ABUSE TRACKER

UNITED KINGDOM
Oxford Mail

A VICAR and former magistrate is on trial accused of sexually assaulting a girl.

Christopher Tadman-Robins, 66, pictured, is accused of touching and kissing the complainant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, when she lived in Oxfordshire.

Ann Evans, prosecuting, told a jury at Luton Crown Court yesterday that the musician and former musical director of the Northern Ballet had touched his victim and warned her not to tell anyone.

The barrister said Tadman-Robins had tried to make the girl “blame herself” for the abuse and sent her letters to “express sorrow for his actions”.

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AUSTRALIA
Sky News

Australia’s Catholic church will consider an overhaul of how it handles clerical sexual abuse claims with plans to appoint independent experts and move away from the pastoral management of victim reparation and child protection standards.

In a recommendation endorsed by church leaders and due to be submitted to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, the church’s advisory body – the Truth, Justice and Healing Council – has suggested the church should hand over responsibility for determining and distributing who is eligible for compensation and how it should be paid.

‘We think that it is time now to look at a distinct separation of the pastoral responsibility and response of a church and its responsibility and contribution to compensation,’ Council CEO Francis Sullivan told ABC Radio on Thursday.

‘This is a new direction based on accountability, transparency and independent oversight.’

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AUSTRALIA
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Canberra & Goulburn

03 October 2013

The Catholic Church is developing a reform agenda, including wide-ranging independent input, as part of an overhaul of its approach to clerical sexual abuse.

Chief executive officer of the Truth Justice and Healing Council Francis Sullivan said the reforms would be presented to Church leaders in the first half of next year and could be put in place late next year.

The reform proposals are outlined in the Truth Justice and Healing Council’s Towards Healing submission to the Royal Commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse.

“These proposals recognise that we must do better when we are dealing with victims of sexual abuse and as we work to make sure our institutions are as safe as possibly for children,” Mr Sullivan said.

The proposals include:

* Appointing independent compensation commissioners to determine payments to victims who go through the victim response process known as Towards Healing. This would separate the pastoral responses in Towards Healing from the determination of financial payments.

* Appointing lay and independent experts to strengthen the Church’s National Committee of Professional Standards.

* Introducing an independent national board to develop and administer national child protection standards. The board would monitor adherence to these standards and publicly report on compliance. It would also provide more rigorous assessment, monitoring, auditing and enforcement of Towards Healing practices.

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VATICAN CITY
The Sun Daily

Posted on 3 October 2013

VATICAN CITY (Oct 3, 2013): Pope Francis on Tuesday accepted the resignation of bishop William Lee whom the Catholic Church in Ireland said was stepping down for health reasons.

The Holy See said Lee was relieved of his functions under paragraph 2 of article 401 of the Code of Canon Law, which covers resignations on health grounds as well as offences linked to the handling of child abuse cases and corruption.

In a story on October 1, AFP erroneously linked Lee’s resignation to his handling of a complaint of child sex abuse made against a priest dating back to 1993.

Sources close to the Vatican said Lee is suffering from cancer.

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AUSTRALIA
Pedestrian TV

The Catholic Church has told the Royal Commission Into Institutional Responses To Child Sexual Abuse that it intends to implement new organisation-wide policies and strategies for dealing with complaints of sexual abuse by priests.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the Catholic Church has put forward a range of policy reforms in a formal submission to the Royal Commission, including agreeing to contribute to “an independent national compensation scheme if that is what the commission investigating child sex abuse in institutions recommends.”

The submission also addresses criticisms of the Catholic Church’s own Towards Healing, the set of principles “form the basis of the Church’s response to complaints of abuse and the procedures to be followed in responding to individual complaints,” which has been accused of being inconsistent in the way it deals with complaints, and that it lacks “transparency, accountability or independence”. The reforms will include the creation of “an independent lay-led board to audit, enforce and report publicly the Towards Healing abuse protocol”.

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VATICAN CITY
National Catholic Reporter

John L. Allen Jr. | Oct. 3, 2013 NCR Today

Rome – Although Pope Francis has earned a reputation for taking on tough questions and shaking up the status quo, so far he’s been relatively quiet on at least one issue that’s arguably done greater harm to the image and morale of the church over the last decade than any other: the child sexual abuse scandals.

Even when the pontiff has had opportunities to express concern, he’s sometimes let them pass by. For instance, there was no meeting with victims of abuse during his July 22-29 trip to Brazil, even though such encounters had become almost a routine feature of papal travel under Benedict XVI.

The activist group BishopAccountability.org recently asserted of Francis, “He has expressed solidarity with nearly every vulnerable population except for those who were sexually abused within the church.”

Neither have there been many substantive developments on the policy front. On July 11, Francis approved a revision to the laws of the Vatican City State adding crimes for sexual abuse of children, child prostitution, and possession of child pornography, but that merely codified changes already announced under Benedict.

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AUSTRALIA
Gulf News

[Submission from the Truth Justice and Healing Council]

AFP
Published: October 3, 2013

Sydney: Australia’s Catholic Church on Thursday unveiled a major reform of the way it handles child sex abuse cases, as it acknowledged it had “betrayed” the public with cover-ups which put itself before victims.

The Church’s Truth, Justice and Healing Council, established in response to Australia’s ongoing royal commission into institutional child sex abuse, released what it described as the “most significant” reforms in its 200-year history to its processes for dealing with claims of clergy abuse of children.

It came as the commission made public one of the Church’s submissions to the inquiry, in which it admitted it was “deeply ashamed” of the extent of clergy sex abuse of children and said many victims “were not believed when they should have been.”

“The church is also ashamed to acknowledge that, in some cases, those in positions of authority concealed or covered up what they knew of the facts; moved perpetrators to another place thereby enabling them to offend again, or failed to report matters to the police when they should have,” the submission said, describing it as “indefensible.”

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COLORADO
Coloradoan

A Fort Collins man connected to Windsor church Iglesia del Dios Vivo has been found guilty of sexual assault on a child, making him the second man in the church’s recent history to face such charges.

Hugo Ornelas, 49, was found guilty in early September by a jury on four counts of sexual assault on a child stemming from his December 2012 arrest.

Ornelas was ordered not to be in contact with anyone under the age of 18. But in June, he was arrested again, this time on misdemeanor charges of violating the terms and conditions of his protection order, after Windsor Police, working with Fort Collins police, found Ornelas interacting with children ages 3 to 8 at the Iglesia del Dios Vivo church.

According to his arrest affidavit, Ornelas told police he thought the protection order didn’t apply to his church.

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ILLINOIS
Chicago Tribune

By Jennifer Delgado
Tribne reporter
8:34 p.m. CDT, October 2, 2013

Seven years ago, the Archdiocese of Chicago removed the popular pastor of a southwest suburban church after he was accused of molesting two brothers.

But Burbank Mayor Harry Klein thought the Rev. Robert Stepek was innocent. So, in 2007, he recommended the priest for a different position of authority: police department counselor, helping victims who sometimes included children. Stepek got the job.

The hiring came at a time of increasing public furor over the church’s handling of molestation allegations and divided many in Burbank.

Klein, like some other parishioners at St. Albert the Great, put his trust in Stepek and defended the decision to hire the priest.

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UNITED STATES
Christian Catholicism

Jerry Slevin

Pope Francis and his Council of Cardinals this week could well paraphrase the ”Veni, Vidi, Vici” of an earlier Roman pontiff, Julius Caesar. Instead, “Venemus, Vidimus, Curia Vicit”, in English, “We came, we saw and the Curia conquered”.

After years of financial and sexual scandals among the Catholic hierarchy and six months’ of propaganda previews, Pope Francis and the “usual suspects” basically preserved the Curia in secret, after some opportunistic tinkering . The “conquered” remain the same, the People of God, especially women and children. Of course, none of these People of God had any real say with respect to the Council of Cardinals.

The titanic Vatican continues to sink, despite the rearranged deck chairs and this new Argentinian paintjob , which didn’t fix the leaks. The papal strategy of ex-Pope Benedict remains intact, along with the time honored papal tactic of saying one thing and doing another.

The strategy is simple. Protect the hierarchy, even criminal ones like Bishop Finn, and their personal assets at all costs, maximize the papal mystique and push docile Catholics to breed more Catholics. These new Catholic rabbits can then fund and staff the future Church and vote for preferred politicians in exchange for continued protection and subsidies for the hierarchy.

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VATICAN CITY
Vatican Insider

The Pope has proposed a strategy for speeding up trials, involving cases being heard in first and second instance courts, by different judges

ANDREA TORNIELLI
VATICAN CITY

The fight against paedophilia and abuse against minors by members of the clergy remains a priority under Francis’ pontificate as it was under Benedict XVI’s. One of the ideas currently being examined for the improvement of the existing system, is to establish national and regional ecclesiastical courts, specialising in these types of cases. This would speed the trial process up.

The idea was discussed during the second part of the Concistory which took place on Monday morning. All cardinals present in Rome attended. After John Paul Ii and John XXIII’s canonization dates were officially announced, Francis consulted the cardinals on the anti-paedophilia regulations currently in place.

Last 6 April, after receiving the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Gerhard Müller, Francis “strongly urged the Congregation to continue the work Benedict XVI had begun against sex abuse and act with determination to combat it.” Francis asked the Congregation above all to “promote measures for the protection of minors, help past victims of sex abuse, take all necessary measures to bring guilty parties to justice and ensure Bishops’ Conferences introduced and implemented all necessary regulations relating to sex abuse. This is so important for the Church’s testimony and credibility.” This is an unmistakable sign that the clampdown on paedophilia in the Church continues.

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IRELAND
Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference

Statement by Bishop Lee on his resignation on health grounds as Bishop of Waterford and Lismore

My dear Priests, Religious and People of the diocese of Waterford and Lismore,

As you are aware in July 2011 I was diagnosed with serious illness and, since diagnosis, I have been under medical care. This has impacted greatly on my health and ministry. Recently the medical advice to me has been that, in the interests of my health, I should retire from the office of Bishop of Waterford and Lismore. Even though I found the time since diagnosis quite demanding, I had hoped that I would be able to continue in office and looked forward to doing so. Now, my doctors have advised otherwise.

Accordingly, I have in the past few weeks submitted my letter of resignation as Bishop of Waterford and Lismore to Pope Francis. The Holy Father has considered my request and graciously accepted my resignation.

It is with reluctance and sadness that I have come to this decision to retire as I have been very happy and blessed amongst you the priests, religious and people of the diocese. It was a great privilege for me to be your Bishop. I have been ministering in that capacity for just over twenty years since I was ordained Bishop on 25 July 1993. It is a long time and you have been very patient with my shortcomings. My years as Bishop have been so fulfilling and, as well, very challenging. Today I recall with gratitude all who have shared in making God’s love present among us – building community, forming the young, safeguarding children, supporting the vulnerable, caring for the elderly, nurturing goodness and hope at every opportunity. I thank you for your dedication and generosity.

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IRELAND
Catholics4Change

OCTOBER 2, 2013 BY SUSAN MATTHEWS

I was contacted today by Martin Long, director of communications at the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference, on behalf on Bishop William Lee. He shared Bishop Lee’s statement which explains his resignation was due to serious health reasons that have recently worsened. Long states that Agence France-Presse Foundation (AFP), which reported the original story, gravely defamed Bishop Lee in their coverage. He goes on to say that AFP acknowledges their mistake and has apologized. They have since removed the story from their Web site.

As a blog, we frequently link to press stories and broadcast reports. When we find that those outlets have pulled their coverage due to inaccuracy, we will follow suit. We have no interest in furthering lies. The laity has had enough of that. There is no shortage of horrible truths to expose.

He goes on to share an independent audit published by the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic in Ireland. Click to read report. The content includes comments such as, “The review team strongly commends Bishop Lee for his personal commitment, leadership and absolute desire to keep children safe.”

According to IrishCentral, Bishop Lee publicly apologized in 2010 after admitting his “response to child abuse allegations in the mid-1990s was ‘seriously inadequate.’” We are happy the audit showed progress in the protection of children.

That’s where I would have liked to have ended this post. But Long continues with another request to “publish an apology to Bishop Lee in a phrasing to be approved in advance by me on his behalf. Your website is available in Ireland on the internet and accordingly your defamatory statements are subject to the laws of Ireland. Bishop Lee has consulted lawyers in relation to this matter. His instruction to me is that he would wish that the continuation of the grave wrong done to him be halted by you immediately in order to avert further damage to his reputation. The effectiveness with which you act will determine his next steps. Your response is demanded before 10.00am (Irish time) tomorrow.

