ABUSE TRACKER

ST. LOUIS (MO)
Waiting for Godot to Leave

Kevin O’Brien

Most of us, I imagine, read our emails backwards. That is to say that when a bunch of emails pile up in our inboxes, they are usually arranged from most recent to least recent. This is like reading Chapter Ten of a novel, then reading Chapter Nine, and so forth.

The Riverfront Times has an article on Archbishop Carlson and his history of handling claims of abuse. One of the very helpful things the RFT does is to embed on their website the original documents related to the issues they are reporting. And so you can bypass any possible lax reporting or media spin by going to the source. This was particularly helpful in the Bishop Finn case. I still have readers, for example, who are quite rightly concerned about how the media tarnishes the Catholic Church by reporting half-truths, but who don’t realize that in this internet age, and especially in the Bishop Finn case, original source documents are available (i.e., the Graves Report and the Stipulation of Testimony). And apparently the Pope has recently stirred up concern with an interview that few people are bothering to read, relying instead on media reports. But its full English translation can be read at America Magazine.

So it’s more possible now to go to the source than it ever has been.

And the source the RFT provides (which I’ve embedded below) is really rather stunning. For the effect of reading them from page one to page five – which is chronologically backwards – is jaw dropping.

These documents aren’t really a reflection on Robert Carlson personally as much as they are on the unbelievably stupid and careless way the Church in the U.S. has been handling abuse. Yes, there’s the really awful fact that Carlson focuses on the potential bad publicity this case might bring the archdiocese, while exhibiting a more tepid concern over the suffering of the victim. Still, Carlson’s most recent memo is written in an attempt to remove the perpetrator (Fr. Tom Adamson) from ministry – which is indeed what ended up happening. But there’s something worse than that revealed in these three documents.

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

UNITED STATES
Catholics4Change

While this blog focuses on clergy child sex abuse, we think it’s important to take a break to acknowledge the Pope’s interview. His leadership style will have an impact on clericalism – a leading cause of the coverups.

by Susan Matthews

As a parent, I realize how impossible it would be to raise and guide my children if they weren’t in my house – under my roof. Many Catholics have left home. With his landmark interview, Pope Francis, the Father of our Church, is acting like any good Dad. He is opening the doors to his home. That gesture is also allowing light into an institution darkened by clericalism.

Some are misinterpreting his message as an accommodation. Yet, Pope Francis mentions no change in doctrine – just a different approach to teaching. The same approach that Jesus took.

Crazy. A Pope that acts like Jesus. He is reaching out to the marginalized and embracing the troubled with empathy and love. What a revolutionary idea. I’ve read comments that call Pope Francis a heretic. That’s what they called Christ.

But do his words change anything for Philadelphia Catholics? We are reeling in the aftermath of greed, mismanagement and scandal. At the same time, our physical identity is being dismantled due to shifting demographics and financial limitations. Archbishop Chaput has the unenviable task of closing parishes, schools and nursing homes. I don’t question his morals, but I do question his ability to raise morale. He was assigned to us by a very different Pope who sought a smaller, more orthodox Church. That hasn’t been a winning strategy.

Right now, we can’t depend on our local institutional Church to create and maintain a strong positive presence across all of our neighborhoods. But there are 1.3 million of us. With those numbers, we can still feed the hungry, protect our youth, shelter the homeless, provide health care and educate children across the archdiocese.

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.

TOLEDO (OH)
Toledo Blade

BY TOM HENRY
BLADE STAFF WRITER

Toledo is like “an awkward teenager,” a city in transition that suffers from an identity crisis.

So said Will Lucas as he set the stage Thursday for the second TEDx Toledo event in the auditorium of the Fifth Third building at One SeaGate downtown for 265 attendees, many of whom had paid $75 to hear 23 speakers from different walks of life provide thoughts on what should be the city’s vision for the future. …

Dave Beckwith, founder of the Great Lakes Institute consulting firm, said he is inspired by three nationally known figures with Toledo ties who have made a difference in countless lives: Geraldine Jensen, founder of the Association for Children for Enforcement of Supports Inc., known as ACES, which works to get more child-support payments; Baldemar Velasquez, founder of the Toledo-based Farm Labor Organizing Committee, known as FLOC, and Barbara Blaine of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP.

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.

ARGENTINA
St. Cloud Times

Written by
Dave Aeikens and Kirsti Marohn

The new bishop of the Diocese of St. Cloud told the media and diocese employees at a news conference Friday morning that he is happy to be back in Minnesota.

Donald Kettler of Fairbanks, Alaska, will take over as bishop of the St. Cloud diocese Nov. 7.

Kettler, 68, has been the Fairbanks bishop since 2002. He will replace John F. Kinney, who has served since 1995.

A tall and imposing figure wearing a black suit and large gold crucifix, Kettler said he’s received a warm welcome in St. Cloud and feels a little bit of a sense of coming home.

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.

ALASKA/MINNESOTA
KTUU

By Chris Klint
Channel 2 News
8:17 a.m. AKDT, September 20, 2013

ANCHORAGE, Alaska—
The bishop of Fairbanks’ Roman Catholic diocese has received a new posting in Minnesota from the Vatican, church officials announced Friday.

According to a statement from the Fairbanks diocese, Bishop Donald J. Kettler has been appointed to lead the St. Cloud, Minn. diocese. The move was prompted by the retirement of current St. Cloud Bishop John Kinney, recommended in church guidelines at age 75.

“The Vatican announced the appointment at 2 a.m. Alaska time today,” church officials wrote. “Bishop Kettler was in St. Cloud and joined diocesan officials for the announcement.”

Ordained as Fairbanks’ bishop in 2002, Kettler has led its congregation for 11 years. The diocese was forced to declare bankruptcy during his tenure in 2008, in a plan approved by its creditors — including almost all of the 258 victims of clergy sexual abuse who had sued the diocese at the time.

“In the face of that revelation and to fairly address the harm, Bishop Kettler filed for Chapter 11 reorganization in federal Bankruptcy Court on 7 March 2008,” church officials wrote. “The diocese emerged from bankruptcy almost two years later, in January 2010.”

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

MINNESOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Friday, Sept. 20

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

Fairbanks Bishop Donald Kettler has been named to head the St. Cloud Minnesota diocese. We’re disappointed by this choice.

Kettler graduated from St. John’s in St. Cloud, a dreadfully abuse-ridden institution. For a decade he’s run a scandal-ridden diocese. (There are 45 proven, admitted and credibly accused child molesting Fairbanks clerics, according to BishopAccountability.org) We’ve seen no signs that Kettler has learned from these experiences and handles child sex crimes any differently than most of his peers, who continue to put their careers above the well-being of their flocks.

In fact, Kettler’s most noteworthy act as bishop was to exploit and hide behind Chapter 11 laws to avoid facing tough questions under oath about predator priests. This is a shrewd and manipulative tactic that protects only the reputations of complicity Catholic officials and endangers vulnerable Catholic children, by continuing to keep secret the names of those who commit and conceal heinous child sex crimes.

[SNAP]

Pope Francis has made some promising words and gestures about numerous subjects. But he’s taken no action that has any impact on children’s safety. And he continues the patterns of his predecessors by promoting men like Kettler who have done little to heal the wounded, protect the vulnerable or expose the truth.

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

PENNSYLVANIA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Friday, Sept. 20

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

After arranging the meeting on Craig’s List, a Scranton priest was arrested last night with a teenager in his car.

[The Times-Tribune]

Starting this Sunday, Scranton’s bishop should go to each parish where Fr. Reverend William Jeffery Paulish worked, begging anyone who may have any information on suspicions about this situation to call police or prosecutors.

That’s what a truly caring shepherd would do.

We predict, however, that every single Scranton Catholic employee will stay silent and do nothing. The bishop’s public relations team will

So we urge every current or former Scranton area Catholic church employee or member to search his or her conscience, find some courage, and spread the word about these allegations against Fr. Paulish. We urge anyone who may have seen, suspected or suffered crimes by Fr. Paulish or cover ups by Scranton church officials to call law enforcement immediately. That kind of prompt, compassionate action is what protects kids.

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

UNITED STATES
The Raw Story

By David Edwards
Friday, September 20, 2013

Catholic League President Bill Donohue on Friday seemed to miss Pope Francis’ recent call to make the Catholic Church a “home for all” and insisted that “molesting priests were gay” instead of being pedophiles.

On Thursday, America magazine published a lengthy interview where the pope said that the church had become “obsessed” abortion, contraception and same sex marriage.

The pope called on Catholics to make the church a “home for all.”

“We have to find a new balance,” he said, adding, “otherwise even the moral edifice of the church is likely to fall like a house of cards, losing the freshness and fragrance of the Gospel.”

But only a day later, the message seemed to be lost on Donohue, who has a history of insisting that priests who molested children were gay and did not molest their victims.

“When men have sex with adolescent men, it’s called homosexuality. It is not pedophilia,” Donohue told CNN’s Chris Cuomo on Friday. “Less than 5 percent of the priests involved in molestation are pedophiles. I will never stop telling the truth. And the pope never said we should either. I am against gay bashing.”

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.

SCRANTON (PA)
Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton

On September 20, 2013, the Diocese of Scranton was notified of an incident involving Father W. Jeffrey Paulish, a priest of the Diocese of Scranton, who according to law enforcement officials was discovered in an inappropriate sexual act with a minor. Upon being notified of this incident, the cleric was immediately removed from his assignment and his faculties to exercise priestly ministry were suspended. The Diocese has pledged its cooperation to law enforcement and asks that anyone who may have been sexually abused by Father Paulish or any member of the clergy notify the Lackawanna County District Attorney’s Office at (570) 963-6717 or local law enforcement.

In response to this situation, the Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, D.D., J.C.L., Bishop of Scranton, expressed his remorse and personal sorrow for the young man who was victimized and his family. In expressing his concern for the Prince of Peace parish community, where Father Paulish most recently served, as well as the faithful and clergy of the Diocese of Scranton, the Bishop said, “I wish to acknowledge how unsettling this is to me personally and to countless others, that yet again a priest has been involved in such inappropriate, immoral and illegal behavior.” The Bishop requests that the faithful of the Diocese join him in praying for this victim and all who are impacted by child sexual abuse.

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

PENNSYLVANIA
York Daily Dispatch

The Associated Press
UPDATED: 09/20/2013

SCRANTON, Pa.—A northeastern Pennsylvania priest is facing charges after police say he was caught having sex with a 15-year-old boy in a parked car.

The Rev. W. Jeffery Paulish is an assistant pastor at Prince of Peace Parish in Old Forge. He is charged with involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, indecent assault and related counts.

Police said the 56-year-old priest was caught in a car in a parking lot with the partially undressed teen around 9 p.m. Thursday by Penn State’s Worthington-Scranton campus security.

The Scranton Diocese says it’s cooperating with the police investigation and Paulish is suspended from his duties.

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.

ARGENTINA
Infobae

[Summary: Journalist Luis Novaresio interviewed by telephone prosecutor Alejandro Varela on Friday in order to clarify the legal situation of priest Julio Cesar Grassi but they encountered strange interference on the telephone line. Novaresio at first took the situation with humor but became less amused with repeated interference. The interference ended when the call was terminated.]

El periodista Luis Novaresio entrevistó este viernes al fiscal Alejandro Varela. La entrevista buscaba aclarar cuál es la situación procesal del sacerdote Julio César Grassi y si finalmente quedará detenido. Ya desde la primera intervención del letrado, comenzaron a escucharse tonos de marcado de un teléfono, como si alguien estuviera conectado a través de la línea telefónica.

“Estamos saliendo al aire ya, así que no pierdan el tiempo, pongan directamente la radio”, alertó el periodista ante la primera interrupción.

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.

ARGENTINA
TN

Desde que comenzó la entrevista radial hasta que terminó hubo interferencias: no eran ruidos de “fritura” sino dedos que marcaban el teléfono, que evidenciaban que el aparato estaba intervenido. Los tonos aparecían cuando el fiscal de Morón Alejandro Varela empezaba a contestar sobre el caso Grassi.

El periodista Luis Novaresio, en radio La Red, lo hizo notar y primero el comentario fue en tono de broma: “Estamos saliendo al aire ya, así que no pierdan el tiempo, pongan directamente la radio”, dijo. Pero luego, el fiscal señaló: “Para usted puede ser que sea nuevo, pero para mí esto es permanente, me pasa siempre”.

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.

ARGENTINA
Diario Veloz

El tribunal criminal uno de Morón citó “de urgencia” al cura Julio Cesar Grassi en la causa 2438, con la firma de los doctores Mariana Maldonado, Claudio José Cheminede y Pablo Guillermo Lucero.

Hasta el momento se desconoce el objetivo de la citación.

La causa contra Grassi por 17 hechos de abuso sexual y corrupción de menores de la Fundación Felices Los Niños, que él presidía, se inició en 2002, en tanto el juicio oral se llevó a cabo en 2009.

