ABUSE TRACKER

NEBRASKA
Catholic News Agency

Lincoln, Neb., Feb 5, 2016 / 11:29 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Bishop James D. Conley of Lincoln defended his decision to allow Bishop Robert Finn, former bishop of Kansas City, Mo., to take a position as chaplain of a community of religious sisters in the Diocese of Lincoln, Neb. saying that justice for his past negligence “has been served.”

“The Church in Lincoln is committed to serving and protecting our people,” Bishop Conley said in a Feb. 4 column in the Lincoln Journal-Star. “We will do that without further punishing those who have already met the demands of justice.”

In September 2012, Bishop Finn was convicted on a misdemeanor count of failure to report suspected child abuse after he and his diocese did not disclose that lewd images of children had been found on a laptop belonging to Fr. Shawn Ratigan, a priest of the Diocese of Kansas City, in December 2010.

Bishop Finn was sentenced to two years’ probation for failing to report suspected abuse and he retired from his position as bishop in April 2015.

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ROME
Premier

Fri 05 Feb 2016
By Aaron James

An abuse campaigner has said it would be “outrageous” if Pope Francis failed to attend a special Vatican meeting on child protection.

Peter Saunders, who is one the members of the Holy See’s Clerical Abuse Commission, was speaking before it hosted a three-day event to review the Catholic Church’s safeguarding policies and the punishments in place for those who break the rules, or covered up for those who do.

Mr Saunders told The Times: “It will be outrageous if he doesn’t attend and I will say so.”

He also criticised the appointment of a Chilean bishop, Juan Barros, who is accused of covering up the abuse of a colleague – something Mr Barros denies.

Pope Francis has publicity backed the appointment of the bishop.

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ROME
New York Times

The Carpetbagger
By CARA BUCKLEY FEB. 5, 2016

“Spotlight,” considered an Oscar front-runner, follows The Boston Globe exposé of the Roman Catholic Church’s cover-up of sexual abuse by priests. And on Thursday the film was finally shown to figures at the heart of the story: it was privately screened for a Vatican commission entrusted with investigating that abuse.

The screening, described in The Los Angeles Times as “extraordinary,” preceded a three-day meeting of the commission. That panel was created by Pope Francis, but he was reportedly not at the showing.

Last year, after the film played at the Venice Film Festival, Deadline.com quoted Mark Ruffalo, who plays one of the Boston Globe journalists, as saying that he and the rest of the “Spotlight” team were “hoping that the pope and the Vatican use this very, very sober and judicious story to begin to heal the wounds that the church also received.”

Vatican Radio commented on the film at the time, calling it “honest” and “compelling,” and praising the director, Tom McCarthy, for avoiding scandal-mongering. The outlet also noted that the church had nothing to fear from the film.

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ROME
Crux

By Inés San Martín
Vatican correspondent February 5, 2016

ROME — Members of a Vatican commission created by Pope Francis to lead the Church’s recovery from clerical sexual abuse scandals gathered the evening before their February meeting to watch “Spotlight,” the Oscar-nominated movie based on The Boston Globe’s coverage of abuse scandals 14 years ago.

Peter Saunders, a British member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors led by Boston Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, told Crux that some members watched the film Thursday night at the Domus Santa Marta, the hotel on Vatican grounds where the pope lives.

Francis was not present.

On background, a Vatican official said Friday this was not a formal viewing, but rather something arranged independently by some members of the commission. The viewing was first reported by The Los Angeles Times.

“The movie is excellent,” said Saunders, himself a survivor of sexual abuse. “Every Catholic should watch it, and certainly all the clergy.”

From the age of 8 until he was 13, Saunders was sexually abused by a member of his family, a lay teacher, and two priests of the Catholic school he attended in the United Kingdom.

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LOUISIANA
American Press

Last Modified: Friday, February 05, 2016

Crystal Stevenson / American Press

A state district court jury will begin deliberations today in the case of former priest Mark Broussard, who is accused of sexually assaulting a then 8-year-old altar boy at St. Henry Catholic Church in the late 1980s and early ’90s.

Broussard is charged with molestation of a juvenile, oral sexual battery, aggravated oral sexual battery and two counts of aggravated rape.

On Thursday, prosecutors called their last witness, a man who said Broussard sexually assaulted him in the LSU-Eunice student center in the summer of 1981 — a charge to which Broussard admitted in 1988.

The victim, who was 14 at the time, said his relationship with Broussard began when he was an altar boy at Our Lady Immaculate Catholic Church in Jennings. He said Broussard would frequently travel to Jennings to help with services at the church and that is where the two met.

“It was at first fun,” he said of their friendship. “With me and a couple other buddies, he took us on day trips to farms, check out the roosters, wrestle on the front lawn. He acted like he was one of us. He was in his late 20s. It was like he was a fun adult.”

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UNITED KINGDOM
The Argus

Gareth Davies, Reporter

A PRIEST has escaped jail after his church was raided and more than 3,000 indecent images of children were found.

Paul Clarke, 71, a Roman Catholic priest, admitted a number of offences relating to indecent images of children.

One concerned his possession of an indecent image of a child, another concerned his possession of prohibited images, and three concerned his making a total of 3,100 indecent images of children.

Officers had executed a search warrant at Clarke’s Rye address, the residential presbytery attached to St Anthony’s Church, onNovember 13, 2014, and seized computers and related material.

All the offences involved images taken from the Internet.

There is no evidence of contact offending and none of the images are of local children.

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UNITED KINGDOM
BBC News

A Roman Catholic priest has pleaded guilty to possessing more than 3,000 indecent images of children.

Paul Clarke, 71, from East Sussex, but now living in Manchester, was given an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, at Lewes Crown Court.

He admitted possessing an indecent image of a child, possession of prohibited images.

Clarke, of Redclyffe Road, Urmston, was put on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years.

The court, where he was also given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order restricting his access to computers, was told he had a total of 3,100 indecent images.

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CHICAGO (IL)
Chicago Tribune

Manya Brachear Pashman
Chicago Tribune

A radical overhaul in the nation’s third-largest Roman Catholic archdiocese could shutter many of the Chicago church’s houses of worship by 2030 as it reckons with dilapidated buildings and an expected shortage of priests, sources say.

Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich told priests and advisers in meetings in recent weeks that the shortage — an estimated 240 priests available in 2030 for Chicago’s 351 parishes — could necessitate closings and consolidations, according to the sources.

Based primarily on those projections and on future capital needs, the priests who attended the meetings say a large number of churches could close over the next 14 years. Several of those priests who attended the sessions with the archbishop shared details about the reorganization process with the Tribune, some requesting anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the discussion and because they didn’t have permission to speak on behalf of the archdiocese.

Officials at the archdiocese, contacted Thursday, said they could not answer any of the Tribune’s questions.

The reorganization process will kick into high gear next week when auxiliary bishops begin meeting with lay leaders and parish staff in their regions to discuss solutions.

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CALIFORNIA/OHIO
NBC4i

SAN DIEGO (WCMH)–A former seminary student from Columbus remains in jail in California tonight after waiving his right to a detention hearing.

Joel Wright was back in federal court. According to the San Diego Times, he agreed to be held without bail until his preliminary hearing and arraignment on Feb. 25.

Wright was arrested in San Diego last Friday after police say he was planning a trip to Mexico with the intent of having sex with a child. If convicted, he faces 30 years to life in prison on the most serious charge.

Wright had come to the attention of authorities before. Steubenville police investigated Wright last year when a woman reported he had offered to pay someone $150 on Craigslist to watch children.

The ad said parents could stay with the children, see how it goes and then leave to go shopping or to a movie. Wright told a mother who responded to the ad that he was a student at Franciscan University.

Police investigated, but did not find anyone at the address tied to the ad.

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OHIO
TV10

By 10TV Web Staff
Friday February 5, 2016

The man who claims he’s the ICE informant who exposed Joel Wright on his alleged quest for child rape made no secret that he intended to swindle the 23-year-old seminary student. He tells 10TV exclusively that he planned on robbing Wright when he arrived in Tijuana, Mexico, where he believed he would “adopt” a child for the purpose of having sex.

The alleged informant says he stumbled upon Wright on Craigslist looking for a tour guide in Tijuana. The man says Wright told him he wanted to adopt a child between 2 and 3-years-old.

The alleged informant says he fully played along with the scheme and told Wright to send him money. He believes Wright sent him “no less than $1,500,” and probably closer to $2,000. When Wright arrived at a Tijuana hotel room in July 2014 in hopes of supposedly adopting a child for sex, the informant took the cash from him and never returned. Days later, the 23-year-old student returned to the U.S.

The informant says he alerted authorities after Wright began telling him explicit details about his plans to buy children to rape, and after he told him he molested a baby girl one year earlier.

The criminal complaint corroborates the story and reveals Wright was set to board a plane again in December 2015 for Tijuana when investigators say he called the whole thing off.

“Please don’t ever contact me again for anything,” Wright e-mailed.

The informant tells 10TV federal agents accused him of tipping Wright off, an accusation he denies. “[I told the agents] what are you talking about? I want you guys to get this guy because he’s crazy.”

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HAWAII
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Friday, Feb. 5

Statement by Joelle Casteix of Newport Beach CA, western regional director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (949 322 7434, jcasteix@gmail.com)

Hawaii Catholic officials are trotting out the same old claims of “reform” that bishops have cited for decades in the continuing abuse and cover up crisis in the church.

[Hawaii News Now]

According to Hawaii News Now, the Honolulu diocese is taking a few steps, including:

–Priests must keep office doors open when they’re with kids. But does anyone really think this will stop a child molesting cleric?

–Priests from elsewhere who are allowed to work in Hawaii by Honolulu Bishop Clarence Silva must now present a “letter of suitability” from their own bishop. But this has been a requirement in the church worldwide for decades. It’s yet another example of written church policies that sound good on paper but are, at best, sporadically enforced.

–Hiring a social worker to oversee safety policies. But virtually every US diocese did this 14 years ago, as mandated by a belated, grudgingly adopted and largely unenforced national church policy. So again, this is no real sign of progress.

Standards like this in the church are meaningless. Why? Because almost never are church employees disciplined for violating them. So they are widely ignored.

Here’s the bottom line: Policies don’t protect kids. Decisive action protects kids. As long as Hawaii church officials refuse to

–publicly expose all those who committed child sex crimes and

–publicly punish all those who concealed child sex crimes,

All the policies, protocols, procedures and pledges on earth won’t do a thing to protect children.

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UNITED STATES
City Beat

BY BEN L. KAUFMAN · FEBRUARY 5TH, 2016

Thirty years ago, Jason Berry and National Catholic Reporter ignited Americans’ awareness of sexual abuse by Catholic priests. Yup, it’s been in the news media at least that long.
Twenty-four years ago, Boston Globe’s Alison Bass wrote about a Massachusetts priest accused of molesting at least 100 altar boys and girls.

Fourteen years ago, the Globe’s “Spotlight” investigative team produced the first of its stories about priestly sexual abuse and hierarchy coverup.

Now, the film Spotlight tells the Boston Globe story and is nominated for Best Picture of 2015.

Missing from much of the adulation in the news media is credit for the Berry/NCR courage and pioneering investigative journalism and the reporting by Alison Bass and her Boston Globe colleagues.

