ABUSE TRACKER

POCATELLO (ID)
Idaho State Journal

December 9, 2018

Two Roman Catholic Jesuit provinces that cover nearly half the U.S. released the names Friday of more than 150 priests and other ministry leaders who were found to have “credible allegations” of sexual abuse made against them dating to the 1950s.

One of the names on the list is Segundo Llorente, who served at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Pocatello from 1982 to 1984. He also served at St. Stanislaus Church in Lewiston from 1984 to 1989. He died in 1989, according to the Jesuit’s release. The claims were for 1962-1963, and the mid-1960s, for alleged sexual abuse of a minor.

The Jesuits say many claims were received after accused priests had died. So in those cases thorough investigations could not be undertaken. Deceased individuals are included in the list based on the fact that an accusation was reported.

Jesuits West, which covers 10 western states, said its internal investigation found credible allegations against 111 priests, brothers or priests in training who were connected to it dating back to 1950. No one on the list is involved in public ministry any longer, it said.

Earlier, the Jesuits U.S. Central and Southern Province, which covers 13 states along with Puerto Rico and the Central American country of Belize, released the names of 42 men who had ties to the province going back to 1955. It said four are still members of the province but are not active in ministry and live in supervised housing.

Many of the men on the two lists have died, and others have been dismissed of ordination, officials said. Most of the men on the lists were 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.

SNTA FE (NM)
The New Mexican

December 9, 2018

The Archdiocese of Santa Fe’s decision to seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection is the latest twist in a long and often sordid story of individual abuse against children, protected by one of the most powerful institutions in New Mexico.

That the bankruptcy announcement came just before Advent, the beginning of the church liturgical year — the countdown to the birth of a savior, the light of the world — brings an ironic touch to the whole proceeding.

In New Mexico, the ugly scandal of decades of abuse by predatory priests, the institutional church’s role in covering up crime and sin and the long suffering of thousands of victims is a lingering, open wound.

While this is a scandal across the U.S. church, indeed the world, New Mexico first faced it as a state back in the 1990s. We are facing it still. Even now, the future of the worldwide Catholic Church will be diminished if leaders do not correct the sins of the past. Patience is fast running out.

In the ’90s, the faithful and others watched with horror as numerous stories of pedophile priests surfaced, lawsuits were filed and settled and a new archbishop, Michael J. Sheehan, was brought in to clean up the mess. At least on the surface, it appeared that the zero-tolerance policy for dealing with offenses worked, that the church was setting things right with victims and that — blessedly — few new claims of abuse came to light.

The local church seemed determined to put the safety of the people in the pews ahead of its reputation. Finally.

Over the past several years, however, it has become apparent that the rot in the church was more entrenched than realized. More lawsuits were filed. Again, they were from incidents decades in the past, but it still meant more crimes against children had to be set right. The breadth and depth of the abuse would mean more millions in settlements; this is after 300 claims already resolved, with the archdiocese paying out millions. The bankruptcy will protect church assets, setting up a process to handle claims equitably.

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.

ALTOONA (PA)
Pittsburgh Tribune Review

December 9, 2018

By Deb Erdley

Mary Hutchison was desperate.

It was 1987 when the devout Catholic mother of three knocked on the door of Richard Serbin’s Altoona law office.

Hutchison had learned her troubled son Michael, then 19 and locked in a forensic psychiatric ward, had been raped repeatedly over seven of his then 19 years of life. The perpetrator: Father Francis Luddy, their beloved parish priest at St. Therese’s Catholic Church. The priest abused him between the time he was 11 and 17.

Two years later, he had become a male prostitute and petty criminal. He suffered addiction. He attempted suicide.

The desperate mother’s pleas for the church to help her son slammed headlong into a brick wall.

Serbin was Hutchison’s last hope. Michael was fast approaching his 2oth birthday, and the statute of limitations for civil cases was about to expire.

A Pittsburgh native, Serbin, who is Jewish, was the only personal injury lawyer in town who might take such a case, Hutchison was told. He agreed to interview Michael.

That interview launched a 20-year legal battle that pierced a veil of secrecy that protected predator priests for decades. It set down a trail of bread crumbs that eventually led to a statewide grand jury investigation and damning report. The odyssey took 30 years.

Details of that first meeting have not been dimmed by the decades that have passed.

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.

ALBUQUERQUE (NM)
Albuquerque Journal

December 9, 2018

By Colleen Heild

Former priest John Feit, center, appeared in a Hidalgo County, Texas, courtroom on Dec. 7, 2017, where a jury found him guilty of the 1960 murder of Irene Garza, a parishioner and schoolteacher. A new lawsuit filed in Albuquerque says Feit became a leader at the Servants of the Paraclete treatment center in Jemez Springs after the crime. (Nathan Lambrecht/The Monitor/AP)

Seven years after he murdered a female parishioner in Texas in 1960, Father John Feit found refuge in Jemez Springs, where he was a supervisor at the Servants of the Paraclete center for Catholic priests with psychosexual problems.

According to a new lawsuit, Feit documented an agreement with the Archdiocese of Santa Fe in 1967 to supply pedophile priests to New Mexico parishes without telling parishioners or other working priests in the archdiocese about the potential danger to local 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.

ALBUQUERQUE (NM)
Albuquerque Journal

December 9, 2018

In announcing that the Archdiocese of Santa Fe would seek bankruptcy protection, Archbishop John Wester said the action would help ensure fair compensation for sex-abuse victims. His office went on to proclaim in a diocesan letter distributed to the faithful at Mass last Sunday that “for over 25 years, the Archdiocese of Santa Fe has been a leader among its peers in addressing sexual abuse of children by clergy.”

Wester is correct on the first point, given the number of potential cases pending and others not yet filed. Victims will be represented and have their days in court. They may do so confidentially if they wish, but in general these proceedings will be public. And bankruptcy protection will allow the Archdiocese to continue to provide valuable services through parishes and schools even as lawyers and the court sort through financial questions like what the Archdiocese’s assets really are and determine the status of assets transferred to parishes by the Archdiocese in recent years.

No surprise here. Bankruptcy proceedings are about money, property and who gets what.

But the statement about being a national leader in the clergy sex-abuse area gives new meaning to the proposition that everything is relative, and that what happened here should NOT be judged alone but in context of what has happened in other states like Pennsylvania – where the church was rocked by the results of an investigation by that state’s attorney general.

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.

FT. WORTH (TX)
Star Telegram

December 9, 2018

By Sarah Smith

Pastor Bruce Goddard acted immediately when he learned the principal at Faith Baptist Church’s school in Wildomar, California, had been intimately involved with a 17-year-old student.

He rented the 35-year-old principal a U-Haul and shipped him out of state. He did not call the police.

The accused wound up at First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana, a church affiliated with Goddard’s alma mater, working again with teenagers. The abused girl was later told that church officials in Indiana were aware of his involvement with her when he arrived.

An eight-month investigation by the Star-Telegram shows that what happened at Faith Baptist is just one example in a nationwide pattern of cover-ups and shuffling of suspected abusers among churches and universities that, like Faith Baptist, are part of the independent fundamental Baptist movement.

The cover-ups are reminiscent of the scandals of the Roman Catholic Church, but distinctly different.

Decisions in the Catholic Church are made within a hierarchical structure that governs all churches. Independent fundamental Baptist churches operate with no oversight or structure outside their own walls.

One thing does bind the churches that face abuse accusations: a culture that uses fear to control and gives men in power the role of unquestioned and ultimate authority. In that environment, abuse has visited scores of fundamental Baptist churches.

And many abusers have escaped consequence-free, often with the help of the pastor in charge.

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.

WESTWEGO (LA)
WWL TV

December 8, 2018

By Jacqueline Quynh

As more clergy accused of abuse are being named, victims say they’re tired of hearing about names. They want action.

“At first glance, it seems like a really good thing, but then you look a little bit closer,” Ashley Berry Allen said.

Berry is still working through the abuse she says happened at the hands of a priest when she attended Our Lady of Prompt Succor School in Westwego.

“But then you look a little bit closer and you see that these names are mostly coming from the 70s and 80s and back,” she said.

Just a month ago, she shared with Eyewitness News her difficult story after the New Orleans Archdiocese released a list of clergy members with credible accusations against them. Her alleged abuser wasn’t on the list and she says her case happened in the early 2000s. We contacted the Archdiocese then for comment, but it would not comment specifically on her case, only affirming it takes all accusations seriously and would add names as necessary following investigations.

“They could have released the names 5 years ago they could have released it 10 years, and they’re only doing it now because they’re forced to because they’ve been exposed by the grand jury in Pennsylvania,” Tim Lennon said.

Lennon is a victim’s advocate, and heads the Survivor’s Network of Those Abused by Priests. He’s critical of the new list.

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.

AURORA (CO)
Fox 31 News

December 8, 2018

BY Evab Kruegel

Catholic Jesuit provinces covering much of the United States have begun releasing names of hundreds of Jesuits who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse dating back to the 1940s.

The list includes 13 Jesuits who worked in Colorado, including 8 at Regis Jesuit High School, now located in Aurora.

“What we’re looking at now is the tip of an iceberg,” says Jeb Barrett the Denver leader of SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests).

Barrett says it’s not uncommon for victim-survivors to wait years to share their stories. In fact, he says he waited years himself.

“I didn’t touch on my own abuse until I was 63 years old,” he says. “I never even told my parents.”

Barrett says he was abused by a number of people in power he trusted, including a priest in Montana.

“That freaked me out. A supposed man of God was doing those things and it involved me, and I lived with that shame for a long time.”

Barrett moved to Colorado in 2004 and has spent the past 14 years counseling victims of similar assaults.

In a letter to the Regis Jesuit community, President David Card said two Jesuits on the list, Mark A. Clark, SJ and Paul C. Pilgram, SJ, had allegations related to Regis Jesuit students.

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.

SANTIAGO (CHILE)
Los Angeles Times

By Jorge Poblete and Chris Kraul

The offices of the Roman Catholic diocese in Chillan, a small agricultural city in southern Chile, recently had some unusual and unexpected visitors: Chilean prosecutor Emiliano Arias and 10 armed police officers.

Arias walked briskly past the receptionist and climbed the stairs to the third floor, entering a green walled room dominated by a large framed photo of a smiling Pope John Paul II, who visited Chile in 1987.

After exchanging a few words with nervous church staff members and explaining his mission, Arias and police immediately began going over personnel records stored in file cabinets along one wall in the next office.

Currently, more than 190 people across Chile are being investigated for alleged sexual abuse and cover-ups linked to the Roman Catholic Church, including 113 priests and nine bishops, according to the Chilean national prosecutor’s office.

Of 251 victims, at least 109 were minors as young as 5 years old when they were abused, dating back to the 1940s. The number of cases under investigation has risen from a year ago when 83 people were being investigated in the alleged abuse of 162 people between 2000 and 2017.

Arias and his team were looking for evidence in the cases of eight priests from the Chillan diocese, including now removed Bishop Carlos Pellegrin, suspected of participating in or covering up the abuse of a dozen youths since the 1970s. While Arias pored over files in the town 250 miles south of Santiago, the capital, three other teams made similar raids on diocesan offices in Valparaiso, Concepcion and Osorno.

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

ROME (ITALY)
Crux

December 9, 2018

By John L. Allen Jr.

Under any circumstances, the announcement in September that Pope Francis plans to convene a summit Feb. 21-24 for all the presidents of bishops’ conferences around the world, along with the Vatican’s senior leadership, to discuss the clerical sexual abuse scandals in the Church would have been big news.

After the Vatican invoked that summit in November in instructing the U.S. bishops to stand down in adopting new accountability measures, however, telling them they need to wait until after February, it was foreordained that American analysts will treat February like Roosevelt and Stalin at Yalta – a high-stakes, history-making exercise.

Before expectations spiral completely out of control, however, it’s important to say this out loud: For all kinds of reasons, this is not going to be Yalta on sex abuse, and to hope that it will be is a fool’s errand.

Let’s lay out the reasons why, and then touch on what would actually count as success.

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.

FRESNO (CA)
Fresno Bee

December 08, 2018

By Yesenia Amaro and Victor Patton

Officials at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno — which covers 87 Valley parishes — on Friday said they are continuing to investigate what information they may release regarding area priests accused of sexual misconduct, including the possibility of publicly identifying those priests by name.

Back in October the diocese acknowledged three of its priests were being investigated due to complaints.

A Friday news release from the diocese said it’s continuing to “survey how other dioceses are responding to the demand for an online posting of all accused priests, past and present, in addition to coming to a better understanding of any legal ramifications if due process of law has not been pursued according to Constitutional Rights.”

“Bishop (Armando X.) Ochoa will continue to engage a variety of professional opinions on this matter, both within the faith community and outside sources to ensure objectivity,” the release continued.

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.

PORTLAND (OR)
Oregonian

December 8, 2018

By Jeff Manning

An organization overseeing Jesuit operations in 10 states released the names Friday of 111 Jesuit priests who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse against minors. Twenty of the priests worked in Oregon at least part of their careers.

The alleged cases of abuse date back to 1950. Eighty-three of the 111 accused are dead.

Nine of the 111 spent time at Jesuit High School, the exclusive westside private school.

“We did this out of a desire for transparency,” said Tracey Primrose, director of communications for Jesuits West, which is based in Portland. “We hope this will allow the victims to heal.”

