ABUSE TRACKER

SPRINGFIELD (MA)
iobserve

By Father Bill Pomerleau

SPRINGFIELD – In the second day of emotional testimony in a civil trial against Springfield Bishop Emeritus Joseph F. Maguire and former Springfield Bishop Thomas L. Dupré, the plaintiff, Andrew Nicastro, denied that he ever spoke to a former pastor of Sts. Patrick and Raphael Parish in Williamstown about his childhood sexual abuse by Alfred C. Graves a former diocesan priest who was laicized in 2006.

What the plaintiff’s attorneys called “the alleged meeting” could be a crucial element in the outcome of the trial, which is determining if the two former diocesan bishops were negligent in returning then-Father Graves to ministry after they knew he had a history of abuse.

Father William F. Cyr, who was pastor of the Williamstown parish from 1989 to 2002, testified early in the day, before Nicastro was called to the stand. He said that sometime between 2000 and 2002, he received a phone call from Nicastro requesting a meeting.

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.

This was what Paolo Gabriele kept repeating to friends before his arrest. Now he hopes the Pope will forgive him. Could he become an usher?

Vatican Insider staff
Rome

“I am disliked by many because I am not aligned with the system.” It is a phrase which reveals all the deep anguish that has been shaking Paolo Gabriele, the Pope’s former butler, who is currently under house arrest after spending two months in a Vatican prison cell, charged with aggravated theft of confidential documents. He is now awaiting a predicted committal for trial. The butler kept on repeating the phrase to friends and acquaintances in the Vatican before getting mixed up in one of the most controversial scandals that have shaken the Holy See in recent years.

There is still one fundamental question surrounding the scandal involving the so-called poison pen letter writers – who got hold of some confidential documents belonging to the Pope and had them published in Italian newspapers and a book: why did the person/people responsible do this and why? If Gabriele, who is still the only individual under investigation who is facing trial, spoke of a “system” he was not in line with, perhaps in his mind, over time, he developed a need to act if not fight against these alleged forces of power working around or even against the Pope, out of “love” and in order to “help” Benedict XVI. This is how he described his actions to his lawyers Carlo Fusco and Cristiana Arru.

According to the two lawyers, Gabriele acted the way he did because he was influenced by a set of “inner ideals” which led him to follow a plan which was “certainly questionable” but was meant for the “good of the Church.” Gabriele sent a distressed letter to the Pope explaining these reasons and thinking. The letter reinforced the former butler’s hope that Benedict XVI would forgive 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.

FLORIDA
WDBO

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. —

A newly released video of a former Orange County teacher shows him being grilled by detectives after he was arrested in a sex sting.

Brian Shriner, who was also an Episcopalian priest, was arrested last month after being accused of traveling to have sex with a 14-year-old girl.

Shriner told detectives he wanted to meet the girl because he was writing a book, according to officials.

He apparently had aspirations to be an author, so Shriner told detectives he needed to speak to a 14-year-old girl, and he went online to find one, according to investigators.

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.

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

July 26, 2012

Editorial

Few things are worse than a watchman who doesn’t watch. That’s why Monsignor William J. Lynn of Philadelphia was sentenced Tuesday to 3 to 6 years in prison.

He failed to watch over the safety of the children of his Catholic archdiocese for the dozen years he was secretary for clergy to Cardinal Anthony J. Bevilacqua. It was Lynn’s job to make parish assignments and to investigate sex abuse claims against priests.

Last month, Lynn, 61, was found guilty of turning a blind eye to the predations of Edward Avery, a former parish priest who pleaded guilty to charges of sexually assaulting an altar boy in 1999. Lynn was told by a medical student in 1992 that Avery had molested him in the 1970s.

Lynn removed Avery from his parish and ordered him hospitalized for evaluation. But instead of then turning Avery over to Philadelphia police, Lynn let him to return to ministry in a limited capacity. Avery was reassigned to a parish that knew nothing of his history and no report was made to civil authorities.

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
Verdict

Marci A. Hamilton

If you have even glanced at a headline, television screen, or the Internet this summer, you cannot have missed the multitude of stories about child sex abuse and the justice system. The fight against such abuse has taken a laudable turn, for the benefit of victims. And all of these developments have occurred in one state: Pennsylvania. By dint of geography, it has been impossible to avoid comparisons between the institutional cover-ups of abuse at Pennsylvania State University, and in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. To put it mildly, neither institution emerges smelling like a rose.

There is so much that is happening, on so many fronts, it is as though a tsunami of justice has been released. We have been drowning in stories, data, coverage, and new revelations. Indeed, there is so much breaking news about the child-sex-abuse scandals that some reporters have been driven to specialize in either one institutional cover-up or the other.

The trial of the Philadelphia Archdiocese’s Monsignor Lynn ended in a verdict of child endangerment against him, and a sentence of 3-6 years. The trial of former defensive Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky resulted in guilty verdicts against him on 45 out of 48 charges, with sentencing still to be scheduled; and former FBI Director Louis Freeh recently released his scathing report on how child sex abuse by Sandusky was covered up by Penn State from 1998 to the present. The Freeh Report, in turn, formed the foundation for the NCAA to issue history-making sanctions against the Penn State football program.

And it is not over. Trials await against the Philadelphia Archdiocese’s lay teacher Bernard Shero and Fr. Charles Englehardt, as well as against Penn State’s former Vice President Gary Schultz and Athletic Director Tim Curley. Meanwhile, grand juries are likely busy in both central Pennsylvania and Philadelphia. There is reasonable certainty that former Penn State President Graham Spanier will face criminal charges, and that Sandusky will face more charges. And it is possible that past officials of the Philadelphia Archdiocese may face additional charges as well.

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
Law360

By Juan Carlos Rodriguez
Law360, New York (July 25, 2012, 12:46 PM ET) — The Fourth Circuit on Tuesday said The Catholic Mutual Relief Society of America had no duty to defend or indemnify a defrocked priest and convicted pedophile for a $100 million judgment obtained by one of his victims.

A three-judge appeals panel found that a South Carolina federal court was correct when it decided former priest Wayland Yoder Brown’s sexual abuse of Allan Carl Ranta was not conduct covered under a Catholic Mutual policy.

“According to Ranta, Brown knew or should have known he was a danger to children, yet failed to protect Ranta from him, thereby breaching his fiduciary duties as a priest,” the panel said. “Therefore, Ranta contends, Brown’s conduct constitutes negligence, which triggers coverage under Catholic Mutual’s insurance policy.”

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

MISSOURI
The Kansas City Star

By TONY RIZZO
The Kansas City Star

A Roeland Park man facing child pornography charges chatted online with a Florida man about killing and eating children, according to court records filed in the Floridian’s criminal case.

Michael D. Arnett, 38, and the Floridian had “extremely graphic discussions regarding kidnapping, sexually abusing, murdering and eating of children,” according to the court papers recently filed in federal court in Florida.

Prosecutors charged the Florida man, Ronald William Brown, 57, on July 20 in federal court in Tampa with conspiracy to commit kidnapping and possession of child pornography.

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.

FLORIDA
Tampa Bay Times

By John Woodrow Cox and Peter Jamison, Times Staff Writers

LARGO — The instant message arrived at 9:42 that night in mid-August last year.

“Any luck with your boy?” it said.

Professional puppeteer Ronald William Brown, according to a federal criminal complaint, had been chatting online for months with the man from Kansas who had just asked him that question.

“No,” Brown replied, “I still want to eat him, though.”

He and the boy, authorities say, attended church together in Largo. The complaint indicates Brown had fantasized about kidnapping and killing the boy. The man from Kansas, Michael Arnett, told Brown he had murdered children before, according to the complaint, so Brown asked for advice.

Brown: “Would you just knock him out?”

Arnett: “It would be the best way, for a boy his age and size yes.”

Brown: “With something? Your fist? Or what?”

Arnett: “A good whack to the back of the head, preferably with something like a blackjack.”

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.

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Chicago Tribune

Dave Warner
Reuters

8:21 p.m. CDT, July 25, 2012

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) – A Pennsylvania man sued the Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia on Wednesday for alleged sexual abuse by a priest, marking the 10th civil suit filed against the church since a 2011 grand jury report detailed sexual abuse by clergy in the area.

The suit names Rev. John R. Liggio, the archdiocese and the Order of St. Augustine, which it claimed provides teachers to the school. It alleges a priest at suburban Malvern Preparatory School sexually abused a youth in 1997 and 1998. The student was under the age of 16 at the time of the alleged abuse.

The lawsuit seeks more than $50,000 in damages.

“He did so by using physical, intellectual, moral, emotional and psychological force,” according to the lawsuit filed in Philadelphia’s Common Pleas Court.

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.

LOUISVILLE (KY)
WHAS

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) — A Louisville man arrested Tuesday is facing charges after being accused of sexually abusing another man after transporting him from a community center.

Police said Ronnelle Southerling was working as a driver for a transportation company that shuttled residents to and from the Agape Community Center when he took the victim from the center to an apartment at 2nd and College streets. Once at the apartment, Southerling allegedly gave the man alcohol and later tried to grope him.

Bishop Dennis Lyons of the Gospel Missionary Church said Southerling attended and worked 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.

AUSTRALIA
ABC – AM

[with audio]

Liz Hobday reported this story on Thursday, July 26, 2012

TONY EASTLEY: Victoria’s inquiry into abuse by religious and other non-government organisations has offered support to abuse victims wanting to participate in the inquiry.

However there are now claims that some of the agencies offering support to victims in country Victoria are run by the Catholic Church – which is itself facing serious allegations involving hundreds of abuse cases.

Liz Hobday has this report.

LIZ HOBDAY: Ballarat man Peter Blenkiron was abused by a Christian Brother when he was 11 years old.

He wanted support to prepare a submission to the parliamentary inquiry and called the recommended victims of crime helpline.

He says he was referred to an organisation called Centacare, run by the Catholic Archdiocese of Ballarat.

PETER BLENKIRON: We are talking about broken trust again. The Catholic Church are the people that are responsible worldwide for what’s going on, they’re responsible for what happened to me as an 11 year old. It’s beyond belief the things that happen.

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.

BOSTON (MA)
Boston Globe

By Stephanie Ebbert
| Globe Staff
July 26, 2012

The House passed a bill Wednesday to extend the statute of limitations for child victims of sexual abuse to file civil lawsuits, angering advocates who had hoped that such time limits would be eliminated.

