ABUSE TRACKER

PHILIPPINES
Inquirer

The priest arrested last Friday while allegedly on his way to a motel with a 13-year-old girl is being kept with ordinary detainees at the Marikina police headquarters, radio reports said.

Monsignor Arnel Lagarejos, 55, of the Diocese of Antipolo, spent Saturday til Sunday morning at the Marikina City jail after going through inquest proceedings for trafficking in persons.
READ: Priest nabbed ‘en route to motel’ with 13-year-old girl

While no VIP treatment was being accorded to the priest, security was tight with police strictly screening his visitors and preventing media from speaking to him, according to a report of radio dzMM.

Radio reports said colleagues of Lagarejos had been constantly visiting him since his arrest early Friday night near Blue Wave Mall along Sumulong Highway in Marikina City.

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.

MEXICO
Aristegui Noticias

[Priest Pedro Gutiérrez Farias was identified in the media as the alleged perpetrator of physical, sexual and psychological abuse against minors at the Ciudad de los Niños shelter.]

Pedro Gutiérrez Farías fue señalado en medios de un presunto abuso físico, sexual y psicológico en contra de menores, en el albergue Ciudad de los Niños.

El sacerdote católico Pedro Gutiérrez Farías presentó una denuncia penal de hechos en contra de quien o quienes resulten responsables por los presuntos delitos de “difamación y calumnia” contra la institución de la Ciudad de los Niños y el propio presbítero.

Bajo la carpeta 76301 en la Agencia Siete del Ministerio Público de la Ciudad de Salamanca quedó asentada la denuncia que personalmente presentó el religioso este jueves, señaló Julián García, asesor jurídico de la Ciudad de los Niños y del sacerdote católico.

“Es una denuncia por hechos, hechos que fueron publicados en los medios, todo en torno a que hay delito de trata de personas y otros donde se atreven a pronunciarse sobre esos hechos, esos delitos sin que haya pruebas y esto le originó un agravio a la institución y al sacerdote para efecto de que ante la autoridad correspondiente, que es el ministerio público que es el que se encarga de investigar los delitos, concluirlos y resolver sobre los mismos, no otras personas…es una denuncia por hechos a la difamación, calumnia a la institución y a la persona del padre Pedro” indicó.

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.

MEXICO
Proceso

POR VERÓNICA ESPINOSA , 26 JULIO, 2017 ESTADOS

GUANAJUATO, Gto. (apro).- Adolescentes desaparecidas, otras embarazadas como producto de violaciones cometidas presuntamente por uno de los responsables del albergue, recién nacidos entregados en adopción a parejas estadunidenses de manera irregular y a cambio de dinero, son algunas de las graves anomalías que se acumulan a los hallazgos detectados en los centros de asistencia de la organización Ciudad del Niño de Salamanca, fundados y manejados por el sacerdote Pedro Gutiérrez Farías.

Testimonios de vecinos, profesores, e incluso de adolescentes que escaparon de la Ciudad del Niño y la Ciudad Juvenil –ambos centros manejados por el sacerdote católico y con domicilio en Salamanca- fueron recabados en un informe del Centro de Promoción de los Derechos Humanos de Niños, Niñas y Adolescentes, NIMA, en el que se ratifican además las omisiones cometidas por distintas autoridades, desde el DIF municipal, el Sistema DIF estatal, la Procuraduría de Protección a Niños, Niñas y Adolescentes, la Procuraduría de Justicia del estado y la Procuraduría de los Derechos Humanos del Estado.

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.

MEXICO
La Jornada

Ciudad de México. Los abusos sexuales y físicos ocurridos contra varios menores de edad en el albergue religioso la Ciudad de los Niños fueron posibles no sólo por la ineficiencia de las autoridades para vigilar lo que ocurre en este tipo de centros, sino también por la complicidad entre los directores de los mismos y grupos políticos, afirmaron especialistas en derechos de la infancia.

Nashieli Ramírez, coordinadora general de la organización civil Ririki Intervención Social, consideró que lo ocurrido en los albergues del sacerdote Pedro Gutiérrez Farías es una muestra de la falta de capacidad del gobierno para monitorear y supervisar lo que ocurre en las estancias infantiles, tanto públicas como privadas.

Dicha falla representa una violación a la Ley General de los Derechos de Niñas, Niños y Adolescentes, pero también a diversos convenios internacionales en materia de protección a menores de edad, sobre todo aquellos que se encuentran sin cuidado de sus padres o de algún adulto.

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.

MEXICO
Mexico News Daily

Mexico News Daily | Thursday, July 27, 2017

Physical and sexual abuse of children by their caregivers at an orphanage in Guanajuato is the result of collusion between the Catholic church and the government of Guanajuato, a non-governmental organization has charged.

The orphanage and shelter called Ciudad de los Niños (City of the Children) in Salamanca was founded 40 years ago by Catholic priest Pedro Gutiérrez Farías, who has registered 134 children as his own before local authorities.

A report compiled by the children’s rights advocacy group Nima claims that the mothers of the children registered by the priest were teenage girls raped within the orphanage’s premises.

Institutionalization and Violence in the City of the Children gathered witness accounts of individuals that survived the violence. The babies of other raped girls “were given up for adoption by people in the United States,” said the report, declaring that it is necessary to review the legality of all such procedures undertaken by the shelter.

Father Gutiérrez’ alleged abuse of the children was such that they began calling him him El Castigador (The Punisher), continued the report.

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

PHILIPPINES
The Manila Times

BY FRANCIS EARL CUETO, TMT ON JULY 29, 2017

A PARISH priest was arrested in Marikina City Friday evening, after he allegedly abused a 13-year-old girl while on their way to a motel.

Chief Supt. Romulo Sapitula, Eastern Police District director, identified the priest as Msgr. Arnel Lagarejos, 55.

He was arrested at around 6:30 p.m. while inside his gray Ford explorer with plate number TGO 350 at the parking area of Blue Wave Mall along Sumulong Hi-way, in Barangay Sto. Niño, Marikina City.

If proven guilty, Lagarejos will be charged with violation of the anti-trafficking in persons act.

A report by the Marikina police said Lagarejos allegedly booked the minor, also an out-of-school youth, through 16-year-old “ARB,” who served as pimp. They were reported to be meeting at the Blue Wave Mall.

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.

PHILIPPINES
Philippines Lifestyle News

POSTED BY: M G MARTIN JULY 29, 2017

A Catholic priest pulled a gun on police after being discovered at a Motel with a 13-year-old girl.

Monseigneur Arnel Fuentes Lagarejos, aged 55, was caught during a crackdown on children being pimped via social media in Marikina City yesterday (Friday, July 28).

Officers said they were “shocked” to discover a priest involved in the crime.

The priest’s superior today issued a statement, urging parishioners to “pray that the truth may come out”.

Antipolo Bishop, Francisco de Leon, wrote: “The Diocese of Antipolo is looking into the matter involving the arrest of Monseigneur Arnel Fuentes Lagarejos as allegedly identified as a suspect in an entrapment operation in Marikina City.

“Thus, we assure the public that we respect the necessary procedures as provided by law in order to further investigate the matter.

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.

PHILIPPINES
Rappler

Paterno Esmaquel II
@paterno_ii
July 29, 2017

MANILA, Philippines – A 55-year-old priest from a parish in Taytay, Rizal, was arrested for allegedly “booking” a 13-year-old girl with the help of a 16-year-old pimp, the Marikina police said.

Monsignor Arnel Lagarejos was detained immediately after his arrest in Santo Niño, Marikina City, on Friday evening, July 28.

Because of this, Antipolo Bishop Francisco de Leon said in a message on Saturday evening, July 29, that Lagarejos has been relieved of all his designations in his diocese.

Lagarejos was president of Cainta Catholic College (CCC). He was also parish priest of Saint John the Baptist Parish in Poblacion, Taytay, Rizal.

Lagarejos holds a doctorate in theology from the Gregorian University in Rome and a licentiate in theology from the Loyola School of Theology in Quezon City, according to his profile on the CCC website.

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.

PHILIPPINES
ABS-CBN

MANILA – The superior of a priest who was allegedly caught bringing a 13-year-old girl into a motel urged the faithful on Saturday to “pray that the truth may come out.”

Police have filed a human trafficking complaint against Msgr. Arnel Fuentes Lagarejos, 55, who was arrested in an entrapment in Marikina City late Friday.

“Let us refrain from issuing unnecessary comments that might worsen the situation,” Antipolo Bishop Francisco de Leon said in a statement.

“The Diocese of Antipolo is looking into the matter involving the arrest of Msgr. Arnel Fuentes Lagarejos as allegedly identified as a suspect in an entrapment operation in Marikina City,” he said.

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

PENNSYLVANIA
The Morning Call

Chuck Biedka
Tribune Content Agency

A Hollywood movie helped motivate a former Lower Burrell man to come forward with allegations he was sexually assaulted by a priest in the 1990s.

Former priest John Thomas Sweeney is accused of abusing a 10-year-old boy sent to him for misbehavior at St. Margaret Mary Church’s school in Lower Burrell, outside Pittsburgh, during the 1991-92 academic year.

And that alleged victim isn’t alone in being motivated by “Spotlight,” according to the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, known as SNAP.

“We don’t know exactly how many, but we know it has caused people to come forward, sometimes after years,” said Judy Jones, SNAP’s Midwest regional leader. “It takes a lot of courage for them to come forward,” she said.

The 2015 Oscar-winning film “Spotlight” tells the story of the Boston Globe’s investigation about alleged priest sexual abuse and cover-ups in Boston.

Greensburg diocese Communications Director Jerry Zufelt said there was no such cover-up here.

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

MASSACHUSETTS
Washington Post

By Alex Horton July 29

Phil Saviano, an advocate for sexual assault victims, had a list of Boston-area clergymen alleged to have raped young boys. And it was growing.

He created a New England chapter of a support group for people who said they had been abused by priests and drew up the list of alleged offenders, along with other data points, beginning in 1997.

One of the names kept coming up in discussions: Paul Shanley.

Shanley was a well-respected clergyman nicknamed the “Street Priest” for his habit of roaming dangerous neighborhoods to help troubled youths. But he also secretly used the anonymity of vulnerable, wayward boys as a weapon and a shield.

Shanley, 86, was released from state prison Friday after serving a 12-year sentence for the rape and indecent assault of a boy in a Massachusetts church in the 1980s. He was defrocked by the Vatican in 2004 and convicted the following year.

“The fact he was sent away for 12 years was a triumph for the survivor community,” Saviano told The Washington Post.

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.

MEXICO
Politico

Este martes por la madrugada ocurrió una explosión en la puerta principal de la Conferencia del Episcopado Mexicano (CEM).

De acuerdo a información del CEM, un artefacto, del cual se desconoce su origen, fue colocado en la puerta y detonó alrededor de la 1:50 am. Informaron que ninguna persona resultó herida y que sí hubo daños materiales afectados por el impacto de la explosión.

Las oficinas de la CEM se encuentran en la colonia Tepeyac Insurgentes de la capital del país y los jerarcas de la Iglesia católica aseguraron que ya se realizan las investigaciones pertinentes pues no es la primera vez que ocurren ataques de este tipo en la Ciudad de México.

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.

MEXICO
ACI Prensa

[Explota BOMBA en Conferencia del Episcopado Mexicano CDMX – YouTube]

CIUDAD DE MÉXICO, 26 Jul. 17 / 04:14 pm (ACI).- Un grupo extremista autodenominado “Comando Feminista Informal de Acción Antiautoritaria” se atribuyó el ataque con explosivo cometido ayer contra la sede de la Conferencia del Episcopado Mexicano (CEM) y que solo dejó daños materiales.

“Después de medianoche, el 25 de julio de 2017 colocamos un artefacto explosivo hecho con dinamita, gas LP y butano en la Conferencia del Episcopado Mexicano (…). ¡Ni Dios, ni Amo!”, expresó el grupo a través de internet.

Sin embargo, estos componentes no coinciden con los hallados por los peritos de la Procuraduría General de Justicia de la Ciudad de México.

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.

MEXICO
Conferencia del Episcopado Mexicano

[At about 1:50 a.m. July 25 an artifact at the front door of the Mexican Episcopal Conference exploded. No one thanks to God’s providence was hurt. The conference is grateful for the support and solidarity displayed by our brother bishops, the faithful, priests and institutions. Many people of good will have approached us with genuine concern. The authorities, both federal and local, have shown their support and are investigating.]