The Jesuits are an influential order of priests numbering more than 16,000 worldwide. Jesuits also operate several high schools and universities, including St. Louis University and Marquette University.

The Jesuits have previously settled lawsuits across the country, including a $166 million settlement involving about 500 abuse claims in Oregon in 2011, which was one of the largest settlements involving clergy 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.

BELLEVILLE (IL)
Belleville News Democrat

December 8, 2018

BY Kelsey Landis

A priest with ties to a parish in East St. Louis has been named on a list of Jesuits accused of sexually abusing children.

Chester E. Gaiter died in August 2010 at the age of 70, but was assigned to five schools and parishes in the St. Louis area, including at St. Joseph’s Parish in East St. Louis.

The Jesuits U.S. Central and Southern Province released the names of dozens of priests with ties to the St. Louis area.

Gaiter served at St. Joseph’s Church for a year beginning in 1993, according to a previous report by the Belleville News-Democrat.

The Jesuits estimate Gaiter abused children between the 1970s and 1980s. He was never removed from the ministry. At the time the allegations were made, Gaiter was mentally incapacitated.

In 2007, a man accused Gaiter and three other priests of molesting him, according to a report in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch from the time. Gaiter had already retired when he was accused of the abuse. Three of the priests, including Gaiter, were teachers at Cardinal Ritter High School in St. Louis.

The archdiocese settled that case settlement with payments totaling $140,000 and a written apology to the victim and his family from the archdiocese.

St. Joseph Church in East St. Louis closed in 2006, according to the Belleville Diocese.

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

BOISE (ID)
East Idaho News

December 8, 2018

By Rett Nelson

More than 150 clergy are tied to “credible claims of sexual abuse of a minor or vulnerable adult, dating back to 1950,” according to a report from a Roman Cahtolic Jesuit province.

Twenty-two of the names on the list have ties to Idaho. The Associated Press reports most of the men on the list were priests and served at a parish somewhere in the state.

One of the men on the list is Peter O’Grady, who served at the Sacred Heart Church in Boise from 1980-1986. No one on the list is involved in public ministry any longer, reports the AP.

The Jesuits West Province of the Society of Jesus, the group who compiled the list says inclusion in the list does not imply that the claims are true and correct or that the accused individual has been found guilty of a crime or liable for civil claims. They also say many claims were received after an accused priest was deceased.

“While we attempted to be as thorough and accurate as possible in compiling the list, Jesuits West will undergo a review of our files in the spring of 2019,” their report states.

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.

[Archdiocese of Barcelona helped accused priest flee in 1990]

MADRID (SPAIN)
El País

December 8, 2018

By Íñigo Domínguez, Daniel Verdú and Oriol Güell

EL PAÍS localiza en Ecuador al sacerdote, que fue enviado de misiones para evitar un juicio por abusos y ha estado 28 años oculto. La archidiócesis sabía de su paradero.

Jordi Ignasi Senabre, párroco de Polinyá, en Barcelona, desapareció tras ser acusado de abusar de un menor de 13 años en 1988, con una petición fiscal de cinco años de cárcel y nunca más se ha vuelto a saber de él. La Audiencia de la capital catalana le llamó a declarar en octubre de 1991 y no se presentó. El arzobispado de Barcelona argumentó que había salido del país “de misiones”, pero no aclaró nada más. No hubo más noticias de su paradero hasta que Senabre fue arrestado en enero de 1994 en Uruguay, donde había entrado con un visado turístico. España pidió su extradición el 4 de marzo de ese año, pero fue denegada en junio. El país sudamericano no llegó ni a contestar, según confirma el ministerio de Justicia. El cura quedó libre y se perdió su pista. Hasta hoy. EL PAÍS le ha localizado en la diócesis de Santo Domingo de los Colorados, en Ecuador. Siempre estuvo allí, y el arzobispado de Barcelona siempre lo supo: lo mandó la propia diócesis en 1990 tras enviar una solicitud por carta, según confirma el vicario general de Santo Domingo, Galo Robalino. Contactado por este periódico, Sanabre ha colgado al saber que se trataba de un periodista español: “Se equivoca usted”.

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

[Church sent accused priests on overseas missions]

MADRID (SPAIN)
El País

December 8, 2018

By Íñigo Domínguez and Daniel Verdú

EL PAÍS reconstruye la historia de 18 religiosos trasladados a América Latina y a África. Algunos fueron descubiertos en España; otros, arrestados en esos destinos

La Iglesia española no solo ha utilizado el sistema de cambiar a sacerdotes de parroquia, o destino dentro de una orden, tras ser acusados de abusos de menores. Otro patrón de conducta de las últimas décadas ha sido trasladarlos al extranjero. Así lo confirman fuentes de los organismos vaticanos de Tutela de Menores, que reconocen que ha sido una táctica común en España y otros países. EL PAÍS ha documentado hasta 18 casos de curas denunciados o condenados por abusos que han recalado en otros países o han sido acusados o detenidos en el extranjero. En Chile, Ecuador, Perú, Bolivia, Venezuela, Honduras, Estados Unidos, Benín y Kenia.

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.

[Rancagua Appeals Court leave clergy sex investigation to court in Santiago]

CHILE
BioBioChile

December 7, 2018

By Felipe Díaz and Erik López

La Corte de Apelaciones de Rancagua dejó en mano de tribunales capitalinos la tramitación de las causas que digan relación con sacerdotes de la Iglesia Católica que hubieran cometido abusos sexuales u otros delitos del mismo carácter.

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.

[San Felipe diocese returns priest convicted of abuse to ministry]

CHILE
La Tercera

December 6, 2018

By María José Navarrete

El sacerdote Juan Carlos Orellana había sido apartado de sus funciones en agosto de este año. Exobispo Cristián Contreras le había “aconsejado” pedirle al Papa Francisco su dimisión del estado clerical.

El pasado martes 27 de noviembre, el administrador apostólico de la diócesis de San Felipe, Jaime Ortiz de Lazcano, informó a la comunidad los cambios de párrocos que se iban a implementar dentro del obispado. El objetivo era que los sacerdotes puedan “cumplir la misión de evangelizar entre el pueblo”.

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SPRINGFIELD (IL)
Illinois Times

December 6, 2018

By Bruce Rushton

I wonder about Virginia Galloway.

In 2004, she sued the Diocese of Springfield, alleging an awful thing. In the late 1960s, when she was 10 years old, she said that the Rev. Richard Niebrugge took her under his care as a foster child and began sexually abusing her. A decade later, she said in her lawsuit, she gave birth to his child.

In 1983, five years after Galloway had a baby, Niebrugge died. But enablers remained, according to the lawsuit that named as defendants the Rev. Herman Niebrugge, the priest’s brother who died in 2004, and the Rev. Theodore Baumann, who retired in 2008 after a career spent as a holy man – last year, he was reported to be living at a retirement home for priests in Belleville. Both Herman Niebrugge and Baumann, Galloway said in her lawsuit, knew that she was being abused but didn’t report it and did nothing to stop it.

Courts ruled that Galloway didn’t sue soon enough, and her case was dismissed without being considered on its merits. Galloway had issues, her own lawyer acknowledged when she sued. Psychological problems included a multiple personality disorder brought on, at least in part, by being sexually abused by a priest, attorney Rex Carr said more than a decade ago. No DNA testing had been performed prior to filing suit, Carr told the media, but there were “millions of factual statements that connect him to her” and he expected that science would confirm claims made in court.

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BUFFALO (NY)
WIVB TV

December 8, 2018

By Daniel Telvock

Civil attorneys who defend priests accused of sexual abuse do not have any standing in the legal proceedings run by the Catholic Church.

That is the instruction local attorney Mike Taheri received from the Archbishop of Boston.

Taheri is the attorney for The Rev. Samuel Venne, who has denied allegations of sexually abusing minors decades ago.

Venne, 76, is on administrative leave after the Diocese in June “substantiated” the allegations against him. The diocese has refused to give Venne a copy of the allegations made against him, but a church official met with him in the spring to go over the complaints.

Taheri’s July 30 letter to Cardinal Sean O’Malley raised objections to the process employed by the Diocese of Buffalo for investigating allegations of sexual assault. He said the Diocese of Buffalo is violating basic due process rights of clergy.

“In the spirit of advancing these notions of basic fairness,” Taheri offered four proposals for church leaders to consider for improving the diocesan legal process, including opportunities for priests to offer evidence during preliminary investigations and giving accused clergy copies of the written allegations made by the accuser.

O’Malley responded Sept. 14 that the concerns he raised are matters of canon law, a set of laws and principles enforced by authorities of the Catholic Church. O’Malley is the chief confidant of Pope Francis on setting rules that protect minors from sexual abuse.

“The grave matter of a cleric’s dismissal from the clerical state is deliberated and adjudicated under canon law, it is not considered by civil law and the final determination regarding the process is reserved exclusively to the Holy See,” O’Malley wrote.

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ROME (ITALY)
PBS Newshour

December 7, 2018

The Vatican has launched an investigation into a small Chilean religious order of nuns after some sisters denounced sexual abuse at the hands of priests and mistreatment by their superiors, a turning point that shows the Holy See is now willing to investigate allegations of sexual violence against nuns.

The scandal at the Institute of the Good Samaritan was revealed publicly in an investigative report by Chilean national television earlier this year at the height of outrage over how Chilean Catholic hierarchy covered up decades of sexual abuse of children by priests.

In the report, a half-dozen current and former nuns said sisters were thrown out of the order after they denounced the abuse to their superiors. The report followed the sisters as they testified before two Vatican investigators sent to Chile by Pope Francis to get to the bottom of the church-wide scandal there.

In the report, a half-dozen current and former nuns said sisters were thrown out of the order after they denounced the abuse to their superiors.

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SHREVEPORT (LA )
WTAL TV

December 8, 2018

By Nancy Cook

The Catholic Diocese of Shreveport learned the names of the Jesuit priests and brothers who were accused of sexual abuse of minors and either served at then Jesuit High School (now Loyola College Prep) or St. John’s Parish/Co-Cathedral, when Shreveport was part of the Alexandria/Shreveport Catholic Diocese, prior to June 1986.

Jesuit priests, or members of the “Society of Jesus” order, are separate from secular priests who serve in the particular diocese to which they are assigned.

That list, which will come from the Catholic Diocese of Alexandria, has not, as yet, been released.

The names released today came from the Jesuit superiors of U.S. Central and Southern Province, which includes Louisiana.

In releasing the names of these offenders, the local diocese emphasized does not mean the allegations stemmed from their assignment here, only that these men once served here.

If there are or were any credible allegations of sexual abuse in Shreveport, the Diocese of Shreveport will be notified when the names of offenders from the Diocese of Alexandria are released.

Below are the names, the years served in Shreveport, and the resolution of their cases, and in the case of those already deceased, the year of their death:

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PITTSBURGH (PA)
Tribune Review

December 7, 2018

By Jamie Martines

For healing to take place, a wound must be opened and inspected, according to Bishop David Zubik.

“And I think that happened tonight,” he said Thursday following the fourth and final listening session held by the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh.

Not everyone agreed.

“The bishop is sitting there expressionless and emotionless, and I don’t think he’s listening,” said Christine Saitta of Bethel Park, as she called for him to resign.

The meeting at St. Ferdinand Church in Cranberry Township was preceded by three other sessions held in Aliquippa, Jefferson Hills and Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood over the past week. They were an open forum for members of the Catholic community to share comments, reflections and questions about the Pennsylvania grand jury report on sexual abuse, released in August, directly with Zubik.

Similar listening sessions were held throughout the Greensburg Diocese in recent weeks.

As he did three times before, Zubik sat in a chair in front of the altar, shifting his body to face speakers lined up along the pews on either side of St. Ferdinand Church. Over about three hours, at least 30 people took to the microphone.

Some shared personal stories of abuse at the hands of clergy or other adults working in Catholic churches, schools or other facilities. Others thanked Zubik for his service to the church and urged him to continue supporting victims of abuse, while several criticized the bishop and implored him to resign.

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ARLINGTON (VA)
Diocese of Arlington

December 7, 2018

Bishop Michael F. Burbidge has placed Father Ronald S. Escalante, Pastor of Saint Francis de Sales Church, Purcellville, on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation of alleged boundary violations involving a minor and adults which transgress the Code of Conduct for Clergy in the Diocese of Arlington. In accord with diocesan policy, these allegations were reported to local law enforcement and considered by the Diocesan Review Board. Father Escalante denies the accusations, and he has stated that he is cooperating fully with the investigation.

(Code of Conduct for Clergy: https://www.arlingtondiocese.org/Child-Protection/bgc-code-of-conduct-clergy.pdf)

While Father Escalante remains the Pastor of Saint Francis de Sales Church, Bishop Burbidge will appoint a Parochial Administrator for the parish as the Diocese continues this investigation.

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ORANGE COUNTY (CA)
Orange County Register

December 6, 2018

By Scott Schwebke

A Los Angeles law firm on Thursday released the names of 72 priests it claims are associated with the Catholic Diocese of Orange and are suspected of sexual assault.

The priests’ identities, detailed in a 60-page report, have never been disclosed by the diocese and are kept hidden from public view in a “secret archive” maintained by the church, Mike Reck, an attorney for Jeff Anderson & Associates, said during a news conference.

“We are doing this because the Diocese of Orange has not,” Reck said. “It’s important because the release of these identities sends a message to survivors of abuse that they are not alone, that this matters and that healing can begin.”