The measure would limit to 27 years the deadline to claim to have been sexually abused as a child, effectively, expanding a victim’s potential to file claims until he or she is 43 years old.

That is a scaled-back version of the original bill, which would have eliminated the time limit on civil claims of childhood sexual abuse.

Though the measure would only affect future abuse cases, it would also offer victims who have been previously shut out by statutes of limitations one year in which to file retroactive claims. However, the bill would prevent a business or entity from being blamed for such abuse, unless gross negligence can be proven.

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.

CHILE
Santiago Times

Wednesday, 25 July 2012
Written by Tom Murphy

Latest allegation comes after recent series of high-profile abuse scandals.

A Catholic school in Santiago suspended a priest from its faculty Tuesday after claims he sexually abused a student surfaced. Father John O’Reilly, who worked at the Colegio Cumbres in the east of the capital, expressed his total innocence and willingness to fully cooperate with the investigation.

The Catholic Church in Chile has been rocked by a number of allegations of sexual abuse. Photo by Kurotashio/Wikimedia Commons.

“I’ve always had the utmost respect for students and their families, and I am convinced that after the investigation it will be made clear that this is an unfortunate mistake and that my actions have been correct,” O’Reilly said in a statement released Wednesday.

The allegation against O’Reilly comes after a series of high-profile scandals and reports of sexual abuse against minors in the country. Chilean authorities are now investigating 61 schools in the capital amid increasing reports of sex abuse in 2012.

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
Williamsport Sun-Gazette

July 26, 2012

By CHERYL R. CLARKE – cclarke@sungazette.com , Williamsport Sun-Gazette

MANSFIELD – The Blossburg priest who was suspended from his duties last fall for allegedly sexually assaulting an altar boy was held over for county court Wednesday by District Judge James Carlson.

Thomas P. Shoback, 60, of Wilkes-Barre, will face all charges against him, including three counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, two counts of indecent assault, two counts of endangering the welfare of children, one of corruption of minors and two counts of indecent assault at 8:30 a.m. Aug. 20 before President Judge Robert E. Dalton Jr. in the Tioga County Court of Common Pleas.

The charges are in connection with the alleged multiple sexual assaults between Feb. 20, 1991, and Feb. 20, 1997, against the victim, now 32, who was an altar boy at St. Mary’s Parish Rectory.

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.

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Inquirer

Inquirer Editorial

For the first U.S. church official convicted of covering up sex abuse by priests, the appropriate wages of sin include jail.

Beyond punishing Philadelphia Roman Catholic Msgr. William J. Lynn for failing to shield an altar boy from a priest known to have molested another youth, the certainty that he will spend three years in prison — and as many as six — sends a powerful message to anyone who enables abuse.

Lynn, 61, who served as secretary for clergy for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia from 1992 to 2004, was convicted last month of child endangerment.

The 12-week trial that led to Lynn’s conviction also linked the late Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua to the archdiocese’s policy of moving suspected predator priests to other parishes, rather than alerting civil authorities. As Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne M. Abraham said, “The cover-up went all the way to the top.”

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.

PHILADELPHIA (Pa)
Courier Post

WHERE WE STAND: Clerics who hid pedophiles, allowing abuses to continue, should go to prison.

Msgr. William Lynn did not rape a child. He did not molest a child.

But, he will go to prison for at least three years because those awful things happened to children. And it is justice — long, long overdue justice — that sends an important message across the United States and, hopefully, around the world.

A few Catholic priests who for years molested and assaulted children have been sent to prison in this country. They are, unfortunately, only a handful among the guilty, most of whom will never face deserved time behind bars because they’ve died or statutes of limitation have run out or because there isn’t enough evidence left to ensure a conviction.

Lynn, though, is the first Catholic official convicted in the United States solely for the crime of covering up sex abuse claims. The former secretary of clergy for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia was found guilty last month by a jury in Philadelphia of felony child endangerment. Lynn learned in 1992 that now-defrocked priest Edward Avery abused a boy years earlier. Lynn sent Avery for treatment at a church-run facility that diagnosed him with an alcohol problem, not a sexual disorder. Avery was subsequently returned to the ministry in Philadelphia and sexually assaulted an altar boy in 1999. Avery is serving a 2½- to five-year sentence for that crime.

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.

CHILE
Press TV (Iran)

An Irish Catholic missionary priest working as a school chaplain in the Chilean capital of Santiago is being investigated for alleged sexual abuse of a child.

Chilean authorities on Wednesday said that the missionary priest, John O’Reilly, is under investigation. O’Reilly, who works as a chaplain and spiritual advisor at the Colegio Cumbres School in the classy Las Condes district was suspended after a student’s family reported abuse.

“The information provided verbally by the mother of our student refers to Father John O’Reilly LC, who told the college that he is totally innocent and willing to cooperate in the investigation. The priest and Colegio Cumbres agreed to the suspension of all Father O’Reilly internal activities in order to fully clarify the facts,” the Colegio Cumbres school’s statement 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.

FLORIDA
Fox 51

[with video]

By Tiffany Teasley, Reporter

The State Attorney’s Office released video of investigators interviewing Brian Shriner, 46, a former Geneva School teacher and Episcopal priest at New Covenant Anglican Church in Winter Springs, shortly after his arrest.

Shriner was arrested in June, after he was accused of chatting with a detective posing as a 14-year-old girl online, investigators say he then traveled to Winter Springs to meet the minor for sex, instead he was met by deputies.

“I can guarantee nothing like this will ever happen with me again,” said Shriner during the interview. “I was just planning on sitting and talking to her, I know this sounds crazy,” he said.

During the interview Shriner gives investigators an explanation for what happened, telling them he’s writing a novel, and he was meeting the girl for research.

“This is one aspect of the book,” Shriner said. “This guy goes through a mid-life crisis where he works for California Soft — there’s a level of lust and there’s several stories that develop on the level of lust, and I wanted to look at one of them to deal with this,” Shriner said in the video.

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.

CHILE
La Segunda

Caso Colegio Cumbres: Abogado de la familia de la víctima dijo que se trataría de “tocamientos libidinosos”

Pasado el mediodía, el abogado Mario Schilling -que representa a los padres de la niña de 6 años que denunció abusos por parte del sacerdote de los Legionarios de Cristo y asesor espiritual del Colegio Cumbres, John O’Reilly- presentó una querella en el Cuarto Juzgado de Garantía de Santiago, consigna Soychile.cl .

Schilling explicó que la acción criminal es para que se investigue “las responsabilidades, no sólo del autor de estos delitos, sino también si existen coautores, cómplices o encubridores”. Aseguró que los delitos habrían ocurrido entre 2010 y el presente años, y se trataría de “tocamientos libidinosos”

Según comentó el abogado de la familia denunciante, dulces y hostias no consagradas, le habría regalado el sacerdote John O´Reilly a la supuesta víctima.

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.

CHILE
Emol

SANTIAGO.- El sacerdote legionario John O’Reilly, capellán y asesor espiritual del Colegio Cumbres, fue suspendido de todas sus actividades en el establecimiento educacional luego que se conociera una denuncia por abuso sexual en su contra.

La información fue dada a conocer por la dirección del colegio del sector oriente de Santiago en una carta dirigida a la comunidad escolar.

La supuesta víctima corresponde a una menor de edad, estudiante del colegio, quien con la autorización de sus padres fue sometida a una evaluación profesional externa a cargo de una psicóloga. Dicho informe y los antecedentes recopilados por un equipo interdisciplinario quedaron a disposición de la Fiscalía Oriente.

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.

CHILE
The Star

SANTIAGO: An Irish Catholic priest working as a school chaplain in Chile is being investigated for alleged sexual abuse of a minor, authorities said Wednesday.

John O’Reilly, a member of the Legionnaires of Christ who works as a chaplain at the Colegio Cumbres school in the posh Las Condes district of Santiago, was suspended after a student’s family reported abuse.

Investigating prosecutor Ignacio Pinto is leading the investigation, a prosecutor’s office source said.

O’Reilly insisted in a statement that it was all a “regrettable mistake,” arguing that his behavior was above board.

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 Examiner

By Juno McEnroe

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin called for fresh inquiries into care in the Magdalene laundries, mother-and-baby homes, and other institutions, to examine where the Church, serving the most deprived, went wrong.

The Archbishop of Dublin said the Church also needed to find a new language, but not be excluded from general society.

Dr Martin said priests needed support after the wave of abuse scandals that have engulfed the Church.

Some “research-based investigation”, less adversarial than a full-blown inquiry, could bring the truth to light and serve victims of abuse, 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.

IRELAND
The Irish Times

THE THREE-TO-SIX-YEAR jail term imposed in Philadelphia on Monsignor William Lynn for covering up child abuse marks an important first and a watershed moment for the Catholic Church, not only in the US but internationally. A court’s willingness for the first time to punish not only priestly abusers, but those who sheltered them, will reverberate through the church, and not least in Ireland where gardaí are still involved in investigating possible charges arising from the Murphy and Ryan reports. The sentence also comes only days after another landmark ruling in the UK courts which has extended church liability for the actions of priests and which is likely also to have important implications for other voluntary organisations.

The prosecution of Lynn, found guilty in June of child endangerment after a trial which exposed efforts over decades by his Philadelphia archdiocese to play down accusations of child sexual abuse and avoid scandal, echoes that of Bishop Pierre Pican of Bayeux-Lisieux in 2010. He received only a suspended three-month term, but, notoriously, was privately praised by the Vatican, for not handing over an abuser-priest to the police.

Lynn, who served as secretary for 800 clergy to the 1.5 million-strong archdiocese from 1992 to 2004, recommending priest assignments and investigating abuse complaints, will appeal. The archdiocese responded to what it complained was an “over-harsh” sentence with assurances that its procedures for protecting children had improved significantly in the decade since the offences occurred.

Meanwhile the court of appeal in London a fortnight ago upheld a lower court’s ruling that the church can be held liable for the actions of priests. The Portsmouth diocese had appealed a decision that found a priest had a relationship akin to an employee relationship to his bishop, and that the diocese was therefore “vicariously liable” for his actions. In his conclusions, Lord Justice Ward ruled that the priest in question, the late Father Wilfred Baldwin who allegedly abused a girl in a Hampshire children’s home, “may not quite match every facet of being an employee but in my judgment he is very close to it indeed.” He acknowledged the judgment significantly “widened the scope of vicarious liability”.

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.

FLORIDA
Bay News 9

By Erin Maloney, Reporter
Last Updated: Wednesday, July 25, 2012

LARGO —
The pastor at Gulf Coast Church in Largo said families are reeling after learning about church member and volunteer Ron Brown.