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AUSTRALIA
The Australian

PIA AKERMAN THE AUSTRALIAN OCTOBER 03, 2013

THE Catholic Church has pledged to reform its controversial Towards Healing program for victims of clerical sexual abuse, emphasising greater transparency and independent management of compensation.

The royal commission investigating institutional responses to child sexual abuse has already received numerous submissions from victims’ advocates accusing church representatives of undermining victims and taking a defensive or hostile position in meetings.

In its submission to the inquiry, the church’s Truth, Justice and Healing Council acknowledged some of the problems and said it was developing proposals for greater oversight of its in-house settlement process.

“The church readily accepts that Towards Healing is not a complete, or perfect, solution for what is a complex and very difficult issue, and that it will inevitably have shortcomings from the perspective of some victims,” the council said.

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AUSTRALIA
The Age

October 3, 2013

Barney Zwartz
Religion editor, The Age.

The Catholic Church will create independent strategies for handling clergy sex abuse complaints by the end of next year in response to widespread criticisms, it has told the royal commission.

In its formal submission, to be released on Thursday, the church says it is happy to contribute to an independent national compensation scheme if that is what the commission investigating child sex abuse in institutions recommends.

But that would take years, whereas the church recognises it needs to act immediately to make its response more open, accountable and independent, according to Francis Sullivan, CEO of the Truth, Justice and Healing Council.

“We don’t want the legal mindset to contaminate what should be a pastoral response,” Mr Sullivan told Fairfax Media.

The council was set up by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference and religious orders after the royal commission was announced late last year to co-ordinate the church’s response. It represents 31 Australian dioceses and more than 100 orders.

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AUSTRALIA
9 News

Australia’s Catholic church will consider an overhaul of how it handles clerical sexual abuse claims with plans to appoint independent experts and move away from the pastoral management of victim reparation and child protection standards.

In a recommendation endorsed by church leaders and due to be submitted to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, the church’s advisory body – the Truth, Justice and Healing Council – has suggested the church should hand over responsibility for determining and distributing who is eligible for compensation and how it should be paid.

“We think that it is time now to look at a distinct separation of the pastoral responsibility and response of a church and its responsibility and contribution to compensation,” Council CEO Francis Sullivan told ABC Radio on Thursday.

“This is a new direction based on accountability, transparency and independent oversight.”

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ARGENTINA
BishopAccountability.org – Monitor

[SUBSCRIBE TO OUR MONITOR NEWSLETTER]

– An Argentine court finally sends to prison a priest convicted of child sex abuse in 2009 and defended by the Pope
– This is an opportunity for Pope Francis to be transparent and pastoral
– See our new summary, with translated articles and court documents, of then-Cardinal Bergoglio’s involvement in this controversial case

Dear Friend,

A pedophile priest in Argentina who has stayed free since his criminal conviction four years ago in part because of covert lobbying of judges by the Argentine bishops’ conference, headed by then-Cardinal Bergoglio, finally has started serving his 15-year sentence. This week, an Argentine criminal court ordered Father Julio César Grassi immediately to go to prison for molesting a 13-year-old boy in the late 1990s.

According to news reports, Cardinal Bergoglio, now Pope Francis, led a private campaign to exonerate Grassi and discredit his victims after Grassi was convicted in June 2009. See our analysis of the Grassi case and dossier of articles and documents, which we made public this week.

Bergoglio and GrassiNow, as leader of the Catholic church, Pope Francis has an opportunity to order a full account of child sexual abuse by clerics in Argentina, and the cover-up by Argentine bishops. Six months into his papacy, the Pope has addressed financial corruption but not the corrupt shielding of sex offenders by bishops. He has expressed solidarity with nearly every vulnerable population except for those who were sexually abused within the church.

We are especially troubled that the Pope lobbied for Grassi so recently – in 2009 and 2010, years after the worldwide cover-up scandal broke and bishops in the US and Europe began implementing reforms, and soon after Bergoglio was nearly elected Pope in 2005.

Pope Francis in his America interview was contrite about his management failings as provincial of the Jesuits in Argentina during the dirty war, though he doesn’t mention his Jesuit subordinates, Orlando Yorio and Francisco Jalics, who were arrested, tortured, and released, let alone Mónica María Candelaria Mignone and her friends, who were arrested with the priests, tortured, and murdered. (See also a Google translation into English of the Mignone page.) The Grassi decision is the moment for Pope Francis to use the discernment also discussed in the interview to bring transparency to his time as a high archdiocesan official, archbishop, and cardinal in Buenos Aires. We urge that he order the release of a complete list of all credibly accused clerics with whom he dealt, both as an archdiocesan official and a Jesuit provincial, and that he compel Argentine bishops and religious superiors to publish similar lists, as 26 US bishops and religious superiors have done.

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AUSTRALIA
Telegraph

FRANCIS SULLIVAN THE DAILY TELEGRAPH OCTOBER 03, 2013

THE Daily Telegraph recently reported the case of a Catholic brother jailed for at least three and half years for abusing children at a western Sydney school.

It was the sort of report that is often seen in the pages of most of our newspapers and across other media and which reflects an appalling history of sexual abuse of children within the Catholic Church.

The victims of this type of abuse go through extreme damage and suffering and the impact it can have on their lives is profound.

It is this damage and suffering that is at the centre of the Catholic Church’s Towards Healing victims’ reparation protocol.

For the better part of 20 years the Catholic Church in Australia has used Toward Healing to offer victims of sex abuse by catholic priests, brothers, teachers and others church workers a way to tell their story and to receive pastoral care and reparation.

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UNITED STATES
BishopAccountability.org

Summary of Case: Rev. Alan E. Caparella was ordained a Franciscan priest in 1966. He worked at a high school in the Pittsburgh, PA diocese early in his career, moving to the Boston archdiocese in 1972 where he did parish work and some hospital ministry. He died in March 1991. Caparella was accused of the sexual abuse of a minor in a lawsuit that was settled in May 2013.

Ordained: 1966
Died: March 31, 1991

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KANSAS CITY (MO)
WGEM

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – An attorney for a girl and her parents says a lawsuit involving a western Missouri priest convicted of producing child pornography has reached a tentative settlement.

Rebecca Randles, who has represented dozens of clients who claim to have been abused by Roman Catholic priests, declined Wednesday to discuss terms of the agreement.

The Kansas City Star (http://bit.ly/15JldnV ) reports a spokesman for the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph also declined to comment before a judge approves the deal.

The lawsuit against the Rev. Shawn Ratigan, Bishop Robert Finn and the diocese was scheduled for trial Monday. A hearing on the settlement agreement is set for Oct. 25.

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ARGENTINA
El Civico

[Detailed Summary of Case of Julio César Grassi, Drawn from Media Coverage and Public Reports – BishopAccountability.org]

Buenos Aires.- La defensa de Julio César Grassi, presentó en las últimas horas un recurso extraordinario ante la Corte Suprema de Justicia para que revean la condena del sacerdote a 15 años de prisión por abuso sexual de menores, fallo que ratificó la Suprema Corte bonaerense.

Ante esta decisión, el patrocinante de la defensa de Grassi, Carlos Irisarri, argumentó: “El tribunal de juicio partió de la base de que la palabra del acusador valía más que la palabra del acusado, decapitando así la palabra de éste sin dar ninguna razón crítico-racionalista para tal diferenciación, que, en principio, a falta de otra prueba, sólo podría basarse en razones extraordinarias, mientras que su acusador está en la doble debilidad de ser ‘declarante único’ + ‘interesado en la causa'”.

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ARGENTINA
Terra

[Summary: Priest Julio Cesar Grassi has appealed his 15-year sentence for abusing minors to the Supreme Court.]

El cura Julio César Grassi apeló el fallo de la Suprema Corte Bonaerense que confirmó la pena en su contra de 15 años de prisión por abuso sexual de menores y por la cual fue detenido la semana pasada tras recibir la condena en 2009.

Con un recurso extraordinario, el abogado Carlos Irisarri, patrocinante del sacerdote, pretende llevar el caso a la Corte Suprema de Justicia para que revise la condena a 15 años por “abuso sexual agravado por resultar sacerdote, encargado de la educación y de la guarda del menor víctima, reiterado, dos hechos, en concurso real entre sí, que a su vez concurren formalmente con corrupción de menores agravada”.

“El tribunal de juicio partió de la base de que la palabra del acusador valía más que la palabra del acusado, decapitando así la palabra de éste sin dar ninguna razón crítico-racionalista para tal diferenciación, que, en principio, a falta de otra prueba, sólo podría basarse en razones extraordinarias, mientras que su acusador está en la doble debilidad de ser ‘declarante único’ + ‘interesado en la causa'”, acusó el letrado.

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CHICAGO (IL)
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Wednesday, Oct. 2

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

A “permanently” suspended predator priest will be restored as “a priest in good standing” because Vatican bureaucrats have overruled Chicago church figures and claim that they can’t “find evidence strong enough to merit a judgment that (he) had sexually abused a minor.”

The cleric is Fr. Robert A. Stepek. Cardinal George should put him in a remote, secure treatment center immediately, so that kids will be safer. And every single Catholic church employee and church member – current and former – who saw, suspected or suffered crimes or misdeeds by Fr. Stepek should step forward.

[Catholic New World]

At the same time, however, Vatican officials “also found that Father Stepek had engaged in behaviors inappropriate for a priest.”

Cardinal George promises he’ll keep Fr. Stepek out of ministry. We hope George will honor this pledge. We’re skeptical, however, because we see pledges like this broken by bishops often. And we’re worried because a child molester without a job is still a child molester.

Kids are safer when predators like Fr. Stepek are behind bars. Since Catholic officials recruited, educated, ordained, hired, transferred and protected Fr. Stepek – and continue to pay him now – Catholic officials have a duty to help police and prosecutors go after him.

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KANSAS CITY (MO)
The Kansas City Star

October 2

BY JUDY L. THOMAS
The Kansas City Star

Days before the case was to go to trial, the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese has tentatively settled a second civil lawsuit involving a priest convicted of producing child pornography.

The lawsuit, filed in Jackson County Circuit Court against the diocese, the Rev. Shawn Ratigan and Bishop Robert Finn by a minor girl and her parents, was resolved this week, the attorney for the girl’s family said Wednesday.

It is the third settlement involving allegations of sexual abuse by a priest in five months. The previous cases resulted in settlements totaling nearly $3 million.

“There’s a tentative agreement, but we can’t discuss any of the terms until the court approves the settlement, because a minor is involved,” said Rebecca Randles, the plaintiffs’ attorney.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
Bowling Green Times

Posted on Tuesday, October 1, 2013

A Catholic priest from St. Louis accused of sexual crimes with a minor was granted continuance Monday, just a day before he was slated to be seen in a Pike County courtroom for trial by jury.

Father Xiuhui “Joseph” Jiang, 30, of the Cathedral Basilica in St. Louis, was scheduled for a two-day jury trial to begin Oct. 1. This continuance grant will yet again delay his case, which began over a year ago in Lincoln County.

Jiang was charged in the summer of 2012 with one count of Endangering the Welfare of a Child First Degree – First Offense – Sexual Conduct after he reportedly had inappropriate, sexual relations with a 16-year-old girl on several occasions earlier in the year.

The priest, who was a friend of the victim’s family, is also charged with felony witness tampering after he allegedly admitted his actions and placed a check for $20,000 on the victim’s family car.

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VATICAN CITY
Vatican Insider

Waste and external consulting were among the issues addressed at Francis’ meeting with the eight-member Council of Cardinals. The Pope’s advisor task force also discussed the possibility of nominating a moderator of the Curia

GIACOMO GALEAZZI
VATICAN CITY

Nothing will ever be the same again. Francis has opened the “G8” meetings for the reform of the Curia entrusting them with the mission of freely discussing everything that can help improve the Holy See. The eight cardinals took him by his word, immediately putting innovative proposals on the table to simplify Vatican bureaucracy.

The number one priority is to make the Curia n machine more efficient by cutting costs and positions of power. Ideas currently being discussed are the merging of dicasteries and the nomination of a “moderator curiae” (a moderator of the Curia). There are too many bodies that share the same tasks, particularly in the financial field (Prefecture, APSA, Governorate) and the field of welfare (Pontifical Councils for Justice and Peace, Health and Migrants). Too many external consultants have been hired to oversee the Secretariat of State, the Vatican bank (IOR) and the Holy See’s communications in particular. A spending review is currently being studied to prune the incomes of individuals in certain roles within the ecclesiastical “caste” system. The Curia needs to help spread the faith not act as an obstacle. So career-focused clerics would do well to leave the Holy See and go back to ministering in the parishes. The president of the Vatican bank (IOR), Ernst von Freyberg told Vatican Radio that the bank is ready for an inspection of its management system and embassies with Vatican bank accounts will have to conform to international financial transparency standards. The first “G8” meeting was held in the private library of the papal apartment in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace. The papal apartment has remained vacant since Ratzinger resigned on 28 February.

