ABUSE TRACKER

OHIO
WKYC

CLEVELAND — The Rev. James McGonegal has been indicted on sex related felony charges.

He has now been formally charged with felony soliciting, abusing harmful intoxicants and public indecency.

The indictment stems from an Oct. 11 incident where McGonegal, 68, a priest at St. Ignatius of Antioch Church on Lorain Avenue.

McGonegal has already pleaded not guilty and has posted bond and is out of jail.

He is accused of soliciting sex from a park ranger at Edgewater Park Oct. 11 by offering to pay him $50 to touch him and exposed himself.

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OHIO
Fox 8

October 25, 2013, by Peggy Sinkovich

CLEVELAND- A priest is now facing felony charges after being indicted on sex related charges.
Rev. James McGonegal is accused of soliciting sex at Edgewater Park earlier this month.
The indictment was released shortly after noon Friday.

McGonegal is now facing three counts, including counts of soliciting and public indecency.

The 68-year-old has “stepped away from his duties” at St. Ignatius of Antioch parish to “attend to his personal matters,” according to a statement released by the Diocese of Cleveland.

A police report states that McGonegal asked a ranger at the park to get into his vehicle.

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MISSOURI
The Kansas City Star

October 25
BY GLENN E. RICE
The Kansas City Star

The final criminal chapter in the child pornography case against a Northland Catholic priest concluded Friday when the Rev. Shawn F. Ratigan pleaded guilty in Clay County Circuit Court to three counts of possessing child pornography.

Ratigan was sentenced to seven years in prison on each felony charge, with the 21-year combined sentence to run concurrent to the 50-year sentence that he recently received in federal court for producing child pornography.

“There are certain offenses that shock the conscience when the defendant takes advantage of people who are unable to defend themselves, and this is one of those cases,” Presiding Circuit Judge Larry D. Harman said when announcing the sentence in Liberty.

Earlier in the hearing, Harman asked Ratigan to explain in his own words the crimes he committed.

Ratigan simply stated, “I possessed them.”

Harman asked if Ratigan was aware that possessing child pornography was illegal.

“Yes sir,” the 48-year-old priest answered.

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MINNESOTA
National Catholic Register

by JOAN FRAWLEY DESMOND 10/25/2013

MINNEAPOLIS — In 2002, Archbishop Harry Flynn of St. Paul and Minneapolis spearheaded the passage of the 2002 “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,” the U.S. bishops’ landmark effort to overcome a scandalous legacy of clergy sexual abuse of minors and failed episcopal oversight.

Archbishop Flynn, who once chaired the U.S. bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Abuse, retired in 2008, but his successor, Archbishop John Nienstedt, now faces allegations that diocesan leaders, past and present, failed to remove troubled priests from ministry and to report suspected possession of child pornography. The archbishop has now called for an independent review of archdiocesan policies and procedures for handling clergy sexual misconduct.

The recent furor began when Jennifer Haselberger, a canon lawyer who previously worked for the archdiocese, alleged that Archbishop Nienstedt ignored her warnings about the past misconduct of a diocesan priest, Father Curtis Wehmeyer, who would later plead guilty to charges of criminal sexual conduct involving minors and possession of child pornography in November 2012.

Haselberger served as the archdiocese’s chancellor for canonical affairs and also managed the records department from Aug. 18, 2008, to April 30, 2013. After her voluntary departure, which she said was prompted by the archdiocese’s response to her concerns, Haselberger spoke with Minnesota Public Radio (MPR). Documents from the archdiocesan archives were supplied to local police and have been posted on MPR’s website.

She was also critical of instances where she believed the archdiocese failed to immediately forward concerns or allegations to local law enforcement, instead having chosen to conduct its own investigation in advance of such.

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MINNESOTA
MinnPost

By Beth Hawkins

Archbishop John Nienstedt’s apology to clergy sex abuse victims published Thursday drew reactions ranging from praise and gratitude to more calls for his resignation.

“The archbishop is offering humble, thoughtful and decisive leadership,” said Father Bill Deziel, a parish priest who earlier used his church bulletin to ask the archbishop to step down. After the archbishop’s statements, the priest said in an email: “I fully support him and his team and these meaningful steps that he is implementing to ensure that no children are ever put in harms way by abusive clergy.”

The Catholic Coalition for Church Reform (CCCR), meanwhile, wrote to Papal Nuncio Carlo Maria Viganó asking for Nienstedt’s resignation and to have a voice in his replacement [PDF].

“We have grave concerns that the pastoral needs of the archdiocese will be compromised by the amount of time, energy and money that Archbishop Nienstedt will expend as he defends himself and his previous actions in the ongoing sexual abuse and cover-up crisis,” the group’s leaders wrote.

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MINNESOTA
Catholic League

Bill Donohue comments on an interview that St. Paul and Minneapolis Archbishop John Nienstedt gave to Minnesota Public Radio (MPR):

It is not uncommon for the leader of any organization to be on the firing line for decisions made by his predecessor and his staff. But in this regard, bishops have no rival: sitting bishops are being held responsible to an absurd degree for the rulings made by those who preceded them.

Two days ago, MPR published the e-mail interview it had with Archbishop Nienstedt. There was one question that showed palpable bias: “Why haven’t you released the names of offending priests?”

The question suggests that MPR knows about a cover-up of guilty priests. It turns out that it does not, which is why it did not name names. Nienstedt replied, “There are no offending priests in active ministry in our archdiocese.” So why did MPR assume he was guilty?

Nienstedt then addressed the issue of falsely accused priests who have been exonerated—a subject that MPR, and the media in general, have been strikingly incurious about—saying that it “would be wrong to publicize their names as offenders when they have not been proven to be offenders.” Good for him.

Equal justice demands that if the leaders of other religious and secular organizations do not publicize the names of those who are accused, but not convicted, then neither should the bishops. Does MPR’s parent organization, NPR, go public with accusations made against its employees?

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MINNESOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Friday, Oct. 25

Statement by Bob Schwiderski Minnesota SNAP Director, (952 471 3422, skibrs@q.com )

You can’t make this stuff up.

Yesterday, Archbishop John Nienstedt wrote “We must also be committed to honesty and transparency.”

[Archdiocese]

But he refuses to give interviews. And he and other top Twin Cities Catholic officials refuse to disclose

–who’s allegedly been hired to review archdiocesan clergy child sex abuse files

[Minnesota Public Radio]

–who’s allegedly been hired as the new outside archdiocesan public relations firm

–who’s allegedly investigating an accused predator priest at a Catholic university

[Star Tribune]

–who’s on the archdiocesan ‘review board’ that looks at specific child sex abuse reports and that found a child sex abuse report against Fr. Michael Keating lacks “sufficient evidence.”

[Minnesota Public Radio]

This is being “open and transparent?”

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POLSKA
Dziennik

{Summary: Prosecutors are heading to the Vatican to seek help in its investigation of Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski, former papal nuncio to the Dominican Republic. Wesolowski allegedly abused minors in the Dominican Republic but he can be prosecuted in Poland under Polish law. The want to know if the archbishop is a national of the Vatican, are Vatican State authorities conducting their proceedings with respect to the allegations, is he covered by diplomatic immunity regarding acts of abuse of minors.]

Prokuratura Okręgowa w Warszawie kieruje do Watykanu kilka ważnych z punktu widzenia śledztwa pytań:

1. Czy arcybiskup Józef Wesołowski posiada obywatelstwo watykańskie?

2. Czy odpowiednie organy państwa watykańskiego prowadzą swoje postępowanie w sprawie czynów, o jakie podejrzewają byłego nuncjusza apostolskiego śledczy z Dominikany?

3. Czy prawo państwa watykańskiego dopuszcza możliwość ekstradowania swoich obywateli?

4. Czy czyny polegające na czynnościach seksualnych z wykorzystaniem osób poniżej lat 15 i utrwalaniu treści pornograficznych z małoletnimi poniżej lat 15 objęte były immunitetem dyplomatycznym przyznanym arcybiskupowi Józefowi Wesołowskiemu na Dominikanie, kiedy był nuncjuszem apostolskim. A jeśli tak, to czy po zakończeniu misji dyplomatycznej immunitet taki byłemu nuncjuszowi wciąż przysługuje?

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UNITED STATES
In a Mirror Dimly

A few years ago I attended a church that was on the brink of closing down. A previous pastor had left the church in a difficult situation that he’d successfully hidden until it was nearly too late. I was heart sick over the thought of losing our church.

Where would we go if it closed? Would we lose touch with all of our friends?

I really liked our pastor and the simple liturgy they used each Sunday with a focus on communion. They had a lot of great ministry partnerships with groups outside the church. I felt like I was surrounded by people who were on the same page with me.

This was the church where I began to heal from my previous wounds and missteps from evangelicalism in the past, and I hated the thought of losing it.

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CANADA
The Daily Observer

By Sean Chase, Daily Observer
Friday, October 25, 2013

PEMBROKE – A Pembroke priest is facing more charges of gross indecency and indecent assault

Ontario Provincial Police announced this week that Father Dan Miller had been arrested on the new charges connected with historical sexual offences.

The 69-year-old was released on a promise to appear and will make his next court appearance in Pembroke on Nov. 26.

Miller has already plead guilty to five counts of gross indecency and indecent assault. The incidents involving the boys occurred between 1969 and 1980. Police charged him with six counts in February, 2012, however, the crown has since dropped one of the charges. Ordained in Renfrew in 1969, Miller served in parishes in Arnprior, Deep River, Eganville and Petawawa before 1999 when he was suspended by the Pembroke Diocese.

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MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

10:06 AM, October 25, 2013

Recent revelations about the handling of troubled or abusive priests in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis have led to calls for Archbishop John Nienstedt to resign. Already, key figures in the archdiocese have resigned their leadership positions in the aftermath of a series of reports by MPR News.

In answering questions for the first time in response to the MPR News reports, Nienstedt said Wednesday that he would not resign and he insisted that no offending priests remain in active ministry in the archdiocese. He said he regretted that parishioners and priests had lost confidence in him.

As that story continues to unfold, we take a look at the future of the Roman Catholic Church in Minnesota and beyond. What lies ahead for Nienstedt? How has the church in America changed since the scandal that shook the Boston Archdiocese more than a decade ago? And what can Pope Francis do to help repair the church?

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MINNESOTA
St. Cloud Times

Editorial

Speaking truth to power and doing what you say you will do are hallmarks of credibility — whether it’s a person or an organization.

In the case of the Archdiocese of Minneapolis/St. Paul, a person — the Rev. Bill Deziel — is speaking truth to power because an organization — the archdiocese — is not doing what it said it will do.

Kudos to Dezeil for his courage and credibility. As for the credibility of the archdiocese, well, it’s hanging in the balance.

The Star Tribune reported earlier this week that Dezeil, who leads the 6,000-member Church of St. Peter in the Twin Cities, is openly asking if Archbishop John Nienstedt should step down after recent news reports show archdiocese leadership has failed this decade at doing what it said it would do starting in 2002 — stop covering up clergy sex abuse.

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AUSTRALIA
Newcastle Herald

THE last time I saw John was in late September.

He slipped into a public gallery seat in Newcastle Supreme Court. It was the final public hearing day of the NSW Special Commission of Inquiry into NSW Police and Catholic Church handling of child sex allegations.

John was one of the regulars. He nodded and smiled to others – victims of child sex abuse and their parents, like him – who have sat in the gallery since the inquiry started in May.

He smiled at me where I sat in seats taken over by journalists. I smiled back.

We first spoke in September 2007. I found his name in some documents and gave him a call. By that stage he wasn’t an employee of the Catholic Church any more.

He was guarded, careful.

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MINNESOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

POSTED BY BARBARA DORRIS ON OCTOBER 25, 2013

That’s how one of the most heroic whistleblowers in Catholic history describes her efforts to expose predators and protect kids.

“I didn’t do enough.”