He was arrested and charged with conspiring to kidnap a child, and possession of child pornography.

Dozens of parents trusted Brown to bring their children to church every Wednesday. Anthony Cummings said he would even feed the boys pizza before heading to church.

Anthony’s mother Lexis said it was innocent enough until she learned about his arrest. Authorities say Brown chatted online with one man about his fantasy to strangle and eat a child’s body.

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
Newcastle Herald

26 Jul, 2012

WHEN Pope Benedict XVI came to Australia in 2008 his apology to victims of priestly abuse within the Catholic church didn’t leave room for interpretation.

The misdeeds of errant priests, he said, constituted ‘‘a grave betrayal of trust’’ and deserved ‘‘unequivocal condemnation’’.

‘‘Victims should receive compassion and care, and those responsible for these evils must be brought to justice,’’ the Pope declared.

Almost five years later, progress towards those goals is hard to measure.

While the church has, at various levels of its hierarchy, taken several steps to compensate and counsel victims, the human damage seems to be proving difficult to adequately address.

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
LaCrosse Tribune

By DOUG GLASS

The Minnesota Supreme Court on Wednesday tossed out a clergy abuse lawsuit by a man whose case rested on a repressed memory claim, siding with a lower court’s ruling that repressed memory is an unproven theory.

James Keenan sued the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis and the Diocese of Winona, claiming that as a teenager he was sexually abused four times in 1980 or 1981 by Thomas Adamson, a priest who has since been defrocked.

Keenan brought his claim in 2006, well outside the state’s six-year statute of limitations, but argued that it should be allowed because he repressed memories of the abuse. A district court rejected that claim, but the state Court of Appeals revived it last year.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday sided with the district court, which found that studies claiming to have proven the existence of repressed memory “lacked foundational reliability.”

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
WETM

Reported by: Stacey Minchin
Email: sminchin@wetmtv.com

Blossburg, PA – A former Tioga County Priest charged with 32 crimes related to the sexual abuse of a child, had his case moved to the court of common pleas.

66 year old Thomas Shoback of Wilkes-Barre is charged with several crimes including deviate sexual intercourse.

State police say the alleged crimes happened between 1991 and 1997 while Shoback was a priest at St. Mary’s Parish in Blossburg.

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.

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
hbvl (Belgie)

De Amerikaanse bisschop William Lynn is dinsdag veroordeeld tot een gevangenisstraf van 3 tot 6 jaar. Hij is de belangrijkste vertegenwoordiger van de Amerikaanse katholieke kerk die schuldig bevonden is aan het verhullen van seksueel misbruik door priesters. Rechter Teresa Sarmina zei hem bij de strafuitspraak dat hij heel goed wist wat goed was, maar dat hij toch fout koos.

Na een proces dat tien weken duurde ,werd Lynn eind juni schuldig bevonden aan het in gevaar brengen van kinderen. Hij werd er als voormalig verantwoordelijke voor het personeel in het aartsbisdom Philadelphia van beschuldigd, gevallen van seksueel misbruik verborgen te hebben, en niets gedaan te hebben om minstens twee priesters te verwijderen van posten waar ze vaak in contact kwamen met minderjarigen.

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
Jeff Anderson & Associates

Statement of Jeff Anderson re: Minnesota Supreme Court decision – John Doe 76C v. Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and Diocese of Winona

“We are deeply disappointed and shocked by the decision of the Minnesota Supreme Court to deny access to justice for this victim of childhood sexual abuse who repressed the memory of his abuse because it was so traumatic. In its decision the court determined that science concerning repression of memory is unsettled enough that it can’t be used in the court and thus denies Jim Keenan access to a trial–for this we are deeply saddened.

WE ARE SCARED FOR THE SAFETY OF CHILDREN because the dismissal of this case results in us not being able to release, or require the release of, a secret list of offenders kept by defendants–some of whom are still in the community.

Until those names are revealed, it is our view that the cover-up continues and children and the community remain at risk. There are 33 names that were reported to have been credibly accused by the Archdiocese of Minneapolis and 13 in the Diocese of Winona, that’s 46 credibly accused offenders as of 2004 and how many more on this list remain secret and remain unknown.

Because of this decision today, those secrets remain and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the Diocese of Winona are allowed to put their reputation above the health, safety and well-being of the children in our 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.

SPRINGFIELD (MA)
The Republican

By Buffy Spencer, The Republican

SPRINGFIELD – Andrew Nicastro said it wasn’t until 2008 that he realized continuing sexual assaults by former priest Alfred Graves more than two decades before in Williamstown had led him to become a person ruled by angry outbursts and unable to connect emotionally even with his own family.

He said The Rev. Mark Burke, a priest who became a friend of his, in 2008 helped him to see the role the sexual abuse had played in making him who he was.

“I felt like, ‘I get it,’” Nicastro said.

Nicastro was on the witness stand Wednesday in Hampden Superior Court in his civil suit against two former bishops.

He contends they should be held accountable for his several years of childhood abuse by the Rev. Andrew Graves because they were in supervisory positions in the Roman Catholic Diocese and knew Graves had assaulted two other boys before Nicastro.

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
NPR

[with audio]

July 25, 2012

Four years ago, a Vatican group called “The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith” began an assessment of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, a member organization founded in 1956 that represents 80 percent of Catholic nuns in the United States. The assessment was designed to take a careful look at whether the nuns were acting in accordance with the teachings of the church.

In the assessment, the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said the leadership conference is undermining Roman Catholic teachings on homosexuality and birth control and promoting “radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith.” It also reprimanded the nuns for hosting speakers who “often contradict or ignore” church teachings and for making public statements that “disagree with or challenge the bishops, who are the church’s authentic teachers of faith and morals.”

Bishop Leonard Blair of Toledo, Ohio, is the bishop who assessed the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. Along with Archbishop Peter Sartain and Bishop Thomas John Paprocki, he will be working with the nuns of the LCRW to make sure the group is aligned with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. The bishops and the nuns’ group leaders were also told to develop material “that provides a deepened understanding of the church’s doctrine of the faith.”

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
San Francisco Chronicle

DOUG GLASS, Associated Press

Updated 12:33 p.m., Wednesday, July 25, 2012

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Supreme Court on Wednesday tossed out a clergy abuse lawsuit by a man whose case rested on a repressed memory claim, siding with a lower court’s ruling that repressed memory is an unproven theory.

James Keenan sued the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis and the Diocese of Winona, claiming that as a teenager he was sexually abused four times in 1980 or 1981 by Thomas Adamson, a priest who has since been defrocked.

Keenan brought his claim in 2006, well outside the state’s six-year statute of limitations, but argued that it should be allowed because he repressed memories of the abuse. A district court rejected that claim, but the state Court of Appeals revived it last year.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday sided with the district court, which found that studies claiming to have proven the existence of repressed memory “lacked foundational reliability.”

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 (MA)
WGGB

[with video]

By Ray Hershel
July 25th, 2012

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB) — Testimony continued Wednesday in the case of a Williamstown man who says he was abused by a Catholic priest some 30 years ago.

Andrew Nicastro has filed a civil suit against Bishops Thomas Dupre and Joseph Maguire saying they should be held accountable because they were in supervisory positions in the diocese.

At times Nicastro wiped away the tears as he answered questions about how alleged sex abuse by former priest Alfred Graves has impacted his life.

Nicastro says the now defrocked priest sexually abused him for three years when he was between 11 and 14 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.

LONG BEACH (CA)
NBC Los Angeles

By Caroline Tan

Wednesday, Jul 25, 2012

A Long Beach parish priest is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon to face sexual assault charges based on allegations made by three female victims.

Luis Jose Cuevas, 67, a priest in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, faces eight misdemeanor counts of sexual battery and one felony count involving lewd acts with a child, officials from the Long Beach Police Department said in a press release.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed formal charges against Cuevas after police officials filed his case on July 19. Cuevas, who was arrested Monday, has been relieved of his duties as pastor, an Archdiocese spokeswoman said.

He was arrested after three female victims — two adults and one minor — approached police and accused the former priest of sexual battery and inappropriate touching.

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

Posted by David Clohessy on July 25, 2012

Our hearts ache for Jim Keenan. He fought a six-year-long heroic battle to expose predators warn parents, and protect kids. But somehow, the privacy of wrongdoer seems to trump the safety of children.

The real losers here are the employers, families and youngsters of Minnesota. They will apparently never be able to learn the names of roughly 46 accused child molesting Catholic clerics, some of whom are credibly accused or have likely even admitted their crimes.

And the real winners here are corrupt Catholic officials who have protect and are still protecting child molesters and their complicit colleagues instead of protecting vulnerable boys and girls.

Dr. Martin Luther King once said “The arc of history is long but it bends toward justice.” He’s right of course. But at times, there’s a terrible step backwards. This is one of those times.

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

MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

Article by: ABBY SIMONS , Star Tribune
Updated: July 25, 2012

The ruling means a list of 46 priests accused of child abuse will remain under seal.

A man who alleges he was sexually abused by a Catholic priest in the 1980s but didn’t remember until two decades later, may not present expert evidence about repressed memories, the Minnesota Supreme Court ordered Wednesday.

The 4-2 ruling throws out the long-battled case and means a list of 46 priests accused of abusing children will remain under seal.

The decision reverses a Court of Appeals ruling and dismisses a lawsuit brought six years ago by Jim Keenan, 45, against the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the Diocese of Winona, alleging that the church allowed the abuse to occur and then covered it up. Although the ruling is narrow, its effect is wide, said Keenan’s attorney, Jeff Anderson.

“I’ve always been outraged by the Archdiocese’s decision to hide behind the statute of limitations, but in this case and the position they’ve taken on cases like it, they can use technicalities to avoid accountability,” he said. “As long as they do, they can be destined to repeat the same mistakes.”

Archdiocese spokesman Dennis McGrath was not immediately available for comment.

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.

LONG BEACH (CA)
Los Angeles Times

A Roman Catholic priest who worked at a Long Beach church was scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday on charges he sexually groped a 14-year-old girl and two women in incidents that started two years ago.

Father Luis Jose Cuevas, 67, of St. Athanasius Church on Linden Avenue was to face eight misdemeanor charges of sexual assault and one felony count involving lewd acts with a child, according to a complaint filed by the L.A. County district attorney’s office.