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NEW JERSEY
Newsworks

Phil Gregory

A group that assists victims of sexual abuse is calling for the resignation of the bishop of the Trenton Catholic Diocese.

The Road to Recovery group claims Bishop David O’Connell waited more than a year to tell the parish of St. Aloysius Church in Jackson that assistant pastor Matthew Riedlinger was removed from his position for exchanging more than 1,000 sexually explicit text messages with someone he thought was a 16-year-old boy.

Parishioners should have been informed immediately, said Robert Hoatson, a former priest and the president of Road to Recovery.

“In 2002, the bishops with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Youth made a pledge that they would be open and transparent about all allegations of sexual abuse,” Hoatson said. “This is another example where they have not been.”

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.

VATICAN CITY
Huffington Post

Religion News Service | By David Gibson
Posted: 10/01/2013

(RNS) Pope Francis has done it again: Just two weeks after the publication of a lengthy, detailed interview in which he expounded on his new vision for the church he has given another interview, this time with the atheist editor of an Italian daily.

Francis had recently written an open letter to Eugenio Scalfari of La Repubblica, and then called the editor up out of the blue — as is his habit. The exchange, Scalfari wrote, went like this:

“Hello, this is Pope Francis.”

“Hello Your Holiness,” I say and then: “I am shocked. I did not expect you to call me.”

“Why so surprised? You wrote me a letter asking to meet me in person. I had the same wish, so I’m calling to fix an appointment. Let me look at my diary: I can’t do Wednesday, nor Monday, would Tuesday suit you?”

“That’s fine,” I answer.

“The time is a little awkward, three in the afternoon, is that OK? Otherwise it’ll have to be another day.”

“Your Holiness, the time is fine.”

“So we agree: Tuesday 24 at 3 o’clock. At Santa Marta. You have to come into the door at the Sant’Uffizio.”

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FLORIDA
Orlando Sentinel

By Jeff Kunerth, Staff writer
1:01 p.m. EDT, October 2, 2013

A lawsuit filed this week against the Catholic Diocese of Orlando alleges that the diocese covered up the sexual abuse of an altar boy by a Catholic priest serving in Sanford.

The lawsuit contends Father William Authenreith sexually molested a 14-year-old altar boy at All Souls Church in Sanford between 1983 and 1984. The suit alleges that the diocese, after learning of the molestation, transferred Authenreith to a parish in Mount Dora, but did nothing to punish the priest.

“Indeed, Father Authenreith climbed the ladder of the Diocese of Orlando’s hierarchy while simultaneously being transferred between and among parishes to prevent parishioners from learning of Father Authenreith’s pattern of abuse,” said the suit filed Monday by Jeff Herman, a Boca Raton attorney who represents sexual abuse victims.

In response, the diocese said it has not yet been served with the lawsuit, but Chancellor for Administration Carol Brinati issued this statement: “We are saddened at the allegation of abuse which occurred more than twenty-five years ago and pray for this person and those who have been victims of acts of abuse by any person. We pray that the healing process may begin for each one of them.”

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COLOMBIA
Aleteia

[Summary: Cardinal Ruben Salazar Gomez, Metropolitan Archbishop of Bogota, has called for people to report cases of clergy sexual abuse to civil authorities. The Catholic Church has a zero tolerance policy on child sexual abuse, he said.]

El cardenal Rubén Salazar Gómez, arzobispo metropolitano de Bogotá, en Colombia, hizo un fuerte llamado a denunciar –no solamente ante los obispos—los casos de abusos sexuales del clero.

“La invitación es a que denuncien cuando sepan de algún caso de estos. Sin denuncias es imposible proceder. Se necesita la denuncia ante las autoridades civiles, que no se contenten con denunciar ante el obispo o la autoridad eclesiástica competente, sino que recurran también a las autoridades civiles”.

Posición muy clara

En declaraciones recogidas por la prensa colombiana durante un foro multisectorial sobre reconciliación nacional, monseñor Salazar Gómez puntualizó: “La posición de la Iglesia frente a los casos de pederastia cometidos por sacerdotes y miembros de la Iglesia es perfectamente clara: tolerancia cero”.

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AUSTRALIA
Group of Concerned Queensland Catholics as submitted to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse

PART 1: INTRODUCTION

1. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse is seeking submissions from all interested parties about the content and operation of the Catholic Church’s Towards Healing process. The authors of this submission come from a variety of walks of life. However, the overwhelming driving force in us making this submission is not our varied skills and life experiences but, rather, our deep concern for the victims of abuse within the Catholic Church (“Church”) and our condemnation of the manner in which the Church treated those victims in the past and continues, under present Church leadership, to treat those victims at the present time.

2. This submission does not dwell on the past treatment of victims as the Church Leadership has publicly acknowledged its failings in the past. We are concerned here with how the Church treats victims of abuse now, and into the future. To this end the Church puts Towards Healing forward as its successful vehicle for providing healing, support and justice to victims of abuse. For example, the Church, through its advisory organisation, the Truth, Justice and Healing Council, recently stated that “Towards Healing is evidence of the Church’s professional approach to the scourge of sex abuse” and also that “ The Towards Healing protocols have radically improved the Church’s handling of sex abuse allegations and its treatment of victims of abuse”. Of course, at its highest levels, the Church
has had to address the sexual abuse of minors by clergy and religious. Whilst in Australia in 2008, Pope Benedict XVI stated, “Victims should receive compassion and care, and those responsible for these evils must be brought to justice”.

3. Accordingly, we are left in no doubt that Towards Healing is the Church’s flagship in regard to the treatment of victims of sex abuse. The Church will be judged, ultimately, if it is established that Towards Healing truly provides compassion, care and justice. To assist the Royal Commission we have set out to examine, in some detail, the content and operation of Towards Healing so that we can express our views on the extent to which this process does give victims compassion, care and justice. Unfortunately, we have concluded that Towards Healing fails on all accounts and we will call upon the Royal Commission to recommend the dismantling of Towards Healing, and in its place,
recommend the creation of a truly independent and transparent body, funded by the Church, to investigate and determine complaints of abuse against the Church.

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AUSTRALIA
Truth Justice and Healing Council as submitted to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse

30 September 2013

Our Commitment

The leaders of the Catholic Church in Australia recognise and acknowledge the devastating harm caused to people by the crime of child sexual abuse. We take this opportunity to state:

1 Sexual abuse of a child by a priest or religious is a crime under Australian law and under canon law.

2 Sexual abuse of a child by any Church personnel, whenever it occurred, was then and is now indefensible.

3 That such abuse has occurred at all, and the extent to which it has occurred, are facts of which the whole Church in Australia is deeply ashamed.

4 The Church fully and unreservedly acknowledges the devastating, deep and ongoing impact of sexual abuse on the lives of the victims and their families.

5 The Church acknowledges that many victims were not believed when they should have been.

6 The Church is also ashamed to acknowledge that, in some cases, those in positions of authority
concealed or covered up what they knew of the facts, moved perpetrators to another place, thereby enabling them to offend again, or failed to report matters to the police when they should have. That behaviour too is indefensible.

7 Too often in the past it is clear some Church leaders gave too high a priority to protecting the
reputation of the Church, its priests, religious and other personnel, over the protection of children and their families, and over compassion and concern for those who suffered at the hands of Church personnel. That too was and is inexcusable.

8 In such ways, Church leaders betrayed the trust of their own people and the expectations of the wider community.

9 For all these things the Church is deeply sorry. It apologises to all those who have been harmed and betrayed. It humbly asks for forgiveness.

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AUSTRALIA
The Age

October 3, 2013

Barney Zwartz
Religion editor, The Age.

Analysis

The Catholic Church in Australia has learnt some sharp lessons, Thursday’s official submission to the royal commission shows.

The church, often described as the world’s last mediaeval monarchy, seems to be coming reluctantly to terms with aspects of 21st century governance, which should not be confused with its unchanging magisterium, the official doctrines. Francis, elected Pope in March, has been promulgating a different attitude, wanting his cardinals to be pastors rather than princes, and the scandal-plagued Vatican bank has just disclosed its annual report for the first time.

This week, Sydney Archbishop George Pell is in Rome as part of the “G8” group of cardinals advising Francis on reforming the Vatican.

Not the least important lesson the Australian church has absorbed was the need to replace Cardinal Pell as its public face on the abuse issue.

Cardinal Pell insists he has been determined in tackling abuse and that his first priority has been the victims.

But those who have come forward have described a different response. After his catastrophic press conference “welcoming” the announcement of the royal commission last November, in which he blamed a “persistent” anti-church “press campaign”, the nation’s bishops moved swiftly to appoint a lay-led council to represent the church to the commission, and to the faithful and the public.

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GALLUP (NM)
Voice of the Southwest – Roman Catholic Diocese of Gallup

Chapter 11 Reorganization: Questions and Answers

Please note: we will be posting further updates as we receive more information.

To contact Fr. Tim Farrell, media liaison for the Diocese of Gallup, please use the following:
Email: fathertim@qwestoffice.net Telephone: (505)325-9743, ext. 2

The following is Bishop James S. Wall’s letter to all the people of the Diocese of Gallup that was read at all Masses this past weekend:

August 29, 2013

To the Clergy, Religious, and Laity of the Diocese of Gallup,

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ Jesus:

First, I would like to thank all of you for your support of the Diocese of Gallup. Since becoming the Bishop of Gallup, I have worked to seek ways to bring healing to those who were harmed by sexual abuse. Unfortunately, since becoming Bishop, the number of claims has continued to increase. These claims relate to events that occurred decades ago. While some of the claims relate to times when the Diocese had some insurance, many relate to times when the Diocese does not appear to have had insurance or the insurance is limited and not likely to cover the damages for which the Diocese might be found liable.

Since taking over as Bishop, I have tried to resolve these claims outside of litigation, unfortunately with limited success. I have also explored the alternatives available to the Diocese which would allow us to treat all of those who have been harmed by workers of the Church in a just, equitable and merciful manner while at the same time being able to continue the mission of the Diocese to bring the Good News of Jesus to all the people within the Diocese and to help those who are hurting and broken to find hope through the charitable work of the Church.

After considering all of the options and after consulting with advisors inside and outside the Diocese, I have determined that filing a petition for Chapter 11 Reorganization for the Diocese of Gallup is the most effective and thoughtful course to take in light of the claims from those who were harmed.

The filing of this petition will begin the process of financial reorganization that is provided under Chapter 11 of the federal bankruptcy code. Under Chapter 11, the Diocese will have the opportunity to present a plan of reorganization that provides for a fair and equitable way to compensate all those who suffered sexual abuse as children by workers of the Church in our Diocese – those who are currently known, those who haven’t yet made the decision to come forward, and those who might come forward in the future.

Chapter 11 will provide for an orderly process by which those who have been harmed can make a claim, and for the Diocese to propose and confirm a plan that will compensate those who were harmed while, at the same time, continue its ministry and mission now and into the future.

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GALLUP (NM)
Gallup Independent

Published in the Gallup Independent, Gallup, NM, Sept. 30, 2013:

By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Independent correspondent

GALLUP — The Diocese of Gallup published a series of questions and answers on its website Thursday concerning its announced plan to file for Chapter 11 reorganization in federal bankruptcy court.

According to the information posted, Gallup Catholic School will be the only school in the diocese to be part of the Chapter 11 filing. How that will affect the school, which recently shuttered its high school, was not explained. The diocese continues to emphasize that a number of the sex abuse claims reach back 40 or 50 years ago. However, according to the Official Catholic Directory, many of Gallup’s publicly accused abusive priests also worked in the diocese throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, and a number are still living.

Here is what the diocese published:

The Diocese of Gallup has determined that it will file for Chapter 11 reorganization. As many of you know, unfortunately, there are priests and other workers in the Diocese who took advantage of their positions of trust and sexually abused children. As a result, a number of claims have been made against the Diocese for the harm that was caused 40 or 50 years ago. As you also know, the Diocese provides critical services to the Catholic faithful and others in need regardless of their faith and it is important that the Diocese is able to carry on its mission and ministry while at the same time dealing equitably and mercifully with those who have been harmed. The Diocese believes the best way to accomplish these goals is through the filing of the Chapter 11. Below are a list of questions and answers that the Diocese hopes will assist you in understanding the process better and the reasons for the Diocese making this very difficult decision.

Q: What does Chapter 11 or reorganization mean? Doesn’t that really mean bankruptcy?