En junio de 2009, el Tribunal Oral en lo Criminal 1 de Morón condenó a 15 años de prisión al cura al considerado culpable de haber abusado en dos oportunidades del menor identificado como “Gabriel”, quien estaba a su cuidado en la Fundación, y por un tercer hecho de corrupción de otro menor, ocurrido en 1996.

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.

ROME
Reuters

ROME | Fri Sep 20, 2013

(Reuters) – A prelate and former Vatican finance official at the center of a money-laundering investigation will appear in court on December 3, judicial sources said on Friday.

Monsignor Nunzio Scarano is accused along with a secret service agent and a financial broker of conspiring to smuggle millions of euros out of Switzerland for rich shipbuilder friends in his home town of Salerno, near Naples, in southern Italy.

The case has added to the clouds over the Vatican Bank, formally known as the Institute for Works of Religion (IOR).

Although no evidence has emerged that could link the IOR directly to the charges against Scarano, the bank was already caught up in an investigation into suspected money laundering, which eventually led investigators to him.

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.

Global Ethic Foundation

Hans Küng
Erlebte Menschlichkeit, Erinnerungen Band III

Begegnungen und Einsichten: Hans Küng erinnert sich sehr persönlich an an sein Leben der letzten vier Jahrzehnte.

Die persönliche Bilanz eines großen Denkers.

Das Leben geht weiter – aber wie? So fragte sich Hans Küng in den dunkelsten Stunden seines Lebens, als ihm vom Papst die Lehrbefugnis entzogen worden war. Was niemand erwartet hatte, trat ein: Hans Küng wird nicht zum Schweigen gebracht, sondern entfaltet seine Wirkung als universaler Denker – weit über die bloße Kirchenkritik hinaus. Mit großer Offenheit erzählt Hans Küng das Leben »meiner letzten drei Jahrzehnte«. Er beschreibt, wie der Versuch der römischen Kirche scheitert, ihren gefährlichsten Kritiker zu isolieren. Die Macht des Papstes reicht auch im ausgehenden 20. Jahrhundert noch weit und könnte das Leben dieses Priesters und Professors zerstören. Küng aber wehrt sich – und bleibt katholischerTheologe.

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.

SCOTLAND
The Tablet

20 September 2013

The new Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh who is to be ordained and installed tomorrow has said he would support an inquiry into clerical sex abuse in the Church in Scotland.

Archbishop-elect Leo Cushley, who succeeds Cardinal Keith O’Brien, who resigned after allegations of sexual misconduct were made against him, is in favour of initiating a process to help develop child protection guidelines and support victims.

Following claims of abuse at the Benedictine Fort Augustus School and its prep school, there have been calls for an inquiry similar to the one conducted by Lord Nolan for the Church in England and Wales in 2001.

A spokesman said that Archbishop Cushley “believes that the Nolan Report was a very useful exercise, whose results pointed to recommendations that had been in place in Scotland for some time.”

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.

PENNSYLVANIA
Times-Tribune

BY JOSEPH KOHUT (STAFF WRITER)
Published: September 20, 2013

An assistant pastor from an Old Forge church charged for sex crimes involving a 15-year-old boy has been removed from his assignment and can no longer serve as a priest, according to a statement from the Diocese of Scranton.

Dan Gallagher, diocesan community affairs manager, wrote in an e-mail that the diocese is pledging to assist police in their investigation against The Rev. William Jeffery Paulish.

“Upon being notified of this incident, the cleric was immediately removed from his assignment and his faculties to exercise priestly ministry were suspended,” Mr. Gallagher writes. “The Diocese has pledged its cooperation to law enforcement and asks that anyone who may have been sexually abused by Father Paulish or any member of the clergy notify the Lackawanna County District Attorney’s Office at 570-963-6717 or local law enforcement.”

The Rev. Paulish, 56, 450 3rd St., Blakely, was caught by Penn State Worthington-Scranton security in a car in a parking lot with the teen around 9 last night, according to an arrest affidavit. The teenager did not have pants on.

The priest had arranged the encounter with the boy through an advertisement on Craigslist.

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.

PENNSYLVANIA
PA Homepage

Statement Regarding Reverend W. Jeffrey Paulish

On September 20, 2013, the Diocese of Scranton was notified of an incident involving Father W. Jeffrey Paulish, a priest of the Diocese of Scranton, who according to law enforcement officials was discovered in an inappropriate sexual act with a minor. Upon being notified of this incident, the cleric was immediately removed from his assignment and his faculties to exercise priestly ministry were suspended. The Diocese has pledged its cooperation to law enforcement and asks that anyone who may have been sexually abused by Father Paulish or any member of the clergy notify the Lackawanna County District Attorney’s Office at (570) 963-6717 or local law enforcement.

In response to this situation, the Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, D.D., J.C.L., Bishop of Scranton, expressed his remorse and personal sorrow for the young man who was victimized and his family. In expressing his concern for the Prince of Peace parish community, where Father Paulish most recently served, as well as the faithful and clergy of the Diocese of Scranton, the Bishop said, “I wish to acknowledge how unsettling this is to me personally and to countless others, that yet again a priest has been involved in such inappropriate, immoral and illegal behavior.” The Bishop requests that the faithful of the Diocese join him in praying for this victim and all who are impacted by child sexual abuse.

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

PENNSYLVANIA
PA Homepage

[with video]

A local priest is accused of multiple sex crimes after he was found with a fifteen year-old boy. Father William Jeffery Paulish was arraigned overnight and is locked-up this morning. He’s facing charges of indecent assault, corruption of minors and indecent exposure after police say he was caught in a car with the teen Exactly six hours after police say Father William Jeffery Paulish, who’s known as Father Jeff Paulish was found in a car with a pants- less 15-year-old boy… he was led out of the Dunmore Police Barracks in handcuffs. The 56-year-old most recently served as an assistant pastor at Prince of Peace Parish in Old Forge.

Parishioner Lou Pettinato, of Old Forge told Eyewitness News “As far as I know, he was a nice priest, he was dedicated to his profession, that’s all I know about him.”

“This entire investigation only started around 9:00 o’clock Thursday night, when security at the Penn State Worthington Scranton campus noticed a suspicious vehicle by its tennis courts.police responded… and allegedly found Father Paulish and the boy together inside.”

Parishioner Kim Zupon doesn’t take the allegations lightly.” Appalled, disgusted and sick to my stomach. It’s horrible. Absolutely horrible”

Initially, Paulish told police he was walking around the campus working on his homily and met the boy by chance and was counseling him… he later admitted placing an advertisement on the Craigs-list website and the two agreed to meet. Paulish’s Red Toyota Venza is now marked with evidence markers

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
Sydney Morning Herald

September 21, 2013

David Marr

George Pell ruled the Catholic church with an iron will and, even as victims of sex abuse came forward, steadfastly tried to protect it.

The lumbering figure walking the length of Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building to the sound of Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus on the night of August 16, 1996, was in better health than he had been for years. He had shed weight. A little grey was showing under the mitre but, all things being equal, George Pell had 20 years ahead of him to fulfil Rome’s mandate. He had been a contentious figure inside the church for years but his appointment to Melbourne exposed him to wider scrutiny.
Australia was beginning to pay attention. That he broke the mould made him interesting. Catholic archbishops hadn’t sounded like him for 40 years. He was deliberate rather than graceful. He had the bearing of a football coach rather than a divine. His face was chunky and his mouth surprisingly small. His voice was masculine but oddly refined: Oxford laid over Ballarat.

Pell’s promise not to play legal games was entirely empty.

That he had so little charm was arresting. He seemed not to try to win people over. He was not a persuader. He spoke at that slow, clear pace headmasters and doctors use, a pace that says: if you fail to obey, you don’t have the excuse of misunderstanding me. The threat is in the rhythm. He had a powerful man’s habit of often seeming to focus his attention elsewhere. He didn’t hug. He flinched from the attentions of the devout. He appeared to have sex well bricked up inside himself with the determination of a professional celibate.

A week after Rome announced his appointment as Archbishop of Melbourne, a court lifted orders suppressing media reports of the paedophile ring of St Alipius. The media were ready. The stories were sober, shocking and detailed. Victims put their names to stories of abuse and betrayal.

The archbishop-designate found himself in the thick of an ugly controversy. It was reported for the first time that he had lived in the St Alipius presbytery and walked Father Gerard Ridsdale to court. Stephen Woods, abused by Brother Edward Dowlan for years when he was a little boy and raped when he turned to Ridsdale for help, called for a royal commission and for Pell’s resignation: “He should have known, he ought to have known what was going on.”

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

NEW JERSEY
The Star-Ledger

By Star-Ledger Editorial Board

One year ago, at the peak of the 2012 presidential election, Newark Archbishop John J. Myers issued a pastoral letter telling New Jersey Catholics they should base their vote on abortion and gay marriage.

He went on to write that those who cannot embrace his diktats on these issues — which include a majority of Catholics in America — should refrain from taking communion.

“To continue to receive Holy Communion while so dissenting would be objectively dishonest,” he wrote.

Yesterday, Pope Francis refuted that pinched and narrow view of Christ’s teachings, offering a fresh breath of tolerance and inclusion. In his first lengthy interview since taking office six months ago, the new pope said too many church officials have become “obsessed” with these issues at the expense of church teachings on poverty, peace and unconditional love of every human being.

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.

ILLINOIS
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

Victims blast bishop over ‘delay, secrecy & deception’

For immediate release: Friday, Sept. 20

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

A week after returning a troubled priest back on the job in Alton, Springfield’s Catholic bishop is letting another priest – who worked in Granite City – temporarily resign because he’s accused of child sex crimes. But the bishop kept the accusation secret for weeks. And the bishop continues to use misleading language and doing the bare minimum.

[State Journal-Register]

Yesterday, Bishop Thomas Paprocki temporarily let Fr. Robert “Bud” DeGrand resign from his posts at Catholic parishes in Sigel, Neoga, Green Creek and Lillyville.

First, Paprocki should suspend Fr. DeGrand. That’s what the US bishops pledged to do when credible child sex abuse reports surfaced. That’s what the US bishops’ official sex abuse policy mandates. There’s a difference between someone stepping aside and someone being TOLD to step aside. To let a credibly accused child molesting cleric decide whether to temporarily step down minimizes the horror he or she allegedly committed.

Second, Paprocki admits his hand-picked abuse panel quietly urged him to oust Fr. DeGrand almost a week ago. But he kept silent and delayed. Worse, Paprocki admits getting the allegation ten days ago. In that time, he again kept silent and delayed.

Why does that matter? Because every day a child sex abuse report is kept hidden, a child sex abuser is free to keep abusing. And every day of secrecy and delay gives those who commit and conceal child sex crimes more chances to destroy evidence, intimidate victims, threaten witnesses, discredit whistleblowers, fabricate alibis and even flee the country. Every day of secrecy and delay makes it harder for police and prosecutors to pursue child predators.

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.

ROME
National Catholic Reporter

John L. Allen Jr. | Sep. 20, 2013 All Things Catholic

Having spent the early part of this week in Australia and New Zealand, I’m arriving today in Rome, where the buzz is about Pope Francis’ blockbuster interview with 16 Jesuit publications around the world, including America magazine in the United States, in which he pointedly rejects a church of what he calls “small-minded rules.”

In political terms, Francis says something out loud that arguably had already become clear, but with a degree of candor that popes don’t often provide: “I have never been a right-winger.”

At the level of content, there’s not much groundbreaking in the interview with respect to his hour-and-20-minute press conference aboard the papal plane July 28. He offers the same blend of traditional doctrine with a deep emphasis on mercy, stressing that the church needs to be more pastoral and less judgmental in engaging questions such as abortion, homosexuality and women.

Francis offers extended reflections on his Jesuit vocation and identity, and also some insights into his personal reactions to the experience of taking on the Catholic church’s top job. The full English translation of the 12,000-word interview, which was conducted in Italian, can be found here.

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.

PENNSYLVANIA
Times-Tribune

BY JOSEPH KOHUT (STAFF WRITER)
Published: September 20, 2013

An assistant pastor from an Old Forge church is charged for sex crimes involving a 15-year-old boy, Deputy District Attorney Jennifer McCambridge said.

Reverend William Jeffery Paulish, of Blakely, was caught by Penn State Worthington-Scranton security in a car in a parking lot with the teen around 9:30 last night, she said.

It wasn’t immediately clear what the security guards saw in the car, but it raised enough suspicion to call police, Miss McCambridge said.

Miss McCambridge said the priest had arranged the encounter with the boy through an advertisement on Craigslist.

Rev. Paulish is an assistant pastor at Prince of Peace Parish in Old Forge, according to the church web site.

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

UNITED STATES
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Friday, Sept. 20

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

Pope Francis continues to make comments and gestures that show compassion and a willingness to break old, unhealthy church patterns. And he makes millions of Catholics feel better.