Ciudad de México a 25 de julio de 2017

Es de su conocimiento, que el día de hoy, alrededor de la 1:50 de la mañana, en la puerta principal de la Conferencia del Episcopado Mexicano, explotó un artefacto, que por providencia de Dios, no afectó a ninguna persona.

Agradecemos el apoyo y la solidaridad mostrada por parte de nuestros hermanos obispos, fieles, sacerdotes, instituciones, así como a muchas personas de buena voluntad que se han acercado a nosotros con genuina preocupación. También a las autoridades, tanto federales como locales, que han mostrado su apoyo y colaboración para aclarar este suceso.

Como órgano colegial de los Obispos de México, queremos hacer un llamado a la serenidad, la prudencia y al respeto de la vida humana y sus instituciones. Este hecho nos invita a reflexionar enfáticamente sobre la necesidad de reconstruir el tejido social, para propiciar un ambiente de seguridad para todos los ciudadanos.

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.

MEXICO
Christian Today

Mark Woods MANAGING EDITOR 27 July 2017

A radical feminist group has claimed responsibility for the bombing of the headquarters of Mexico’s Catholic Council of Bishops.

An explosive device was set off two days ago but did little damage and caused no casualties.

Bishop Ramon Castro of Cuernavaca said he believed the attack ‘reflects the situation in Mexico’, where three priests have been killed so far this year.

A statement signed by the ‘Informal Feminist Command for Anti-Authoritarian Action’ was posted on the anarchist website Contra Info claiming it carried out the attack and implying it was in retaliation for abuse carried out by Catholic priests.

It says the device was made with dynamite, LP gas and propane.

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

DEUTSCHLAND
Eule

[The report – Part 1: Preschool. Since last week the independent investigation report on the abuse cases at the Regensburger Domspatzen is available. What really stands out in the report: The report of the independent investigator team undermines excuses by providing a thorough and, in some cases painfully detailed, information on the events in preschool and high school choir and boarding schools. Anyone who has actually read it can no longer come to simple explanations. It is also about much more than a time-worn rude education style or some isolated cases of sexual abuse. It is about a totalitarian system that was installed and kept alive by a few main players in which students were subjected to the most severe violence and humiliation.]

Seit letzter Woche liegt der unabhängige Untersuchungsbericht zu den Missbrauchsfällen bei den Regensburger Domspatzen vor. Was wirklich im Bericht steht:

Von Philipp Greifenstein, 29. Juli 2017

Am 18. Juli 2017 haben die unabhängigen Ermittler Ulrich Weber und Johannes Baumeister ihren Untersuchungsbericht zu Gewaltausübungen bei den Regensburger Domspatzen vorgelegt (Download des gesamten Berichts). Der Missbrauch bei den Domspatzen wurde seitdem abermals kontrovers diskutiert, häufig offensichtlich ohne weitere Kenntnis der im Bericht zusammengefassten Ergebnisse.

Ich habe in den letzten Tagen den Untersuchungsbericht gelesen.

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

MASSACHUSETTS
Boston Herald

Owen Boss Saturday, July 29, 2017

Convicted child rapist and defrocked Catholic priest Paul Shanley was released from prison yesterday after two state-contracted psychologists ruled that because of his advanced age and medical status, he wasn’t a “sexually dangerous” person. Here are excerpts from the psychologists’ reports:

* “In reviewing Mr. Shanley’s risk from an actuarial perspective, the Static 99R, a commonly accepted actuarial tool, yields a result of -1, which places him within the ‘below average risk’ rage of sexual reoffense.”

* “Mr. Shanley’s behavior meets the threshold required by the statute for Mental Abnormality. He demonstrates a persistent or chronic deviant sexual interest in prepubescent and under aged male children. In my opinion, Mr. Shanley suffers from a condition that predisposes him to the commission of criminal sexual acts and makes him a menace to the health and safety of others as required by the statute.”

* “Age is a factor that can mitigate risk. Individuals who sexually assault children, victims under the age of 16, demonstrate the most precipitous decrease in risk at the age of 50. Mr. Shanley’s current age 86 would suggest a mitigation risk. Factors associated with age include health, motivation, and opportunity.”

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

MASSACHUSETTS
Boston Herald

Joe Fitzgerald Saturday, July 29, 2017

Though many columns decrying the blanket indictment of priests reaped anger and resentment here during the scandal that rocked the Catholic Church, they never minimized the horrible things done to young victims by vultures camouflaged in Roman collars.

Indeed, you read about some of them here, like Ron, who was 41 the day he called, weeping.

“I’d like you to hear how my life was ruined,” he said. “I was 11 when it happened. I trusted this man more than you could imagine. Then he reached inside my pants and proceeded to do things to me. Today I trust no one.

“I didn’t get married until I was 36 and my wife still doesn’t understand what’s wrong with me. I sleep on the couch more than I should. I’m not close to her like I ought to be and I’m sure she thinks it’s her fault. She’s the nicest woman in the world. But even now, there’s still so much guilt associated with sex, it’s unbelievable.”

There are many Rons in the files here, all of whom bear painful witness to traumas that haunt them to this day.

But they were not the only victims of predators such as the defrocked Paul Shanley, now 86, released yesterday from the Old Colony Correctional Center in Bridgewater after completing a 12-year-sentence for raping a boy in the 1980s.

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

MASSACHUSETTS
CBS Boston

[with video]

WARE (CBS) — A forensic psychologist says that convicted sex offender Paul Shanley should still be behind bars.

Shanley is classified as a “Level 3 Sex Offender” and that designation is given to those who are considered to be high risks to re-offend.

Paul Zeizel, in fact, referred to Shanley as a “monster.”

“Shanley was a monster and there’s no doubt about that,” Zeizel said about the 86-year-old former priest. “From mu understanding the age of his victims were remarkably young.”

At least one of his victims was six-years-old. …

“The most dangerous subset of the sex-offending population are pedophiles–male pedophiles who have male victims,” Zeisel said.

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

DEUTSCHLAND
Zeit

[One broke the silence. Rudolf Voderholzer of Regensburg is considered a bishop of the conservative. Vorderholzer was director of the Institute of Pope Benedict XVI, before following Gerhard Ludwig Müller in the Regensburg bishop’s office. After his appointment as a bishop, he began working on the abuse scandal around Germany’s most famous boyhood choir. Excuses, distraction maneuvers, and half-hearted excuses should no longer be the bishop’s response to the decade-long suffering of the Domspatzen.]
 
Von Christian Feldmann
28. Juli 2017

Die Wende von Regensburg begann 2012 mit einem Mann, dem kaum jemand einen Bruch mit der Linie seines Vorgängers zugetraut hatte: Rudolf Voderholzer aber hat nach seiner Ernennung zum Bischof damit angefangen, den Missbrauchsskandal um Deutschlands berühmtesten Knabenchor aufzuarbeiten. Ausflüchte, Ablenkungsmanöver und halbherzige Entschuldigungen sollten nicht mehr die Antwort des Bistums auf das jahrzehntelange Leiden bei den Domspatzen sein.

Der frühere Dogmatikprofessor aus Trier ist kein innerkirchlicher Reformer: Der 57-Jährige ist Herausgeber von Papst Benedikts Gesammelten Werken und eng verbunden mit dem Rom Joseph Ratzingers. Dessen enger Vertrauter Gerhard Ludwig Müller war nicht nur Voderholzers Vorgänger auf dem Regensburger Bischofssitz, sondern auch sein Doktorvater. Müller blieb auch nach seiner Ernennung zum Präfekten der Glaubenskongregation eine Autorität in Regensburg. Zuvor hatte er die Aufklärung eher verschleppt und den Medien eine kirchenfeindliche “Kampagne” unterstellt.

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

DEUTSCHLAND
Zeit

[Why Gerhard Ludwig Müller still does not want to see the abuse.]

Warum Gerhard Ludwig Müller den Missbrauch noch immer nicht sehen will

Von Julius Müller-Meiningen
28. Juli 2017

An diesem Samstag endet das Annabergfest in Sulzbach-Rosenberg mit einem feierlichen Pontifikalamt. Gerhard Ludwig Müller wird dazu aus Rom erwartet; der Kardinal, der seit vier Wochen vor den Trümmern seiner Laufbahn steht, soll die Abschlussmesse feiern. Papst Franziskus hatte den 69-Jährigen Anfang Juli als Präfekten der Glaubenskongregation entlassen. Müller spekulierte eigentlich darauf, mindestens bis zum für Bischöfe festgesetzten Pensionsalter von 75 Jahren eine feste Aufgabe zu haben. Jetzt steht der gebürtige Mainzer in Rom vor einer unklaren Zukunft und muss auch noch zur Seelsorge ins Bistum Regensburg. Es gibt derzeit angenehmere Orte in Deutschland für ihn.

Seit seiner Zeit als Bischof von Regensburg (2002–2012) begleiten Müller eine Reihe von Vorwürfen. Sie reichen vom autoritären Umgang mit Mitarbeitern und katholischen Laien bis hin zur Verschleppung von Missbrauchsfällen. Auch im kürzlich vorgestellten Aufklärungsbericht des von der Diözese bestellten Rechtsanwalts Ulrich Weber über Körperverletzung und sexuellen Missbrauch bei den Regensburger Domspatzen, dem Elitechor des Bistums, geht es um den Kardinal. Als die gesamte katholische Kirche in Deutschland Anfang 2010 mit der Veröffentlichung von Missbrauchsfällen zu kämpfen hatte, stand auch der Regensburger Bischof im Kreuzfeuer. Für viele Betroffene war Müller damals das offizielle Gesicht einer vertuschenden Amtskirche und Feindbild schlechthin.

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

NEW YORK
Road to Recovery

FR. TIMOTHY ZAK, SDB, WHO HAS BEEN IN CHARGE OF SEXUAL ABUSE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST SALESIAN PRIESTS AND BROTHERS IN THE EASTERN UNITED STATES AND CANADA, WILL BE INSTALLED AS PROVINCIAL (GENERAL SUPERIOR) OF ST. PHILIP THE APOSTLE PROVINCE IN NEW ROCHELLE, NEW YORK, NY AND WILL BE IN CHARGE OF ALL SALESIAN PRIESTS AND BROTHERS IN THE EASTERN UNITED STATES AND CANADA

BUT,

FR. TIMOTHY ZAK IS NOT A CREDIBLE LEADER – HE PROMISED OVER A YEAR AGO TO SETTLE TWO CASES OF CHILDHOOD SEXUAL ABUSE AGAINST SALESIAN PRIESTS AND BROTHERS, YET ONE OF THOSE CASES REMAINS UNSETTLED AND THE SEXUAL ABUSE VICTIMS CONTINUES TO BE RE-VICTIMIZED

What
A demonstration and leafleting alerting parishioners and supporters of the Salesian priests and brothers of Don Bosco that the newly-appointed PROVINCIAL (GENERAL SUPERIOR) of St. Philip the Apostle Province, encompassing the eastern United States and Canada, has reneged on his promise of over a year ago to settle the case of sexual abuse of a minor child against a Salesian priest, Fr. Joseph Maffei, SDB

When
Saturday, July 29, 2017 from 10:30 am until Noon

Where
On the public sidewalk in front of the headquarters of the Salesian Priests and Brothers of St. Philip the Apostle Province, 148 East Main Street, New Rochelle, New York 10801

Who
Members of Road to Recovery, Inc., a non-profit charity based in New Jersey that assists sexual abuse victims and their families, including its co-founder and President, Robert M. Hoatson, Ph.D.

Why
Nearly two years ago, Fr. Timothy Zak, SDB, assured a childhood sexual abuse victim that his claim of having been sexually abused by Fr. Joseph Maffei, SDB, at a Salesian school and facility in Cedar Lake, Indiana, was going to be settled within days. The victim is still waiting for Fr. Zak to keep his promise. Now, Fr. Timothy Zak has been appointed PROVINCIAL (GENERAL SUPERIOR) of the Salesians of Don Bosco Eastern United States and Canadian Province, based in New Rochelle, New York. He will be installed as Provincial at a Mass and picnic on Saturday, July 29, 2017, beginning at Noon, BUT, the childhood victim of sexual abuse by Fr. Joseph Maffei, SDB, continues to be re-victimized each and every day that Fr. Timothy Zak breaks his promise to the settle the case. Demonstrators will call upon those attending the Mass and picnic to urge Fr. Zak to keep his promise, do the right and moral thing, and settle the childhood sexual abuse case against Fr. Joseph Maffei, a serial pedophile of children.