What haunting words. That must send a chill up the spine of anyone who works – or worked – for any Catholic entity in Minnesota.

That’s what Jennifer Haselberger told the Associated Press the other day.

[ABC News]

Haselberger was, for years, a high ranking archdiocesan chancery office staffer in the Twin Cities.

When she saw that her church colleagues and supervisors were ignoring or hiding evidence of possible crimes by predatory priests (including Fr. Jon Shelley and Fr. Curtis Wehmeyer), she spoke up and stepped down.

She’s done more to expose continuing clergy sex cirmes and cover ups than perhaps any Catholic employee since Fr. Thomas Doyle.

Even so, she now feels like she “didn’t do enough.”

Imagine how her former peers – in the chancery office, in parishes, in parochial schools – will feel years from now when the teacher or seminarian or nun or priest or brother who they suspected might have acted inappropriately with a child is arrested for child sex crimes (like Fr. Wehmeyer was) or for adult sex crimes (like Fr. Mark Huberty was) or found guilty in court (like Fr. Robert Kapoun was) or suspended (like Fr. Michael Keating was).

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CANADA
Sylvia’s Site

Most of you are aware by now that further charges have been laid against convicted molester Father Daniel Miller.

I urge anyone out here who has sex abuse allegations against Father Miller and has been struggling to come forward to seriously consider doing so now.

My thoughts and prayers are with all of you – those victims who are awaiting the sentencing from the first set of charges, the complainant who recently came forward, and those who may still be struggling.

I also want to draw your attention to another Victim Impact Statement which has just been posted, this by a mother whose sons were sexually abused by Father Dan Miller. This is the woman who went to see Father Miller down and smacked him across the face after she found out that he had molested her boys. She is the mother who – believe it or not – was told by a bishop that she needed anger management counselling!

Here is the VIS of this brave mother whose world came tumbling down when she discovered that the priest she had confided in and trusted had been molesting her boys:

17 September 2013: Victim Impact Statement by mother whose sons were sexually abused by Father Daniel Miller

I thank her for allowing me to share her statement with all of you.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Bognor Regis Observer

THE VICTIM of child abuse by a former Chichester priest has rejected a compensation package from the diocese.

The man, who cannot be identified, was sexually abused as a boy between 1982 and 1984 in Chichester by Robert Coles, 71, who is now serving an eight-year jail term for the offences.

The victim told the BBC this week he wanted an amount ‘in proportion’ to his suffering.

He has rejected a six-figure sum from the diocese.

Coles pleaded guilty last December to 11 offences against this victim, and also two other boys, aged ten at the time.

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UNITED STATES
Fox News

By Christopher Snyder
Heard on Fox
Published October 24, 2013

The Catholic Church is more than 1 billion strong, but has been weakened in recent years by secularization and abuse scandals. While the church is growing globally, a recent Pew study found nearly one-third of Americans who were raised Catholic no longer practice the religion.

Fox News Chief Religion Correspondent Lauren Green asked former U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Francis Rooney whether the Catholic Church is still the world’s moral authority.

Rooney says even with the child sex abuse, Vatileaks scandals and a declining number of faithful attending church each week, the church still has the power to lead. “The principles which compromise the Holy See’s diplomatic outreach are enduring … in many parts of the world where scandal hasn’t occurred … [the Catholic Church has] the greatest impact in areas that are marginalized, where Christians are persecuted, “said Rooney.

Pope Benedict XVI resigned as the leader of the Catholic Church in February 2013. Green asked if it

“I don’t think it was the scandals per say… you gotta remember that Benedict was part of the solution … he was the fella that changed the procedures to make sure that the Vatican would have a voice when these [sex abuse] cases came up and that Bishops wouldn’t be able to sweep them under the rug and avoid calling in the civil authorities,” said Rooney.

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UNITED STATES
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Rev. Christopher W. Keating

As German bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst learned this week, church reform begins at home. More to the point, it often starts in the bathroom.

In fact, one could argue that’s exactly how the Protestant Reformation began.

The bishop’s upscale taste landed him in hot water with the Vatican. Tebartz-van Elst was suspended from his post after it was revealed that he had spent millions renovating his church-owned residence in Limburg. Among other excesses, the bishop had ordered a $20,000 bathtub. Rubber ducky sold separately.

Germans who are church members, incidentally, are required by law to give 8-10% of their income to the church.

The remodeling news came to light after it was revealed that the bishop had recently flown business class on a trip to India to visit impoverished communities. All of this seems to have garnered the attention of the pope, who has shunned a lavish lifestyle and drives a 20-year old clunker around the Vatican grounds. The pope’s commitment to simple living has been a hallmark of his papacy. I’m sure he takes quick showers, too.

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CANADA
Ottawa Citizen

BY THE CANADIAN PRESS OCTOBER 25, 2013

BATTLEFORD, Sask. – A former dormitory supervisor at a residential school in Saskatchewan has taken the stand in his defence and denied all charges of indecently assaulting students.

Paul Leroux, who is representing himself at trial, went through the list of allegations one by one Thursday and refuted them all.

He said one incident of sexual abuse couldn’t possibly have happened because the room one complainant alleges he was molested in didn’t exist at the time.

He said another alleged incident at a Saskatoon hotel couldn’t have happened because he never travelled to Saskatoon with the school’s choir or stayed in a hotel with them.

When his testimony was complete, Leroux finished by saying he wished all of his former students well, including his accusers.

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NETHERLANDS
NL Times

A special committee will compensate people who fell victim to excessive force in the Roman Catholic Church as minors, announced the church on Thursday.The committee already started on October 15, and will offer help, and acknowledge the suffering of the victims.

The church started this initiative in response to the call of Wim Deetman, who studied female victims of excessive force in the Catholic Church. Victims who already reported to Deetman or the RKK Sexual Abuse Hotline, will be informed about compensation after November 30.

The independent committee consists of René Westra, Wiel Stevens, Pieter Kalbfleisch, and Secretary Bert Kreemers. They will look into reports of violence against children to the RKK Sexual Abuse Hotline and the Deetman commission. The focus is on sexual abuse, for which there is a different arrangement.

Wim Deetman proposed to establish such a committee in March. People who reported to the committee or Hotline will be informed after November 30 about the status of their report. The committee checks the validity of the report, and whether any additional information is needed from the victim.

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MINNESOTA
WCCO

[with video]

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Twin Cities Archbishop John Nienstedt acknowledged Thursday that “serious mistakes” have been made in how he’s handled allegations of clergy sexual misconduct. It’s his strongest wording yet over the ongoing scandal rocking the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

The Archbishop wrote his thoughts in the Catholic Spirit newspaper, titled “My Pledge to Restore Trust.”

In one sentence he writes, “with genuine sorrow, I apologize to all those who have been victimized, whether on my watch or not.”

In the lengthy column Nienstedt acknowledges that questions remain, specifically over policies and procedures used by the Archdiocese to identify and prevent clergy sexual misconduct. …

Bob Schwiderski was abused by a priest as a child. Today, as state director of SNAP, which represents similar victims, he says another task force isn’t what’s needed.

“We don’t need independent people without subpoena power. We need law enforcement looking at potential crimes. We don’t need independent people picked by him,” Schwiderski adds.

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NEDERLAND
De Standaard

De katholieke kerk is niet aansprakelijk voor de ‘doofpotschade’ die de slachtoffers van seksueel misbruik hebben geleden. Dat heeft de Gentse rechtbank dinsdag beslist.

Verschillende slachtoffers van seksueel misbruik binnen de kerk stapten in groep naar de rechter en dienden een klacht in tegen de Heilige Stoel – de ‘ceo’s van de kerk’ – voor schuldig verzuim. Het ging de slachtoffers niet om de feiten van misbruik zelf, die al lang verjaard zijn, maar om het ‘onzorgvuldig beleid’ van de kerk, waardoor slachtoffers decennia in de kou zijn blijven staan. Ze eisten 1 miljoen euro schadevergoeding voor deze ‘doofpotschade’.

De Gentse rechtbank sprak de kerk dinsdag echter over de hele lijn vrij. De rechter volgde de verdediging van de kerk dat de Heilige Stoel niet kan vervolgd worden omdat die soevereine immuniteit geniet.

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AUSTRALIA
Eureka Street

Frank Brennan | 24 October 2013

Address to the Australian Lawyers Alliance Conference, Rydges Lakeside, Canberra, 26 October 2013

Putting the case for state intervention in church affairs

On 31 October 2012, I was privileged to deliver the 2012 Law and Justice Oration at Parliament House in Sydney. I said:

You will all know that these are not easy times for Catholic priests; and they have never been easy times for those children in our society who have been sexually abused, a disproportionate number of them by Catholic priests. When in Sydney in July 2008, Pope Benedict XVI apologised in these words: ‘I…acknowledge the shame which we have all felt as a result of the sexual abuse of minors by some clergy and religious in this country. Indeed, I am deeply sorry for the pain and suffering the victims have endured and I assure them that, as their pastor, I too share in their suffering. These misdeeds, which constitute so grave a betrayal of trust, deserve unequivocal condemnation.’ I adopt his apology without demurrer.

Whatever our religion or none, whatever our love or loathing of the Catholic Church, what is to be done in the name of law and justice? Clearly, the Church itself cannot be left alone to get its house in order. That would be a wrongful invocation of freedom of religion in a pluralist, democratic society. The State may have a role to play. As our elected politicians prudentially decide how best to proceed, they need assistance from lawyers committed to justice, not lawyers acting primarily to protect the Church or to condemn it. The Catholic Church in Victoria has admitted that ‘in the past 16 years, about 620 cases of criminal child abuse have been upheld by the Church in Victoria’. In the Archdiocese of Melbourne alone, 301 complaints have been upheld since 1996.

Professor Patrick Parkinson, probably the nation’s most experienced academic lawyer in the field, having conducted the 2009 Study of Reported Child Sexual Abuse in the Anglican Church and having advised the Catholic Church on its Towards Healing protocol, informed the Victorian Parliament last month:

[T]here were 44 allegations of abuse [since 1990] within the Anglican diocese of Melbourne which fitted within the criteria of our study.

Archbishop Hart [the Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne] referred to 60 priests…of the archdiocese of Melbourne, who are substantiated offenders against children. We found 78 across the country against whom allegations were made in the Anglican Church. It gives you a sense of the scale of the problem.

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NEW YORK
CNY Central

[with video]

by Kellie Cowan
Posted: 10.25.2013

The Catholic Church has been rocked by child abuse scandals that have received plenty of publicity in recent years, but the only thing perhaps more scandalous has been the reaction from the church regarding the victims. Silence, high-level cover ups, even threats have left many to wonder who the church hierarchy are actually trying to protect.

Tonight Rev. Tom Doyle, a catholic priest and retired Air Force Major, spoke at All Saints Church in Syracuse about the need for reform in the way the Catholic Church handles sexual abuse cases.

“Victims are just swept under the rug,” said Parrish member Jane LeClair. “It’s like it’s all about trying to dismiss any embarrassment in the Catholic Church.”

Doyle hopes that an open and honest discussion about child abuse within the church, and the way in which the church treats victims, will create much needed change. Though he has spoken across the country and the world on church reform, the Catholic Church has been apprehensive at best to give Doyle a platform. Tonight Doyle divulged that All Saints Church is just the fifth catholic venue to allow him to speak on the topic of child abuse within its walls.

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MINNESOTA
The Progressive Catholic Voice

Minneapolis October 24, 2013 — Despite his statements of October 24 in The Catholic Spirit, the Catholic Coalition for Church Reform (CCCR) has urged Archbishop John C. Nienstedt to step down from his role as head of the Saint Paul/Minneapolis Archdiocese in a letter to him dated October 24, 2013.

At its meeting of October 16, 2013, the board of CCCR resolved to write to Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganó, the Vatican delegate to the U.S., stating its vote of no confidence in the leadership of the Archbishop. The Vatican delegate, whose office is at 3339 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008, is charged with recommending episcopal appointments to the Vatican.

