up to 15 years. In cases where the victim is a minor, the statute of limitations doesn’t kick in until the victim’s 21st birthday.

Advocates for victims of sex assault say there shouldn’t be any limits on justice. A movement to eliminate or extend statutes of limitations has gained momentum across the country. California recently became the 16th state to eliminate them, and Nevada and Colorado recently extended the limits in those states.

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Former priest Glenn Humphreys due back in court on Monday

AUSTRALIA
Western Advocate

9 Dec 2016

THE case against a former St Stanislaus’ College priest accused of historic indecent and sexual assaults on students at the school is due to return to court next week.

Charges against Glenn Michael Humphreys were mentioned briefly in Bathurst Local Court on Monday, November 28 when magistrate Michael Allen adjourned the matter until Monday, December 12 for further mention.

Humphreys, 63, was arrested in Western Australia in August following his release from jail serving a two-year sentence there.

Humphreys was immediately subsequently extradited to NSW to face further charges.

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Female Inmate: Prison Chaplain Raped Me, Called Me His ‘Mexican Whore’

ARKANSAS
The Daily Beast

Kate Briquelet

He promised spiritual counseling and a shot at parole. But for years, Kenneth Dewitt, the aging chaplain at an Arkansas lockup, called female prisoners to his office for “special training” and raped them instead.

Dewitt was sentenced to five years for assaulting three women at the McPherson Unit in Newport from 2013 to 2014. He originally faced 50 counts of sexual assault, each carrying 10 years behind bars, but took a plea deal this summer.

Now the crooked clergyman is named in a lawsuit from one of his victims, Leticia Villarreal, a single mother from Mexico. Villarreal claims Dewitt sexually assaulted her 72 times, or every Monday for about a year and a half.

Dewitt, 68, degraded Villarreal while he assaulted her, calling her his “Mexican whore” and “my Mexican,” the lawsuit states. “You are a criminal from Mexico. No one will help you here but me, so you better do as you are told,” Dewitt allegedly told her.

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Efforts underway to bring Pope to Sask. for residential schools apology

CANADA
CBC News

By Jason Warick, CBC News

Wanuskewin Heritage Park could soon play host to one of the biggest events in Saskatchewan history.

CBC News has learned of extensive efforts to bring Pope Francis to the area in 2018 or 2019.

The centrepiece of the visit would be a long-awaited residential school apology at Wanuskewin, located just north of Saskatoon.

The initial goal was to host the event next year in conjunction with a papal visit to Montreal. Earlier this month, the Vatican said Francis would not be available in 2017.

That hasn’t stopped the efforts of organizers such as Saskatoon Tribal Council Chief Felix Thomas or Regina Archbishop Don Bolen, who served until recently as Bishop of the Saskatoon diocese. They’ve extended the invitation to 2018 or 2019.

“If it was up to us, it would have happened yesterday. We’d like to think it’ll happen sooner rather than later,” Thomas said.

“We need to heal and move on.”

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December 8, 2016

La pederastia y Peña Nieto en la sucesión de Norberto Rivera

TLALNEPANTLA DE BAZ (MEXICO)
Cristina Sada Salinas [Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico]

December 8, 2016

By Cristina Sada Salinas

Read original article

En esta excelente nota periodística de Proceso, firmada por el reportero especializado en asuntos religiosos Rodrigo Vera, se detalla con el auxilio del experto investigador Rodolfo Soriano Núñez, el panorama de la sucesión de Norberto Rivera Carrera como arzobispo primado de México, quien deberá dejar su cargo en junio de 2017, por su edad y en atención al derecho canónico.

Muy grave es que uno de los candidatos con más posibilidades de suceder al tan cuestionado Rivera, sea el recién nombrado cardenal Carlos Aguiar Retes, arzobispo de Tlalnepantla, quien según Soriano, tiene entre sus desventajas el llevar una estrecha relación con Enrique Peña Nieto, tal vez el presidente en funciones más desprestigiado de los últimas décadas. Aguiar Retes acompañó a Peña al Vaticano cuando el entonces gobernador del Estado de México le anunció en exclusiva al Papa Benedicto XVI que se casaría con Angélica Rivera, lo cual posteriormente se concretó en una boda que “se hizo posible a partir de un proceso plagado de irregularidades, falsedades y simulación al interior de la Arquidiócesis Primada de México, que encabeza el cardenal Norberto Rivera” -según se lee en el reportaje “El Expediente Secreto de la Boda Peña Nieto-Rivera”, publicado por Aristegui Noticias en febrero de este año-, ya que de acuerdo a muchos indicios, la anulación del matrimonio de “La Gaviota” con su expareja, José Alberto “El Güero” Castro, no tuvo validez de acuerdo a las propias leyes de la iglesia. (reportaje)

Más grave es que Aguiar Retes, quien tiene cercanía a Jorge Mario Bergoglio desde antes que fuera Papa, sea el prospecto más viable a pesar de que haya asignado a “la parroquia de Otumba –cercana a las pirámides de Teotihuacán– al sacerdote nicaragüense Zenón Corrales Cabrera, quien había huido de Nicaragua al ser acusado de pederasta por varias organizaciones sociales que, junto con la policía nicaragüense, no daban con su paradero y lo consideraban el ‘más peligroso pederasta’ de ese país centroamericano”. (Proceso 1389).

No se puede aceptar que los protectores de pederastas sigan ascendiendo sin obstáculos a los máximos niveles de mando de la iglesia católica, institución que no parece entender la lección de su propia historia en las últimas décadas, marcada por el desprestigio y la pérdida de feligresía a causa de los escándalos de pederastia clerical que siguen sucediendo en todo el mundo a ciencia y paciencia del Vaticano, como en el caso de Oaxaca, que tanto hemos denunciado desde nuestra trinchera y que se menciona en el reportaje sólo de pasada, cuando se señala que el arzobispo de aquella ciudad, José Luis Chávez Botello, queda fuera de las posibilidades de asumir el cargo de Rivera Carrera, ya que “deja a su arquidiócesis [de Oaxaca] sumida en una crisis terrible”, en la cual se incluye la protección de los curas pederastas Gerardo Silvestre Hernández y Carlos Franco.

Cabe la posibilidad de que el papa Francisco, por intermediación del nuncio Franco Coppola, meta orden a este proceso sucesorio y tome la decisión de designar a un hombre menos cuestionado, como Ramón Castro Castro, obispo de Cuernavaca, quien según la nota periodística impulsa una pastoral social comprometida, o, ¿por qué no?, al obispo de Saltillo, don Raúl Vera, a quien se le dan casi nulas posibilidades por su edad y alto compromiso con las causas populares, pero que vendría a refrescar en mucho la devastada imagen de la iglesia mexicana y daría un potente mensaje de renovación a todos los fieles católicos y a quienes en este país luchan contra las injusticias estructurales.

Francisco tiene ahora una oportunidad de pasar de las palabras a los hechos concretos y contundentes, y desagraviarnos un poco a aquellos mexicanos que nos sentimos decepcionados después de que en su visita a nuestra patria guardó silencio (¿cómplice?) sobre la pederastia clerical, incluso en su viaje a Michoacán, tierra de Marcial Maciel, y además se negó a recibir a los padres de los 43 de Ayotzinapa en representación de las decenas de miles de desaparecidos en esta estúpida, inútil y sangrienta guerra “contra el narco”.

Papa Francisco: por favor coloca en la arquidiócesis de México al candidato que mejor defienda y represente la lucha del pueblo ofendido. No esperes a que tus amigos obispos dimitan por ser protectores de pederastas, sino que tú mismo destitúyelos. Te queremos creer porque eres una gran esperanza por tus palabras, pero ayúdanos a creerte con tus hechos.

Cristina Sada Salinas

La disputa por la silla de Norberto Rivera

Por Rodrigo Vera / Proceso

7 de diciembre, 2016

Reportaje especial y foto tomados de: liga

                                                                       

En junio de 2017, cuando cumpla 75 años, el cardenal Norberto Rivera Carrera deberá presentar su renuncia al Papa Francisco. Y aun cuando faltan seis meses para que lo haga, ya hay por lo menos cuatro obispos aspirantes a sucederlo. Según el investigador Rodolfo Soriano Núñez, dos de ellos están bien posicionados: el cardenal Carlos Aguiar Retes, quien tiene “80% de probabilidades”, y el arzobispo Víctor Sánchez Espinoza, señalado como el “delfín” de Rivera.

CIUDAD DE MÉXICO (Proceso).- En los círculos eclesiásticos ya empiezan a mencionarse los nombres de los posibles sucesores del cardenal Norberto Rivera Carrera, quien en junio próximo deberá presentar su renuncia al cargo de arzobispo primado de México, luego de más de 20 años de ejercerlo sin haber hecho ninguna aportación pastoral, sino más bien para tejer relaciones personales con la alta clase política y empresarial.

Hasta ahora son cuatro los prelados con mayores posibilidades de llegar al más importante arzobispado del país: Carlos Aguiar Retes, arzobispo de Tlalnepantla y recién nombrado cardenal; Jorge Carlos Patrón Wong, el más cercano al Papa Francisco y actual secretario para los seminarios de la Congregación para el Clero; Ramón Castro Castro, el obispo de Cuernavaca que impulsa una pastoral social comprometida, y Víctor Sánchez Espinoza, el conservador arzobispo de Puebla, señalado como el “delfín” de Rivera Carrera.