It’s as if no gruff old editor growled, “Did you check the clips?”

Berry’s been at our dinner table, talking shop; I’d been a longtime NCR correspondent in Minneapolis and Cincinnati and the Enquirer religion reporter.

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UNITED STATES
Think Progress

BY JESSICA GOLDSTEIN FEB 5, 2016

Spotlight, a Best Picture contender at the Oscars, is a gripping exploration of how reporters at the Boston Globe revealed rampant sexual abuse among priests in Boston and the lengths to which the clergy went to keep those crimes under-wraps.

On Thursday, the movie was screened for a special audience: The Vatican commission on clerical sex abuse.

As the L.A. Times reports, the private screening took place in the church where Pope Francis (when Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio) stayed before he was elected as pope in 2013. The viewing kicked off a three-day meeting of the commission.

The commission includes survivors of the church abuse, like Peter Saunders, who was abused by a Catholic priest as a child and told the Times that now is “a good moment for the pope” to see Spotlight.

The screening was closed to journalists. The pope, reportedly, did not attend, and the Vatican has not released an official statement on Spotlight. Pope Francis has been criticized before for not doing enough to aid victims of the abuse. Last year, he appointed Chilean Bishop Juan Barros to the diocese of Osorno in Chile. Saunders told the Times that there were “very credible” accusations that Barros “covered up for a predator priest, Father Fernando Karadima, who was punished by the Vatican.” From the Times:

Last May, Francis told a group of Chileans to ignore Barros’ critics, who include survivors of abuse by Karadima.

“Think with your heads and do not be led by the noses by the lefties who orchestrated this whole thing,” Francis said.

“Francis has said phenomenally damaging and painful things about survivors,” said Saunders.

“People in Chile now see the commission as a laughingstock, and I cannot pretend the commission means anything unless he sacks Barros.”

The abuse commission was established by Francis in 2014. It marked Francis’ first official response to the sexual abuse of children by priests and, when it was announced by Cardinal Sean O’Malley, the archbishop of Boston, was immediately met with criticism by sex abuse victims and the organizations that support them.

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UNITED STATES
The Open Tabernacle: Here Comes Everybody

Posted on February 5, 2016 by Betty Clermont

The Peter’s Pence collection totaled €378 million in 2013. (1 euro = 1.10 dollar) Peter’s Pence is an annual collection from Catholics worldwide asked to donate to the pope’s charitable works.
The Vatican Bank’s annual profits are also “offered the Holy Father in support of his apostolic and charitable ministry.” This was €50 million in 2013.

While popes have used the bank’s profits to support the Vatican’s administration as they see fit, the Peter’s Pence donations are intended to be given entirely to charity.

Pope Francis makes only 20 percent of the Peter’s Pence collection available for the poor as disclosed by Gianluigi Nuzzi, in his book Merchants in the Temple, released in November 2015. This was confirmed by Pope Francis’ chief of staff, Archbishop Becciu, last month. The archbishop said if even 60 per cent of Peter’s Pence was given to charity “we would have to immediately fire 400 people” out of the current 4,000 Vatican employees.

“It is important to point out that the Vatican is not broke. Apart from the pension fund, which needs to be strengthened for the demands on it in 15 or 20 years, the Holy See is paying its way, while possessing substantial assets and investments,” Pope Francis’ financial czar, Cardinal George Pell, wrote in December 2014. “In fact, we have discovered that the situation is much healthier than it seemed, because some hundreds of millions of euros were tucked away in particular sectional accounts and did not appear on the balance sheet,” he continued.

An April 2015 article in Italy’s financial newspaper, Il Sole 24 Ore, stated the Vatican’s assets – securities, investments, real estate, bank accounts – for all its departments combined would be around €15-17 billion “by a conservative estimate”

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BELGIE
Bert Smeets

[Open call. Because there are xx * victims of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in Belgium.
We launch this appeal to all the Belgians who were molested in their childhood or their youth and abused by the clergy of the Catholic Church in Belgium and which have hitherto never filed a complaint.]

Brussel, woensdag 10 februari 2016

Open oproep

Vanwege xx* slachtoffers van seksueel misbruik in de katholieke kerk in België
Wij lanceren deze oproep aan alle Belgen die in hun kindertijd of in hun jeugdjaren werden aangerand en misbruikt door de clerus van de katholieke kerk in België en die daar tot op heden nooit een klacht hebben over ingediend.

Alleen al binnen de werking Mensenrechten in de kerk gaat het om ongeveer 50% van de meer dan 950 mensen die ons hierover hebben aangesproken.

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ITALIA
Rete L’Abuso

SAVONA. Amarezza, «amarezza per una vicenda che,prima che processuale, umana» di un giovane seminarista che «per anni privo di una qualunque tutela, inascoltato dai genitori, percosso dal padre e ignorato dai vertici della curia, il cui unico interesse sembra fosse quello di salvaguardare l’immagine della Diocesi piuttosto che la salute fisica e psichica dei fanciulli affidati al seminario per assumere a loro volta, l’alto e gravoso incarico di pastori di anime» Un macigno. Un decreto di archiviazione ancora più pesante di un’eventuale condanna quello depositato nei giorni scorsi dal giudice delle indagini preliminari Fiorenza Giorgi nell’ambito di un procedimento a carico di don Pietro Pinetto per calunnia nei confronti della sua vittima e di chiunque avesse riportato quei fatti (due giornalisti e Francesco Zanardi).

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UNITED STATES
People

BY MIKE MILLER 02/05/2016

He no longer belongs to any sort of organized religion, but Phil Saviano, whose pivotal role in exposing the child sex abuse scandal within the Catholic Church is showcased in the Oscar-nominated film Spotlight, appears to have had something almost like divine intervention on his side.

For instance, if he hadn’t been flipping through The Boston Globe looking for last minute Christmas presents in December of 1992, he might have never stumbled across a report that the priest who raped him as a child was arrested for doing the same thing to two boys in New Mexico.

“That was my big life-changing moment because I was very much surprised and just stunned,” Saviano, 63, tells PEOPLE. “It was just sort of a one shot, fairly short story in the Globe, not even in the front section, I could’ve easily missed it. But I didn’t.”

The news of his abuser’s arrest could not have come at a more pivotal point in his life. At the time, Saviano had been diagnosed with AIDS and was not given long to live. But living so close to the edge of death finally gave him the courage to speak out about his abuse.

“The truth of the matter is that AIDS freed me up to do some things that I might not have had the courage otherwise to do, and going public about my abuse at the age of 40 is one of them,” he admits.

And if it weren’t for his seemingly fatal illness, Saviano believes the church would never have allowed him to take his settlement money – a measly $15,500 – without signing their customary nondisclosure agreement.

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VATICAN CITY
Catholic Herald (UK)

A British abuse campaigner appointed to serve on a Vatican commission has said he would be outraged if the Pope failed to attend their meetings.

Peter Saunders, who was abused by a priest as a child, had been handpicked by the Pope to serve on a Vatican sex abuse commission in 2014. But he told the Times this week that he had asked the Pope to appear at a three-day meeting of the commission, which starts today, to defend his record.

He told the paper: “It will be outrageous if he doesn’t attend and I will say so.”

The Pope set up the commission with promises to clean up the Church after a decade-long sex abuse scandal that uncovered abuse by priests of minors in several countries. Last year he created a new tribunal that punished bishops for covering up.

Mr Saunders, who founded the National Association for People Abused in Childhood, has also criticised the appointment of the Chilean Bishop Juan Barros to the Diocese of Osorno. Bishop Barros was accused of covering up an abusive priest, and even witnessing abuse.

“People in Chile now see the commission as a laughing stock and I cannot pretend the commission means anything unless [the Pope] sacks Barros,” Mr Saunders said.

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DEUTSCHLAND
Spiegel

[Police crime statistics show about 40 children in Germany are victims of sexual abuse each day.]

Von Jana Hauschild

Pro Tag werden etwa 40 Kinder in Deutschland Opfer von sexuellem Missbrauch – so die Polizeiliche Kriminalstatistik. Doch das sind bei Weitem nicht alle Übergriffe.

Psychologen und Mediziner aus Regensburg, Bonn, Hamburg, Ulm und Dresden haben deshalb nachgeforscht. Sie haben untersucht, was unterhalb des Polizei-Radars geschieht. Die Ergebnisse sind bemerkenswert.

Das Mikado-Projekt offenbart in drei großangelegten, anonymen Befragungen eine genauere Schätzung zum tatsächlichen Ausmaß der Vergehen. Und es liefert Ansatzpunkte, wie sich sexueller Missbrauch verhindern lässt – auf Seiten der Opfer und der Täter.

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SCHWEIZ
20min

[A Catholic priest is said to have sexually abused a 17-year-old in Geneva. He was relieved of his duties, but is at large.]

Bevor er verhaftet wurde, war der 75-jährige Priester, der in drei Kirchgemeinden im Kanton Genf arbeitete, beliebt. Im Pfarrblatt bedankte man sich Ende August bei ihm mit einem kleinen Text für seine «beeindruckende Präsenz», seine Dienstbarkeit und seinen Anstand.

Worte, die nachhallen, wenn man weiss, welchen bleibenden Eindruck der Geistliche offenbar bei einem 17-Jährigen hinterliess. Der junge Mann, der als sehr religiös beschrieben wird, besuchte regelmässig eine der Kirchen, in der der Priester seit rund einem Jahr tätig war. Eine Frau erinnert sich an ihn: «Man sah ihn immer in der Messe, ein toller Junge», sagt sie zu «Le Matin».

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DEUTSCHLAND
Regensburg Digital

Trotz „Chefaufklärer“ Ulrich Weber und trotz Kuratorium zur Aufarbeitung von Gewalt und Missbrauch bei den Domspatzen: Dem bischöflichen Ordinariat geht es anscheinend weniger um die Betroffenen. Es agiert wie von Anfang an, weiter taktisch. Es geht um die Rettung der in ihrer Existenz bedrohten Domspatzen. Betroffene aus anderen Einrichtungen sind Opfer zweiter Klasse.

Von Robert Werner und Stefan Aigner

Sechs Jahre sind bald vergangen, seit der ehemalige Domschüler Manfred van Hove in einer Talkshow als erster öffentlich systematischen sexuellen Missbrauch bei den „Domspatzen“ beklagte. Sechs Jahre, in denen das Bistum Regensburg versuchte, Missbrauch und Gewalt in seinen Einrichtungen zu verschleiern, kleinzureden und die Betroffenen durch unwürdige Behandlung, Ignoranz und Diffamierung zum Schweigen zu bringen. Selbst vor Klagedrohungen schreckte man nicht zurück.

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SCHWEIZ
Tagblatt

[Action in abuse case came too late. The European Court of Human Rights dismissed the complaint of Walter Nowak who suffered physical and sexual abuse at the orphanage at the Fischingen monastery 40 years ago. Nowak’s lawyer criticized substantive errors in judgment from Strasbourg.]

Der Europäische Gerichtshof für Menschenrechte hat die Beschwerde von Walter Nowak abgewiesen. Der körperliche und sexuelle Missbrauch im Kinderheim Fischingen liege über 40 Jahre zurück und sei damit verjährt. Nowaks Anwalt bemängelt inhaltliche Fehler im Urteil aus Strassburg.