On the same day, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles released an updated list of 54 priests accused of sexual abuse of minors since 2008, with the archbishop issuing a public apology to victims of clergy sex abuse.

The Register is not releasing the names of the priests on this list because they have not been criminally charged.

Although the Diocese of Orange has released two lists, one in 2004 naming 16 priests and another in 2016 naming 14 priests suspected of sexual abuse, those disclosures are contradictory, incomplete and inadequate, Reck insisted.

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DALLAS (TX)
Dallas Morning News

December 7, 2018

By David Tarrant

Eleven men who previously worked at a Dallas high school were included on a list released Friday of clergy members “credibly accused” of sexual abuse of a minor.

None of the 42 priests and religious brothers on the list — published online by Jesuits of the USA Central and Southern Province — currently serves in the public ministry, according to a statement accompanying the list. Many served in the 1960s, 1970s or 1980s.

Of the 11 clergy members who worked at Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas, eight are now dead. And many on the list had already been accused publicly.

“These allegations involve heinous acts committed many years ago,” said Michael Earsing, Jesuit Dallas president, in a written statement. “I personally know of no credible reports of sexual misconduct with a minor occurring here in more than 20 years.”

The list’s release comes as the Catholic Church worldwide continues to deal with its sex abuse crisis and allegations of cover-ups. As part of an effort toward more transparency, many dioceses and religious orders have published similar lists of “credibly accused” priests.

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LOS ANGELES (CA)
LA Daily News

December 7, 2018

By Brian Rokos

The priest at an Encino parish who was placed on leave after allegations of sexually abusing minors will not be charged with crimes related to those six accusers, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said Friday, Dec. 7.

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles in January placed Father Juan Cano, an associate pastor at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church, on administrative leave in January after reports of “inappropriate contact” involving “several females” in the parish. The Los Angeles Police Department and an archdiocese internal review board investigated the allegations.

Then Thursday, Cano was included in an updated list of 54 priests accused of sexual abuse of minors since 2008 that the archdiocese released.

But Friday, the District Attorney’s Office released documents explaining why Cano would not be charged in each of six cases. The accuser was victimized while Cano served at Our Lady of Grace in five instances; the sixth accuser was a parishioner at St. James Parish in Redondo Beach, where Cano was a visiting priest.

Although Cano will not be charged in these cases and new accusers could come forward, the Catholic Church is removing Cano from the ministry, said Adrian Marquez, the archdiocese’s director of media relations. The process will go through the Vatican. Cano has no right of appeal, she said.

“It’s not his choice. He is not going to be allowed to be a priest anymore,” Marquez said.

One accuser said Cano inappropriately touched her several times when she was a student and altar server; there was insufficient evidence to prosecute a felony or misdemeanor, the document said. A second accuser said Cano touched her inappropriately; the DA declined to prosecute when the accuser said she would not testify.

A third accuser said she and Cano befriended each other and he inappropriately touched her; the DA stated that it could not prove a crime had occurred. A fourth accuser said Cano committed two crimes against her; the DA said it could not prove that a crime happened in one instance and that the statute of limitations had expired in another.

A fifth accuser said Cano inappropriately touched her twice; the DA said it couldn’t prove that a crime occurred. The sixth accuser said she was a victim of lewd acts and sexual battery; the DA said the statute of limitations had run out on both crimes.

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YAKIMA (WA)
Yakima Herald

December 8, 2018

By Tammy Ayer

Several priests who served at Catholic churches in Yakima County appear on a list released Friday of Jesuits with credible claims of sexual abuse of a minor or vulnerable adults.

The list includes Jesuits who are or were members of Jesuits West Province, the former California and the former Oregon Provinces, against whom a credible claim of sexual abuse of someone under age 18 or a vulnerable adult has been made, according to a news release. Jesuits West takes in Arizona, Alaska, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington.

“This list of Jesuits with credible claims of sexual abuse of a minor or vulnerable adult, dating to 1950, is being published as part of our province’s ongoing commitment to transparency and accountability,” the news release said.

“Inclusion on this list does not imply that the claims are true or correct or that the accused individual has been found guilty of a crime or liable for civil claims,” it said.

“In many instances, the claims were made several years or decades after the alleged events and were not capable of an investigation and determination.”

Jesuits with credible claims of abuse who served in the Yakima Valley are:

• Arnold R. Beezer, accused of sexual abuse of a minor in the 1970s. Beezer served at St. Joseph Church in Yakima from 1980-87. Beezer has been removed from ministry and lives at a retirement home for clergy in California.

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NEW ORLEANS (LA)
The Advocate

December 7, 2018

By Ramon Vargas, John Simerman and Ben Myers

In a move aimed at restoring trust with parishioners amid a clergy abuse scandal that has engulfed the Catholic Church worldwide, the Jesuit order on Friday revealed the names of 42 clergy members — mostly priests — suspected of sexually molesting children while they worked in a region that includes Louisiana.

Three of the former priests on the list released Friday had worked in Grand Coteau and one of those also worked at a Jesuit-run parish in north Baton Rouge. Friday’s disclosure also resurrected disclosures about the Manresa Retreat House in Convent in St. James Parish. Its former director, the Rev. Thomas Naughton of the old New Orleans Province of the Jesuits, was stripped of his duties in California in 2002 after accusations he had molested a boy in 1978 in Dallas.

The Jesuits’ disclosure Friday listed only where the men had served. It did not say where any of the alleged abuse occurred.

One of the priests who worked at Grand Coteau was Norman J. Rogge, who was twice convicted of sex crimes against minors but continued working for the church, according to previous news accounts and bishopaccountability.org, a website dedicated to tracking abuse by clergy.

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SYDNEY (AUSTRALIA)
Sydney Morning Herald

December 8, 2018

By Farrah Tomazin

Christine James* was 17 when she met the man who would spend years treating her like his dirty little secret.

At first, she was flattered by the attention of a Catholic priest: confused yet elated that such a figure could be drawn to her.

Now, she realises she was his perfect prey: young and vulnerable, from a strict religious family where male authority was to be respected and feared. And in the hierarchy of her small-town church, there was no greater authority than Father Martin.*

Christine was barely an adult when the priest’s attention switched from pastoral to sexual. With that, Father Martin – 11 years her senior – became far more controlling.

He’d ask her to bring him breakfast after Mass, then got her to lie down so he could rub himself against her. He got her pregnant during university, and then enlisted two fellow priests to help him convince her to have an abortion.

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BILLINGS (MT)
Billings Gazette

December 8, 2018

By Matt Hoffman

A new report outlining abuse accusations against Jesuit priests includes dozens of priests who worked in Montana churches, missions and schools — and shows that at least 11 priests were accused while working in the state.

Many of the accusations are against priests already identified in bankruptcy reports for the Great Falls/Billings and Helena dioceses. But the Jesuit Order report includes dates of alleged abuse and new “credible claims” against priests. It also includes work history information that confirms priests were frequently shuffled between postings, including after alleged abuse.

“The People of God demand and deserve transparency,” Scott Santarosa, the leader of a Jesuit Order province covering 10 western states including Montana, wrote in an online open letter. “We hope that this act of accountability will help victims and their families in the healing process.”

Friday’s report shows the results of an internal investigation. Santarosa’s letter said the province will have a consultant and former FBI executive review files in 2019, and any priests with new credible allegations will be identified. The Jesuit Order is a branch of the Roman Catholic Church with about 17,000 priests and brothers.

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BILLINGS (MT)
Billings Gazette

December 8, 2018

By Matt Hoffman

A new report outlining abuse accusations against Jesuit priests includes dozens of priests who worked in Montana churches, missions and schools — and shows that at least 11 priests were accused while working in the state.

Many of the accusations are against priests already identified in bankruptcy reports for the Great Falls/Billings and Helena dioceses. But the Jesuit Order report includes dates of alleged abuse and new “credible claims” against priests. It also includes work history information that confirms priests were frequently shuffled between postings, including after alleged abuse.

“The People of God demand and deserve transparency,” Scott Santarosa, the leader of a Jesuit Order province covering 10 western states including Montana, wrote in an online open letter. “We hope that this act of accountability will help victims and their families in the healing process.”

Friday’s report shows the results of an internal investigation. Santarosa’s letter said the province will have a consultant and former FBI executive review files in 2019, and any priests with new credible allegations will be identified. The Jesuit Order is a branch of the Roman Catholic Church with about 17,000 priests and brothers.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
December 8, 2018

By Nassim Benchaabane

A regional Jesuit province based here became on Friday the latest in a number of Catholic institutions across the country to release lists naming priests credibly accused of sexual abuse.

The Jesuits U.S. Central and Southern Province, which includes Missouri and Southern Illinois, released a list of 42 priests and other ministry officials. They said the abuse allegations went back to 1955.

“The storm that the Church experiences today calls forth from us an unprecedented and yet needed response,” Provincial Ronald Mercier said in a prepared statement. “Silence in the face of the events of recent months cannot be an option.”

Seventeen of those named worked in the St. Louis area, according to the list. Twelve of them worked at St. Louis University High School during their ministry.

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REGINA (CANADA)
Regina Leader Post

December 7, 2018

By Jane Sims

When she accepted a civil settlement from the Roman Catholic Church 18 years ago, Irene Deschenes was defeated.

“We are tired, we want closure and are hesitant to believe we can or will get justice from the court process,” she wrote in an email to her lawyer before accepting the terms in 2000.

What Deschenes, the Catholic Diocese of London and disgraced ex-priest Charles Sylvestre wouldn’t know is that settlement would send Deschenes on a determined course to expose the abusive Sylvestre and hold the church accountable.

In a ground-breaking decision, Superior Court Justice David Aston, who quoted Deschenes’ email, granted her motion and allowed the sexual abuse survivor to re-open her settlement after almost two decades.

“My goal here is to hold the Roman Catholic Church accountable for their unspeakable treatment of survivors,” Deschenes said at a news conference here on Thursday. “This is a continuation of my fight for justice, for me, and other known and unknown survivors of sexual abuse by priests and other religions.”

When Deschenes, abused between 1970 and 1973 when she attended St. Ursula’s Church in Chatham, and another survivor filed a civil suit against the diocese, Sylvestre hadn’t been convicted of 47 counts of indecent assault of little girls across the region and the church hadn’t been swamped with civil claims.

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ALBUQUERQUE (NM)
Albuquerque Journal

December 7, 2018

By Martin J. Chavez, former Albuquerque mayor

Faced with civil and possible criminal litigation from victims of the horrific rapes of children by area priests, the Archdiocese of Santa Fe has announced its intent to declare bankruptcy. Archbishop John C. Wester disingenuously says this is to assist the “pursuit of justice for all victims.” The Chapter 11 filing is simply a way of avoiding responsibility and is just one part of a continuing cover-up by the Archdiocese.

Contemplate for a moment the horror of a child raped by a priest and the impact of that rape on the child as he or she grows into adulthood. The trauma doesn’t go away. I’m lucky to have spent eight years in parochial school – St. Charles and Holy Ghost – the latter years as an altar boy, and was never a victim. But some of my friends weren’t so fortunate, and I write this for them.

We now know that the Archdiocese was substantially aware for years that its priests were raping children and that it did little or nothing to rectify it. Most of what it did was cover it up and shield itself from the justice afforded victims through the courts. Here are just a few of the ways:

• To avoid liability, the Archdiocese began incorporating each parish separately to shield the individual parishes from the conduct of its rapist priests. Instead of moving priests from parish to parish, they moved assets from parish to parish.

• It then formed a trust to keep real estate away from victims. And as each victim comes forward, the church’s attorneys have grilled them as they would liars, questioning their integrity and their pain, as any insurance defense lawyer might in an auto accident case. They threaten to subpoena parents, children and siblings of victims. Most New Mexico Catholics don’t appreciate that our “one holy and apostolic church” is actually hundreds of separate corporate entities and that the place where Mass is held is held in a trust, primarily to keep it out of reach of rape victims.

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SACRAMENTO (CA)
ABC 10 News

December 7, 2018

By Giacomo Luca

Eleven priests who served in Sacramento over the last 50 years were among a list of priests with credible sexual abuse allegations against children, the Catholic Jesuit West province released on Friday.

The priests served in the Diocese of Sacramento at Jesuit High School, St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish or St. Elizabeth Parish, Bishop Jaime Soto of the Sacramento Diocese said in a statement.

In October, the Sacramento Diocese announced that it had begun compiling a list of priests credibly accused of who served in the organization.

“We are compiling that list now, and have enlisted the help of an independent auditor respected for her work in protecting children and the vulnerable from abuse,” Soto said.

Dan McNevin, 59, was abused by a priest in the Oakland diocesed when he was a child, he said.

Now, he’s an advocate with the Survivor’s Network of those Abused by Priests, a national support network of more than 25,000 members who have been abused by clergy.

“A lot of people are devastated by this,” McNevin said. “This is a rape of the soul, not just of the body. Because these priests are there spiritual conduits to heaven.”

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
KMOV TV

December 8, 2018

By Marielle Mohs

A St. Louis based Jesuit province released a list of 42 Catholic priests and other ministry officials who are accused of sexual abuse. The list shows the allegations date back to 1955.

The Jesuits U.S. Central and Southern Province, which includes Missouri and Southern Illinois, released the list on their website Friday night.

The list shows that 17 of the 42 priests accused of sexual abuse by the province worked in the St. Louis area. According to the list, 12 of the 17 who worked in the St. Louis area worked at St. Louis University High School (SLUH).