Also in its letter, CCCR sought recognition for lay consultation in selection of the archdiocese’s next bishop, whenever that happens. They asked the papal delegate “to seek recommendations from all the people of the Archdiocese—ordained and lay, as well as men and women religious—in the matter of a successor Archbishop or any bishops appointed hereafter.”

The letter to Archbishop Viganó was held pending the Archbishop’s statement in the Archdiocesan newspaper, The Catholic Spirit, October 24, then copied to Archbishop Nienstedt with the letter asking him to resign.

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MINNESOTA
MinnPost

By Brian Lambert

The archbishop has spoken … or at least written. Madeleine Baran of MPR continues her coverage of the church’s local problems saying: “Archbishop John Nienstedt said he accepts responsibility for addressing the unfolding clergy sexual abuse crisis and regrets that a growing number of parishioners and priests in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis have ‘lost confidence’ in him. However, he denied any abuse cover-up or illegal actions and repeated the archdiocese’s claim that there are no offending priests in active ministry. Nienstedt’s remarks came in an e-mailed response to questions from MPR News. It’s the first time the archbishop has answered questions about the scandal since MPR News began publishing investigative reports in late September. … Nienstedt wrote … ‘My highest priorities are to ensure the safety of our children and to restore the trust of Catholics and our clergy. I will do everything in my power to do so.’ ” Will this be before or after the next anti-gay campaign?

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MINNESOTA
WTAQ

Thursday, October 24, 2013
MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) – The Roman Catholic archbishop of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Archdiocese said on Thursday that serious mistakes had been made in the archdiocese’s investigations of allegations of sex abuse by clergy and he has ordered a review of all of its files by an outside firm.

“To those who have been hurt, to the victims of clergy abuse and their family members, I can only tell you how sorry I am,” Archbishop John Nienstedt said in the archdiocese’s official publication. “I realize how damaging such actions are in violating the care of their human dignity.”

But David Clohessy, director of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, said Nienstedt’s review plan would only result in more secrecy and his statement did not reveal the names of sexual predators.

“He knows who should look at these records, the cops,” Clohessy said. “But he continues to act irresponsibly, to protect the predators and to endanger kids.”

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.

NEDERLAND
FOK

[Summary: Those who as minors were victims of excessive violence in the Catholic church may received compensation. A special committee will review the cases, the church announced Thursday.]

Mensen die als minderjarige slachtoffer werden van excessief geweld in de katholieke kerk kunnen een schadevergoeding krijgen. Een speciale commissie gaat zich daarover buigen, heeft de kerk donderdag bekendgemaakt.

De kerk komt met de stap tegemoet aan de oproep van Wim Deetman, die onderzoek deed naar vrouwelijke slachtoffers van buitensporig geweld in de katholieke kerk. Slachtoffers die zich al bij Deetman of het Meldpunt Seksueel Misbruik RKK hebben gemeld, worden na 30 november over de schadevergoeding geïnformeerd.

De commissie bestaat uit Pieter Kalbfleisch, Wiel Stevens en René Westra en wordt ondersteund door psychologen en deskundigen. Als alle gevallen zijn afgehandeld, zal de commissie publiekelijk verantwoording afleggen.

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

MINNESOTA
Pioneer Press

[Archbishop Addresses Media Questions – St. Paul and Minneapolis archdiocese]

[My pledge to restore trust]

By Emily Gurnon
egurnon@pioneerpress.com
POSTED: 10/24/2013

Archbishop John Nienstedt admitted to Catholics on Thursday that “some serious mistakes have been made” in the handling of clergy sex-abuse cases.

Nienstedt apologized to all victims of abusive priests and promised to institute changes, including “a review of all clergy files by an outside firm.”

An archdiocese spokesman said Thursday that he did not know who that firm is.

In a written statement titled, “My pledge to restore trust,” Nienstedt said that “sweeping changes” made in every diocese after the 2002 U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Dallas led him and others to hope that clergy sex abuse was a thing of the past.

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

MINNESOTA
KARE

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Archbishop John Nienstedt has hired an outside firm to examine whether any priests in ministry pose a danger to children.

Writing in his weekly column, Nienstedt said he ordered the review after reading recent media reports and hearing from “so many Catholic faithful” that there is “real fear that some priests in ministry today constitute a danger to children.”

He said would never knowingly allow such a situation and decided to order a review of all clergy files by an outside firm.

The announcement comes after intense scrutiny over how Nienstedt has handled clergy misconduct in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. An MPR News investigation has found that church officials disregarded concerns over priest misconduct over the past ten years.

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

MINNESOTA
NPR

[with audio]

by MADELEINE BARAN
October 24, 2013

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has been rocked in recent weeks by revelations from a top-level whistle-blower. The former official says church leaders covered up numerous cases of sexual misconduct by priests and even made special payments to pedophiles.

The scandal is notable not only because of the abuse but also because it happened in an archdiocese that claimed to be a national leader in dealing with the issue.

To understand what’s happening now, it helps to go back to 2002, when the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops faced a crisis brought on by its failure to remove abusive priests from ministry.

‘I Wanted Them To Do The Right Thing’

Archbishop Harry Flynn of St. Paul and Minneapolis emerged as a national leader on the issue, urging bishops at a now-historic conference in Dallas to root out what he called a cancer in the church.

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

UNITED STATES
National Catholic Reporter

Robert McClory | Oct. 24, 2013 NCR Today

The recent story about Jennifer Haselberger, a former chancellor for the St. Paul-Minneapolis archdiocese who finally blew the whistle on long unreported allegations of sexual abuse by priests, calls to mind a similar key role some years ago played by a woman in the Belleville, Ill., diocese.

In that case, a priest, Raymond Kownacki, was moved due to ecclesiastical indifference from parish to parish for more than 25 years despite a mounting host of allegations and complaints about his sexual activities with countless boys and at least one girl. During that time, three bishops of Belleville had to be personally aware of Kownacki’s well-documented history. As the chancellor of the diocese testified at a later trial, “Everyone at the chancery office knew Kownacki was sick and liked to molest children.”

Yet the parishes to which he was assigned were never given any warning. Bishops Albert Zuroweste, John Wurm and James Keleher sent these parishes glowing comments about Kownacki’s dedicated priestly service and confidence in his ability to carry out his duties. In 1988, Kownacki was sent to a Belleville church that had a grade school next door. No restrictions of any kind were placed on his ministry or other activities.

In 1993, the Belleville diocese finally adopted a policy about clerical sexual misconduct and set up a seven-member review board (three priests and four lay members), which was given access to the diocesan records. It did not take long for Margie Mensen, the board’s administrator and lone woman member, to see what had been going on. She viewed the evidence, met with parents, then firmly recommended that Kownacki be immediately removed from all ministry. The board unanimously supported her, and Kownacki was put on administrative leave, where he remains to this day. It is likely Mensen was the first woman to ever see that record of gross abuse that had been mounting for so many years.

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.

IRELAND
National Catholic Reporter

Dennis Coday | Oct. 24, 2013 NCR Today

Five years ago, 18 religious orders in Ireland pledged to set aside 110 million euros (about $160 million at the time) to pay for the treatment for survivors of institutional abuse, but to date they are about 40 million euros short of that figure, The Irish Independent is reporting.

The orders, which ran various schools and residential homes for children and vulnerable adults in Ireland, including the Christian Brothers and the Daughters of Charity, turned over only 72 million euros to the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund, or RISF.

Some 15,000 people are thought to be eligible for grants from RISF, which is to begin issuing funds in January.

The orders have blamed the depressed property market for the shortfall, according the The Independent, which quote an unnamed source as saying: “They made the commitment at the time based on property and property prices. Obviously, as we all know, their value has fallen since then.”

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

MINNESOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

MN archbishop will comment on his crisis today; SNAP responds

MN – What to look for today from Archbishop Nienstedt

MN archbishop’s answer: “I’ll hire more lawyers”

For immediate release: Thursday October

Statement by Barbara Dorris, Outreach Director, 314-862-7688 SNAPdorris@gmail.com

We agree with Nienstedt: he and his staff can “do better.” But they don’t.

Instead they posture. And they perpetuate the fallacy that child abuse is the root of this inexcusable horror.

It’s not.

Priests that sexually assault adults and kids are NOT the root of this crisis. All kinds of trusted adults sexually violate the vulnerable. (And it’s pretty hard to stop them, at least before the first offense.)

The cover up of those crimes that is the root of this crisis. (That’s what enables the second and 22nd offense. And that’s what enrages Catholics, citizens and victims – knowing that prompt, honest and responsible moves by Nienstedt and his staff would have prevented others from being hurt by at least some of the 34 publicly accused abusive Twin Cities clerics.)

And the cover up is what Nienstedt refuses to mention today. Conveniently, he focuses on just how bad those awful predator priests are, cleverly diverting attention from his actions that ignore, minimize, conceal and enable those predator priests to commit their heinous crimes.

It’s deliberate deception. It’s a carefully-devised public relations calculation designed to shift blame and attention to those who can’t control themselves (the predators) and attention away from those who won’t control them (their peers and supervisors, the Nienstedts, McDonoughs, Bairds, et al.)

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

MINNESOTA
KMSP

by Mike Durkin

ST. PAUL, Minn. (KMSP) –
Archbishop John Nienstedt has ordered an outside review of all clergy files, while acknowledging “some serious mistakes” over the last decade in how the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis handled allegations of clergy sexual abuse.

Nienstedt’s comments and action plan were published Thursday in a column for The Catholic Spirit, titled, “My pledge to restore trust.”

“Having seen so many reports in the media and read the letters and emails of so many Catholic faithful as well as the general public, I am aware that there is real fear that some priests in ministry today constitute a danger to children. I could never knowingly allow such a situation,” Nienstedt wrote. “In order to demonstrate this fact, I have ordered a review of all clergy files by an outside firm. We need to ascertain the facts, and this will lead us to prudent and ongoing disclosure.”

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

MINNESOTA
MinnPost

By Brian Lambert | 10/23/13

It was only a matter of time before the question came up. Tom Scheck of MPR reports: “Recent reports about clergy misconduct in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis threaten to put new financial pressure on an institution already under some financial strain. Even before recent revelations about alleged misconduct of priests, the archdiocese was concerned about the impact a new law could bring in dozens of new lawsuits against the church for clergy sex abuse. In fact, church officials met privately with attorneys to discuss ways to protect archdiocese assets from creditors. … Scott Domeier, a former accountant for the archdiocese, said bankruptcy was discussed openly among top officials. Domeier, who is serving three years in prison for filing improper tax returns and stealing more than $600,000 from the archdiocese, said church leaders constantly worried about legislation that would extend the statute of limitations for sex abuse victims to file a civil suit against their abuser.”

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.

KENYA
Standard Digital

By Erick Abuga

A Catholic priest has denied luring a schoolgirl into bed with bananas and oranges for her sick mother.

Father Thomas Gori had allegedly been sending the 14-year-old girl with the fruits to her mother in hospital for three years before the sex attack.

On October 12 when he allegedly had sex with her in Ikuruma village, the priest had told the Standard 7 girl that he was going to pray for her, a Kisii court heard.

Resident magistrate Lucy Kaitani freed the priest on a Sh500,000 bond as he awaits trial.

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

MINNESOTA
The Catholic Spirit

Archbishop Addresses Media Questions

Archbishop John C. Nienstedt | October 24, 2013

It was Dec. 13, 2007. I remember it well. I had just returned from a meeting of the college of consultors of the New Ulm Diocese, having presided over the selection of a new apostolic administrator to take my place as bishop. The phone rang and my brother said, “Dad is dead.”

I pulled the car over to absorb those words. Six weeks later I stood at my mother’s hospital bed and watched her die. It was an extremely painful time in my life, losing both parents within such a short period. My parents had been very close to me. They had a huge influence on who I am. I could not have asked for better parents.