KATHARINA BRENNER

«Wir sind sehr enttäuscht», sagt Philip Stolkin. Der Zürcher Anwalt vertritt Walter Nowak bei der Klage gegen das ehemalige Kinderheim des Klosters Fischingen. Nowak beklagt, dort zwischen 1962 und 1972 körperlich und sexuell missbraucht worden zu sein. Das Bundesgericht wies die Klage wegen Verjährung ab. Jetzt argumentiert der Europäische Gerichtshof für Menschenrechte (EGMR) gleich. Angebliche Misshandlungen könnten nach 40 Jahren nicht mehr verfolgt werden. «Die Verjährung ist nicht mehr als Täterschutz», sagt Stolkin.

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ROME
Hollywood Reporter

by Ariston Anderson 2/5/2016

The three-day meetings will aim to find ways to protect children from clergy abuse.

A new commission at the Vatican to combat sex abuse within the Catholic Church kicked off Thursday with a private screening of the Oscar-nominated film Spotlight, a searing look into the journalists who uncovered the abuses that persisted for decades within the Boston Catholic Church.

“The film is extremely worrying about the cover-up of abuse in the Catholic Church, and I think it would be a good moment for the pope to see it,” Peter Saunders, an anti-abuse campaigner and member of the commission told the L.A. Times.

The commission was set up by Pope Francis in 2014 and aims to find ways of protecting children from clergy abuse. The pontiff also set up a new tribunal last year to prosecute bishops accused of covering up for priests. But the leader of the Catholic Church has also been accused of not doing enough, as well as of promoting people who have covered up crimes.

At Spotlight’s premiere in Venice last year, director Tom McCarthy called on the Vatican to take further action. “I remain after making this movie pessimistic toward change within the Catholic Church,” he said. “I was raised catholic. My family is very catholic. I think I understand it to some extent. But words are one things and actions are another. I have high hopes for Pope Francis but I think what actually changes remains to be seen so I guess we just have to wait.”

Actor Mark Ruffalo said at the time: “I hope the Vatican will use this movie as a perfect opportunity to begin to right these wrongs, not just for the victims and their destroyed lives, but for all the people who have lost a way to order a chaotic world for themselves.”

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UNITED STATES
Latin Post

By David Salazar (staff@latinpost.com)

Taking down the Catholic Church for its corruption is among the most prominent tasks of filmmakers these days. “Spotlight,” the current Oscar front-runner, takes an investigative approach, discovering the infamy from the outside. But the best take on the Catholic Church’s problematic politicking is actually from Chile.

Directed by rising star director Pablo Larrain, “The Club” takes us into a home where former priests waste away their days in a species of exile. One day, yet another fallen “angel” arrives in the house but is immediately forced to confront his dark history. His response is that of suicide, forcing the church to send over a priest to seek out the events behind the death.

The film’s opening reel sets up the rather relaxed lifestyle of four priests in this household. They drink, they gamble and they train a dog to race, all considered inappropriate for men of their stature. These scenes actually humanize the men; Larrain’s withholding of information to this point only adds to the ability for the audience to connect emotionally with these men. We slowly gather rather painful information about their past actions, but Larrain actually does a fantastic job of balancing the equation. During one interrogation with young and by-the-books priest Garcia (Marcelo Alonso), each of the men gets a chance to justify their inappropriate behavior. While some of it is certainly disgusting, Larrain’s use of straight-on close-ups on each man puts the viewer right in the middle of the action, almost as if the men were speaking directly to the audience. It is painful to endure, but also asks the audience to recognize these characters as flawed humans who acted on their basic instinct. Exonerating them is the objective, but rethinking our judgement is on some level.

On the other hand, Larrain shows how Garcia, the perfect representation of the church, creates the dreadful behavior by his constant repression of the other men around him. By pushing against their desires, he winds up hurting them all the more.

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MINNESOTA
Fox 9

By: Tim Blotz
POSTED:FEB 04 2016

ST. PAUL, Minn. (KMSP) – Lawmakers in St. Paul are considering initiatives to better protect children who are either neglected or abused. It’s driving a huge discussion at the Capitol to change laws, and also give families, social workers, and foster parents more support.

This is largely inspired by a single case back in 2013 when a young boy named Eric Dean died at the hands of his step-mother. The abuse was reported to Pope County 15 times, yet his case still fell through the cracks. To this day, it’s still a case that haunts lawmakers.

According to the legislative child protection task force that met Thursday, 604 children were taken out of their homes by the courts in 2014, and there were 70,000 reports. 77 percent of the abuse claims were directed against a biological parent.

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KENTUCKY
WAVE

Posted by Brad Hawley

WALTON, KY (FOX19) –
A youth pastor at the New Banklick Baptist Church in Walton is facing sexual abuse charges, church officials confirm.

Joseph Niemeyer, 53, is facing three felony counts of Sexual Abuse, Rape and Sodomy. He is accused of sexually abusing a 7-year-old girl over a three-year period, court documents show.

“Mr. Niemeyer actually came to the Independence Police Department and spoke to detectives and basically self-reported,” Kenton County Prosecutor Rob Sanders said.

Court documents show the alleged abuse occurred at Niemeyer’s home in Independence.

“Mr. Niemeyer volunteered at Twenhofel Middle School for the past three years,” said Jess Dykes who is a spokesperson for the Kenton County School District.

Dykes said Niemeyer helped as a volunteer with a group known as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. The group he worked with is a very small group of sixth, seventh and eighth graders who meet once a week before school, according to Dykes.

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HAWAII
Hawaii News Now

By Keoki Kerr

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) –
Officials with the Catholic Church in Hawaii said they have created policies and trained thousands to prevent sexual abuse of children by priests that was a problem nationwide and in Hawaii decades ago.

The Hawaii diocese and Catholic churches in Hawaii are preparing to spend at least $20 million to settle dozens of lawsuits filed mostly by men who said they were molested from the 1950s through the 1980s. The church has settled more than 30 of 40 abuse lawsuits through a mediation process that’s scheduled to conclude later this month.

In recent years, the Catholic Church in Hawaii has encouraged churches to install windows in office doors, literally making things more transparent, and recommended that priests leave their office doors open when meeting with a child one-on-one.

“When they are in the care of our church, we want to make sure we are providing the safest environment possible for them,” said licensed social worker Kristin Leandro, who is director of safe environment for the Catholic Church in Hawaii. The church elevated her position from part-time to full-time a year and a half ago to oversee screening, training and response efforts.

Leandro said the church has been requiring criminal background checks on priests and volunteers who work with children since 2002.

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NEW MEXICO
Albuquerque Journal

By Mark Oswald / Journal Staff Writer
Thursday, February 4th, 2016

SANTA FE — An arrest warrant affidavit filed by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office this week stated that State Police may have known about alleged sexual abuse by a Santa Fe Catholic school teacher in 2012, and now State Police say they’re conducting an internal investigation as to why no charges were ever filed.

In another development, the Journal confirmed that after his initial arrest in January for alleged improper touching of a girl at Santo Niño Regional Catholic School, a judge gave teacher Aaron Dean Chavez permission to attend a pro football playoff game in Denver. But Chavez’s lawyer says Chavez didn’t go.

Chavez, 47, was arrested again by Santa Fe deputies Tuesday on four charges of sexual criminal contact of a minor after more four girls came forward and said Chavez sexually molested them at Santo Niño as far back as 2007. Chavez was initially arrested Jan. 20 for one count of sexual criminal contact of a minor after a 6-year-old female student told her parents that Chavez touched her private areas as he was tucking in her shirt during art class last month. He was released on bond and GPS monitoring a day after the first arrest.

An affidavit from the sheriff’s office says two 14-year-old girls alerted Santo Niño principal Theresa Vaisa in 2012 that Chavez touched their buttocks while he bounced them on his lap when they were in his first-grade class in 2007. State Police were also notified of those incidents, but charges were never brought and Chavez continued to work at the school. On Thursday, State Police Chief Pete Kassetas said in a statement that there is now an internal investigation into why no charges were filed and he says disciplinary action may be taken.

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AUSTRALIA
Broken Rites

By a Broken Rites researcher, article updated 5 February 2016

Cardinal George Pell is feeling “too sick” to face the Catholic Church’s victims in Australia but he is healthy enough to continue his big job in Rome as one of the Vatican’s top leaders. This Broken Rites article examines some of the background to Pell’s reluctance to re-visit Australia to appear in person at this country’s national child-abuse Royal Commission.

The Royal Commission met on 5 February 2016 to examine whether Cardinal George Pell is prepared to appear in the witness box in Australia later in February to answer questions about how the Catholic Church, historically, has dealt with clergy sexual abuse in two Australian cities — Melbourne and Ballarat. The answer, from Pell’s lawyer, is: “No.”

Since May 2015, the Royal Commission has been holding a series of occasional public hearings to obtain information about the archdiocese of Melbourne (covering the Melbourne metropolitan area) and the diocese of Ballarat (covering the western half of the state of Victoria). The Melbourne inquiry is Case Study 35, while Ballarat is Case Study 28.

George Pell, who was born in Ballarat, was originally a priest in the Ballarat diocese. He was later the archbishop of Melbourne (from 1996 to 2001) and then became the archbishop of Sydney before gaining his current senior role in the Vatican.

During a four-weeks public hearing in November-December 2015, the Royal Commission examined a series of submissions concerning clergy sexual crimes in Melbourne and Ballarat. The Royal Commission heard from victims in Ballarat and Melbourne who alleged that church leaders had been ignoring or concealing these crimes. The Commission also questioned priests from Ballarat and Melbourne who replied to many of the Commission’s questions by uttering the legal strategy: “I do not remember”or “I cannot recall”.

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CANADA
The Globe and Mail

GLORIA GALLOWAY
OTTAWA — The Globe and Mail
Published Thursday, Feb. 04, 2016

The head of Canada’s largest indigenous organization says the government acted counter to its own apology for the treatment of children at Indian residential schools when it used a technical argument to deny compensation to many of those who were abused.

The 2008 apology was made the year after the implementation of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement involving the government, the survivors and the churches that ran the schools. In it, former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper asked on behalf of Canada for the “forgiveness of the aboriginal peoples of this country for failing them so profoundly.”

Two years later, Justice Department lawyers working under Mr. Harper’s government began to argue in compensation hearings that more than 50 of the schools listed in the settlement agreement ceased to be residential schools in the 1950s and 1960s when Ottawa took over the operation of the educational facilities and left the churches responsible for only the dormitories – a move known as the administrative split. Justice lawyers successfully argued that students who were sexually or physically assaulted after that time in any place but the dormitories were not abused at a residential school and were, therefore, not entitled to payment for their suffering.

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AUSTRALIA
ABC News

By Emilie Gramenz

A former Sydney Anglican archbishop has told a royal commission he did not understand the long-term effects of sexual abuse on children.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has heard allegations of a multi-state paedophile ring operating within Church of England Boys Society (CEBS).

Former Archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen, who retired in 2013, has told the Hobart hearing that even in the 1990s many in the clergy did not understand the real nature of perpetrators, or the long-term impacts of child sexual abuse.