Contact
Robert M. Hoatson, Ph.D., 862-368-2800 – roberthoatson@gmail.com

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.

GUAM
Pacific News Center

By Janela Carrera – July 28, 2017

A mediator will be on island in late October to begin the mediation process for settling the sex abuse cases out of court.

Guam – A mediator has been picked and mediation for the 70-plus sex abuse cases filed in District Court against the church have already been scheduled. But even with these dates and names announced, whether this process actually succeeds is still uncertain. In the meantime, US Magistrate Judge Joaquin Manibusan has granted a stay on the cases for now.

October 30 to November 3—those are the dates retired Oregon District Judge Michael Hogan will be on island to arbitrate settlement negotiations between the scores of sex abuse victims and the Archdiocese of Agana. How many cases is Judge Hogan expected to mediate? To be exact: 76 cases that were filed in District Court and possibly more for those pending in local court.

“They’re gonna attempt to address it as much as possible. If more days are needed, more days will be used,” noted Atty. John Terlaje who represents the Archdiocese of Agana.

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.

GUAM
KUAM

Updated: Jul 28, 2017

By Krystal Paco

Settlement is back on the table – at least for a majority of the sex abuse cases lodged against the Archdiocese of Agana and possibly the Boy Scouts of America Aloha Council.

The majority of the cases of clergy sex abuse filed in the District Court of Guam have been put on hold. On Friday, Judge Joaquin Manibusan granted a motion to stay for over 70 civil cases. His decision followed news that parties have secured a mediator, Oregon-based retired federal Judge Michael Hogan.

Archdiocese of Agana legal counsel John Terlaje and plaintiffs’ attorney David Lujan expressed great confidence in their chosen mediator. Terlaje said, “He is very well known. Very well respected. He’s done hundreds of cases involving child abuse and dioceses around America, so because of that, both parties reached out to him to see if he was willing to do the mediation process.”

Lujan added, “He’s a great mediator, so he should be able to resolve.”

Hogan will be on island from October 30 to November 3rd to address the claims, including those filed in the Superior Court of Guam. “Well we’re going to attempt address as much as possible. If more days are needed, more days will be used,” Terlaje added.

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

IRELAND
Breaking News

Junior Justice Minister has apologised to the United Nations for our human rights record.

The Government has been criticised for its lack of progress on investigations into the Magdalene Laundries, mother-and-baby homes, and other issues.

Minister David Stanton said many of these were legacy issues which Ireland was not proud of.
“A lot of the questions asked refer to chapters in our past,” he stated.

“These are legacy, historical issues of which we are not proud. We recognise and apologise for the serious wrongs that were made in the past and where we can, we will try to remedy these wrongs.

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.

MEXICO
Catholic Philly

By David Agren • Catholic News Service • Posted July 28, 2017

MEXICO CITY (CNS) — An anarchist group calling itself “Informal Feminist Commando of Anti-Authoritarian Action Coatlicue” has claimed credit for detonating an explosive device outside the Mexican bishops’ conference offices.

The group said via an online posting in late July: “Not God nor master. For each torture and murder in the name of your God. For every child abused by pedophile priests.”

Little is known about the group, though it is believed to have detonated a similar device March 17, Mexican media reported. Coatlicue is an Aztec goddess known as the mother of gods.

The group also claimed the device at the bishops’ office was made with dynamite, butane and propane. The Mexico City attorney general’s office said in a statement the device was made with a fire extinguisher, gunpowder, adhesive tape and a wick. It also said it was turning over the case to the federal attorney general’s office as the attack was on “a building administered by a religious association.”

No arrests have been made for the July 25 explosion, which occurred at offices across the street from the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the country’s most visited religious site.

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

PHILIPPINES
Inquirer

By: Jodee A. Agoncillo – Reporter / @jagoncilloINQPhilippine Daily Inquirer

A parish priest was arrested in a joint police operation for allegedly trafficking a 13-year-old female minor while they were on their way to a motel in Marikina City on Friday evening, police said.

A report reaching Chief Supt. Romulo Sapitula, Eastern Police District director, said Arnel Lagarejos, 55, the parish priest of St. John the Baptist Parish in Taytay, Rizal, was arrested around 6:30 p.m. at Blue Wave Mall on Sumulong Highway, in Barangay (village) Sto. Niño, Marikina City for an alleged violation of the anti-trafficking in persons act.

A report by the Marikina police said Lagarejos allegedly booked the minor, also an out-of-school youth, through 16-year-old gay boy “ARB” who served as pimp and was reported to be meeting them at the Blue Wave Mall.

Recovered by police as evidence were an iPhone 5s cellphone containing messages of their transaction between the victim, pimp and suspect priest , and a gray Ford explorer with plate number TGO 350 reportedly owned by the suspect.

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

MASSACHUSETTS
MassLive

By Jim Russell
Special to The Republican

WARE — With the arrival of a defrocked ex-priest convicted of child rape, a quarter-mile, one-way street in town is now home to another sex offender — angering residents who question why their neighborhood has become a magnet for criminals released from prison.

Paul Shanley, convicted in 2005 for the 1980s rape of a boy inside a Newton parish, saw the end of his prison sentence this week and moved into an apartment at 31 Pulaski St. According to the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board, 24 sex offenders reside in Ware, including five on Pulaski Street alone.

“I would like to have known a rapist is moving in next to me,”said, Jessica Welch, 25, in an interview outside her Pulaski Street home. “I would like to have known before it happened; it angers me — I don’t want to live next door to that.”

Sara Wall, 28, was standing on the sidewalk near the multi-family home of her new neighbor, holding her 19-month-old girl. “As long as he keeps to himself, I’m OK with it,” she said. “But this whole building, the landlord is constantly renting to sex offenders.”

The state registry includes Joel Pentlarge among the sex offenders residing in Ware, and it lists his work address as “31-33 Pulaski St.” Pentlarge, who used to maintain a law office on Prospect St. in town, was convicted in 2000 of “rape and abuse of a child,” according to the registry.

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

MASSACHUSETTS
Boston Herald

Bob McGovern Saturday, July 29, 2017

The two state-contracted psychologists who determined that convicted child rapist and former Catholic priest Paul Shanley did not need to be civilly confined never looked into the aging predator’s eyes.

State law doesn’t require it, and a former top prosecutor says potentially sexually dangerous people should be required to speak to the clinicians who will determine whether they are still a threat to themselves and society.

“This is to make sure that this person isn’t going to have the same proclivities and inclinations they did that landed them in jail in the first place,” said former Middlesex District Attorney Gerard T. Leone. “It doesn’t bother me that they would be required to aid in the assessment.”

Marian Ryan, the current Middlesex district attorney, brought in psychologists Mark Schaefer and Katrin Rouse Weir to determine whether Shanley met the legal criteria for civil confinement as a sexually dangerous person. However, neither of them spoke to Shanley during the evaluation process.

“I did not interview Mr. Shanley,” wrote Weir in her report, dated July 24. “He cannot be compelled to meet with me at this stage in the statutorily defined process.”

The evaluation by Schaefer, dated July 26, makes no reference to any interview of Shanley. Meghan Kelly, spokeswoman for the Middlesex DA’s office, confirmed that neither clinician spoke to Shanley before writing their reports.

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

MASSACHUSETTS
WWLP

[with video]

Abbie Burke, WPRI
Published: July 29, 2017

WARE, Mass. (WPRI) – Former priest and convicted pedophile Paul Shanley settled into his new home in Ware, Mass. Friday night as a free man.

Shanley was released Friday morning from the Massachusetts Old Colony Correctional Facility in Bridgewater after serving 12 years of a 15-year sentence for raping a boy in the 1980’s. Dozens of men came forward decades later saying Shanley had molested or raped them too.

Paul Shanley, priest convicted of rape, moving to Ware
Shanley, now 86, first had to register with local police as a Level 3 sex offender, which is the highest level and considered the most likely to re-offend.

“It’s their decision where they can live,” Ware Police Chief Shawn Crevier said.

“We’re definitely concerned about this,” said Liz Pelletier, a mother who lives in Shanley’s new neighborhood.

Several of Shanley’s alleged victims and other victim advocates have also voiced concerns, saying they believe he will re-offend.

Sex abuse victims seek help to track ex-priest’s whereabouts
“This is a man I don’t think will stop abusing,” Dr. Robert Hoatson said. “He’s a very dangerous person.”

Hoatson showed up in Ware Friday morning to protest, holding signs and saying he was acting as a voice for many.

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

ILLINOIS
The Beacon-News

Hannah Leone

With his ordered deportation looming, a former Aurora priest charged with sexually abusing two young girls at their Catholic church got a new trial date Friday that no one knows if he’ll be able to make.

By Sept. 18, when his trial is now to start, Afredo Pedraza Arias may be back in his native Columbia, as directed in a June 14 deportation order signed by a federal immigration judge.

If Arias were deported, prosecutors could ask to have him tried in absentia, but they’ve said it’s unclear if that would work or if he could be extradited for proceedings.

Kane County prosecutors said they learned U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials can’t hold Arias beyond Monday, and that he’ll be deported if he’s not in the jail.

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

MASSACHUSETTS
Boston Herald

Paul Shanley, once known as a “street priest” who reached out to young people, became a prominent face in the massive clergy abuse scandal that rocked the Catholic Church in Boston and worldwide.

Shanley, 86, was released from prison yesterday after serving 12 years for the rape of a child and two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child at a Newton parish in the 1980s. While he was only convicted of abusing one boy, nearly two dozen other men came forward to say they too were victimized by Shanley as allegations of widespread sexual abuse within the Catholic church emerged in the early 2000s.

Shanley was convicted in 2005 and sentenced to 12 to 15 years instead of the life sentence requested by then-Middlesex District Attorney Martha Coakley. Shanley appealed the decision, calling into question the victim’s recollection of his abuse through repressed memories, but that was denied.

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.

GUAM
Pacific Daily News

Steve Limtiaco, Pacific Daily News July 29, 2017

The ongoing canonical trial of Guam Archbishop Anthony Apuron is significant in that it’s only the second time in centuries a bishop has been put on trial by the church, said Thomas Doyle, a Catholic priest and former board member of the Canon Law Society of America.

The last archbishop to undergo a canonical trial — Jozef Wesołowski, who was accused of sexually abusing children in the Dominican Republic — was defrocked in 2014.

“It’s very, very rare, and the reason it’s rare is because the Vatican or the popes have protected the bishops. They consider them to be the most important part of the church, so they protect them, no matter what they’ve done,” Doyle said. “As a result, the bishops have gotten away with both sexually abusing children and promoting the sexual abuse of children by allowing priests, who they knew were abusive persons, to carry on repeat sexual abuse.”

There have been 95 cases filed in federal and local court on Guam, accusing priests and others associated with the church of child sexual abuse, including several cases which allege some children reported the abuse to other church officials who didn’t help them.

If the accusations are true, Guam’s last three bishops and archbishops, including Apuron, sexually abused children or knew about clergy sexual abuse on island and did nothing to stop it.

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.

GUAM
The Guam Daily Post

Manny Cruz | The Guam Daily Post

“It’s my goal to have all of these cases mediated no later than late October, especially since many of my clients are in their late 70s.”

– Attorney David Lujan

Judge Joaquin Manibusan of the District Court of Guam granted a motion to stay for the vast majority of the 76 sex abuse cases against the local archdiocese and the Boy Scouts of America on Friday.

Counsels representing the victims, the Archdiocese of Agana, the Boy Scouts of America and suspended Archbishop Anthony Apuron were present at a status hearing yesterday.

The motion to stay prevents the filing of new documents while the archdiocese and the Boy Scouts of America attempt to reach some sort of resolution – monetary or otherwise – with the many victims in the cases.

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

NEW JERSEY
NJ.com

By Jessica Remo jremo@njadvancemedia.com,
NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

JERSEY CITY — An evangelical preacher who fled to Central America after he was convicted of molesting a 13-year-old boy was finally sentenced on Friday morning after being brought back to the U.S. last year.

Gregorio Martinez, 49, a native of the Dominican Republic, was found guilty in 2015 of molesting the 13-year-old inside the boy’s mother’s minivan in a North Bergen parking lot on June 10, 2012.