Especialista en la conformación de la jerarquía católica mexicana, el investigador Rodolfo Soriano Núñez asegura:

“De estos cuatro prospectos, quien tiene más posibilidades de ocupar el arzobispado es Aguiar Retes. Lleva con mucho la delantera, en primer lugar porque ya es cardenal y además por su amplia experiencia en altos cargos eclesiásticos: fue dos veces presidente del episcopado mexicano y también ha ocupado puestos directivos en el Consejo Episcopal Latinoa­mericano (Celam), donde conoció a Jorge Mario Bergoglio desde antes que éste fuera Papa. Ambos llevan una relación cordial. Me aventuraría a decir que Aguiar Retes tiene 80% de probabilidades de suceder a Norberto Rivera.”

–Tomando en cuenta que los obispos deben renunciar a los 75 años, ¿Aguiar Retes está en edad óptima para asumir el cargo?

–Por supuesto, al igual que los demás prospectos. Todos ellos son sesentones o rondan los sesenta. Es una edad ideal para llegar al arzobispado, donde podrían estar por un lapso aproximado de 10 años para culminar ahí sus carreras.

–¿Y cómo definiría el estilo pastoral de Aguiar Retes?

–No es dado a la confrontación como lo son Norberto Rivera, Sánchez Espinoza u otros obispos mexicanos. Esto lo acabamos de ver con el tema del matrimonio gay, donde varios obispos se confrontaron con las organizaciones LGBTTTI que luchan por sus derechos. Aguiar Retes no se metió en el asunto. Tiene más tacto para conducirse. Evita el discurso y las actitudes radicales.

“Sin embargo hay diferencias profundas entre el estilo pastoral de Aguiar Retes y el del Papa Francisco. Éste, por ejemplo, siendo arzobispo de Buenos Aires llevaba una vida común y corriente como la de cualquier porteño: renunció a una casa más o menos lujosa en un barrio acomodado para irse a vivir a un departamento, no tenía chofer y se movía en transporte público.

“Aguiar es en buena medida lo opuesto: una de las pocas veces que uso el transporte público lo hizo en el tren suburbano. Pero, en vez de subirse como cualquier pasajero, lo hizo regiamente ataviado con su sotana, estola y roquete. Un par de monaguillos iban delante para abrirle paso. Y además lo custodiaban tres guaruras. Estos hechos anecdóticos dicen mucho de las personas.”

La “desventajas” de Aguiar

Con un doctorado en la Universidad de Fordham, de Nueva York, y autor de las investigaciones Edad, generación y acción pública del episcopado mexicano; En el nombre de Dios, religión y democracia en México, y Una mirada a la Iglesia en México, Soriano Núñez resalta otra “desventaja” de Aguiar Retes; su cercanía con Enrique Peña Nieto desde que éste era gobernador del Estado de México. Dice al respecto:

“Aguiar Retes llevó a Peña Nieto al Vaticano, cuando éste le fue a presentar a su novia al Papa. Ese famoso episodio es hoy una desventaja para Aguiar.”

En efecto, en diciembre de 2009, el entonces gobernador del Estado de México –acompañado por Aguiar Retes– viajó al Vaticano para presentarle al Papa Benedicto XVI a su novia Angélica Rivera, La Gaviota. Al momento de hacerlo, le adelantó al pontífice: “Pronto me casaré”.

Al salir del encuentro, Peña Nieto dijo a los medios que de su boda “el primero en saberlo fue su santidad”. Todo era parte de un montaje televisivo –con el Papa y la Plaza de San Pedro como telón de fondo– encaminado a conseguir la Presidencia de la República y en el que participó Aguiar Retes, entonces obispo de Texcoco.

Estando al frente de esa diócesis, Aguiar Retes también le dio la parroquia de Otumba –cercana a las pirámides de Teotihuacán– al sacerdote nicaragüense Zenón Corrales Cabrera, quien había huido de Nicaragua al ser acusado de pederasta por varias organizaciones sociales que, junto con la policía nicaragüense, no daban con su paradero y lo consideraban el “más peligroso pederasta” de ese país centroamericano (Proceso 1389).

Oriundo de Tepic, Nayarit, donde nació en 1950, Aguiar Retes fue obispo de Texcoco de 1997 a 2009. Después pasó a la arquidiócesis de Tlalnepantla, donde permanece hasta la fecha. Durante dos trienios –de 2006 a 2012– fue presidente de la Conferencia del Episcopado Mexicano (CEM).

También ocupó varios cargos directivos en el Celam –el máximo organismo de la jerarquía latinoamericana–, entre ellos su presidencia, de 2011 a 2015. Fue precisamente en ese organismo donde conoció al hoy Papa Francisco, quien en noviembre pasado le impuso el birrete cardenalicio a Aguiar Retes. De ahí que –a sus 66 años– ahora Aguiar sea considerado el candidato más viable para encabezar la principal arquidiócesis del país.

El más cercano al Papa

Sobre el segundo prospecto a la arquidiócesis, el yucateco Patrón Wong, dice Soriano:

“Patrón ha tenido un ascenso vertiginoso en los últimos tres años. Tan pronto llegó Bergoglio al pontificado lo sacó de la diócesis de Papantla –donde apenas tenía un año como obispo titular– y se lo llevó al Vaticano. Allá lo nombró secretario para los seminarios de la Congregación para el Clero y además consejero de la Pontificia Comisión para América Latina. Dos cargos importantísimos.”

–¿Por qué se habrá fijado el Papa en él?

–No lo tengo claro. Quizá detrás estuvo la mano del anterior nuncio, Christophe­ Pierre. Pero lo cierto es que en el tiempo que estuvo en Papantla, primero como obispo coadjutor, Patrón Wong se empeñó mucho en cambiar cosas y en promover la pastoral social. Fue muy activo en la organización de actividades académico-pastorales y no era indiferente a los problemas de la región. De todos los prospectos al arzobispado, él es el más cercano al Papa y, a sus 58 años, el más joven.

Patrón Wong nació en Mérida en 1958. Se formó en la arquidiócesis de Yucatán, de donde llegó a ser rector de su seminario conciliar. En 2009 se le nombró obispo coadjutor de Papantla, y en 2012 se le designó titular. Al año siguiente, el recién ungido Papa Francisco se lo llevó a Roma.

Otro prospecto al que Soriano le ve arrestos para ocupar la principal circunscripción eclesiástica del país es el actual obispo de Cuernavaca, sobre quien opina:

“El obispo Ramón Castro ha tenido mucha cercanía con las comunidades urbanas y rurales morelenses que están peleando por sus derechos y enfrentándose, incluso, con el gobernador Graco Ramírez.

“Castro es muy apreciado en la entidad precisamente por esta capacidad para vincularse con los movimientos sociales. Ha sabido trabajar en un difícil contexto de violencia, por lo que su pastoral va más allá de lo litúrgico.”

Aunque, matiza el investigador, Castro al mismo tiempo está defendiendo “actitudes intolerantes de la Iglesia respecto al matrimonio igualitario. Esto le restaría capacidad para operar en la Ciudad de México, donde hay mucha presencia de la comunidad lésbico-gay”.

En efecto, el obispo de Cuernavaca, a la vez que abre centros de atención a víctimas de la violencia –llamados en su diócesis Grupos Levadura– encabeza manifestaciones contra el matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo, que en Morelos acaba de ser permitido por el Congreso estatal.

Castro, jalisciense de 60 años, fue miembro del servicio diplomático de la Santa Sede en las nunciaturas de Zambia, Malawi, Angola, Ucrania, Venezuela y Paraguay. Fue también director del Óbolo de San Pedro en la ciudad del Vaticano.

El “delfín”

El cuarto candidato a ocupar el cargo es el actual arzobispo de Puebla, sobre quien Soriano Núñez comenta:

“Sánchez Espinoza tiene la ventaja de conocer bien la arquidiócesis de México, donde se desempeñó como obispo auxiliar de Norberto Rivera. Incluso actualmente hay un movimiento de algunos sacerdotes de la arquidiócesis que se manifiestan a su favor, lo cual es muy raro. Creo que Norberto está detrás y apoya su candidatura; es su ‘delfín’.”

–¿Cómo ha sido el quehacer pastoral de Sánchez Espinoza?

–Del estilo de Norberto; de aferrarse a ciertas tradiciones que dan énfasis a lo litúrgico y están obsesionadas con la moral sexual. Al igual que Norberto, Sánchez también acaba de confrontarse en Puebla con los grupos LGBTTTI que pugnan a favor del matrimonio gay. Tiene poca capacidad para imaginar nuevas maneras de relacionarse con la gente.

“Por otro lado, a Sánchez Espinoza no le veo ninguna actitud solidaria con las comunidades rurales que están teniendo conflictos con el gobernador de Puebla, (Rafael) Moreno Valle. Tampoco se solidarizó con la población que fue terriblemente reprimida por la policía estatal durante una marcha que dejó como saldo un niño muerto. Como arzobispo, su estilo ha sido tradicional y de mantenimiento del statu quo.”