“Even though I occupied a senior position in the church, I still wasn’t fully aware of the impact that such abuse has on survivors and their families,” he said.

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AUSTRALIA
The Conversation

Brian McNair
Professor of Journalism, Media and Communication, Queensland University of Technology

I have been in Tasmania these last few days, by coincidence at the same time as the royal commission has held hearings in Hobart into paedophilia in the Church of England in which senior Christian clerics have been apologising for the sexual abuse of children and young people. Meanwhilem the new film Spotlight, directed by Tom McCarthy, has been winning multiple industry awards (and is a hot tip for Oscar success).

Spotlight tells the story of how, in the early 2000s, investigative journalists in Boston broke the first stories of child sexual abuse by the Catholic Church, setting off a wave of scandals which has spread around the world and has still not subsided.

In an era when journalists come in for a lot of stick from politicians and publics regarding their propensity for bias, or for sensationalism and sleaze in the pursuit of audiences, the film reminds us why journalism matters, and the good work so many times of its practitioners do on our behalf.

In Spotlight, the journalists and their editors at the Boston Globe take on one of the world’s most powerful and secretive institutions. They expose the moral corruption that great and (until that moment) largely unaccountable power breeds.

Like the iconic All The President’s Men of 40 years ago, Spotlight is a work of popular cinematic art which celebrates the good things that journalists do, and the risks they often take in the process. Where last year’s Nightcrawler depicted the very worst that mainstream journalism can be, with its villainous sleaze monger played to creepy perfection by Jake Gyllenhaal, Spotlight represents the journalist as hero, and highlights the function of journalism as a Fourth Estate telling truth to power in the manner without which our modern democracies could not survive.

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AUSTRALIA
Gold Coast Bulletin

AAP

Sydney’s former Anglican archbishop Peter Jensen has apologised for the church’s past handling of child sex abuse allegations but says he probably would have made the same mistakes in an era when the impact of pedophilia was misunderstood by many.

Now-retired Bishop Jensen on Friday sat through the “absolutely heart-wrenching” evidence of a Sydney man who recounted four years of abuse by a leader at the Church of England Boys’ Society at St Ives Christ Church, which began when he was 10.

Simon Jacobs is in prison for his abuse of three boys, including this victim who cannot be named for legal reasons.

Bishop Jensen, who in his role as archbishop in 2002 apologised to the man, thanked him and his mother for having the strength to share their story.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Church Times

by Hattie Williams

Posted: 05 Feb 2016

THE survivor who raised allegations of sexual abuse by a former Bishop of Chichester, George Bell, has given her account in public for the first time.

In an interview with The Argus, a newspaper in Brighton and Hove, the survivor, who has chosen to remain anonymous, describes being repeatedly molested by Bishop Bell over a four-year period, from the age of five.

She said that a relative who worked at the Bishop’s Palace in Chichester would often take her there, “usually for two or three days at a time, sometimes a week”, as a favour to her mother, who was looking after a large family.

Bell would take her to a private room under the guise of reading her a bedtime story, she said, and sit her on his lap, before moving his hands over her thighs and interfering with her. “He said it was our little secret, because God loved me,” she told the paper, on Wednesday.

The survivor, who is now in her seventies, first reported the abuse in a letter to the Bishop of Chichester, Dr Eric Kemp, in August 1995. She said that she had done so after struggling with “feelings of guilt” for decades.

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LOUISIANA
KPLC

By Theresa Schmidt

LAKE CHARLES, LA (KPLC) –
A fourth man who said he was sexually abused by ex-priest Mark Broussard took the witness stand Thursday during the trial’s fourth day of testimony.

The witness sometimes had difficulty speaking, as he choked up recalling what he said happened to him when he was 14-years-old in Eunice.

Mark Anthony Broussard, 60, is on trial related to accusations that he molested and raped altar boys when he was a priest at St. Henry and Our Lady Queen of Heaven catholic churches n the 1980s and 1990s. He is charged with molestation of a juvenile, oral sexual battery, aggravated oral sexual battery and two counts of aggravated rape.

The four witnesses who said they were sexually abused by Broussard tell similar stories about how he befriended them, gained their trust and then took their innocence in ways that wreaked havoc in their lives. All describe varying degrees of mental illness, alcohol and drug abuse and difficulty trusting others. All said they kept what had happened secret for many years. All sought counseling for various issues, including PTSD, depression and substance abuse.

The fourth witness was 14 in 1981 and Broussard, not yet a priest, was in his 20s. The witness’ father had died that year and he welcomed the companionship of what he called a “fun adult.” The witness testified that Broussard bought him alcohol and he became intoxicated.

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UNITED STATES
New York Times

By A. O. SCOTT
FEB. 4, 2016

Tom McCarthy’s “Spotlight,” deservedly nominated for a bunch of Oscars, examines evil from the outside, shining a beam of journalistic illumination at the abuse and corruption that festered within the Roman Catholic hierarchy for decades. “The Club,” the latest feature from the Chilean writer-director Pablo Larraín, looks at the same issue from the inside out, bringing the viewer into an uncomfortable state of intimacy with the perpetrators of hideous crimes.

Not that the four men and one woman at the center of this clammy, unsettling film regard themselves that way, or look that way to their neighbors. The five of them live in a neat, yellow-painted house in a small coastal town, where they share meals and strolls along the beach and devote themselves to training their beloved racing dog. His winnings pad the household budget, and while their lives are hardly opulent, the members of this group of outcasts seem to enjoy a measure of peace.

That changes when a new priest joins the club. Almost as soon as he arrives, a disturbed, raggedly dressed man who calls himself Sandokan (Roberto Farías) shows up outside the house and relates, at the top of his lungs and in pornographic detail, a story of sexual abuse. Violence ensues, and in its aftermath an official from the Vatican — a Jesuit named Father García (Marcelo Alonso) — hangs around to investigate and to bring his disgraced colleagues into line.

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AUSTRALIA
Brisbane Times

One of Australia’s most senior Anglican leaders says evidence suggests boys were traded interstate by pedophiles linked to the church.

But Brisbane archbishop Phillip Aspinall said whether there was a “ring” of sex abusers operating during the 1970s, `80s and `90s is a matter for the royal commission to decide.

The leader of the Brisbane diocese, who boasts a near-life-long association with the church which started as an eight-year-old member of the Church of England Boys’ Society (CEBS), on Thursday gave evidence at a public hearing in Hobart.

“Certainly there were abusers who knew each other,” Archbishop Aspinall said.

“There seems to have been evidence that some abusers sent boys from one state to another state where they were abused.”

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CALIFORNIA
Courthouse News Service

By BIANCA BRUNO

SAN DIEGO (CN) – An Ohio seminary student who was arrested by federal authorities on suspicion of trying to buy Mexican children will remain behind bars until his arraignment later this month.

U.S. District Judge Bernard Skomal heard from defendant Joel Alexander Wright, 23, who shuffled into the courtroom wearing an orange jumpsuit, spectacles and ankle shackles. Through his attorney Greg Murphy, Wright waived his right to a detention hearing until he is arraigned later this month.

Wright was arrested by federal authorities on Jan. 29 at the San Diego International Airport on suspicion of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct and aggravated sexual abuse of a child.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alessandra Serano said the two violations Wright has been accused of carry a maximum sentence of 60 years to life in prison.

Federal prosecutors say that while attending school to become a priest at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, Wright unwittingly corresponded with a federal agent posing as a Tijuana tour guide who would procure infants for Wright to have sex with.

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INDIA
SKJ Bollywood

by Subhash K Jha

“Spotlight, the hardhitting film that tells the traumatizing story of a true-life Roman Catholic priest who sexually abused over 80 young children, has just been cleared by the Censor Board Of Film Certification(CBFC) .”

Most surprisingly, the film has been passed with no cuts. Spotlight comes at a time when the trial of the priest Father Johnson Lawrence accused of sexual abuse of a 13-year old boy occupies centrestage in Mumbai.

Says Pahlaj Nihalani , “We are deeply impressed by the film’s commitment to throwing open the doors to reveal the dangers that lurk for young innocence children who don’t even understand what wrong is being done to them.”

In fact the CBFC apparently deliberated with the idea of certifying the film for all ages.

Says Nihalani, “We believe children need to know about the dangers they may face specially sexual predators. However the content of Spotlight would be to disturbing for young minds. So we have passed the film with an ‘Adults’ certificate and no cuts.”

The CBFC is ready to face a huge backlash from the Roman Catholic community. Apparently there was pressure to ban the film in India.So much so that the Indian distributors Sony Pictures did not announce a release date until the film was censored .

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AUSTRALIA
The Guardian

David Marr

Thursday 4 February 2016

The cardinal won’t be coming. It’s his heart. A fresh medical report from Rome says it would be “difficult” for Cardinal George Pell to take the long flight home to give further evidence to the royal commission into the institutional responses to child sexual abuse.

“It doesn’t preclude his travel,” observed the commissioner Peter McClellan. “It doesn’t say he can’t come.” But McClellan has accepted the verdict of Pell’s medicos that a journey home at this time might have “serious consequences” for His Eminence’s health.

It’s an unhappy outcome all round. McClellan wants him to give evidence in person. Abuse victims are keen to confront the man in the flesh. And the cardinal, it seems, may never walk the streets of his native Ballarat again.

Just how sick he is remains a mystery. Pell is keen to keep the finer details of his heart problems secret.

His counsel, Alan Myers QC, argued against releasing the medical reports in full: “All it would do is provoke some sort of debate in the press about the medical condition of Cardinal Pell. There is no public interest in that.”

Under strict secrecy, McClellan allowed four barristers to read the latest report. Unimpressed was Paul O’Dwyer SC who told the commission the two-page document revealed “common or garden problems in a man of the cardinal’s age”.

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ROME
The Guardian (UK)

Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Rome
Thursday 4 February 2016

The members of Pope Francis’s commission to protect children have seen the Oscar-nominated film Spotlight together amid criticism that the pontiff needs to follow through on his promise of “zero tolerance” for clerical sex abuse and cover-ups.

The film, which has been nominated for six Academy Awards, tells the inside account of the Pulitzer Prize-winning team at the Boston Globe who in 2001 doggedly pursued and exposed systematic sex abuse – and subsequent cover-ups to hide the abuse – by clergy and top church officials in their city.

Peter Saunders, an abuse survivor and member of the commission, told the Guardian that another commission member had suggested they watch the film together on the eve of their plenary meeting even though many individual members, including head of the commission Cardinal Sean O’Malley, had already seen the film. The 17-member Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors meets twice a year.

“We got in touch with Phil Saviano – one of the characters in the film – and he got in touch with the producers in LA,” Saunders said. The special screening of the film was shown near the Vatican but not inside Vatican City.

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FLORIDA
Irish Times

Patsy McGarry

An Irish Catholic priest has been singled out for praise in a letter sent to the Vatican by US police officers who investigated a clerical child abuse case, while criticising the diocese in which the priest served.

Last week, Fr John Gallagher (48), from Strabane, Co Tyrone, who has been ministering in Florida since 2000, claimed he has been ostracised by church authorities there for reporting the conduct of another priest in January 2015.

He said he was subsequently demoted.