I recall those moments now, because the pain and sorrow I felt then reflects that which I have heard from so many of you in your own suffering and disillusionment these past few weeks. I want you to know that I have been praying for all of you. I am experiencing that pain, too. The media have been filled with all kinds of accusations and unanswered questions. There is cause here for sadness, confusion and anger.

After almost a month, I have come to understand more clearly what has happened to bring us to this point. I am grateful to my leadership team, which has helped me process this understanding. Practically all of my senior leadership team is new, with an average tenure of less than a year. We have been searching for answers. And while there is more to do, we have arrived at a better picture of the truth.

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

MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

by Tom Scheck, Minnesota Public Radio
October 24, 2013

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Archbishop John Nienstedt has hired an outside firm to examine whether any priests in ministry pose a danger to children.

Writing in his weekly column, Nienstedt said he ordered the review after reading recent media reports and hearing from “so many Catholic faithful” that there is “real fear that some priests in ministry today constitute a danger to children.”

He said would never knowingly allow such a situation and decided to order a review of all clergy files by an outside firm.

The announcement comes after intense scrutiny over how Nienstedt has handled clergy misconduct in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. An MPR News investigation has found that church officials disregarded concerns over priest misconduct over the past ten years.

“The first thing that must be acknowledged is that over the last decade some serious mistakes have been made,” Nienstedt wrote Thursday. “There is reason to question whether or not the policies and procedures were uniformly followed. There is also a question as to the prudence of the judgments that have been made.”

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

MINNESOTA
Pioneer Press

By AMY FORLITI Associated Press
POSTED: 10/23/2013

MINNEAPOLIS—The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis made serious mistakes in the way it handled allegations of clergy sexual misconduct in the last decade, Archbishop John Nienstedt acknowledged Thursday as he announced he has ordered an external review of all priest files.

Nienstedt apologized to victims in a column posted on the website of The Catholic Spirit, the archdiocese’s official newspaper, and said he knows the ultimate responsibility is his as head of the local church.

“My heart is heavy with the agony that these errors have caused,” he wrote.

The archdiocese has come under fire since a former employee claimed church leaders mishandled abuse allegations. Nienstedt’s top deputy has stepped down, police are investigating, and there have been public calls for Nienstedt to resign. …

David Clohessy, national director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said Nienstedt’s words are just more of the same and any external review would not be independent if ordered by the archbishop.

“Nothing he can say will matter. Only what he does matters,” Clohessy said. “And today he exposes no predators, disciplines no enablers, reveals no secrets, and deters no cover ups. It’s just more promises from a bishop who has repeatedly broken promises.”

Clohessy said secrecy is a key part of the problem. His group has called for the archdiocese to make public a list of 33 priests it has identified as having credible allegations of abuse lodged against them.

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.

UNITED STATES
Associated Baptist Press

“Something’s terribly wrong when ESPN is calling for the truth, but the church remains silent.”

By Bob Allen

A lifelong Baptist who advocates on behalf of clergy sex-abuse victims says the media is doing more to promote healing and children’s safety than pastors who try to keep it out of the headlines.

Amy Smith, Houston representative of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, reacted to recent remarks by a Southern Baptist seminary president that church members should “just accept” wrong and injustice rather than taking church matters to civil authorities or the press.

“We don’t take matters before unbelievers,” Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Paige Patterson said in a chapel sermon Oct. 15. “What goes on in the church of God doesn’t go to the press.”

Patterson didn’t specify what kind of internal matters he meant, but critics termed his blanket statement ill-advised and potentially dangerous given evangelicals’ poor track record of mishandling reports of known or suspected criminal abuse in churches.

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.

UNITED STATES
Pope Crimes & Vatican Evils…

Paris Arrow

Updated October 24, 2013

On October 21, 2013, the Vatican Information Service publish the audiences that Pope Francis met – for a few minutes – and the new American Ambassador was one of them. It said a few words, Kenneth F. Hackett, the new ambassador of the United States to the Holy See, presenting his credential letters.

Credentials for what? Theology? Agreement for the Pope’s ultra conservative doctrines that are totally obsolete and useless for the poor of Christ!

We do not need to pay millions of dollars for some theological papaers that anyone can now read in Google.

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

MINNESOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

MN archbishop will comment on his crisis today; SNAP responds

MN – What to look for today from Archbishop Nienstedt

For immediate release: Thursday, October 24

David Clohessy, Director, SNAP, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, (7234 Arsenal Street, St. Louis MO 63143), 314 566 9790 cell ( SNAPclohessy@aol.com )

In response to scandal stemming from secrecy, Archbishop John Nienstedt proposes more secrecy.

[Catholic Spirit]

He does one thing today – he promises hiring more lawyers. That’s all. The rest of his column is just more promises from a powerful prelate who keeps breaking old promises.

Here’s the only real change: Soon the number of hand-picked, church-paid lawyers looking at predators’ files will go from six or eight to 12 or 14. That’s not progress.

Those files – all of them – must be turned over to law enforcement. Despite his protestations to the contrary, this is “clear” to Nienstedt. But he refuses to do it.

It doesn’t matter if they’re paid permanently or temporarily by Nienstedt. The lawyers he picks aren’t police or prosecutors. They’re regular employees or contract employees. They’re beholden to him. And they’ll help him keep his secrets secret, as church lawyers have virtually always done. (The one exception, obviously, is Jennifer Haselberger.)

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

MINNESOTA
MinnPost

[Archbishop Addresses Media Questions – St. Paul and Minneapolis archdiocese]

By Beth Hawkins

As calls for his resignation swelled, Archbishop John Nienstedt issued a public apology this morning to victims of clergy sex abuse, saying that his understanding of the problem has become clearer over the last month.

“As the head of this local Church, I know that the ultimate responsibility here is mine. My heart is heavy with the agony that these errors have caused,” Nienstedt wrote in a column in the official publication of the Archdiocese, the Catholic Spirit.

“To those who have been hurt, to the victims of clergy abuse and their family members, I can only tell you how sorry I am,” he continued. “I realize how damaging such actions are in violating the care of their human dignity. And so, with genuine sorrow, I apologize to all those who have been victimized, whether on my watch or not.”

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.

IRELAND
Irish Central

By NICK BRAMHILL, IrishCentral Staff Writer
Published Thursday, October 24, 2013

An outspoken Irish priest, who was removed from his post last month after performing an unconventional baptism, is to receive his former parish’s highest honor on Thursday.

Augustinian priest Fr. Iggy O’Donovan clashed with the Vatican on several matters, most recently after a complaint was made that he went against Catholic tradition by allowing godparents to pour water on a baby’s head during a baptism.

O’Donovan was hugely popular in Drogheda,a town of 40,000 30 miles from Dublin especially among young people . He is credited with saving many depressed young people from suicide.

The complaint, which was made without the knowledge of the parents who later said they fully supported the cleric, was addressed to Cardinal Sean Brady and subsequently forwarded to Rome.

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

MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

[Archbishop Addresses Media Questions – St. Paul and Minneapolis archdiocese]

BAIRD HELGESON , Star Tribune Updated: October 24, 2013

Twin Cities Archbishop John Nienstedt writes in a new column to the faithful that he is hiring an outside firm to review of clergy files at the archdiocese.

Twin Cities Archbishop John Nienstedt writes in a new column to the faithful that he is hiring an outside firm to review of clergy files at the archdiocese.

Nienstedt’s ordered the review after a new wave of allegations of priest sexual abuse and recent revelations that archdiocese leaders tried to keep the accusations private.

“This is unacceptable,” Nienstedt wrote in a column published Thursday in The Catholic Spirit, the official publication of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. “As the head of this local Church, I know that the ultimate responsibility here is mine. My heart is heavy with the agony that these errors have caused.”

Nienstedt also apologized to victims, their families and to those who’s faith has been shaken by the allegations.

“To those who have been hurt, to the victims of clergy abuse and their family members, I can only tell you how sorry I am,” he wrote. “The sexual abuse of a minor or vulnerable adult is reprehensible, morally repugnant and goes against Christ’s teachings to promote goodness, life and light. This is not who we are as the Catholic Church.”

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

UNITED KINGDOM
BBC News

A man who was sexually abused as a boy by a Church of England priest has rejected a six-figure compensation offer.

The man, who cannot be identified, was one of a number of boys abused by Robert Coles when he was a priest in Horsham and Chichester, in Sussex.

Coles, of Upperton Road, Eastbourne, was jailed for eight years in February after admitting 11 sex abuse charges.

The victim, now 45, says he wants a sum “in proportion” to his suffering.

‘Archbishop appalled’

He told the BBC: “I’ve been sectioned, I’ve self-harmed. I’ve tried to end my life.

“Numerous times I’ve been in intensive care.”

The man, who said he had reported the abuse to Sussex Police in 1997, says he is prepared to go to court to get the compensation he believes he deserves.

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

MISSOURI
National Catholic Reporter

Dennis Coday | Oct. 24, 2013 NCR Today

Msgr. Thomas J. O’Brien, subject of more than two dozen lawsuits alleging sexual abuse of minors, one of which ended in a $10 million settlement against the Kansas City-St. Joseph diocese, died this week according to his lawyer, The Kansas City Star is reporting. He was 87.

Leaders of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, SNAP, are asking Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City-St. Joseph to keep funeral services for O’Brien discreet.

Six lawsuits against the diocese involving O’Brien are pending. In July the diocese settled a wrongful-death lawsuit for $2.25 million with the parents of a boy whose family claimed he took his own life 30 years ago because of repeated sexual abuse by O’Brien.

O’Brien, who was ordained a priest in 1950 and served in a number of Kansas City parish, was principal of a Catholic high school 1961-1968 and superintendent of Catholic schools for the diocese 1969-1971.

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

MINNESOTA
WJON

[Archbishop Addresses Media Questions – St. Paul and Minneapolis archdiocese]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – St. Paul Archbishop John Nienstedt acknowledges “some serious” mistakes have been made in the way the archdiocese handled allegations of clergy sexual misconduct over the last decade, and he pledges new steps to protect the faithful.

Nienstedt made the comments in a column posted Thursday on the website of The Catholic Spirit, the archdiocese’s official newspaper.

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has been under fire since a whistleblower went public with claims that church leaders mishandled abuse allegations. Nienstedt has denied interview requests from The Associated Press.

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UNITED STATES
Catholic League

Bill Donohue comments on last night’s episode of the E! show, “Chelsea Lately”:

Priests and Germans were libeled last night by two of Chelsea Handler’s guests, Kurt Braunohler and Moshe Kasher.

The objectionable part began with a discussion of Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, the German bishop who was suspended by Pope Francis for his opulent lifestyle.

Braunohler: “I love that the Catholic Church has like a zero tolerance policy on everything other than child abuse.”

Kasher: “It’s a German priest, so that’s a difficult set of circumstances. You know what I mean, it’s like-do I make out with that kid or do I kill that Jew.”

The remark by Braunohler came the day after the teachers unions, led by the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers, sought to stop a bill that would prohibit the hiring of convicted sex offenders in the public schools. The bill, which was approved by the House, is aimed at bringing the public schools up to speed so that they will have the same zero tolerance policy that Catholic schools have had for years.

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

MINNESOTA
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis

Date:Thursday, October 24, 2013

In the Q&A below, Archbishop Nienstedt answers many questions that have been asked recently by the media.

Question: Since your arrival as archbishop, has the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis followed the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People and the Essential Norms?

Archbishop John Nienstedt: Yes.

Q: Why didn’t you go to police about the images found on Father Jon Shelley’s computer?

Archbishop: The analysis completed in 2004 did not find evidence of possession of child pornography. The images that Haselberger showed to coworkers were of pop-up ads. Pop-up ads are unsolicited and often attach to the hard drive without the user’s awareness or permission. The St. Paul police completed a 7-month review of the same material from the hard drive that was analyzed in 2004 and came to the same conclusion: there is no evidence of possession of child pornography.