Originario de Santa Cruz, Puebla, donde nació en 1950, Sánchez Espinoza fue obispo auxiliar de Norberto Rivera de 2004 a 2009. De ahí saltó al arzobispado de Puebla.

Estos cuatro prospectos tienen posibilidades de llegar a la arquidiócesis primada siempre y cuando –aclara Soriano– el Papa le acepte “relativamente pronto” la renuncia a Norberto Rivera, quien el próximo 6 de junio cumple 75 años, edad señalada por el Código de derecho canónico para que los obispos presenten sus dimisiones.

“Creo que el Papa le aceptará pronto la renuncia a Norberto. En un plazo de un año, a lo mucho”, calcula.

No les ve posibilidad de suceder a Norberto a los titulares de otras arquidiócesis importantes: como Francisco Robles Ortega, arzobispo de Guadalajara; Rogelio Cabrera López, de Monterrey; José Luis Chávez Botello, de Oaxaca, ni a Carlos Garfias, quien acaba de ser nombrado arzobispo de Morelia.

Dice sobre estos influyentes prelados:

“Veo muy difícil que el Papa designe a Robles Ortega porque el ser arzobispo y cardenal de Guadalajara ya es tener un estatus similar al de arzobispo de México. Y a Cabrera, de Monterrey, ni siquiera le han dado el cardenalato, lo cual ya es señal de su descarte. Chávez Botello ya no está en edad y deja a su arquidiócesis sumida en una crisis terrible. Mientras que Garfias acaba de llegar a Morelia, sería muy abrupto cambiarlo nuevamente de cargo.”

Indica que de todos los obispos mexicanos es Raúl Vera, obispo de Saltillo, quien tiene una línea pastoral más acorde a la del Papa, aún así, le ve muy pocas probabilidades de ser el nuevo arzobispo de México. Explica:

“Eso difícilmente va a suceder. Vera desata mucha polémica. Hay grupos eclesiásticos que se colgarían si esto ocurriese. Aunque su edad también pesa; tiene 71 años. Pero bien podría estar unos cinco años en la arquidiócesis y hacer un buen trabajo pastoral. Sería un mensajazaso del Papa si lo nombrara, sacudiría a la Iglesia mexicana. Pero lo veo poco probable.”

–¿Qué papel está jugando en la sucesión el nuncio recién llegado a México, el italiano Franco Coppola?

–El nuncio recaba opiniones, sobre todo cuando se trata de promover a un sacerdote a rango de obispo. También debe elaborar reportes sobre lo que ocurre en México. Su opinión es muy importante. Pero en este caso es la Congregación de los Obispos la que tiene el mayor peso en el proceso sucesorio. Y, claro, el Papa, quien acaba de hacer un llamado para mejorar la manera de seleccionar a los obispos.

–¿Y cómo deja la arquidiócesis el cardenal Norberto Rivera? ¿Con qué arquidiócesis se encontrará su sucesor?

–Bueno, la descatolización en la Ciudad de México avanza a un ritmo más acelerado que en el resto del país. Y no le veo una personalidad propia al catolicismo capitalino. Además, con Rivera Carrera se diluyeron las iniciativas pastorales que había emprendido su antecesor, Ernesto Corripio, como la Misión Guadalupana.

“En sus 21 años al frente de la arquidiócesis, el cardenal Rivera ni siquiera intentó ejecutar una empresa de calibre. Es más, nunca tuvo claro qué hacer con la arquidiócesis. Sus vicarías episcopales –de por sí muy grandes, como la propia arquidiócesis– están alejadas de los fieles. Y las parroquias –pocas para atender a la feligresía– no se han adecuado a las nuevas realidades.

“En todos estos años, el cardenal Rivera ha estado más interesado en tejer relaciones con políticos y empresarios, y en aparecer en las páginas de sociales de las revistas del corazón, que en apoyar realmente a la gente necesitada de la Ciudad de México. Esa es la arquidiócesis que le deja a su sucesor.”

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

Four NSW teachers sexually abused student

AUSTRALIA
The Australian

REBEKAH ISONAustralian Associated PressDecember 9, 2016

A man who was sexually abused by four teachers at his Newcastle Marist Brother’s high school in the 70s has described his anger upon finding out one of the abusers had been appointed principal at his child’s soon-to-be school.

The man, known as CQP, was himself a deputy principal in 1996 when he read Brother Dominic, whose real name is Darcy O’Sullivan, was set to become the leader of his former school the following year.

“I remember being really angry and telling my wife, ‘This can’t happen’,” the man told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse on Friday.

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

‘I felt guilty after sex act with chaplain’

IRELAND
Irish Examiner

Friday, December 09, 2016

Ann O’Loughlin

A woman who claims she was sexually abused by her school chaplain when she was a secondary school student yesterday told the High Court that the first time he performed oral sex on her they were both naked in bed in his house.

The woman, now aged 28, said they chatted and had tea before moving to the bedroom. She said she was shocked afterwards and felt guilty.

On the fifth day of the case yesterday — where the woman is claiming damages against the former priest — she also alleged that, when she was drunk on a youth trip to Cologne, Germany, to see the pope, the then school chaplain performed oral sex on her in a house where other students were also staying.

The woman has sued alleging that, between 2004 and 2007, she was repeatedly and wrongfully physically and sexually assaulted, falsely imprisoned and sexually abused, and subjected to sexualised behaviour by the then Catholic chaplain and teacher in her secondary school in the South East.

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

Legal fees mount as Duluth Diocese bankruptcy case hits one-year mark

MINNESOTA
Duluth News Tribune

By Tom Olsen

A year into bankruptcy, legal bills are continuing to mount for the Diocese of Duluth.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Kressel on Thursday approved the spending of another $750,000 in attorneys’ fees and expenses — swelling the total cost of the process to $1.28 million and counting.

The biggest chunk of the money has gone to four law firms representing the diocese, but more than $183,000 also has been paid out to attorneys for a creditors’ committee, which represents people who have filed child sexual abuse claims against the diocese.

While in bankruptcy protection, the diocese’s expenses must be submitted to and approved by a judge. The order issued Thursday covers attorney compensation through October.

The diocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Dec. 7, 2015, in wake of a $4.9 million verdict in the first case to go to trial under the Minnesota Child Victims Act, which temporarily lifted the statute of limitations for victims of decades-old abuse cases to file suit.

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

S.N.A.P takes list of concerns to Archdiocese

December 8th 2016

By Connie Leonard, Anchor/Reporter
KENTUCKY
WAVE

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) – A week after a now suspended Louisville priest and former Trinity High School teacher is found guilty of inappropriately touching a child, S.N.A.P., Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests is asking the Archdiocese of Louisville not to push for a light sentence for Father Joseph Hemmerle.

S.N.A.P. took their written concerns to the Office of the Archdiocese on Thursday. While S.N.A.P. representatives feel the archdiocese has improved education about abuse when it comes to adults around children in churches and schools, they still believe when it comes to priests, there’s an instinct to protect at all costs.

“Here in Louisville, we’ve had over 30 some-odd priests who have been credibly accused, we’ve got around four in jail at this time,” said S.N.A.P. member Cal Pfeiffer.

Now, that Father Joseph Hemmerle has been convicted, they want the Archdiocese to be proactive and find out if other victims could be out there.

“Very seldom does an abusive priest only abuse one or two children,” Pfeiffer said. “There were hundreds and hundreds of children at Camp Tall Trees.”

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Tara was abused by the man she was taught to trust most — now she wants justice

AUSTRALIA
news.com.au

Vanessa Brown
news.com.au
@vanessajbrown

TARA refuses to keep Milo in her house.

Because for her, the green tin resembles the night she lost her innocence; and a moment of horror that still keeps her awake at night 26 years on.

When Tara was just four years old, her parents made the decision to join the Jehovah’s Witness organisation, which is currently at the centre of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

The Jehovah’s Witness organisation relied on outdated policies and practices, including a 2000-year-old two-witness rule, the royal commission found.

Tara’s abuse is an example of no-one believing the then eight-year-old because she was the only witness to the ordeal.

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Former priest plans run for governor in New Jersey

NEW JERSEY
Newsworks

PHIL GREGORY

One of the Democrats who wants to be New Jersey’s next governor has an unusual background for a political candidate.

West Orange resident Bob Hoatson is a former Catholic priest and co-founder of a nonprofit organization that helps victims of sexual abuse.

“I just keep fighting for justice and fighting for the rights of people who have been harmed,” said Hoatson. “I did a doctoral degree in leadership, and I’ve been a high school and college administrator, an elementary school administrator.

“I’ve run a lot of organizations. I have run some fairly large budgets. I think that qualifies me.”

Hoatson said he has he leadership skills to make needed change.

“I think New Jersey is severely broken, and I’ve had a history of looking at broken institutions and corrupt organizations and trying to reform and do something about it,” he said. “I think the people have been shortchanged by the leadership.”