A: Reorganization is exactly what the name signals. While it is a case that will be filed in the United States Bankruptcy Court, it is a proceeding that allows the Diocese to equitably resolve the claims of those who were harmed by those few workers in the Church who took advantage of their positions and committed acts of sexual abuse. Reorganization allows the Diocese to continue to serve parishioners and members of our community, while at the same time provide ongoing services to the claimants. Reorganization will allow the Diocese to present a plan that pays all the claimants who have been sexually abused on an equitable basis within the limited financial resources of the Diocese. What this means is that anyone with a claim of sexual abuse that is recognized by the court will share in a fund on some type of equitable basis. On the other hand, if these claims are determined through the normal litigation process, it is a race to the courthouse and to collect and when the assets of the Diocese are exhausted (which they will be with the first judgment), there is nothing left for any other claimants. Reorganization also allows the Diocese to address the claims of those who have already come forward, those who were harmed but have not yet come forward and those who may come forward in the future.

Q: Why is the Diocese filing Chapter 11?

A: The Diocese fully realizes its responsibility to heal the hurt of those who were abused. The Diocese also realizes its responsibility to continue the mission that we believe we have received from Jesus Christ: to provide spiritual care, to educate children in the faith, to feed, clothe, and shelter the needy, and to advocate for the least among us. We believe that continuing this mission is essential to our communities and is an expression of our very being as Catholics. Given the financial circumstances of the Diocese, the Diocese has come to the conclusion that the only fair, equitable and merciful way to balance these obligations is by filing a Chapter 11 Reorganization.

Q: Has a Diocese ever filed for reorganization before?

A: Yes. The first Diocese to file was the Archdiocese of Portland in 2004. Since then there have been at least 6 other Dioceses that have filed for reorganization.

Q: Where will the case be filed?

A: The Chapter 11 will be filed in Albuquerque, New Mexico which is where the Bankruptcy Court for New Mexico is located.

Q: How long will the process take?

A: At this early stage there is really no way to tell. A lot will depend on whether all interested parties are able to negotiate a resolution and agree on a plan. If there are a lot of objections to the Diocese’s proposals, the process will likely take longer and be more expensive.

Q: When will the Diocese file its plan?

A: At this point the Diocese does not have an exact date. It is hopeful that when the Chapter 11 is filed, all parties will come together quickly and agree on the terms of a plan. It is the desire of the Diocese to move the process along as quickly as possible while at the same time trying to have a negotiated plan that is acceptable to everyone.

Q: Even though the Diocese does not know exactly what the plan will look like at this point, what is the Diocese hoping to accomplish through this?

A: The Diocese wants to achieve a solution to the increasing number of claims that involves a fair and equitable process for all the claimants. Also, it is important that the Diocese continue to provide other services and healing to those who were harmed as well as be able to carry on the mission of the Church in the Diocese. The Chapter 11 process will allow for that and allow for future claimants to be assured that these services and compensation are available to them as well.

Q: Are the Parishes and Schools part of the filing?

A: No, the Parishes are not part of the filing. The only school that is part of the filing is Gallup Catholic School which is part of the Diocese. The other Catholic schools are either part of a Parish or are not part of the Diocese.

Q: How can we continue to be informed about the Chapter 11?

A: It is our intent to update the website on a regular basis and provide copies of important pleadings on the website. We will also periodically update this Q&A. If you have any questions, you can contact Suzanne Hammons at media@dioceseofgallup.org

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NEW YORK
New York Daily News

BY DANIEL BEEKMAN / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

New and shocking allegations are still emerging in the $680 million sexual and physical abuse lawsuit brought against Yeshiva University by former students.

In court papers Monday, a lawyer for the 34 plaintiffs wrote that he received calls on Aug. 15 and Sept. 2 from two former students, who are not yet plaintiffs, with appalling stories.

The first caller claimed that in the mid-1980s, staffer George Finkelstein “constantly” used a “master key” to enter dorm rooms at the Yeshiva high school to accost students.

Finkelstein is accused in the suit of abusing students, but the key allegation is new.

The second caller claimed that around 1955, he was attacked by staffer Macy Gordon, who attempted for about 15 minutes to give the student a “mishey” — pinning a boy down and rubbing toothpaste over his genitals.

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NEW YORK
New York Post

By Rich Calder
October 1, 2013

Already facing a $380 million sex-abuse lawsuit brought by 34 former students of its prestigious all-boys high school, Yeshiva University on Monday was hit with two more such allegations — one dating back nearly 60 years.

Kevin Mulhearn, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, filed papers in Manhattan federal court saying that he recently had received phone calls from two other former students, who are not yet part of the lawsuit but who offered their own horror stories.

One claims that in 1955, Rabbi Macy Gordon tried for 15 minutes to give him a “mishey” — a term for pinning a boy down and rubbing toothpaste on his penis.

Gordon in the suit is accused of sodomizing one victim with a toothbrush during a 1980 attack in a school dorm room.

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CALIFORNIA
The Worthy Adversary

Posted by Joelle Casteix on October 2, 2013

Here is the latest on SB 131:

Governor Brown has until October 13 (a previous blog post said October 10) to sign the bill, veto the bill, or do nothing.

If he signs the bill or does nothing, SB 131 becomes law. As written, the law would go into effect on January 1, 2014.

If Brown vetoes the bill, SB 131 is dead.

What is the difference between signing the bill and doing nothing? Think of the bill like it’s your 40th birthday. Signing the bill is throwing yourself a 40th birthday party. You invite all of your friends, laugh, take photos and have a great time. If you do nothing, you turn 40 anyway. Quietly. Hoping that no one notices.

A veto is another story. In that case, the bill is dead and victims lose the right to use the civil court system for justice.

There is still time to write Brown and tell him to support SB 131. Click here to write him right now, and tell all of your friends.

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NEW JERSEY
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

POSTED BY DAVID CLOHESSY ON OCTOBER 02, 2013

I’m not talking about the outrageous Fr. Michael Fugee case in Newark. I’m talking about these recent cases, all of which have surfaced in less than one month:

— Fr. Matthew Riedlinger, who was exposed Sunday as having sent 1,200 inappropriate sexual text messages to what he thought was a teenaged boy and had sexually harassed at least five teenagers and young men, some of whom were seminarians. (For months, Trenton Bishop David O’Connell has kept this hidden.)

— Fr. Kevin Keelan, who said in a church bulletin that “blabbing” was a sin and that they were not entitled to more information about Fr. Riedlinger.

[NJ.com]

— Fr. Vincent Inghilterra, against whom at least one child sex abuse case has settled. (For at least three months, Trenton Bishop O’Connell has kept silent about these accusations).

— Fr. Victor Phelan, whose status as a credibly accused child molesting cleric was hidden for months. (Newark’s Archbishop Myers has said nothing about them, even though a settlement was paid to at least one victim.)

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POLSKA
Newsweek

Wśród biedy, z dala od ludzi, w piekielnym tropiku łatwo uwierzyć, że jest się poza dobrem i złem. Jako wysłannik Kościoła i postępu możesz być jak bóg.

Turyści tu nie przychodzą. Deptak Malecon zaczyna się hen na zachodzie Santo Domingo i ciągnie wzdłuż brzegu morza aż do portu. Palmy, szum samochodów, upał. Przed portem, gdzie deptak się zwęża, stoi pomnik księdza Antonia Montesinosa, obrońcy praw Indian. Krajobraz: zmęczony facet z wózkiem pełnym kokosów, dwa burdele, dwa bary z widokiem na morze.

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DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Dominican Today

Santo Domingo.- Dominican Republic’s top prosecutor on Wednesday said the formal process of the case against Polish priest Wojciech Gil are being completed, in reference to charges of sexually abusing several minors during his work for the Catholic Church in the country.

Francisco Domínguez referred to the announcement by Polish police that it knows Gil’s whereabouts, but didn’t apprehend him because Dominican authorities had ye to request it.

“After the capture and arrest warrants were issued, we are now completing the formal process, following procedures,” said Dominguez on Twitter, adding that a team of prosecutors is working the case.

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BELGIQUE
DH

Trente-neuf victimes présumées voulaient lancer une action collective mais seule la plainte d’une victime présumée a été déclarée recevable.

Une plainte contre les évêques belges et le Saint-Siège déposée par des victimes présumées d’abus sexuels a été déclarée nulle mardi par le tribunal de première instance de Gand.

Trente-neuf victimes présumées voulaient lancer une action collective mais seule la plainte d’une victime présumée a été déclarée recevable. Le bureau d’avocats qui représente les victimes d’abus sexuels au sein de l’Eglise avait pour objectif, via cette action, de faire reconnaître la responsabilité du Saint-Siège et des évêques belges.

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BELGIE
VTM Nieuws

De groepsklacht van een veertigtal slachtoffers van seksueel misbruik in de Kerk, zal zonder gevolg blijven. De dagvaarding van de Heilige Stoel en de Belgische bisschoppen is namelijk nietig verklaard. De rechtbank van eerste aanleg in Gent heeft dat dinsdag beslist.

Met de groepsklacht wilden de slachtoffers niet zozeer de feiten zelf aanklagen –die zijn trouwens ook verjaard – maar wel de verantwoordelijkheid van de kerkelijke overheid. Die zouden een onvoorzichtig beleid hebben gevoerd, en daardoor de slachtoffers in de kou hebben laten staan.

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BELGIE
KerkNet

BRUSSEL (KerkNet/DS/Belga) – De rechtbank van eerste aanleg in Gent heeft een gezamenlijke vordering door een groep slachtoffers van seksueel misbruik tegen de internationale en nationale leiding van de katholieke Kerk over de hele lijn afgewezen.

Een veertigtal slachtoffers van seksueel misbruik in een pastorale relatie stapte in groep naar de rechtbank en diende via een advocatenkantoor een gezamenlijke klacht in tegen de kerkleiding – de Heilige Stoel (Vaticaan) en de Belgische bisschoppen en hogere oversten – wegens schuldig verzuim. Zij verwijten de kerkleiding ‘onzorgvuldig beleid’, waardoor slachtoffers decennia in de kou bleven staan. ‘Class action’ is een in de Verenigde Staten, maar (nog) niet in ons land bestaand rechtssysteem waarbij meerdere klachten over hetzelfde onderwerp gebundeld worden en gezamenlijk voor de rechter worden gebracht.

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BELGIE
De Telegraaf

GENT –
Een vordering van een groep Belgische slachtoffers van seksueel misbruik tegen de Heilige Stoel en de Belgische bisschoppen is afgewezen. De klagers vroegen per persoon 10.000 euro schadevergoeding omdat de Rooms-Katholieke Kerk de misstanden in de doofpot zou hebben gestopt.

Een rechtbank in Gent verklaarde dinsdag de dagvaarding tegen het Vaticaan en de geestelijken nietig. De rechtbank wees onder meer op de immuniteit van de Heilige Stoel. Ongeveer 40 slachtoffers hadden gezamenlijk geprobeerd actie te ondernemen.

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BELGIE
De Standaard

De katholieke Kerk is niet aansprakelijk voor de ‘doofpotschade’ die de slachtoffers van seksueel misbruik hebben geleden. Dat heeft de Gentse rechtbank vandaag beslist. Verscheidene 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. Ze eisten 1 miljoen euro schadevergoeding voor die ‘doofpotschade’. De Gentse rechtbank sprak de Kerk echter vrij. De rechter volgde de verdediging van de Kerk dat de Heilige Stoel niet vervolgd kan worden omdat die soevereine immuniteit geniet. De slachtoffers nemen daarmee geen genoegen en zien nog mogelijkheden.

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BELGIE
Nieuwsblad

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

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

De Gentse rechtbank sprak de kerk vandaag over de hele lijn vrij in een drievoudig vonnis. Het hof volgde de verdediging van de kerk dat de Heilige Stoel niet kan vervolgd worden omdat die soevereine immuniteit geniet.

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BELGIE
De Standaard

De beslissing van de rechtbank van eerste aanleg in Gent om de dagvaarding van de Heilige Stoel en de Belgische bisschoppen door slachtoffers van seksueel misbruik af te wijzen, is ‘slechts een tussenstadium’. Dat zegt Christine Mussche, de advocaat van de 39 slachtoffers. ‘We hebben nog niets gehoord over de morele verantwoordelijkheid van de verweerders, die zich enkel op basis van procedurele elementen verdedigd hebben.’

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BELGIE
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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BELGIE
De Redactie

Een groep slachtoffers van seksueel misbruik in de kerk krijgt geen schadevergoeding. De groep vroeg een miljoen euro schadevergoeding omdat de kerk zaken van seksueel misbruik in de doofpot had gestopt.