The Jesuits says for each name listed there has been a credible claim of sexual abuse of a minor or a vulnerable adult. They make it clear that this list does not imply that the abuse allegations are true or that the accused individual has been found guilty of a crime.

In addition to the names on the list, the Jesuits have also provided the list of all the parishes, schools or Catholic hospitals they’ve worked at, the number of accusations of sexual abuse against them and the years the alleged abuse took place.

The list does not include photos of the accused priests, however. If they are still living, the list also does not provide their current location or place of work.

One of the St. Louis area priests listed is John “Jack” Campbell (1920-2009). The Jesuits say he has been credibly accused of sexually abusing 13 people, including a SLUH student back in the 1970s. The Jesuits say the Missouri Province of Jesuits paid a $185,000 settlement to that former student who now lives in Virginia and went public about his high school molestation after Campbell had already retired.

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BOSTON (MA)
The Pilot

December 7, 2018

By Zita Ballinger Fletcher

German police and prosecutors are launching investigations into clergy sexual abuse following the Sept. 12 leak of a report containing evidence of 3,700 alleged child sex abuse cases in the Catholic Church over a 68-year-period.

Authorities in Cologne, Passau and Gorlitz have publicly initiated criminal proceedings following the release of the report, according to Welt news. Six law professors filed criminal complaints against all 27 dioceses in October. A further 20 public prosecutors nationwide are currently examining evidence against church officials in Germany’s 27 Catholic dioceses.

According to a Dec. 6 report by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, public prosecutors who have not yet openly brought charges are doing so with an aim to identify all parties involved in cover-ups and root out larger conspiracies within the church. Details of the investigations are being kept confidential. Authorities currently doing investigative research include those of Osnabruck, Wurzburg and Bamberg.

Archdioceses currently being affected by criminal proceedings have been asked to reveal all details of known cases and to hand over all relevant documents to government authorities.

The abuse cover-up scandal, which caused widespread shock in Germany, has also drawn attention from Germany’s national government. On Nov. 22, the permanent council of the German bishops’ conference announced it was cooperating with the federal government to take further steps following the release of the report, including the standardization of file management in all dioceses, establishing contacts for victims not affiliated with dioceses, and identifying, through an independent review, who exactly was responsible for institutional cover-ups.

Spokesmen for the German bishops’ conference have declared its “full cooperation” with judicial authorities. Some archdioceses have already made their files available to public prosecutors, according to KNA, the German Catholic news agency.

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CHARLESTON (SC)
Post And Courier.com

December 7, 2018

By Rickey Ciapha Dennis Jr.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston will release the names of priests in South Carolina credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors dating back to 1950, the diocese announced Friday. The names will be released by mid-February.

“We are committed to transparency,” Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone said in a statement. “Releasing the names of those credibly accused is another step in the healing process for all who have been harmed by priests.”

For decades, Catholic officials knew of the abuse but often preferred to reassign clergy to posts in other jurisdictions, protecting the church while putting additional children in harm’s way.

As early as 2002, the diocese had received allegations against 24 priests since the 1960s, 12 of whom were removed from the ministry.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests

December 6, 2018

According to reports, US Jesuit provinces will begin to release the names of proven, admitted and “credibly accused” child molesting clerics tomorrow.

We are glad that officials from the Jesuit order are taking this first step towards transparency. Releasing these names publicly not only helps survivors heal, but also encourages victims who may be suffering alone and in silence to come forward. These lists also expose men who may not have been previously identified as dangerous but who may be living and working in places that gives them access to children.

Still, the fact remains that this is a long-overdue move prompted only by pressure from prosecutors, parishioners and the public.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests

December 6 2018

Today, the Archdioceses of Mobile, AL released a list of 29 priests who have served in their diocese and been accused of child abuse. We are grateful for this development and urge further action.

Releasing these names publicly is crucial not only for the healing of survivors, but also to encourage victims who may be suffering in silence to come forward and to deter future clergy sex crimes and cover-ups. However, releasing these names is only the first step on the path towards healing and deterrence.

If Archbishop Thomas Rodi is confident in the accuracy of this list, we think he should reach out to Alabama’s attorney general and urge an outside, independent investigation into his diocese and other dioceses in the state. Only trained law enforcement professionals can truly judge when an accusation is credible or not and compel full transparency.

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YORK (PA)
York Daily Record

December 7, 2018

By Candy Woodall

Until Friday morning, Terry McKiernan had 178 Jesuit priests on a list of abusive clergy members in the U.S.

His list grew after the U.S. Central and Southern Province released the names of 42 Jesuit priests credibly accused of sexually abusing children.

The wholesale release of names of abusive priests has been trending among dioceses around the world since August, when a grand jury report identified 301 predator priests in Pennsylvania. Friday marked the first time a Jesuit order named their abusers in a long list.

While the Catholic priest abuse scandal might seem more transparent than ever, McKiernan said we know fewer than half of all abusive priests by name.

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CHARLESTON (SC)
WCIV TV

December 7, 2018

The Catholic Diocese of Charleston is preparing to release the names of its clergy “credibly accused” of sexually abusing minors, a spokesperson said Friday.

Bishop Robert Guglielmone plans to release the list of names no later than mid-February, diocese media relations director Maria Aselage said in a news release Friday.

The list will span decades, to include “all priests” from the diocese accused of sex crimes against minors dating back to 1950, per Aselage.

“The Diocese is currently in the process of reviewing its priest personnel files from 2007 through today,” Friday’s release says. “Once the current review is complete, the list will be released.”

The diocese already has such files largely compiled, as they were collected during a detailed review of Diocesan priest personnel and other relevant files in 2007 as part of a class action lawsuit settlement agreement, Aselage says.

Law enforcement officials are already privy to the contents of the files, per Aselage.

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PORTLAND (OR)
Jesuits, Western Region

December 7, 2018

Dear Friends in the Lord:
Today, Jesuits West Province releases the names of priests and brothers who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors since 1950. We do so because the People of God demand and deserve transparency. We do so because we hope that this act of accountability will help victims and their families in the healing process. We do so because while the vast majority of Jesuits of our province are not on this list, it is important that parents not wonder whether their children are safe in a church, in a school or in any other setting where a Jesuit may be present.

On behalf of the Society of Jesus, I apologize to the victims and families who put their trust in a Jesuit, only to have that trust so profoundly betrayed. It is inconceivable that someone entrusted with the pastoral care of a child could be capable of something so harmful. Yet, tragically, this is a part of our Jesuit history, a legacy we cannot ignore.

Thankfully, sixteen years after shocking cases of clergy sexual abuse were brought to light in Boston in 2002, there has been significant reform in how the Church and religious orders like ours handle allegations of sexual abuse. Jesuits West has both a zero-tolerance policy for credible allegations made against a Jesuit involving a minor or a vulnerable adult and stringent procedures to ensure the safety of minors. No Jesuit who has a credible allegation of sexually abusing a minor is allowed to remain in public ministry. The majority of the cases related to the names that we release today date back decades. While even one case is abhorrent, it is consoling to know that the safeguards we have put in place are helping to create safe environments for everyone.

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BIRMINGHAM (AL)
AL.com

December 7, 2018

By Christopher Harress

Eight Catholic priests who served at Spring Hill College in Mobile have been named as part of a list Friday that accuses former Jesuits of sexually abusing children.

The list of 42 comes one day after the Archdiocese of Mobile named 29 former priests and clergy who had similar accusation of sexual child abuse made against them.

Fr. Ronald Mercier, the leader of the Central Southern organization, said in a letter that the names represented a “sinful part of history.”

He added: “Words cannot possibly suffice to express our sorrow and shame for what occurred, our promise of prayers for healing, and our commitment to work with them. Caring for these survivors – and preventing any such future events – must be our focus as we move forward.”

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ROME (ITALY)
Associated Press

December 7, 2018

The Vatican has launched an investigation into a small Chilean religious order of nuns after some sisters denounced sexual abuse at the hands of priests and mistreatment by their superiors, a turning point that shows the Holy See is now willing to investigate allegations of sexual violence against nuns.

The scandal at the Institute of the Good Samaritan was revealed publicly in an investigative report by Chilean national television earlier this year at the height of outrage over how Chilean Catholic hierarchy covered up decades of sexual abuse of children by priests.

In the report, a half-dozen current and former nuns said sisters were thrown out of the order after they denounced the abuse to their superiors. The report followed the sisters as they testified before two Vatican investigators sent to Chile by Pope Francis to get to the bottom of the church-wide scandal there.

In a statement, the Vatican embassy to Chile announced that an “apostolic visitation,” or investigation, had begun Wednesday in the institute. It said over the coming months the probe would take testimony from current and former sisters and those affiliated with the institute so the Vatican can understand the situation and make whatever changes are necessary.

The institute is located in the diocese of Talca, which since 1996 had been headed by Bishop Horacio del Carmen Valenzuela Abarca. Pope Francis removed Valenzuela as bishop in June as part of his cleanup of the Chilean hierarchy. Valenzuela had been one of the bishops trained by Chile’s most infamous predator priests, the Rev. Fernando Karadima.

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KANSAS CITY (MO)
KMBC TV

December 7, 2018

The Jesuits U.S. Central and Southern Province released a list of names of Jesuit priests and brothers with credible allegations of sexual abuse involving minors.

Six on the list had pastoral connections at some point in their ministry to either Rockhurst High School or Rockhurst University.

They include:
Burton J. Fraser, SJ, was ordained in 1935 and died in 1971. Of his eight pastoral assignments, one was at Rockhurst High School. The Jesuits estimated the time frame of abuse happened in the 1950s. Fraser had died by the time the allegation was received.

Francis J. Kegal, SJ, had a pastoral assignment at Rockhurst High School and St. Louis University High School in St. Louis. The Jesuits estimated the time frame of abuse happened in the 1940s, and Kegel had left the Society of Jesus when the allegation was received. He died in 2009.

Paul C. Pilgram, SJ, who was ordained in 1970, spent time at Rockhurst High School in his six pastoral assignments. The Jesuits estimate the suspected abuse happened from the 1970s to the 1990s. Pilgram’s ministry with minors was restricted in 1991. He was removed from the ministry in 2003.

Chester E. Gaiter, SJ, who was ordained in 1976, had six pastoral assignments, including Rockhurst High School. The Jesuits said the alleged abuse happened between the 1970s and 1980s. Gaiter was ill at the time of the allegations and died in 2010.

Philip D. Kraus, SJ, was ordained in 1975, and was suspected of abuse in the 1970s. Kraus had pastoral assignments at St. Francis Xavier parish and Rockhurst University. The Jesuits said Kraus’ ministry with minors was restricted in 1996 and he was removed from the ministry in 2003 and lives under supervision.

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CASPER (WY)
Casper Star-Tribune

December 7, 2018

By Seth Klamann

The Diocese of Cheyenne is compiling a list of priests, bishops and deacons who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse since 1950, Bishop Steven Biegler announced this week, signaling that the Wyoming diocese is joining a wave of public self-examinations by dioceses across the country.

“The Diocese should have a current master list so it can be confident that it has applied the current standards to all living credibly accused offenders — and especially the standards of zero tolerance — in all situations,” Biegler wrote in a column in the December issue of the Wyoming Catholic Register. He added the review will also examine how the six bishops who have served since 1950 — himself included — handled the allegations.

The diocese previously conducted a review in 2002 — the same year that former Bishop Joseph Hart was cleared of abuse allegations by the Natrona County District Attorney’s Office — of clergymen who were working in it at the time. That review “verified that no priest with a substantiated allegation of sexual abuse of a minor was serving in the public ministry in any way in the Diocese of Cheyenne,” Biegler wrote.

This latest examination comes as dioceses across the country conduct sweeping reviews of their own troubled histories with clerical sexual abuse. On Thursday, the church named 29 men accused of abuse in southern Alabama, allegations that dated back to 1950. In November, a diocese in Missouri named 33 priests and religious brothers who had been credibly accused. In August, a grand jury in Pennsylvania wrote that more than 300 Catholic priests had molested more than 1,000 children for decades.

The work on this latest review began after mid-September, when the Star-Tribune requested information regarding all credibly accused priests, all settlements and the amount paid in these agreements dating back to 1950, said Rev. Carl Gallinger, the diocese’s vicar general. He said the “commitment” to conducting the review predated the newspaper’s request. He said he had no time estimate on when the review, which will be conducted by an “independent law firm,” would be completed.

Biegler was unavailable to comment Thursday. It’s unclear how much detail will be in the list.

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BUFFALO (NY)
Buffalo News

December 7, 2018

By Jay Tokasz and Dan Herbeck

Mark Lynch says he was molested by a priest when he was 13. The abuse happened 50 years ago, well beyond when a sex crime could be prosecuted.

But the FBI wanted to know more, anyway.

Lynch said two federal agents visited him at his Youngstown home about a month ago, armed with questions about the abuse and the Buffalo Diocese’s response to his allegations against the Rev. Joseph Schuster.

“We sat at my kitchen table for about an hour, and I told them what happened. They were very thorough and already had a file on me. They had done their homework,” said Lynch. “They asked a lot of questions about who I spoke to, who I reported the incident to at the diocese. They told me they hope to talk with everyone who has come forward with a complaint.”

Federal authorities have fanned out across Western New York to learn more about a clergy abuse scandal that until now largely has been ignored by law enforcement.