[New York Times]

But it’s time for him to bring these traits to bear on the crisis that even he refuses to deal with – the church’s on-going and rampant child sex abuse and cover up crisis.

It’s good to make adults happier. But it’s better to make children safer. That should have been the pontiff’s top priority on day one. It should become his top priority now. He’s done nothing to protect children, expose predators and deter cover ups. Not as a priest, bishop, archbishop or cardinal. Not as the pope.

Next month, in an unprecedented move, Pope Francis will bring eight cardinals to Rome to consult with him on what many believe is a crucial church issue. But that issue is governance, not child sex crimes and cover ups. To us, that’s heartbreaking. A more efficient Vatican bureaucracy would be good. A world of safer children would be better.

We challenge Catholics to ask themselves to name a single tangible step has Pope Francis taken, at any point in his decades-long clerical career, to make kids safer. Until he does, thousands of boys and girls across the globe will be sexually assaulted by priests, nuns, bishops, brothers and seminarians. Thousands of child molesting clerics will continue to walk free, along with thousands of their complicit colleagues.

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
lewisblayse.net

Maree Walk, head of the NSW government department of communities which was responsible for monitoring Larkins, came to the job in 2011 from the Benevolent Society (see previous posting). At present, the management of about 12,000 children in statutory (court-ordered) foster care, and all new entrants, is being moved in stages from Community Services to non-government agencies, such as the Benevolent Society.

Ms. Walk would do well as a church spokesperson on abuse. She followed all of the standard excuses and platitudes. There were the belated admissions, and statements of how things were so much better since then.

She deeply regretted the “inappropriate administrative error” concerning Larkins. Further, “Community Services deeply regrets the mistake and . . . wishes to express its deep regret for this action and understands that this error had very serious outcomes for children.”

Concerning the stuff-up of advising only Larkins, and not his management committee of concerns about him, Ms. Walk confirmed that,” It had been wrong to deal directly with him over the assessment and not with the management committee who oversaw the organisation.”

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
America Magazine

Antonio Spadaro, S.J.

The exclusive interview with Pope Francis

Editor’s Note: This interview with Pope Francis took place over the course of three meetings during August 2013 in Rome. The interview was conducted in person by Antonio Spadaro, S.J., editor in chief of La Civiltà Cattolica, the Italian Jesuit journal. Father Spadaro conducted the interview on behalf of La Civiltà Cattolica, America and several other major Jesuit journals around the world. The editorial teams at each of the journals prepared questions and sent them to Father Spadaro, who then consolidated and organized them. The interview was conducted in Italian. After the Italian text was officially approved, America commissioned a team of five independent experts to translate it into English. America is solely responsible for the accuracy of this translation. This interview is copyrighted by America Press and cannot be used, except for brief quotations, without written permission.

Father Spadaro met the pope at the Vatican in the pope’s apartments in the Casa Santa Marta, where he has chosen to live since his election. Father Spadaro begins his account of the interview with a description of the pope’s living quarters.

The setting is simple, austere. The workspace occupied by the desk is small. I am impressed not only by the simplicity of the furniture, but also by the objects in the room. There are only a few. These include an icon of St. Francis, a statue of Our Lady of Luján, patron saint of Argentina, a crucifix and a statue of St. Joseph sleeping. The spirituality of Jorge Mario Bergoglio is not made of “harmonized energies,” as he would call them, but of human faces: Christ, St. Francis, St. Joseph and Mary.

The pope speaks of his trip to Brazil. He considers it a true grace, that World Youth Day was for him a “mystery.” He says that he is not used to talking to so many people: “I can look at individual persons, one at a time, to come into contact in a personal way with the person I have before me. I am not used to the masses,” the pope remarks. He also speaks about the moment during the conclave when he began to realize that he might be elected pope. At lunch on Wednesday, March 13, he felt a deep and inexplicable inner peace and comfort come over him, he said, along with a great darkness. And those feelings accompanied him until his election later that day.

The pope had spoken earlier about his great difficulty in giving interviews. He said that he prefers to think rather than provide answers on the spot in interviews. In this interview the pope interrupted what he was saying in response to a question several times, in order to add something to an earlier response. Talking with Pope Francis is a kind of volcanic flow of ideas that are bound up with each other. Even taking notes gives me an uncomfortable feeling, as if I were trying to suppress a surging spring of dialogue.

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
Vatican Information Service

Vatican City, 20 September 2013 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father:

– appointed Bishop Donald J. Kettler as bishop of Saint Cloud (area 31,730, population 559,865, Catholics 142,042, priests 216, permanent deacons 52, religious 637), U.S.A. Bishop Kettler, previously bishop of Fairbanks, U.S.A., was born in Minneapolis, U.S.A., in 1944, was ordained to the priesthood in 1970, and received episcopal ordination in 2002. He succeeds Bishop John F. Kinney, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese, upon having reached the age limit, was accepted by Holy Father.

– appointed Archbishop Roger Lawrence Schwietz, O.M.I., of Anchorage, U.S.A., as apostolic administrator “sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis” of Fairbanks (U.S.A.).

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
Vatican Information Service

Vatican City, 19 September 2013 (VIS) – At midday, in the Sala Clementina of the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father received in audience the recently appointed bishops who will participate in the congress organised by the Congregation for Bishops and the Congregation for the Eastern Churches.

Francis encouraged the bishops, in the words of St. Peter, to “tend the flock of God that is in your charge”, and reminded them that “we are called and made Shepherds not by ourselves, but by the Lord, and not to serve ourselves, but rather to serve the flock entrusted to our care, to serve to the extent of offering our lives, like Christ, the Good Shepherd”.

The Pope asked what it means to “tend”, to have “ habitual and daily care” of the flock.

“Three thoughts arise from this”, he explained. First, the importance of welcoming with generosity: “Your heart must be large enough to be able to welcome all the men and women you meet during your days and whom you will seek out as you walk your parishes and your communities”.

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
Vatican Information Service

Vatican City, 20 September 2013 (VIS) – Pope Francis has granted a lengthy interview, published in the Italian Jesuit magazine “La Civilta Cattolica” and simultaneously in another sixteen magazines linked to the Society of Jesus throughout the world. The interview was the result of three private meetings and more than six hours of discussion between the Pope and the editor of “La Civilta Cattolica”, Fr. Antonio Spadaro, during the month of August at the Santa Marta guesthouse.

In the interview, more than thirty pages long, the Pope talks frankly about himself, his artistic and literary tastes (Dostoyevski and Holderlin, Borges and Cervantes, Caravaggio and Chagall, but also Fellini’s “La Strada”, Rossellini, “Babette’s Feast”, Mozart, and Wagner’s “Tetralogy”), and his experience in the Society of Jesus and as archbishop of Buenos Aires. He defines himself as “a sinner. This is the most accurate definition. It is not a figure of speech, a literary genre. I am a sinner.”

Referring to his period as Provincial in the Society of Jesus, he says, “My authoritarian and quick manner of making decisions led me to have serious problems and to be accused of being ultraconservative”. However, as archbishop this experience helped him to understand the importance of listening to the viewpoints of others. “I believe that consultation is very important. The consistories, the synods are, for example, important places to make real and active this consultation. We must, however, give them a less rigid form”.

He also talks about how his Jesuit training, and the process of discernment in particular, have enabled him to better face his ministry. “For example, many think that changes and reforms can take place in a short time. I believe that we always need time to lay the foundations for real, effective change. … The wisdom of discernment redeems the necessary ambiguity of life and helps us find the most appropriate means, which do not always coincide with what looks great and strong.”

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.

ARGENTINA
Buenos Aires Herald

Judges reprimand priest convicted of sexual abuse for violating house arrest conditions

A court in the Buenos Aires province district of Morón ordered the arrest of priest Julio César Grassi yesterday for “failing to fulfil the conditions of his house arrest.”

The tribunal issued this ruling after the Buenos Aires province Supreme Court upheld Grassi’s 15-year prison sentence for sexually abusing a boy in his “Happy Children” foundation.

However, Morón’s general prosecutor Federico Nieva Woodgate specified that even though the ruling brings Grassi closer to jail, “it does not actually order his detention.”

‘Pedophile privileges’

Grassi maintained his innocence during the appeal and continued to live in a house across the street from the foundation, despite the conviction and additional allegations that he had abused more than a dozen children there.

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

KENYA
Standard

By Hudson Gumbihi

Open discussion on sex in the Catholic Church is almost taboo, yet there is widespread intimacy between priests and nuns.

A number of priests have abandoned the celibacy vow, succumbing to the urge of the flesh with nuns being the principal partners, either willingly or through coercion.

It is a close-knit affair, which has been going on and few dare discuss, save for occasional dramas when priests either defect or are caught in child-paternity cases.

But beneath the confessions and exposes of the wayward priests lies tales of how nuns engage in sex within the otherwise conservative church known for an uncompromising stance on celibacy.

Men and women who have committed to serve the Lord exercise a simple life devoid of marriage, sex and acquisition of worldly materials within the Catholic hierarchy involving the pope, cardinals, arch-bishops, ordinary bishops, priests, seminarians and nuns.

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.

OHIO
Columbus Dispatch

CINCINNATI (AP) — An Ohio priest took a 10-year-old boy to West Virginia and raped him more than two decades ago, a federal prosecutor told jurors yesterday. The defendant’s attorney denied that the boy even made the trip.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Oakley and the attorney for Robert Poandl offered their closing arguments in the trial of Poandl, from the suburban Cincinnati-based Glenmary Home Missioners.

The Roman Catholic priest has pleaded not guilty to a charge of transporting a minor in interstate commerce with the intent of engaging him in sex.

Defense attorney Stephen Wenke told jurors that the allegations are false and that the priest did not take the boy on the trip to Spencer, W.Va., in August 1991.

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.

ARGENTINA
Buenos Aires Herald

Head of the Buenos Aires province Supreme Court Héctor Negri was received by Pope Francis less than three weeks ago at the Vatican. Today he rejected versions alluding he had discussed the legal situation of priest Julio César Grassi with the pontiff.

The provincial maximum tribunal ratified Grassi’s 15-year sentence for sexually abusing a boy at the “Happy Children Foundation” he was in charge of. “We have said in the ruling everything we had to say; whatever is said know and the subsequent consequences have nothing to do with the Court’s decision, this was no motive for our ruling,” the judge explained.

“A (Supreme) Court president travelling and asking someone else how he must rule would be something so horrible to do that honestly I don’t know the person who says so which justice criteria follows,” Negri insisted questioning the allegations that sparked after his meeting with the Argentine pope, following actually this week’s arrest warrant that another provincial court issued against Julio Grassi.

When asked about Francis’ position about pedophile priests, the Supreme Court president said he “did not know pope’s private thinking” about an issue that has stained the Catholic Church over the past years with sexual abuse and corruption scandals the ex Argentine cardinal is now trying to put an end to, as he insisted he met Francis for “absolutely spiritual reasons (that (lie) thousands of kilometers away from any judicial sentence.”

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.

PENNSYLVANIA
PA Homepage

Dunmore, Lackawanna County – The assistant pastor of a Lackawanna County church is facing sex crime charges.

William Jeffery Paulish was charged early Friday morning with indecent assault, corruption of minors, indecent exposure and unlawful contact with a minor. He was led out of the Dunmore Police Department around 3 a.m. in handcuffs and taken for arraignment.

Lackawanna County Prosecutors say the investigation began around 9 p.m. Thursday night when security staff at the Penn State Worthington Scranton Campus noticed a suspicious vehicle in their parking lot. Police responded and they allegedly found Paulish in the vehicle with a 15-year-old boy. Police say the boy had no pants on at the time.

Paulish told investigators he placed an ad on Craigslist looking for companionship and the boy responded and they met at the Penn State Campus. Paulish told investigators he asked the boy three times if he was 18-years-old.

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

PENNSYLVANIA
WNEP

Posted on: 5:16 am, September 20, 2013, by Ryan Leckey and Renie Workman, updated on: 08:39am, September 20, 2013

DUNMORE– Police said a priest was caught in the act of molesting a teenager in Lackawanna County.

The arrest of Father Jeffrey Paulish happened overnight in Dunmore.

Fr. Paulish was led off to his arraignment to face various charges, including for having sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old boy.

Investigators said Thursday night, they found the priest in a car with the 15-year-old in a parking lot near the tennis courts at Penn State Worthington Scranton campus.

Security officers at Penn State noticed what was happening and called for backup. Dunmore police along with state troopers showed up and arrested the priest.

The Lackawanna County deputy district attorney did not say how long the relationship was going on between the priest and the boy, but said the investigation is exploring a lot of avenues.

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.

SOUTH AFRICA
IOL

September 20 2013
By RIZWANA SHEIK UMAR

Durban – A Hindu priest from Chatsworth who was jailed for raping a child devotee has failed in his bid to present further evidence.

Cooper Reddy, 60, of Havenside, was sentenced in May to 15 years in prison after being convicted on two counts of rape, a count of indecent assault and one of sexual assault.