De bedoeling van de klacht was om de aansprakelijkheid van de Heilige Stoel, de Belgische bisschoppen en de hogere oversten te laten vaststellen. De 39 slachtoffers hebben van de rechter echter over de hele lijn ongelijk gekregen. Zo kan de Heilige Stoel volgens de rechter niet vanuit België worden veroordeeld, omdat dat een buitenlandse regering is.

Daarnaast hadden de slachtoffers één klacht ingediend in naam van de hele groep, maar ook dat kan niet volgens de rechtbank. De slachtoffers hadden allemaal apart een vordering moeten indienen. Doordat dit niet gebeurd is, bleef er maar één klacht meer over. De rechter heeft ook die klacht onontvankelijk verklaard, omdat de klacht niet concreet vermeld zou hebben wat de concrete fout van de bisschoppen geweest is.

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This summary is provided by Lieve Halsberghe

– The court has decided that the Holy See cannot be sued because as a state it has immunity

– The complaint of the group of victims, represented by Roel Verschueren, is not accepted. Each individual should make their own individual complaint.

– They have studied the complaint of Roel, but found that he did not give enough evidence as to what happened to him, by whom, who was informed, etc.

– By some rare legal technique, the court has also said that Roel did not give enough evidence regarding the alleged cover-up and negligence by the RCC although there are many documents and a public confession of the bishops.

– There still is possibility for an appeal which is likely to happen.

– This is not seen as a defeat by the survivors, but is a first step of many in the long process of trying to hold the bishops accountable.

– The criminal case against the church called “Operation Chalice” – the investigation that started after the raid of the archdiocese – is still ongoing. Should anyone be found guilty of guilty negligence (and with the amount of evidence it would be highly suspicious if that did not happen), then a civil suit of the victims will have more chances for success. However, at the rate the investigation is going the judge who started the investigation, Wim De Troy, has been replaced by Judge Callewaert and there is question whether he wants to take the case further. The police inspector who headed the investigation has changed jobs.

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BELGIE
Knack

Het in Gent uitgesproken vonnis over de schadeclaims tegen de Heilige Stoel en de bisschoppen valt uiteen in drie hoofdstukken met een verschillend resultaat. Maar er komt alvast een tweede ronde.

Samengevat: het Vaticaan zit op een veilige stoel, en de Belgische bisschoppen ontspringen voorlopig de dans in verband met de dagvaarding van Roel Verschueren. Dat is echter maar een tussenstand. Daarenboven volstaat het de 38 andere eisers om elk 100 euro op te hoesten (het verleden jaar verhoogde ‘rolrecht’) om hun aanspraken beoordeeld te zien. Die nieuwe afspraak in de enkel “opgeschorte” procedure kan dus snel volgen.

De Heilige Stoel lijkt nog een veilige stoel

Het lijkt er op dat er in Vaticaanstad op beide oren kan geslapen worden, volgens dat Gentse vonnis in eerste aanleg althans. De zgn. ‘Heilige Stoel’ is het bestuur, dus de “regering” van zowel Vaticaanstad als de Rooms-Katholieke kerk. Vaticaanstad wordt door België erkend als “vreemde mogendheid”. “Hoeveel divisies heeft de paus ?” zou Stalin in 1945 bij het begin van de Yalta-conferentie gespot hebben. Dat was nu net het prototype voor de onderschatting van de invloed van de Kerk natuurlijk.

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ARGENTINA
La Voz

[Summary: Priest Justo Jose Illarraz, accused to sexual abuse at the Parana minor seminary, asked the judge for permission to leave the country. Plaintiff attorney Marcelo Baridon argued against allowing him to leave. Illarraz has enough money to move permanently from the country and could flee justice, he said. The priest is accused of more than 50 cases of sexual abuse against minors between 1984 and 1992 when he was responsible for the Parana minor seminary.]

Fecha: 02/10/2013

– El sacerdote Justo José Ilarraz, acusado por abusos sexuales en el Seminario Menor de Paraná, solicitó al juez Alejandro Grippo un permiso para salir del país

El magistrado había hecho lugar a una medida de “interdicción” (prohibición para salir del país), solicitada por la querella apenas comenzada la investigación judicial, de ahí la necesidad del cura de solicitar autorización para viajar al exterior.

Ilarraz tiene doble nacionalidad argentino-española y, según el abogado querellante Marcelo Baridón, “se han acreditado por la Dirección Nacional de Migraciones frondosos antecedentes en materia de salidas del país por parte del cura” y precisó que ha realizado viajes a Italia y Brasil. Baridón consideró que “se debe mantener la prohibición de salir del país, ya que Ilarraz no fundamenta la razón por la que quiere viajar, solamente pide que se levante la interdicción, aunque no acredita ninguna necesidad de viaje” y advirtió que “Ilarraz es una persona que tiene la capacidad económica suficiente como para moverse en el extranjero”, dando a entender que en caso de ser autorizado a viajar podría profugarse y eludir la acción de la Justicia.

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NEW YORK
Frum Follies

Posted on 09/30/2013 by Yerachmiel Lopin

Back in July, (along with Shmarya Rosenberg) I reported that Rabbi Norman Lamm suffered from serious dementia. This has now been confirmed according to the NY Post.

After administering a battery of tests conducted over a period of nearly five hours, Dr. Caccopolo determined [in her written report] that ‘the pattern of Dr. Lamm’s cognitive impairment impedes his ability to independently comprehend and adequately respond to questions posed to him, as well to reliably retrieve and report past information.

I hate belaboring this point, but we are dealing with severe mental incompetence. An ordinary janitor is fit for court testimony but is lucky to earn more than $25,000 a year. Yet YU retained Rabbi Lamm as Chancellor and Rosh Yeshiva and paid him over $500,000 a year. These sort of salaries are shocking to most people but we are told that this is the market rate for exceptional talent. So how the hell could YU retain Rabbi Lamm in that position when he was no longer able to function in a court room at the level of an ordinary janitor?

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UNITED STATES
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

[Click here for the story.]

For immediate release: Tuesday, Oct. 1

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

It’s official – on April 27, Pope John Paul II becomes a saint.

And it’s hurtful.

It sends precisely the most harmful signal to Catholic employees across the globe – that no matter how much you endanger kids, you’ll be honored by and in the church.

It rubs even more salt into the still-fresh and already-deep wounds of millions of betrayed Catholics and thousands of suffering victims.

Under him, the US bishops’ grudging, belated and weak abuse policy was delayed and further weakened allowing predators to remain in ministry and offering no consequences to those that enabled and shielded them.

Under him, repeated warnings and reports about child sex crimes and misdeeds by the Legion of Christ founder Father Marcel Maciel were repeatedly ignored, keeping children needlessly at risk.

At a bare minimum, Pope Francis should put this canonization on hold, giving victims, witnesses and whistleblowers more time to reveal the truth about Pope John Paul II’s papacy.

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VATICAN CITY
National Catholic Reporter

Joshua J. McElwee John L. Allen Jr. | Oct. 2, 2013

VATICAN CITY
Pope Francis’ first meeting with eight cardinals advising him on reforming the church saw the group take up a wide range of themes, including reform of the Vatican bureaucracy and the role of the laity, the Vatican said Wednesday.

The group also talked about preparing a study to improve the church’s pastoral work with families, said Vatican spokesman Jesuit Fr. Federico Lombardi.

The spokesman made available some details of the group’s meetings at a press briefing Wednesday. But Lombardi said observers should not expect too much more information about the sessions, saying they are a “council for the pope’s governance.”

The meetings are not meant to generate documents for review by the faithful, Lombardi said. The pope will communicate any decisions made as a result of the cardinals’ advice personally, he said.

“We have to liberate ourselves from the expectation of [having] documents or decisions from this council,” Lombardi said. “The fruits are in good decisions of the pope, borne in knowledge of the needs of the universal church, form the cardinals and from others the pope may consult.”

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VATICAN CITY
Vatican Information Service

Vatican City, 2 October 2013 (VIS) – In a press conference held in the Holy See Press Office this morning, director Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., gave information on the meeting of the Council of Cardinals, taking place in the Vatican from 1 to 3 October.

The members of the Council, before the beginning of the meeting, concelebrate with the Pope the morning Holy Mass in the Santa Marta chapel, said Fr. Lombardi. Following the first meeting yesterday morning in the third loggia of the papal apartment, they decided to continue the meetings in the Santa Marta guesthouse, where they all currently reside. The meetings will take place in a small room, not far from the Chapel, for logistic reasons, ensuring that the members do not need to transfer to the apostolic palace. The meetings follow an intense schedule: from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Pope Francis will participate in the morning and evening sessions on Tuesday. Today he was not present due to the general Audience, but he will be present this afternoon and tomorrow.

The Pope emphasised the significance of the chirograph by which he instituted the Council of Cardinals, “a document that gives this group juridical status, stability and continuity and which makes the Council a more consistent tool, especially from a juridical point of view”. He also specified that the members are not “continental delegates”, but rather members of the episcopal college who are also cardinals, who have rich pastoral experience, and who come from large dioceses. The Holy Father chose them for this reason, but they are not delegates of the episcopates of various parts of the world.

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VATICAN CITY
Spear’s

Alex Matchett, Wednesday, 2nd October 2013

The Vatican is set to reform its bank by closing all its accounts in its foreign embassies.

After Vatican missions in Indonesia, Iran and Iraq made withdrawals from the accounts of up to €500,000 at a time under disconcertingly vague pretences such as ‘personnel’ and ‘refurbishment’, a Vatican watchdog has suggesting closing all such accounts.

It’s good news for the religious to see God taking an interest in fiscal prudence. The need for better banking standards now has a whole new mandate: that of the kingdom of heaven. For those less pious it’s refreshing to see one of the world’s most arcane institutions making a stand against a less than glorious history of secretive banking.

The Institute for Religious Works, as the bank is known, holds about €7.1 billion in assets under its management and has previously been beset by controversy. As Reuters reported earlier this year, Ernst von Freyberg, a German lawyer hired in February to run the IOR, told colleagues that embassy accounts were potentially dangerous, and that he wanted to close them. The Vatican secretariat stepped in and quashed the investigation for fear of damaging diplomatic relations.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
Riverfront Times

By Danny Wicentowski Mon., Sep. 30 2013

A former St. Louis priest was sentenced Thursday to four years probation on charges related an inappropriate relationship with a sixteen-year-old altar boy.

Though acquitted of outright sexual abuse in July, Fr. Robert Charles Manning was convicted on two charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor stemming from evidence that he had given a Colorado teenager liquor and marijuana in 2011. Manning apparently also accompanied the boy to get his nipples pierced and put his own signature on a parental consent form.

If four years of probation sounds light, that’s because it is: Manning, 78, is in deteriorating health and relied on a wheelchair and oxygen tank to make it through his own trial. The Colorado Springs Gazette reports that the judge did consider sending the elderly priest to prison but chose not to since Manning would almost certainly end up serving his time in a hospital.

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CHICAGO (IL)
Catholic New World – Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago

Sept. 15

After the archdiocesan review of the allegations against Father Stepek had been completed, the Holy See directed that the case be sent to a canonical court. Upon completion of two lengthy canonical trials, the court was unable to find evidence strong enough to merit a judgment that Father Stepek had sexually abused a minor. Father Stepek is therefore a priest in good canonical standing in the Church.

In the course of the investigations for the trials, however, the court also found that Father Stepek had engaged in behaviors inappropriate for a priest. Father Stepek therefore will not have a ministerial assignment, and his faculties to minister are restricted.

Father Stepek has requested to retire from active ministry for health and family reasons, and Cardinal George has granted him early retirement.

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DOMINICAN REPUBLIC/Poland
Dominican Today

WARSAW, Poland – Polish police said Wednesday they have located a catholic priest Wojciech Gil (Padre Alberto) sought by Interpol on suspicion he sexually abused children in the Dominican Republic, Associated Press reports.

The prelate native of Poland was found in a location near the southern city of Krakow, police spokeswoman Katrzyna Cislo told The Associated Press. He was not detained because Interpol only asked to locate him. Gil, 36, was instructed to notify police of any change of location.

Cislo said that to arrest him, the police would need a request from Dominican investigators. Poland does not have an extradition treaty with the Dominican Republic.

A spokesman for Polish prosecutors said they are also investigating whether Gil committed any wrongdoing in Poland.