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3 things to know before you invest with the Knights of Columbus

UNITED STATES
National Catholic Reporter

Nicole Sotelo | Dec. 8, 2016

Have you heard of “Battlefield Hardline”? It is a video game in which players pretend to be police who shoot people in urban areas. Common Sense Media named it among the top 10 most violent video games of 2015, the same year in which public awareness was rising about police brutality. It is also the same year that the video game’s maker showed up as a top stock holding in a new Knights of Columbus mutual fund; a fund that is now being offered to employees of multiple Catholic institutions across the United States.

In March 2015, Knights officials announced the creation of a new subsidiary called the Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors. This new firm offers investment strategies tailored to Catholic institutions. As of the most recent annual report, there were 50 such clients ranging from dioceses to religious orders. In turn, these institutions may then offer Knights mutual funds to their employees as part of a retirement plan. In my own Chicago archdiocese, Catholic employees were given the option to invest in three Knights mutual funds with combined investments totaling more than $83 million as of April 2016.

While church workers may think they are investing in their own retirement, they may be investing against their best interest. There are three things church workers should know before they invest with the Knights of Columbus.

Knights and women

The Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors’ website notes that the profits go back to the Knights organization, “a portion of which further funds Catholic initiatives.” After repeated attempts to talk to the Knights Communications Department about where the profits went and what initiatives were being funded, no response was given by the deadline. Church workers deserve to know that Knights officials have repeatedly used the organization’s resources to back political causes that go against church worker interests, including those of women working for Catholic institutions.

In recent years the organization has donated significant financial backing out of its “charitable contributions” to the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a Washington, D.C., law firm that has been arguing the case against equal access to contraception for women who work at Catholic institutions such as hospitals and universities. The Knights have also demonstrated that they agree with denying women church workers equal access, something that was a guarantee for other women under the Affordable Care Act. Knights officials also submitted an amicus brief that sided against women’s fair access to contraception. With 80 percent of Catholic lay ministers being women, they deserve to know that the profits being made off their retirement investments may go toward political causes that don’t support women’s health.

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Syracuse diocese puts priest on leave as abuse allegation from 27 years ago is reviewed

NEW YORK
NewYorkUpstate

By Elizabeth Doran | edoran@syracuse.com

ROME, NY – A priest in Rome, NY has been placed on leave while the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse looks into an allegation that dates back 27 years, diocese officials said Thursday.

The Rev. Paul F. Angelicchio, pastor of St. John the Baptist and Transfiguration parish in Rome, has been placed on administrative leave while the allegation dating back 27 years involving abuse of a minor is being investigated, said Danielle Cummings, speaking for the diocese.

“The allegation was first made to the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office who forwarded it to the diocese after their review,” the diocese said in a statement. “Please note that the allegation has not been substantiated.”

The diocese said its practice is to prohibit Angelicchio from functioning publicly as a priest until the matter is resolved.

The allegation will be reviewed by professionals and the Diocesan Review Board, the statement said.

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AFFIDAVIT: MOTHER TRACED NUDE CELLPHONE PHOTOS TO NORTH CAROLINA PASTOR

NORTH CAROLINA
ABC 11

Thursday, December 08, 2016

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WTVD) — Court records indicate a Florida woman who found nude photos of an adult male on her son’s cellphone was able to trace the sender’s telephone number back to a New Hanover County youth pastor.

The StarNews of Wilmington reports that, according to an affidavit, the mother had a parental control option on her 11-year-old son’s cellphone. She was notified by Verizon that an unknown number was contacting her child. When she searched the number on Facebook, she found it was linked to the page of Tyler Simkus Smither.

WWAY-TV reports that according to his Facebook page, Smither is from Raleigh, where he also served as an intern and youth leader at a church.

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Clergy abuse group asks Archdiocese to do more

KENTUCKY
Courier-Journal

Chris Kenning , @ckenning_cj December 8, 2016

In the wake of a Louisville priest’s conviction for molesting a child, a victim’s advocacy group on Thursday called on the Archdiocese of Louisville to better publicize clergy convictions among parishioners and do more to urge other possible victims to come forward.

Several members of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, visited archdiocese headquarters Thursday to deliver that message after former Trinity High teacher Father Joseph Hemmerle was convicted on Nov. 30 in Meade County of molesting a boy at a Catholic summer camp in the 1970s. A second accuser’s trial is slated for next year.

The group asked through a letter that Louisville Archbishop Joseph Kurtz “put on their diocesan websites the names of proven, admitted and credibly accused child molesting clerics” and that the Archdiocese use parish bulletins, church websites, pulpit announcements and personal visits to “seek out those with knowledge or suspicions about Father Hemmerle’s crimes and beg them to call law enforcement.”

“Rarely is it just one or two. So many kids went through that camp. There is a good chance others are out there,” said Cal Pfeiffer, a member of SNAP in Louisville. “They need to reach out and urge (any potential victims) to come forward.”

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Florida mom traced nude photos on son’s phone to jailed youth pastor

NORTH CAROLINA
Star News

After determining the man in the nude photo looked like the man on Facebook, the woman called Harbor United Methodist Church in Masonboro and spoke with the Rev. Russ Nanney. At the time Tyler Smither’s cellphone number was listed as his contact information on the church’s website.

By F.T. Norton StarNews Staff

NEW HANOVER COUNTY — A savvy Florida mother who found nude photos of an adult male on her preteen son’s cellphone, traced the sender’s phone number back to New Hanover County youth pastor Tyler Simkus Smither, court documents revealed Wednesday.

An affidavit seeking a search warrant filed Tuesday in New Hanover County Superior Court state’s the mother, who had a parental control option on her 11-year-old son’s cellphone, was notified by Verizon that an unknown number was contacting her child. When the mother searched the phone number on Facebook, she found it was linked to Smither’s page, according to the document.

After determining the man in the nude photo looked like the man on Facebook, the woman called Harbor United Methodist Church in Masonboro and spoke with the Rev. Russ Nanney. At the time Smither’s cellphone number was listed as his contact information on the church’s website.

Nanney then called the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office.

Smither, 30, is charged with two counts of indecent liberties with a child. He was arrested Dec. 2 and posted a $100,000 bond the same day, according to New Hanover County jail records.

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EMU releases report on misconduct response

UNITED STATES
Mennonite World Review

Dec 5, 2016 by Mennonite World Review staff

Eastern Mennonite University announced on Nov. 28 that an external investigation of its response to allegations of sexual misconduct by a former vice president of enrollment found no evidence that administrators had reason to dismiss Luke Hartman prior to his January resignation.

In July, the EMU board of trustees engaged D. Stafford & Associates, a Delaware-based consulting firm that investigates campus safety and law enforcement issues, including compliance with federal regulations.

The external investigation was done in response to allegations of sexual misconduct by Hartman, who resigned days after a Jan. 8 arrest for solicitation of prostitution — a charge that was ultimately dismissed by a judge.

On March 20, Lindale Mennonite Church pastors and elders acknowledged in a congregational letter that an alleged “abusive relationship” involving member Hartman was brought to staff attention in August 2014.

EMU’s release states that DSA found no evidence that EMU administrators had prior information that would have been reason not to hire Hartman. DSA also found administrators did not have information that would have been reason to dismiss Hartman prior to his January resignation.
In performing its inquiry into what EMU knew, D. Stafford & Associates accepted as credible Lauren Shifflett’s April 12 blog posting, which included a recounting of her relationship with Hartman. The DSA report indicates Hartman and Lindale Pastor Duane Yoder met with EMU President Loren Swartzendruber on Sept. 2, 2014. The two men described the relationship as a consensual affair with a 19- to 20-year-old woman from the congregation — diverging from Shifflett’s descriptions of verbal abuse and threats of physical violence.

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Former Grafton priest jailed for Newcastle child sex

AUSTRALIA
Chinchilla News

Chris Calcino | 9th Dec 2016

A FORMER Anglican priest who sexually preyed on two young boys before moving to the Diocese of Grafton has been jailed for at least one year and 10 months.

Lindsay Thomas McLoughlin, 65, pleaded guilty to performing oral sex, fondling and attempting to have anal intercourse with a young teen, and exposing himself while approaching another child in the 1980s.

McLoughlin was linked to former senior priest Peter Rushton, whom a royal commission has heard ran a child sex ring from the Hunter region of New South Wales.

Rushton died in 2007 without ever being charged.

McLoughlin carried out the sexual attacks while employed in the Diocese of Newcastle.

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Sexual abuse prevention to be included in priest education

VATICAN CITY
Deutsche Welle

The Vatican has released a new set of guidelines for seminaries, including measures to protect minors from sexual abuse. Women are also set to take part in seminars as the future clergy must be able to work with women.

Catholic priests-in-training will soon be required to take part in classes on protecting minors from sexual abuse, according to the Vatican’s new seminary guidelines published Thursday.
“The programs include specific lessons, seminars or courses about the protection of youths,” the new priest training regulations said, as published by the Vatican newspaper “Osservatore Romano.”

When evaluating candidates for priesthood, instructors would have to ensure that potential priests have “not been involved in a crime or problematic behavior in this area.”

In the document, the Vatican urges bishops to be “very cautious” when assessing priesthood candidates previously dismissed from other seminaries attempting to enter another theological school.