He was arrested Monday in San Jacinto and was being held on $1-million bail pending his arraignment in a Long Beach court, said Long Beach Police Department spokesman Sgt. Aaron Eaton.

The two adult women, both 20, initially reported the alleged incidents to the archdiocese and then filed a police report, Eaton said. During the investigation, the teenager came forward and alleged repeated incidents during which Cuevas inappropriately touched “an intimate part” of her body for his own sexual arousal, the complaint contends.

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
Newcastle Herald

[with poll]

BY JOANNE MCCARTHY

26 Jul, 2012

ON Saturday night Tracey Pirona hugged her husband as she has done many times before, and reassured him: ‘‘We’ll get through this.’’

On Sunday morning she found the letter she had feared for years, and rang police.

John Pirona, 45, of Belmont North, a victim of one of the Hunter’s most notorious paedophile priests, has not been seen or heard from since then.

‘‘The longer this goes on the worse I feel about what the outcome’s going to be,’’ Mrs Pirona said.

Mr Pirona’s letter, with the final words ‘‘Too much pain’’, leaves no doubt the pain is the sexual abuse he suffered at a Catholic high school and the ugly secrets the church knew, but did nothing to stop.

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.

LONG BEACH (CA)
Contra Costa Times

Staff and wire reportspresstelegram.com
Posted: 07/25/2012

LONG BEACH — A man who served as a parish priest at a Catholic church in Long Beach is scheduled to be arraigned today on nine sex-related counts.

The Rev. Luis Jose Cuevas, 67, is charged with one felony count of lewd act on a child and eight misdemeanor counts of sexual battery involving a 17- year-old girl and two women. The crimes allegedly occurred between July 2010 and February of this year.

Cuevas was a parish priest at St. Athanasius Catholic Church for seven years and lived on the Linden Avenue church grounds at the time, according to police. He was charged last week and arrested at a residence in San Jacinto Monday by Long Beach police with the assistance of U.S. marshals.

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.

LONG BEACH (CA)
LA Weekly

By Simone Wilson
Wed., Jul. 25 2012

The latest sex scandal and PR nightmare for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles comes by way of northern Long Beach, near Compton:

Father Jose Luis Cuevas, 67, the longtime head priest at St. Athanasius Church, is being charged with “nine counts of sexual assault” for years of allegedly molesting female congregants, including a 17-year-old girl, say Long Beach police.

His arrest and removal from the ministry have been quite dramatic:

Archdiocese officials informed attendees of the church’s weekend services that their trusted leader would be removed “from all ministry and he will be living privately pending the outcome of these matters,” according to City News Service.

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
Canton Repository

Editorial

The issue: Child sexual abuse cover-ups

Our view: Sentencing of church official, sanctions on Penn State send strong message

Have Americans and some of their institutions decided once and for all that protecting sexual predators at the expense of children is intolerable? Hope that this is the case comes in two developments separated by one day and a scant 200 miles.

Tuesday in a Philadelphia courtroom, a Roman Catholic official was sentenced to three to six years in prison after being convicted of child endangerment. The case against Monsignor William J. Lynn revealed a decades-long pattern in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia of protecting predatory priests at the expense of their victims and parishioners.

“You knew full well what was right, Monsignor,” the judge said while sentencing Lynn, “but you chose wrong.”

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.

FLORIDA
Orlando Sentinel

By Amy Pavuk, Orlando Sentinel

1:01 p.m. EST, July 25, 2012

Prosecutors released more evidence Wednesday in the case against a local school teacher — who is also an Episcopalian priest — who is accused of traveling to meet a child for sex.

Brian Gerald Shriner, a 46-year-old father of two who worked at The Geneva School, was arrested in June following an undercover operation.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Officehas reported Shriner initiated an online conversation with an undercover detective who was posing as a child.

Shriner and the detective communicated via email for about one month and agreed to meet to have sex June 15, the Sheriff’s Office 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.

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Irish Central

By
PATRICK COUNIHAN,
IrishCentral Staff Writer

Published Wednesday, July 25, 2012

US Catholic clergyman Monsignor William Lynn has been sentenced to three to six years in jail for covering up child sex abuse by priests in Philadelphia.

Lynn is the most senior U.S. cleric convicted in the church’s decades-long sex abuse scandal.

NBC reports that the sentence which was handed down by Judge M. Teresa Sarmina was less than the maximum penalty of seven years in prison for Lynn’s conviction on a single count of child endangerment.

The judge said: “The sentence is meant to punish Lynn for protecting monsters in clerical garb who molested children … to destroy the souls of children, to whom you turned a hard heart.” …

Commentator Terence McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks priest-abuse cases, told NBCPhiladelphia.com: “I believe that what Lynn did was done by just about every diocese.

“In most cases, I think the vicar general was well informed, and also the bishop.”

“More than 500 U.S. priests have now been convicted of abuse but Lynn’s three-month trial shows just how hard it is to demonstrate collusion.”

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
KMOX

ST. LOUIS (KMOX)- Local clergy abuse survivors assess the impact of today’s 3 to 6 prison sentence handed down to a Philadelphia church official for covering up sex abuse claims against priests.

First, SNAP’s David Clohessy says he’s glad the monsignor will spend time behind bars.

“We think that jailing men who conceal child sex crimes is a good way to deter people to concealing child sex crimes,” he says

And, Clohessy says, that sentence may have an impact on a St. Louis-native who could be the next church official to go on trial — Kansas City St. Joseph Bishop Robert Finn.

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.

ROM
Financial Times Deutschland

Seit Monaten spekuliert Rom über die Frage, ob der Maulwurf im Vatikan Helfer hatte. Eine italienische Zeitung nennt in der Enthüllungsaffäre “Vatikleaks” Namen – der Vatikan dementiert empört.

In der Enthüllungsaffäre “Vatileaks” könnte der verdächtigte Kammerdiener des Papstes einem Bericht der Zeitung “La Repubblica” zufolge drei Komplizen gehabt haben. Sie arbeiteten alle im Umfeld von Papst Benedikt XVI., schreibt das Blatt am Montag, ohne Quellen zu nennen. Von den vatikanischen Ermittlern verdächtigt würden Benedikts Haushälterin und Beraterin Ingrid Stampa, der deutsche Kurienbischof Josef Clemens sowie der für Papst-Reden verantwortliche italienische Kardinal Paolo Sardi. Sie hätten auch vertrauten Umgang mit dem Kammerdiener Paolo Gabriele gehabt. Der Vatikan ist empört und dementierte den Bericht als falsch.

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.

DEUTSCHLAND
Rhein Zeitung

FELDKIRCH – Das Zivilverfahren eines heute 45-jährigen mutmaßlichen Missbrauchsopfers gegen das Bregenzer Zisterzienser-Kloster Mehrerau am Landesgericht Feldkirch ist am Dienstag zum zweiten Mal vertagt worden.

Der Mehrerauer Alt-Abt Kassian Lauterer, der als Zeuge aussagen sollte, konnte wegen einer kurzfristigen Erkrankung nicht vor Gericht erscheinen. Der Prozess soll nun im Oktober fortgesetzt werden.

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.

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
religion@ORF

Der ehemalige Personalverantwortliche der Erzdiözese Philadelphia ist wegen Vertuschung von sexuellem Missbrauch zu mehreren Jahren Haft verurteilt worden. William Lynn habe den Schutz seiner Kirche über den der Opfer gestellt, erklärte Richterin Maria Teresa Sarmina laut US-Medienberichten bei der Urteilsverkündung am Dienstag.

Der 61-jährige Lynn muss zwischen drei und sechs Jahren in Haft. Er ist der erste hochrangige Kleriker, der sich vor einem US-Gericht wegen des Missbrauchsskandals in der katholischen Kirche verantworten musste. Opfervertreter begrüßten den Berichten zufolge den Schuldspruch. Die Erzdiözese sprach von einem „harten“ Urteil.

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.

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Welt

Wegen der Vertuschung von Missbrauchsfällen ist ein ranghoher katholischer Geistlicher in den USA zu einer Haftstrafe von drei bis sechs Jahren verurteilt worden. Ein Gericht in Philadelphia im Bundesstaat Pennsylvania verkündete am Dienstag das Strafmaß gegen Monsignore William Lynn. Der 61-jährige Geistliche war im Juni wegen Gefährdung von Kindern schuldig gesprochen worden. Lynn wurde vorgeworfen, pädophile Priester im Erzbistum Philadelphia gedeckt und auf neue Stellen versetzt zu haben.

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.

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
kathweb

Gericht verhängt mehrjährige Haftstrafe gegen früheren Personalchef der Erzdiözese Philadelphia

25.07.2012

Washington, 25.07.2012 (KAP) Ein früherer Personalverantwortlicher der Erzdiözese Philadelphia ist wegen Vertuschung von sexuellem Missbrauch zu mehreren Jahren Haft verurteilt worden. William Lynn habe den Schutz seiner Kirche über den der Opfer gestellt, erklärte Richterin Maria Teresa Sarmina laut US-Medienberichten bei der Urteilsverkündung am Dienstag (Ortszeit). Der 61-jährige Lynn muss demnach zwischen drei und sechs Jahren in Haft. Er ist der erste hochrangige Kleriker, der sich vor einem US-Gericht wegen des Missbrauchsskandals in der katholischen Kirche verantworten musste. Opfervertreter begrüßten den Berichten zufolge den Schuldspruch. Die Erzdiözese sprach von einem “harten” Urteil.

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.

DEUTSCHLAND
MissBiT

Ein Jahr zuvor: Der Vertrag zur Durchführung eines Forschungsprojekts über den sexuellen Missbrauch an Minderjährigen durch katholische Priester, Diakone und männliche Ordensangehörige im Bereich der Deutschen Bischofskonferenz

185. Sitzung des Ständigen Rates der Deutschen Bischofskonferenz am 20./21. Juni 2011 in Würzburg-Himmelspforten

Sexueller Missbrauch im kirchlichen Bereich – Aktuelle Fragen

1. Arbeitshilfe

Seit Bekanntwerden der Fälle sexuellen Missbrauchs an Minderjährigen durch Priester und kirchliche Angestellte im vergangenen Jahr hat die Deutsche Bischofskonferenz eine Vielzahl von Maßnahmen ergriffen. Diese Maßnahmen sind bisher durch Pressemitteilungen und das Internet publiziert worden.

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.

DEUTSCHLAND
MissBiT

Laut Professor Dr. Christian Pfeiffer ist das “Forschungsprojekt über den sexuellen Missbrauch an Minderjährigen durch katholische Priester, Diakone und männliche Ordensangehörige im Bereich der Deutschen Bischofskonferenz” zu „einem gewissen Stillstand gekommen“.