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UNITED STATES
Silent Lambs

Religion Newswriters Association recently held their annual conference in Austin TX. Silentlambs was invited to make a presentation on the abuse issue regarding other religions beyond the Catholic Church. Laurie Goodstein is the Religion News reporter for the New York Times also wrote one of the first major stories on Jehovah’s Witnesses and abuse. The article represented a major credibility for abuse survivors with proving there was a major problem of covering up abuse within the Watchtower organization. You can read the article at this link, NYT Article . The story ran in August of 2002 shortly after Dateline and the BBC Panorama and right before the Silentlambs March that was part of the Fifth Estate Canada . You can watch the video of all these programs and more at this link, Silentlambs Multimedia. …

My comments were as follows:

I was an active member of Jehovah’s Witnesses for forty three years, attended Seminary at the home office New York and then as an elder for fifteen years. In the year 2000 I discovered that a fellow elder was a confessed child molester. After a year of trying to have him reported to police, when I discovered new allegations, I was told to leave it in God’s hands. I resigned as an elder, in 2001 I founded the organization Silentlambs to help victims have a voice and educate the public on the cover up of child abuse. I have worked with the legal system for the last thirteen years as an expert on Jehovah’s Witnesses and high control religions. In addition, we have assisted in twenty five documentaries that have aired in fifteen different countries on Jehovah’s Witnesses and the cover up of abuse. This includes Dateline, Fifth Estate, Panorama, along with numerous print and audio media. We have been contacted by over 7,000 victims of abuse for healing and assistance.

When I was asked to speak at this conference I remember a time when I was somewhat skeptical. You see religion writers cover religion, they like religion and would be on their side. Yet it has been proven to me time and time again that you are unbiased and go to where the truth leads you.

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IRELAND
The Journal

POPE FRANCIS HAS accepted the resignation of an Irish bishop who said he was stepping down for poor health, three years after he had admitted to protecting a priest accused of child abuse.

The Holy See said in a brief statement that Lee was relieved of his functions under paragraph 2 of article 401 of the Code of Canon Law, which covers both serious offenses such as paedophilia and corruption, and resignations on health grounds.

William Lee, the bishop of Waterford and Lismore, said he had resigned on health grounds, making no mention of the abuse allegations.

“As you are aware in July 2011 I was diagnosed with serious illness and, since diagnosis, I have been under medical care,” he said.

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MILWAUKEE (WI)
The New York Times

By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
Published: October 1, 2013

A federal judge has refused to recuse himself from a case in which he ruled in favor of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee in bankruptcy proceedings, and against creditors, who include hundreds of sexual abuse victims. Judge Rudolph T. Randa denied the creditors’ motion suggesting that he had a conflict of interest because his family members are buried in archdiocesan cemeteries. Judge Randa had ruled in late July that the archdiocese did not have to turn over millions of dollars in its cemetery trust fund to the abuse victims and other creditors, because it would “substantially burden” the church’s free exercise of religion. In denying the recusal motion on Tuesday, Judge Randa wrote that the care and maintenance of his parents’ burial crypts will not be substantially affected by his decision.

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MILWAUKEE (WI)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel

U.S. District Judge Rudolph T. Randa on Tuesday refused to recuse himself from a lawsuit involving the Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s cemetery trust, calling the motion requesting that he do so a waste of time and judicial resources.

“The Seventh Circuit, if not the Supreme Court, will be the final word on the issues raised by the Cemetery Trust litigation,” Randa said in the order explaining is decision. “The last thing this case needs is another decision by another lower court federal judge before it reaches the Seventh Circuit.”

Randa’s decision, in a lawsuit related to the Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s bankruptcy, is in some ways moot. The case has already been sent to the Seventh Circuit for review.

At issue in the lawsuit is whether $50 million or more held by the archdiocese in the cemetery trust can be used to fund settlements with sex abuse victims who have filed claims in the archdiocese’s bankruptcy.

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POLONIA/REPUBLICA DOMINICANA
ABC (Espana)

La policía polaca anunció hoy que ha localizado al sacerdote polaco Wojciech Gil, sospechoso de haber abusado de menores en la República Dominicana y desaparecido desde que su caso se difundió el pasado mayo.

Gil, buscado por Interpol, es sospechoso de haber abusado de al menos tres adolescentes en la República Dominicana, donde estuvo al frente de la parroquia de Juncalito durante los últimos ocho años.

El portavoz de la policía polaca, Mariusz Sokolowski, explicó que Gil se había refugiado con sus padres en Modlica, un pueblo del sur de Polonia, y no ha sido detenido porque Interpol sólo quería conocer su paradero y por ahora no ha pedido su arresto.

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POLONIA/REPUBLICA DOMINICANA
El Nuevo Herald

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

VARSOVIA, Polonia — La policía polaca ubicó a un sacerdote a quien la Interpol buscaba por sospecha de abuso sexual infantil en República Dominicana.

La portavoz policial Katrzyna Cislo dijo el miércoles a The Associated Press que el reverendo polaco Wojciech Gil fue hallado en un lugar cerca de la sureña ciudad de Cracovia. No fue detenido porque la Interpol sólo pidió que lo ubicaran. Se ordenó a Gil que informara a la policía de cualquier cambio en su lugar de residencia. Cislo explicó que para arrestarlo la policía necesitaba una solicitud de los investigadores dominicanos.

Polonia no tiene acuerdo de extradición con República Dominicana.

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COLOMBIA
El Heraldo

[Summary: The Congressional ethics commission will investigate Jaime Alonso Vasquez, former priest and current House member, for alleged sexual abuse of a minor when he was a priest,]

La Comisión de Ética del Congreso de la República investigará al representante a la Cámara y sacerdote, Jaime Alonso Vásquez, por un supuesto abuso sexual, durante 16 años, a un menor de edad, anunció el presidente de la Cámara, Hernán Penagos.

El directivo de la Cámara baja del Legislativo, aunque advirtió que “no se puede prejuzgar” al representante del Partido de La U por el Guaviare, adelantó que la célula congresional intentará determinar la responsabilidad del parlamentario en los hechos denunciados por un exacólito en su departamento.

“Se va a requerir y solicitar de parte de los organismos de investigación penal y disciplinario las pruebas que se tengan”, explicó Penagos.

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POLAND/DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Miami Herald

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WARSAW, Poland — Polish police said Wednesday they have located a priest sought by Interpol on suspicion he sexually abused children in the Dominican Republic.

The Rev. Wojciech Gil, a Pole, was found in a location near the southern city of Krakow, police spokeswoman Katrzyna Cislo told The Associated Press. He was not detained because Interpol only asked to locate him. Gil, 36, was instructed to notify police of any change of location.

Cislo said that to arrest him, the police would need a request from Dominican investigators. Poland does not have an extradition treaty with the Dominican Republic.

A spokesman for Polish prosecutors said they are also investigating whether Gil committed any wrongdoing in Poland.

Gil was in Poland on vacation when the allegations surfaced in late May and has not returned to the Dominican Republic, where he led a parish in the mountain town of Juncalito for eight years. He has denied wrongdoing in phone calls to Dominican reporters.

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NEW JERSEY
Asbury Park Press

Written by
Amanda Oglesby
@OglesbyAPP

JACKSON — A national organization that represents victims of sexual abuse by priests has criticized the Diocese of Trenton for delaying notification to a local congregation about a resident priest’s sexting scandal.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, better known as SNAP, condemned the diocese’s yearlong delay between removing the Rev. Matthew Riedlinger from St. Aloysius Church in Jackson and notifying the congregation of the reason.

Riedlinger, 30, took a leave of absence from the priesthood after having a sexual cell phone text conversation with a man he reportedly thought was a 16-year-old boy.

After the diocese received initial complaints about Riedlinger’s inappropriate sexual conversations, he entered outpatient treatment, according to church leadership. In August 2012, the Diocese of Trenton removed him from his Jackson post after church officials learned that he continued to have sexual text conversations.

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UNITED STATES
The Worthy Adversary

Posted by Joelle Casteix on October 1, 2013

My inbox fills up this time every year with emails from panicked parents who write and ask me if their school is a safe place for their kids. Sometimes, I can give parents a history of accused or arrested predators who have worked or volunteered at a particular campus, but that usually doesn’t tell the whole story.

Abuse and cover-up thrive because of an administrative and organizational attitude. “Safe environment” programs and background checks are useless unless this attitude is changed from the top down AND the bottom up.

But how do you know the attitude of your school?

I do not provide answers to the questions I give below. You will see that many of the positive and negative scenarios I pose apply equally to public and private education. My goal here is to create a discussion and and a starting point for parents who—for way too long—have simply not known the right questions to ask. While there are no right or wrong responses, your answers will clue you in to your school’s “attitude” and whether or not it is a place where transparency, accountability and child safety can thrive.

Questions to ask yourself about the safety of your child’s school

1) Are pastors, teachers and/or administrators hired without input from parents?

2) Does campus leadership have to answer to an off-site administrator? If so, are problems dealt with swiftly, openly and according to the law and common sense … or behind closed doors? Are wrongdoers held accountable?

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CALIFORNIA
Courthouse News Service

By WILLIAM DOTINGA

SAN FRANCISCO (CN) – The youngest victim of abuse at the hands of her father waited too long to pursue civil rights claims against authorities, a federal judge ruled.

Zion Dutro tortured and molested biological daughters Amber Dutro, Glenda Stripes, Sarah Dutro and Martha McKnelly, and foster daughters Frances Smith and Christina Moore, over a 20-year period with the help of his wife, Glenda Lea Dutro. The pair were convicted and sentenced in 2011 to 300 years and 15 years in prison, respectively.

Now adults, their children filed a complaint in May 2012 against the city of Antioch; Contra Costa County; several law enforcement and child-protective services officers; Calvary Open Bible Church; and two ministers.

In addition to recounting the harrowing physical, mental and sexual abuse that Zion and Glenda Lea Dutro dealt, the complaint says that church leaders, Antioch police officers and Contra Costa CPS workers stonewalled investigations to protect the prominent evangelical couple.

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BELGIE
Gazet van Antwerpen

Volledig zoals te verwachten was, heeft de rechtbank van Gent de eis van 39 slachtoffers van seksueel misbruik in de Kerk tegen de Heilige Stoel en tegen de bisschoppen verworpen.

Negenendertig slachtoffers van seksueel misbruik in de Kerk hadden de Heilige Stoel en alle Belgische bisschoppen gedagvaard voor de burgerlijke rechtbank in Gent. Ook de twee Unies van Religieuze Ordes werden gedagvaard. Ze vroegen samen 390.000 euro voorlopige schadevergoeding. Maar de rechtbank van Gent heeft deze eis verworpen.

Eerst en vooral is de Heilige Stoel een buitenlandse staat en die kan je in dit soort zaken niet dagvaarden in België. Als dat wél zou kunnen, dan zou een buitenlandse rechtbank “politieke” beslissingen van een andere staat kunnen betwisten. En dan zouden de staten niet meer soeverein zijn. Het onderdeel “klacht tegen de Heilige Stoel” vervalt dus.

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BELGIE
HLN

De dagvaarding van de Heilige Stoel en de Belgische bisschoppen door slachtoffers van seksueel misbruik, is nietig. Dat heeft de rechtbank van eerste aanleg in Gent beslist. 39 slachtoffers probeerden een groepsvordering in te dienen, maar krijgt nu ongelijk van de rechtbank. “Een tussenstadium”, noemt Christine Mussche, advocaat van de slachtoffers, de beslissing. “We hebben nog niets gehoord over de morele verantwoordelijkheid van de verweerders, die zich enkel op basis van procedurele elementen verdedigd hebben.”

De groepsvordering werd ingeleid door de advocatenassociatie Van Steenbrugge, Van Acker & Mussche en gebeurde in naam van slachtoffers van seksueel misbruik in de kerk. Het advocatenkantoor probeerde een collectieve vordering of ‘class action’-zaak in te stellen. De bedoeling van de klacht was om de aansprakelijkheid in hoofde van de Heilige Stoel, de Belgische bisschoppen en de hogere oversten te laten vaststellen.

De burgerlijke zaak werd in 2011 ingeleid voor de rechtbank van eerste aanleg en werd vandaag pas uitgesproken. Volgens de rechtbank kan één slachtoffer niet dagvaarden in naam van een hele groep slachtoffers en geldt de immuniteit van de Heilige Stoel.

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ILLINOIS
The Doings

By: Jane Michaels | jmichaels@pioneerlocal.com | @janemichaels22

LA GRANGE – Military records have been requested of a La Grange pastor charged with predatory criminal sexual assault of a child.

Assistant States Attorney Michelle Papa asked for the military records of the Rev. Donald Jung at a hearing Oct. 1 in the Bridgeview branch of Cook County Circuit Court.

Jung was charged in February with having inappropriate sexual conduct with a juvenile, a relative from Milwaukee, while serving as pastor of the Second Baptist Church of La Grange.

Defense attorney Ricky Granderson objected to Papa’s request, calling it a fishing expedition, which lacked relevance, because Jung left the Army 21 years ago after 19 years of service to his country.