“They’re really looking for proof of a cover-up,” said Nicole Delisio Wright, an advocate for victims of clergy abuse. “Any type of proof that there’s a widespread cover-up.”

The aggressive federal interest is happening in other parts of the country, as well.

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NEW ORLEANS (LA)
Times-Picayune

December 7, 2018

By Kim Chatelain

The Jesuit religious order on Friday (Dec. 7) released the names of 42 priests, brothers and scholastics who are credibly accused of sexual abuse over the past several decades, supplementing a list of 57 similarly accused Roman Catholic clergymen named by the Archdiocese of New Orleans last month.

The new list includes six clergymen who were included in a list of credibly accused men of the cloth released by the Archdiocese of New Orleans last month. There are 13 Jesuits with ties to Louisiana who were not previously named.

Those named Friday were members of the U.S. Central and Southern Province and its predecessor entities: the New Orleans Province, the Missouri Province, or the Independent Region of Puerto Rico of the Society of Jesus.

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BUFFALO (NY)
Buffalo News

December 7, 2018

By Alan Pergament

At a Catholic church forum Monday designed to move forward from the sexual abuse crisis in the Buffalo Diocese, WGRZ-TV (Channel 2) anchor Maryalice Demler ended up upsetting some in attendance who interpreted her remarks as an unprofessional critique of a competing TV station.

Multiple people came away from the panel at St. Joseph University Church near the University at Buffalo campus on Main Street calling Demler “unprofessional” in what they termed her “insinuations” about the way whistle-blower Siobhan O’Connor and WKBW-TV (Channel 7) and reporter Charlie Specht handled the story – without mentioning the two by name.

In an email response, Demler said her remarks were misrepresented by those offended and that she has the support of another panelist.

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WARSAW, POLAND
Associated Press

December 7, 2018

By Czarek Sololowski

The mayor of the Polish city of Gdansk has asked the local Roman Catholic archbishop to investigate allegations that a now-deceased priest who rose to prominence in the Solidarity pro-democracy movement sexually abused minors.

The allegations against the late Mgr. Henryk Jankowski surfaced this week when Barbara Borowiecka told the “Duzy Format” magazine and TVN24 television he abused her and others when she was a girl and his parishioner in the 1970s, before his pro-Solidarity activity.

Another woman — who did not show her face — also told TVN24 that Jankowski touched her inappropriately when she was only six.

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MOBILE (AL)
WKRG TV

December 6, 2018

By Chris Best

The Archdiocese of Mobile released the names of 28 clergy members who have been “credibly accused” of child sex allegations since 1950. News 5 Investigators are mapping out their service, where they served, and when the abuse allegations occurred. We’ve discovered some disturbing trends just based on the minimal information provided by the archdiocese. Several of the 28 priests or deacons served at several different locations. The Catholic church has faced harsh criticism in the past for moving pedophile priests from parish to parish or school. Several parishes or schools have the multiple accused clergy. Some of clergy served at several of the the same parishes or schools. And the allegations against them overlap in time period as well.

For example, three who served at McGill-Toolen also served at Little Flower Parish. Allegations against Vernon Dahmen span from the mid ’70s to the early 80s. At the Same time from the 1960s to 1982 Arthur Schrenger is accused of sexual misconduct with minors. He also served at McGill-Toolen and Little Flower.

Patrick Nicolson was accused in 1976, and again served at McGill-Toolen and Little Flower.

News 5 Investigators mapped out other connections, watch the video for more. And click here for the entire list and complete letter from the Archbishop. We’ll also have LIVE team coverage on News 5 at 5 and 6.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
CNA/EWTN News

December 6, 2018

A new statistical analysis seeks to contextualize data about child sexual abuse by Catholic clergy in Pennsylvania, four months after a grand jury report detailed hundreds of abuse allegations in six of the state’s diocese, spanning nearly eight decades.

To “properly understand the import” of the grand jury’s findings, the statistical analysis compares the number of abuse allegations to other institutions during similar time periods, and seeks to better understand when most of the cases of alleged abuse took place.

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia commissioned the analysis, which was conducted by the law firm Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie LLP.

The 884-page grand jury report, released Aug. 14, was written by 23 grand jurors who spent 18 months investigating the six dioceses with the help of the FBI, examining half a million pages of documents in the process. The six diocese are Allentown, Erie, Greensburg, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, and Scranton.

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BIRMINGHAM (AL)
WVTM News

December 6, 2018

By Mary O’Connell

Danny Molloy grew up in Boston and served as an altar boy at church. He says while serving, a priest molested him.

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WINSTON-SALEM (NC)
Baptist News Global

December 7, 2018

By Christa Brown

Since last July when Southern Baptist Convention president J.D. Greear announced the formation of a sexual abuse study group, people have been asking me, “Do you think they’ll finally change things?”

Often, I hear a note of hopefulness in the question and remember when I too might have believed that such an announcement meant Baptist officials were rising to the task of addressing clergy sex abuse. Not anymore. After 12 years of hearing the stories of survivors of Baptist clergy abuse, I’ve learned that, on this subject, the words of Baptist leaders are worthy of wariness.

SBC officials say they’re “studying it.” So what?

First, let’s remember that SBC officials have sung this “studying it” song before. Their prior 2008 “study,” with its seemingly predisposed do-nothing result, left many of us Baptist abuse survivors with a healthy measure of skepticism.

“But this is a new generation of Baptist leaders,” people say, and true enough, there are some younger faces. However, this is not a problem of old-guard versus new-guard.

“Decades of institutional patterns will not be changed by simply repopulating the same inadequate structures with new faces, no matter how well-intentioned they may be.”

The problem is that the SBC system fosters a climate for abuse and cover-ups because it lacks effective structures for clergy accountability and for information-sharing among congregations. Decades of institutional patterns will not be changed by simply repopulating the same inadequate structures with new faces, no matter how well-intentioned they may be.

Second, it’s not even clear exactly what SBC officials are “studying” this time around. The details of their process are not transparent, and some of their remarks provide little reason for confidence. It’s hard to imagine that these leaders will be able to remediate effectively their own institutional failures when, so often, they avoid even speaking of them. For example, Executive Committee chairman Mike Stone claimed there had “never” been any “hesitancy about addressing these issues” in the SBC, and said it was engaging the study because of the increased emphasis on sexual abuse “in the culture and in the media.” Executive Committee interim president Augie Boto talked about the study as a way “to address evil, human failure and the consequences of sin.”

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LOS ANGELES (CA)
Patch

December 6, 2018

By Paige Austin

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles Thursday released the names of dozens of local priests accused of abusing children, a move likely to stir up trauma and catharsis across LA parishes. The list includes 54 priests, most of whom are dead or defrocked, included 30 who had not be publicly identified before.

Most of the abuse took place decades ago but only came to light in the last decade. Twenty-seven of the priests were identified well after hey were dead. The announcement is a move designed to increase trust and transparency. It’s the first time the archdiocese has publicly updated its list of abusers in a decade, when the archdiocese agreed to a $660 million settlement with 508 victims.

The list does not identify the parish where the priest ministered.

“To every one of you who has suffered abuse by the hand of a priest, I am truly sorry. Nothing can undo the violence done to you or restore the innocence or trust that was taken from you,” Archbishop Jose Gomez said at a news conference at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles. “I am humbled by your courage and ashamed at how the church has let you down.”

According to the list, only three priests in the county have been accused of abusing children within the past decade. Two were investigated, removed from the ministry and referred to law enforcement while a third one left the country. According to the church, the archdiocese has publicly identified all living priests accused of abuse since 2008 in announcements to the communities where they served. But on Thursday, they decided to release the names of deceased priests that were accused in the last decade as well as “plausible” accusations, in an effort toward transparency. The plausible” allegations could not be investigated because the priest had died or had long ago left the archdiocese. However, authorities determined the accusation matched up with the priest’s time of service and place of ministry.

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PHOENIX (AZ)
NBC Channel 12

December 6, 2018

By Joe Dana

Tomorrow, faculty and staff at Brophy College Preparatory in Phoenix and 70 other Jesuit high schools and colleges throughout the west will likely pay close attention to what is revealed in a new report on priest abuse.

Jesuit West is a religious order of the Catholic Church that oversees Jesuit high schools and universities.

“While this is a necessary part of the healing process and reconciliation, I think what you will see with this list is the majority are cases dating back decades,” said Tracey Primrose, Director of Communications for Jesuits West Province. “There is no one who has a credible claim who is working actively in ministry in the Jesuits.”

Some of the men named in the report are deceased and did not have a chance to defend themselves against the accusations. But, the claims against those men have been evaluated and substantiated by the Jesuit West review board, Primrose said.

“This is us, on our own, deciding to do something transparent to be accountable,” Primrose said. “Some of those names will have already been out there.”

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LOS ANGELES (CA)
City News Service

December 6, 2018

Attorneys, Activists Demand More Data on Priest Sexual Misconduct

A Camarillo man is suing multiple Roman Catholic dioceses throughout the state, claiming he was abused by a priest as a boy.

The group alleges there has been widespread covering up of sexual abuse misconduct among clergy in Orange County for years.

They called on Diocese of Orange Bishop Kevin Vann to release the names of all clergy accused of sexual misconduct.

A Camarillo man, who is suing multiple Roman Catholic dioceses throughout the state and who claims he was abused by a priest in Anaheim as a boy, Thursday joined attorneys and other clergy abuse activists to call on the Diocese of Orange to release “secret” files on priests accused of misconduct.

At a news conference at a hotel in Orange Thursday morning, the group alleged there has been widespread covering up of sexual abuse misconduct among clergy in Orange County for years.

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LOS ANGELES (CA)
KABC TV

December 7, 2018

Archbishop Jose Gomez of the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles has released an updated list of the names of priests accused of sexually abusing minors.

This is the first update since 2008.

The list now has an additional 54 priests, added because the criteria has changed. The list already held almost 300 names of priests directly or indirectly associated with the Archdiocese who had been accused of abuse. Of those on the list, 120 are now deceased and six were exonerated.

“To every one of you who has suffered abuse at the hand of a priest, I am truly sorry,” Gomez said. “I am humbled by your courage and ashamed at how the church has let you down.”

The church says the names were added if there was “a single plausible report of sexual misconduct against the priest which could not be confirmed since the priest died or left the archdiocese long before the allegation was received.”

Since the 2008 report, three priests accused of abusing children were removed from the priesthood.

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CINCINNATI (OH)
WKRC TV

December 6, 2018

By Walter Smith-Randolph

Fr. Kenneth Hendricks, a priest from Cincinnati, is now accused of molesting 10 boys while living and working in the Philippines, but American investigators believe there may be more victims of Hendricks.

Hendricks has been working in the Phillippines for 37 years, but investigators say he would visit Cincinnati in the summers. Local 12 has found archived newspapers that say Hendricks worked at St. Francis Seraph Church in Over-the-Rhine and was known as Brother Pius Hendricks.

“Given what we know, we believe thus far that there’s a high possibility that other children may have been impacted by his alleged actions,” said Special Agent Steve Francis with the Department of Homeland Security.

A spokeswoman for the Franciscan order confirms Hendricks took his vows in 1962 in Cincinnati but left the order in 1986. That’s when Hendricks went to the Phillipines and was ordained a priest.

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SACRAMENTO (CA)
KCRA TV

December 6, 2018

By Vicki Gonzalez

The Diocese of Sacramento is taking action following two new claims of sex abuse against two former priests.

The man who came forward said the assaults took place at Camp Pendola and Holy Family Catholic Church in Citrus Heights in 1985. He said he wants to be identified as John Doe.

The alleged abuse took place when he was 17 years old while on a camp work trip with former director of Camp Pendola, Monsignor Murrough Wallace.

Wallace is now retired.

“In light of the allegation raised (Thursday) by Mr. Doe, Bishop Soto has directed Msgr. Murrough Wallace, retired pastor of St. Theresa Parish in South Lake Tahoe, to withdraw from ministry until more facts can be gathered,” Fr. Michael Vaughan said in a statement.

KCRA was able to reach Wallace on the phone about the sex abuse allegations. He did not want to comment.

A couple years ago, John Doe said after years of counseling he was able to confront Wallace about what happened.

“I went on to tell the details of what he did, and as I finished telling my details, he was crying and he apologized,” he said. “I am asking him to come forward and tell the truth and help those suffering in silence.”

The second sex abuse allegation involves a former monsignor at Holy Family Catholic Church in Citrus Heights. The priest has since died.

The diocese did not acknowledge the second priest in their statement.

“I have come to know two additional victims. One of each priest, both male,” John Doe said. “I am coming forward and telling my story as John Doe because all of my family doesn’t know.”

His attorney, Joseph George, said there is not a lawsuit due to the statute of limitations. But, his client chose to move forward after the diocese announced they are delaying the public release of each accused priest until next year.

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MOBILE (AL)
WKRG TV

December 6, 2018

By Chris Best

Mobile County District Attorney Ashley Rich is urging victims of priest and clergy abuse to come forward so she can prosecute. The Archdiocese of Mobile Thursday released the names of 29 priests and deacons who have been “credibly accused” since 1950. Although of them are now dead, several are not. Rich says victims must come forward and ask her office to prosecute. She’s also asking anyone with evidence to come forward. Rich says there’s no statute of limitations on any sex offense if the victim is under 16, regardless if it involves force or serious injury.

The sexual misconduct allegations range from 1950 up until at least 2012.