Martinez was out on bail and fled to Nicaragua and Honduras. His flight from justice was chronicled in a special report by NJ Advance Media. He was eventually apprehended and brought back to the U.S. last year, but a scheduling conflict and his change of lawyers delayed his sentencing.

During his trial in 2015, Martinez was also charged with sexually assaulting a 19-year-old man, and after his conviction he was charged with two more sexual assaults of two other 19-year-old men. He was also accused by a parishioner of molesting another boy during his time in Central America.

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

MASSACHUSETTS
Boston Globe

By John R. Ellement, Maria Cramer and Travis Andersen GLOBE STAFF JULY 28, 2017

WARE — A frail-looking Paul R. Shanley used a cane and was helped by another man as he arrived in this small town Friday, where the convicted child rapist will be living across the street from a new dance studio whose clients are as young as 2 years old.

Shanley, 86, a former Roman Catholic priest, gained notoriety in the clergy sex abuse scandal that spread from Boston and shook the church worldwide. He was released from state prison earlier Friday after wrapping up a 12-year sentence for raping and indecently assaulting a boy in a Newton church in the 1980s.

Shanley’s freedom was opposed by Middlesex District Attorney Marian T. Ryan’s office, but two forensic psychologists concluded he did not qualify as a sexually dangerous person who could be civilly committed for up to the rest of his life.

The Sex Offender Registry Board, however, has classified Shanley as a Level 3 sex offender, considered the most likely to reoffend, and has made his convictions and his new address publicly available on its website. …

Ware Police Chief Shawn Crevier said Shanley is the third Level 3 sex offender who will be living on Pulaski Street in the Hampden County town of about 10,000 people. He said Shanley’s conviction and notoriety presents a public safety challenge because he needs to protect Shanley from being assaulted, and needs to protect the public from Shanley.

“Everyone’s safety is a primary concern, regardless of how they are,’’ he said. “We are going to protect everybody’s rights.”

After registering with police, Shanley drove off, lying down in the backseat of a Nissan sedan.

Shanley’s new residence on Pulaski Stris across the street from a recently opened dance studio whose 23-year-old owner, Arielle Lask, said some of her clients are as young as 2. Lask vowed to install “state-of-the-art” security systems and to make sure every child leaves Limelight Dance Studio accompanied by a parent or an adult.

“It’s awful that he’s even on the streets of Ware,’’ said Lask, a recent UMass-Amherst graduate. “Whether it’s across the street or down the road, there are children everywhere.”

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

MASSACHUSETTS
ABC News

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. — Jul 28, 2017

The Latest on the release from prison of a former Roman Catholic priest convicted of child rape (all times local):

5:50 p.m.

Convicted pedophile priest Paul Shanley will be living across the street from a children’s dance studio.

The 86-year-old Shanley moved to the Massachusetts town of Ware on Friday shortly after being released from a prison in Bridgewater, where he finished serving a 12-year sentence for raping a boy in the 1980s.

His new home in a multiunit building is across the street from a recently opened dance studio that teaches children as young as 2.

The studio’s owner told The Boston Globe she plans to install “state-of-the-art” security systems and make sure every child leaves the studio accompanied by an adult.

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

MASSACHUSETTS
Boston Herald

Jennifer Miller Friday, July 28, 2017

Convicted child rapist and former Catholic priest Paul Shanley — released from a Massachusetts prison today — was never interviewed by the two state-contracted psychologists who determined that, thanks to his advanced age and medical status, he did not meet the legal criteria for civil confinement as a sexually dangerous person, a Herald review of their evaluations found.

“Mr. Shanley is now 86 years of age, and current research would suggest that recidivism rates for sexual offending by individuals that age are extremely low,” psychologist Mark Schaefer wrote in his report.

“Mr. Shanley . … would benefit from treatment,” psychologist Katrin Rouse Weir wrote in her report. “. … However, his age and his health impact his ability to act out on his sexual arousal and his interest in sexual matters,”

Shanley was released from Old Colony Correctional Center in Bridgewater early this morning after completing a 12-year sentence for the rape of a boy in the 1980s. The state’s sex offender registry lists Shanley as a Level 3 offender, meaning he is most likely to re-offend, and states he will be living in an apartment in the small town of Ware in western Massachusetts. He will remain on probation for 10 years.

Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan’s office hired Schaefer and Weir to evaluate Shanley to see if he met the legal criteria for civil confinement as a sexually dangerous person. Both found he did not, according to their reports, which were released by the Middlesex DA’s office today.

Meghan Kelly, spokeswoman for the Middlesex DA’s office, confirmed today that neither clinician spoke to Shanley before writing their reports.

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

MASSACHUSETTS
NBC Bay Area

By Alysha Palumbo

A former priest at the center of Boston’s Roman Catholic priest sex abuse scandal was quietly released from prison Friday morning after completing a 12-year sentence for the rape of a boy in the 1980s.

Paul Shanley, 86, was released from the Old Colony Correctional Center in Bridgewater, prison officials said. He plans to live in an apartment in Ware, a town of about 10,000 people about 65 miles west of Boston, according to the state’s sex offender registry.

Prosecutors opposed his release, and several men who say they were abused by him when they were young called on the public to help them track his whereabouts. They said they are concerned Shanley will reoffend.

The registry designates Shanley a Level 3 offender, considered the most likely to reoffend. But two psychologists hired by state prosecutors cited Shanley’s advanced age and his health issues in concluding that his likelihood to reoffend is low. The contradiction was cited by sexual abuse victims and their advocates.

Attorney Mitchell Garabedian, who represented dozens of men who said they were abused by Shanley, said the evaluations by the two psychologists were incomplete because they didn’t interview Shanley. Instead, they reviewed police reports, prosecutors’ files and Shanley’s church personnel file containing numerous sexual abuse complaints against him.

“The fact that neither expert spoke to Paul Shanley leaves a hole in the report you could drive a trailer truck through,” Garabedian said.

“Paul Shanley should be in a hospital being treated and not in the outside world where he can easily gain access to innocent children,” he said.

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

MASSACHUSETTS
Boston Herald

O’Ryan Johnson Friday, July 28, 2017

WARE – This small western Massachusetts town today reeled as one of the state’s most notorious child molesters abruptly moved in after his release from prison this morning.

“I don’t want him on this street at all,” said Leslie Mansour, 45, a mother of five, said she followed his trial 12 years ago and never dreamed she’d end up next door to convicted child rapist and former Catholic priest Paul Shanley. “He doesn’t belong here. My kids walk up and down this street, but not anymore. They’re going to be stuck in the yard. I don’t want them anywhere near him. He belongs in jail. I don’t care how many years he did. They should have never let him out. He should have died in there.”

Shanley was released from Old Colony Correctional Center in Bridgewater early this morning after completing a 12-year sentence for the rape of a boy in the 1980s. The state’s sex offender registry lists the 86-year-old as a Level 3 offender, meaning he is most likely to re-offend. He will remain on probation for 10 years.

Shanley now lives in an apartment in a well-maintained, bright yellow house on a street street lined with modest single-family homes, and a few multifamily residences.

He refused to answer questions from reporters as he walked up the driveway, holding a cane, this afternoon.

Ware Police Chief Shawn Crevier said police will add patrols to the area and vowed to address any problems quickly.

“Pulaski Street is a good neighborhood,” he said. “Neighbors look out for each other there. I’m not anticipating any problems from Mr. Shanley.”

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

PENNSYLVANIA
Tribune-Review

STEPHEN HUBA | Friday, July 28, 2017

On Sept. 21, 2016, Holy Family Catholic Church in West Newton became a parish without a pastor.

Members of the large parish weren’t quite sure why the Rev. John T. Sweeney was no longer there. Some thought he had retired — he was, at 74, at the normal retirement age for Catholic priests. Others thought that he was taking a medical leave.

But, as disclosed by the Diocese of Greensburg on Monday, the real reason for Sweeney’s abrupt departure was an allegation of sexual abuse dating back 25 years from a parish in another part of the county.

To a person, parishioners at Holy Family, Sweeney’s last pastoral assignment, confessed to being “shocked” at the allegations. They described him as an attentive pastor who served the congregation faithfully for eight years, until his removal in September.

They remember him as a man who enjoyed photography, tinkering with mechanical things in his basement workshop and eating at Gary’s Chuck Wagon in downtown West Newton.

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.

ROMANIA
Associated Press

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romania’s Orthodox Church has voted to defrock a priest who is suspected of trying to sexually corrupt a teenager – a rare case of a cleric being disciplined for alleged sexual misdemeanors.

The spokesman for the Alba Iulia bishop’s office, Oliviu Botoi, said Friday that Cristian Pomohaci had been suspended for “bringing extraordinary prejudices on the (church’s) image.” He can appeal the vote by the bishop’s office council.

Prosecutors are investigating Pohomaci on charges of attempted sexual corruption of a 17-year-old after a tape emerged where he apparently tried to persuade the boy to have sex with him and to co-opt other minors.

Pomohaci was temporarily suspended from his duties in June. Church spokesman Vasile Banescu said earlier Pohomaci had requested a leave for medical reasons.

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

SCOTLAND
Daily Record

A catholic priest has been suspended amid a police probe into an alleged relationship with a teenager, church chiefs have confirmed.

Father John Sweeney, 41, was reported to prosecutors over incidents said to have happened with a 17-year-old girl in the past year.

The clergyman, who lead services at Saint Maria Goretti in Glasgow , is also accused of making a sectarian slur.

The investigation centres on allegations of “inappropriate conduct whilst in a position of trust”, reports The Scottish Sun .

Each alleged incident, including a sectarian breach of the peace, is said to have taken place at his parish between July 2016 and last month.

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

MASSACHUSETTS
CBS Boston – Nightside

BOSTON (CBS) – Paul Shanley, a defrocked priest who was convicted of rape and indecent assault and battery on a child, will be released from prison this Friday. Shanley, now eighty-five years old, was sentenced to twelve to fifteen years back in 2005. He will be on probation for ten years following his release, and will not be allowed to have contact with children under the age of sixteen. Phil Saviano is a survivor and a New England leader for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP). He joins Dan in the NightSide studio to talk about Shanley’s release and the long-term impact Shanley’s crimes have on his victims’ lives. Do you think the twelve year penalty fits the crime?

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

MASSACHUSETTS
NRP

July 28, 2017

LAUREL WAMSLEY

Paul Shanley, a Boston priest notorious for his role in the Catholic Church’s sex abuse scandal, was released from prison on Friday morning.

He was convicted in 2005 of repeatedly raping a boy over a number of years in the 1980s.

Shanley was one of the first priests to go to prison for abuse as the scandal began to unfold more than a decade ago; the statute of limitations had been frozen in Shanley’s case because Shanley, 86, served 12 years of a 12- to 15-year sentence, and was released for good behavior. He will be on supervised probation for 10 years.

Some of Shanley’s other alleged victims have voiced dismay that the defrocked priest is going to be released into the community. But Massachusetts authorities say they can’t detain him.

“The commonwealth is not legally permitted to seek that Shanley be confined further without expert testimony that he meets the legal criteria for civil confinement as a sexually dangerous person,” Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said in a statement, Reuters reports.

“This is a guy, Shanley, who has manipulated the system, the church, and the public, and knows how to manipulate people,” said John Harris, 59, who says he was raped by Shanley in 1979 at a retreat the priest had created for gay people, according to the Globe. “I’m concerned he’s going to abuse again.”

“If Paul Shanley doesn’t qualify as a sexually dangerous person, then nobody will ever qualify,” said Carmen Durso, an attorney who represented many Shanley victims, the Globe reported.

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.

NORTH DAKOTA
KVRR

July 28, 2017 Joe Radske

WAHPETON, ND – Charges will not be filed against a Fargo Catholic Diocese priest accused of inappropriately touching girls.

Father Thomas Feltman was being investigated for what the diocese called “alleged conduct” involving his interaction with youth.

Richland County States Attorney Ron McBeth says that although Feltman’s behavior was socially unacceptable, “there is no evidence that the touching was done by Father Feltman for sexual reasons, which would be necessary in order to prove an element of a sex offense.”

Father Feltman’s Attorney said, “Father Feltman has always denied any “inappropriate touching”.

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

NORTH DAKOTA
West Fargo Pioneer

By Robin Huebner

FARGO — A Catholic priest who won’t be criminally charged over allegations of ‘inappropriate activities’ with youth will remain on administrative leave until the Diocese of Fargo completes its own investigation, according to a diocese spokesperson.