The crimes were committed since 2006, when the complainant was nine years old, and continued until 2010.

The girl had been taken to Reddy to be blessed.

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.

ST. LOUIS (MO)
The Republic

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
September 20, 2013

ST. LOUIS — St. Louis Archbishop Robert Carlson has been deposed in a case involving a priest in the archdiocese.

The deposition was Thursday in the case against the Rev. Xiu Hui Jiang. He is charged with first-degree endangering the welfare of a child after a teenage girl told authorities that Jiang molested her.

The archdiocese says in a statement that the case is in the hands of the Missouri court system, where the allegations can be sorted out.

The girl’s parents filed a lawsuit in July alleging that Carlson knew Jiang was a danger to children. The archdiocese says those allegations are false.

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.

MASSACHUSETTS
Boston Catholic Insider

Given the financial condition of the Boston Archdiocese, one would think that the archdiocese would try to get as much money as possible when selling properties.

Not necessarily.

Here is an example. St. Catherine of Siena Church in Charleston was recently sold. The properities sold were assessed at more than $8.7M. The were sold for just $1.4M to Suffolk Company. (Note Suffolk Company appears to be different from Suffolk Construction).

A year ago in 2012, according to this article, the value of the property was follows:

* The church building is 22,000 square feet on a plot of 17,000 square feet. It was built in 1890 and is presently assessed for $2.5 million.
*The former parochial school property built in 1900, which is part of the entire package, has a land area of 31,400 square feet and a structure of 29,000 square feet and is currently assessed for $6.2 million.
*There is a third property – The Annex – built in 1920 – which has a 2000 square foot school building. This structure rests on the school parcel aforementioned.

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.

CALIFORNIA
The Worthy Adversary

Posted by Joelle Casteix on September 19, 2013

It’s Thursday night and you are probably thinking, “I’m watching Thursday Night Football. There is nothing possible I can do to help convince California Governor Jerry Brown to sign SB 131, the California Child Victims’ Act.”

Fortunately, you are WRONG! You can help RIGHT NOW. And we need you.
Here is what you can do:

1. Write Governor Brown using the web form here. Tell him that you support SB 131. Here are some reasons why:

SB 131 exposes predators who may still be abusing kids RIGHT NOW,
SB 131 holds wrong-doers accountable for enabling and covering up child sex abuse,
SB 131 helps victims heal from traumatic injury and takes the burden of their care off of social services and taxpayers,
SB 131 can help provide valuable evidence of criminal activity that law enforcement can use to put predators behind bars, where they belong.
There are many more.
If you do tell your own story, keep it short – no more than two-three sentences.

2. Plan to attend tomorrow’s RALLY IN SUPPORT OF SB 131 at the State Capitol. The rally, organized by concerned citizens in support of SB 131, will be on the lawn to the left of the Capitol steps – 1315 10th Street, between L and N Streets. Attendees will be wearing bright colors. Bring a sign showing your support. If you are a victim, bring a photo of yourself at the age you were abused.

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.

OHIO
WCPO

[with video]

Greg Noble
gregory.noble@wcpo.com
Anna Langlinais, anna.langlinais@wcpo.com

NOTE: Graphic details were discussed during testimony that may be difficult to read or considered inappropriate.

CINCINNATI – The jury in Rev. Robert Poandl’s sexual abuse trial began deliberations in federal court Thursday afternoon with the task of weighing the accuser’s startling testimony against the defense’s claim that the former drug user made it all up.

The eight women and four men heard a 32-year-old man testify that Poandl sodomized him in a West Virginia church rectory when he was 10 years old in 1991. The man said he suffered nightmares after the attack, experimented with LSD and cocaine, got hooked on Oxycodone and plotted to kill the priest and commit suicide.

During closing arguments, the U.S. attorney said Poandl groomed his victim’s family by giving them money and earning their trust with the intent to molest the boy.

The defense argued that the trip to West Virginia never happened, attacking the accuser’s drug use and credibility.

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

IRELAND
Irish Times

Patsy McGarry

Fri, Sep 20, 2013

The Catholic Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin said he was “very encouraged” by the words of Pope Francis.

“It sets a pastoral tone for the whole church,” he said. He said it “fairly unusual for a pope to open his heart on so many issues. It was very deep, but he had said many of these things already.”

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin: He said it was “fairly unusual for a pope to open his heart on so many issues”

Pope Francis “was going back to the old practice in the church, not in a legalistic or rigorist way, of accompanying the person within the situation in which they find themselves, where they can encounter the mercy of God.”

He described this as “the mentality of the good priest.” It was “a way which reflected a Jesus who accompanied people”.

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

UNITED STATES
Los Angeles Times

By Michael McGough
September 19, 2013

It’s a familiar cycle: Pope Francis says something that seems to soften the Roman Catholic Church’s attitude toward hot-button issues; liberals (Catholic and otherwise) rejoice; conservative Catholics rush to remind gleeful Francisphiles that the pope really didn’t depart from orthodoxy.

But that sort of spin has become progressively more difficult.

This summer, Francis unforgettably said: “When I meet a gay person, I have to distinguish between their being gay and being part of a lobby. If they accept the Lord and have goodwill, who am I to judge them?” A writer for the National Catholic Register first offered a “nothing new here” gloss, speculating that the pope was referring to “people with same-sex attraction who strive to live chastely (even if they sometimes fail).”

But the Register acknowledged that the pope might also have been extending a hand to “individuals who are not living chastely but who are not actively lobbying a homosexual agenda.” The Register added, “It would be nice if he’d said a little more to clarify the point further.”

Well, the pope’s interview with a Jesuit publication that hit the Internet on Thursday does provide some clarification, but not the kind conservative Catholics were hoping for. Francis made it clear that he thought the church was hurting itself with an excessive emphasis on moral issues such as same-sex marriage, abortion and contraception.

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.

CANADA
Mission Record

Alina KONEVSKI
Abbotsford News

“We were called savages, heathens. That we wouldn’t amount to anything in our lives if we didn’t adapt by their system.”

Katzie First Nation elder Cyril Pierre recounted his nightmarish years at St. Mary’s Mission and Residential School to University of the Fraser Valley students on Wednesday.

UFV held a “day of learning” on Sept. 18 about Indian residential schools, such as St. Mary’s in Mission. This coincided with the start of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s national four-day event in Vancouver, during which residential school survivors have been sharing their experiences. The province has designated Sept. 16 to 22 as Reconciliation Week.

UFV, like other universities across B.C., suspended most classes on Wednesday, and offered opportunities to learn about residential schools.

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.

CANADA
Vancouver Courier

Cheryl Rossi / Vancouver Courier
September 19, 2013

Many Canadians know students of Indian residential schools experienced terrible abuse, but the institutions weren’t a living hell for everyone.

At Sister Elizabeth Kelliher’s memorial at St. Paul’s Catholic Church on East Cordova last month, one mourner confided she respects the sisters “because they looked after us in residential school. They left their families, they became a nun and they came all the way into the wilderness to take care of us.”

It’s not a commonly heard view.

But Father Garry LaBoucane, a Métis priest who started Aug. 15 as pastor of the Sacred Heart parish, which includes two Catholic churches and a native centre, says he’s heard stories both happy and horrendous from former students of residential schools.

“It’s not just black and white,” the 65-year-old said, noting former students, particularly of his generation who cope with painful memories sometimes don’t want to hear the positive stories.

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.

SCOTLAND
Scottish Catholic Observer

Archbishop-elect intends to listen and learn from the laity and priests of the archdiocese

The new Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh says he is in ‘listening mode’ to find out how to heal his archdiocese as he prepares for his ordination on Saturday.

Archbishop-elect Leo Cushley (right) told the SCO in an exclusive interview this week—as he returned to Scotland after 20 years working for the Vatican diplomatic service—that he wanted to hear from the priests and laity of St Andrew’s and Edinburgh before ‘jumping right into’ solving its problems.

He also said that Pope Francis had advised him to be ‘merciful but firm’ in his new role, and stated that he wished to follow the Holy Father in emphasising the Church’s efforts to help the poor. He added that he hoped to adopt a co-operative style of leadership and said it was for the Vatican to decide if Cardinal Keith O’Brien could return to Scotland.

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.

SCOTLAND
Evening Times

THE man appointed to succeed shamed Cardinal Keith O’Brien said he is ‘looking forward’ to the challenging role.

Monsignor Leo Cushley, from Lanarkshire, will be ordained as the Archibishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh tomorrow at St Mary’s Cathedral in the capital.

Principal consecrators will be Cardinal James Michael Harvey of the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, UK Papal Nuncio Antonio Mennini and Archbishop Philip Tartaglia of Glasgow.

His ordination follows one of the most turbulent periods for the Catholic Church in modern history.

Cardinal O’Brien stepped down in February after three priests and a former priest made allegations of inappropriate behaviour against him.

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.

ARGENTINA
La Nacion

Por Pablo Morosi | LA NACION

LA PLATA.- El cura Julio César Grassi, condenado a 15 años de prisión por abuso sexual agravado y corrupción de menores, quedó a un paso de la cárcel luego de que la Sala VI del Tribunal de Casación Penal bonaerense confirmó ayer al mediodía un fallo previo que ordenaba la detención del sacerdote por incumplir el régimen de libertad provisional del que gozaba.

No obstante, hasta el cierre de esta edición la detención no se había concretado. Fuentes judiciales y policiales estimaron que podría esperarse una presentación espontánea hoy a primera hora. Otra posibilidad es que sea necesario aguardar la notificación de la medida en el Tribunal Oral en lo Criminal (TOC) N° 1 de Morón -a cargo del caso- o en la Sala I de la Cámara de Apelación y Garantías del mismo departamento judicial, instancia de supervisión del proceso.

Entretanto, trascendió que autoridades del Servicio Penitenciario Bonaerense (SPB) estudiaban la posibilidad de alojar al cura en la Unidad Penal N° 30 de General Alvear, un penal de régimen cerrado que tiene un área de máxima seguridad y otra de mediana seguridad en el que hasta hace pocas semanas estuvo detenido el uruguayo Luis Mario Vitette Sellanes, autor del robo al Banco Río de Acassuso. Allí, hasta anoche no se había reservado cupo para recibir al cura detenido.

Ayer por la tarde, luego de conocida la noticia, y un día después de que la Corte bonaerense dejó firme aquella condena a 15 años, seguidores de Grassi se congregaron en la puerta de la fundación Felices Los Niños, en Hurlingham, para manifestar su apoyo al sacerdote, que, según dijeron, se encontraba en su casa, situada frente a la entidad.

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.

ARGENTINA
Pagina 12

Tras el fallo de la Corte que ratificó la condena, ayer la Cámara de Casación rechazó el recurso de nulidad presentado por la defensa contra la orden para que vaya preso. Por razones procesales, esta nueva medida aún no se cumplió y Grassi anoche seguía libre.

La Justicia afirmó una vez más que el sacerdote Julio César Grassi, fundador de Felices Los Niños y condenado a 15 años de prisión por abusar sexualmente de dos jóvenes a su cargo, debe ir preso. Al cierre de esta edición, el cura no había sido detenido, aunque fuentes de la Policía Bonaerense aseguraron a este diario que sólo esperaban la orden judicial para hacerlo. La libertad restringida del presbítero se mantenía sólo por una cuestión formal: la sala VI de la Cámara de Casación provincial avaló la decisión del Tribunal Criminal No1 de Morón, que en abril pasado ordenó detener a Grassi luego de que violara las condiciones impuestas para permanecer en libertad; sin embargo, hasta ayer a la noche el tribunal no había emitido el pedido de captura correspondiente. Al parecer, no le había llegado aún la resolución de sus superiores de Casación. Durante la tarde de ayer, un puñado de defensores del sacerdote se congregaron a las puertas de la quinta de Hurlingham en la que vive Grassi, exactamente frente a la Fundación Felices Los Niños.

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.

ARGENTINA
El Tribuno

Esta semana, la Suprema Corte bonaerense ratificó una condena de prisión para el sacerdote Julio César Grassi, acusado de abuso sexual agravado y corrupción de menores. A las pocas horas, la Cámara de Casación ordenó su detención, pero tal sentencia no tendría operatividad inmediata, de acuerdo a la visión del fiscal de al causa.

“Entiendo que la resolución de la Sala V no se debe ejecutar de inmediato. Así como está dictada, no se va a ejecutar rápido y mucho menos en el día de hoy. El jueves veía a periodistas que decían que la Policía estaba yendo a detener a Grassi, y yo les puedo asegurar que no estaba yendo nadie, son temas procesales”, explicó el titular del Ministerio Público en diálogo con el periodista Luis Novaresio en radio La Red.

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.

ARGENTINA
Ambito

[Summary: Hector Negri, president of the Supreme Court of the Buenos Aires province, denied that at a meeting held with Pope Francis at the Vatican that they discussed the status of priest Julia Cesar Grassi. He dismissed stories indicating that the pope asked for an exemplary sentence. He said he does not know the pope’s private thoughts on pedophilia.]