Q: Why were priests such as Robert Kapoun receiving additional retirement payments? Who authorized those payments, why did they continue, and which priests are still getting additional payments? What action did you take when Jennifer Haselberger reported these payments to you?

Archbishop: Every bishop is required by canon law to provide financial support for priests of his diocese. In some cases, it was determined that offenders should be removed from active priestly ministry, be subject to compliance with our monitoring program, and required to undergo therapy and spiritual direction to avoid reoffending. These decisions were made due to a number of factors, including the projected likelihood that the priest would be not be able to find secular employment or be a candidate for laicization.

Q: Has anything changed with the monitoring of Father Robert Kapoun?

Archbishop: The monitoring program is modeled after probation programs that include periodic visitations and determination of compliance with expected restrictions. Fr. Kapoun has met all requirements of the program, despite the inferences made by the media. We have no reason to believe he is a danger to the community.

Q: Why do you need a new task force?

Archbishop: Our own investigations give us reason to believe that our policies and procedures may not have been uniformly followed and that is a serious issue we have been addressing. At the same time, we believe that we need truly independent analysis from a group of outside and impartial experts to help tell how we can do better. That may mean changes or additions to policies, procedures or practices. It may mean better auditing to ensure compliance with current policies, procedures and practices. The Task Force will have unprecedented authority to examine any and all issues associated with clergy sexual abuse. Its findings and recommendations will be welcomed and implemented.

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

MINNESOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, Oct. 24

Statement by Bob Schwiderski of Wayzata, SNAP Minnesota Director

Archbishop John Nienstedt is a coward. His archdiocese is embroiled in scandal. Already wounded clergy sex abuse victims feel re-victimized. And thousands of Nienstedt’s flock feels betrayed.

Based on the on-going recklessness, callousness and deceit by Nienstedt and his colleagues, those feelings are justified.

Yet the ‘shepherd’ of this ‘flock’ refuses to talk about the scandal he has largely created, despite repeated pledges, year after year, to be “open and transparent” about clergy sex crimes.

He answers a handful of questions, in writing, from Minnesota Public Radio yesterday and promises he’ll write about this crisis on his website today. Big deal.

That’s cowardice.

Nienstedt isn’t alone. Most accused wrongdoers Twin Cities Catholic circles are dodging the media.

St. Thomas University officials are keeping silent about their alleged investigation into a predator priest on their payroll.

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

MINNESOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, Oct. 24

Statement by Barbara Blaine of Chicago, president of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 312-399-4747, SNAPblaine@gmail.com )

Here’s what we think you can expect from Archbishop John Nienstedt’s column today when he writes about the continuing crisis in his archdiocese stemming from repeated clergy child sex crimes and cover ups of those crimes.

Look for lots of spin, hair-splitting and word-parsing.

Look for Nienstedt to imply that he and his staff made “mistakes,” instead of admitting that he and his staff deliberately and repeatedly took self-serving, deceitful and secretive actions.

Look for lots of sweeping promises designed to mollify his outraged flock, promises that will be broken once the heat of intense scrutiny fades, like his earlier promises have been.

Look for Nienstedt to use the word “allegations” to describe what are really “revelations.” He and his public relations team are trying to ‘spin’ actual church documents as “accusations” when, in fact, they are “disclosures.” (Lawsuits are “allegations.” Actual archdiocesan memos are not.)

Look for Nienstedt to subtly distance himself from predator priests, instead of admitting that most are still on his payroll yet are monitored and supervised

Look for no disclosures today. That’s significant – and tragic – because secrecy is what largely is causing this mess. But today, and in the future, Nienstedt and his staff will continue to practice secrecy, because their reputations and clerical careers matter most to them and if their secrets are revealed, their reputations and clerical careers may suffer.

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BROOKLYN (NY)
Social Science Research Council

By Marilyn McCord Adams

October 22, 2013

[Editor’s Note: This post is in response to “Praying Angry” by Robert Orsi.]

Robert Orsi, in his sensitive and insightful piece, brings out how “praying angry” is a necessary spiritual exercise for many who have been touched by God and abused by life. I say “many,” because abuse convinces some to give up on God. They trusted God to “be there” for them, to protect them from the worst that we can suffer, be, or do. They cried to the Lord in their trouble. But no rescue was forthcoming. For some, abuse makes belief in God psychologically impossible. Others conclude that even if God exists, God is not the kind of person they want to have anything to do with. Abuse is evidence that God is a deadbeat deity, that God is aloof and doesn’t care, that God is callous or cruel, even that God hates us. Still, for whatever psycho-spiritual reason, many who have been touched by God and abused by life, find themselves unable to let go. They are hurt. They feel abandoned and betrayed by God. But they aren’t finished with God. They can’t heal without confronting the authorities that allowed the abuse to happen. In imitation of the bible’s Job, praying angry calls God to account.

Sexual abuse of children by adults on whom they depend for love and nurture always digs deep into the human person. Physical violation is an outward and visible sign of role confusion and shattered expectations. Orsi’s wider work helps us to appreciate how this struggle amplifies when children are abused by priests. Especially pre-Vatican II, the Roman Catholic church set itself up as the sole institution chosen by God to open heaven’s doors. It proclaimed the sacred office of priesthood as necessary for salvation. Because God is above reproach, holy church is likewise above reproach, and her sacred ministers participate in this presumption. Moreover, not only does the Roman Catholic church enforce beliefs by catechetical instruction; it also uses an elaborate material cult presided over by priests to habituate the worshipper to postures and gestures, rote prayers and responses—all of which root religious feeling and conviction in the body and unconscious as well the conscious self.

If the priest is an alter Christus, then predator priests send the message that God is a predator, that Christ is a pederast. The consecrated host stuck up the girl’s vagina turns the really present Christ into a sexual molester. [McCord is referring to the Cudemo case.] John Paul II’s encyclical insists that priests are not only sacrificers but shepherds. Predator priests advertise God as handing over the flock to hirelings who care nothing for the sheep, who sacrifice the lambs to meet their own needs.

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MISSOURI
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

Victims want private funeral for priest
He’s accused of molesting dozens of kids
Abuse group writes Catholic bishop for help
“Please prevent more pain,” SNAP urges Finn

For immediate release: Thursday, Oct. 24, 2013

For more information: David Clohessy (314) 566-9790 cell, SNAPclohessy@aol.com, Barbara Dorris (314) 862-7688 SNAPdorris@gmail.com

A support group for clergy sex abuse victims is writing the Diocese of Kansas City – St Joseph’s top Catholic official asking him to make sure that a priest’s funeral is private, not public.

Leaders of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, are asking Bishop Robert Finn to keep services discreet and out of the parish’s spotlight for the funeral of a credibly accused predator clergy member.

Msgr. Thomas O’Brien was sued at least 20 times for sexually abusing boys and had worked in Springfield MO, Independence MO, as well as Kansas City.

[BishopAccountability.org]

“Dozens of boys who were sexually assaulted by Msgr. Thomas O’Brien have suffered enough. And thousands of Catholics who were scandalized and betrayed – by Msgr. O’Brien’s crimes and church cover ups – have suffered enough,” said David Clohessy of St. Louis, SNAP’s director. “Please do not add to their pain. Please do not let Msgr. O’Brien be buried in a Catholic cemetery with full honors in a public ceremony. ”

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IRELAND
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, October 24, 2013

Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 314 566 9790, SNAPclohessy@aol.com )

Irish Catholic religious orders are refusing to live up to promises they made years ago to help victims of abuse. Shame on them.

[Irish Independent]

These selfish and cold-hearted church officials are victimizing the already-wounded for the third time. First, these innocent boys and girls were violated as kids. Second, they were violated again when a callous Catholic hierarchy ignored their pleas for help, openness and healing. Now, they are violating these still-suffering adults by breaking their promises of help.

Catholic officials are blaming the depressed property market for the shortfall.” That’s baloney. The Catholic church is a huge, wealthy monarchy. The hierarchy almost always seems to find money for its pet projects. When a pope visits a nation, all of that country’s Catholic entities “chip in”, pool their funds to make sure they can capitalize on the energy and attention a papal visit brings.

When it’s advantageous for them, they claim the church is a world-wide institution in which Catholic entities help one another financially. When it’s advantageous to claim the reverse – that each Catholic entity is entirely separate – they claim the reverse. It’s utterly deceitful.

We believe “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” In Boston, the now-disgraced Cardinal Bernard Law had the decency to at least borrow money (some $25 million) from the Knights of Columbus to help hundreds of victims. These religious orders can and should do the same if necessary.

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GERMANY
Whispers in the Loggia

Saying Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst “cannot, at the present moment, continue to exercise his episcopal ministry” after months of embarrassing revelations on the prelate’s lavish spending for a new diocesan compound, while it was anything but surprising that Rome moved yesterday to depressurize the fraught situation in Limburg, the solution reached was a remarkable departure from the standard course of action.

Instead of accepting the 53 year-old prelate’s resignation or announcing his forced removal from office, the Vatican instead relayed that Tebartz-van Elst was being “authorized” to spend “a period outside the diocese,” pending the outcome of an investigation by the German bishops’ conference. In addition, “by decision of the Holy See,” a new vicar-general previously named by the embattled prelate and scheduled to take office in January was placed in post immediately to oversee the diocese in the absence of the so-called “luxury bishop.”

With some 700,000 Catholics, the Limburg church encompasses the far larger city of Frankfurt and much of its sprawling metro area.

After disclosures that Tebartz-van Elst spent $475,000 on walk-in closets and $20,000 on a bathtub among other big-ticket items for his residence in the new facility adjacent to his cathedral, the Vatican’s handling of the fallout is extraordinary on several fronts. First, because it precisely isn’t the “suspension” that has been widely misreported – nor, indeed, is the move a formal canonical act of any kind – but likewise as it’s a substantive instance of the anticipated fresh push for collegiality by Pope Francis. In other words, far from derailing a locally-called probe to impose a definitive, permanent resolution from on high, the Holy See has indicated that, in essence, the final verdict on Tebartz-van Elst’s future lies with his confreres at home.

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AUSTRALIA
7 News

ABC News

BY KERRY BREWSTER –
October 24, 2013

A senior lawyer has warned that the Catholic Church will not win back public trust and confidence until its current “tainted” leaders have gone.

Patrick Parkinson, who reviewed the church’s Towards Healing protocol for dealing with victims of sexual abuse, has previously described allegations of the church’s cover-up of sexual abuse as amounting to organised criminality.

In a speech on Thursday night, the University of Sydney lawyer, a non-Catholic, declared there were still some rotten apples among the church’s hierarchy.

“There are those still apparently who fail to understand their civic duty as citizens of this country to cooperate with the police,” he said.

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AUSTRALIA
The Australian

JOHN FERGUSON THE AUSTRALIAN OCTOBER 24, 2013

THE Catholic Church in Victoria has received nearly 100 sex abuse complaints in the past financial year as the state’s inquiry into the issue appears to have prompted victims to seek redress after many years of silence.

There is now a growing body of evidence to suggest the overwhelming majority of cases relate to decades ago, suggesting that the church has faced, and dealt with, the worst of the scandal.

New figures show the church’s two dispute resolution processes have received 53 new complaints in Victoria in the past financial year related to the parliamentary investigation.

Of these, only seven people have referred the matters to police, underlining the reluctance of many victims to seek justice through the drawn-out process of the courts. A further 42 complaints were made directly to church entities, such as three religious orders and the dioceses that appeared before the inquiry.

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AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald

October 25, 2013

Patrick Parkinson

There ought to be little doubt that as a society, our record of dealing with child sexual abuse is one of shocking moral failure. It is a reasonable estimate to say that one in four Australian girls and one in 10 boys growing up in the 1970s and ’80s experienced some form of sexual abuse before the age of 16. These are truly shocking figures.