Paul Braun, communications director for the diocese, released a statement July 28, a few hours after the Richland County State’s Attorney’s office said it would not pursue criminal charges against the Rev. Thomas Feltman.

Bishop John Folda will determine any future ministry assignments that best benefit the parishes, parishioners and the Rev. Feltman after the internal review is completed, according to the diocese release.

Feltman, 48, has been on paid administrative leave from churches in Wyndmere and Milnor since late May after he told church officials about concerns brought to him regarding his interaction with youth.

A statement from Richland County State’s Attorney Ron McBeth referenced incidents that occurred in Wyndmere in May.

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

MASSACHUSETTS
MassLive

By Patrick Johnson pjohnson@repub.com

Paul Shanley, the defrocked Roman Catholic priest who served 12 years in prison following a 2005 conviction for child rape has been released from prison and will take up residence in the town of Ware.

The state’s Sex Offenders Registry Board disclosed that Shanley, 86, will take up residence in an apartment at 31 Pulaski St. in Ware.

As a result of his conviction, Shanley, 86, has been declared by the registry board to be a level 3 sex offender, the designation given to offenders who are considered most likely to reoffend.

As a level 3 offender, Shanley for the rest of his live will have to register with the local police each year or every time moves to a new address. His public file with the SORB is already updated to show his Ware address.

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

MASSACHUSETTS
Daily Mail (UK)

By Ap and Daniel Roth For Dailymail.com

A disgraced former priest convicted of repeatedly raping a boy in the 1980s was released from prison on Friday after serving a 12-year sentence.

Massachusetts prison officials say Paul Shanley, 86, was released from the Old Colony Correctional Center in Bridgewater on Friday. They did not provide an exact time.

Convicted in 2005, Shanley’s crimes were finally brought to light after The Boston Globe’s Spotlight team published an in-depth report in 2002 on pedophile priests the Catholic Church was helping to protect.

The report led to thousands of accusations from alleged victims, providing evidence that the abuse spanned over decades.

It was later discovered that senior Church members helped cover-up the scandal and shuffled abusive priests from parish to parish.

Originally believed to be only a few isolated cases, the Spotlight investigation sparked an international crisis within the Church, with victims coming forward from numerous countries across the world.

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

MASSACHUSETTS
ABC News

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. — Jul 28, 2017

The Latest on the release from prison of a former Roman Catholic priest convicted of child rape (all times local):

12:55 p.m.

Two psychologists who evaluated a defrocked pedophile priest concluded that he is unlikely to sexually abuse more children because he is now 86 and has health issues.

Both psychologists found that Paul Shanley meets the psychiatric criteria for pedophilic disorder. But they said in written reports that research suggests that recidivism rates for people of his age are extremely low. They also cited the fact that his last reported offense was in 1990.

Shanley was one of the most notorious figures in the Boston clergy sex abuse scandal. Dozens of men came forward and reported that Shanley had molested or raped them when they were children.

He was released from prison Friday after completing a 12-year sentence for raping a young boy at a Newton parish in the 1980s.

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.

CONNECTICUT
Frum Follies

As I reported, Rabbi Daniel Greer of New Haven was arrested yesterday on criminal charges of sexually molesting Eliyahu Mirlis (who chooses to have his name revealed).

The New Haven Independent published more details following the first report of the arrest. The arrest warrant affidavit is an excruciating, vivid portrait of the alleged oral and anal sex, almost every week, for years as well as a regime of threats and bullying.

Mirlis already won a $20,000,000 verdict in a civil trial. Yep, you read that amount right. But according to Mirlis’ lawyer,

One of my client’s goals in bringing Greer’s abuse to light was to get this pedophile off the streets and far away from other people’s children,..Sexual predators — especially this so-called ‘rabbi’ and others who twist spiritual beliefs for their own sick pleasure — deserve to suffer all available civil and criminal penalties.

According to the afidavit:

Mirlis said that the abuse began during his sophomore year, when he was about 14 years old. Greer told him to meet on the first floor of 777 Elm St., one of the dormitories next to the yeshiva. The rabbi allegedly served him alcohol (usually a bloody mary, single-malt scotch or wine) and sat him down on a couch, engaged in an emotional conversation, then leaned in and kissed him on the mouth. Mirlis “freaked out,” he told the cops, and left.

A week or two later, Greer told him to come to the same spot. Again, he served him alcohol and sat him down on the couch, Mirlis claimed. Greer then allegedly told Mirlis to stand, undid the boy’s belt, pulled his pants down to his ankles and had oral sex.

Mirlis told the detectives that the sexual assaults became a “regular thing” after that. On a weekly basis, usually on a weekday evening or a Sunday afternoon, he was sexually assaulted at the dorms and at rental properties on Norton Street, Edgewood Avenue, Maple Street and Park Street, Mirlis stated in the interview.

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

MASSACHUSETTS
Boston Globe

By Michael Levenson GLOBE STAFF JULY 28, 2017

The two psychologists who cleared Paul R. Shanley for release from prison on Friday found that, despite his long history of pedophilia, the notorious former priest is not likely to reoffend because he is 86 and no longer holds a position of authority over children in the church.

The psychologists’ opinions were revealed in reports that they wrote to the Middlesex district attorney’s office, which partially redacted them and released them on Friday in response to a public records request from the Globe.

Shanley was one of the most detested figures to emerge during the Catholic Church’s sexual abuse crisis more than a decade ago. A so-called “street priest,” he is alleged to have abused dozens of victims over three decades, many of them children and teenagers who came to him for counseling. He was released from prison Friday after serving 12 years behind bars for raping a boy at a Newton church in the 1980s. …

The psychologists, Katrin Rouse Weir and Mark Schaefer, found that Shanley remains a pedophile, with a sexual interest in boys ages 6 to 12, which would meet the statutory definition of a “mental abnormality.”

But both psychologists said Shanley’s sexual interest in children is mitigated by his age, which research shows is associated with a greatly diminished sex drive.

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

MASSACHUSETTS
WBUR

Commentary

July 28, 2017
Lawrence Jack Cohen

It was big news across New England and beyond when Paul Shanley was released from prison on Friday. Shanley is a defrocked priest who was at the center of the exposure of widespread sexual abuse of children — and its cover-up — within the Archdiocese of Boston.

As I followed the coverage of this story, I noticed the repeated use of the word “scandal” to describe the sexual assault of children by clergy and the cover-up and abetting of abuse by the hierarchy of the Archdiocese. (For a sampling of this usage, see WBUR, The Boston Globe, The New York Times and the New Hampshire Union Leader.)

The word “scandal” implies a damage to reputation or a violation of propriety. Certainly the reputation of the Church was damaged, and certainly convicted pedophiles are guilty of violating social norms, but let’s call it what it is: a violent crime. I don’t think any of these news outlets would describe any other pattern of violent criminal activity as a “scandal.” Let’s also call the cover-up what it is: the protection of rapists at the expense of victimized children and adult survivors who courageously came forward despite disbelief and re-traumatization.

I think it must have been easier for higher-ups in the Archdiocese of Boston to shuffle “molesters” from parish to parish than it would have been to shuffle child “rapists.”

There’s another word that caught my attention in most of the coverage of Shanley’s release: molestation. CNN, for example, posted a moving video of Rodney Ford, describing the way that Shanley destroyed his son Gregory’s life, and naming the crimes for what they were: brutal rapes. CNN’s caption for this clip, however, referred to the crime as “molesting.” That word appears in most of the articles about the case.

Like “scandal,” the word “molestation” minimizes the traumatic impact of child sexual abuse. To molest someone is to bother them. Once again, let’s call it what it is: rape, sexual assault, indecent assault and battery. These are the proper terms in the statute.

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

MASSACHUSETTS
Turn to 10

by NBC 10 NEWS, ASSOCIATED PRESS

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. —
A notorious figure in the Boston Roman Catholic priest sex-abuse scandal was released from prison Friday morning after completing a 12-year sentence for the rape of a boy in the 1980s.
Massachusetts prison officials said Paul Shanley, 86, was released from the Old Colony Correctional Center in Bridgewater on Friday. They did not provide an exact time.

The state’s sex offender registry lists Shanley as a Level 3 offender, meaning he is most likely to re-offend. The registry says Shanley will be living in an apartment in Ware, a town of about 10,000 residents about 30 miles west of Worcester. State law prohibits people from using information in the registry to harass people.

Abuse victims say they’re concerned Shanley, who isn’t required to wear an electronic monitoring device, will not have enough supervision.

“Paul Shanley should be in a hospital being treated and not in the outside world where he can easily gain access to innocent children,” Mitchell Garabedian, a lawyer who represented dozens of men who said they were abused by Shanley.

Shanley’s lawyer says he’s served his time and is not dangerous.

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

MASSACHUSETTS
Associated Press

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. (AP) — The Latest on the release from prison of a former Roman Catholic priest convicted of child rape (all times local):

10:15 a.m.

Police in the town where a notorious figure in the Boston Roman Catholic priest child abuse scandal is expected to live have plenty of experience with sex offenders.

Paul Shanley was released Friday from prison after spending 12 years behind bars on a child rape conviction. The state’s sex offender registry shows Shanley is the 20th Level 3 sex offender to move to Ware. Level 3 offenders are considered the most likely to re-offend.

Several other sex offenders already live on the street where the 86-year-old Shanley will live.

Ware Police Chief Shawn Crevier says it’s one the most heavily patrolled areas of the town.

He says he will “do what we need to do to make sure the citizens are protected and (Shanley’s) rights are also protected.”

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

DEUTSCHLAND
Berliner Zeitung

[Commentary on the abuse scandal. Keeping the pressure on the church.]

Eines ist das „Wort zum Sonntag“ im Abendprogramm der ARD sicher nicht: der Ort, an dem die Kirche um Hilfe ruft. Genau das aber hat der katholische Pfarrer Wolfgang Beck jetzt getan. Im Missbrauchsskandal seiner Kirche brauche es „den Druck von Mitbürgern“ auf die Bischöfe, es brauche „die kritische und häufig als störend empfundene Öffentlichkeit“, sagte Beck und wandte sich an sein Publikum: „Gerade deshalb: Helfen Sie mit, dass dieser Druck nicht nachlässt!“

Ein solch dramatischer Appell mutet zunächst seltsam an – mehr als sieben Jahre, nachdem der Pater Klaus Mertes systematischen sexuellen Missbrauch am Berliner „Canisius Kolleg“ der Jesuiten bekanntgemacht hatte. Bedeutete die Fülle weiterer Enthüllungen danach nicht schon maximalen Druck?

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

DEUTSCHLAND
Heute

[Abuse in the Protestant Church: The struggle for justice for many years.Not only the incidents at the Domspatzen show how important the elucidation of abuse and sexual abuse within the church is. But what does it mean for the victims to go public with their reproaches?]

von Sandra Theiß, Magdeburg

Nicht nur die Vorfälle bei den Domspatzen zeigen, wie wichtig die Aufklärung von Misshandlungen und sexuellem Missbrauch innerhalb der Kirche ist. Doch was heißt es für die Opfer, mit ihren Vorwürfen an die Öffentlichkeit zu gehen?

“Unterdrückt keuchend, stark schwitzend und penetrant stinkend presst sich der alte Mann an meinen jungen Körper. Die wollüstigen Grunzlaute, die er kurzatmig ausstößt, sind leise, klingen aber dennoch laut in meinen Ohren.” Mit diesen Worten beschreibt Joachim Schwarze in seinem Tagebuchroman “Der Trümmermann”, was der Pfarrer ihm angetan hat. Die Übergriffe liegen mehr als 40 Jahre zurück, sie ereigneten sich in Bad Lauchstädt, einer Kleinstadt in Sachsen-Anhalt.

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

MASSACHUSETTS
BishopAccountability.org

Paul R. Shanley is a pivotal figure in the Catholic abuse crisis. The civil suit filed by four of his alleged victims resulted in the largest release of diocesan documents ever achieved, and Shanley’s criminal case shaped the Boston crisis and the media’s approach to it. Shanley is alleged to have abused dozens if not scores of people, and his victims are unusually disparate and exceedingly damaged. His voluminous files have been sanitized, but they still offer a detailed look at the man and the bureaucracy that fostered his alleged crimes.