El presidente de la Corte Suprema de la provincia de Buenos Aires, Héctor Negri, negó que en la audiencia que mantuvo con el papa Francisco en el Vaticano, hayan dialogado sobre la situación del padre Julio César Grassi y desestimó así las versiones que indicaban que el Sumo Pontífice le había pedido una condena ejemplar.

Además, sobre la situación de Grassi tras el fallo del máximo tribunal bonaerense que el miércoles ratificó la condena al cura, dijo en declaraciones a radio Vorterix que la detención “la tiene que decidir otro tribunal” y afirmó que “nosotros ya hemos dicho en la sentencia todo lo que teníamos que decir, y el tema de lo que se siga a ahora y la consecuencias ulteriores ya escapan a la decisión de la Corte, no fue motivo de nuestro pronunciamiento”.

Respecto de la posición de Francisco sobre los curas pedófilos, el presidente de la Corte bonaerense indicó que “el pensamiento íntimo del Papa en ese sentido no lo conozco”, e insistió que se entrevistó “por razonas absolutamente espirituales, alejadas a miles de kilómetros de cualquier sentencia judicial”.

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
Sky News

The stories from the first week of public hearings by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse were ones of bureaucratic box ticking, buck passing, administrative laxity and echoes of the Keystone cops.

However the real story was how that depressing mix allowed a man, known to police as a possible child abuser, to prey on some of Australia’s most vulnerable kids – Aboriginal children in care.

Steve ‘Skip’ Larkins, 47, is now in jail for child pornography, indecent assault and forgery. He gets out next January.

It took almost two decades to nail him. Across those years there were rumours, whistleblowers, secret compensation payments, an apprehended violence order and a DPP recommendation for prosecution that came to nothing.

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
ABC News

Even before this week’s public hearings in the Royal Commission into institutional child sexual abuse opened, hundreds of victims had been given the opportunity to give evidence at private hearings. Some of those victims came from the central Victorian city of Ballarat, a community with a long and much publicised history of sexual abuse.

Transcript

SCOTT BEVAN: Even before this week’s public hearings in the Royal Commission into Institutional Child Sexual Abuse opened, hundreds of victims had been given the opportunity to give evidence at private hearings.

Some of those who have given evidence come from the central Victorian city of Ballarat, a community that has lived with a long and much publicised history of sexual abuse.

As others wait for the Commissioners to come to Ballarat, there are calls for survivors to receive greater support and for more action to prevent suicides resulting from abuse.

From Ballarat, Kate Stowell reports.

KATE STOWELL: The famed gold rush city of Ballarat is full of history.

The city is decorated with the opulent legacy of wealth, grand churches and halls from the late 19th century, when gold money spawned a renaissance of European architecture, amid the clash of cultures of all those who came here to make their fortune.

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
Crikey

Can you spot a paedophile? News.com.au has assembled a checklist, but the experts tell Crikey intern Angelo Russo it’s rubbish.

Child abuse advocates and experts have rubbished Australia’s most-read website, news.com.au, for running a story advising readers how to spot a paedophile. They say the checklist was inaccurate, irresponsible stereotyping.

The article, published yesterday, warns the reader of nine different “types” of child molesters and the behaviours they supposedly exhibit. These behaviours are as varied as being a teacher, dating a single mother or simply being overly eager to babysit.

Social media went berserk in protest and forced news.com.au to expunge a passage recommending people not allow child abuse sufferers near their children.

The story, by veteran journalist and former political adviser Candace Sutton, originally warned:

“Paedophiles are often the victims of child molestation themselves. If you know this about a person’s past, beware. It’s all very well to feel sorry for a person, but don’t let them anywhere near young people you know.”

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
NEWS.com.au

DR CATHY KEZELMAN, PRESIDENT, ADULTS SURVIVING CHILD ABUSE NEWS.COM.AU SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

AN article, published by news.com.au, about how to recognise a child sex offender sparked controversy.

Dr Cathy Kezelman, president of Adults Surviving Child Abuse, has written the following response, which news.com.au publish in full:

“With the commencement of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse the issue of childhood abuse is being reported, spoken about and thought about far more often than ever before.

Though it is groundbreaking for the Australian society to be more aware of the issue and to have increased conversation about it, it is now more critical than ever before to have accurate reporting from the media about child sexual abuse.

Quite frankly, I was shocked at news.com.au’s piece ‘Could you spot a paedophile?’

The very title evokes fear, as do the images, and it lacked tact and sensitivity.

Although the longstanding stigma and taboo is being eroded – and that is to be welcomed – the challenge for those reporting or speaking about child abuse in the public arena is how to increase community awareness while minimising the risks of re-traumatisation for those affected and secondary traumatisation for members of the community.

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.

SCOTLAND
The Tablet

State of religion 1: Scotland
Tom Gallagher – 21 September 2013

Today, Leo Cushley is due to be ordained Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh. His installation comes after one of the greatest periods of crisis in the history of Scottish Catholicism. Can his appointment mark a new beginning that will see the Church regain trust and relevance?

Few tourists see Edinburgh’s Ninian’s Church. On 27 August, it was the setting for a Mass dedicated to the victims of clerical sex abuse. It was an occasion for Catholics to gather and “lament the failings of those who minister in your name which has caused such hurt to the innocent”. This was according to the notes issued in advance by the parish council.

Words encapsulating the Church’s mission were displayed on the wall behind the altar with one of them, “Trust”, conspicuously scored through. The notes prepared under the aegis of the local priest, Fr Hugh Purcell, were explicit about the actions needed for trust to be restored: “we have yet to establish the full account of the abuse committed by Cardinal O’Brien … Now some may feel that since [he] has confessed and apologised, should we not just move on? Well, we cannot move on until we establish truth and justice for those who have been abused.”

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.

COSTA RICA
Tempo

SAN JOSÉ (AFP) – The Costa Rican Catholic church has relieved a nun of her duties over the alleged sexual abuse of two young girls, a church official was quoted as saying Wednesday.

A church probe would be carried out in parallel to the legal process, Sixto Varela, pastor and press officer of the San Joaquin de Flores diocese, told local media. On August 30, a children’s advocacy agency alleged the nun had sexually molested and raped two girls aged three and six at the home in the province of Heredia. After the claim, the 13 girls in the home were moved to other facilities.

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.

PENNSYLVANIA
Courthouse News Service

By ROSE BOUBOUSHIAN

(CN) – A federal judge threw out claims that the Boy Scouts and a Pennsylvania church let scoutmasters sexually abuse a teenage scout in the 1960s.

The 59-year-old Floridian identified in court documents as John Doe sued the East Hills Moravian Church Inc., of Bethlehem, Pa.; the New Jersey-headquartered Boy Scouts of America Inc. and its Allentown, Pa.-based Minsi Trails Council Inc.; as well as Scoutmaster Mike Jacobs and Assistant Scoutmaster Don Levine, in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania last year.

The scoutmasters allegedly sexually abused and molested Doe dozens of times during his teenage years in Pennsylvania, the complaint says.

The plaintiff alleges defendants “concealed their respective and sometime overlapping institutional child abuse problem for the purpose and with the result of preventing abuse survivors from understanding their own abuse and defendants’ role in it and thereby delay and prevent victims, including plaintiff, from filing suit.”

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

AUSTRALIA
9 News

A former Catholic Church deacon has been charged with sexually abusing a 14-year-old boy in NSW during the 1970s.

The 66-year-old was arrested on Thursday over the alleged sexual abuse of the then 14-year-old boy between 1974 and 1975 in the Hunter region.

The abuse was initially reported to police in November last year.

The 66-year-old has been charged with four counts of indecent assault on a male under 14 years of age.

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.

BRIDGEPORT (CT)
CBS New York

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (CBSNewYork) – The new bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport was formally installed Thursday.

As WCBS 880 Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau reported, Rev. Frank Caggiano said in his heart he considers himself a shepard, someone who he hopes can build trust among his parishioners.

“There are some people who in the past have been hurt, people perhaps whose trust in the church has been damaged and they’re very dear to me. We need to reach out to them,” Caggiano told Schneidau.

Caggiano said the priest sex abuse scandal that rocked the Bridgeport Diocese has left anger and mistrust in its wake.

“The process we have now in place I believe is a sound one, it’s a tested one and will keep our children safe, but we will continue to monitor it. We have to,” he said.

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.

SPRINGFIELD (IL)
WICS

The Catholic community is reacting to surfacing claims that a local pastor sexually abused a minor more than 30 years ago.

The Springfield Catholic Diocese received the claim last week and have since asked Pastor Robert ‘Bud’ Degrand to temporarily withdraw from the four local parishes he currently serves.

The accusation now sits with the Morgan County State’s Attorneys Office, where lawyers are scrutinizing the Statute of Limitations. Lawyers say it may be difficult to bring charges against Degrand since it has been so long.

It was in 1980 when Degrand led a community in faith at Our Savior Parish in Jacksonville. Degrand then went on to lead parishes in Winchester, Bluffs, Granite City and Siegel, Neoga, Green Creek and Lillyville, where he still currently serves.

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.

ILLINOIS
Herald-Review

NEOGA — A priest whose parishes include Neoga withdrew from the ministry following an allegation of sexual misconduct with a minor that reportedly took place more than 30 years ago, the Catholic Diocese of Springfield announced Thursday.

The Rev. Robert “Bud” DeGrand, pastor of parishes in Sigel, Green Creek and Lillyville as well as Neoga, is cooperating with the recommendation of the Diocesan Review Board that he temporarily withdraw from public ministry and from his ecclesiastical residence, pending further investigation, according to a news release from the diocese.

The release said the alleged abuse occurred in 1980 when DeGrand was assigned to Our Saviour Parish in Jacksonville.

“The Springfield diocese takes such allegations very seriously,” Bishop Thomas John Paprocki said. “We have a strict policy on sexual abuse of minors by church personnel that reflects our desire to safeguard the welfare of minors in our parishes, institutions and programs. It also reflects our determination to deal properly and decisively with any allegations of sexual abuse of minors.”

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.

SPRINGFIELD (IL)
State Journal-Register

By John Reynolds (john.reynolds@sj-r.com)
The State Journal-Register
Posted Sep 19, 2013

A former Jacksonville priest is being investigated for an alleged incident of sexual misconduct while he was serving at a church there 33 years ago.

The Rev. Robert “Bud” DeGrand, 61, has temporarily withdrawn from serving Catholic parishes in Sigel, Neoga, Green Creek and Lillyville, in east-central Illinois, according to a statement from the Springfield Catholic Diocese.

DeGrand has also served parishes in Winchester, Bluffs and Granite City.

The alleged misconduct occurred while DeGrand was serving Our Saviour Parish in Jacksonville in 1980, the same year he was ordained to the priesthood, according to a news release issued by the diocese Thursday. …

SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, called on Paprocki to suspend DeGrand.

“There’s a difference between someone stepping aside and someone being told to step aside,”

SNAP said in a news release. “To let a credibly accused child molesting cleric decide whether to temporarily step down minimizes the horror he or she allegedly committed.”
SNAP also said the allegation should have been made public earlier.

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.

ARGENTINA
Clarin

La Cámara de Casación de Morón dispuso esta tarde la detención del sacerdote Julio César Grassi, “al no cumplir los términos de la libertad provisional”. La orden se da luego de que un fallo de la Corte bonaerense ratificó la condena de 15 años de prisión.

El abogado Juan Pablo Gallego, representante de querellantes en la causa por abuso sexual contra el sacerdote Julio César Grassi destacó la sentencia contra el religioso y reclamó su detención al señalar que “se trata de un pedófilo peligroso y condenado”.

Gallego apuntó que en la causa por dos abusos agravados y una corrupción de menores, donde hoy la Corte provincial rechazó las recusaciones de Grassi hubo “un fallo definitivo” y señaló que ahora “corresponde disponer su detención”.”Recibimos el fallo con enorme satisfacción”, resaltó el letrado que representa a los adolescentes que denunciaron los abusos.

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.

ARGENTINA
Diario Correo

BUENOS AIRES –
Un tribunal argentino ordenó la detención de un cura, de alta exposición mediática, acusado de abuso sexual agravado contra menores, tras ratificarse una condena a 15 años que cumplía en libertad, informó este jueves una fuente judicial.

La Cámara de Casación de Morón (periferia oeste) dispuso la detención del sacerdote Julio César Grassi “al no cumplir los términos de la libertad provisional”, señaló la página web del ministerio de Justicia.

La Corte Suprema de la provincia de Buenos Aires había confirmado el miércoles la condena a 15 años de prisión, en rechazo a un recurso presentado por la defensa de Grassi, luego de que otras dos instancias ratificaran la condena, aunque sólo este jueves el Tribunal de Casación de Morón ordenó su arresto.

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.