Some of that abuse has occurred in church contexts. By far the most of these cases have been in the Catholic Church. Figures produced by the Victorian police of cases since 1950 indicated there were 10 times as many cases in the Catholic Church as in the Anglican Church, which was the next largest group. If that history were not bad enough, the cover-up of those crimes has been a scandal.

In the court of public opinion, the judgment has already been delivered. It is only the consequences of that judgment which are still being worked out in the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

Yet there is still a need to understand why these failures occurred. The reality is that no church or other community organisation is free from reproach. In Australia, there have been three inquiries established by the Anglican Church into its past failings in dealing appropriately with child sexual abuse cases. Much has changed since the mid-1990s, and child protection is typically taken very seriously in churches. Nonetheless, there is no room for complacency in any community organisation.

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AUSTRALIA
The Australian

DAN BOX THE AUSTRALIAN OCTOBER 25, 2013

A LAW professor who has worked closely with senior Catholic Church officials to review their response to child abuse by priests says some of its current leaders are “rotten apples” who need to be removed.

The University of Sydney’s Professor Patrick Parkinson, who gave last night’s annual Smith Lecture in Sydney, was recently cited by the Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell, as a leading authority who twice reviewed the church’s Towards Healing protocols on child sexual abuse.

“There remain a few rotten apples in the church’s fruit bowl, and they have yet to be called to account. Those who still apparently fail to understand their civic obligations as citizens of Australia in terms of co-operation with the police. Those whose greatest concern would appear to be to protect their organisation from scandal rather than the children in their care,” he said.

Professor Parkinson, who has publicly withdrawn his support from the church’s National Committee for Professional Standards over its handling of his 2010 review, said many within the church have acted honestly and with compassion.

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UNITED STATES
National Survivor Advocates Coalition

EDITORIAL

Pope Francis suspended the German bishop, tagged as the bishop of bling, for his lavish spending not only on his mansion but as a way of life including his first class airline ticket to visit the poor in India.

Bishop of Limburg Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, spent a reported $42 million in renovations for his home.

Here’s a link to the story:

[USA Today]

All well and good that he’s been removed – at least temporarily – to go to a hopefully less lavish room and think about what he’s done.

Now, where’s the action on convicted Bishop Robert Finn of the Diocese of Kansas City- St. Joseph?

Without action by Pope Francis the message is and will continue to hang heavy in the air if you get caught putting on the ritz you’re bounced, but if you’re convicted of knowledge of and non-reporting as a mandated reporter of a priest who was hip boot deep into child pornography and who is now serving a 50 year sentence in a federal prison for production of child pornography – it’s business as usual?

Germans were outraged about the bishop of bling and showed it.

Where is the outrage for what Bishop Finn failed to do?

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CANADA
CBC News

This story may trigger painful memories for former residential school students. If that’s the case for you, we encourage you to tell someone you trust about how you are feeling. You can also find help from the toll-free 24-hour crisis line for victims: 1-866-925-4419.

Federal authorities are tightening rules to protect Indian Residential School claimants from being taken advantage of by lawyers.

The new rules will curtail lawyers from giving clients high interest cash advances, charging finders fees, or billing for improper expenses.

Click here to listen to Dan Shapiro explaining the rule changes on The Trailbreaker with Loren McGinnis

“The vast majority do excellent work they’re ethical and very professional,” says Dan Shapiro, chief adjudicator for the independent assessment secretariat, and the man responsible for making sure the settlement process is being handled appropriately. “There are, however, a handful of lawyers that have engaged in conduct that we feel is unconscionable and in some cases illegal.”

Across the country, more than $2 billion has already been given out in compensation for victims of residential schools. The new rules aim to get rid of the bad apples in that process, to make sure unscrupulous lawyers don’t skim more than they are entitled to from victims.

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CANADA
Nunatsiaq Online

The chief adjudicator of the Independent Assessment Process for residential school survivors announced new measure this week designed to protect claimants from lawyers who engage in illegal conduct.

The IAP is specifically for former students of residential schools who experienced serious physical, sexual, or emotional abuse during their time at school — distinct from the common experience payments, which were designed for anyone who attended residential school.

But the Indian Residential Schools Adjudication Secretariat, which oversees the IAP, became aware of a small number of lawyers who were bilking clients.

Complaints emerged about one particular Calgary-based lawyer, prompting an investigation.

“The vast majority of lawyers representing claimants in the IAP are diligent and do excellent and highly ethical work,” Dan Shapiro, the chief adjudicator, said in a news release.

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MINNESOTA
Inside Higher Ed

October 21, 2013
The University of St. Thomas, in Minnesota, is facing fallout from a series of allegations about sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests. The abuse is not alleged to have taken place at the university, but St. Thomas has been drawn into the scandal.

* The Rev. Michael Keating, a professor of Catholic studies, is on leave following the filing of a lawsuit by a woman alleging that he abused her in the late 1990s when she was 13 to 15 years old. While Father Keating has not spoken about the allegations, his lawyer has denied the allegations. Minnesota Public Radio has reported that documents it obtained suggest that church leaders may have planned to communicate with the university about the allegations as early as 2006.

* The Rev. Harry Flynn, a former archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis at a time that many victims say the church didn’t do enough about abuse allegations, has resigned from the St. Thomas board.

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MINNESOTA
Cardinal Newman Society

Minnesota Sex Abuse Scandal Entangles University of St. Thomas; Leads to Clergy Resignations

October 23, 2013, at 9:49 AM | By Matthew Archbold

The University of St. Thomas in Minnesota has found itself in the middle of the ongoing sex abuse crisis in Minnesota, according to Inside Higher Ed. While none of the allegations of abuse took place at the university, several clergy implicated in the scandal either were employed at the institution or served on its board.

The Most Rev. Harry Flynn, the archbishop emeritus of the St. Paul and Minneapolis Archdiocese, recently resigned from the board amid allegations that he did not do enough to prevent the abuse. Flynn, according to the university, had served as board chair since 1995.

The board elected Michael Dougherty as interim chair. Dougherty, who has served as a trustee since 2003, said in a press release,“On behalf of the board of trustees, I want to thank Archbishop Flynn for his many years of dedicated service to the board and to the university.”

The Rev. Michael Keating, professor of Catholic studies, is also on leave from the university following the announcement of a lawsuit by a woman alleging abuse in the late 1990s when she was still a minor. Keating’s lawyer has denied the allegations.

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VATICAN CITY
Vatican Information Service

Vatican City, 24 October 2013 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father received in audience:

– His Royal Highness Prince Guillaume, hereditary Grand-Duke of Luxembourg, with Princess Stephanie and entourage.

– Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, apostolic nuncio to Australia.

– Archbishop Giuseppe Pinto, apostolic nuncio to the Philippines.

– Archbishop Jose Horacio Gomez of Los Angeles, U.S.A.

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GERMANY
The Salt Lake Tribune

By NELE MAILIN OBERMUELLER And JABEEN BHATTI | Religion News Service
First Published Oct 23 2013

Berlin • The $20,000 bathtub and $482,000 walk-in closets ordered by “Bishop Bling-Bling” — the moniker of Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, the now-suspended bishop of Limburg — have scandalized the German public.

But Tebartz-van Elst, 52, is only the latest German clergyman to run into trouble since Pope Francis took the helm of the Roman Catholic Church. Francis temporarily suspended the bishop on Wednesday while a church commission investigates the expenditures on the $42 million residence complex.

As the new pontiff tries to reform the way the church does business, German dioceses, which reportedly include the world’s wealthiest in Cologne, are chafing under the new direction as membership numbers continue to dwindle.

“Tebartz-van Elst is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Christian Weisner, spokesman for the German branch of We Are Church, an organization advocating Catholic Church reform. “There is a real clash of cultures between Germany’s current cardinals and bishops — nominated under John Paul II or Benedict XVI — and Pope Francis.”

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GERMANY
Los Angeles Times

By Carol J. Williams
October 23, 2013

When Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst of Germany traveled to India last year to minister to poor slum dwellers, he reportedly flew first class.

This year, renovations of the Roman Catholic bishop’s church-owned residence in the city of Limburg ran massively over budget to cover $620,000 worth of artwork, $1.1 million in landscaping and last-minute design revisions — $42 million in all, billed to the Vatican and German taxpayers, Hamburg’s tabloid daily Bild reported.

Dubbed the “Bishop of Bling” by European media that have been avidly tracking the bespectacled clergyman’s lavish lifestyle, Tebartz-van Elst was suspended from his post by Pope Francis on Wednesday in a clear sign that the new pontiff is serious about diverting resources from the “princes of the church” to the paupers in its congregations.

Tebartz-van Elst flew to Rome this month — on budget carrier easyJet, Britain’s Guardian newspaper reported — to explain his finances to the pope after a Vatican delegation was dispatched last month to investigate what had become an embarrassing scandal for the church.

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GERMANY
BBC News

Dubbed the “bishop of bling” by German media, Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst has been suspended by the Vatican over claims of excessive spending.

The Bishop of Limburg was ordered to leave his diocese for an “appropriate period” after a meeting with the Pope following a scandal about the spiralling costs of a multi-million-dollar renovation of his official residence.

He is accused of spending 31m euros (£26m; $42m) on the development, which was originally costed at 5.5m euros.

The bishop – and his alleged spending habits – has become infamous in Germany, where many people pay tax to the Catholic Church. …
Bishop Tebartz-van Elst was born in the village of Twisteden in north-west Germany in 1959.

He has described himself as being a loner as a child, preferring to read rather than help on his family’s farm, according to the German newspaper Der Zeit.

He was ordained as a priest in 1985 and named auxiliary bishop of Munster in 2003 by Pope John Paul II.

In an article for Deutsche Welle, German Catholic theologian David Berger says Bishop Tebartz-van Elst was a “professor of liberal ideas” while in Munster.

But this changed under Pope Benedict, he says, and he came to believe in the dominant authority of bishops.

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GERMANY/VATICAN CITY
RTE News

Pope Francis has ordered the German Roman Catholic prelate known as the “bishop of bling” for spending around €31m on a residence to leave his diocese for an unspecified period.

The move, just short of a resignation, was taken against Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst of Limburg.

It comes two days after he met the pope to discuss the scandal in the German church at a time when the pontiff is stressing the importance of humility and serving the poor.

The renovation costs went from an initial €5m to over €30m, with an additional €10m also likely due because of damage to surrounding streets and structures caused by the construction work.

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GERMANY/VATICAN CITY
NBC News

By Becky Bratu, Staff Writer, NBC News

A senior member of the Catholic Church known as the “luxury bishop” has been suspended from his diocese in Germany while the Vatican investigates a house refurbishment that reportedly ran into the millions of dollars.

Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst of Limburg, who had been under pressure to resign, will leave his diocese for an unspecified period, the Vatican said in a statement on Wednesday. Monsignor Wolfgang Roesch will be in charge of the diocese during the bishop’s absence, the Vatican added.

Tebartz-van Elst “cannot presently exercise his episcopal ministry,” the statement said.

The Vatican also said it would audit spending on renovations to the bishop’s residence, which Germany’s Spiegel magazine reported cost up to 31 million euros ($42.70 million).

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VATICAN CITY/GERMANY
Telegraph (UK)

[with video]

Pope Francis has ordered Germany’s Bishop of Limburg to leave his diocese after spending millions of Church money on refurbishing his home

The Vatican on Wednesday suspended indefinitely a German Catholic cleric dubbed the “bling bishop” for his luxury lifestyle, despite multiple calls in Germany for the prelate to be dismissed.

The bishop flew to Rome last week with low-cost airline Ryanair to explain himself to Pope Francis – following accusations he took an expensive ticket on a trip to India and squandered money.

His private quarters in a new diocesan building are reported to have cost up a €31 million (£26.4 million), and included a 63-square-metre dining room and a £12,000 bathtub – using the revenue from a religious tax in Germany.