Below we offer a timeline of Shanley’s career, linked to the archdiocesan documents and press coverage. Then we present links to key sources of information and Frequently Asked Questions as a thematic guide to some of the issues in the documents. For a more detailed look at Shanley’s record and the tolerance of his bosses, we invite you to explore our comprehensive selection of hundreds of Shanley documents. Soon we will post the rest of the Shanley documents, making him the first Boston priest whose file is widely available in its entirety.

Born: 1/25/31 in the Dorchester section of Boston MA
Seminary: St. John’s Seminary in Brighton MA, class of 1960
Ordained: 2/2/60 at Holy Name church in West Roxbury MA
Incardinated: Boston MA

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

MASSACHUSETTS
WWLP

By Anthony Fay
Published: July 28, 2017

WARE, Mass. (WWLP-AP) – Released from state prison Friday morning, defrocked priest Paul Shanley is now moving to a new home in western Massachusetts.

According to the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board, the 86 year-old Shanley’s new address is an apartment on Pulaski Street in Ware. He is registered as a level three sex offender; the type considered most likely to re-offend.

Shanley was a “street priest” who ministered to alienated youth in the 1960s and ’70s. Decades later, dozens of men came forward and said Shanley had molested or raped them. He was defrocked by the Vatican and convicted of raping a boy at a Newton parish.

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

MASSACHUSETTS
CBS Boston

[with video]

WARE (CBS/AP) – One of the most notorious figures in the Boston Archdiocese priest sex abuse scandal is moving to central Massachusetts.

Paul Shanley, 86, was released from prison Friday morning after serving a 12-year sentence for repeatedly raping and fondling a boy at St. Jean’s parish in Newton in the 1980s.

Shanley left the Old Colony Correctional Center in Bridgewater and will now be living in an apartment about 100 miles away on Pulsaki Street in Ware, according to the state sex offender registry.

The Sex Offender Registry Board has classified him as the most dangerous, a Level 3 offender, meaning they believe he has a high risk to re-offend. The classification also gives the public access to information to where he will be living.

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

UNITED STATES
Catholic League

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on the release of former priest Paul Shanley from prison:

Paul Shanley was thrown out of the priesthood in 2004, and convicted of sexual assault in 2005. Now, after serving 12 years, he is free.

Boston-area media outlets such as CBS, NBC, Fox 5, New England Cable, and WHDH have all labeled him a pedophile. This is inaccurate: he had sex with children, adolescents, and adults. There was one proviso—they had to be male. Not to even mention his homosexuality is a cover-up.

Shanley is a creature of the Catholic Left. They helped to shape him ideologically and support him organizationally. Now they have gone mute.

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

IRELAND
Irish Times

Paul Cullen

Ireland, for all its faults, is not a country normally associated with the practice of torture.

The very appearance, therefore, of a Government delegation before the United Nations Committee Against Torture has high embarrassment potential, if nothing else.

No fewer than 22 Irish civil servants and diplomats lined up in Geneva on Thursday to listen to a litany of human rights concerns delivered by the members of the committee. Given the range and seriousness of the issues raised, it must have been a torturous experience.

Eradicating torture was one of the challenges taken up by the UN in the era that followed the second World War.

The search for universally applicable standards meant it was 1984 before the UN General Assembly adopted a Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

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

IRELAND
The Times

Ellen Coyne, Senior Ireland Reporter
July 28 2017
The Times

Ireland is walking away from Enda Kenny’s famous apology for the abuse suffered by women in Magdalene laundries, a United Nations committee against torture has claimed.

In 2011 the same committee called for an independent investigation into the laundries that should include offering redress to the victims and prosecuting the perpetrators of the abuse.

Its scrutiny preceded Mr Kenny’s apology to the women involved and the launch of the McAleese commission to examine their cases.

During a hearing yesterday the state was criticised for claiming there was no factual evidence of systematic torture or ill-treatment in the laundries. Felice Gaer, the committee vice-chairwoman, said that the state was “walking back” from Mr Kenny’s apology by returning to a position of believing it was not liable for the abuse.

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

IRELAND
Connacht Tribune

Galway Bay fm newsroom – The UN has criticised the government’s lack of progress on investigations into the Magadelene Laundries, industrial schools and mother and baby homes, such as those in Galway

An Irish delegation has appeared before the UN Committee Against Torture to face questions on various human rights issues.

The Committee was particularly critical of the state’s assertion that it has no basis for believing that serious harm was perpetrated in the Magdalene Laundries, such as the one based at Forster Street in the city.

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

MASSACHUSETTS
NBC Boston

[with video]

Shanley was a former priest who was convicted of raping a child in the 1980s

By Jeff Saperstone and Caitlin Fichtel

A former Massachusetts priest convicted of child rape has been released from prison after serving 12 years of his sentence as victims and sexual assault awareness advocates are set to protest his release.

Paul Shanley, 86, a former priest who counseled gay and troubled youths, was convicted of raping a boy at a Newton church in the 1980s and sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Following Shanley’s released the Department of Corrections said, “Paul Shanley was released from the Old Colony Correctional Center in Bridgewater, MA. on July 28, 2017 upon expiration of sentence.”

According to the Sex Offender Registry Board, Shanley will be living in Ware, Massachusetts.

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

MASSACHUSETTS
Associated Press

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. (AP) — A notorious figure in the Boston Roman Catholic priest sex abuse scandal has been released from prison after completing a 12-year sentence for the rape of a boy in the 1980s.

Massachusetts prison officials say Paul Shanley was released from the Old Colony Correctional Center in Bridgewater on Friday.

Shanley was a “street priest” who ministered to alienated youth in the 1960s and ’70s. Decades later, dozens of men came forward and said Shanley had molested or raped them. He was defrocked by the Vatican and convicted of raping a boy at a Newton parish.

Abuse victims say they’re concerned the 86-year-old Shanley will not have enough supervision. He isn’t required to wear an electronic monitoring device.

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

MASSACHUSETTS
Boston Globe

By Emily Sweeney and John R. Ellement GLOBE STAFF JULY 28, 2017

BRIDGEWATER – Convicted child rapist and former Roman Catholic priest Paul R. Shanley is was released Friday after spending 12 years behind bars for raping a boy in Newton in the 1980s, a crime that emerged during the church’s pedophile priest scandal.

“Paul Shanley was released from Old Colony Correctional Center in Bridgewater, MA. on July 28, 2017 upon expiration of sentence,’’ Cara Savelli, a Department of Correction spokeswoman, wrote in an e-mail.

Shanley’s release was opposed by Middlesex District Attorney Marian T. Ryan’s office, which sought to have the 86-year-old civilly committed as a sexually dangerous person. But two experts who examined Shanley concluded he did not meet the stringent legal and psychological criteria.

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

MASSACHUSETTS
WCVB

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. —
A notorious figure in the Boston clergy sex abuse scandal was released from prison Friday after completing a 12-year sentence for raping a boy in the 1980s.

Paul Shanley was released shortly after 7 a.m. from the Old Colony Correctional Center in Bridgewater.

Shanley will be living in an apartment on Pulaski Street in Ware, according to state officials.

Shanley was a “street priest” who ministered to alienated youth in the 1960s and ’70s. Decades later, dozens of men came forward and said Shanley had molested or raped them. He was defrocked by the Vatican and convicted of raping a boy at a Newton parish.

But lawyers for priest sex abuse victims say he abused dozens of
children and remains a risk.

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.

BRAZIL
Associated Press

BY PETER PRENGAMAN
ASSOCIATED PRESS

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — One of Word of Faith Fellowship’s two churches in Brazil has rejected claims made by former members that they were subjected to physical and verbal abuse at the hands of ministers and that young congregants were sent to the mother church in North Carolina and forced to work without pay.

The allegations were detailed in investigative stories published by The Associated Press this week.

In a statement released late Wednesday, pastors of the Ministerio Evangelico Comunidade Rhema church in Franco da Rocha, Brazil, called the former members’ accusations “many lies and distorted facts.”

The statement, published in the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper, said the church had maintained a strong relationship with pastors at the Word of Faith Fellowship in Spindale, North Carolina, for 30 years. “They are good people, they live God’s love and in trying to help people they have been slandered,” it read.

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

MASSACHUSETTS
Fox 25

Updated: Jul 28, 2017

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Former priest Paul Shanley, who was convicted of raping a boy in 1980s has been released from prison after completing his 12-year sentence, the Department of Correction said Friday.

The release comes as protesters vowed to demonstrate outside the Old Colony Correctional Center in Bridgewater on Friday.

Shanley was a “street priest” who ministered to alienated youth in the 1960s and ’70s. Decades later, dozens of men came forward and said Shanley had molested or raped them. He was defrocked by the Vatican and convicted of raping a boy at a Newton parish.

Sexual abuse victims say they’re concerned the 86-year-old Shanley will not have enough supervision after he’s released.

He’ll be monitored by probation officials, but isn’t required to wear an electronic monitoring device.

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

MASSACHUSETTS
Boston Globe

By Kevin Cullen GLOBE COLUMNIST JULY 26, 2017

It seems achingly unfair that Joe Crowley is dead and Paul Shanley is about to go free.

Shanley, a predator in a Roman collar, is wrapping up a 12-year sentence for raping a Sunday school student in the early 1980s.

Some have the audacity to suggest that Shanley was overpunished, that he got more time in prison than he deserved because he eluded justice for his multitude of other crimes on technical grounds.

The reality is that Paul Shanley ruined countless lives, including Joe Crowley’s, and he was never held accountable or punished for that. Shanley got off easy, if you ask me. The bigger scandal is that so many of his fellow predators, and their supervisors, never saw the inside of a prison cell.

Joe Crowley was 15 years old, a student at Boston College High School on a path to college, when a 40-year-old Shanley raped him, then passed him on to other men like a cigarette.

Like a lot of young, vulnerable teenagers who fell under Shanley’s charismatic street priest spell, Crowley walked right into his clutches. Crowley spent years blaming himself, ruining his health, mental and physical, with booze and cigarettes and whatever else might dull the memories.

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

MASSACHUSETTS
WBUR

July 27, 2017
Kathleen McNerney
Meghna Chakrabarti

As early as Friday, one of the most notorious figures in the clergy sex abuse scandal could be released from prison.

Paul Shanley has spent the last 12 years in prison for raping a Sunday school student in the early 1980s. He was accused of sexually abusing roughly two dozen others over several decades.

Middlesex prosecutors had taken steps to try to get Shanley civilly committed indefinitely, but two doctors who assessed Shanley said he did not meet the legal criteria as a sexually dangerous person. Family members of Shanley’s alleged victims are upset at Shanley’s impending release.

We speak with two attorneys who disagree about whether Shanley should be back on the streets.

Guest

Eric Tennen, defense attorney specializing in sexual offenses. He tweets @Swomley_Tennen.

Mitchell Garabedian, attorney specializing in sexual abuse cases. He has represented several alleged victims of Paul Shanley. He tweets @migarabedian.

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

UNITED KINGDOM
Telegraph and Argus

Vivien Mason @VivienM_TandA
Senior Reporter

AN ALLEGED victim of a church minister who is said to have sexually abused seven vulnerable women to “rid them of evil spirits” said she didn’t report the abuse because she thought no one would believe her.

John Wilson, who was attached to churches in Keighley and Shipley, is alleged to have carried out the abuse between 1984 and 2010 during “secret prayers” and in the women’s homes.

An investigation began against Wilson, 70, of Shann Avenue, Keighley, in July 2014 after the husband of one of the women called the police.

A recording of an interview with the woman made in 2014 was shown to the jury at Bradford Crown Court. In it she described how Wilson had touched her during a one-to-one prayer session. She said she would have been around 15 years old at the time.

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

AUSTRALIA
Illawarra Mercury

Lisa Wachsmuth
@LisaWachsmuth

28 Jul 2017

Dapto’s Pastor Kevin Harris claims his views on marital rape and violence against women have been ‘’misrepresented’’.

The leader of the Illawarra Community Baptist Church walked out on a 60 Minutes interview which aired on Sunday, after questions turned to the marital rape of his mother by his father.

Queensland-based Pastor Larry Harris is serving five years in prison for two counts of rape against his wife Joy, who told the current affairs program she was raped ‘’six or seven times’’ a day.

On the program, the Dapto pastor said he did not think his father had been justly treated, claiming there had been ‘’disobedience to the Lord on both parts’’.

However in a statement sent to the Mercury, Pastor Harris said he’d been led to believe the segment would be about a particular sermon, and not his family matters.