ARGENTINA
ABC (Espana)

La Justicia argentina ordenó hoy la detención del sacerdote Julio César Grassi, quien dirigía un centro benéfico para niños, por abuso sexual agravado y corrupción de menores, después de que el Supremo de la provincia de Buenos Aires hiciera firme la condena de 15 años que recaía sobre el clérigo.

Grassi fue sentenciado en 2009 por 2 de los 17 cargos en su contra, pero se le permitió permanecer en libertad con ciertas restricciones, entre ellas, no ingresar a su fundación, no permanecer a solas con niños ni referirse a los menores que lo habían denunciado.

La Cámara de Casación de la provincia de Buenos Aires dispuso hoy detener al sacerdote “al no cumplir los términos de la libertad provisional otorgada como alternativa al asistir a un programa televisivo, y referirse abiertamente a los denunciantes de la causa por la que resultó condenado”, informaron fuentes judiciales.

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.

ARGENTINA
TN

“Juro por Dios que no hice nada”. Poco después de esas palabras, el sacerdote Grassi desapareció hasta que se presentó en los tribunales de Morón, poco tiempo después. “Sigo el consejo de mi abogado”, dijo. Fue encerrado en una celda donde se alojan a policías. Fueron 28 días de arresto. Hasta que la Justicia determinó que podía quedar en libertad. Pasaron once años. La situación, hasta hoy, se mantiene de la misma manera.

El caso Grassi tuvo persecución a testigos. Gabriel, uno de ellos, fue amenazado con armas y hasta ingresaron a su casa para intentar cortarle un dedo.

En 2008, Grassi mantuvo su discurso: “Sé que la causa fue armada por Telenoche investiga. Hay pruebas plantadas y eso lo voy a demostrar en el juicio”. Poco después, llegó la condena a 15 años de prisión por abuso sexual y corrupción a menores.

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.

ARGENTINA
TN

[Summary: A day after ratification of a 15-year sentence, the cessation court in Buenos Aires ordered the arrest of priest Julio Cesar Grassi. Arrest could be imminent. Prosecuting attorney Juan Pablo Gallego today sought the arrest. Grassi was convicted of sexually abusing minor and his sentence was upheld Wednesday by a high court. He had been free during the appeal process.]

ndabusinnjuan
day after the ratification of the sentence to 15 years in prison for sexual assault and corruption of minors, V of Cassation Chamber of the province of Buenos Aires ordered the arrest of the priest Grassi “did not satisfy the terms of parole” . Thus, his arrest could be imminent.

Luego de la confirmación del fallo, su detención podría ser inminente. “El fallo no está firme”, aclaró, no obstante, el fiscal de la causa.

Un día después de la ratificación de la condena a 15 años de prisión por abuso sexual y corrupción a menores, la Cámara V de Casación de la provincia de Buenos Aires ordenó la detención del sacerdote Grassi “al no cumplirse los términos de la libertad provisional”. De esta manera, su detención podría ser inminente.

Hoy, el abogado querellante, Juan Pablo Gallego, había pedido la detención del sacerdote sentenciado. “Todos sabemos que este hombre debe cumplir su condena efectivamente en una prisión”, dijo a TN. Y agregó: “Hoy más que nunca las autoridades judiciales deben tener el mayor cuidado para que no se vuelva a cometer un error con este sujeto. No corresponde ninguna medida de habeas corpus, lo que corresponde es que los próximos 15 años viva en una cárcel”.

Con respecto a la posibilidad de una apelación de la medida de la Cámara a la Corte Suprema de Justicia de la Nación, el fiscal del caso, Alejandro Varelo, explicó que la sentencia “no está firme”, por lo que Grassi podría recurrir a un recurso extraordinario ante el máximo tribunal de Justicia. Y aclaró que, en caso de un fallo adverso por parte de este tribunal, la sentencia quedará finalmente firme. “Es la última instancia dentro de la provincia de Buenos Aires”, indicó el funcionario judicial.

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.

NEW JERSEY
Catholic Star Herald

THURSDAY, 19 SEPTEMBER 2013

WRITTEN BY CARMELA MALERBA

The Office of Child and Youth Protection is announcing CAP (Child Assault Prevention) sessions. CAP is the safe environment training program for adults who have regular contact with minors. Attendance is required in order to comply with the USCCB’s Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The policy of the Diocese of Camden is that adults will attend CAP once every five years.

CAP 1 teaches attendees to recognize child abuse and neglect and how to report to the proper authorities. Adults are taught that children have the right to be safe, strong and free. CAP 1 is for new volunteers and employees.

CAP 2 is called No More Bullies, No More Victims and is a workshop addressing bullying awareness and bullying prevention. Cyber-bullying is also presented.

CAP 3 is called Cyber-Empowerment and is a workshop which promotes adults understanding of cyber activity of youth while teaching them realistic ways to help children keep their own rights and guard the rights of others in the cyber-sphere.

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.

GALLUP (NM)
Gallup Independent

Published in the Gallup Independent, Gallup, NM, Sept. 19, 2013

Gallup Diocese has yet to file bankruptcy petition

By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Independent correspondent
religion@gallupindependent.com

GALLUP — After a last-ditch legal maneuver was denied by an Arizona judge, Bishop James S. Wall of the Diocese of Gallup submitted to a deposition Wednesday by two attorneys who have filed 13 clergy abuse lawsuits against the diocese.

Wall’s deposition was held in Albuquerque and was accompanied by the deposition of the Rev. Alfred Tachias, a longtime Gallup priest. The depositions took place as scheduled because the diocese has yet to file its Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition, a move that will halt the proceedings in the civil lawsuits.

However, at least for the time being, the contents of Wednesday’s depositions are confidential, over the objection of the plaintiffs’ attorneys, Robert E. Pastor of Phoenix and John C. Manly of Irvine, Calif.

“Bishop Wall and Father Tachias gave statements under oath today,” Pastor said in an email Wednesday evening. “We are not permitted to discuss the content of their testimony because at the outset of the deposition the Diocese of Gallup designated the testimony confidential. We noted our objection and found it odd that the Diocese would make the testimony confidential before the witnesses even testified. We hope that one day all of the facts surrounding clergy sexual abuse of children in the Diocese of Gallup will be shared with the faithful Catholics of the diocese.”

The depositions were scheduled as part of Pastor and Manly’s first clergy sex abuse case against the Gallup Diocese, which is scheduled to go to trial in February in Coconino County Superior Court in Flagstaff, Ariz. The case involves abuse allegations against the Rev. Clement Hageman, who is deceased. Tachias formerly worked as an assistant pastor under Hageman.

Last-minute motion

In Masses held over the Labor Day Weekend, priests in the Gallup Diocese read a letter from the bishop, announcing plans to seek Chapter 11 reorganization because of increasing numbers of clergy sex abuse lawsuits and claims.

Although diocesan attorneys haven’t yet filed the bankruptcy petition, they did file a last minute motion for protective order on Sept. 11. In the motion, attorneys Robert P. Warburton and Keith Ricker requested Wall’s and Tachias’ depositions be postponed until the week of Oct. 21-25, and they argued for a “pre-filing stay of pending litigation,” which they said would help conserve the diocese’s “scarce financial resources and would leave more money to fund compensation of victims of clergy sexual misconduct.” In addition, the motion stated, the proposed stay would also give the diocese more time to ensure that its Chapter 11 filing would be as complete and accurate as possible, and it would allow the diocese’s recently hired bankruptcy attorney, Susan G. Boswell of Quarles and Brady, LLP, the opportunity to take her “long planned trip to Spain” from Sept. 7-20.

“Plaintiff’s counsel refused to agree to the proposed stay and insinuated that Bishop Wall’s decision to file for reorganization was simply a tactic to avoid being deposed,” Warburton and Ricker stated.

In response, Judge Robert Budoff made the unusual move of conducting a weekend hearing on the motion Saturday, Sept. 14. Although Pastor and Manly’s first clergy sex abuse case is being heard by Judge Mark R. Moran, Budoff, a retired Maricopa County Superior Court judge, is serving as the discovery special master in the case. Budoff then made a quick ruling against the Gallup Diocese, which put Wall and Tachias back on Wednesday’s deposition calendar.

Unanswered questions

In his Labor Day Weekend announcement, the Gallup bishop promised to be “open and transparent” throughout the Chapter 11 process. He also promised to consult with his diocesan attorneys in order to answer a list of questions submitted by the media. Ultimately, however, Wall declined to answer the media questions and just emailed a short statement that repeated much of what was stated in his Chapter 11 announcement.

Wall declined to answer how the planned bankruptcy will affect one clergy abuse lawsuit, filed by a Navajo woman from Gallup, in which the diocese is a co-defendant with two Franciscan provinces that are separate from the diocese’s Chapter 11 reorganization.

Wall did not explain where the diocese has been getting money to pay clergy abuse settlements in recent decades. He also did not explain nor has he ever explained how much money the diocese has paid in clergy abuse settlements, including money to victims and legal fees to diocesan attorneys. These are figures that a number of other dioceses have publicly released.

Although the Gallup Diocese is quick to announce it is one of the poorest dioceses in the country, it is also believed to own considerable property in Arizona and New Mexico. Wall did not respond to a question about the sale of that property to meet Chapter 11 obligations. He also did not say if the diocese will now undergo a new and thorough audit because of the bankruptcy and the recent departure of James Hoy, its longtime controversial chief financial officer.

The bishop did not explain how the diocese will determine which clergy sex abuse allegations are truly credible an ongoing concern for a number of Gallup priests. He did not say when he would finally publicly disclose information about credibly accused abusers — a promise he made more than four years ago. Nor did he say if he would release documents pertaining to credibly accused abusers, and whether he would ever turn over information to law enforcement officials about the whereabouts of living, credibly accused clergy.

However, in contrast, the Gallup Diocese’s unsuccessful motion for protective order did provide some answers about the number of clergy sex abuse claims the diocese is currently facing and the potential financial liability of those claims.

“Of the thirteen lawsuits at least eight are completely uninsured and coverage for the remainder is limited to the $100,000 per claim statutory cap of the New Mexico Property and Casualty Insurance Guaranty Fund,” the motion stated. “In addition, there are another eight pending claims that are not in litigation and upon information and belief, numerous other claims of clergy sexual misconduct that have yet to be asserted against the Diocese.”

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.

CALIFORNIA
CBS Los Angeles

NORWALK (CBSLA.com) — An associate pastor at a Norwalk church was being held on $2 million bail Thursday after he was arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting female parishioners, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.

Jorge Juan Castro, 53, was arrested Sept. 13 on six felony charges of rape, oral copulation and penetration by a foreign object.

Castro, who works as an associate pastor and counselor at Las Buenas Nuevas Church in Norwalk, is accused of sexually assaulting more than 20 women, between the ages of 18 and 39, from Oct. 2004 to Sept. 2012, officials said.

“During that counseling session, he would perform certain acts with them in the name of God,” Sgt. Al Garcia told KNX 1070. The acts took place both at the church, and at the victims’ homes, he added.

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.

CALIFORNIA
KABC

[with video]

Carlos Granda

SANTA FE SPRINGS, Calif. (KABC) — An associate pastor in Norwalk has been arrested for allegedly preying on at least 20 female parishioners over an eight-year period. Investigators say he used their illegal status in the U.S. to cower them into silence.

Detectives received information in April that Jorge Juan Castro had sexually assaulted women from Las Buenas Nuevas Church from October 2004 to September 2012. Castro was an associate pastor and a counselor at the church.

Authorities say the women, ages 18 to 39, implicated the suspect to a third party, and that person contacted sheriff’s deputies. Many of the alleged victims are Spanish-speaking undocumented immigrants, and Castro allegedly told the women that if they reported him, he would have them deported. Only four women have come forward to give interviews to detectives.

“From what we understand, some of the victims went to him for counseling for various reasons, and during that counseling session, he would perform certain acts with them in the name of God, telling them that the acts that he’s performing would help them in their problems, whatever they are having, and would sexually molest them,” said Sgt. Al Garcia of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department. “He took advantage of his position as a pastor.”

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.

CALIFORNIA
KPCC

An assistant pastor and counselor at Las Buenas Nuevas Church in Norwalk allegedly assaulted at least 20 women in the church’s congregation over an eight-year period, preying mostly on undocumented immigrants, L.A. Sheriff’s officials reported Thursday.

Sgt. Al Garcia, with the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department’s Special Victims Bureau, said Jorge Juan Castro, 54, would threaten to report his victims to immigration authorities if they told anyone what he’d done. He also allegedly told the women they’d be publicly humiliated if they came forward.

“From what we understand, some of the victims went to him for counseling for various reasons, and during that counseling session, he would perform certain acts with them in the name of God,” Garcia said.

At some point, Garcia said, the women approached church officials with their allegations and the church’s administrator brought the accusations to the sheriff’s station in Norwalk.

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.

CALIFORNIA
KTLA

An associate pastor suspected of sexually abusing female parishioners at a Norwalk church over the course of nearly eight years was behind bars Thursday.