On April 30th, Fr Gallagher said he was told by Palm Beach diocesan authorities that he was being transferred to another parish. The transfer was not negotiable.

The accused Franciscan priest, Fr Jose Palimattom, was arrested and charged with possession of pornography and distributing it to a minor.

He pleaded guilty in court, served a sentence, and has been deported to his native India.

In an unsolicited letter about the case last May to her superior, detective Debi Phillips of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office praised the Irish priest.

“Having dealt with the Catholic Church in another criminal investigation I fully expected church administrators to be unco-operative and dismissive of the allegations,” she wrote. “Much to my surprise I was wrong.”

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UNITED KINGDOM
Church Militant

by Christine Niles • ChurchMilitant.com • February 4, 2016

The religious order has been dogged by sex scandals worldwide
A victim of sex abuse at the hands of the Christian Brothers religious order is going public.

Leslie Turner, a teacher in the United Kingdom, is breaking his silence in a new film released by The Guardian. As a result of sex abuse he claims to have suffered at the hands of two members of the Christian Brothers at St. Aidan’s Roman Catholic Grammar School in northeast England, Turner was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, and has since been paid £17,000 (about $25,000).

The Congregation of Christian Brothers settled the lawsuit just before the case was to go to trial, where the order would’ve been forced to disclose whether other students had also been abused, and how the Congregation handled those complaints.

The Congregation is refusing to admit liability, stating it’s unable to admit or deny the allegations, and that it would be “quite impossible” to investigate the charges long after the the alleged abusers’ death.

The Christian Brothers have been dogged by multiple sex abuse scandals worldwide, suffering a sharp drop in members over the last few decades. In addition to the United Kingdom, lawsuits have been filed against the Congregation in Ireland, Australia, Canada and the United States.

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IRELAND
Irish Times

Mary Carolan

THE Christian Brothers have failed to stop a High Court action brought against them by a man who alleges, when he was a child, he was sexually abused in the classroom by an apparently drunk lay teacher.

The man, now aged in his 60s, claims the since deceased substitute teacher sexually abused him behind a free-standing blackboard between 1962 and 1965 while his classmates were told to write in their copybooks.

The teacher often appeared to have been drunk during classes, regularly smelled of alcohol and would be missing from the school, run by the Christian Brothers, for weeks at a time, the man claims.

The teacher sometimes requested “the good looking boys” to stay back after class and he believed the teacher also abused other boys in the classroom in the same manner, the man alleged.

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AUSTRALIA
Herald Sun

Shannon Deery

A DECISION will be made next week about whether or not the child abuse royal commission will force Cardinal Pell to return to Melbourne.

Justice Peter McClellan said he would consider submissions made today about his attendance over the weekend.

The cardinal has requested to appear via video-link citing ill health.

But lawyers for victims of sexual abuse have argued he should be forced to attend saying it was in the interest of justice.

It is expected Cardinal Pell’s evidence will take two to three days.

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AUSTRALIA
The Guardian

Melissa Davey
@MelissaLDavey
Thursday 4 February 2016

Australia’s most senior Catholic, Cardinal George Pell, has applied to give evidence to the child abuse royal commission via video link from Rome rather than appearing in person, leaving victims angered and disappointed.

At a directions hearing in Sydney on Friday, Pell’s lawyers tended medical documents to the commission that said Pell was still unwell and flying could pose a risk to his health. Pell again requested to appear via video link, with his lawyer, Allan Myers, saying the cardinal would be willing to do so “as soon as possible”.

Pell had been due to give evidence to the royal commission into institutional responses into child sexual abuse at the second stage of the Ballarat hearings late last year. But in December the commission heard that Pell was too unwell to appear at the hearings before Melbourne’s county court. He requested to appear via video link from Rome instead.

At the time, the chair of the commission, Justice Peter McClellan, refused Pell’s request. He said the commission would wait until February to see if Pell’s condition improved so that he could fly to Australia and face the commission during hearings due at the end of February.

McClellan said given Pell was due to give evidence on complicated matters, including about abuse that occurred in Ballarat, and the response of the Archdiocese of Melbourne to reports of abuse in its institutions, it was preferable Pell appear in person at a later date than video video link.

McClellan will announce his decision on Monday.

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AUSTRALIA
ABC News

By Jayne Margetts, Michelle Brown, staff

Cardinal George Pell is still too ill to travel from Rome to give evidence at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, the inquiry has heard.

His lawyers applied for the 74-year-old to be able to give evidence by audio visual link at hearings of the inquiry dealing with abuse in Ballarat.

Several victims of abuse had stated their opposition to the request.

A two-page medical report was handed up to support the application that a flight to Australia from Rome, where Cardinal Pell oversees the Vatican’s finances, could pose a serious risk to his health.

Allan Myers QC said Cardinal Pell was keen to give evidence to the inquiry.

“The Cardinal’s view is that it’s very important that he give his evidence as soon as may be, while the evidence of others is fresh, and he certainly wants to avoid the appearance that he’s unwilling to give evidence,” Mr Myers told the inquiry.

Access to Cardinal Pell’s medical report was provided at the hearing on the undertaking its details were not publicised.

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AUSTRALIA
Sky News

Cardinal George Pell is continuing to resist efforts to have him return to Australia to give evidence at the royal commission into child sexual abuse due to ill health.

Cardinal Pell, who is based in Rome where he manages the Vatican’s finances, was initially scheduled to give evidence in Melbourne in December, but cancelled because of a worsening heart condition.

The commission wants to hear testimony from Cardinal Pell, as well as former Bishop of Ballarat Ronald Mulkearns, about decades of sexual and physical abuse at schools run by the Catholic clergy in Melbourne and Ballarat.

Lawyers for Cardinal Pell, at a directions hearing on Friday to consider his capacity to return to Australia for a hearing on February 22, again requested he instead give evidence via video link, despite a medical examination on January 29 not precluding his from travelling.

Alan Myers, QC, representing Cardinal Pell, told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse that the 74-year-old “when he was able to, was not unwilling to travel to Australia and give evidence before the commission”.

“For the reasons that are set out in the medical opinion to which I’ve referred, that’s not the position at the moment,” Mr Myers said.

But commission chair Justice Peter McClellan said the medical opinion tendered did not say Cardinal Pell could not travel to Australia.

“That doesn’t preclude his travel, does it?” Justice McClellan asked.

“The doctor opines that it would be difficult for him to undertake a flight. It doesn’t mean he can’t come.”

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CANADA
Windsor Star

SARAH SACHELI, WINDSOR STAR

A retired Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing a dozen boys in decades past is being assessed by a court-appointed psychiatrist to see if he’s fit to stand trial.

Rev. Linus Francis Bastien attended Superior Court Thursday where his lawyer also argued that a lower-court judge who committed the old man to stand trial after a preliminary hearing made errors in law.

The 89-year-old cleric sat in his walker next to defence lawyer Patrick Ducharme. At times, Bastien was seen nodding off. Staff have outfitted him with a headset connected to the courtroom microphones to help him better hear the proceedings.

Bastien is charged with 30 counts of indecent assault, gross indecency, sexual assault and sexual interference against 12 former altar boys. In the case of one of the alleged victims, the charges date back to 1959.

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MASSACHUSETTS
Your Arlington

The principal at Arlington Catholic High School has been put on leave pending the outcome of an investigation, various media outlets are reporting, citing school officials.

In a note sent to parents Wednesday, Feb. 3, Vice Principal Linda Butt said the decision about Stephen Biagioni stems from allegations that took place after a Sunday detention at the school.

“We have no reason to believe at this time it involves allegations of sexual abuse,” the letter said.

Biagioni has been a longtime administrator at the school. and students who spoke to FOX25 expressed shock.

The school said it would update the community once the investigation was finished.

Capt. Richard Flynn, who handles public information for Arlington police, told YourArlington: “As of this time, the Arlington Police Department has received no reports of abuse or allegations of any kind regarding Principal Biagioni.

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MASSACHUSETTS
Fox 25

[with video]

by: Malini Basu Updated: Feb 3, 2016

ARLINGTON, Mass. —
The Principal at Arlington Catholic High School has been put on leave according to school officials.

In a note sent to parents, Vice Principal Linda Butt said the decision stems from allegations that took place after a Sunday detention.

“We have no reason to believe at this time it involves allegations of sexual abuse,” the letter said.

Stephen Biagioni has been an long-time administrator at the school and students that spoke to FOX25 said they are shocked.

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

OHIO
WTOV

BY JULIA KRAMER THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4TH 2016

STEUBENVILLE, Ohio — Details on the past of a seminary student who was arrested earlier this week on child sex charges have come to light.

Joel Wright, 23, was apprehended in San Diego, CA after he was tracked by a Homeland Security investigations team. He was allegedly on his way Mexico to “rent” a 3-year-old female child for sexual assault purposes.

Wright is being charged by federal prosecutors with felony counts of traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor and aggravated sexual abuse of a child.

A police report shows that Wright may have begun his search for a child in May of last year, right here in Steubenville.

Last spring, a call was made to the Steubenville police department concerning a post found on Facebook and Craigslist. The report says Wright, a former Franciscan University student, was looking to pay $150 to babysit a child.

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DELAWARE
The News Journal

Jessica Masulli Reyes, The News Journal February 4, 2016

A Delaware judge is allowing a lawsuit against a Jehovah’s Witness congregation to continue, but repeated concerns about the constitutionality of the state’s law that shields clergy from having to report child abuse disclosed during confessions.

Superior Court Judge Mary M. Johnston issued a 12-page ruling last week in which she refused to dismiss the lawsuit, citing genuine issues that can only be decided at a trial.

Attorney General Matt Denn’s office filed a lawsuit against the Laurel Delaware Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in 2014 alleging two elders failed to report to state authorities a sexual relationship between a woman and 14-year-old boy, both of whom were members of the congregation.

The congregation’s attorney asserts that the elders were exempt from reporting because of a state law that does not require disclosure when the abuse is disclosed in an attorney-client setting or “that between priest and penitent in a sacramental confession.”

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DELAWARE
Washington Post

By Randall Chase | AP February 4

DOVER, Del. — A Delaware judge says state officials can pursue a lawsuit against elders of a Jehovah’s Witnesses congregation for failing to report suspected child abuse.

Superior Court Judge Mary M. Johnston last week declined to rule in favor of the elders, saying there are factual issues that must be decided at trial.

She nevertheless reiterated her concerns about the constitutionality of Delaware’s child abuse reporting law.

The state is suing the elders for not reporting a sexual relationship between a woman and a 14-year-old boy, both congregation members at the time.

The defendants say they did not have to report what they learned because the law exempts communications “between priest and penitent in a sacramental confession.”

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LOUISIANA
American Press

Thursday, February 04, 2016

Crystal Stevenson / American Press

The Diocese of Lake Charles was aware of at least two other sexual abuse claims against former priest Mark Broussard before they met with the victim whose case is being tried this week in state district court.

George Stearns, chancellor for the diocese, testified Wednesday that the organization received its first complaint of sexual abuse involving Broussard on Feb. 28, 1988.

Stearns said the claim involved a man who said Broussard sexually assaulted him seven years earlier inside the student center at LSU-Eunice.

Stearns, who was not chancellor at the time the complaint was filed, testified based on records kept in the diocese’s personnel files.