Am 14. Juli 2012 erschien auf dem Internetportal „kath.net“ ein Interview mit Pfarrer Uwe Winkel, Netzwerk katholischer Priester, „über das Ende eines geplanten Forschungsprojekt der Deutschen Bischofskonferenz, bei dem ein Institut Zugriff auf alle Personalakten der 27 Diözesen gehabt hätte“. (Man beachte den Plusquamperfekt Konjunktiv II!)

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.

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
National Survivor Advocates Coalition

7/25/2012

The National Survivor Advocates Coalition (NSAC) believes Monsignor William Lynn should have received the maximum seven year sentence given the parameters of the law but the three to six year sentence is significant for his conviction on the endangerment of children in this watershed case regarding the sexual abuse of children.

The sentence should send a clear and direct message to all of the bishops of the Roman Catholic Church: they have failed their people, and given Monsignor Lynn’s defense they created and sustain a culture that fails their people.

If the people of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and Monsignor Lynn’s parish believe the sentence to be unfair, they should urge Cardinal Rigali to step forward and take Monsignor Lynn’s place in jail. For indeed, it becomes increasingly clear with each court case that the cover-up and direction came from the top.

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.

LONG BEACH (CA)
The Orange County Register

By KELLY PUENTE / PRESS-TELEGRAM

LONG BEACH — A catholic priest from a Long Beach church was arrested this week on suspicion of sexually assaulting two women and a teenage girl, police announced Tuesday.

Father Luis Jose Cuevas, a parish priest at St. Athanasius Catholic Church, 5390 Linden Ave., is facing nine counts of sexual assault following accusations from three alleged victims, said Long Beach Police Sgt. Aaron Eaton.

Police believe there may be more possible victims and are asking anyone with information to come forward.

Eaton said that in April two women accused Cuevas of sexual battery. Both women initially reported the incidents to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and then filed a police report.

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.

WEST VIRGINIA
WTOV

A STATEMENT FROM THE DIOCESE OF WHEELING-CHARLESTON

Two witnesses whose testimony in a recent trial in Philadelphia led to speculation that Bishop Bransfield may have abused minors in the late 1970s have clarified that they have no such knowledge or information.

In addition, two Philadelphia men have come forward to strongly refute the speculation, and it has been confirmed that the Archdiocese of Philadelphia declared such an allegation unfounded after conducting an investigation when the allegation was first reported in 2007. The details of each of these developments are provided below.

1. At the recent Philadelphia trial of two clerics, a man who was the victim of sexual abuse by another priest, then-Father Stanley Gana, was permitted to testify that on one occasion when then-Father Michael Bransfield visited Gana’s farm outside Philadelphia, Gana told him that Bransfield had been sexually abusing the boy in the front seat of his car. The boy in the front seat of Bransfield’s car on that occasion at Gana’s farm has now been identified as Ronald Rock, a Philadelphia business executive who was a Lansdale Catholic High School student at the time. Rock has confirmed that he was the boy in the front seat of the car and that Bransfield never engaged in any improper conduct of any kind. Rock has explained that his family owned a cabin near Gana’s farm, that he invited then-Fr. Bransfield, a teacher at Lansdale Catholic, to accompany him and a group of his friends to the cabin on one weekend, and that they had visited Gana’s farm that weekend.

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.

KANSAS CITY (MO)
San Francisco Chronicle

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph has been removed from a civil lawsuit over alleged child sexual abuse by a priest.

Jackson County Judge Ann Mesle dismissed one count of failure to supervise children and two counts of fraudulent misrepresentation in a lawsuit against the Rev. Michael Tierney. The judge dismissed three similar counts against Tierney but he still faces civil counts of child sexual abuse and battery.

The suit alleges that Tierney abused a 13-year-old boy in the 1970s. Tierney has denied any wrongdoing.

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
Hamilton Spectator

By Susan Clairmont

A veteran Crown attorney and a high profile defence lawyer could face criminal charges for cutting a deal that let a priest escape the country rather than face sex abuse charges.

However Dean Paquette, the priest’s council, says there is no basis for such charges against him or the Crown.

The Ministry of the Attorney General will not say if its probe into the controversial handling of the case involving Reverend Jose Silva involves a criminal investigation. But buzz around the John Sopinka Courthouse where the deal was brokered is that technically, criminal charges could be laid against Paquette and assistant Crown attorney Carey Lee.

The reasoning goes like this: failing to appear in court is a criminal offence. Silva failed to appear in court because Lee and Paquette worked together to arrange for him to return to Brazil, where he is from, even though he was facing charges related to the alleged sexual assault of an 18-year-old man who says he was groped.

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.

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Catholics4Change

July 25, 2012 by Susan Matthews

The Archdiocesan official response to Msgr. Lynn’s sentencing shocked me in its blatant and utter disregard for justice, truth, victims and Church healing. I’m not shocked this is their take on it. I’m floored that they put it out there for the press. I thought the arrogance would have been left at the court room doors after the evidence and testimony were presented. No. The last sentences of the press release prove that arrogance is alive and well at 222.

I beg people to read this statement and compare/contrast to the Penn State response. Two institutions are faced with the same horrible issue. One handled it with compassion – the other with continued callousness.

At the very least, I would have thought Archbishop Chaput would clean house. What about all those names copied on the memos? All the others who knew but can’t be prosecuted? They are still in positions of authority. There is no real contrition or sanction unless the civil courts demand it.

The last sentence proves to me beyond the shadow of any doubt that the Catholic Church is under attack from within. The leadership is destroying the living body of Christ. They can’t even repent properly in words – let alone in action.

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
The Telegraph (United Kingdom)

The Pope’s butler has written a letter to Benedict XVI asking to be pardoned for stealing and leaking confidential papers, in a move which may enable him to avoid a trial that could prove embarrassing to the Vatican.

By Nick Squires, Rome
12:28PM BST 24 Jul 2012

Paolo Gabriele, 46, who was formerly a trusted member of the pontiff’s inner circle, sent the confidential letter to express his regret over the theft.

The letter was sent to the Pope via a commission of three cardinals who are investigating the leaks and hunting for other moles within the Holy See.

The letter expresses Mr Gabriele’s “sorrow and contrition” over the stealing of the confidential documents from Benedict’s private apartments, said Carlo Fusco, the butler’s lawyer.

In the letter, the valet reportedly insists that no one else was involved in the theft, denying widespread rumours in Rome that he was an unwitting scapegoat for a much wider plot amid jockeying for power at the highest levels of the Holy See.

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.

FLORIDA
WTSP

[with video]

Written by
Isabel Mascarenas

TAMPA, Florida — A Largo man who works as a puppeteer and is now charged with child pornography and conspiring to kidnap a child appeared in federal court Tuesday.

Investigators say 57-year-old Ronald Brown fantasized about eating children. He had a bond hearing today, but it has been delayed while Brown tries to hire private attorney Eric Kuske to defend him.

Investigators say Brown had a graphic online chat about kidnapping, sexually abusing, murdering, and eating children. He walked into a federal court in shackles, wearing prison blues and looking calm.

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.

FLORIDA
Huffington Post

By Andy Campbell

A Florida puppeteer who entertains children at birthday parties, schools and churches, secretly wanted to rape, kill and eat them, cops said.

Ronald Brown, 57, of Largo, was arrested last week after federal agents found that he’d allegedly been chatting online with child pornography suspects about “extremely graphic discussions regarding kidnapping, sexually abusing, murdering and eating children,” according to a federal complaint obtained by the Tampa Bay Times.

The details are gruesome.

Brown — whose Puppets Plus website promises “grins and giggles” for kids — was reportedly caught in online chat rooms with people the feds were investigating as part of a child pornography ring in Massachusetts. He allegedly fantasized about strangling, dismembering and eating his victims.

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.

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Catholic News Agency

Philadelphia, Pa., Jul 24, 2012 / 04:28 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Archdiocese of Philadelphia offered prayer and a pledge to protect children July 24, as Monsignor William Lynn received a three to six year prison sentence for his handling of an abusive priest.

“From the challenges the Church has faced both nationally and locally over the past decade, we understand the full gravity of sexual abuse,” the archdiocese said in its response to the sentence handed down by Common Pleas Court Judge M. Teresa Sarmina on Tuesday.

In a statement released after the sentencing, the archdiocese reaffirmed its commitment “to protecting children and caring for victims,” while also offering its prayers “for Msgr. Lynn and his family at this difficult 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.

WEST VIRGINIA
Catholic News Agency

Wheeling, W.V., Jul 25, 2012 / 02:14 am (CNA).- Bishop Michael J. Bransfield of Wheeling-Charleston says accusations of abuse against him have been disproved, with the alleged victim and another witness coming forward to attest to his innocence.

“I am pleased to be able to say that this allegation has been put to rest,” Bishop Bransfield wrote in a July 23 letter, addressing the “false hearsay statements” made against him during the recent trial of Monsignor William Lynn and Father James Brennan.

“Ron Rock, the high school student whom I had allegedly victimized – now a prominent Philadelphia businessman – has now publicly confirmed that this allegation is completely false,” Bishop Bransfield wrote.

“Timothy Love was also with us on that occasion, and he has also confirmed the completely innocent and proper nature of my friendship with them.”

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

PEORIA (IL)
Journal Star

PEORIA —

A minister at a Peoria church who was placed on probation in 2010 for aggravated criminal sexual abuse was indicted Tuesday by a Peoria County grand jury on similar charges.

Marcus D. Randle-Howard, 28, of 213 N. Webster St. was indicted on charges of criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse for acts he allegedly committed to a 14-year-old girl in June.

Assistant State’s Attorney Steve Pattelli said the alleged assault occurred at the victim’s uncle’s house. She was visiting Peoria when Randle-Howard came into contact with her at the church, which wasn’t immediately known Tuesday.

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

IRELAND
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin

Speaking Notes of
Most Rev. Diarmuid Martin
Archbishop of Dublin

Glenties, 24th July 2012 Embargo 2:30pm

Some months ago a commentator on radio – in all good faith – said that he could not understand the Archbishop of Dublin. I seemed, he said, to be constantly speaking from both sides of my mouth and he felt he did not really know where I stood. On the one hand I had said that the Catholic Church in Ireland was at a crisis point and on the other hand I was saying that it had begun to “turn the corner” of renewal.