Jorge Juan Castro, 53, was booked on suspicion of rape, oral copulation and penetration by a foreign object following his Sept. 13 arrest, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Castro, who worked as an associate pastor and counselor at the Buenas Nuevas Church in Norwalk, allegedly assaulted the women from October 2004 through September 2012.

Many of the victims were Spanish-speaking undocumented immigrants who Castro allegedly threatened with deportation and public embarrassment, according to the sheriff’s department.

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.

CALIFORNIA
Los Cerritos News

Published on September 19th, 2013

Update: Hews Media Group-Community Newspaper spoke to a female employee at Las Buenas Nuevas Church in Norwalk on Thursday afternoon who claimed that Jorge Juan Castro was “not an associate pastor at the church.” The employee did not want to be identified referred all questions about the case to members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The employee would not elaborate of Castro and his relationship with the small neighborhood church.

By Randy Economy

(Norwalk) A Norwalk associate pastor has been arrested by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s detectives for the alleged sexual abuse of numerous female parishioners.

Details of the arrest of suspect Jorge Juan Castro, who is also a resident of Norwalk emerged on Thursday in a press statement by law enforcement officials.

“Sheriff’s Special Victims Bureau detectives received information that from October 2004 through September 2012, adult women of the Las Buenas Nuevas Church in Norwalk were victims of sexual assaults committed by a suspect,” said Sergeant Al Garcia and Captain R. Esson from the Sheriff’s Special Victims Bureau.

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.

CALIFORNIA
Seattle PI

NORWALK, Calif. (AP) — A Southern California churchman who claimed to have “healing hands” has been charged with sexually assaulting women parishioners.

Fifty-four-year-old Jorge Juan Castro of Norwalk was arrested last week and charged with rape and other sex crimes. He remains jailed Thursday.

Castro was associate pastor of Las Buenas Nuevas in Norwalk but he’s been removed.

Authorities contend that since at least 2004 he assaulted parishioners at the church or their homes under the guise of performing faith healing.

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.

CALIFORNIA
Los Angeles Times

By Richard Winton
September 19, 2013

An associate pastor at a church in Norwalk arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting 20 female parishioners may have many more victims who’ve yet to be identified, authorities said Thursday.

Jorge Juan Castro, 53, was arrested Friday on allegations that during his eight years as associate pastor at Las Buenas Nuevas Church in Norwalk he assaulted the parishioners.

Detectives said of the 20 alleged victims have provided investigators with detailed accounts of sex acts that the pastor told were neccesary for his “healing hands.”

LA County Sheriff officials said detectives, who began their investigation April 8, believe there may be additional victims from the Norwalk church and a second location where Castro was sent to preach.

“He has a large number of victims and we suspect there are more. We’d like many more of those victims to come forward to us. They have nothing to fear,” said Sheriff’s Capt Robert Esson, who oversees the sheriff’s Special Victims Unit.

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.

CALIFORNIA
Whittier Daily News

By Brian Day, San Gabriel Valley Tribune
POSTED: 09/19/13

Sheriff’s officials Thursday announced the arrest of a Norwalk associate pastor accused of molesting as many as 20 female church members over the past eight years.

Jorge Juan Castro, 54, of Norwalk is charged with six felony counts in connection with the alleged sexual assaults of four women between ages 18 and 39 while he worked as an associate pastor and counselor at Las Buenas Nuevas Church, 11910 Alondra Boulevard, Sgt. Al Garcia of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Special Victims Bureau said.

The alleged crimes took place between 2004 and 2012, sheriff’s officials said in a statement.

He was placed on leave in April, immediately after 20 women came forward to report to a church official that they had been sexually assaulted by Castro, Garcia said.

“Multiple victims reported the sexual abuse to a church official, who in turn, reported it to us,” the sergeant said.

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.

PENNSYLVANIA
BCTV

Rozzi to Host Press Conference on Lifting the Statute of Limitations in Cases of Child Sexual Abuse

State Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Berks, along with state Sen. Rob Teplitz, D-Dauphin, are teaming up to garner support for legislation that would increase the statute of limitations for victims of child sexual abuse to take civil action against alleged abusers.

The legislators will hold a news conference at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25 in the East Wing Rotunda of the state Capitol Building in Harrisburg.

Those expected to join Rozzi and Teplitz at the news conference include state Reps. Michael McGeehan and Louise Williams Bishop. Additional members of the General Assembly will be in attendance and speaking.

Teplitz will unveil S.B. 1103, companion legislation to H.B. 238, coauthored by McGeehan and Rozzi. Both measures would establish a two-year window during which the civil statute of limitations would be suspended to allow past victims of child sex abuse to access the justice system and expose guilty perpetrators.

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.

ST. LOUIS (MO)
KMOX

Kevin Killeen
September 19, 2013

ST. LOUIS–(KMOX)–Archbishop Robert Carlson testified under oath today, giving a deposition in a criminal case involving a subordinate priest accused of witness tampering and sexual misconduct with a minor girl.

The Lincoln County Prosecutor questioned Carlson behind closed doors at the Rigali Center in Shrewsbury, while protestors picketted on the sidewalk urging him to “tell the truth.”

“We’re told to speak the truth, and I think it’s a very sad day when I have to stand out here with a sign and beg my Archbishop to tell the truth,” said protestor Ellen Prendergast.

The criminal case centers around Father Joseph Jiang, a longtime Carlson associate, accused of four felony counts of sexual abuse against the girl, and accused of giving the victim’s family a check for $20,000.

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.

ST. LOUIS (MO)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

By Tim Townsend ttownsend@post-dispatch.com 314-340-82210

Officials of the St. Louis Archdiocese said while they appreciate the interest in Archbishop Robert Carlson’s deposition in a lawsuit involving one of its priests, “this process is in the hands of the Missouri court system and it is important that we allow the process to unfold there where allegation and hypothetical can be sorted out as fact or fiction.”

Carlson was deposed Thursday as part of a lawsuit filed in July in Lincoln County against the Rev. Xiu Hui “Joseph” Jiang.

The suit, filed by the parents of a teenage girl, alleges that Carlson knew Jiang was a danger to children before the priest was charged last year with molesting the girl.

The archdiocese has called the allegations “false.”

In a statement last year, the archdiocese said Jiang, 30, was placed on administrative leave after officials learned about the allegations.

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.

CINCINNATI
Times Union

CINCINNATI (AP) — A jury has begun deliberations in the trial of an Ohio priest charged with taking a 10-year-old boy to West Virginia for sex more than two decades ago.

The federal jury began deliberating Thursday afternoon in the case of Robert Poandl (POHN’-duhl). The Roman Catholic priest is charged with transporting a minor in interstate commerce with the intent of engaging him in sex.

The prosecutor told jurors in closing arguments that Poandl raped the boy in West Virginia after taking him on a visit to a church there in 1991.

He says the Roman Catholic priest betrayed the boy’s trust and should be found guilty.

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.

ILLINOIS
KHQA

by Rajah Maples

SPRINGFIELD, ILL. — The Springfield Catholic Diocese is investigating clerical sexual misconduct that allegedly happened in Jacksonville more than 30 years ago.

According to a news release from the diocese, a priest has temporarily withdrawn from the ministry following a misconduct allegation with a minor said to have occurred more than 30 years ago.

Father Robert “Bud” DeGrand, pastor of parishes in Sigel, Neoga, Green Creek and Lillyville, is cooperating with the recommendation of the Diocesan Review Board that he temporarily withdraw from public ministry and from his ecclesiastical residence pending further investigation, according to the release.

Documents state that the alleged abuse was said to have happened in 1980 when Father DeGrand was assigned to Our Saviour Parish in Jacksonville, Illinois.

“The Springfield diocese takes such allegations very seriously,” Bishop Thomas John Paprocki said in the release. “We have a strict policy on sexual abuse of minors by church personnel that reflects our desire to safeguard the welfare of minors in our parishes, institutions and programs. It also reflects our determination to deal properly and decisively with any allegations of sexual abuse of minors.”

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.

ILLINOIS
Journal Gazette and Times-Courier

NEOGA (JG-TC) — A priest whose parishes include the one in Neoga withdrew from the ministry following an allegation of sexual misconduct with a minor that reportedly took place more than 30 years ago, the Catholic Diocese of Springfield announced Thursday.

Father Robert “Bud” DeGrand, pastor of parishes in Sigel, Green Creek and Lillyville as well as Neoga, is cooperating with the recommendation of the Diocesan Review Board that he temporarily withdraw from public ministry and from his ecclesiastical residence pending further investigation, according to a news release from the diocese.

The release said the alleged abuse was said to have occurred in 1980 when DeGrand was assigned to Our Saviour Parish in Jacksonville.

“The Springfield diocese takes such allegations very seriously,” Bishop Thomas John Paprocki said in the release. “We have a strict policy on sexual abuse of minors by church personnel that reflects our desire to safeguard the welfare of minors in our parishes, institutions and programs. It also reflects our determination to deal properly and decisively with any allegations of sexual abuse of minors.”

The allegation was received by the diocese’s victim assistance coordinator on Sept. 9, the news release said. On Sept. 13, the Diocesan Review Board found the allegation to have “a semblance of truth” and recommended that Paprocki begin a preliminary investigation, it said.

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

UNITED STATES
Catholic League

Bill Donohue comments on remarks by Pope Francis that were made last month in a three-part meeting in Rome with Catholic journalists; they were published today by America magazine:

The New York Times issued a “Breaking News Alert,” followed by a story, “Pope Bluntly Faults Church’s Focus on Gays and Abortion.” Here is what the pope said: “We cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods. This is not possible.” He also said, “when we speak about these issues, we have to talk about them in a context.”

The pope is right that single-issue Catholics need to rise above their immediate concerns. He did not say we should not address abortion or homosexuality; he simply said we cannot be absorbed by these issues. Both the left and the right should heed his message.

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.

ILLINOIS
XFM

Written by Greg Sapp

Following an allegation of clerical sexual misconduct with a minor said to have occurred over 30 years ago, an area priest has temporarily withdrawn from ministry.

Father Robert “Bud” DeGrand, pastor of parishes in Sigel, Neoga, Green Creek and Lillyville, is cooperating with the recommendation of the Catholic Diocese of Springfield Review Board that he temporarily withdraw from public ministry and from his ecclesiastical residence pending further investigation.

The alleged abuse was said to have occurred in 1980 when Father DeGrand was assigned to Our Saviour Parish in Jacksonville.

The allegation was received by the diocese’s victim assistance coordinator on September 9. On September 13, the Diocesan Review Board found the allegation to have “a semblance of truth” and recommended that Bishop Paprocki begin a preliminary investigation.

As required by the diocesan policy, the diocese has notified the Morgan County State’s Attorney, where the alleged abuse is said to have occurred, and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.

The allegation was communicated to Father DeGrand on Sunday by Monsignor Carl Kemme, vicar general of the diocese, and Father David Hoefler, the local dean. On Wednesday, Bishop Paprocki, Monsignor Kemme and Father Hoefler met with parishioners of the four parishes in a meeting held at St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Sigel to inform them of the reason for Father DeGrand’s temporary withdrawal from ministry.

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.

NEW MEXICO
The Worthy Adversary

Posted by Joelle Casteix on September 17, 2013

**Update – Thursday, September 19** I just heard that Gallup Bishop James Wall and priest Fr. Alfred Tachias DID sit for depositions with victims’ attorneys yesterday. Hopefully, Wall broke with tradition and was open and forthright, turning over files, naming names and outing abusers. (A girl can dream, right?)

The “explosive news” potential for Fr. Alfred Tachias’ deposition is BIG. He worked closely with Fr. Clement Hageman (the Route 66 Priest), and may be sitting on mountains of evidence. Hageman’s abuse crosses state and diocesan borders, so anything we learn can have a huge ripple effect across the Southwest.

When and if the depositions are made public, I will be sure to post here.

Plans for a bankruptcy filing are still moving forward.

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.

SPRINGFIELD (IL)
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013

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

A week after returning a troubled priest back on the job, Springfield’s Catholic bishop is letting another priest who’s accused of child sex crimes temporarily resign. But the bishop sat on the accusation for weeks, keeping it secret. And the bishop continues to use misleading language and doing the bare minimum.

[State Journal-Register]

Today, Bishop Thomas Paprocki temporarily let Fr. Robert “Bud” DeGrand from his posts at Catholic parishes in Sigel, Neoga, Green Creek and Lillyville.

First, Paprocki should suspend Fr. DeGrand. That’s what the US bishops pledged to do when credible child sex abuse reports surfaced. That’s what the US bishops’ official sex abuse policy mandates. There’s a difference between someone stepping aside and someone being TOLD to step aside. To let a credibly accused child molesting cleric decide whether to temporarily step down minimizes the horror he or she allegedly committed.

Second, Paprocki admits his hand-picked abuse panel quietly urged him to oust Fr. DeGrand almost a week ago. But he kept silent and delayed. Worse, Paprocki admits getting the allegation ten days ago. In that time, he again kept silent and delayed.