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ORANGE (CA)
Associated Press

December 6, 2018

Advocates for survivors of child sex abuse say they have compiled a list of 72 priests who served in the Southern California Diocese of Orange and who are accused of abusing kids.

Lawyer Mike Reck on Thursday said that’s many more than those reported by the Diocese and demanded greater transparency.

He says the list was compiled with publicly available information including criminal cases, lawsuits and press statements.

dvocates have issued similar reports in other jurisdictions in a push to hold church officials accountable for child sex abuse cases.

The Diocese of Orange says the lawyers are trying to re-litigate old claims and that the church takes any accusations of abuse “extraordinarily seriously.”

Diocese officials issued a report in 2016 saying 14 clergy accused of abuse were removed from min
California United States North America

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MORRISTOWN (NJ)
Morristown Daily Record

December 6, 2018

By Peggy Wright

A civil trial that stems from a six-year-old lawsuit brought by Delbarton School against an attorney involving a confidential 1988 sex abuse settlement began Wednesday in Morris County.

The jury heard testimony from Gregory Gianforcaro, the attorney who represented a former student, who in 1984 claimed he had been abused by Rev. Timothy Brennan.

Gianforcaro is being sued by The Order of St. Benedict, which runs the school, for allegedly disclosing in 2012 the confidential settlement sum reached with the student in 1988.

While trying to get a gag order lifted in the case in 2012, Gianforcaro said, at a news conference, the settlement between former student William Wolfe and the school had been about seven figures. The Order alleges the attorney at that time violated the confidentiality agreement.

The suit also alleges Gianforcaro committed a breach of duty of good faith and fair dealing. Delbarton attorneys Christopher Kinum and Robert Gold want the jury of six men and two women to award damages that equal Wolfe’s 30-year-old settlement, which has never been precisely disclosed.

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NEWARK (NJ)
Associated Press

December 6, 2018

By David Porter

A lawsuit filed by a Catholic school against an attorney it claimed breached a confidentiality clause in a clergy sex abuse settlement has been resolved, both sides said Thursday.

Neither side offered details on the resolution.

It brings an end to a six-year battle among the Order of St. Benedict of New Jersey, the private Delbarton School and Gregory Gianforcaro, an attorney who has represented numerous clergy sex abuse victims.

The suit claimed Gianforcaro violated a confidentiality clause in a former Delbarton student’s 1988 settlement with the school when the lawyer told reporters in 2012 that the settlement was “approximately seven figures.”

At the time, Gianforcaro was seeking to have the confidentiality clause lifted, and it eventually was. Gianforcaro denied violating the agreement because, among other factors, he was not representing the former student in 1988 when it was signed.

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LOS ANGELES (CA)
Los Angeles Times

December 6, 2018

By Laura Newberry

For the first time in a decade, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles on Thursday updated its list of clergy accused of molesting children, addressing renewed outcry about how the Catholic Church responds to abuse allegations.

“We owe it to the victim-survivors to be fully transparent in listing the names of those who perpetrate this abuse,” Archbishop Jose H. Gomez said in a statement in releasing the list of 54 names.

The decision to disclose names of accused clergy has been made by bishops across the United States after the release in August of a Pennsylvania report, which revealed a decades-long cover-up of child sex abuse involving more than 1,000 victims and hundreds of priests. Dioceses in San Diego, San Jose, Orange County and San Bernardino have also released names of accused clergy this year.

In 2006, a Los Angeles Times analysis found that the Archdiocese of Los Angeles partially or completely omitted 11 known cases of clerical abuse from its “Report to the People of God.” This was after then-Archbishop Roger Mahony said the report provided the “fullest possible disclosure” of how the church responded to sex abuse allegations.

The report reveals two cases of alleged abuse of minors reported in the jurisdiction since 2008, when the list was last updated. Those accused priests, Juan Cano and Jose Luis Cuevas, have since been investigated by law enforcement and removed from the ministry, according to the archdiocese. Cuevas was charged with groping a girl in Long Beach. He later pleaded no contest to sexual assault charges. Cano is under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department.

In all, 54 names were added to the archdiocese’s “Report to the People of God,” originally published in 2004. Most of those names belong to clergy who allegedly committed abuse before 2008 and had already been publicly accused. Twenty-seven are dead.

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LOS ANGELES (CA)
Law office of Jeff Anderson

December 6, 2018

In response to pressure from the public, survivors, the lawsuit filed by Tom Emens in October 2018, and a report exposing 307 clergy offenders released by Jeff Anderson & Associates, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles has updated its list of credibly or publicly accused clergy after 10 years. This is a positive step in the right direction for the Archdiocese.

However, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and its officials have repeatedly shown that they cannot be trusted to self-report without oversight. The next step is the public disclosure of documents regarding the histories of these offenders and the identities of Church officials who were complicit in the cover-up of these crimes. This can only be accomplished by requiring the Archdiocese release this information to law enforcement and trained third parties to verify that it is complete and accurate. Until this information is released, the Archdiocese’s efforts remain a half-truth.

Now the survivors who have been waiting for acknowledgement of their perpetrator’s identity can take steps toward healing and accountability. Thank you to every survivor who has come forward to share their truth to make our communities safer for children.

The report naming 307 offenders and the complaint filed by Tom Emens can be found at www.andersonadvocates.com.

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SACRAMMENTO (CA)
Law office of Joseph C. George

December 6, 2018

He’s “outing” two accused priests for the 1st time
One worked at Sacramento Cathedral and the other predator headed youth camp for 20 years
Victim is upset by local diocese’s “recklessness & secrecy”

WHAT:
At a news conference, a survivor of clergy childhood sexual abuse (who will be identified as John Doe) will disclose the sexual abuse he suffered as a child at the hands of two Sacramento priests who have never been publicly identified as credibly accused perpetrators: Msgr. Murrough Wallace and Msgr. Vito Francis Mistretta. Bishop Quinn and Bishop Weigand knew that Msgr. Mistretta sexually abused a minor and never warned parents.

John Doe is frustrated by Bishop Soto’s delay in publicizing the list of predators and wants to alert other victims of these two priests that they are not alone and need not suffer in silence. There are resources for victims of clergy sexual abuse to get help. The church’s current system to “help” survivors is inadequate and shameful.

WHERE:
Law Offices of Joseph C. George, Ph.D., 601 University Avenue, Suite 230, Sacramento, CA

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LOS ANGELES (A)
Los Angeles Archdiocese

December 6, 2018

Below is the 2018 Update which supplements the 2004 Report to the People of God. The status of those listed in the 2004 Report, as amended through 2008, is also being reissued to show their current status . The 2018 Update includes priests accused since 2008. We recommend that you read the introduction page and FAQs below before exploring the lists.

The names of living priests in the 2018 Update include instances where the allegations were found to be credible. The names of those who were in ministry at the time of the accusation have previously been made public through announcements at parishes and schools where the accused served in the Archdiocese. In addition, the list includes names of deceased priests or priests who had long ago left the Archdiocese before the allegations were received and, where there is a single, plausible allegation of sexual misconduct against the priest even though it could not be investigated. Those names are being included in the 2018 Update out of respect and deference to the victim-survivors who made the reports.

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LOS ANGELES (CA)
Angelus News

December 6, 2018

By Pablo Kay

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles released on Thursday an updated list of priests accused of sexual abuse of minors, with the report showing two cases of alleged abuse of current minors in the archdiocese since 2008.

The two cases were made public at the time the allegations were first received. Upon receiving the accusations, the archdiocese removed the two priests, Juan Cano and Jose Luis Cuevas, from ministry and reported them to law enforcement. Following separate investigations by police and by an Archdiocesan oversight board, the men were permanently removed from ministry.

“As disturbing as their behavior was, it shows that thanks to the swift action of alert teachers, parents and even children themselves, we can catch signs of abusive behavior early,” said Dr. Heather Banis, Victims Assistance Ministry Coordinator for the Archdiocese.

Overall, the update added the names of 54 priests—27 of them now dead—to the Archdiocese’s “Report to the People of God,” originally published in 2004 by Cardinal Roger Mahony, and updated in 2005 and in 2008. The archdiocese has posted the full list, along with a message from Archbishop José H. Gomez, on a new website.

“We owe it to the victim-survivors of abuse to be fully transparent in listing the names of those who perpetrate this abuse,” Archbishop Gomez said.

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NEW YORK (NY)
America Magazine

December 4, 2018

By Louis J. Cameli

In February of next year, Pope Francis will meet with presidents of episcopal conferences throughout the world to talk about the Catholic Church’s response to clerical abuse. The U.S. bishops met in November of this year and discussed the same topic. In many dioceses, parishes have been or will be hosting listening sessions for concerned parishioners. All these meetings are meant in some way to address the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church.

The current round of gatherings and news coverage strikes many people as sadly familiar—a replay of what happened in the early 2000s. But this is different. Today’s conversations have shifted. The focus now falls on bishops who were negligent, incompetent or downright devious in dealing with clergy who had perpetrated abuse against minors. This new scrutiny of abuse in the church, one earnestly hopes, will lead to necessary structural realignments. Reforms may include new paths for accountability and transparency, a more rigorous application of existing church law or its amendment if needed, and closer cooperation with civil authorities to deal with criminal activity and any related cover-up.

Structural reform and renewal are absolutely necessary to reclaim a measure of integrity for the church and—some would even say—for her very survival.

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BUFFALO (NY)
Spectrum Local News

December 5, 2018

By Mark Goshgarian

Democrats will head both the Assembly and the Senate next month after taking control away from the Republican majority in last month’s election.

Tim Kennedy, Western New York’s only Democratic senator and soon to be part of that majority, said in a statement:

“With a change in leadership, I’m confident we’ll finally see powerful reform and long-overdue justice.”

One of those reforms is the Child Victims Act, a measure that, in part, extends the age limit abuse victims can file civil suits or seek legal charges.

The measure passed the Assembly twice, but has stalled in the current GOP-controlled Senate.

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UNITED STATES
Bloomberg

December 5, 2018

By Allison McNeely, Josh Saul and Eben Novy-Williams

USA Gymnastics, under threat of being decertified by the U.S. Olympic Committee, filed for bankruptcy after running short of funds to pay victims of Larry Nassar’s sexual abuse.

The organization filed for Chapter 11 status in the Southern District of Indiana on Wednesday with estimated total assets and liabilities of $50 million to $100 million, according to a court filing. USAG aims to continue operating while it settles the victims’ claims, which its says are covered by insurance previously purchased by the organization, according to a statement.

But in court filings, USAG said there may not be enough to go around. It estimated the potential impact of these lawsuits at $75 million and $150 million, while the organization has assets of just $6.5 million in cash and investments, and said that the insurance policy might prove insufficient.

“We owe it to the survivors to resolve, fully and finally, claims based on the horrific acts of the past and, through this process, seek to expedite resolution and help them move forward,” chair Kathryn Carson said in the statement.

The bankruptcy extends a tumultuous year for USA Gymnastics, which installed new leadership after the trial of former team doctor Larry Nassar. Nassar was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison on child pornography charges and another 40 to 125 years in prison for a decades-long string of sexual abuse. His victims number more than 150 current and former gymnasts, including several Olympic champions.

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INDIANAPOLIS (IN)
USA Gym

December 5, 2018

USA Gymnastics today filed a voluntary petition for protection under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Indiana. This filing will enable USA Gymnastics to continue to support its athletes, to fully operate and meet its responsibilities to the entire membership and to expeditiously resolve the claims made by the survivors of sexual abuse perpetrated by Larry Nassar.

“We owe it to the survivors to resolve, fully and finally, claims based on the horrific acts of the past and, through this process, seek to expedite resolution and help them move forward,” said Kathryn Carson, who was recently elected chair of the USA Gymnastics Board of Directors. “Our sport is safer and stronger thanks to the bravery of these women. The Chapter 11 filing and the expedited resolution of these claims are critical first steps in rebuilding the community’s trust.

“At the same time, the filing will allow us to continue the important work of supporting our outstanding gymnasts at all levels, including the current and next generation of Olympic hopefuls,” continued Carson. “Since joining the Board last June, I have been inspired by the commitment of our members — the administrators, judges, coaches and club owners — who work daily to foster a safe, positive and encouraging environment where thousands of young people can learn gymnastics and life skills, compete and pursue their dreams.

“We are moving forward with our plans to strengthen our organization to further support the work of our members and gymnasts,” said Carson. “We have made significant progress in implementing safety initiatives and are in the process of searching for a new CEO who has the experience to build a leadership team that will restore confidence in USA Gymnastics, and set and execute a clear vision for a successful future.”

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INDIANAPOLIS (IN)
Indianapolis Star

December 5, 2018

By Tim Evans, Nancy Armour, Rachel Axon and Marisa Kwiatkowski

USA Gymnastics filed for bankruptcy protection Wednesday, a move it says will help resolve lawsuits stemming from Larry Nassar’s sexual abuse, but one it’s also counting on to hold off the U.S. Olympic Committee.

The filing, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Indiana, stays all “pending actions” against the governing body. That includes lawsuits filed by hundreds of Nassar survivors as well as the USOC’s Section 8 complaint aimed at stripping USA Gymnastics of its status as the national governing body.

“Our board has been talking about this bankruptcy strategy for a while now — well before the Section 8 complaint was filed,” said Kathryn Carson, chair of the USA Gymnastics board. “Our primary reason to do this is to expedite those survivor claims.”

But John Manly, an attorney who represents many of the survivors, was skeptical.