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BELGIUM
Straits Times

GHENT (AFP) – A Belgian court on Tuesday rejected a rare attempt at a child sex class-action suit against the Holy See filed in 2011 by 39 alleged victims of priests and church workers.

The court in Ghent said the Holy See, which represents the Pope and the Vatican government, “is considered to be a state protected by international law that cannot be judged by a foreign court”.

Vatican lawyers had pleaded that line before the court, arguing the Holy See’s immunity could not be questioned.

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NEW JERSEY
The Times of Trenton

Protesters call for Trenton bishop’s resignation over handling of Jackson priest who sent explicit messages

By Brendan McGrath/The Times of Trenton
on October 01, 2013

LAWRENCE — Protesters stood outside the offices of the Catholic Diocese of Trenton this morning to call for the resignation of Bishop David O’Connell for his handling of a priest who exchanged sexually explicit text messages with someone he thought was a 16-year-old boy.

Matthew Riedlinger, who was an assistant pastor at the St. Aloysius Church in Jackson, did not know he was actually communicating with a character created by Catholic University graduate Timothy Schmalz, who said the priest sexually harassed him in the past.

The diocese found out about Riedlinger’s behavior and removed him from his post, but waited more than a year to inform his parish why he had been removed.

Road to Recovery, an organization that assists victims of clergy sexual abuse, held a protest outside of the diocese headquarters in Lawrence this morning.

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MINNESOTA
WCCO

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A Cottage Grove man was sentenced to more than two years in prison for his role in stealing nearly $700,000 from his church.

Scott Joseph Domeier, a former employee of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, was sentenced to 27 months for swindling $670,000 between 1995 and 2012. In addition to misusing the company credit card, he also diverted a check from another parish designated for Katrina relief to buy himself a car, the criminal complaint states. Domeier also paid for his children’s private school education with illegally obtained funds.

He pleaded guilty back in May to three counts of theft by swindle, and two counts of filing a false tax return.

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MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

A former accountant for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis was sentenced Monday for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the church.

Scott J. Domeier, 52, was sentenced in Ramsey County District Court on three counts of theft by swindle for the theft. He pleaded guilty in May to the charges.

He was given about two years on one count, a little over two years for a second count and a little over three years for the third count. The sentences will run concurrently.

Domeier was also sentenced on two counts of filing false tax returns, receiving about a year-and-a-half for one count and almost two years for the second count. The sentences will run concurrently.

Domeier was director of accounting services for the archdiocese from 1995 until the thefts were reported in January 2012.

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BOSTON (MA)
Museum of Fine Arts

Friday, October 4, 2013
7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Alfond Auditorium, G36
ADMISSION
$9
MFA members, seniors, and students
$11
Nonmembers
Ticket Purchase Required

Who Takes Away the Sins: Witnesses to Clergy Abuse by John Michalczyk (US, 2013, 54 min.). In 2002, with the disconcerting revelation by the Boston Globe Spotlight Team of extensive clergy abuse throughout the Boston archdiocese, the city suddenly became the epicenter of the long-hidden and dark secrets of the Catholic Church. Further investigations brought to light the all-pervasive abuse of power and authority of pedophile priests, followed by a carefully orchestrated cover-up as Church officials focused on preserving and protecting the image of the institution. This decision led to countless cases of physical, sexual and psychological abuse of young boys and girls across the country and continents. Countering the betrayal, victimization, and failed accountability are the voices of individual survivors who courageously broke through the silence, along with those of the advocates who persistently confronted these unconscionable acts. With accountability and openness, it is now time to acknowledge the sins of the past and seek justice and renewal.

Panel discussion follows screening.

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COLOMBIA
LA F.m.

[Summary: Bishop Francisco Nieto, Bishop of San Jose del Guaviare, said he received anonymous telephone calls naming two priests allegedly who committed sexual abuse. He asked the complainant to meet with him and receive help and guidance.]

El obispo de San José del Guaviare, reconoció que recibió llamadas anónimas donde denuncian a 2 sacerdotes por pederastia.

Monseñor Francisco Nieto, obispo de San José del Guaviare, admitió que recibió varias llamadas anónimas, donde denunciaban a dos sacerdotes de esa diosesis por abuso sexual, Monseñor Nieto, agregó que invitó al denunciante a reunirse con él para que recibiera ayuda y orientación.

“Tengo que llamarlo yo he dejado que se calme la cosa para llamarlo y pedirle que sí era él, el de las llamadas, diga ante los medios cuantas veces el obispo le puso citas, le abrió la posibilidad de dialogar y decirle que era una persona que yo debía protejer. Que hiciera las denuncias ante las autoridades”.

Recordemos que en conversaciones de días anteriores entre LA F.m. y el obispo, monseñor Nieto, había indicado que no conocía esta denuncia. Por otra parte, el obispo dijo que el próximo jueves habrá un consejo episcopal, para definir la situación de Carlos Fernando Vázquez como sacerdote, luego de las denuncias donde se le acusa de pederastia.

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MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

by Madeleine Baran, Minnesota Public Radio,
Tom Scheck, Minnesota Public Radio
September 30, 2013

ST. PAUL, Minn. — A former top accountant for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis claimed Monday that the church has made payments to nine priests despite their sexual misconduct.

Scott Domeier, the former accounting director for the archdiocese, pleaded guilty in May to filing improper tax returns and stealing more than $600,000 from the archdiocese.

Domeier’s sentencing Monday focused mostly on the time he will serve in prison — 39 months — and the amount of money he’ll have to repay his former employer.

During sentencing discussions, however, Domeier’s attorney tried to introduce an exhibit that detailed his concerns about payments the archdiocese has made to the nine priests.

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MINNESOTA
Pioneer Press

By Emily Gurnon
egurnon@pioneerpress.com

The attorney for a man sentenced Monday for embezzling $560,000 from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis alleged that the organization has been financially supporting five priests involved in misconduct with children and four priests involved in misconduct with adult women.

Attorney Terry Duggins tried to introduce in court a March 4, 2012, memo faxed from his office to attorney William Egan of Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly of Minneapolis, a law firm hired by the archdiocese.

Ramsey County District Judge Joanne Smith would not allow it.

The memo, provided to reporters, details what Duggins described as a “hostile work environment” faced by Scott Domeier, who worked for 17 years as the director of accounting services for the archdiocese. Domeier was disturbed, the memo said, by work he had to do related to the allegations of priestly misconduct.

As a part of his annual duties, Domeier requested information from archdiocese attorneys about the status of various lawsuits, and forwarded it to the organization’s CPA firm.

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VATICAN CITY
Vatican Insider

The coordinator of the Group of 8 Cardinals set up by Pope Francis to advise him on the government of the Catholic Church and Reform of the Roman Curia, speaks about their task on the eve of their October 1-3 meeting

GERARD O’CONNELL
ROME

The Group of Eight Cardinals from all five continents chosen by Pope Francis to advise him on matters relating to the government of the Catholic Church and the reform of the Roman Curia will sit with him in the Vatican for their first plenary meeting from 1-3 October. They will also travel with him to Assisi on October 4, to pray at the tomb of St Francis.

It will be the Groups’ first meeting with the Pope since the Vatican announced its establishment on April 13. But there will be other meetings in the future, the Group’s coordinator, Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, stated in Quebec last week, in interviews with Canada’s Catholic television channel -“Salt and Light TV”.

“There has to be a lot of discussion and a lot of discernment” about the reform of the Curia, he said; “it cannot be done in one month or two.” He predicted that “it will be a long process of discussion and discernment.”

He recalled that there have been several reforms of the Roman Curia – the papal civil service, starting way back in the 16th century. More recently, Pope Pius X carried out one at the beginning of the 20th century, and Paul VI conducted another one after the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). John Paul II carried out the last such reform in 1989 and this resulted in the Constitution “Pastor Bonus” (The Good Shepherd) which formalized and codified that reform, Cardinal Maradiaga stated.

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VATICAN CITY
Vatican Insider

[Vatican Bank annual report]

The Vatican has published the first-ever annual report for the Vatican bank. Its director, Ernst von Freyberg, says the bank is ready for inspection

VATICAN INSIDER STAFF
ROME

The Vatican took another step in its efforts to be more financially transparent by publishing a first-ever annual report for the Vatican bank on Tuesday. It comes as Italian prosecutors investigate alleged money-laundering there, a Vatican monsignor remains in detention and the Pope himself probes the problems that have brought such scandal to the institution.

Net earnings at the bank, known as the Institute for Religious Works, rose more than four-fold to 86.6 million euros ($116.95 million) in 2012, the report said. More than 50 million euros of that was given to the pope for his charitable works. The improvement in earnings was driven by profits made on the value of securities that the bank held and sold — net trading income rose to 51.1 million euros from a loss of 38.2 million euros in 2011.

The picture may not be so rosy for 2013, with rising interest rates cutting into profits and millions of euros earmarked for the IOR’s ongoing transparency process, which has involved hiring outside legal, financial and communications experts to revamp its procedures, review its client base and remake its image.

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MINNESOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Tuesday, Oct. 1

Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 862 7688 home, 314 503 0003 cell, SNAPdorris@gmail.com)

Catholic officials with the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis admitted today to paying at least nine predator priests.

[Minnesota Public Radio]

Their motivation for these payments, we maintain, is self-serving. We’re convinced that these predators know of other misdeeds and crimes by their church supervisors and peers. And we believe that high ranking Catholic officials pay known wrongdoers so those wrongdoers will stay silent about wrongdoing.

Archbishop Nienstadt and his staff know how to keep predators away from innocent children and vulnerable adults: call police promptly, reward – not punish – whistleblowers, give prosecutors all the files about known and suspected predators, put the names, photos and whereabouts of proven, admitted and credibly accused clerics on the archdiocesan website and in parish bulletins, put the predators in a remote, secure treatment centers, and lobby for – not against, reforming archaic, predator-friendly statutes of limitations. This isn’t rocket science. It’s common sense and common decency. But Nienstadt refuses to do most of this.

Nienstadt’s public relations team claims the archbishop pays predators so they won’t re-offend. Huh? Ask yourself: What other institution pays criminals so they don’t commit more crimes?

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MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

by Tom Scheck, Minnesota Public Radio
October 1, 2013

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis is acknowledging it has financially supported priests involved in alleged sexual misconduct with adults and children.

Priests who were involved in misconduct received financial, therapeutic and spiritual support, the archdiocese said in a statement released Tuesday.

The support is needed to ensure that the priests in question do not reoffend, the archdiocese said. The statement also said offending priests are monitored to ensure that they do not offend again.

The former top accountant for the archdiocese has alleged that payments were made to nine priests.

Scott Domeier was sentenced to 39 months in prison for stealing more than $600,000 from the archdiocese and filing false tax returns. The archdiocese statement said Domeier’s claims included factual errors and misrepresentations.

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AUSTRALIA
Illawarra Mercury

By JODIE DUFFY
Oct. 2, 2013

A former Wollongong Catholic primary school principal will give evidence at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

Jim Walsh said he would tell the commission about his friend, whistleblower Father Maurie Crocker, who exposed paedophile behaviour within the Catholic Church in 1993.

Mr Walsh said he helped and supported Fr Crocker as he took the allegations of the victims to the relevant hierarchy – but when the police, priests and Bishop William Murray failed to act on the complaints, Fr Crocker had no choice but to take the matter to the Illawarra Mercury.

He said Fr Crocker was then ostracised by some of the clergy for exposing and speaking out.

“He was doing God’s work,” Mr Walsh said. “But he wasn’t treated kindly at the time by the Catholic Church. I want to go to the commission and stand up for Maurie and for what he did.”

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NEW JERSEY
SOL Reform

Piecing together the details of a decades-old child sexual assault case is a daunting task. The Warren County Prosecutor’s Office is on such a trail right now, having initiated a criminal investigation spurred by allegations made against former Warren County Sheriff Edward Bullockin a civil suit.

The suit, filed by attorney Brad Russo, alleges that Bullock sexually assaulted his client, now in his thirties, in the 1980s — when he was between the ages of 8 and 11, while under the sheriff’s supervision. (The suit does not identify Bullock as a defendant. However, he was the sheriff from 1982 until his resignation in 1991 — within the time frame of the allegations.)

The existence of such claims can’t come as a shock to anyone who has followed Bullock’s criminal history. In an investigation into his behavior in the early 1990s, Bullock admitted he used his authority over boys at Warren Acres, the county’s youth detention center, to cultivate future sex partners, according to state police. Bullock told investigators he had sexual contact with eight boys he met at Warren Acres. He was never charged in connection with those incidents, according to state police, because the boys had been discharged from Warren Acres and were 16 or older, the state’s age of consent. …

There are other legal issues to be sorted out, including adherence to the statute of limitations. While New Jersey has no time limit on criminal prosecutions in cases alleging of child sexual abuse, the standard is different for civil suits. They must be filed within two years after a victim discovers he or she had been injured by the abuse.