A greater role for women

Women are also set to play a larger role in the training of priests in the future. The guidelines recommend that women also take part in seminars and university classes with priests as the future male clergy will need to be able to work with women.

The Vatican even recommended that a candidate’s ability to interact with and work alongside women should be taken into account when when being considered for the priestly ordination.

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El chico que vio demasiado: Iglesia y corrupción en Tijuana

TIJUANA (MEXICO)
Hipertextual [Madrid, Spain]

December 8, 2016

By Mónica Redondo

Read original article

Carlos Adrián lleva casi tres años en la cárcel de Tijuana, acusado de planear el secuestro del padre Juan Carlos Ackerman. Según su familia, el joven está encarcelado por ser testigo de los actos sexuales del mejor amigo de Ackerman, el padre Enrique Tenorio, quien fue acusado de pederastia meses después del arresto. Cuando el Papa Francisco visitó Ciudad de Méxicoen febrero año pasado, Lucía Durán viajó desde Tijuana para verlo. Cuando el Papa Francisco pasó por la Calzada de Guadalupe para dar misa en la Basílica, Lucía Durán llegó a las 7 de la mañana para estar en primera fila cuando el Pontífice pasara por su lado.

Llevaba una pancarta en la que decía: “JUSTICIA. Santo Padre mi hijo está en la cárcel injustamente por un sacerdote pederasta. Tijuana”. Además, escribió una carta para darle al Papa explicando el caso de su hijo menor.El hijo de Lucía Durán está acusado de ser el autor intelectual del secuestro del padre Ackerman.

Carlos Adrián Zavala Durán ingresó en el penal de Tijuana en enero de 2014, acusado de orquestar el secuestro del cura Juan Carlos Ackerman, párroco de la Iglesia San Toridio en Tijuana. Según el acusado y su madre, Lucía Durán, el joven fue encarcelado por ser testigo de los actos sexuales del padre Juan Carlos Tenorio, amigo íntimo del supuesto secuestrado.

La historia de Carlos Adrián

Cuando Adrián tenía 19 años, empezó a trabajar en la parroquia del padre Enrique Tenorio ayudando al cura en la limpieza y mantenimiento. El joven empezó a vivir en la parroquia para ahorrarse el dinero del transporte diario desde su casa, y allí empezó a hacer amistades con los otros jóvenes que vivían en el lugar.

A todos los llamaban con motes, como El PerroGunter o El Risas. Sus funciones eran las mismas que las de Carlos Adrián pero, según explica el acusado, ellos hacían algo más.

“¿Qué crees, que somos trabajadores, o qué?”, recuerda el joven que le preguntaron los otros trabajadores de la parroquia. El pequeño de los Zavala empezó a ver cómo el padre Tenorio trataba a estos hombres, de entre 18 y 20 años, con sumo cariño, y les regalaba zapatos de marca o consolas PlayStation. Tiempos después, se dio cuenta de que el padre nunca dormía solo por las noches.

Carlos Adrián fue testigos de los actos sexuales del padre Enrique Tenorio

“En una ocasión me dejé mi celular [en el cuarto] donde estaba la computadora y cuando fui a buscarlo vi que el padre le estaba haciendo sexo oral a El Risas en la silla de la computadora. Cuando entré, paró rápido”, explica Carlos Adrián Zavala Durán a Hipertextual vía telefónica desde la cárcel de Tijuana.

Además de mantener relaciones sexuales con los trabajadores mayores de edad de la Parroquia de la Asunción, Zavala Durán también fue testigo de cómo llevaban al párroco niños menores de edad para que este se acostara con ellos. Aclara que la mayoría de ellos se veían sucios y procedentes de familias con pocos recursos.

El joven nunca había sido testigo ni había conocido nunca ningún caso como este en Tijuana. Siempre había confiado en los curas, quienes le habían ayudado en la mayoría de los casos como hizo el padre Tenorio cuando le dio un trabajo en la parroquia. Pero esta vez fue diferente.

En más de una ocasión, el padre intentó besar en la boca a Carlos Adrián o meterse en la ducha con él, actos que el joven siempre consiguió evitar.

Después de contarle a su madre lo que vio, Carlos Adrián fue acusado por el cura de robar la caja fuerte

Los vecinos del padre Tenorio le tenían por un hombre honrado y muy comprometido con la sociedad, ya que acogía a personas de la calle y drogadictos en su parroquia para que vivieran con él y pudieran tener un techo donde dormir y comida. “Cuando convives dentro te das cuenta de lo que realmente pasa”, afirma Carlos Adrián.

Lucía Durán fue la primera y única persona que supo lo que pasaba en la parroquia donde trabajaba su hijo, quien le contó los actos sexuales de los cuales fue testigo.

Semanas después, Carlos Adrián fue acusado por el padre Tenorio de robar la caja fuerte de la parroquia junto con todo el dinero y objetos de valor que había dentro. Después, Zavala fue despedido por el cura por no hacer realizar su trabajo de manera adecuada. El joven desmiente las dos acusaciones por parte del padre.

El inicio de la pesadilla

Casi un año después de su despido, Carlos Adrián Zavala Durán había encontrado un nuevo trabajo en un café Internet en Mexicali propiedad de su tío, quien vivía en la capital de Baja California Norte.

El 22 de enero de 2014 entraron unos policías al local, arrestaron a Carlos Adrián, y se lo llevaron en una Cherokee con un trapo negro cubriéndole la cabeza. Estuvo dos días en la delegación de Mexicali sin comida ni agua. Los policías afirmaron en su declaración que lo arrestaron con drogas, otro hecho que Carlos Adrián niega.

El hijo de Lucía fue torturado por los policías después de ser detenido en Mexicali sin orden de aprehensión

En su tercer día de detención, Zavala fue esposado con las manos hacia atrás y tendido boca abajo en el coche que lo transportaría hasta Tijuana. A sus lados, dos hombres le golpeaban: “Ya sabemos que el padre es gay y es mejor que hables. Coopera con nosotros y di que tú fuiste y todo será más fácil”, le decían las autoridades.

Zavala no sabía que en ese momento le estaban hablando del secuestro del padre Juan Carlos Ackerman, amigo del Padre Tenorio, y que él era el principal sospechoso.

Cuando llegó a Tijuana, a Carlos Adrián le pusieron una bolsa en la cabeza y le golpearon en el estómago. Le avisaron que le llevarían con el abogado para que firmara, pero el acusado no sabía de qué le estaban hablando y se negó.

Zavala Durán recuerda desde la cárcel:

Me esposaron con los brazos abiertos colgado mientras me golpeaban. Siempre estuve vendado de los ojos y nunca los miré.

El hijo de Lucía Durán acabó refrendando, después de varias torturas, el papel que los policías querían que firmara. Se trataba de la declaración en la que Carlos Adrián reconocía ser el autor intelectual del padre Juan Carlos Ackerman.

Zavala Durán lleva en la cárcel desde su aprehensión en enero de 2014. Se cumplirán tres años desde que entró en la cárcel y, a día de hoy, todavía no ha podido declarar en un juicio ni ha tenido un careo con el padre secuestrado.

El secuestro del padre Ackerman

La noche del 15 de octubre de 2013, el padre Ackerman se encontraba en su domicilio cuando los supuestos secuestradores llamaron a su puerta pidiéndole consejo sobre una supuesta celebración cristiana. Con esa excusa, se lo llevaron al domicilio de uno de ellos. En el lugar, le confirmaron que estaba secuestrado y que pedían 30.000 dólares por su rescate.

A la mañana siguiente, la policía encontró la casa en la que se encontraba y se inició un tiroteo entre los supuestos secuestradores y las autoridades, que acabó con el arresto de cuatro personas.

Cuando la policía entró en la casa en la que se encontraba el padre Ackerman, el párroco pensaba que se trataba de otros secuestradores. “Yo estaba pegado en una esquina del cuarto y de repente rompen la puerta y entra un señor y dice “¿quién es usted?” y le digo, yo soy el padre. “Por usted venimos, somos la policía municipal”, recuerda Ackerman en entrevista televisada con Frontera.

Ackerman afirma que perdona a sus secuestradores, pero que no fomentará su liberación porque son personas que harán daño a la sociedad. Después de lo ocurrido, el padre afirma que ha tenido que someterse a un tratamiento psicológico que le ha ayudado a superar lo ocurrido. Sin embargo, recalca que no quiere ver a las personas que le han causado tanto daño y que “cuando arrestan al jovencito [Carlos Adrián Zavala Durán] yo empiezo a sanar”.

Según las declaraciones del padre en la entrevista, cuando tuvo que reconocer a sus secuestradores con fotografías, la abogada le mostró la de Carlos Adrián, y le explicó que este chico fue el autor intelectual del secuestro y que fue él quien avisó a los secuestradores de que la familia Ackerman tenía dinero para pagar un rescate.

Lo conozco desde que estoy en la parroquia hace 6 años y conozco a su familia. Es una buena familia, estoy sorprendido

Pensé mucho en la mamá [Lucía Durán], una persona espiritual que trabajó muy bien en mi parroquia. El muchachito, su hijo, fue quien me hizo esto. Me duele, me compadezco, me da mucha lástima.