“Today’s bankruptcy filing by USA Gymnastics was the inevitable result of the inability of this organization to meet its core responsibility of protecting its athlete members from abuse,” Manly said in a statement.

“The leadership of USA Gymnastics has proven itself to be both morally and financially bankrupt. They have inflicted and continue to inflict unimaginable pain on survivors and their families.”

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UNITED STATES
Reuters

December 6, 2018

By Joseph Ax

USA Gymnastics, the sport’s governing body, filed for bankruptcy on Wednesday, saying that it is staggering under the weight of lawsuits filed by hundreds of women who were sexually abused by former national team doctor Larry Nassar.

The organization’s chairwoman, Kathryn Carson, cited the lawsuits in the decision to seek protection from creditors in federal bankruptcy court in Indianapolis.

“Our organization is a financially solid going concern but for the hundred lawsuits that we do have out there,” Carson said on a conference call with reporters. “That is the primary reason that we made this filing, to use the Chapter 11 process as a vehicle for resolving those claims.”

Nassar was sentenced to up to 300 years in prison in two different trials in Michigan last February after more than 350 women testified about abuse at his hands, including Olympic champions Aly Raisman and Jordyn Wieber.

The scandal prompted the entire board of directors at Indianapolis-based USA Gymnastics to resign, along with the president and athletic director at Michigan State University, where Nassar also worked. The school agreed to a $500 million settlement with his victims earlier this year.

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CINCINNATI (OH)
Cincinnati Enquirer

December 6, 2018

By Cameron Knight

A priest who started his career in Cincinnati more than 50 years ago has been detained in the Philippines on charges of molesting young boys.

Kenneth Bernard Hendricks was arrested by Philippine immigration authorities Wednesday. He has been indicted in Ohio. U.S. Attorney Ben Glassman will hold a press conference at 11 a.m. during which he is expected to reveal more details about the accusations.

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LOS ANGELES (CA)
Daily Beast

December 4, 2018

By Emily Shugerman and Rich McHugh

A California woman says her warnings about Det. Neil Kimball went unheeded before he was accused of a raping a 14-year-old.

A veteran Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department detective was charged last week with tying up and raping a 14-year-old girl whose case he was investigating. The arrest of Neil Kimball, a seasoned sex-crimes investigator, sent shockwaves through the law-enforcement community—especially when it was revealed that he had already been accused of sexual misconduct years earlier.

But the allegations didn’t surprise Sara Abusheikh, a Los Angeles-based fashion designer who told The Daily Beast she tried to warn authorities about “creepy” Kimball four years ago. The detective assigned to investigate her sexual assault case repeatedly crossed the line, she said—making flirtatious comments, accusing her of liking her alleged assailant, and even encouraging her to go back to see him.

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UNITED STATES
LinkedIn

November 14, 2018

By John Seng

Time to Reform The Catholic Church

People who attend Catholic Masses with any regularity will recognize the following ritual, as explained by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops:

At the very beginning of the Mass, the faithful recall their sins and place their trust in God’s abiding mercy. The Penitential Act includes the Kyrie Eleison, a Greek phrase meaning, “Lord, have mercy.” This litany recalls God’s merciful actions throughout history.

At Sunday worship in recent months, it’s dawned on me that in this year’s new light of horrifying revelations of abuse by clergy over many years worldwide, maybe it’s time to turn the tables. Aren’t Catholics in the pews the ones who should expect their Catholic Church celebrants to, perhaps for the next 50 years, initiate each Mass by recalling the sins of priests, bishops and cardinals themselves, apologizing at every assembly and begging the Lord’s mercy?

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NEW YORK (NY)
America Magazine

December 4, 2018

By Louis J. Cameli

In February of next year, Pope Francis will meet with presidents of episcopal conferences throughout the world to talk about the Catholic Church’s response to clerical abuse. The U.S. bishops met in November of this year and discussed the same topic. In many dioceses, parishes have been or will be hosting listening sessions for concerned parishioners. All these meetings are meant in some way to address the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church.

The current round of gatherings and news coverage strikes many people as sadly familiar—a replay of what happened in the early 2000s. But this is different. Today’s conversations have shifted. The focus now falls on bishops who were negligent, incompetent or downright devious in dealing with clergy who had perpetrated abuse against minors. This new scrutiny of abuse in the church, one earnestly hopes, will lead to necessary structural realignments. Reforms may include new paths for accountability and transparency, a more rigorous application of existing church law or its amendment if needed, and closer cooperation with civil authorities to deal with criminal activity and any related cover-up.

Structural reform and renewal are absolutely necessary to reclaim a measure of integrity for the church and—some would even say—for her very survival.

Structural reform and renewal are absolutely necessary to reclaim a measure of integrity for the church and—some would even say—for her very survival. These changes, however, are not enough to bring healing. The abuse crisis is about more than just logic and reason. The current crisis has revealed the unreliability of church leaders in protecting the flock entrusted to their care. And that matters very much to everyone with or without a direct experience of abuse. I would argue that any effective healing must take the experience of reliability versus unreliability as a central focus.

People familiar with the work of the British psychiatrist Donald Winnicott know the centrality of reliability for the most fundamental of human relationships. As Winnicott observed the interaction of infants and their mothers, it became apparent to him that the foundation of all healthy subsequent development for a child rested in the experience of that first and all-important mother-child relationship as reliable. When that early relationship turns out to be unreliable, as Winnicott saw in his psychotherapeutic practice with adults, people have significant problems relating to others and functioning well in their lives.

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ROME (ITALY)
Catholic News Service

December 6, 2018

By Cindy Wooden

Pope Francis marked the fifth anniversary of his election in March in the midst of a firestorm over his handling of clerical sexual abuse and bishops’ accountability in Chile.

He soon apologized for his slow response and invited Chilean abuse survivors to the Vatican and then all the country’s bishops to meet with him in May. By mid-October, the pope had dismissed two Chilean bishops from the priesthood and accepted the resignations of seven others.

The firestorm began when Pope Francis visited Chile and Peru in January, but the trip also included a meeting with the region’s indigenous peoples, marking an important stage in the preparation for the 2019 special Synod of Bishops on the Amazon, which will focus on safeguarding creation and on the pastoral care of the people who live in the region.

Also during 2018, Pope Francis traveled to the Geneva headquarters of the World Council of Churches to celebrate the ecumenical body’s 70th anniversary; he went to Ireland for the World Meeting of Families; and he visited the Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

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HARRISBURG (PA)
Fox 43

December 6, 2018

A retired Captain who successfully ran the Megan’s Law Section of the Pennsylvania State Police will run the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg’s Safe Environment program. Retired Capt. Janet A. McNeal, through her firm Law and Grace Consulting, will review the Diocese’s current youth protection programs, develop programs and policies to make any needed improvements and will serve as our Safe Environment Coordinator.

“Captain McNeal brings a wealth of experience with her,” said Bishop Ronald W. Gainer. “As a contractor with the Diocese, she is a neutral party, with no conflicts of interest, who has dedicated her entire professional career to seeing that justice is served and survivors of a range of crimes, but specifically sexual crimes, are heard and supported.

“As part of her role, Capt. McNeal will review every clergy child abuse case reported to the Diocese, in order to evaluate what went wrong and help us continue improving our youth protection policies and trainings, as a means of reducing the risk for future abuse.”

McNeal brings 26 years of law enforcement investigative and policy development experience to this position. She has a three year contract with the Diocese and will operate independently, reporting her recommendations directly to Bishop Gainer. McNeal has been granted complete access to all the Diocese’s records. In addition to reviewing every case reported to the Diocese, McNeal will also meet with survivors to hear their stories and determine what stage they are at in the healing process.

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MOBILE (AL)
AL.com

December 6, 2018

By Christopher Harress

The Archdiocese of Mobile released Thursday 29 names of Catholic priests, deacons and brothers who have been credibly accused of sexually abusing a child since 1950.

The first 12 names are those that were formally part of the Archdiocese of Mobile, while the second list contains 17 names of men and priests who belong to religious orders but were not formally attached to the Archdiocese.

In an accompanying letter, Archbishop Thomas Rodi asked for forgiveness from those that had been hurt.

“The most vulnerable members of the Church, the children, have been grievously hurt by clergy and religious, the very people who should have been trusted to help and not to injure,” wrote Archbishop Rodi. “In addition, the Church has at times failed to act as it should have to immediately protect children and to promptly remove those who have preyed upon them. To all the people of the Church, and especially to the victims of child sexual abuse by clergy and religious, I ask for your forgiveness. From the depths of my heart, I ask your forgiveness.”

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NEW YORK (NY)
Vogue Magazine

December 6, 2018

By Mary Beth Keane

The joke about my younger son, Emmett, is that at age seven he’d still crawl back into my womb if he could. He’s more reserved than his gregarious older brother, and sticks to me in social situations that overwhelm him. He worries about things that wouldn’t even occur to another child. Recently I picked him up from a birthday party and also collected the sons of two close friends to spare them a trip. Walking across the parking lot in a foursome of first-grade boys, Emmett kept glancing at another classmate who was leaving with his mother. Later he told me he worried the boy had seen the group heading to our car and thought Emmett was having a “big fun playdate” and hadn’t invited him, and that his feelings might have been hurt.

Tall, with skinny limbs and hair the color of a penny, Emmett often chooses a collection of Bible stories my mother gave him years ago as a bedtime book. One evening he asked me about “the holy cracker” he’s going to get to try soon, when he makes his first Holy Communion in second grade.

“That’s the Eucharist,” I told him. “The priest performs a miracle on the altar, and that cracker becomes the body of Christ.” Like all things to do with Catholic doctrine, it feels insane when said aloud. When it comes to religion, the only concern my kids really have is whether everyone who’s good ends up in Heaven. I’ve decided to simply say yes. Will the dog go to Heaven? Yes. The same Heaven as us? Yes. I deliver these answers with total confidence, as if I know.

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SPRINGFIELD (IL)
Springfield Journal Register

December 5, 2018

By Crystal Thomas

A city of Springfield employee appears on the list the Catholic Diocese of Springfield released last week that named priests it said had been credibly accused of sexually abusing minors.

Joseph D. Cernich, 62, of Springfield, was laicized, or stripped of his priestly duties, in June 2003 and hired by the city in November of the same year. Cernich currently works as a technical support specialist in City Water, Light and Power’s information systems division and makes about $56,000 a year.

Requests for comment from Cernich went unanswered. He hung up when The State Journal-Register called his work phone number.

In response to a State Journal-Register inquiry into whether the new information affects Cernich’s employment, city attorney Jim Zerkle wrote the “the situation is presently under review.”

″… (C)onsistent with the City personnel policy, the City cannot comment on individual personnel matters,” Zerkle wrote.

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MANILA (PHILIPPINES)
Associated Press

December 6, 2018

By Jim Gomez

Philippine immigration authorities say they have arrested an American Roman Catholic priest accused of sexually assaulting altar boys in a remote central town in a case one official described as “shocking and appalling.”

Bureau of Immigration spokeswoman Dana Sandoval said Thursday the Rev. Kenneth Bernard Hendricks, who has been indicted in Ohio for alleged illicit sexual conduct in the Philippines, was arrested in a church in Naval town on the island province of Biliran.

An Ohio court had issued a warrant for the arrest of 77-year-old Hendricks, who has been living in the Philippines for 37 years, Sandoval said, adding that the U.S. criminal case stemmed from complaints from Filipino minors who were allegedly victimized in the Philippines.

Hendricks is listed on the Archdiocese of Cincinnati website as a missionary in Asia.

Federal officials will announce charges against Hendricks at 11 a.m. Thursday. WCPO will live stream the announcement.

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BUFFALO (NY)
The Spectrum

December 6, 2018

Monsignor Patrick Keleher of UB’s Newman Center does not want Catholic students to lose faith, despite the reemergence of a 17-year sexual abuse scandal that has again rocked the Catholic Church.

He’s been in the church for half a century and knows worshippers in the Buffalo Diocese, which has in the past year been consumed with a new string of abuse accusations and calls by prominent Catholics for Bishop Richard Malone to resign. He knows Catholics worldwide are undergoing a crisis of faith.

But Keleher believes the 2,000-year-old Catholic Church will find its strength again.

“We pray that the church can change,” said Keleher, the director of the Newman Center, which has served Catholic students since 1936. “We need change and we’ve had too much secrecy, too much clericalism, all of the things we hear about all the time.”

UB’s Catholic community wants to bring believers together to help them maintain their faith and discuss how the church can change moving forward so such acts won’t happen again, local religious leaders told The Spectrum. Community churches like the Newman Center and the St. Joseph University Parish near South Campus are coming to terms with the abuse scandal through forums and discussions, as priests are opening their doors and listening to students’ and community members’ concerns.

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SIOUX CITY (IA)
Sioux City Journal

December 6, 2018

By Nick Hytrek

Leaders of the Diocese of Sioux City and the diocese’s attorney will meet with Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller Thursday to discuss child sexual abuse allegations against clergy members.

Miller will meet with Bishop R. Walker Nickless, the Rev. Bradley Pelzel, vicar general of the diocese, and Sioux City attorney Mike Ellwanger. The four will discuss sex abuse issues in the diocese, how to move forward and the development of a list of priests who have been credibly accused, said Susan O’Brien, director of development and communications for the diocese.

Miller is meeting individually with each of the four Catholic bishops in Iowa. The meetings were requested by Archbishop Michael Jackels, archbishop of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, O’Brien said.