I do not see these as opposing comments. I believe that both reflect different aspects of the life of the Catholic Church in Ireland today. The problem is that those who see the Church in Ireland as being in crisis fail to see – or perhaps in some cases do not want to see – the Church already turning the corner to a renewed phase in its history. And those who feel we have turned the corner often feel that the Church has already definitively moved forward – perhaps much more than I would hold – and that it is time now to look forward with confidence and definitively archive the past.

Some years ago I spoke here in Glenties about the situation of the Church in Ireland. I can honestly say that I have found my task today in trying to analyse the situation of the Church in Ireland without a doubt much more difficult than it was then. There is no way I which I can make definitive statements. There is no way in which humanly I can unquestionably say that my vision for the Church in Ireland, at least in the short term, is optimistic or pessimistic. It is only the faith I have that Jesus will be with his Church always which gives me encouragement and light. On the human level there are perhaps more unknowns and challenges and dysfunctionalities than there were a few years ago.

I am by no means a born pessimist. I see the many and remarkable positive changes that have taken place in the Church in Ireland since Vatican II and indeed in recent years and in recent months. There are however many contradictions and levels of ambivalence in the way believers and non-believers look at and evaluate the Church and its role in Ireland today.

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
Jamaica Observer

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

LONDON, England (AP) — The archbishop of Dublin says the Catholic Church of Ireland needs to reflect further on the roots of sexual abuse of children by priests and is calling for public investigations into the scandal.

Diarmuid Martin says he believes the public interest could be served by public, research-based investigations into abuse and that the “answers to some questions are not to be found just in the archives of the Church.”

Martin is widely considered to be Ireland’s most reform-minded Catholic leader and the Irish church’s leading voice calling for greater openness on past 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.

UNITED KINGDOM
News.va – Vatican Radio

[with audio]

2012-07-24 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Helping survivors of sexual abuse. Ensuring that children are safe in the Church. And supporting religious congregations in their safeguarding endeavours. Those are three key concerns outlined in a new report from Britain’s National Catholic Safeguarding Commission which was published in London on Tuesday. While the fourth annual report highlights many positive developments in this vital ministry, it also says there’s still more that needs to be done to protect children and vulnerable adults from 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.

UNITED KINGDOM
The Catholic Church of England and Wales

[with download of the full report]

The fourth Annual Report outlining the work of the National Catholic Safeguarding Commission (NCSC) and the Catholic Safeguarding Advisory Service (CSAS) has been launched today.

This report reflects the work of the Commission and the CSAS. It highlights the many positive developments in the safeguarding ministry in the Catholic Church in England and Wales whilst acknowledging that there is still work to be done and the need to remain vigilant in the protection of children, young people and vulnerable adults.

NCSC Developments 2011 – 2012

In 2011 the NCSC identified that its main areas of work for 2011/2012 would be to:
•Develop a more sensitive and pastoral response to victims and survivors of abuse
•Ensure that safeguarding standards are maintained throughout the Church
•Seek solutions to support the religious in their safeguarding endeavours

The report describes the progress in these areas.

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

UNITED KINGDOM
Catholic Culture

CWN – July 25, 2012

The National Catholic Safeguarding Commission, a lay body formed in 2008 by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference in England and Wales and the Conference of Religious, released its annual report on July 24 and found that there were 49 allegations of abuse against a minor in 2011.

“Of the 49 alleged abusers, 28 are clergy or religious, 9 volunteers, 5 employees, and 7 parishioners,” the report stated. “26 victims allege that the abuse occurred in the 1980’s or before, with 1 in the 1940’s and 4 in the 1950’s. 25 victims allege that the abuse occurred in 2011.”

“37 victims alleged sexual abuse, 13 physical abuse, 8 emotional abuse,” the report continued. “This represents a significant reduction in the proportion of sexual abuse allegations compared with an equally significant increase in the proportion of physical abuse 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.

FLORIDA
WFTV

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. —

WFTV has learned that a man accused of sexually abusing children and disabled adults not only worked as a youth pastor and day care worker, but he also worked at a local middle school.

Kenneth Hagins is accused of abusing children and disabled adults while he worked at a Lake County day care and church, authorities said. But Channel 9’s Berndt Petersen found that Hagins also worked at Mount Dora Middle School for eight years before he was fired.

District officials said Hagins worked at the school from May 1999 to Nov. 26, 2007. He had been a teacher’s assistant, custodian and a secretary during his time at the school.

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.

PITTSBURGH (PA)
Tribune-Review

By Rachel Weaver

Published: Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Sex-abuse scandals in the past decade have given religious leaders a greater understanding of how to handle allegations, say Roman Catholic Church officials in Western Pennsylvania.

“There is no ‘cure’ for this,” said the Rev. Ron Lengwin, spokesman for the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh. “This is not something where you can simply send them away to a treatment center and put them in another parish assignment.”

Individual dioceses set policies for handling abuse allegations, to use in conjunction with national standards of The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.

The Pittsburgh diocese put most of its practices in place in the late 1980s, Lengwin 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.

HELENA (MT)
Independent Record

By EVE BYRON Independent Record | Posted: Wednesday, July 25, 2012

An insurance company has filed a federal lawsuit against the Helena-based Catholic Diocese of Montana, saying that the church is trying to make it cover some of the costs associated with defending former nuns and priests accused of child abuse in the 1930s through the 1970s.

In court documents, the Arrowood Indemnity Company said the diocese has sought a defense from a number of insurance companies in connection with two lawsuits filed in Lewis and Clark District Court. The insurance companies that sold general liability policies to the diocese have agreed to defend the church in those lawsuits.

The diocese also demanded a defense from Arrowood, saying that the company or one of its predecessors sold general liability insurance from 1940 through 1960 that provides coverage to the diocese for the abuse lawsuits, according to the documents.

However, the insurance company says that after an extensive search of its existing historical records, it can’t find any evidence that it provided coverage to the diocese. The company adds an independent investigation by the church also couldn’t uncover any evidence that they sold the diocese insurance.

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.

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
New York Daily News

By Charlie Wells / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

The first U.S. Roman Catholic official convicted of covering up child sexual abuse inside the Church was sentenced Tuesday to 3-to-6 years in prison.

Judge M. Teresa Sarmina handed down Monsignor William J. Lynn’s sentence, just shy of the maximum seven-year penalty prosecutors had sought.

Sarmina told Lynn that he had permitted “monsters in clerical garb … to destroy the souls of children, to whom you turned a hard heart.” …

“I believe that what Lynn did was done by just about every diocese,” Terence McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, a website tracking cases of abuse, said to NBCPhiladelphia.com. “In most cases, I think the vicar general was well informed, and also the bishop.”

According to McKiernan’s group, over 500 priests have been convicted of abuse.

As for Lynn, prosecutors were not at a loss for harsh words.

“His active, even eager execution of archdiocese policies – carried out in the face of victims’ vivid suffering, and employing constant deceit – required a more amoral character, a striving to please his bosses no matter how sinister the business,” they wrote in a sentencing memo obtained by CBS News and filed Friday. “At any time during those 12 years, he could have had a moment of conscience.”

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.

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Newsworks

[with audio]

By Elizabeth Fiedler

The first U.S. church official convicted for his handling of sexual abuse allegations against other priests has been sentenced to three to six years in prison.

The sentence was handed down today in Philadelphia to Monsignor William Lynn, the former secretary for clergy at Philadelphia Archdiocese. …

District Attorney Seth Williams said the sentence validates years of work.

“This is a very different type of case. One that many people say is unprecedented in American jurisprudence and I am very proud of the men and women of the grand juries and the men and women of the district attorney’s office for bringing this case on behalf of all victims,” he said.

Williams says while Lynn did not abuse children, he didn’t do enough to protect them.

“As the father of three daughters, to know that someone reported potentially that my daughter was raped, didn’t call law enforcement, didn’t even try to let me know that I have a ticking time bomb in the room next to me that needs counseling — is insufficient,” Williams said. “And that is why he’s here. That is why he’s held responsible for his behavior.”

“I think this is a guide for the world,” says Marci Hamilton, the co-counsel in several civil cases brought by plaintiffs who allege abuse and cover-up by Philadelphia church officials.

“I do think that Seth Williams has set the standard so that prosecutors now know that they can get justice for victims of child sexual abuse,” Hamilton says. “And prosecutors were afraid these kinds of prosecutions even 10 years ago. They were elected officials and they were afraid of being targeted as being anti-Catholic.”

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.

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Daily Times

After three months of silence regarding the child endangerment trial of the Rev. Monsignor William Lynn, who was accused of protecting pedophile priests, officials in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia spoke out late Tuesday afternoon.

They issued a press release expressing profound regret for any pain the trial may have caused the 12 victims of clerical sexual abuse who courageously testified.

They also insisted that things have changed in the Roman Catholic Church since the days those victims were abused.

That being said, archdiocesan officials wanted to make another major point.

They think it’s time to be “fair-minded” in the case of the monsignor who was responsible for the disposition of suspected abusers when he served as secretary of clergy in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia from 1992 to 2004. …

“Fair-minded people will question the severity of the heavy, three to six year sentence imposed on Monsignor Lynn today. We hope that when this punishment is objectively reviewed, it will be adjusted. We pray for Monsignor Lynn and his family at this difficult time,” said the press release issued by officials in the archdiocese headed by Archbishop Charles Chaput.

We don’t even know where to begin in responding to such a tasteless and, quite frankly, incredible statement.

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.

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
National Turk (Turkey)

A Roman Catholic Monsignor William Lynn has been sentenced yesterday to serve up to 6 years in prison for allowing a priest suspected of sexual misconduct with a minor to continue to work in an assignment involving contact with children.

US catholic priest William J. Lynn, a former cardinal’s aide, was found guilty of endangering children, becoming the first senior official of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States convicted of covering up child sexual abuses by priests under his supervision in Philadelphia.

The catholic priest Monsignor William Lynn’s sentence is another milestone in a sex-abuse scandal that has shaken the Church in the US and elsewhere for the past ten years.

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

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
The Journal (Ireland)

THE FIRST ROMAN Catholic church official in America to be convicted of covering up claims of sexual abuse by priests under his supervision was sentenced to up to six years in prison yesterday.

Monsignor William J Lynn was found guilty of child endangerment after a three month trial that reveled decades of glossing over accusations of sexual abuse to avoid scandal, the New York Times reports. …

Defence lawyer Thomas Bergstrom said Lynn was being punished for “things he did and did properly” and confirmed the Monsignor will appeal and is seeking bail.