Por su parte, Lucía Durán explica en entrevista con Hipertextual que desde que su hijo le explicó las relaciones sexuales del padre Enrique Tenorio con niños y adultos, ella fue dejada de lado en su trabajo en la parroquia del Padre Ackerman.

Según Durán, el padre ya ni le “miraba a la cara” mientras ella realizaba sus labores en la Santo Toridio. La madre de Carlos Adrián está convencida de que el secuestro del padre Ackerman fue una farsa planeada para meter a su hijo en la cárcel y que este no pudiera explicar lo que vivió mientras trabajó para el padre Tenorio.

La mañana después del secuestro, Aníbal Elenes Peña, Sergio Erick Castañeda, Jesús Manuel Salazar López y Selene Jazmín Ruiz Camacho fueron detenidos. Tres meses después, Carlos Adrián fue apresado en Mexicali.

Una quinta persona, llamada Dylan, también está implicada en el secuestro, pero todavía no ha sido encontrada por las autoridades.

El nexo entre Carlos Adrián y los secuestradores

Cuando Carlos Adrián Zavala todavía trabajaba con el padre Enrique Tenorio, quiso comprarse una moto. Una persona que vivía en su misma urbanización, le comentó que el sobrino de un vecino, llamado Dylan, vendía una moto y los puso en contacto.

Cuando se reunieron, Dylan le enseñó su moto y Carlos Adrián se mostró interesado. Sin embargo, el vendedor le explicó que antes de venderla tenía que consultarlo con unos amigos, con los que compartía el vehículo.Carlos Adrián conoció a los secuestradores por la posible compra de una moto

Días después, Dylan llamó a Carlos Adrián y le dijo que lo acompañara a comer a un restaurante donde se encontraba con los otros dueños de la moto. Carlos Adrián acudió al lugar y discutieron sobre las condiciones de compra.

La moto tenía una avería y la reparación le costaba prácticamente lo mismo que comprar una nueva, así que Carlos Adrián decidió que no compraría la moto.

Antes de irse, el grupo se tomó una fotografía. Dylan, sus amigos y Carlos Adrián. Esos amigos fueron los acusados por el secuestro del padre Ackerman y la fotografía bastó como prueba para relacionar a Zavala con los secuestradores.El acusado de autor intelectual todavía no ha prestado declaración en un juicio ni ha tenido un careo con el padre

Los cuatro detenidos afirmaron en su juicio que ellos solo conocieron a Carlos Adrián una vez, el día de la comida con Dylan, y negaron en todo momento que el chico fuera el autor intelectual del secuestro del párroco.

Hasta la fecha, Carlos Adrián no ha tenido un juicio en su contra ni ha podido tomar declaración para contar su versión de los hechos. Tampoco ha tenido un careo con su supuesta víctima, el padre Ackerman, ya que este declaró que no quería ver ni al joven ni a los otros presuntos secuestradores.

El caso

El abogado de Carlos Adrián, Miguel Ángel Escobosa, afirma tener una defensa sutil y haber esperado un tiempo a seguir con el caso porque desde sus inicios estuvo muy “marcado políticamente”, explica el licenciado para Hipertextual.

El padre Ackerman conoce al que era en ese momento Secretario de Gobierno y ahora es Secretario de Salud, Guillermo Trejo Dozal, quien estuvo preso por tres meses en el Cereso de Mexicali acusado de formar parte de una empresa perseguida por la Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público (SHCP).

La relación de amistad entre el párroco y el secretario no pude ser confirmada, pero el abogado sí reconoce ciertos vínculos que hicieron la defensa de Carlos Adrián y los otros 4 supuestos secuestradores mucho más complicada.El abogado del caso afirma que existen contradicciones en la declaración del padre Ackerman

Casi 3 años después del inicio del caso, Escobosa se prepara para reunir todas las pruebas a principios del año 2017 y empezar a trabajar activamente en la liberación de Carlos Adrián.

“Existen contradicciones entre lo que el padre dijo para la prensa y lo que declaró en el Ministerio Público”, subraya el abogado. Por ejemplo, en la entrevista televisada por Frontera, Ackerman sostiene que fue él quien ayudó a Carlos Adrián a entrar en la universidad. Sin embargo, fue otro Padre que trabajaba en la escuela del joven quien contactó con la universidad y le consiguió una beca para que pudiera pagar sus estudios. (5:08-5:21)

Por otro lado, Miguel Ángel Escobosa admite que también sospecha del secuestro llevado a cabo al padre Ackerman puede tratarse de un autosecuestro.

Suponemos que esto [el secuestro] se armó para mantener callado a Carlos Adrián pero no lo podemos probar, lo que tenemos que probar ante el juez es que no fue él quien lo hizo

Otro de los hechos difíciles de probar son las torturas realizadas a Zavala Durán en el momento de su detención y en los días posteriores, aunque el abogado señala que son cuestiones que solo alargarían el proceso y que no ayudarían a la liberación del chico. Según Miguel Ángel Escobosa, condenar a un policía por torturas es “más difícil que tener una audiencia con el Papa”.

Admite, además, que la manera en la que detuvieron a Carlos Adrián es, por desgracia, común en México. Acusan a una persona por un delito cualquiera (en el caso de Carlos Adrián, por posesión de drogas) y luego indagan durante 48 horas otro delito mientras lo torturan. Con este método, pueden detienen a alguien sin tener orden de aprehensión.

os cuatro presuntos secuestradores firmaron la declaración en contra de Carlos Adrián bajo tortura

Según la Comisión Nacional de Derechos Humanos (CNDH), en 2012 hubo en México 2.114 denuncias de torturas y 11 fueron admitidas como tales. En 2013, la cifra de denuncias fue de 1.505 y se admitieron 13.

Un informe de Amnistía Internacional afirma que el 64% de las personas que entrevistaron para el documento tienen miedo de sufrir tortura si son detenidos.

Tener números actualizados y redondos sobre el número de torturados en México a manos de la policía es prácticamente imposible. La mayoría de casos ni siquiera son reportados o no son condenados por los juzgados.El abogado lleva dos años recopilando pruebas para liberar a Carlos Adrián

Una de las tácticas del abogado para liberar al presunto autor intelectual del secuestro del Padre será probar que la declaración que firmó Zavala Durán durante sus torturas no tiene vigencia. Los policías aplicaron las mismas torturas a los cuatro presuntos secuestradores para que firmaran otra declaración en la que afirmaban que Carlos Adrián era el autor intelectual. Escobosa intentará probar que ambas declaraciones no son vinculables al presunto delito cometido.

La otra prueba que tiene el Ministerio Público son las acusaciones del padre Ackerman, que también son sospechosas, ya que el Padre nunca vio al hijo de Lucía Durán durante su supuesto secuestro.

El abogado está recopilando todas estas evidencias para el caso de Carlos Adrián y poder presentarlas en el momento indicado. Respecto a su posible liberación, Escobosa afirma: “En sentencia, no. En apelación, tal vez. En amparo, estoy seguro”.

De que salen, salen. El problema es cuánto tiempo tarden en salir

Cinco meses después de la detención de Carlos Adrián, el padre para el cual trabajaba, Enrique Tenorio, fue investigado por pederastia junto con otros cuatro párrocos más. La investigación se llevó a cabo en el Vaticano y concluyó en agosto de este año, dos años después de su inicio.

Los cinco padres fueron removidos de sus Iglesias para poder llevar a cabo la investigación. En agosto, los sacerdotes quedaron absueltos por falta de denunciantes y testigos. Todos fuero devueltos a sus iglesias, menos Enrique Tenorio, al que todavía no se le ha asignado una parroquia en Tijuana.El padre Enrique Tenorio fue acusado de pederastia e investigado por el Vaticano

Lucía Durán esperó casi nueve horas a que el Papa pasara con el Papamóvil por la Calzada de Guadalupe. Llevaba consigo todos los documentos que reunió hasta el momento para intentar demostrar la inocencia de su hijo, además de la carta de once páginas en la que explicaba lo que ocurrió desde que Carlos Adrián entrara a trabajar con el Padre Tenorio.

Finalmente, José Maria Bergoglio pasó por delante de ella demasiado deprisa como para leer su pancarta. Tampoco pude entregarle su carta. Pero Lucía Durán habló con todas las personas que se le acercaron para hablar del caso de Carlos Adrián, su hijo de 24 años que lleva casi 3 en la cárcel por un delito que según ella nunca cometió.

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Rome priest put on leave Diocese probes 27-year-old allegation

NEW YORK
Rome Sentinel

A Rome clergyman is on a leave of absence while the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse investigates details of an allegation of abuse of a minor 27 years ago.

The Rev. Paul F. Angelicchio, pastor of St. John the Baptist and Transfiguration parish, wrote and read a statement to parishioners on the weekend of of Nov. 19-20 stating he would be taking a leave of absence.

On Wednesday, the diocese issued a statement offering more details:

“Father Paul Angelicchio has been temporarily placed on administrative leave due to an allegation of abuse of a minor. The alleged incident would have taken place 27 years ago,” the diocese said. “The allegation was first made to the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office who forwarded it to the diocese after their review.”