In a letter Tuesday to priests, deacons and other boards throughout the Sioux City Diocese, Nickless announced the meeting and other steps the dioceses is taking to address allegations of sexual abuse and the perception that church officials have kept information from the public.

“I know there is a lot of confusion, sadness and upset about clergy sexual abuse, past and present, as well as about information being shared in the news about clergy in our diocese,” Walker wrote. “I am sorry that we are all going through this, and I am praying for all of you. I hope you also pray for me, our clergy, as well as the dedicated staff throughout our diocese.”

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MANILA (PHILIPPINES)
New York Times

December 6, 2018

By Jason Gutierrez

An elderly American priest has been arrested by United States Homeland Security agents on charges that he sexually assaulted at least seven Filipino altar boys in the rural central Philippines, where he has ministered for decades.

The suspect, Rev. Kenneth Bernard Hendricks, 77, was arrested Wednesday in the town of Naval, an impoverished community in Biliran Province, said Dana Krizia Sandoval, a spokeswoman for the immigration bureau of the Philippines.

“We received information from U.S. authorities regarding the alleged sexual exploitation of multiple minor Filipino boys by Hendricks,” Ms. Sandoval said. “Several of his victims have come forward with their statements.”

Ms. Sandoval said “at least seven children have come forward, but our sources estimate at least 50 cases have been unreported.”

Operatives from the immigration bureau’s Fugitive Search Unit joined with the national police and Homeland Security agents in making the arrest, which shocked residents in the community of 50,000.

“Hendricks allegedly sexually assaulted a number of boys living in his residence,” Ms. Sandoval said, adding that the priest allegedly told the boys that he would be imprisoned if the authorities learned of his behavior.

“It is shocking and appalling,” she added. “I am horrified reading the charges against him. We will not allow sexual predators to prey on our children.”

The priest allegedly ordered the boys to take baths with him and molested them either one on one or with other boys, she said.

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NEWCASTLE (AUSTRALIA)
Associated Press

December 6, 2018

An Australian appeal court has overturned a conviction against the most senior Roman Catholic cleric ever found guilty of covering up child sex abuse.

New South Wales state District Court Judge Roy Ellis on Thursday upheld former Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson’s appeal against his May conviction for concealing the sexual abuse of two altar boys by a pedophile priest in the 1970s. Ellis found there is reasonable doubt that the 68-year-old cleric had committed the crime, which is punishable by up to two years in prison.

Wilson has served almost four months of a year-long home detention sentence at his sister’s house outside Newcastle. He was to become eligible for parole after serving six months.

The judge also dismissed a prosecution appeal against the leniency of the sentence.

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UTICA (NY)
Utica Observer Dispatch

December 6, 2018

By Greg Mason

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse has confirmed 41 former clergy members accused of child sex abuse had ties to parishes in Oneida County at one time or another.

The diocese earlier this week released a list of 57 clergy members in total who were accused of child sex abuse. Of the 57, 37 were tied to allegations the diocese found credible. Only 19 of the 57 are still alive; there is no priest in active ministry in the diocese with a credible complaint of child sexual abuse, according to the diocese.

The clergy members on the lists are either dead, removed from ministry, dismissed from the clerical state or laicized.

To be removed from ministry is to remain a priest in spirit, though the person cannot function, identify themself or act as a priest or wear clerical attire. Those dismissed were released from the clerical state and are no longer affiliated with the diocese. Those laicized voluntarilty were dispensed from clerical obligations and also have no ties to the diocese, according to the diocese.

A diocese spokeswoman said the diocese could not provide the parishes each clergy member has been affiliated with at this time. Using newspaper archives and online records, the Observer-Dispatch has identified parishes where a number of the priests once served in the Oneida County area.

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LONDON (ENGLAND)
The Tablet

December 6, 2018

By Michael Sean Winters

The unfolding clergy sex-abuse scandal in the US widened last week, with a joint raid by federal, state and local police on the office of Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, president of the US bishops’ conference and Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, writes Michael Sean Winters.

The Montgomery County prosecutor, Brett Ligon, said the raid was targeted specifically at recovering documents relating to allegations made against Fr Manuel La Rose-Lopez.

Arrested in September, the priest is accused of two counts of sexual indecency with a child between 1998 and 2000. Ligon emphasised the narrow scope of the search, saying: “This is not a search warrant of the Catholic Church, nor is it of its employees.” However, Ligon also indicated that Cardinal DiNardo and his staff had not been informed of the warrant in advance. “The State of Texas is not required to go through the Catholic Church” in its investigations, he said.

Television images of police removing crates of documents from the chancery building spread across the Internet.

The same day, the office of the Attorney General of New Mexico served a similar search warrant on the administrative offices of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, seeking documents related to two priests, Marvin Archuleta and Sabine Griego, previously accused of sex abuse. The archdiocese had previously removed both men from ministry and in 2017 it published their names with those of 72 other clergy credibly accused of sexually abusing minors.

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IRONDALE (AL)
National Catholic Register

November 29, 2018

By Msgr. Charles Pope

Many today rightly speak of the need for courage in the midst of the current sexual abuse scandal and its coverup. It does indeed take courage to speak out and engage in the awkward task of insisting on accountability and reform from our bishops and the Pope, whom we have been taught to revere and respect. There are potential dangers, especially for clergy and lay leaders in the Church, who may risk sanctions of some sort for speaking up. (Thankfully, most bishops have been tolerant of the airing of grievances and calls for reform.) There are also consequences for speaking out that are more irksome than dangerous, such as being labeled divisive, negative, unjust or a scandal-monger.

While courage would be the more common way to describe what is needed, I would argue that the more traditional term “fortitude” may be a more accurate description of what will be required to ensure this crisis is addressed credibly and in a lasting manner. Courage is a part of fortitude, but as a cardinal virtue and especially as a gift of the Holy Spirit, fortitude has other important aspects.

The cardinal virtue of fortitude enables us to withstand even great difficulties that hinder us from attaining our goal; a chief feature is being able to see an act or decision through to the end, despite obstacles. So it is more than being brave or courageous in the face of danger or sallying forth into battle; it is also being steadfast in the face of difficulty and enduring without sadness or loss of faith. Fortitude’s loftiest expression is prudently facing down danger and even death, but it is operative at levels short of mortal danger as well. The most common act of fortitude is enduring in order to see a thing through despite obstacles, hardships, persecution and other difficulties.

St. Thomas lists four “parts” of fortitude in his Summa Theologiae (II, IIae, qq. 123-140), and all of them are important as we seek to remain steadfast in insisting on reform and accountability that is credible and substantial. I would like to list each of the four parts and relate them to the current sexual abuse crisis.

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PITTSBURGH (PA).
The Pitt News

December 6, 2018

Pennsylvania’s Catholic dioceses is no stranger to sexual assault allegations. A grand jury released a report in August detailing the sexual abuse of more than 1,000 minors committed by more than 300 Catholic clergymen, 11 of whom had their names redacted.

On Monday, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court voted 6-1 to keep those 11 priests anonymous.

“[The ruling] is a victory for all Pennsylvanians,” Justin Danilewitz, an attorney who represented many of the priests in August’s grand jury report, said. “Victims can take comfort … that their voices were heard, but not at the expense of innocent individuals.”

But the decision is only a victory for serial sexual abusers and self-interested church officials. It completely denies victims the justice they deserve and erases the network of accountability the Catholic Church desperately needs to bring assailants to justice.

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FORT WORTH (TX)
Star Telegram

December 6, 2018

By Nichole Manna and Bill Hanna

A petition requesting an investigation by the Catholic Church into the Diocese of Fort Worth and Bishop Michael Olson had more than 400 signatures as of Wednesday afternoon.

The petition comes after years of turmoil between some of the parishes and the bishop. It’s spearheaded by parishioners at St. Martin de Porres in Prosper.

“Since his ordination as our Bishop in January of 2014, Bishop Olson has operated against canon law on numerous occasions, has employed abusive language and vindictive actions against priests and the lay faithful in our diocese,” the petition on the Care2 Petitions website states.

A number of the problems between parishioners and Olson have played out in public, including the removal of Father Richard Kirkham from St. Martin de Porres over the summer, a change in leadership at Fort Worth’s Nolan Catholic High School during Olson’s first year as bishop, as well as the closure of the San Mateo Catholic Church and the Catholic Renewal Center.

The petition also mentioned the departure of numerous priests, including Rev. Jeff Poirot, who was known for his beer-making skills but was asked by Olson to stop the activity while he was at Holy Family Catholic Church in Fort Worth. Poirot has since taken a leave of absence from active ministry.

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Get Religion

December 5, 2018

By Clemente Lisi

Is there a difference between the Catholic “church and its “hierarchy”?

That’s a question that very few, if any, editors and reporters working in either the mainstream or religious press seem to have asked themselves. It’s just another of the many questions to come out of the clerical sex-abuse scandal and the downfall of now-former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick that highlighted news coverage since this summer.

It’s a question that was surfaced by Father Thomas Reese (for decades a major source in many mainstream news reports) in a recent opinion piece that ran on Religion News Service. Journalists need to think about what he’s saying, so here’s an excerpt:

I remember in the 1980s taking a tour of the House of Commons in London. The tour guide pointed to a plaque on the wall in honor of a minister “who was killed by the Irish Catholics.” Not the IRA, not the Provos, not the terrorists, but the Irish Catholics.

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WASHINGTON (DC)
Verdict

December 6, 2018

By Marci Hamilton

Last week, the Miami Herald published a searing investigative report by reporter Julie Brown on the fact that multi-millionaire Jeffrey Epstein sexually abused dozens of girls at his home in Palm Beach and was permitted to cut a ridiculously lenient deal with local, state, and federal prosecutors. He was allowed to plead to two counts of prostitution, leading to a measly 13-month sentence, where he was even treated to daily work release. He did have to register as a sex offender, but with dozens of girls there and across the United States (and the globe) as his victims, the deal was beyond the pale. This was yet another instance when men in power kept each other’s secrets and covered them up as though the victims were basically collateral to the “real” issues, like men’s reputations and power. We have seen this again and again, whether it was President Graham Spanier of Penn State failing to stop Sandusky or the bishops trading around pedophile priests as though they are chess pieces rather than dangerous weapons against children. There is not a lot of daylight between these examples. Indeed, the Catholic Church’s problems in this arena are a blueprint for understanding the whole map, as I discussed here.

Why did Epstein get this deal? One has to wonder whether it didn’t have something to do with the fact that his friends and cohorts were powerful, including former President Bill Clinton and President Donald Trump and his lawyers—a veritable who’s who list like Ken Starr (whose failures in this arena I discussed here) and Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz, among others. Both Trump and Dershowitz have been implicated in the abuse side of Epstein’s lifestyle, but both deny it.

There is no question that the system for protecting children is broken when a federal prosecutor chooses a cozy plea deal like Epstein’s. A prosecutor is supposed to represent the public interest in safety and be a “crimestopper.” The Epstein case was a textbook on serial pedophiliac behavior with children not only abused but also paid to bring in other children. The federal prosecutor who let Epstein get away with this level of sexual assault of girls was Alexander Acosta, who at the time was the South Florida United States Attorney and is now the Secretary of Labor in the Trump administration. Not only did Acosta let him get away with it, this prosecutor also cut the victims out of the process. They didn’t even know there was going to be a plea until they read about it. Far from being permitted to testify at his sentencing as did over 100 victims of Dr. Larry Nassar, these victims were completely ignored. These girls, most of whom were poor and came from broken homes, were throwaway 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.

OAKLAND (CA)
Law office of Joseph C. George

December 5, 2018

At a news conference, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse by long-time perpetrator Father Vincent Breen speaks out against the Diocese of Oakland and urges any survivors of clergy childhood sexual abuse to report to the Attorney General’s office.

The Diocese of Oakland knew of Father Vincent Breen’s sexual abuse of children
In 1967, Sharon McCann (then 13 years old) and her mother reported Breen’s sexual abuse of Sharon to Sister Jean Higgins, the principal of Holy Spirit
The Diocese of Oakland failed to report the sexual abuse to any law enforcement agency and child protective services agencies
Fremont Police Department concluded that Father Vincent Breen sexually abused at least eight (8) young girls in 1981.
Now, on November 23, 2018, the Diocese of Oakland announced that it would not release a list of priests credibly abused of childhood sexual abuse until 2019 supposedly because the Diocese had not been in touch with some victims “in years” and that “It’s a situation in which you don’t want to re-traumatize people, because even though their names aren’t going to be there, the name of their perpetrator could be released.”
The Diocese of Oakland knew of Sharon McCann’s report and knew of the identities of the young girls in the 1981 Fremont Police Report and never contacted any victim

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.

SAN FRANCISCO (CA)
Bay State Reporter

December 5, 2018

By Alex Madison

A gay San Francisco pastor, who has historically fought for gay rights in the Lutheran Church, was arrested on charges of possession of child pornography, according to the San Francisco Police Department.

The Reverend Steven Sabin, pastor at Christ Church Lutheran at Quintara Street and 20th Avenue, was arrested November 15 on three felony charges.

Sabin, 59, was arraigned November 21 and pleaded not guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography and two counts of possession or control of child pornography, according to a spokesman for the San Francisco District Attorney’s office. Private defense attorney Art Lipton is representing Sabin. Lipton did not respond to a request for comment from the Bay Area Reporter.

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.