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.

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Daily Times

Published: Wednesday, July 25, 2012

By MARYCLAIRE DALE
Of The Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA — The first U.S. church official convicted of covering up sex-abuse claims against Roman Catholic priests was sentenced Tuesday to three to six years in prison by a judge who said he “enabled monsters in clerical garb … to destroy the souls of children.”

Monsignor William Lynn, the former secretary for clergy at the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, “helped many but also failed many” in his 36-year church career, Common Pleas Judge M. Teresa Sarmina said.

Lynn, who handled priest assignments and child sexual assault complaints from 1992 to 2004, was convicted last month of felony child endangerment for his oversight of now-defrocked priest Edward Avery. Avery is serving a 2½- to five-year sentence for sexually assaulting an altar boy in church in 1999. …

The archdiocese called the sentence severe and hoped it would be “adjusted” on appeal.

“Fair-minded people will question the severity of the heavy, three- to six-year sentence imposed on Monsignor Lynn today,” the statement said. …

“Protecting children has to be first and foremost,” said Barbara Blaine, founder of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. “We’re extremely grateful that the judge and the prosecutors did not give Monsignor Lynn special treatment because of his priestly status.”

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
Daily Times

Published: Wednesday, July 25, 2012

By PATTI MENGERS
pmengers@delcotimes.com

Ten years ago, John Salveson called the resignation of Boston Cardinal Bernard Law in the shadow of hundreds of claims of clerical sexual abuse under his watch, a start in seeking justice for the victims of pedophile priests.

“I think it’s long overdue. I think it’s a good start. What I mean by this, the root of this problem to me is the bishops and cardinals who keep sheltering abusive priests,” the Radnor resident said in December 2002.

But more members of the hierarchy must be held accountable if the Catholic Church is going to fully address the scandal, insisted the former director of the Philadelphia chapter of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, also known as SNAP.

Tuesday, Salveson, who in 2006 founded the Foundation to Abolish Childhood Sex Abuse to lobby for expansion of Pennsylvania’s statute of limitations on sexual assault, finally saw part of his prediction realized after learning that a Philadelphia church official was sent to prison for protecting a pedophile priest.

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

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Inquirer

By John P. Martin and Joseph A. Slobodzian
Inquirer Staff Writers

Msgr. William J. Lynn was sentenced Tuesday to three to six years in state prison by a judge who said he turned a blind eye while “monsters in clerical garb” sexually abused children, devastating families and shaking the Catholic Church across Philadelphia and beyond.

Common Pleas Court Judge M. Teresa Sarmina said she believed Lynn was once the kind and selfless parish priest that his supporters so passionately described. But as the aide whom Cardinal Anthony J. Bevilacqua tapped to investigate clergy sex abuse, Lynn chose to protect the church over victims, she said.

“You knew full well what was right, Msgr. Lynn, but you chose wrong,” she told him.

The sentence, the first for a Catholic leader for enabling clergy sex abuse, fell just short of the maximum seven-year term Philadelphia prosecutors had sought. It was hailed by victims and advocates who had complained that church officials long eluded justice for accommodating or concealing priests’ attacks on 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.

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Inquirer

Monica Yant Kinney, Inquirer Columnist

What’s the appropriate response when your tormentor gets his comeuppance?

Should you clap? Sigh? Sob? Smile in recognition of a rare moment of karmic payback?

Msgr. William J. Lynn didn’t rape anyone, but he still received a three- to six-year sentence in prison for endangering the welfare of children. He’s guilty of inaction more than action. He sullied the priesthood not as a predator, but as the worst kind of company man – a pathologically passive-aggressive coward afraid to question his boss.

Vicky Cubberley, 62, a survivor of clergy sex abuse, never expected this day, so she didn’t know quite what to do when victims finally notched a victory. She reveled for a minute, then got back to the business of trying to survive a life of man-made agony.

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.

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Daily News

By Mensah M. Dean
Daily News Staff Writer

In a soft and clear voice, disgraced Catholic Monsignor William Lynn stood Tuesday before a packed courtroom and apologized for the years of sexual abuse a young man suffered at the hands of defrocked priest Edward Avery, whom Lynn transferred to the boy’s parish despite knowing that he had abused another boy.

“I did my best,” said Lynn, 61, who served as secretary for clergy for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia from 1992 to 2004.

“The fact is, my best was not good enough to stop” the abuse of the boy, concluded Lynn, a priest for 36 years who never met the boy.

Common Pleas Judge M. Teresa Sarmina agreed and concluded the sentencing hearing by lambasting Lynn for failing to support and protect not just Avery’s victim, but other children who had been abused by priests.

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
Long Beach Post

By Sarah Bennett | Tuesday, 24 July 2012

A Long Beach parish priest, Father Luis Jose Cuevas of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, was arrested today on sexual assault charges including eight misdemeanor charges of sexual battery and one felony count involving lewd acts with a child.

The victims include two female adults and one 17 year-old female who reported repeated incidents of inappropriate touching over a two-year period, said Long Beach Police Sgt. Aaron Eaton.

The 67 year-old Cuevas has worked and lived on the grounds of the St. Athanasius Catholic Church at 5390 Linden Ave. for the last seven years and was arrested by LBPD with the assistance of the United States Marshal’s Office at a residence in the City of San Jacinto, police said. Cuevas is being held on $1,000,000 bail while he awaits arraignment in Long Beach on Wednesday.

In April, the Long Beach Police Department received information from the two adult victims, who say they initially reported the incidents to the Archdiocese. After an investigation, during which the 17 year-old victim came forward, the LBPD presented the case to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office on July 19. The D.A’s Office subsequently filed charges.

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.

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
National Catholic Reporter

Jul. 24, 2012
By Brian Roewe

Msgr. William J. Lynn, seen leaving a Philadelphia courthouse in late May, was convicted of endangering children for his handling of priest abuse claims while secretary of clergy for the Philadelphia archdiocese. A judge sentenced him July 24 to a maximum of six years in prison. (CNS photo/Scott Anderson, Reuters)

For failing to protect children from a known predator priest, Msgr. William J. Lynn will spend three to six years in prison.

Common Pleas Court Judge M. Teresa Sarmina read the former secretary of clergy for the Philadelphia archdiocese her sentence July 24 before a standing-room-only courtroom.

“You knew full well what was right, Msgr. Lynn, but you chose wrong,” Sarmina said, according to The Associated Press. …

Marci Hamilton, law professor and counsel in multiple abuse cases, was present at the sentencing. She said Sarmina’s statement, which at one point quoted Archbishop Charles Chaput’s Good Friday sermon, carried the theme that being a good priest does not make up for criminal endangerment of children.

“She really contrasted the Lynn that was secretary of the clergy who was, in her words hardhearted and callous, and the Lynn who was the parish priest, who was warm and compassionate, and she said the one doesn’t make up for the other,” Hamilton said. …

Survivor support groups also endorsed the sentencing.

“Considering all the kids whose innocence was shattered (or, in some whose lives were lost to suicide), we believe that Msgr. Lynn deserved the harshest punishment. Still, this sentence sends a powerful message: cover-up child sex crimes and you’ll go to jail,” said a statement from the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.

“The sentence should send a clear and direct message to all of the bishops of the Roman Catholic Church: they have failed their people, and given Monsignor Lynn’s defense they created and sustain a culture that fails their people,” said the National Survivor Advocates Coalition.

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.

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Priest Abuse Trial Blog

Ralph Cipriano

Judge M. Teresa Sarmina told Msgr. William J. Lynn today that she was sentencing him to three to six years in state prison, because he had turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to the suffering of victims of sex abuse.

“You knew full well what was right, Msgr. Lynn, but you chose wrong,” she told the defendant, before imposing sentence. Lynn has been in jail since June 22, when he was convicted by a jury of one count of endangering the welfare of a child, a third-degree felony.

The judge contrasted Lynn’s recent service at St. Joseph’s Church in Downingtown, where he was pastor from 2004 until his indictment in 2011, to his 12-year-tenure as secretary for clergy for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia from 1992 to 2004.

The judge said she got hundreds of “heartfelt letters of support” on behalf of Lynn, many from parishioners at St. Joseph’s, who told her that Pastor Lynn would drop every thing to help someone in need. But the judge said that as secretary for clergy, Msgr. Lynn had displayed insensitivity to victims. He was either promising to do something, and doing nothing, the judge said, or he was doing his best to “callously shield the priests.”

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.

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
SNAP Wisconsin

Monsignor Lynn was sentenced today to prison for 3 to 6 years following his conviction for child endangerment. Lynn is the first high ranking Catholic Church official to be tried and found guilty in a criminal court of law for giving known pedophile priests access to unsuspecting children.

At sentencing Judge Teresa Sarmina told Lynn “You knew full well what was right Monsignor, but you chose wrong”.

Sarmina added that Lynn deserved the sentence imposed on him because of “your support and facilitation of monsters in clerical garb…who destroyed the souls of children as you turned a hard heart”.

Following the sentencing of their Monsignor the Archdiocese of Philadelphia issued a statement lamenting Lynn’s sentence stating “Fair minded people will question the severity of the heavy, three to six year sentence imposed on Msgr. Lynn today. We hope that when this punishment is objectively reviewed it will be adjusted”.

The archdiocese neglected to mention the sentence that was imposed on the child whom Lynn endangered. That child was sexually assaulted by Fr. Edward Avery who Lynn was in charge of supervising. Lynn knew that Avery was a child molester and assigned him to St. Jerome’s parish anyway without warning parishioners that there was a dangerous predator in their midst.

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.

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Washington Post

By Anthony M. Stevens-Arroyo

Six years in prison for Monsignor William Lynn, former clergy secretary in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia because of his complicity in sexual abuse of minors; $60 million in fines to Penn State and its football program for similar indifference towards a coach. These despicable events are linked by a defect in American society. There is little public conscience to protect those speaking truth to power.

Particularly sad is how these recent events distort what should be an uplifting faith in an institution. Does not Penn State make of its football a weekly religion, replete with dedicated blue-and-white, competing ritually in an arena for honor? Does not Catholic America consider the bishop’s office the watchtower of a living faith? We all regret the sins and sympathize with the victims, but unless we recognize the climate that has fostered wrongdoing and change, these events will be repeated.

The failure to be feared the most lies with the university favoring football wins over integrity and with the clericalism that prefers loyalty over virtue. In short, there is a moral void in American society that does not reward whistle blowing against the interests of an institution.