“Please note that the allegation has not been substantiated,” the diocese’s statement continued, “But in keeping with the policy and practice of the diocese, and in conformity with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Father Angelicchio is not permitted to publicly function as a priest until the matter is resolved. The diocese will follow its policy in regards to allegations of abuse including having the entire matter reviewed by professionals and the Diocesan Review Board.”

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Kerala priest gets double life term for raping minor

INDIA
Deccan Herald

A 41-year-old Catholic priest was on Thursday sentenced to double life imprisonment after he was convicted for raping a minor girl. A special court in Ernakulam also ruled that Fr Edwin Figarez, who was vicar at the Lourdes Matha Church in Puthenvelikkara in Ernakulam district, will have to pay a fine of Rs 2.15 lakh. He will serve the two life terms concurrently.

The priest was booked in April last year based on a complaint filed by the mother of the 14-year-old victim. The prosecution’s case is that Figarez repeatedly sexually abused the girl between January and March 2015, after taking her to his parsonage. The priest’s brother, Sylvester Figarez, was sentenced to a year’s imprisonment for helping the accused evade the police.

Following the revelation of the victim, then a Class IX student, her mother had taken her to a local primary health centre in March last year. Dr Ajitha, however, did not report the matter to the police, and so was named one of the accused in the case. Though the court found the doctor guilty, she was let off under provisions of the Probation of Offenders Act.

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New priest named in child sex abuse claim

GUAM
Guam Daily Post

Neil Pang | Post News Staff

A 12th complainant claiming child sexual abuse against Archdiocese of Agana clergy filed litigation for damages in the Superior Court of Guam yesterday.

Documents filed by plaintiff attorney David Lujan name Robert Aguon Perez as the 12th claimant in a series of suits filed on behalf of child sexual abuse survivors against various named and unnamed parties with in the Archdiocese of Agana including Archbishop Anthony Apuron, former Guam priest Rev. Louis Brouillard and deceased Guam priest Rev. Antonio Cruz.

Perez’s complaint adds yet another name to the growing list of named archdiocesan clergymen who have been accused of child sexual abuse by former altar boys.

According to court documents, Perez was abused at the St. Jude Rectory between the years 1982 and 1985 by former Guam priest Rev. David Anderson, who served as a priest at the Sinajana Parish at the time. Documents further add that the abuse continued throughout 1985 to 1986 at the Father Duenas Memorial School, where Anderson taught theology and where Perez attended when he was around 14 or 15 years old.

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CA–Accused priest quietly moves to San Diego; Victims cry “foul”

CALIFORNIA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, Dec. 6, 2016

For more information: David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, davidgclohessy@gmail.com), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003 cell,bdorris@SNAPnetwork.org)

Accused priest quietly moves to SD
After “counseling,” he sexually harassed a 22 year old
He allegedly “coerced” her & later fired her from her job
A civil lawsuit against him and his Michigan bishop is pending
Group urges SD Catholic officials to “warn parishioners & the public about him”

A priest who was found to have sexually harassed a college student and who faces a pending civil abuse lawsuit has quietly moved to San Diego where he works for a lawyer. A victims group want bishops in California and Michigan to warn parishioners and the public about him.

[Linked-In]

Six months ago, officials at Central Michigan University ruled that Father Denis Heames sexually harassed then-22 year old Megan Winans. Saginaw Bishop Joseph Cistone ousted the priest, and Winans is now suing both clerics.

[BishopAccountability.org]

Fr. Heames is now a paralegal for attorney Richard McEntyre (619-221-0279) and claims, on his Linked In page, that he moved to California for “family” reasons, making no mention of the lawsuit against him. He also attended San Diego State University.

According to a Michigan newspaper, the lawsuit accuses Fr. Heames, McCaffery, the Saginaw diocese and a Saginaw parish of “battery, defamation, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, negligent supervision and vicarious liability” because Fr. Heames allegedly “abused his authority when he entered into a sexual relationship with (Winans) when he began acting as her spiritual counselor.”

Another defendant in the suit, Trudy McCaffrey, has also moved out of Michigan. She now works for the church in Irene, South Dakota where she’s a “spiritual director” for Broom Tree Retreat, cultivating new priests. (The lawsuit accuses McCaffery of claiming that Winans seduced Heames and had “the spirit of Jezebel.)

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Vatican–Discipline reckless seminary heads, don’t beg them, SNAP says

UNITED STATES
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, Dec. 8, 2016

Statement by Judy Jones of St. Louis, SNAP Associate Midwest Director (+1 636-433-2511 home, SNAPjudy@gmail.com)

In a new document, the Vatican says bishops should be careful about accepting seminarians who’ve been rejected by other bishops, seminaries and dioceses. We’re glad for the new language. But given the tremendous and persistent priest shortage, we doubt a sentence or two in some new “guidelines” will make any difference at all.

[Catholic Courier]

There is, however, a more effective approach. It’s called discipline.

Consider Joel A. Wright. He was rejected by 40 seminaries (according to his mom and one news account). He locked up now for 16 years. Why? Because he was caught trying to buy babies or toddlers to abuse.

[10TV]

Imagine the shock that would roil the church hierarchy if Francis were to demote or discipline the bishop who sponsored Wright (Steubenville Ohio’s Jeffrey Montforton) or the 41st seminary director (Josephinum President Monsignor Christopher Schreck) who finally accepted him?

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Assignment Record– Rev. Thomas R. Hopp

OHIO
BishopAccountability.org

Summary of Case: Thomas R. Hopp was ordained for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in 1966. He was transferred often among archdiocesan parishes until 1983, when he began a twelve-year stint as pastor of a Dayton parish, followed by seven years at another. Early on he taught at Alter High School in Kettering, and he was an Academic Dean at St. Gregory’s Seminary for a year in the mid-1970s.

In 1997 the archdiocese received an anonymous complaint that Hopp had displayed “odd” behavior toward a child; Hopp was put “on notice” – he was not to be alone with children except during confession. In April 2002 Hopp was placed on administrative leave after a man reported to the archdiocese that Hopp had sexually abused him when he was a 12-year-old altar boy in 1980. Hopp was temporary administrator of St. Michael’s in Ft. Laramie at the time. He admitted to the abuse. Another man filed suit in 2004, claiming sexual abuse as a 12 to 14-year-old by Hopp in the early 1980s at St. Denis in Versailles. A third man claimed in a lawsuit that Hopp sexually abused him when he was a 12 to 15-year-old St. Michael’s altar boy in the early 1980s. The suit was dismissed in 2006 by the Ohio Supreme Court, which cited the statute of limitations.

Hopp was permanently removed from ministry by the Vatican in 2005, and given a “life of prayer and penance.” He died December 21, 2014.

Ordained: 1966
Died: December 21, 2014

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Religious girls’ school rabbi suspected of raping 14-year-old

ISRAEL
YNet News

Roi Yanovsky|Published: 08.12.16

David Harrison, a former rabbi at a religious girls’ high school, was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of raping one of his students when she was 14-years old.

The student, who is 20 today, arrived at a police station in Jerusalem a few days ago and filed a complaint against the educator.

Harrison, aged 58 from Jerusalem, worked at Ulpanat Beit Shlomit between the years 2007-2010. He is suspected of committing serious sexual offenses against the teenage girl—including rape—while he was working at the school that the girl attended.

Upon receiving the complaint, police launched an investigation, gathering testimonies from Harrison’s family members and officials at the school, among others. The police said the testimonies support the girl’s version.

According to a police official, the alleged offenses were committed both inside and outside the school. Harrison allegedly raped the girl several times, and allegedly hit her when she tried to resist him.

Harrison was fired from the school a year after the alleged offenses were committed, but school officials said the dismissal was unrelated to the suspicions, which they were not aware of at the time.

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Priest turned advocate joins 2017 race for N.J. governor

NEW JERSEY
NJ.com

By Brent Johnson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on December 08, 2016

TRENTON — Bob Hoatson has an unconventional resume for a budding gubernatorial candidate.

The 64-year-old West Orange resident is a one-time Catholic priest who changed course and became a vocal advocate for sexual abuse victims. He’s never been elected to public office.

But now, Hoatson is one of the many contenders seeking the 2017 Democratic nomination to succeed Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican.

And he’s hoping the recent rise of non-politicians like Donald Trump, a businessman with no government experience who was elected America’s 45th president last month, makes his chances of becoming New Jersey’s chief executive less of a long shot.

“My real passion is real leadership,” Hoatson, who launched his bid last month, told NJ Advance Media in an interview Wednesday. “New Jersey is in such bad shape right now. We need leadership.”

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Child Abuse Prevention Group Issues Strong Statement Against Tullian Tchividjian and “Sexual Misconduct”

UNITED STATES
Warren Throckmorton

December 8, 2016 by Warren Throckmorton

Godly Response to Abuse in Church Environments (GRACE) is an organization which exists to combat child abuse in the church. In a strongly worded statement, GRACE has taken a position in relation to the scandal swirling around Tullian Tchividjian. The statement is as follows:
Statement from the GRACE Board of Directors

The GRACE board is deeply disturbed about the revelations of sexual misconduct by Tullian Tchividjian. As an organization that deals with the abuse of God’s lambs and the damage silence causes we feel compelled to speak. We believe that no material institution is more sacred to God than His lambs – be it church or mission or family. Institutions ordained by God were destroyed at His hand when they became corrupt. Given that we must be what He calls His people to be or we too will have chosen silence and darkness over truth and light.