Stearns said the victim, who was 14 at the time of the alleged incident, told Monsignor Harry Greig his relationship with Broussard began after the death of his father. He said Broussard consoled him as he mourned his father and was also the one who taught him how to drive.

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ROME
Los Angeles Times

Tom Kington

A Vatican commission on clerical sex abuse gathered Thursday for a private screening of “Spotlight,” the Oscar-nominated film about abuse by Boston priests, even as Pope Francis came under fire for failing to act on the crisis.

The extraordinary screening was held on the eve of a three-day meeting by the commission, and was shown in the same church residence in central Rome where Francis — then Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio — stayed before his election as pope in 2013.

“The film is extremely worrying about the cover-up of abuse in the Catholic Church, and I think it would be a good moment for the pope to see it,” said Peter Saunders, a British anti-abuse campaigner who is a member of the commission. He was abused by a Catholic priest as a child growing up in London.

Francis set up the abuse commission in 2014, appointing clergy and abuse survivors as members, and handing leadership to Cardinal Sean O’Malley, who took over the Boston archdiocese after the Boston Globe exposed rampant abuse by priests — events portrayed in “Spotlight.” The commission was charged with finding ways to better protect children from abuse by priests.

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ROME
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, Feb. 4

Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314-503-0003, bdorris@SNAPnetwork.org)

Yet another church abuse panel is holding yet another meeting. Such panels have met at varying levels in the church for decades the results: extraordinarily little progress.

More than thirty years ago, the first US pedophile priest made national headlines. We fear thirty years from now there will still be more meaningless meetings by church officials making promises instead of calling the police. Church officials refuse to take the easiest and quickest abuse prevention step: firing clerics who conceal abuse. Until this happens, the meetings, talks, pledges, and all the rest will amount to no more than public relations.

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CALIFORNIA
KUSI

SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – A seminary student accused of traveling from Ohio to San Diego with the intent of going to Tijuana to have sex with female infants waived his right to a detention hearing Thursday and agreed to be held without bail during the pendency of the case.

Joel Alexander Wright, 23, clad in an orange jumpsuit, answered “yes, your honor” when Magistrate Judge Bernard Skomal asked him if he agreed to postpone his preliminary hearing until Feb. 25, the same day as his scheduled arraignment.

Wright was arrested Jan. 29 at Lindbergh Field and charged with traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct and aggravated sexual abuse of a child. He faces 30 years to life in prison if convicted of the most serious charge, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Alessandra Serano.

After receiving a tip, a Homeland Security Investigations undercover agent took over an email account and started communicating with Wright. The defendant thought he was talking to a Mexico-based tour guide he met after placing an ad on Craigslist, soliciting the adoption of infants in Tijuana, according to the criminal complaint.

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NEW MEXICO
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016

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

A child molesting teacher was given another decade around kids because Catholic officials claim they “couldn’t substantiate” a child sex abuse report against him. Parents, police, prosecutors and parishioners who think that church officials are “doing better” with abuse should think again.

[KRQE]

Aaron Chavez has finally been arrested. He’s accused of molesting five kids at Santo Nino Catholic School. One of them was six years old.

But the first abuse report against Chavez was made to Catholic officials in 2007. Because bishops insist on dealing with abuse reports in secrecy, they can later claim “gee, we found no proof so we kept the accused predator on the job.” If they would be open about these allegations, more evidence and other victims would likely emerge. Instead, church officials keep quiet, protecting their careers and reputations while endangering boys and girls.

Santa Fe Archbishop John Wester should visit this school immediately. He should urge anyone who saw, suspected or suffered Chavez’ crimes – or cover ups by his colleagues – to call police.

We hope every single person who has information or suspicions about Chavez, or other child molesting Catholic staff, will find the strength to call law enforcement now. That’s the only real way to protect kids, expose wrongdoers, deter cover ups and start healing.

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

DELAWARE
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016

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

A Delaware Court has issued what’s being called a “precedent-setting” ruling about the so-called sanctity of confession in a clergy sex abuse and cover up lawsuit.

[Delaware State News]

[Religion Clause]

[Catholic Culture]

Judge Mary M. Johnston is dealing with a case involving a child molesting Jehovah’s Witness in Delaware.

We’re not lawyers. But child abuse isn’t rocket science. If you see, suspect or suffer child sex crimes, call law enforcement. If it turns out later you’ve somehow violated some tenet of your faith, you can deal with it later. But kids’ safety is paramount. The physical and emotional well-being of a child trumps the spiritual purity of an adult.

This kind of ruling is what happens when church officials conceal child sex crimes for decades – they lose credibility among judges. And this is what happens when church officials deliberately and deceptively exploit confessional confidentiality.

Often, we’ve seen church officials falsely claim that conversations about abuse were confessions, so they could keep hiding the truth from police, prosecutors, parents and parishioners. We hope that’s not the case here.

We hope that anyone who saw, suspected or suffered crimes or cover ups by church officials – will speak up, get help, expose wrongdoers and protect kids.

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CALIFORNIA
San Diego Union-Tribune

By Kristina Davis Feb. 4, 2016

SAN DIEGO — A former Ohio seminary student accused of traveling to San Diego to have sex with infant and toddler girls in Mexico agreed during a brief hearing Thursday to be detained in jail for now, although he could argue for bail at a later time if he wishes.

Joel Alexander Wright, 23, was arrested Friday morning after landing at Lindbergh Field, before he could carry out the alleged plan to cross into Tijuana and wait for the girls at a hotel, investigators said.

He was studying to become a Roman Catholic priest at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus. The school called Wright a former student and said it was “shocked and saddened” to learn of the “heinous and reprehensible” allegations. Rev. John Allen said in the statement that the school was cooperating with authorities.

The investigation began in November when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a tip from someone who had come across a Craigslist ad soliciting the adoption of infants in Mexico, according to the complaint filed in San Diego federal court.

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AUSTRALIA
Huffington Post

Supporters of people abused in Australian institutions will hold a silent protest outside Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s Sydney electorate over the Federal Government’s response to calls for a national independent redress scheme.

CLAN, which represents thousands of Care Leavers who suffered abuse in Australia’s orphanages, children’s homes and in foster care, will stage silent protest outside Mr Turnbull’s Edgecliff electorate office on Friday afternoon.

Mr Turnbull is also a patron of CLAN.

The protest will start outside the Royal Commission in Sydney, which is scheduled to hold a directions hearing to determine if Cardinal George Pell is well enough to travel from the Vatican to Australia for a scheduled appearance.

Last week Attorney General George Brandis and Social Services minister Christian Porter released a joint statement supporting a “nationally consistent approach” to Redress for victims of institutional child sexual abuse.

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

AUSTRALIA
Sky News

The royal commission into child sexual abuse is set to consider whether Cardinal George Pell has the capacity to front hearings set for later this month in Ballarat.

Cardinal Pell, who is based in Rome where he manages the Vatican’s finances, was initially scheduled to give evidence in Melbourne in December, but cancelled because of a worsening heart condition.

The commission wants to hear testimony from Cardinal Pell, as well as former Bishop of Ballarat Ronald Mulkearns, about decades of sexual and physical abuse at schools run by the Catholic clergy.

A directions hearing will be held on Friday when chair of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Justice Peter McClellan, will consider the capacity of both men to give testimony on February 22 at a third hearing into events in Ballarat.

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AUSTRALIA
Sky News

Sydney’s former Anglican archbishop Peter Jensen is due to give evidence to a royal commission about how the city’s diocese handled reports of child sexual abuse.

Now-retired Bishop Jensen led the diocese for 12 years until 2013 and on Friday is listed to appear during the final hearing session in Hobart where the commission is investigating abuse linked to the Church of England Boys’ Society.

On the opening day of the Hobart hearing, incumbent Sydney Archbishop Glenn Davies sent a statement to the commission to be read by the church’s lawyer.

It was an acknowledgement that boys suffered abuse.

“The archbishop is deeply sorry that this terrible abuse of trust occurred,” the statement read.

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UNITED STATES
Failed Messiah

FEBRUARY 03, 2016

Dear Readers,

You are probably wondering what the future holds for “Failed Messiah”?

Who are the new owners?

We are a group of people dedicated to protecting the reputation of the Orthodox Jewish community.

A community that keeps to our tradition, and sets our standards high to protect the sanctity of G-d’s name. This can be accomplished in two ways.

Firstly, we will present articles and conversations that speak to what Hashem truly wants from us.

Secondly, we will continue to pursue and expose people that create a desecration of G-d’s name.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish Shmarya Rosenberg tremendous success on his new endeavor in combating poverty issues. We would also like to recognize his efforts in building up this web site.

While some may not agree with his approach, he was able to bring many taboo issues to the forefront of the community, particularly in the area of child abuse, forcing the community to address them. For this the community owes him a debt of gratitude.

We agree firmly that all posters shall be given the opportunity to speak their mind. We ask that it be done without abusive language or language that degenerates specific races or behavior.

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UNITED STATES
PHIL SAVIANO – SURVIVOR & WHISTLEBLOWER

“Truth Prevails” – Jan Hus

Like most social movements, the clergy abuse survivors’ movement began with years of little-noticed efforts by a few pioneers. In Boston, MA, the trailblazer was Phil Saviano. After going public about his abuse in a 1992 Boston Globe story, he spent the next decade immersed in volunteer work for the cause. In spring of 1997, he established the first New England chapter of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. While supporting other victims, he used the news media to get the word out about the hidden problem of Catholic clergy abuse. Saviano’s efforts culminated in his collaboration with the Boston Globe Spotlight Investigation team. Its 2002 exposé led to the resignation of Boston’s Cardinal Law, a man once said to be the most influential cardinal in America. The investigative series ignited a worldwide crisis for the Roman Catholic Church.

Open Road Films acclaimed movie “Spotlight,” which tells the behind-the-scenes story of the newspaper’s investigation, includes scenes with Saviano’s character, played by New York actor Neal Huff.

Phil often comes across as being laid-back and self-effacing. Look deeper, though, and you will find that he has a remarkable stamina and an ability to strive and thrive, both physically and emotionally, despite experiences that could derail others.

At the time that Phil first went public with the story of his childhood abuse, he was grappling with a serious illness that came close to bringing him down. Nevertheless, one morning, a week before Christmas 1992, he was leafing through the pages of the Boston Globe. Phil discovered with a shock, that Fr. David Holley, the same priest who molested him in Massachusetts in the 1960s, was accused of assaulting children in Texas in the 1970s and in New Mexico in the 1980s. He reached out to those men out west and lent support to their allegations by going public about his own abuse. In that emotional blizzard of a weekend in December 1992, Phil was reborn as an activist.

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UNITED STATES
The Mennonite

Written By: Stephanie Krehbiel for the Anabaptist Mennonite chapter of SNAP

Mennonite Church USA, the Mennonite Education Agency, and the Sexual Abuse Prevention Panel have recently come forward with a statement “extending a broad invitation to any individuals interested in confidentially disclosing if they have been approached or abused by Luke Hartman, formerly of Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) in Harrisonburg, Virginia.” The statement invites these individuals to make contact with one of two appointed members of the denomination’s Sexual Abuse Prevention Panel. The statement also refers to an earlier press release by the Anabaptist Mennonite chapter of SNAP that issues a similar call. We emphasize, again, that we make no presumptions about Hartman’s innocence or guilt.