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

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Catholic News Service

By Matthew Gambino
Catholic News Service

PHILADELPHIA (CNS) — Common Pleas Court Judge Teresa Sarmina closed the latest chapter in the clergy sexual abuse scandal in Philadelphia by sentencing Msgr. William Lynn to three to six years in state prison.

During the sentencing hearing July 24, after more than two hours of arguments and letters presented from victims and Msgr. Lynn’s defense, Sarmina handed down a sentence just shy of the maximum seven years.

The former secretary for clergy, who recommended priest assignments to the archbishop of Philadelphia and investigated claims of sexual abuse of minors by clergy, was found guilty of one felony charge of endangering the welfare of a child June 22.

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.

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Catholic Online

PHILADELPHIA, PA (Catholic Online) – Judge Teresa Sermina told Monsignor William Lynn that he was being sentenced to prison because he protected “monsters in clerical garb who molested children.”

Lynn will serve at least three of those years in prison, and possibly longer. A sentence for another, single count of child endangerment is pending and could add a seventh year to his time.

Monsignor Lynn oversaw 800 priests in the Philadelphia Archdiocese and was responsible for investigating claims of abuse. However, instead of involving higher Church and civil authorities, Lynn often covered up allegations of abuse often by transferring priests to different parishes where they continued to prey on children.

In one case, he transferred a known pedophile priest to another parish that was attached to a grade school. That priest went on to abuse a 10-year-old boy.

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.

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
AFP

[Trial Narrative and Resources – BishopAccountability.org]

NEW YORK — The highest-ranking US church official to be convicted of covering up child sex allegations, Philadelphia Monsignor William Lynn, was sentenced to between three and six years in prison on Tuesday.

Lynn, whose job it was to investigate reports of abuse in the archdiocese from 1992 to 2004, was found guilty last month of one count of child endangerment.

Defense lawyers had pushed for Lynn to be spared prison, but Judge Teresa Sarmina imposed close to the maximum sentence of between three-and-a-half and seven years.

“It was three to six years,” an official at the court in Philadelphia told AFP by telephone, confirming the tough sentence. …

Shockwaves from the trial are expected to keep reverberating.

“The Lynn trial is of lasting significance because of its guilty verdict, and because the record of the trial contains a dramatic analysis for a single archdiocese of the two crimes that constitute the ongoing sex abuse crisis: a) the sexual abuse of children by priests and b) the enabling and cover-up of the abuse,” wrote bishop-accountability.org, which tracks reported abuses.

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
Gazettes

A Long Beach priest was arrested Monday and charged with nine counts of sexual assault on three women, including one felony count of lewd acts with a child.

Father Luis Jose Cuevas, a parish priest at St. Athanasius Catholic Church was arrested by Long Beach police with assistance of the United States Marshal’s Office at a residence in the city of San Jacinto. He was being held in Long Beach City jail on $1 million bail pending arraignment, which was scheduled for Wednesday, July 25.

According to the report from Sgt. Aaron Eaton of the media detail for the Long Beach Police Department, Cuevas, 67, has served at St. Athanasius for the last seven years, living on the grounds at 5390 Linden Ave. In April this year, two women reported to the Long Beach police that they had been victims of sexual battery.

Both women said they initially filed reports with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles before talking with Long Beach police.

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
CNN

Editor’s note: Stephen Prothero, a Boston University religion scholar and author of “The American Bible: How Our Words Unite, Divide, and Define a Nation,” is a regular CNN Belief Blog contributor.

By Stephen Prothero, Special to CNN

(CNN) – As a resident of the most Catholic state in the nation (Massachusetts), I have watched for more than a decade as the Roman Catholic Church responded to charges of priestly pedophilia with a troubling combination of procrastination and obfuscation.

Far too often, Catholic priests, bishops and cardinals have identified not with abused children but with their “band of brothers,” their fellow priests.

In the case of the sex crimes committed by former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, officials at Penn State also looked the other way.

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
Contra Costa Times

By Kelly Puente, Staff Writer
presstelegram.com

July 24, 2012

LONG BEACH — A priest at a Catholic church in Long Beach has been arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting two women and a teenage girl, police announced today.

Father Luis Jose Cuevas, a parish priest at St. Athanasius Catholic Church at 5390 Linden Ave., is facing nine counts of sexual assault following accusations from three alleged victims, said Long Beach Police Sgt. Aaron Eaton.

Police believe there may be more possible victims and are asking anyone with information to come forward.

Eaton said two women came forward in April and accused Cuevas of sexual battery. Both women initially reported the incidents to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and then filed a police report.

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
The North Bay Nugget

By MARIA CALABRESE The Nugget

Charges were back in court on Tuesday for a Roman Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing a seven-year-old boy in North Bay dating back to 1958.

John Edward Sullivan, 87, now living in Montreal, is out on bail. His next court date is Aug. 14.

Sullivan was an ordained priest at the Pro-Cathedral of the Assumption when the sexual offences are alleged at various times from 1958 to 1979.

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.

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
NEWS.com.au (Australia)

A US Catholic Monsignor who “enabled monsters in clerical garb … to destroy the souls of children” has been jailed for up to six years.

Monsignor William Lynn, the former secretary for clergy at the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, handled priest assignments and child sexual assault complaints from 1992 to 2004. He was accused of transferring problem priests in one of the country’s largest parishes and keeping complaints out of the public eye.

“You knew full well what was right, Monsignor Lynn, but you chose wrong,” Judge M. Teresa Sarmina said.

Advocates for abuse victims, however, contend that dioceses have kept some accused clergy on assignment. They pointed to the Lynn case as an example.

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.

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia

From the challenges the Church has faced both nationally and locally over the past decade, we understand the full gravity of sexual abuse. This year and even this week, Pennsylvania has been the epicenter of this issue, and we know there is legitimate anger in the broad community toward any incident or enabling of sexual abuse. The trial of the past several months has been especially difficult for victims, and we profoundly regret their pain.

The public humiliation of the Church has emphasized the vital lesson that we must be constantly vigilant in our charge to protect the children in our parishes and schools. Since the events some ten years ago that were at the center of this trial, the Archdiocese has changed. We have taken dramatic steps to ensure that all young people in our care are safe, and these efforts will continue even more forcefully now and in the years ahead.

We remain committed to protecting children and caring for victims. Fair-minded people will question the severity of the heavy, three to six year sentence imposed on Msgr. Lynn today. We hope that when this punishment is objectively reviewed, it will be adjusted.

We pray for Msgr. Lynn and his family at this difficult 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.

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
CBS Philly

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has released a statement just hours after Monsignor William Lynn was sentenced to 3-6 years in prison, calling his sentence “heavy.”

The statement reads:

“From the challenges the Church has faced both nationally and locally over the past decade, we understand the full gravity of sexual abuse. This year and even this week, Pennsylvania has been the epicenter of this issue, and we know there is legitimate anger in the broad community toward any incident or enabling of sexual abuse. The trial of the past several months has been especially difficult for victims, and we profoundly regret their pain.

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.

WEST VIRGINIA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

Posted by Barbara Dorris on July 24, 2012

It’s deceitful and insulting for Bishop Bransfield to claim he has “tangible proof” that the allegations against him are false. Bransfield has no sworn affidavits, notarized statements or even signed letters. He has two Catholic men who haven’t faced real scrutiny or questioning and who say he never molested them.

So?

No child molester molests every child he or she encounters. So if Bransfield finds two or two hundred Catholics who say he never molested them, that means virtually nothing.

And very few child molesters molest in front of witnesses. So if Bransfield finds two or two hundred Catholics who say they never saw him molest anyone, that means virtually nothing.

If you come to Missouri, we can show you hundreds of banks that Jesse James never robbed. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t a bank robber.

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

MISSOURI
The Kansas City Star

By MARK MORRIS
The Kansas City Star

A Jackson County judge has removed the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph from a civil lawsuit that alleges child sexual abuse by a priest.

In a ruling issued Friday, Circuit Judge Ann Mesle freed the diocese from a suit against the Rev. Michael Tierney by dismissing one count of failure to supervise children and two counts of fraud and fraudulent misrepresentation.

Mesle wrote in her three-page order that she “struggled” with her decision to release the diocese from liability in the case, but said she was bound by other recent court rulings.

Lawyers and spokespersons for parties in the case either did not return calls or declined comment because of a gag order. In the past, Tierney has denied any wrongdoing.

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.

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
WorldTVNews

PHILADELPHIA – A group representing victims of child sexual abuse says the prison sentence given a Philadelphia priest who covered up crimes against children sends a powerful message to organizations across the country. Monsignor William Lynn did not sexually abuse children himself. He is the first Roman Catholic Church official convicted of covering up the actions of priests under his supervision.

Joelle Casteix, the western regional director of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP), said Lynn deserved the maximum sentence of seven years. But she said the judge’s sentence of three-to-six years in prison is meaningful.

“This sentence sends a poweful message: cover up sex crimes and you’ll go to jail. Not house arrest. Not community service. Not a fine. You’ll be locked up,” Casteix 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.

CANADA
Irish Mexican

GOOD AND BAD FRUITS IN THE LEGION OF CHRIST CATHOLIC RELIGIOUS ORDER [and in the Regnum Christi]

By J. Paul Lennon, MA, STL.

Presentation by Paul Lennon at the International Cultic Studies Association Annual Conference in Montreal – July, 2012

Introduction
The official Catholic Church stance on this issue is the following: “The Legion of Christ Produces Many Good Fruits; therefore it is a Good Religious Order Blessed by God.” The position was originally made clear at the end of the Vatican statement condemning the founder’s behaviors in May, 2006: “Independently of the person of the Founder, the worthy apostolate of the Legionaries of Christ and of the Association ‘Regnum Christi’ is gratefully recognized.”

When Pope Benedict XVI was interviewed in 2010 and questioned regarding the clergy sex abuse scandal and specifically about the Legion of Christ founder and the viability of the Legion he explained: “Naturally corrections must be made, but by and large the congregation is sound. In it there are many young men who enthusiastically want to serve the faith. This enthusiasm must not be destroyed. Many of them have been called by a false figure to what is, in the end, right after all. This is the remarkable thing, the paradox, that a false prophet, so to speak, could still have a positive effect.”

The belief held by Pope Benedict XVI, by his Delegate to the Legion of Christ, and by the Leadership of the order can be formulated as followed: The Legion of Christ Produces Many Good Fruits; therefore it must be good despite the corrupt and harmful life of the founder.

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.