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VATICAN CITY/GERMANY
Irish Examiner

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Pope Francis has banished a German Catholic prelate known as the “Bling Bishop” from his diocese for spending €31m of Church funds on his residence at a time when the pontiff is stressing austerity.

By Philip Pullella Vatican City

However, the pontiff stopped short of dismissing him outright, a step which many German Catholics and the media had called for.

In a highly unusual move, Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst of Limburg was ordered to leave his diocese while an investigation and audit into cost over-runs is held, a Vatican statement said.

The bishop, who met the Pope on Monday, “was currently not in a position to carry out his episcopal ministry”.

It said he should stay outside his diocese “for a period,” and that it would be administered in his absence by a vicar-general.

The issue has proven a major embarrassment for the Pope, who has called for a more austere Church that sides with the poor. He has told bishops not to live like princes, and has also promised to clean up the murky finances of the Vatican bank.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Telegraph

By David Barrett, Home Affairs Correspondent
24 Oct 2013

Organisations are at risk of being “complacent” about tackling abuse because of a tendency to concentrate on historic cases, the new law enforcement agency has concluded in its first major report.

It said abusers can hide their grooming of children if they are working for institutions that are highly regarded or respected.

Poor leadership also makes it less likely that colleagues will raise concerns about suspected paedophiles, it said.

The report comes after a series of scandals involving high-profile institutions including the BBC and the Roman Catholic Church, as well as a number of care homes.

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UNITED KINGDOM
The Guardian

Press Association

Children in institutions such as schools, churches and care homes are still not safe from abuse, child protection experts have warned in a new report.

More has to be done to keep children in institutions including sports clubs, youth groups and charities safe, the report published on Thursday by the National Crime Agency (NCA) warns.

The report, called The Foundations of Abuse, found that children are not only at risk from abusers but from “bystanders” who are aware of abuse but fail to report it.

And it warned that child sex offenders often manipulate victims into believing the attention they get is an “honour”, making it hard for them to report abuse.

The report, carried out by the NCA’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Command, is the first “thematic assessment” published by the agency since it was launched three weeks ago and looked at the risk of child sexual abuse by adults in institutions.

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IRELAND
Irish Independent

SARAH MACDONALD – 23 OCTOBER 2013

BROADCASTER and columnist Fr Brian D’Arcy has said his censure by the Vatican “destroyed” him “as a human being and as a priest” and almost caused him to leave the priesthood.

In his new book, ‘Brian D’Arcy’s Food for the Soul’, the 68-year-old said it has been “the most devastating faith crisis of my life”.

Recalling the events that led to his rap on the knuckles from the Vatican, Fr D’Arcy said that in 2010 he was formally censured by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF).

The then head of the CDF wrote to the Superior General of his religious order, the Passionists, accusing him of being “a source of great scandal”.

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IRELAND
Herald

GREG HARKIN – 23 OCTOBER 2013 02:30 PM

FATHER Brian D’Arcy is prepared to quit the Church if he is censured by the Congregation of the Faith over his new book.

In his new book, Brian D’Arcy’s Food for the Soul the cleric reveals that he almost walked away in the past – only for his mind to be changed by thousands of letters he received pleading with him not to give up the priesthood.

However, he has warned that if the Vatican attempts to censor his latest writings: “That would be it.”

He explained: “The fact is there is nothing in it that Pope Francis hasn’t said.

“I don’t believe there would be any grounds for censoring me again or any attempt to shut me up.

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UNITED STATES
Religion News Service

Michael J. O’Loughlin | Oct 23, 2013

That Pope Francis has shaken up and reinvigorated parts of the Catholic Church is well known, but what may be less apparent are the changes he is implementing at the Vatican bank, reforming the once perennially corrupt institution to bring it up to international banking norms.

Earlier this month, the bank, known officially as the Institute for the Works of Religion, published an annual report for the first time in its 125-year history and highlighted its reforms. The bank’s new president, Ernst von Freyburg, told Vatican Radio that the bank has “reviewed our procedures for taking on clients to make sure that no money laundering can happen at the institute. We do have a new handbook, we do have new procedures, and we are also ready for inspection by third parties.”

To that end, the bank has contracted with US-based Promontory Financial Group to review all 19,000 accounts, totaling nearly $9 billion, held by the bank. This follows a 2012 evaluation by Moneyval, a European anti-money laundering organization, which praised the Vatican for “coming a long way in a short time.” According to the National Catholic Reporter’s John Allen, Promontory “currently has about twenty inspectors stationed inside the Vatican bank,” and Allen observes that a “new day is apparently dawning at the bank, where the old climate of trust is being leavened with a strong dose of ‘but verify.’”

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IRELAND
Irish Independent

SHANE PHELAN PUBLIC AFFAIRS EDITOR – 24 OCTOBER 2013

A scheme set up to pay for the treatment for survivors of institutional abuse faces being cut short after Catholic orders failed to stump up almost €40m in promised funding.

The 18 religious orders pledged €110m towards the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund (RISF), which will pay for mental health, social, educational and housing services for survivors.

However, the Irish Independent has learned just €72m has been received by the fund, which is due to begin issuing grants in January.

The scheme was initially anticipated to last up to five years, but this period may now have to be shortened due to the funding shortfall.

In contacts with the Department of Education, the religious orders – with the Christian Brothers and the Daughters of Charity to the forefront – have blamed the depressed property market for the shortfall.

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UNITED STATES
Spiritual Politics

Mark Silk
Oct 24, 2013

There’s no doubt that the profligate lifestyle of the Bishop of Limburg, Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, stinks like the local cheese. One can hope that Pope Francis has exiled him him from his palatial residence to contemplate his behavior in a monastic cell with a hard cot, a diet of bread and legumes, and the bathroom down the hall.

But what Americans would do well to contemplate in this case of episcopal discipline is the criticism that the head of the German bishops conference, Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, has leveled at his colleague. Zollitsch said that Tebartz-van Elst had created credibility problems for the church. The “decisive” turning point came, he said, when the public prosecutor asked the court to fine the bishop for falsely testifying in a related case. He announced the creation of a church commission to investigate, and said it would do its work “quickly and carefully.”

Compare that to the response of the head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, to misbehavior by his colleagues. Not a peep when Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City is convicted of the crime of covering up a suspected case of child abuse. Not a peep when Archbishop Robert Myers of Newark is revealed to have failed to follow his agreement with the court on the handling of an abusive priest. Not a peep when it comes to light that Archbishop John Nienstedt of St. Paul and Minneapolis has been covering up abuse cases.

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NEW YORK
Gothamist

Last winter, ultra-Orthodox Jewish counselor Nechemya Weberman was convicted by a Brooklyn jury of 59 counts of sexually abusing a teenage girl, and was sentenced to 103 years in prison for his crimes.

During the trial, victim Boorey Deutsch testified about being abused from the ages of 12 through 17, despite threats of retaliation. Now, nearly 10 months later, she and her husband Hershy Deutsch are receiving death threats.

“I know my Jewish rights…I am allowed to kill you and that [is] what I am going to do,” the Post reports one person wrote on Deutsch’s Facebook. “I AM GOING TO KILL YOU WITH IN THE NEXT THREE YEARS you may be stronger than one thousand satmar people but not stronger than a gun bullet.”

The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office is investigating the threat, which was left by “Ben Weiss” (believed to be a fake account) under one of the couple’s wedding photos. “If he can write such things, he might be able to actually do it. My body got very cold,” he told the Post. “I’m willing to do anything in the world to get him locked up.”

This isn’t the first time the Deutsches have been harassed since the trial ended: back in September, the couple were harassed in their family’s synagogue on Rosh Hashanah.

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WALES
Wales Online

A church minister has been arrested over an allegation of historical child abuse.

The man, from Johnstown, Carmarthen, has been suspended from duties at two chapels pending the outcome of a police investigation.

Dr Geraint Tudur, general secretary of the Union of Welsh Independents, told the BBC his members were “naturally traumatised”.

Dyfed Powys Police said: “An 81-year-old man was arrested in connection with an historic allegation of sexual activity with a minor.

“He remains on police bail while enquiries continue.”

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AUSTRALIA
Christian Today

By: Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne
Thursday, 24 October 2013

Victims of child sexual and physical abuse continued to come forward to the Catholic Church pastoral processes during the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into child abuse, the Church announced today.

Church spokesperson, Father Shane Mackinlay, said that in the 12 months to 30 June 2013, 53 complaints were received in Victoria by the Melbourne Response and Towards Healing that were relevant to the Inquiry.

Eighteen complaints were received by the Melbourne Response, with 13 upheld so far, and 35 complaints were received by Towards Healing, with 15 upheld to date.

The remaining five complaints to the Melbourne Response, and the 20 to Towards Healing, are still to be determined and are ongoing.

Seven of the Towards Healing complainants have chosen to go to the police and their cases will not resume until police actions are completed.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Your Local Guardian

By Alexandra Rucki, Senior Reporter

Worshippers at an Ethiopian church are working to secure peace after months of simmering tensions erupted into violence erupted last weekend.

Five people were arrested on October 19 following a protest against the current trustees of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, in St Philip Street, Battersea.

Protests have been taking place at the building every weekend with the trustees accused of covering up a sexual abuse scandal.

The church has been closed since April, but was re-consecrated last weekend against the wishes of some members of the congregation who clashed violently with rivals despite a heavy police presence.

A meeting is now scheduled to take place with the Charity Commission on November 6 in a bid to find a solution to the disorder with the arguing parties.

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CONNECTICUT
Patch

Posted by Aaron Boyd (Editor) , October 23, 2013

Walnut Hill Community Church in Bethel and several of its youth program coordinators have been named as defendants in a civil suit asserting their culpability in the 2009 sexual abuse of a minor by a member of the church’s youth leadership.

Former church member Matthew Anastasia was arrested in April 2010 and pled “guilty” to felony risk of injury to a child and misdemeanor sexual assault in the fourth degree. He was sentenced in 2011 to 10 years imprisonment, suspended after one year, and five years probation.

The civil suit filed in Danbury Superior Court claims that the church should have been aware of Anastasia’s “propensity to sexually abuse… minor females within the youth program yet failed to take steps to prevent his sexual abuse of the minor plaintiff.”

Along with the church, the complaint names Senior Pastor Clive Calver, Pastor of Community Life Scott Shockley and Youth Pastor Craig Mowrey as defendants, stating that their role as leaders in the church’s youth program at the time made them “responsible for the actions and conduct of all persons affiliated with the youth ministry programs and youth leadership of the church.”

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AUSTRALIA
7 News

ABC News

The Catholic Church in Victoria says complaints about child sexual and physical abuse are continuing to pour in.

The Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne has released new information that shows 95 complaints from victims of child sexual and physical abuse were received in the last financial year.

Fifty-three of the complaints are being dealt with by the church’s internal response programs, Towards Healing and the Melbourne Response.

The church says 28 of those complaints have been upheld so far.

Seven of the unresolved complaints have been taken to the police.

The church says another 42 complaints from child victims were made directly to representatives of the church after the Victorian parliamentary inquiry into child abuse.

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AUSTRALIA
Brisbane Times

October 24, 2013

Barney Zwartz
Religion editor, The Age.

More than 100 new complaints of clergy child abuse have been made to the Catholic Church in Victoria since the parliamentary inquiry into how the churches handled child sexual abuse began last year.

There were 95 new complaints in the 2012-13 financial year ended June 30, the Melbourne
Archdiocese announced on Thursday, and church spokesman Shane Mackinlay said that victims had come forward “at the same rate” in the first three months of this financial year.

Because the figures came from different sources he did not have precise figures for this year, but it would be about 25. The church gave the updated figures to the Victorian inquiry on Wednesday.