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AUSTRALIA
WA Today

October 1, 2013

Gerard Henderson
Executive director, The Sydney Institute

According to David Marr, the influence of the Catholic activist B. A. Santamaria (1915-1998) lives on. In Marr’s view, one of Santamaria’s disciples is George Pell, the Cardinal Archbishop of Sydney, and another is Tony Abbott, the Prime Minister.

Following the publication of his Quarterly Essay last week, titled The Prince: Faith, Abuse and George Pell, Marr received numerous – and overwhelmingly soft – interviews on the ABC. On September 23 he told Philip Clark on Radio National Breakfast that ”these two old followers of Bob Santamaria, now a cardinal and a prime minister” are part of a political movement which ”is running the country in 2013”.

Earlier in the interview, responding to Clark’s claim that Pell is ”the prince or spiritual adviser to the leader of our country Tony Abbott”, Marr commented: ”It’s a dream. It’s a Medieval dream.” Not really. It’s a journalistic beat-up.

No doubt, Abbott’s swearing-in as prime minister has re-focused attention on Pell who has been a national figure since his appointment as Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne in 1996. He moved to Sydney in 2001.

Extracts from The Prince were published in the Herald on September 21-22 but there was no news flash. This gives veracity to Pell’s response to Marr’s essay. He described it as ”a predictable and selective rehash of old material” and quoted from G. K. Chesterton’s Heretics: ”A good novel tells us the truth about its hero; but a bad novel tells us the truth about the author.” Sensibly, Pell declined to be interviewed by Marr.

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NEW YORK
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

Here is a letter being sent today to Cardinal Tim Dolan, head of the New York archdiocese:

(NOTE: At 1:30 today, SNAP is holding a news conference about this outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral on 5th Avenue in Manhattan.)

October 1, 2013

Dear Cardinal Dolan:

We are members of a support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org). Our mission is to heal the wounded and protect the vulnerable. We believe you are acting irresponsibly regarding Deacon Al Mazza.

On Sunday, you ousted Mazza from his post because of substantiated child sex abuse allegations. But you admit waiting months to do so. You won’t say when police gave information about the predator to you or your staff. And in a letter to parishioners on Sunday and a news release yesterday, you claim you suspended the deacon months ago but offer no proof of having done this.

Let’s take each of these separately.

First, undisputed media accounts say that the child sex abuse allegations against Mazza were given to you by police because the statute of limitations precluded prosecution. Obviously, independent, unbiased and experienced law enforcement found them credible. So why didn’t you publicly disclose those allegations – quickly and widely – right away? Every day a credibly accused child molester continues “under the radar,” he has more chances to hurt kids, intimidate victims, threaten witnesses, discredit whistleblowers, destroy evidence, fabricate alibis and even flee the country. Through your silence, you have helped a child molester and endangered innocent children.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
Berger’s Beat

Kevin O’Brien, a conservative Catholic, increasingly takes on his church’s hierarchy over sex scandals on his well-written blog, “Waiting for Godot to Leave”.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Big Trial

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2013

By Ralph Cipriano
for Bigtrial.net

A defense lawyer for Msgr. William J. Lynn has publicly accused District Attorney Seth Williams of professional misconduct.

In a letter hand-delivered on Friday, defense lawyer Thomas A. Bergstrom ripped the D.A. for teeing off on his client during a Thursday press conference about the arrest of another priest, Father Robert L. Brennan. The defense lawyer said he intends to report the D.A. to the state disciplinary board. A spokesperson for Williams did not respond to a request for comment.

At the press conference, D.A. Williams took the occasion to lambaste the monsignor, now in jail serving a 3 to 6 year sentence after his conviction last year on a charge of endangering the welfare of a child. But according to the district attorney, Lynn was also guilty of conspiring to keep abusive priests in active duty, so they could harm more children.

“The case of Robert Brennan presents another instance of abuse under the watch of Msgr. Lynn, secretary of clergy under Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua,” Williams said. “The actions Lynn took to shield predator priests from exposure and prosecution led to the victimization of untold numbers of Philadelphia area children.”

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VATICAN CITY
Whispers in the Loggia

2.35am ET – In the latest proof of his desire to reach out from behind the walls – and along the way, (again) remind the Establishment he inherited who’s Boss – today’s cover of Italy’s largest-circulation daily indeed blared the second major interview in 12 days with the Pope, this time given to one of the country’s most prominent atheists.

As Eugenio Scalfari tells the story, the pontiff called the La Repubblica founder out of the blue to arrange a meeting as a follow-up to their public exchange of letters over the summer. With Francis looking over his calendar to find a workable time – “I can’t on Wednesday, Monday either; would Tuesday work for you?” – the Pope booked the Domus sit-down himself.

Saying he had no idea how to end a call with the Pope, when Scalfari asked if he could “hug [Francis] through the phone,” Papa Bergoglio replied, “Sure, I’m hugging you too. Then we’ll do it in person. See you soon.” Of course, the stealth strategy ensured again that, as with Antonio Spadaro SJ in August, the interview would not leak in advance nor be sabotaged from within.

Once they came together – with jokes about trying to convert each other as they first met – the 4,600-word extravaganza that ensued touched on everything from the journalist’s non-belief to movie picks, politics and a “court” mentality in the church which Francis termed “the leprosy of the papacy,” admitting that church leaders were “often… narcissistic, flattered and badly excited by their courtiers.”

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VATICAN CITY
John Thavis

“Heads of the Church have often been narcissists, flattered and thrilled by their courtiers. The court is the leprosy of the papacy.”

Once again, Pope Francis has delivered a dose of candor, on topics ranging from reform of the Vatican bureaucracy to his favorite saints. And once again, he’s done it by going outside the usual (filtered) Vatican channels of communication – in this case, in a conversation with an Italian newspaper editor who happens to be a nonbeliever.

The remark about the papal “court” will deservedly make headlines. It should be noted that Francis was not impugning the entire Roman Curia, which he said has another defect: “It is Vatican-centric. It sees and looks after the interests of the Vatican, which are still, for the most part, temporal interests.”

“This Vatican-centric view neglects the world around us. I do not share this view and I’ll do everything I can to change it. The Church is or should go back to being a community of God’s people, and priests, pastors and bishops who have the care of souls, are at the service of the people of God,” he said.

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VATICAN CITY
AFP

Vatican City — Pope Francis on Tuesday accepted the resignation of an Irish bishop who admitted to sheltering a priest accused of child abuse, although the cleric said he was stepping down because of poor health.

William Lee, the bishop of the diocese of Waterford and Lismore, issued his own statement saying he had resigned on health grounds, making no mention of the abuse allegations.

The Holy See said in a brief statement that Lee was relieved of his functions under paragraph 2 of article 401 of the Code of Canon Law, which covers both serious offenses such as paedophilia and corruption, and resignations on health grounds.

The Irish bishop publicly apologised in 2010 after admitting that his response to child abuse allegations in the mid-1990s was “seriously inadequate”.

Faced with multiple claims of abuse by a priest in his diocese, Lee transferred him to another ministry, and waited two years before notifying the police, according to reports at the time.

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UNITED STATES
National Catholic Reporter

Thomas C. Fox | Oct. 1, 2013 The Francis Chronicles

Francis and eight cardinals from around the world are holding three days of closed-door meetings to discuss the Vatican’s troubled administration and to map out possible changes in the worldwide church.

As the talks begin with the cardinals, Italian newspaper La Repubblica published a long interview conducted by its atheist editor last week in which the Argentine pope spoke frankly about the problems facing the Vatican administration, known as the Curia.

He reportedly said too many previous popes in the church’s long history had been “narcissists” who let themselves be flattered by “courtier” aides in the Curia instead of concentrating on the wider mission of the universal church.

“The (papal) court is the leprosy of the papacy,” Francis is reported to have said.

This is the English translation of the interview.

NCR’s newest blog, The Francis Chronicles, reports on the ministry of the world’s parish priest. Sign up for email alerts so you won’t miss a thing.

The following are Francis quotations as reported today in the interview.

On the Roman curia …

The curia “manages the services that serve the Holy See. But it has one defect: it is Vatican-centric. It sees and looks after the interests of the Vatican, which are still, for the most part, temporal interests. This Vatican-centric view neglects the world around us. I do not share this view and I’ll do everything I can to change it. The Church is or should go back to being a community of God’s people, and priests, pastors and bishops who have the care of souls, are at the service of the people of God. The Church is this, a word not surprisingly different from the Holy See, which has its own function, important but at the service of the Church. I would not have been able to have complete faith in God and in his Son if I had not been trained in the Church, and if I had not had the good fortune of being in Argentina, in a community without which I would not have become aware myself and my faith.”

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UNITED STATES
National Catholic Reporter

Michael Sean Winters | Oct. 1, 2013 Distinctly Catholic

Pope Francis delivered another bombshell interview, this time with Eugenio Scalfari of La Repubblica. It is, in its way, even more stunning than the longer interview with the Jesuit journals in part because the pope is here speaking with a man who does not share the faith of the Church yet that fact does not once produce a breakdown in communication and Francis displays in his dialogue exactly what he means by a culture of encounter.
Scalfari writes:

And here I am [at the pope’s apartment]. The Pope comes in and shakes my hand, and we sit down. The Pope smiles and says: “Some of my colleagues who know you told me that you will try to convert me.”

It’s a joke I tell him. My friends think it is you want to convert me.

He smiles again and replies: “Proselytism is solemn nonsense, it makes no sense. We need to get to know each other, listen to each other and improve our knowledge of the world around us. Sometimes after a meeting I want to arrange another one because new ideas are born and I discover new needs. This is important: to get to know people, listen, expand the circle of ideas. The world is crisscrossed by roads that come closer together and move apart, but the important thing is that they lead towards the Good.”

“Solemn nonsense.” It is a phrase I wish I had coined myself. It is certainly an experience many of us have shared, listening to a priest or deacon preach who is one hundred percent certain he has all the answers, the world is going to hell in a handbasket because it does not listen to his answers, etc. One suspects that Francis has had the experience too. Indeed, a few questions on he states: “It also happens to me that when I meet a clericalist, I suddenly become anti-clerical.”

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NEW YORK
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

He hides child sex allegations for months
Three child molesting clerics worked at one parish
Group to Cardinal: “Go to parish, seek out victims”
SNAP doubts Dolan’s claim that deacon was ousted months ago
It also challenges him to say when he first learned of abuse from cops

WHAT
Holding signs and childhood photos at a sidewalk news conference, clergy sex abuse victims will harshly criticize NYC’s Cardinal Tim Dolan for

— hiding credible child sex abuse accusations against a deacon for months,
— allegedly suspending the deacon months ago but doing it quietly, and
–asking parishioners with information to call church officials instead of law enforcement officials.

The will also
— urge Dolan to personally visit the parish seeking out other victims, and
— urge anyone who may have seen, suspected or suffered clergy sex crimes in New York – by this cleric or others – to call police, protect kids and expose wrongdoing.

WHEN
Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 1:30 p.m.

WHERE
On sidewalk outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral (5th Avenue entrance) in New York City

WHO
Three members of a clergy sex abuse victims’ support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org)

WHY
On Sunday, Cardinal Timothy Dolan ousted a deacon from his post because of substantiated child sex abuse allegations. But Dolan admits waiting months to do so. He won’t say when police gave information about the predator to the archdiocese. And in a letter to parishioners on Sunday and a news release yesterday, Dolan claims he suspended the deacon months ago but offers no proof of having done this.

SNAP believes parishioners, parents and the public deserve straight answers about this case from Dolan, especially in light of Dolan’s repeated pledges to be “open” about clergy child sex cases. They want him to hold an open meeting at the predator’s parish and take questions from the public.

Deacon Al Mazza is the third cleric at Holy Name of Mary church in Croton-on-Hudson to be credibly accused of child sex crimes. In his letter to parishioners, Dolan refused to name the other two. They are Fr. Gennaro L. “Jerry” Gentile and Fr. Kenneth A. Jesselli. Both were defrocked by the Vatican in 2005.

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.

AUSTRALIA
Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse is calling on former residents of the North Coast Children’s Home, who suffered child sexual abuse, to come forward and tell their story.

Royal Commission CEO Janette Dines said the Royal Commission is in the process of gathering information relevant to this matter, including talking to people who were sexually abused at the North Coast Children’s Home.

“Information shared with the Royal Commission is confidential and will not be shared without the permission of the individual,” said Ms Dines.

The Royal Commission has already received more than 5,500 phone calls and over 1,600 emails relevant to its work.

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.