Dear victims – and you are indeed victims. You have suffered and we do not want to add our silence to that suffering. Once again, one of God’s shepherds used his position of authority, his gift of words, his intellect and personality to draw you in when you were vulnerable and in need of care. All power belongs to Christ. Any power we have is derivative and sacred and to be used only for His glory and the good of His people. Anything less is an abuse of that power. You have been victims of the gross misuse of power God intended for your good. We grieve with you. We stand with you in the light. You have with courage exposed the deeds of darkness. Thank you, for we as the Body of Christ need your voices but now that the light shines a failure to respond on our part means we have turned from the light you turned on. We pray for you, knowing full well that each and every one of you has a hard road ahead as you seek newness of life, healing and a restoring of your souls. We pray that the failure of a shepherd will not lead you to forsake the Good and Great Shepherd who turns tables over and cracks whips when those in His church rob His sheep and distort the truth of who God is. We also pray that God will multiply the fruit of your hard labor to step into light to cause the greater body to examine itself regarding the many silenced victims that live in its midst.

Dear church of Jesus Christ, our God feeds and folds His sheep. He speaks truth and does not deceive. He protects us from wolves both inside and outside the fold. He does so by laying His own down at the gate. We fear that we have often helped wolves deceive others and hide themselves in sheep’s clothing for our own gain and comfort. In doing so we have not loved those who prey on God’s sheep for we have left them in their darkness and bondage. There are many untended, discarded victims in our midst. We are called by God to stand in the light they have brought, tend their wounds, lift the fallen and tenderly carry those who cannot stand. We are nothing like our Lord if we fail to do so. May the fruit of this grievous sin bring a sweeping of God’s refining fire through the lives of His people across the globe. At a minimum, God’s “refining fire” requires the Christian community to put in place long overdue reforms that will limit the possibility of continuing transgressions against the vulnerable.

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Police arrest former rabbi at Jerusalem seminary on rape charges

ISRAEL
Jerusalem Post

By ALON HOCHMON/MAARIV \ 12/08/2016

Police have arrested a man who served as a rabbi at a girls’ seminary in Jerusalem, on the suspicion that he sexually abused a former student, it was announced Thursday.

A 20-year-old Israeli woman filed a complaint to the police several days ago, exposing in detail the brutal acts of sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of the suspect when she was 14.

The police then opened a confidential investigation, and after gathering substantial evidence, the suspect in question was arrested.

According to the woman’s complaint, the suspect was an educational authority at an elite and well-known religious girls’ high school she attended in Jerusalem.

She claims that he regularly assaulted her at the institution without anyone ever suspecting his brutal actions.

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Fragen der Plausibilität

DEUTSCHLAND
Domradio

[The bishopric of Hildesheim defended its dealings with a further allegation of abuse against former Bishop Heinrich Maria Janssen.]

Das Bistum Hildesheim hat seinen Umgang mit einem weiteren Missbrauchsvorwurf gegen den früheren Bischof Heinrich Maria Janssen verteidigt. Aktuell wendet sich das Bistum gegen die Darstellung eines von “Focus online” veröffentlichten Falles.

In dem Fall einer heute 61-jährigen Frau könne nicht von einer Plausibilität der Schilderungen ausgegangen werden, sagte der Hildesheimer Domkapitular Martin Wilk der Katholischen Nachrichten-Agentur (KNA). Der Beraterstab des Bistums habe den Antrag der Frau deshalb abgelehnt. Sie hatte angegeben, als Zweijährige vergewaltigt worden zu sein. Allerdings wird dieser Fall genau wie andere Vorwürfe gegen den ehemaligen Bischof von unabhängigen Gutachtern weiter untersucht.

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Sex-Vorwurf gegen Kirchenmann: Bischof soll Zweijährige vergewaltigt haben

DEUTSCHLAND
Focus

[An allegation of sexual abuse has been made against Bishop Heinrich Maria Janssen.]

Ein Flüchtlingslager im niedersächsischen Friedland. Hunderte Familien haben hier Unterschlupf gefunden. An einem Tag im Juli begrüßt die Lagerleitung wieder Neuankömmlinge, die vielen Kinder werden in eine Spielgruppe gebracht. Ein zweijähriges Mädchen wird in ein Hinterzimmer gezerrt. Dort wird sie von einem Bischof mutmaßlich vergewaltigt.

Danach wird das Mädchen zurück in den Hort gebracht. Dort nimmt die Mutter ihr völlig verstörtes und schreiendes Kind wieder in Empfang.

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LGBT advocates express frustration over Vatican document barring gay priests

UNITED STATES
National Catholic Reporter

Joshua J. McElwee | Dec. 8, 2016

Groups that advocate for LGBT persons in the Catholic church are expressing frustration with a new Vatican document that reaffirms a 2005 instruction banning gay men from entering the priesthood.

The document, released by the Congregation for Clergy on Monday and given the title “The Gift of the Priestly Vocation,” is a detailed set of norms and guidelines for priestly formation.

The document draws heavily on Pope John Paul II’s 1992 apostolic exhortation on priestly formation, as well as on the teaching of and norms issued by now-retired Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis and by Vatican offices over the past three decades.

It reaffirms an instruction approved by Benedict in 2005, which said, “the church, while profoundly respecting the persons in question, cannot admit to the seminary or to holy orders those who practice homosexuality, present deep-seated homosexual tendencies or support the so-called ‘gay culture.'” …

Following are excerpts of the responses to the new document from three U.S.-based groups:
From Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests director David Clohessy:

“Vatican officials are re-affirming their so-called ban on gay priests. Scapegoating some adults protects no children. Behavior, not orientation, is what matters.

“Half of our 20,000 plus members are women who were sexually assaulted as kids by priests, nuns, bishops and seminarians. It’s just wrong to assume or claim that most victims of child molesting clerics are boys.

“This will almost certainly have no impact whatsoever on the church’s continuing child sex abuse and cover up crisis. Those who hope this will make kids safer will be disappointed.”

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Bishop Parkes Leaves Panhandle Diocese For New Assignment

FLORIDA
WUWF

[with audio]

By DAVE DUNWOODY

Bishop Gregory Parkes, who has led the Pensacola-Tallahassee Catholic Diocese since 2012, will be installed January 4 as the fifth bishop of the Diocese of St. Petersburg.

Appointed by Pope Benedict the XVI, Parkes became the fifth bishop of the Pensacola-Tallahassee Catholic Diocese. He succeeded Bishop John Ricard, who retired due to health reasons. The decision by Pope Francis to place him downstate, Parkes says, was unexpected. …

“We’ve seen nothing about Bishop Parkes’ record that gives us much hope when it comes to protecting kids, exposing predators, and deterring cover-ups,” said David Clohessy, the Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. In 2013 Bishop Parkes removed Monsignor Michael Cherup as pastor at St. Mary’s Church in Fort Walton Beach, over the alleged abuse in 1993 of a 15-year-old while Cherup was at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Pensacola.

“Bishop Parkes waited months before suspending [Cherup] after the first allegation came in, then let the accused predator-priest claim innocence in a parish bulletin,” Clohessy said. “Which may not sound like a great deal, but what it does, is discourage [sic] other victims, witnesses and whistle-blowers from coming forward.

“The bishops of the United States have made a solid commitment to protect all of our vulnerable populations,” Parkes responded. “Whether they be children our young people; the handicapped, the elderly.”

The question of what would be next in dealing with the scandal hung over the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI earlier that year. At that time, Parkes had been overseeing Pensacola-Tallahassee and its 57 parishes for just over a year.

“I have dealt with it, according to the guidelines of the Charter,” said Parkes. “Whether it was in a manner that was as timely as others would like it, that’s something I can’t answer for.”

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Catholic Church defrocks priest for having ‘inappropriate sexual relationship’ with woman

AUSTRALIA
ABC – PM

MARK COLVIN: In what’s believed to be an Australian first, the Catholic Church has defrocked a priest for having a “long term inappropriate sexual relationship” with a woman.

The Church has also publicly apologised to the woman involved.

The apology is the culmination of a seven-year legal battle that Jennifer Herrick, a parishioner, has waged against the Church over her “toxic” relationship with Father Thomas Knowles.

Her civil damages claim against the Church will be formally settled in the NSW Supreme Court on Friday.

And Ms Herrick hopes that her victory will inspire other women who have been exploited by priests to come forward.

Lorna Knowles reports.

LORNA KNOWLES: Jennifer Herrick was a shy 19 year old with hip dysplasia which caused her to walk with an abnormal gait when she first met her local priest, Father Thomas Knowles.

A few years later, he instigated a sexual relationship with her.

JENNIFER HERRICK: I wouldn’t want it to be interpreted in the sense of two people of equal standing in a mature heterosexual relationship because that’s not what it was.

LORNA KNOWLES: Miss Herrick says for 14 years Father Knowles repeatedly exploited her vulnerability as a disabled and sexually naive parishioner.

She says the sex was hurried and humiliating, often in public places or in his car.

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