Why does that matter? Because every day a child sex abuse report is kept hidden, a child sex abuser is free to keep abusing. And every day of secrecy and delay gives those who commit and conceal child sex crimes more chances to destroy evidence, intimidate victims, threaten witnesses, discredit whistleblowers, fabricate alibis and even flee the country. Every day of secrecy and delay makes it harder for police and prosecutors to pursue child predators.

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

UNITED STATES
Boston Globe

By Brigid Schulte | WASHINGTON POST SEPTEMBER 13, 2013

WASHINGTON — In the first major study of child abuse and neglect in 20 years, researchers with the National Academy of Sciences reported Thursday that the damaging consequences of abuse can not only reshape a child’s brain, but can last a lifetime.

Untreated, the effects of child abuse and neglect, the researchers found, can profoundly influence a child’s physical and mental health, their ability to control emotions and impulses, their achievement in school, and the relationships they form as children and as adults.

The researchers recommend an ‘‘immediate, coordinated’’ national strategy to better understand, treat, and prevent child abuse and neglect, noting that each year, abuse and neglect costs an estimated $80 billion in both the direct costs of hospitalization, law enforcement, and child welfare, and the indirect costs of special education, juvenile and adult criminal justice costs, adult homelessness, and lost work productivity.

‘‘Child abuse and neglect is a serious public health problem which requires immediate, urgent attention,’’ said Anne Petersen, a professor at the Center for Human Growth and Development at the University of Michigan who chaired the research committee for the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council of the National Academies. ‘‘The consequences can last into adulthood with significant costs to the individual, to families, and to society.’’

The report, produced at the request of the US Department of Health and Human Services, found that while rates of physical and sexual child abuse have declined in the past 20 years, rates of emotional and psychological abuse, the kind that can produce the most serious long-lasting effects, have increased. Rates of neglect have held fairly steady. Researchers say they don’t know why.

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
France 24

AFP – Pope Francis on Thursday lashed out at what he called the scandal of “airport bishops”, urging his peers to remain rooted in their dioceses and spend less time seeking the spotlight.

The Argentine pontiff, who is very attached to his title as bishop of Rome, said residence in a diocese was “not only necessary for organisational purposes but had theological roots.”

“You are betrothed to your community, deeply bound to it. I am asking you, please, to remain among your people,” the pope said at an audience of new bishops from around the world.

“You must stay, stay! Avoid the scandal of airport bishops,” he said.

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.

ARGENTINA
Windsor Star

Associated Press

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Argentina’s Supreme Court has upheld the 15-year prison sentence of a priest convicted of sexually abusing a boy in his “Happy Children Foundation.”

Father Julio Cesar Grassi has maintained his innocence and he’s been able to live for a decade in a home across the street from the foundation despite allegations that he abused more than a dozen children there. All but one charge was dismissed for lack of evidence, but the courts still found him guilty of abusing one boy.

The victim’s attorney, Juan Pablo Gallego, called for Grassi to be put behind bars quickly now that his conviction is confirmed.

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.

GERMANY
National Catholic Reporter

Christa Pongratz-Lippitt | Sep. 19, 2013

A German bishop who was criticized by his priests and laity for an extravagant lifestyle and authoritarian leadership has apologized for “misjudgments” and agreed to an outside audit of his diocese’s financial records.

Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst of Limburg issued the apology at the end of a weeklong Vatican-ordered “brotherly visitation” by Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo, a veteran Vatican diplomat and the Holy See’s nuncio to Germany for eight years in 1990s.

On Sept. 16, Tebartz-van Elst released a declaration signed by himself, Lajolo and Fr. Günther Geis, the cathedral rector, that calls on the German bishops’ conference to appoint a commission to audit diocesan finances with special attention on the money spent redecorating the bishop’s palace in Limburg. “The final report of the commission, which will examine and include all costs, finances and procedures involved, will be disclosed publicly,” the declaration says.

It is highly unusual for a bishops’ conference to audit the finances of an individual bishop in this way. Canon law has no provisions for such oversight. The power of supervision over individual bishops is reserved for the pope.

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.

ILLINOIS
Journal-Courier

Following an allegation of clerical sexual misconduct with a minor said to have occurred more than 30 years ago, a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Illinois has temporarily withdrawn from ministry.

Father Robert “Bud” DeGrand, pastor of parishes in Sigel, Neoga, Green Creek and Lillyville, is cooperating with the recommendation of the Diocesan Review Board that he temporarily withdraw from public ministry and from his ecclesiastical residence pending further investigation.

The alleged abuse was said to have occurred in 1980 when DeGrand was assigned to Our Saviour Parish in Jacksonville.

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

UNITED STATES
Bilgrimage

William D. Linsey

Some updates on stories about which I’ve posted here in the not-too-distant past:

I told readers several weeks ago that the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) had called on the Catholic bishop of my home city of Little Rock, Arkansas, Anthony Taylor, and on Mount St. Mary high school in Little Rock to publicize an impending court hearing. The court hearing had to do with a teacher at Mount St. Mary, Kelly Ann O’Rourke, who had been sentenced for having sexually molested a student at the school. They also had to do with Kathy Griffin, a counselor at Mount St. Mary and O’Rourke’s live-in partner, who learned of the abuse of the student but did not report it to authorities.

The update: the jury in this trial found Griffin guilty this past week. Max Brantley reports on the verdict for Arkansas Times. At the same trial, O’Rourke pled guilty to having repeatedly violated the terms of her probation by making numerous phone calls to the girl she had molested.

In a press release yesterday that I’m not yet seeing on the SNAP website, SNAP official Barbara Dorris notes that the jury’s decision makes things safer for minors in both Arkansas and Florida, where the predator has been living, but:

Unfortunately, the institutional wrongdoer here – the Little Rock Catholic diocese and Mt. St. Mary’s School – have, for now at least, escaped consequences for their reckless, callous and deceitful behavior in this case. Neither school nor church officials made any real effort to help police and prosecutors pursue these criminals. At best, the diocese and the school did the bare minimum. More accurately, they minimized the crimes by O’Rourke and Griffin and refused to lift a finger to help find more victims, witnesses or whistleblowers that could have been helped or helpful.

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.

SPRINGFIELD (IL)
WICS

A priest of the Catholic Diocese of Springfield has temporarily withdrawn from ministry following allegations of clerical sexual misconduct with a minor that occurred over 30 years ago. The alleged abuse was said to have occurred in 1980 when Father Robert “Bud” DeGrand was assigned to Our Saviour Parish in Jacksonville.

Father DeGrand, pastor of parishes in Sigel, Neoga, Green Creek and Lillyville, is cooperating with the recommendation of the Diocesan Review Board that he temporarily withdraw from public ministry and from his residence pending further investigation.

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

KENYA
Standard

By HUDSON GUMBIHI

John, not his real, name was in an intimate relationship with one of the nuns who could even visit his home.

Only a few trusted people close to John knew what had been transpired – the rest were duped into believing that the two were a ‘brother and sister in Christ’.

Yet the man and the nun would frequently engage in sexual sessions whenever his lover sneaked from an abbey based in Nairobi.

This is one of the cases of sex scandals in the Catholic church, which has vehemently denies that the men and women in the Cassocks who vowed to avoid worldly pleasures, had loosened their zips and pants.

When The Nairobian reached John to seek his side of the story, the man denied any existence of an intimate relationship between him and the nun.

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.

RHODE ISLAND
National Catholic Reporter

Michael Sean Winters | Sep. 13, 2013 Distinctly Catholic

In July, during World Youth Day, my colleague John Allen asked Archbishop Charles Chaput about Catholics’ reactions to Pope Francis, and part of the archbishop’s reply was: “This is already true of the right wing of the church. They generally have not been really happy about his election, from what I’ve been able to read and to understand.”

Now we know who Chaput was talking to. In his diocesan paper, Providence, R.I., Bishop Thomas Tobin offered his reflections on Pope Francis’ first six months. In the course of that interview, he said:

The other thing I want to say though, is that I’m a little bit disappointed in Pope Francis that he hasn’t, at least that I’m aware of, said much about unborn children, about abortion, and many people have noticed that. I think it would be very helpful if Pope Francis would address more directly the evil of abortion and to encourage those who are involved in the pro-life movement. It’s one thing for him to reach out and embrace and kiss little children and infants as he has on many occasions. It strikes me that it would also be wonderful if in a spiritual way he would reach out and embrace and kiss unborn children.

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
KWQC

By NICOLE WINFIELD and RACHEL ZOLL
Associated Press

VATICAN CITY (AP) – Pope Francis has warned that the Catholic Church’s moral structure might “fall like a house of cards” if it doesn’t balance its divisive rules about abortion, gays and contraception with the greater need to make it a merciful, more welcoming place for all.

Six months into his papacy, Francis set out his vision for the church and his priorities as pope in a lengthy and remarkably blunt interview with La Civilta Cattolica, the Italian Jesuit magazine. It was published simultaneously Thursday in Jesuit journals in 16 countries, including America magazine in the U.S.

In the 12,000-word article, Francis expands on his ground-breaking comments over the summer about gays and acknowledges some of his own faults. He sheds light on his favorite composers, artists, authors and films (Mozart, Caravaggio, Dostoevsky and Fellini’s “La Strada”) and says he prays even while at the dentist’s office.

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.

SPRINGFIELD (IL)
Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 12, 2013
For more information:
Kathie Sass: (217) 698-8500

SPRINGFIELD -€” A Special Panel convened to advise Bishop Thomas John Paprocki concerning the matter of Father Thomas Donovan, former pastor of St. Aloysius Parish in Springfield, has concluded that his “gradual return to ministry is appropriate.”

As a result of the panel’s recommendation, Bishop Paprocki has announced that Father Donovan will be assigned as chaplain to the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George, with residence at their provincial house in Alton, effective Sept. 15.

“The Sisters have agreed to this assignment in a spiritual environment and supportive atmosphere of prayer and compassion,” Bishop Paprocki said.

In a written recommendation to Bishop Paprocki, panel members said they reviewed relevant material concerning the incident that occurred at the rectory of St. Aloysius Parish on Nov. 28, 2012, including reports of mental health professionals summarizing treatment, diagnoses and recommendations for treatment for Father Donovan. Two members of the panel conducted a “lengthy and probing interview” of Father Donovan and the panel as a whole conducted a “full personal interview” with him.

In light of this review, the panel concluded that “Father Donovan was alone at the time of the incident;” that there is “no information to suggest that Father Donovan is a danger to himself or others;” and that “gradual reintroduction to priestly ministry is appropriate” if there are roles for priestly ministry for Father Donovan based on the ongoing reports of mental health professionals.

The panel also recommended that a “respect for the pastoral concerns of any community to which Father Donovan might be assigned is important for the welfare of both the community and Father Donovan” and that “Father Donovan’s ministerial and therapeutic progress should be regularly and carefully monitored for the foreseeable future.”

“I have accepted the conclusions and recommendations of the panel and am grateful to the members of the Special Panel for their time and expertise in addressing this matter,” Bishop Paprocki said. “I also commend Father Donovan for his complete cooperation with his spiritual directors, medical and therapeutic professionals, and members of the panel.”

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.

SPRINGFIELD (IL)
Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 19, 2013
For more information:
Kathie Sass: (217) 698-8500

SPRINGFIELD -€” Following an allegation of clerical sexual misconduct with a minor said to have occurred over 30 years ago, a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Illinois has temporarily withdrawn from ministry.

Father Robert “Bud” DeGrand, pastor of parishes in Sigel, Neoga, Green Creek and Lillyville, is cooperating with the recommendation of the Diocesan Review Board that he temporarily withdraw from public ministry and from his ecclesiastical residence pending further investigation.

The alleged abuse was said to have occurred in 1980 when Father DeGrand was assigned to Our Saviour Parish in Jacksonville.

“The Springfield diocese takes such allegations very seriously,” said Bishop Thomas John Paprocki. “We have a strict Policy on Sexual Abuse of Minors by Church Personnel that reflects our desire to safeguard the welfare of minors in our parishes, institutions and programs. It also reflects our determination to deal properly and decisively with any allegations of sexual abuse of minors.”

The allegation was received by the diocese’s victim assistance coordinator on Sept. 9. On Sept. 13, the Diocesan Review Board found the allegation to have “a semblance of truth” and recommended that Bishop Paprocki begin a preliminary investigation.

As required by the diocesan policy, the diocese has notified the Morgan County States Attorney, where the alleged abuse is said to have occurred, and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.

The allegation was communicated to Father DeGrand Sept. 15 by Msgr. Carl Kemme, vicar general of the diocese, and Father David Hoefler, the local dean. On Sept. 18, Bishop Paprocki, Msgr. Kemme and Father Hoefler met with parishioners of the four parishes in a meeting held at St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Sigel to inform them of the reason for Father DeGrand’s temporary withdrawal from ministry.

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.