‘’It seems that the intent was that I would be caught off guard so that I would look guilty,’’ he said. ‘’… Not knowing what the interviewer was getting at with some of his questions, I stumbled to answer some questions clearly.’’

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.

GEORGIA
Daily Report

Katheryn Hayes Tucker, Daily Report
July 27, 2017

Following the dismissal of the deep pockets in lawsuits against institutions accused of allowing sexual abuse of children to continue in secret, lawyers and lawmakers are teaming up to toughen Georgia’s Hidden Predator Act in the next legislative session.

Plaintiffs attorneys are gathering with legislators at the Capitol for a news conference Aug. 2 at 9:30 a.m. to discuss strengthening the current Hidden Predator Act. The law opened a window for survivors of childhood sexual abuse to file lawsuits without being shut down by the statute of limitations. Several plaintiffs attorneys filed lawsuits before the July 1 deadline.

But earlier this month, Cobb County Superior Court Judge LaTain Kell dismissed the defendants with the most ability to pay—the Boy Scouts of America and the First Baptist Church of Gainesville, ruling that the law exempted the institutions from liability and leaving only individual scout and church leaders in the case.

“I am holding this press conference in light of the recent developments regarding litigation implicating child sexual abuse cover-ups by various organizations,” said Rep. Jason Spencer, R-Woodbine, the primary author of the Hidden Predator Act, in a news release. “The details of these cases highlight the need for new and tougher changes to the current Hidden Predator Act. It is necessary that we address many of the injustices uncovered in recent child sexual abuse litigation and the short comings of a shortened statute of limitations.”

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.

GUAM
KUAM

Updated: Jul 28, 2017

By Krystal Paco

Settlement is back on the table – at least for a majority of the sex abuse cases lodged against the Archdiocese of Agana and possibly the Boy Scouts of America Aloha Council.

The majority of the cases of clergy sex abuse filed in the District Court of Guam have been put on hold. On Friday, Judge Joaquin Manibusan granted a motion to stay for over 70 civil cases. His decision followed news that parties have secured a mediator, Oregon-based retired federal Judge Michael Hogan.

Archdiocese of Agana legal counsel John Terlaje and plaintiffs’ attorney David Lujan expressed great confidence in their chosen mediator. Terlaje said, “He is very well known. Very well respected. He’s done hundreds of cases involving child abuse and dioceses around America, so because of that, both parties reached out to him to see if he was willing to do the mediation process.”

Lujan added, “He’s a great mediator, so he should be able to resolve.”

Hogan will be on island from October 30 to November 3rd to address the claims, including those filed in the Superior Court of Guam. “Well we’re going to attempt address as much as possible. If more days are needed, more days will be used,” Terlaje added.

According to his website, Hogan retired as a judge to become a full-time mediator. He’s mediated thousands of disputes, including sexual abuse cases.

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.

GUAM
Pacific Daily News

Haidee V Eugenio, heugenio@guampdn.com July 28, 2017

A federal judge on Friday agreed to temporarily halt proceedings in dozens of clergy sex abuse lawsuits so they can instead go through an out-of-court settlement process, scheduled to take place from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3.

U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Joaquin V.E. Manibusan granted attorney David Lujan’s motion for a stay, pending arbitration of the cases.

“We progressed tremendously from the last hearing to today’s hearing,” Lujan told the judge during a hearing Friday morning.

Lujan said some of his clients are now in their 70s, so time is of the essence to resolve the cases.

Lujan and attorney John C. Terlaje, general counsel for the Archdiocese of Agana, told Manibusan that retired U.S. District Court Judge of Oregon Michael Hogan has agreed to serve as mediator, and will be on island for the mediation.

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.

CONNECTICUT
New Haven Independent

by CHRISTOPHER PEAK | Jul 27, 2017

A one-to-three-inch scar, and the way he pulled his pants over his shoes, helped seal Rabbi Daniel Greer’s fate with police investigating whether he repeatedly sexually assaulted yeshiva students over a period of years.

That point emerged in an arrest warrant affidavit made public Thursday, one day after the prominent Edgewood rabbi turned himself in to police on charges of second-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor. Greer, who is 77 years old, is free on a $100,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 11, after his lawyer, prominent criminal defense attorney Willie Dow, returns from vacation. In an interview, Dow denied the charges on Greer’s behalf. Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Stacey Miranda is handling the case for the government.

The arrest warrant affidavit, written by lead police investigator Detective Kristine Cuddy, details the information she gathered from an alleged victim of the rabbi as well as information she relied on to buttress the allegations.

Her investigation stemmed from a complaint police received last August from a former student at the yeshiva Greer started in the Edgewood neighborhood. Though the affidavit doesn’t name the student, a lawyer for the victim, Eliyahu Mirlis, confirmed that he is the one who came forward to police. Mirlis also brought a federal civil lawsuit against Greer that wrapped up in May, when Greer lost a $20 million verdict in federal court. That trial, which was decided on a lower standard of a “preponderance of the evidence,” or who’s case was more likely, included testimony about years-long abuse of at least one other victim at the school. Greer invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination to decline responding to the allegations. (The rabbi is seeking a new trial.)

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

CONNECTICUT
New Haven Register

By Anna Bisaro, New Haven Register
POSTED: 07/27/17

NEW HAVEN >> A former student who accused a prominent rabbi of sexual assault told police that refusing to perform sexual acts with Rabbi Daniel Greer had been punishable by bad grades and threats of expulsion from the Yeshiva in New Haven, according to the newly released arrest warrant in the case.

The alleged victim in this case, Eliyahu Mirlis, told New Haven Police Department detectives in August that he had been forced by Greer, the founder of the Yeshiva in New Haven and the Gan School, to perform various sexual acts while he was a student at the Yeshiva School. The alleged abuse occurred between 2002 and 2005.

Mirlis’s lawyer, Antonio Ponvert III, confirmed Wednesday that Mirlis is the victim in this criminal case, though he is not named in the arrest warrant. The New Haven Register does not usually identify alleged victims of sexual assault, but Mirlis reported through Ponvert that he wanted to come forward with the allegations. Mirlis is now 29.

Greer, 77, turned himself in to police Wednesday after the criminal charges of second-degree sexual assault and risk of injury were filed. He appeared in court Thursday for an arraignment and is due back on Aug. 11, according to the clerk’s office.

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

CONNECTICUT
Fox 61

JULY 27, 2017, BY BOBBY MARTINEZ

NEW HAVEN – After being found liable in a federal civil lawsuit, stemming from a series of alleged sexual assaults, a New Haven Rabbi is gearing up to answer to criminal charges of sexual assault and risk of injury.

77-year-old Rabbi Daniel Greer, a former Police Commissioner in New Haven, and outspoken opponent of gay marriage, stands accused of sexually assaulting Eli Mirlis, a male student at New Haven’s Yeshiva school, from 2001 to 2005. Greer was then the school’s dean.

“Initially this came in through the reporting person’s attorney,” said Officer David Hartman, the spokesman for New Haven Police Department. “The investigation certainly supported probable cause.”

Mirlis, who claims he was 15 when the years of sexually assaults began, was awarded $15 million a civil suit judgment against Greer in May. He alleges, according to the arrest warrant affidavit, a sexual relationship began during his sophomore year. Mirlis, now 29, told police that whenever he refused to meet with Greer, he was threatened with bad grades and even expulsion.

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/GERMANY
Crux

Inés San Martín VATICAN CORRESPONDENT

Jesuit Father Hans Zollner, a leading anti-abuse expert and a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, called a report documenting hundreds of cases of physical and sexual abuse at a German boys’ choir “shocking,” and warned that as the taboo lifts in other parts of the world, similar accounts are likely to keep emerging.

ROME – A recent German report documenting hundreds of cases of physical and sexual abuse at a famed boys choir in Regensburg, led for part of the seventy-year span covered in the report by Pope Benedict XVI’s brother, was “shocking,” according to one of the Church’s leading experts on child abuse – and what’s worse, he warns, the story hardly ends there.

“I’m sad to say, but from all I see on other continents, I’m quite sure we are going to encounter more cases like this. I [especially] anticipate it in other parts of the world where this issue has not been talked about, either in the Church or in society at large,” said German Jesuit Father Hans Zollner.

“This topic is starting to surface now in countries like India, where up until five years ago one heard nothing about this. Yet today the topic is openly discussed in the media again and again, both regarding [cases] in the Church and in society at large,” he said.

Zollner runs the Center for Child Protection at Rome’s Jesuit-sponsored Gregorian University, and is also a member of Pope Francis’s Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.

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

MASSACHUSETTS
WCVB

BOSTON —
Convicted pedophile priest Paul Shanley is scheduled to be released from a Massachusetts prison early Friday morning after spending 12 years in prison.

Shanley is scheduled to be freed from the Old Colony Correctional Center in Bridgewater sometime Friday morning.

On Thursday, we got a glimpse of what the former priest looks like after spending 12 years in prison.

The new picture of Shanley was posted on the state’s Sex Offender Registry Board website.

It shows a balding and now bearded Shanley and lists the 86-year-old as a high-risk Level 3 sex offender who’s incarcerated, but that status is about to change.

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

UNITED STATES
National Catholic Reporter

Kieran Tapsell | Jul. 28, 2017

COMMENTARY

NCR’s editorial, “On Abuse: church has changed but not enough,” rightly identifies the all-male clerical culture as a critical factor in the sex abuse scandal, but it fails to point to the failure of Pope Francis to change parts of canon law that embody that culture.

Pope Francis may feel restrained by theology from having women priests. But Canons 478 and 1420 require vicars general, episcopal and judicial vicars also to be priests. They therefore can’t be women except with a dispensation given by the men in Rome. This can be changed with the stroke of a pen.

A more serious example of clericalism is canon law’s imposition of the pontifical secret on all allegations and information about child sexual abuse by clerics. The only exception that would allow reporting to the civil authorities was given to the United States in 2002 and to the rest of the world in 2010, and it was limited to where there are applicable civil reporting laws. Very few jurisdictions have comprehensive reporting laws. In the United States, only half the states have clergy as mandatory reporters.

Pope Francis’ attempts to hold bishops accountable have meant very little because his capacity to do so is limited by the Code of Canon Law. The three bishops he forced to resign — Archbishop John Nienstedt and his auxiliary, Bishop Lee Piché, of St. Paul-Minneapolis, and Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Missouri — had breached canon law in force in the United States since 2002 that required them to comply with civil reporting laws.

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

MASSACHUSETTS
Boston Herald

Brian Dowling Friday, July 28, 2017

Lawyers for sexual abuse survivors are heartened by Gov. Charlie Baker’s vocal support for a review of the standards to civilly commit criminal sexual predators ahead of today’s anticipated release of convicted pedophile priest Paul Shanley.

Baker said the issue of how a notorious pedophile priest could be released from prison and not found to be a danger to society is on his “to-do list” — and the issue is personal.

“I know people who were horribly affected and were damaged by Paul Shanley, and I think this is an issue we are going to take a good look at,” Baker said. “Paul Shanley did terrible things and terrible damage to many, many people.”

Attorney Carmen Durso, who represented many of Shanley’s abuse victims, called Baker’s support for a review of the standards “good news.”

“I’m happy the governor understands this,” Durso said. “I’m pleased he thinks it’s an important issue and he’s going to deal with it. We will help him any way we can.”

Durso said his review of the standards for civil commitment found the process focused on age and whether violence was a factor in past abuse.

“It had a bunch of questions that weren’t relevant to Paul Shanley,” Durso said. “I’m only a lawyer. But like others, we are lawyers who listened to what the perpetrators did hundreds of times, and you get some sense of what’s going on. Then you look at what a professional looks at to see if someone’s dangerous, and the two don’t match up.”

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

MASSACHUSETTS
CBS Boston

[with video]

BOSTON (CBS) – Convicted pedophile priest Paul Shanley will be released from prison on Friday. Even though two psychologists said Shanley was not sexually dangerous, the Sex Offender Registry Board is classifying him as the most dangerous, a Level 3 offender.

The 86-year-old’s photo and status as a Level 3 offender will be on the Mass.gov website.

The Level 3 designation by the board means they believe he is dangerous and has a high risk to re-offend. The classification also gives the public access to information as to where he will be living.

Governor Charlie Baker said he would re-examine the release of sexually dangerous persons. “I know people who were horribly affected and damaged by Paul Shanley and I think this is an issue that we’re going to take a hard look at,” Governor Baker said.