The new complaints relate to abuse from the 1940s to the 1990s, and one parish priest has been stood down and had his faculties removed, Father Mackinlay said.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Daily Mail (UK)

Family’s outrage as ‘predatory pedophile priest’, 75, escapes rape trial for attack on 11-year-old altar boy in 1998 after his victim dies of a drugs overdose

By JAMES NYE

Philadelphia prosecutors today announced they have no choice but to drop child-rape charges against a priest because the only witness able to testify died two weeks ago of an overdose after battling substance abuse for years.

Sean McIlamil, 26, a former alter boy under Fr. Robert Brennan, came forward in January with startling allegations that the priest sexually abused him 15 years ago – but today his family spoke only of their grief and anger that Brennan will now walk free.

At a press conference today in the city his mother Debbie explained that her son spoke up because he wanted to be a voice against child abuse for his nephews sake’s and other young children like them.

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MINNESOTA
KAAL

As the priest sex abuse scandal continues to play out in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, some are calling for the resignation of Catholic Archbishop John Nienstedt.

In the weekly newsletter published for parishioners, Father Bill Deziel from the Church of St. Peter wrote, “These accounts of priest abuse and misconduct are disturbing, yet even more disturbing to many of the faithful is the apparent lack of good judgment and common sense on the part of archdiocesan leaders to deal with offending priests.” Deziel later writes, “it may be time for a do over with our archdiocesan leadership.”

Local attorney Thomas Lyons says he’s a member of the Church of St. Peter. He says dissatisfaction with church response has boiled over, “At some point the rage rises to the level that you have to express that this is not acceptable. I don’t know who is advising the bishop!”

Lyons says Archbishop Nienstedt does not meet the new Pope Francis’ high standards, “Corruption, worldliness, arrogance, vanity and pride, and that’s all put together in Nienstedt. He should resign for the purpose of allowing the Pope, who has this high standard, to appoint someone for that position.”

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MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

by: TONY KENNEDY , Star Tribune Updated: October 23, 2013

Payments from 2003 to 2012 went to victims of abuse, as well as to priests, lawyers and therapists.

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis spent nearly $11 million from 2003 through 2012 to cover costs directly associated with sexual abuse and other misconduct committed by priests who were removed from active ministry, according to church documents obtained by the Star Tribune.

The archdiocese wrote checks directly to victims of abuse, in cases involving children and vulnerable adults, in every year of the period covered by the reports, totaling more than $476,000 over the decade. Also, $1.5 million was paid on behalf of victims to cover counseling, therapy and other medical services.

Additional money was distributed to child victims via a trust account funded by the archdiocese and managed by the St. Paul law firm Meier, Kennedy & Quinn.

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NEW YORK
WBNG

[with video]

By Jillian Marshall

Binghamton, NY (WBNG Binghamton) Sexual abuse allegations against Catholic priests and bishops have been making headlines for decades. A former priest speaks out against child abuse in Catholic churches at a church in Binghamton.

Father Thomas Doyle was invited to St. Francis of Assisi Church in Binghamton to speak about the “unfinished business” of clergy sex abuse in the Catholic church.

Doyle was a priest in the Dominican Order for 49 years. He is no longer allowed to be an active priest in the institutionalized Catholic Church. Doyle believes it’s because he’s been standing with sexual abuse victims of the church for the past 30 years.

“I’ve spoken out too loudly and too often for the comfort level for the leadership of the Catholic church,” Doyle said.

Doyle was invited by Fr. Tim Taugher, St. Francis of Assisi Church pastor and a leader of Upstate NY Call to Action.

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MINNESOTA
Faribault County Register

October 24, 2013
Associated Press

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Archbishop John Nienstedt said in remarks published Wednesday that he regrets some parishioners and priests have lost confidence in him over new concerns about alleged clergy sexual misconduct in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

But in an email response to Minnesota Public Radio’s questions, Nienstedt denied any abuse cover-up. He repeated the archdiocese’s assertion that there are no offending priests in active ministry. He also said he has not offered to resign.

“As head of this local Church, I accept responsibility for addressing the issues that have been raised and am completely committed to finding the truth and fixing the problems that exist,” Nienstedt wrote. “My highest priorities are to ensure the safety of our children and to restore the trust of Catholics and our clergy. I will do everything in my power to do so.”

MPR reported earlier that some who track weekly church collections are worried media reports of how church leaders handled warnings about at least two priests could cause parishioners to give less.

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MINNESOTA
MinnPost

By Brian Lambert

The archbishop has spoken … or at least written. Madeleine Baran of MPR continues her coverage of the church’s local problems saying: “Archbishop John Nienstedt said he accepts responsibility for addressing the unfolding clergy sexual abuse crisis and regrets that a growing number of parishioners and priests in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis have ‘lost confidence’ in him. However, he denied any abuse cover-up or illegal actions and repeated the archdiocese’s claim that there are no offending priests in active ministry. Nienstedt’s remarks came in an e-mailed response to questions from MPR News. It’s the first time the archbishop has answered questions about the scandal since MPR News began publishing investigative reports in late September. … Nienstedt wrote … ‘My highest priorities are to ensure the safety of our children and to restore the trust of Catholics and our clergy. I will do everything in my power to do so.’ ” Will this be before or after the next anti-gay campaign?

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MILWAUKEE (WI)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel
Oct. 23, 2013

In a major victory for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, a federal judge has ruled that a sex abuse victim, who was paid $80,000 in an earlier settlement, cannot seek additional compensation in the church’s bankruptcy.

U.S. District Judge Rudolph T. Randa on Tuesday dismissed the claim of the victim, a deaf man molested by the late Father Lawrence Murphy, who alleged the archdiocese lied to him in meditation to get him to sign the settlement. If it stands, Randa’s ruling could force the dismissal of nearly 100 of the 570-plus claims filed in the bankruptcy.

Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki was not available for comment. But Jerry Topczewski, his chief of staff, welcomed the ruling as “fair.”

This is “another step forward…toward a plan of reorganization that will allow the Archdiocese of Milwaukee to emerge from bankruptcy,” Topczewski said in an email.

Michael Finnegan, whose firm represents most of the victims in the bankruptcy, including this man, called the ruling a disappointment and said they are contemplating filing an appeal.

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WISCONSIN
WTAQ

MILWAUKEE (WTAQ) – A sex abuse victim who got an $80,000 settlement from the Milwaukee Archdiocese cannot get more money from the church’s bankruptcy case.

That’s according to a new ruling from Federal Judge Rudolph Randa.

The male victim took part in a mediation program set up by the Catholic archdiocese 10 years ago.

He said he deserves to be a creditor in the church’s bankruptcy, saying he was lied to during the mediation process. Judge Randa disagreed. He said state laws protect what’s said during mediation sessions — and it cannot be used as evidence in the church’s bankruptcy proceeding.

Church spokesman Jerry Topczewski praised the ruling, saying it’s fair to everyone involved.

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DEUTSCHLAND
Frankfurter Allgemeine

23.10.2013 · Der Limburger Bischof Tebartz-van Elst darf seinen Posten vorerst behalten, muss sich aber von den Amtsgeschäften im Bistum zurückziehen. Mit sofortiger Wirkung setzte der Vatikan den designierten Generalvikar Wolfgang Rösch als Verwalter des Bistums ein.

Papst Franziskus hat am Mittwoch den Bischof von Limburg, Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, auf unbestimmte Zeit von der Leitung seines Bistums entbunden. Dem Vernehmen nach soll sich Tebartz-van Elst, mit dessen Abreise aus Rom am Mittwoch gerechnet wurde, in ein Kloster zurückziehen.

Seines Amtes enthoben wurde der Generalvikar des Bistums Limburg, Franz Kaspar. Er wurde ersetzt durch den bisherigen Stadtdekan von Wiesbaden, Wolfgang Rösch. Tebartz-van Elst hatte diesen personellen Wechsel bisher erst zum Jahreswechsel vorgesehen. In einer am Mittwoch veröffentlichten Erklärung des Vatikans hieß es: „Auf Entscheidung des Heiligen Stuhls tritt die durch den Bischof von Limburg zum 1. Januar 2014 ausgesprochene Ernennung des Herrn Stadtdekan Wolfgang Rösch zum Generalvikar bereits mit dem heutigen Tag in Kraft.“

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ROM
Frankfurter Allgemeine

Es fiel Franziskus nicht schwer, dem Limburger Bischof für eine Zeit das Amt zu entziehen. Denn das Amt gibt er einem, der das Vertrauen von Tebartz-van Elst genießt.

Von JÖRG BREMER, ROM

Papst Franziskus hat weise entschieden. Er hat Bischof Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst aus der Schusslinie genommen und einen Administrator sede plena nach Limburg geschickt, der zwar die Arbeit des Bischofs übernimmt, aber nicht den Bischofsstuhl. Der soll Tebartz-van Elst zumindest so lange erhalten bleiben, bis die Prüfungskommission, die am vergangenen Freitag ihre Arbeit aufnahm, alle Kosten, und Rechnungen sowie den Ablauf der Entscheidungen überprüft hat. Das kann Wochen dauern. Vorher kann ein guter Dienstherr seinen Arbeitnehmer nicht feuern.

Es geht in Rom nicht nur um Tebartz-van Elst und den Strafantrag, der gegen ihn wegen Falschaussage an Eides statt erging. Und auch nicht nur um die Schwindel erregenden Kosten für seine Residenz beim Limburger Georgsdom, die von drei auf 30, wenn nicht gar auf 40 Millionen Euro anschwollen.

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DEUTSCHLAND
Frankfurter Allgemeine

23.10.2013 · Dass Papst Franziskus den Kommissionsbericht abwarten will, bevor er den Limburger Bischof Tebartz-van Elst womöglich absetzt, ist ein Fortschritt. Doch wie viel Zeit lässt die Kirche vergehen, bevor sie aus Schaden klug wird und ihr Verwaltungsrecht reformiert?

Von DANIEL DECKERS

Es ist Zeit vergangen, bis Papst Franziskus und seine Berater erkannten, dass Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst sein Amt als Bischof von Limburg nicht mehr ausüben kann. Der materielle Schaden in der Amtszeit des Bischofs mag zu verkraften sein. Schwerer wiegt der immaterielle, um nicht zu sagen geistliche Schaden, der eingetreten ist.

Im Frühjahr vergangenen Jahres beklagte eine Gruppe von Priestern die „Atmosphäre lähmender Furcht“, die sich im Bistum Limburg ausgebreitet habe. Die Geistlichen werden bis heute als Quertreiber gegen einen rechtgläubigen und romtreuen Bischof dargestellt. Im Frühsommer dieses Jahres brach der Schutzwall aus Dementis und Halbwahrheiten zusammen, den Bischof und Generalvikar um die Baustelle des Bischofshauses errichtet hatten. Doch noch zwei Monate später versicherte der Vorsitzende der Deutschen Bischofskonferenz Zollitsch seinen Limburger Amtsbruder der „kollegialen Solidarität“. Der Münchner Kardinal Marx, der Anfang September öffentlich Zweifel an der rechten Amtsführung des Limburger Bischofs erkennen ließ, musste sich der Ahnungslosigkeit zeihen lassen – Grabenkämpfe, bei denen es auch um den demnächst vakanten Vorsitz der Bischofskonferenz geht. Weh dem, der solche Mitbrüder hat – und wohl denen, die trotz solcher Kabalen in ihrem Glauben nicht irre werden.

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UNITED STATES
Daily Caller

The Catholic League is upset over a Halloween costume featuring a sexually aroused priest and issued a statement asking why the store Spirit Halloween doesn’t sell similar costumes for imams and rabbis.

Spirit Halloween sells the costume, known as “Happy Priest,” alongside a “Thank You Father” costume that shows a pregnant nun.

The League’s Bill Donohue called both the costumes “offensive.”

“Anyone who wants to buy a costume with a rabbi or imam sporting an erection is out of luck — there are none available,” Donohue said in a statement. “There are also no vulgar Jewish or Muslim women costumes available. Just ones for nuns.”

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