While the Anabaptist-Mennonite chapter of SNAP supports the proactive stance towards sexual abuse that led these entities to issue their invitation, we wish to clarify the following: We do not advise survivors of sexual abuse, harassment, or assault to report their experiences to pastors or other church officials. This observation is in no way meant to reflect on the competence or good intentions of the highly reputable individuals that Mennonite Church USA has selected to receive reports in this particular case. However, the Mennonite church is small and tightly interconnected. When survivors report their experiences to church leaders or insiders who may know the perpetrator, the report creates a conflict of interest for that person, which is not fair to them or to the survivor reporting to them.

Unfortunately, the long experience of SNAP and of survivors and their advocates in the Mennonite church has shown us that reporting sex crimes solely to church-appointed officials tends to produce more silence than justice.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Big Trial

By Ralph Cipriano
for BigTrial.net

In Philadelphia, three strong silent types represent the law, the church and the Fourth Estate.

We’re talking about District Attorney Seth Williams, Archbishop Charles Chaput, and Inquirer Editor Bill Marimow.

And what do all three of these guys have in common? In the case of what increasingly looks like a fraudulent prosecution of the church — featuring a compromised investigation, a falsified grand jury report, and a “lying, scheming” star witness — all three men continue to stonewall. None of these guys will answer any questions.

If the prosecution of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia was over, the stonewallers might be able to get away with it. But the prosecution of the church may have a second act, a third, and possibly even a fourth.

Msgr. William J. Lynn has been granted a new trial. One of Lynn’s original co-defendants, Father James J. Brennan, is scheduled for a retrial on Oct. 24th.

And now a trio of criminal defense lawyers say that newly discovered “Brady material” — evidence beneficial to the defense that was allegedly withheld by the prosecution — may result in a motion for a new trial on behalf of former Catholic school teacher Bernard Shero, now serving 8 to 16 years for the alleged rape of former altar boy “Billy Doe.”

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NEW MEXICO
KRQE

By Candace Hopkins

SANTA FE (KRQE) – A Catholic school teacher accused of fondling young students is in even deeper trouble.

He’s been hit with another round of charges, accused of molesting four more students.

KRQE News 13 first told you about 47-year-old Aaron Chavez two weeks ago. He was arrested after a 6-year-old at Santo Nino Catholic School said he had touched her inappropriately. That student told her mom her art teacher was making her uncomfortable. She later claimed Chavez touched her genitals and buttocks while tucking in her shirt during an art class. News of his arrest led to a bigger case.

“Other individuals have come forward to the detectives to report inappropriate contact with children at the Santo Nino elementary school,” said Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Juan Rios.

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DELAWARE
Catholic Culture

[court decision]

February 04, 2016

A Delaware superior court judge has questioned the constitutionality of a state law that protects the secrecy of sacramental confession.

State law mandates the reporting of suspected child abuse except in cases covered by the attorney-client privilege and conversations “between priest and penitent in sacramental confession.”

Ruling in a case involving the failure of elders of the Jehovah’s Witnesses to report child abuse, Judge Mary M. Johnston said that if “priest,” “penitent,” and “sacramental confession” are interpreted narrowly, then the law is unconstitutional because its “effect would be to advance certain religions over others.”

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CANADA
CBC News

Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett says her department will look into the cases of about 1,000 residential school students who have been disqualified for compensation by a technicality.

The minister made the commitment Wednesday in the House of Commons after the federal Liberal government came under fire during question period.

“We have learned that 1,000 victims of sexual and physical abuse from the residential schools had their cases thrown out on a flimsy legal technicality, which is that children who were abused in institutions run by the government are not, somehow, eligible for compensation by the government,” NDP indigenous affairs critic Charlie Angus said in question period.

“This travesty was conjured up in the Department of Justice.”

The issue centres on an administrative split created when the federal government took over the operation of some residential schools and left other institutions in the control of religious leaders.

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AUSTRALIA
Manny Waks

4/2/2016

​It seems that due to the international outcry relating to Chabad International’s outrageous letter, they have now issued a clarification letter (see below), which seems to suggest that they’ve done a massive backflip. They now seem to claim that, contrary to what they initially claimed, they in fact don’t have any power or authority over the Yeshivah Centre in Melbourne. Once again it is clear that Chabad Headquarters are just as chaotic and unprofessional as their Melbourne branch.

At the same time, the post-Royal Commission founded group, Parents & Friends of Yeshivah Melbourne (PFYM), must take some responsibility for this. They are absolutely right to try to stop Yeshivah’s Trustees from implementing a governance structure that would see them appoint some of the new board members for up to six years (as well as other issues such as the permanent appointment of Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Groner to the governing body). But they have lost credibility in my eyes due to their endorsement of Chabad International’s intervention, as evidenced by their distribution of its letter. Similarly, their call for Chabad rabbis to have the final say on decision-making as part of their governance proposals is equally ill-advised. The model of governance involving Chabad rabbis at the top has been tried and has failed.

Accordingly, I am now cancelling my membership of PFYM as I cannot, in good conscience, continue to support it.

I would like to reiterate that this is by no means an endorsement of the plans of the current Yeshivah Trustees and the model set out by the Yeshivah Governance Review Panel. The current Trustees cannot be involved in the ongoing leadership of the Centre in any way, shape or form – not now and not in the future. They have proven, time and again, that they are unfit to be involved and they must leave, as they claimed they would.

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AUSTRALIA
ABC News

By Simon Lauder

An advocate for victims of sexual abuse at a Melbourne Jewish school has expressed outrage at news the global headquarters of the orthodox movement is seeking to intervene in the school’s response to the royal commission into child sexual abuse.

The New York office of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement has written to the trustees of the Melbourne Yeshivah Centre warning that it will not accept any change to the hierarchical authority under which the centre was established.

The Yeshivah Centre has defended its review process, saying it is an open one.

Manny Waks was sexually abused at Melbourne’s ultra-orthodox Yeshivah College over several years in the 1980s and ’90s.

He has criticised the Chabad headquarters for its lack of response to the sexual abuse revelations.

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OHIO
10TV

[with video]

By Tylar Bacome
Wednesday February 3, 2016

COLUMBUS, Ohio – 10TV is the only news outlet to speak with the Mexican man who says that Joel Wright, the former seminary student at the Pontifical College Josephinum, wanted him to buy an infant to allegedly rape.

The man said he responded to a Craigslist ad in Tijuana in 2014, where Wright initially asked for a tour guide. According to the man, Wright then asked him to find a Mexican woman to marry and later began e-mailing him about buying a baby.

He says in the fall of 2015, Wright’s conversations with him began shifting toward having sex with a child. “He told me straight out he wanted to have sex with a baby,” the man told 10TV exclusively. “Not even older than two years.” The man added that Wright sent him weekly installments totaling roughly $1,500 via Western Union. He also says Wright communicated with him by Skype two to three times and that it appeared Wright was sitting in some sort of office.

The man says he notified the FBI once Wright began talking about his desire to have sex with infants. A short time later, the man claims he met with Homeland Security officials at the United States Consulate in Mexico.

Joel Wright remains in federal custody in San Diego, California and faces two felony charges. He’s due in court Thursday, when a judge will determine if he can bond out of prison. Prosecutors are expected to argue that Wright is a flight risk, a danger to the public, and should remain locked up.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Independent

Caroline Mortimer @cjmortimer

The Catholic church has continued to pay out compensation to victims of alleged child sex abuse at its schools – but is still refusing to accept liability.

Leslie Turner was paid £17,000 in compensation after claiming two members of the Irish Christian Brothers order sexually abused him at a school in Sunderland in the 1960s.

Mr Turner, who has waived his right to anonymity, said he was abused by teachers there between 1961 and 1967.

The now 66-year-old said he decided to sue the Church after he was diagnosed with delayed onset post-traumatic stress disorder in 2012.

He told the Guardian: “After the abuse stopped was actually worse than when the abuse was taking place.

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AUSTRALIA
Broken Rites

By a Broken Rites researcher, article posted on 2 February 2016

Jesuit priests and brothers operate some of Australia’s most prominent schools, with famous ex-students such as former prime minister Tony Abbott. After Brother Victor Higgs committed sexual offences against boys at one of these schools (St Ignatius College, Adelaide), the Jesuits kept Brother Higgs as a member of the Jesuit Order and moved him to their famous Sydney school (St Ignatius College Riverview). One of the Adelaide victims finally reported Brother Higgs to the South Australian police and, on 29 January 2016, Higgs was jailed for some of his Adelaide offences. New South Wales police might now examine Brother Higgs’ career in Sydney.

According to statements made in the Adelaide District Court, Victor Thomas James Higgs was born in the late 1930s, the youngest of nine children. After a period of training with the Jesuits, he became a Brother in the Australia-wide Jesuit religious order in 1963, aged in his twenties. He later spent three years working at St Ignatius College in Athelstone, Adelaide (1968 to 1970, inclusive, when he was aged around 30). He mostly did administrative duties for the school, although he taught some classes (for example, in religious education and in commerce).

After a complaint by a parent in Adelaide, the Jesuits transferred Brother Higgs to St Ignatius Riverview, Sydney, where he spent ten years. The Jesuits kept him as a member of the Jesuit religious order until he retired in Sydney in 2001.

Higgs was interviewed by South Australian police in early 2013 regarding boys from St Ignatius, Adelaide. When charged, Higgs indicated that would plead not guilty, meaning that he would fight the charges in court. Eventually, nearly three years later, he changed his plea to guilty, which meant that no trial would be needed (a judge would merely have to impose a sentence).

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

AUSTRALIA
Broken Rites

By a Broken Rites researcher (article updated 3 February 2016)

Australia’s national child-abuse Royal Commission has learned how George Pell recruited supporters from among suburban priests when he began his rise to power in Melbourne in the 1980s and 1990s. Broken Rites understands that Pell was welcomed particularly by conservative (as distinct from moderate-minded) priests. One of these traditionalist supporters, Father John Walshe, has given evidence to the Royal Commission on behalf of Cardinal Pell’s lawyers. This Broken Rites article is an analysis of Walshe’s evidence. Father Walshe said he supports the tradition of “celibacy” for Catholic priests. A week after his evidence, it was revealed that the Melbourne Catholic archdiocese has apologised to a former student who says he was sexually abused (at the age of 18) by Father Walshe. Meanwhile, Cardinal Pell failed to turn up for his scheduled appearance at the Royal Commission.

The matter of the 18-year-old student is reported towards the end of this article but, first, here is some background about George Pell and John Walshe.

Cardinal George Pell received several mentions in Father Walshe’s evidence. Originally a priest in the Ballarat diocese (which covered the western half of Victoria), George Pell moved to Melbourne in 1985 to become the head of the Melbourne seminary (Corpus Christi College, then based at Melbourne’s Clayton), which trained priests for Victoria and Tasmania. In 1987 he was appointed as one of Melbourne’s four regional auxiliary bishops under the authority of Archbishop Frank Little (Bishop Pell’s region was Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs). This is when he became acquainted with allies such as Father John Walshe.