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

MASSACHUSETTS
NBC Boston

[with video]

By Caitlin Fichtel

Victims and advocates of sexual assault are set to protest the release of a former priest who was convicted of the rape of a child.

Paul Shanley, 86, a former priest who counseled gay and troubled youths, was convicted of raping a boy at a Newton church in the 1980s and sentenced to 12 years in prison.

He is set to be released sometime Friday, despite protests from many, including dozens who have accused Shanley of sexual abuse.

Protesters plan to gather outside the Massachusetts Old Colony Correctional Facility in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, around 9 a.m. until the release of Shanley.

The protest will be led by members of Road to Recovery Inc., a charity that assists victims of sexual abuse and their families, victims and survivors of Shanley’s abuse, as well as advocates, supporters, and concerned citizens.

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

MASSACHUSETTS
People

BY STEVE HELLING•@STEVEHELLING

POSTED ON JULY 27, 2017

A disgraced Catholic priest is set for release from prison 12 years after his conviction for child rape, PEOPLE confirms.

Paul Shanley was convicted in 2005 for raping a boy in the early 1980s. His victim, who was 27 years old during the trial, told jurors Shanley would regularly pull him out of Sunday School for what he called “special duties.” The victim said that Shanley had molested him in several rooms of the parish in Newton, Massachusetts.

The high-profile trial turned Shanley into one of the most notorious figures in the clergy sex abuse scandal. He was among the first priests to stand trial after the Boston Globe unearthed allegations against several clergymen, as well as coverups by the Boston Archdiocese.

Shanley, then 74, was convicted of two counts each of child rape and indecent assault and battery. Prosecutors asked for a life sentence, but the judge gave Shanley 12 to 15 years.

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

MASSACHUSETTS
Associated Press

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. (AP) — Protesters are vowing to demonstrate outside the Massachusetts prison where a notorious figure in the Boston clergy sex abuse scandal is being released after completing a 12-year sentence for raping a boy in the 1980s.

Paul Shanley is expected to be released from the Old Colony Correctional Center in Bridgewater on Friday.

Shanley was a “street priest” who ministered to alienated youth in the 1960s and ’70s. Decades later, dozens of men came forward and said Shanley had molested or raped them. He was defrocked by the Vatican and convicted of raping a boy at a Newton parish.

Sexual abuse victims say they’re concerned the 86-year-old Shanley will not have enough supervision after he’s released. He’ll be monitored by probation officials, but isn’t required to wear an electronic monitoring device.

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

NEW YORK
Observer-Dispatch

By GREG MASON / gmason@uticaod.com

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse has requested the dismissal of claims against it as part of a lawsuit accusing a former Utica-area priest of sexually abusing children about three decades ago.

The diocese filed its motion July 10 in Federal District Court in Connecticut in the case involving former priest Felix Colosimo. Colosimo is accused of abusing California resident Matthew Strzepek on multiple occasions from 1987 to 1990 when Strzepek was 12 to 15 years old.

The Syracuse diocese removed Colosimo from priestly ministry in 2014 upon finding Strzepek’s allegations credible. Among other allegations, Strzepek’s lawsuit claims the diocese is liable for Colosimo’s alleged actions and accuses the diocese of failing to respond appropriately.

Strzepek is seeking $25 million in damages each from Colosimo and the diocese. The diocese, however, wants to completely dismiss the allegations against itself.

The court motion is supported with an affidavit from Timothy Elmer, the diocese’s vicar general who served as chancellor from July 2010 to December 2014, according to his affidavit.

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

SCOTLAND
BBC News

A priest is being investigated over allegations he had a sexual relationship with a teenage girl.
Father John Sweeney, 41, has been suspended by the Archdiocese of Glasgow.

He will not carry out any parish duties at Saint Maria Goretti in the city’s Cranhill area until further notice.

Father Sweeney was arrested and charged under a section of the Sexual Offences Scotland Act which alleges he committed a sexual abuse of trust.

He was due to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court earlier this week but was released while investigations continue.

It is understood the allegation involves a 17-year-old girl.

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

CANADA
CBC News

By Tori Weldon, CBC News Posted: Jul 27, 2017

A man who attended Saint-Henri church in Barachois and another who went to Sainte-Thérèse in Cap Pelé have each filed lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by former priest Yvon Arsenault and seeking damages from him and the archbishop of Moncton.

Arsenault is serving a four-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to nine counts of molestation going back to the 1970s. All the victims were minors. He has one charge of indecent assault before the criminal courts.

The latest allegations, in statements of claim filed in Moncton on June 30, involve a trip to Massachusetts that Arsenault is said to have organized around 1972.

Both men claim the former priest used his position of power and authority to prey upon and sexually abuse them.

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

SCOTLAND
Scottish Sun

By Rebecca Gray and Ashlie McAnally
27th July 2017

A CATHOLIC priest has been suspended amid a cop probe into his alleged relationship with a teenage girl, church chiefs have confirmed.

Father John Sweeney, 41, was removed from his parish after he was reported to prosecutors over incidents said to have happened with the 17-year-old during the last year.

The clergyman, who leads services at Saint Maria Goretti in Glasgow, is also accused of making a sectarian slur. A source said last night: “The allegations have rocked the congregation.”

Sources said the investigation centres on allegations of “inappropriate conduct whilst in a position of trust”.

As inquiries continued, one insider said his parishioners were stunned by the police investigation.

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

VIRGINIA
WTOP

By Jack Moore
July 27, 2017

WASHINGTON — A retired priest accused of inappropriately touching a 15-year-old girl in 2003 has been arrested in Fairfax County and charged with taking indecent liberties with a child.

Fairfax County police said Thursday Gervase Cain, who was then 72, inappropriately touched the girl “sometime in 2003” during a consultation at her home in Fairfax.

Cain, now 86 and living in Pennsylvania, was charged with taking indecent liberties with a child by a person in a custodial or supervisory relationship.

Police said a complaint was first filed in 2004 and later withdrawn. The case was reopened in May 2017. Police said they consulted with the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney before a warrant was issued on July 17.

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.

VIRGINIA
WJLA

FAIRFAX, Va. (ABC7) —
In a case that goes back 14 years, a retired priest turned himself in and was arrested for inappropriately touching a 15-year-old girl.

Gervase Cain, now 86, touched the girl while he was consulting at her home in Fairfax in 2003, according to a statement released by Fairfax County Police.

The case was first reported in 2004, but it was withdrawn. In May, the case was reopened and a warrant was issued for Cain’s arrest on July 17.

After becoming aware of the warrant, Cain turned himself in Wednesday at a police station.
From Fairfax County Police:

We would like to hear from anyone who may have additional information on this case, or may be a victim. You can call Detective J. Linebaugh at 703-246-7800, or the Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131.

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.

VIRGINIA
Washington Post

By Rachel Siegel July 27

A retired priest was arrested in Fairfax County on Wednesday and accused of inappropriately touching a teenage girl nearly 15 years ago.

Gervase Cain, now 86, is alleged to have had the contact with the 15-year-old girl during a consultation at her home in Fairfax in 2003, police said Thursday.

The case was initially reported in 2004, though the complaint was later withdrawn, police said. They said the complaint was reopened in May and a warrant was issued July 17. Cain, who resides in Loretto, Pa., turned himself in Wednesday after learning of the warrant, police said.

Cain was charged with taking indecent liberties with a child by a person in a custodial or supervisory relationship.

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

IRELAND
Breaking News

The UN has today called on the government to explain what further investigations it intends to carry out into the Magdalene Laundries, industrial schools and mother-and-baby homes.

A delegation has appeared before the UN Committee Against Torture to face questions on the progress it has made since 2011.

Minister of State David Stanton led a 20-strong Irish delegation to the UN Committee Against torture this morning.

The committee had several questions on human rights issues, including why there has been a lack of progress on investigations in the wake of the Ryan Report on abuse in industrial schools.

“Only 15 cases were brought forward, even for the criminal investigation, and the only one resulted in prosecution,” said Committee vice chair Felice Gaer.

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

IRELAND
Irish Times

Marie O’Hallroan

The United Nations has sharply criticised the State’s approach to alleged abuse in Magdalene laundries and its claims that there was no basis to believe serious harm was done to women and girls in them.

The UN committee against torture in Geneva said it had received a “great deal of evidence that there has indeed been abuse”.

Rapporteur Felice Gaer referred to the McAleese report on the laundries and asked: “How can the McAleese report establish that there was no systematic abuse when the terms of reference did not extend to allegations of abuse?” or an investigation of such allegations.

She also asked if the State could claim there was no serious harm “when it made no public call for evidence”.

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.

GUAM
The Guam Daily Post

Mindy Aguon |The Guam Daily Post

Attorneys representing 75 childhood sex abuse victims and the Catholic Church in Guam believe alternative dispute resolution will resolve a majority of the cases filed against the Archdiocese of Agana, and possibly cases filed against the Boy Scouts of America.

Retired federal Judge Michael Hogan, of Oregon, has agreed to serve as alternative dispute resolution mediator in the cases and the Archdiocese of Agana has retained Seattle, Washington-based attorney Michael Patterson as defense counsel for all pending litigation filed against the Catholic Church in Guam.

Patterson has represented dioceses and archdioceses across the country for more than 30 years and has been instrumental in resolving more than 2,000 childhood sexual abuse cases across the nation, according to the website of his law firm, Patterson Buchanan Fobes & Leitch.

The civil litigator will work with the Archdiocese of Agana’s legal counsel, attorney John Terlaje, and Hope and Healing Guam.

“These are very difficult cases for all involved … however, I am very confident that, in cooperation with Hope and Healing Guam, the archdiocese will work successfully with plaintiff’s counsel to find a fair and reasonable resolution to these claims,” Patterson told The Guam Daily Post.

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

CANADA
Nunatsiaq Online

July 27, 2017

STEVE DUCHARME

Newly assigned lawyers representing the convicted sex offender Eric Dejaeger, a former Oblate priest who lived in Baker Lake and Igloolik in the 1970s and 1980s, have begun the process of appealing some of his convictions, following a judge’s decision to direct legal aid to the former priest.

One of Dejaeger’s lawyers, Scott Cowan, told Justice Susan Cooper at Nunavut’s Court of Justice on July 26 that his office received the files from his client’s lengthy trial, which ended after almost a year in September 2014.

“This file has priority,” Cowan told Cooper.

Cooper set the next appearance on the matter to Nov. 15, when lawyers will update the court on their preparations.

Dejaeger is currently serving the remainder of his 11-year prison sentence at the medium-security Warkworth Institution in Ontario, and did not appear during the afternoon court proceeding.

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

ROM
Mittelbayerische

[ROME. The cardinal had to make his way through a crowd of reporters. On Wednesday the court action against George Pell, the head of the Vatican Secretariat for Economic Affairs, had begun in Melbourne. The former archbishop of Sydney is the highest Catholic clergyman ever accused sexual abuse of minors. It is about several – so far not announced accusations – from the 70s and 80s. The 76-year-old, who was exempted by Pope Francis from the management of the economic secretariat, now also asserted his innocence in court. The process is to be continued in October. However, Pope Francis must be accused of having a failure in the field of sexual abuse as well as the reforms in the Vatican, two of the most important topics of his agenda. Pell, who represents the papal failure in both thematic complexes, is by no means the only sting in the flesh of the pope.]

von Julius Müller-Meiningen, MZ

ROM.Der Kardinal musste sich seinen Weg durch einen Pulk von Schaulustigen und Reportern bahnen. Am Mittwoch hatte in Melbourne der Prozess gegen George Pell, bislang Chef des vatikanischen Sekretariats für Wirtschaft, begonnen. Der ehemalige Erzbischof von Sydney ist der ranghöchste katholische Geistliche, der jemals wegen Vorwürfen des sexuellen Missbrauchs von Minderjährigen angeklagt worden ist. Es geht um mehrere, bislang nicht bekannt gegebene Vorwürfe aus den 70er und 80er Jahren. Der 76-Jährige, der von Papst Franziskus von der Leitung des Wirtschaftssekretariats freigestellt wurde, beteuerte nun auch vor Gericht seine Unschuld. Der Prozess soll im Oktober fortgesetzt werden. Doch schon jetzt kann man festhalten: Der Prozessbeginn markiert einen negativen Höhepunkt im Pontifikat Jorge Bergoglios.

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.