At this stage, Pell was no more famous nationally than any of Australia’s forty or so other Catholic bishops. But he was working on it.

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UNITED KINGDOM
The Argus

Joel Adams, Reporter

THE head of the Church of England in Sussex has responded to The Argus’s exclusive interview with the victim of George Bell with a forthright statement of support for the survivor.

Yesterday the woman, who was abused by Bell for four years in the 1940s starting from when she was just five years old, broke her silence for the first time.

She detailed how the former Bishop of Chichester would sit her on his lap and touch her, moving her underwear aside to molest her sexually.

In a statement yesterday Martin Warner, head bishop of the Diocese of Chichester, praised her “courage and integrity,” and chastised those whose comments on the story have failed to show compassion or understanding of her suffering.

The victim replied by saying the statement was “heartening” and praised the Bishop and the Diocese for their support in recent years.

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AUSTRALIA
ABC News

By Selina Ross

The former chief executive of Anglicare South Australia did not report allegations against a notorious paedophile to police on the advice of his lawyer, the royal commission into child sexual abuse has heard.

The royal commission sitting is examining the Anglican Church and its youth group, the Church of England Boys Society (CEBS).

Among those of interest to the royal commission is convicted paedophile Robert Brandenburg, a former Adelaide youth leader, who was accused of abusing up to 200 young boys inolved with the CEBS.

The hearing today heard from Brandenburg’s former boss, former Anglicare SA chief executive Gerard Menses, regarding his response to complaints about Brandenburg.

The royal commission heard that in the late 1990s, Mr Menses interviewed his then-employee Brandenburg about allegations he had taken boys alone to camp sites.

That was three years after Mr Menses had held a disciplinary meeting with Brandenburg over him bathing naked in a spa with a 10-year-old boy.

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KENTUCKY
WAVE

[with video]

Posted by Brad Hawley

WALTON, KY (FOX19) –
A youth pastor at the New Banklick Baptist Church in Walton is facing sexual abuse charges, church officials confirmed to FOX19 NOW.

Joseph Niemeyer, 53, is facing three felony counts of Sexual Abuse, Rape and Sodomy after allegedly sexually abusing a child younger than 12-year-old, court documents show.

New Banklick Baptist church Pastor Tim Cochran confirmed that Niemeyer was a youth pastor for the church who worked alongside his wife.

“I’m very sorry to hear what has happened in his home and we’re just praying for the family, praying this all goes well,” Cochran said. “This is a pretty big deal. It’s like a kick in the gut. He was my friend. I’m shocked really. Never in a million yeas would I have guessed anything like this.”

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GEORGIA
Savannah Morning News

In March 2015, the Georgia House of Representatives made it easier for victims of childhood sexual abuse to file lawsuits when the legislature passed House Bill 17 with overwhelming support.

Georgia previously had a relatively short statute of limitations on childhood sexual abuse claims. As a result, many victims were unable to bring charges against their abusers later in life. The law, which went into effect in July 2015, extends the window of time for child sex-abuse victims to file a lawsuit and seek damages.

The new law provides a two-year discovery rule, which allows a survivor of child sexual trauma to file suit from the date they discover a sexual assault, which can be important in cases of repressed memory.

This provision is designed to address the fact that many individuals repress these traumatic experiences until they are adults when therapy can bring these incidents to light. Now, these individuals can gain access to sealed criminal investigations in which they were the victim.

According to the Hidden Predator Law, individuals who have already missed both the statute of limitations and the new two-year provision can now act on a one-time retroactive window of opportunity to file a civil suit against the perpetrator. The window opened on July 1, 2015, and will close on July 1, 2017.

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KENTUCKY
WCPO

INDEPENDENCE, Ky. — A youth ministry leader at a Northern Kentucky church was arrested on charges of sexual abuse, rape and sodomy, according to the church’s senior pastor and Kenton County Jail records.

Joseph Lee Niemeyer Jr., 54, was booked into jail Monday morning.

Tim Cochran, senior pastor at New Banklick Baptist Church in Walton, Kentucky, said Niemeyer confessed Sunday evening to inappropriately touching a girl in his home.

All of the charges listed on the Kenton County Jail website pertain to a victim under 12 years of age.

New Banklick Baptist’s website lists Niemeyer and his wife as the church’s youth ministry leaders.

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HAWAII
Hawaii News Now

[with video]
[includes names of accused abusers]

By Keoki Kerr

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) –
A Catholic church in Kailua and a school in Kalihi are the two locations that generated the most allegations about priests and teachers sexually abusing students decades ago, a Hawaii News Now investigation has revealed.

The accusations have been made by 63 people against 26 priests, teachers and others.

Altogether, 40 lawsuits make claims against 18 schools and churches across the state.

Saint Anthony Church in Kailua and Damien Memorial School in Kalihi have recorded the highest number of sexual abuse complaints: 21 each from the 1950s through the mid 1980s, according to court documents.

And the man accused the most of sexual abuse is the late Father Joseph Henry, a pillar in the Kailua community.

A total of 18 men have alleged in lawsuits Henry molested them from 1952 to 1972; most of those incidents allegedly occurred at Saint Anthony Church in Kailua.

Abuse victims — including former altar boys — said Henry and other Saint Anthony priests would sometimes give them money from the collection plates after having sex with them.

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AUSTRALIA
The Advocate

By Georgie Burgess
Feb. 3, 2016

AUSTRALIA’S former head of state says his handling of a complaint of child sexual abuse within the Anglican Church was ”misguided and wrong”.

Former governor-general Peter Hollingworth on Wednesday apologised to a survivor of abuse at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse which has been holding public hearings in Hobart.

Dr Hollingworth was the Archbishop of Brisbane when he received a complaint about former Tasmanian Church of England Boy’s Society leader John Elliot.

Elliot, who was jailed in 2002 for 30 child sex offences, moved from Tasmania to Queensland in the late 1960s and continued to be involved in CEBS.

A survivor, BYB, gave evidence to the commission that he met Elliot in 1975 as a young boy through the church.

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AUSTRALIA
The Advocate

By ADAM LANGENBERG
Feb. 4, 2016

THE sons of former Tasmanian Anglican Bishop Philip Newell have told a royal commission they deny hearing their brother joke about child sexual abuse at the family dinner table.

John and Michael Newell told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse that their brother Christopher Newell did not say that Church of England Boys Society members had sore bottoms when Priest Louis Daniels was at camps.

Christopher Newell’s former partner Catherine Hutchinson told the inquiry he had made those comments at the dinner table in the mid 1980s, in front of Bishop Newell.

Daniels was later convicted of child sexual abuse against seven different boys.

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AUSTRALIA
Mercury

February 3, 2016

PATRICK BILLINGS
Mercury

THE son of a Tasmanian bishop denies there was ever table chatter at the family home regarding a priest’s sexual abuse of boys.

A royal commission in Hobart has heard evidence that Christopher Newell, son of Bishop Phillip Newell, made a joking reference to Louis Daniels inappropriate behaviour towards children in the Church of England Boys Society (CEBS)

Catherine Hutchinson said Christopher, then her boyfriend, said words to the effect that when Louis Daniels was on camping trips “CEBS boys have sore bottoms”.

Christopher had been involved in CEBS around the time.

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LOUISIANA
KPLC

By Theresa Schmidt

SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA (KPLC) –
Ongoing testimony in the trial of ex-priest Mark Broussard shows a lengthy history of alleged sexual abuse of boys dating back to the early 1980s – until he left the priesthood in 1994.

Wednesday’s testimony revealed information about yet a fourth adult who said he was a victim of Broussard even before he was a priest.

The case against Broussard is unfolding through the testimony of witnesses who’ve told how, when they were boys, he would gain their trust – often first by inviting them to McDonald’s. Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office Det. Kathy LeBlanc, who interviewed the victims, said they told her, “He’d gain their trust. Take them to McDonald’s. Make them feel special.”

LeBlanc also testified about how two of the victims who’d never met each other testified that Broussard had a foot fetish.

She told of her conversation with one man who said he had never told anyone what happened and spent his whole life trying to hide it and act like it never occurred. He was an altar server at Our Lady Queen of Heaven Church during the year 1986 and 1988.

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AUSTRALIA
news.com.au

FEBRUARY 4, 2016

By Andrew Drummond
AAP

One of Australia’s most senior Anglican leaders says evidence suggests boys were traded interstate by pedophiles linked to the church.

But Brisbane archbishop Phillip Aspinall said whether there was a “ring” of sex abusers operating during the 1970s, `80s and `90s is a matter for the royal commission to decide.

The leader of the Brisbane diocese, who boasts a near-life-long association with the church which started as an eight-year-old member of the Church of England Boys’ Society (CEBS), on Thursday gave evidence at a public hearing in Hobart.

“Certainly there were abusers who knew each other,” Archbishop Aspinall said.

“There seems to have been evidence that some abusers sent boys from one state to another state where they were abused.”

Asked if that constituted a “pedophile ring”, the archbishop said it was not his place to judge.

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NEBRASKA
Lincoln Journal Star

BY BISHOP JAMES CONLEY

When I became Bishop of Lincoln in 2012, I undertook a systematic review of the safe-environment and child-protection policies and procedures governing the Church in southern Nebraska. To assist me, I asked our independent Review Board, a group of experts in criminal justice, psychology, and education, to recommend enhancements to our background checks and training programs.

The Diocese of Lincoln is fully compliant with the child protection laws of Nebraska, and the child protection policies of the Catholic Church. Last autumn, I announced that our diocese would begin undergoing annual independent audits of our compliance with child protection policies.

And this week, the Diocese of Lincoln will announce the appointment of a full-time safe environment coordinator to assist in child-protection education and coordination across southern Nebraska. Parents can be confident that the Diocese of Lincoln is committed to ensuring the safety of their children and families.

In December of 2015, I announced that Bishop Robert Finn, the former bishop of Kansas City, Missouri, would serve as the chaplain to a community of religious sisters, his long-time friends, in the Diocese of Lincoln. In 2012, Bishop Finn was convicted of a misdemeanor for failing to report a priest in possession of child pornography.

Because of serious acts of negligence under his leadership, Bishop Finn faced serious penalties. He faced a criminal court, and served the sentence he was given. He resigned his leadership position in the Church. He also accepted responsibility for his actions, and he has expressed sincere regret to those whom his negligence may have harmed.

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AUSTRALIA
ABC News

By Selina Ross

Archbishop of Brisbane Phillip Aspinall has rejected claims that his actions led to a youth being abused by a paedophile priest more than 30 years ago.

He said it was “right and proper” that he wrote a reference for paedophile priest Louis Daniels
Archbishop Aspinall faced the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Hobart today.

He came under intense questioning over what he knew about paedophiles operating in the Anglican Church and its youth group, the Church of England Boys Society (CEBS).

It heard allegations from a witness known as BYF who blamed Archbishop Aspinall for the abuse he suffered at the hands of convicted paedophile Garth Hawkins in January 1982.

Archbishop Aspinall, who was youth officer at CEBS at the time, said BYF told him Hawkins had made an advance on him when they were staying with the priest and he thought the priest was gay.

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IRELAND
The Irish Catholic

by Michael Kelly
February 4, 2016

A joke popular in some clerical circles is to quip that anyone who wants to be a bishop deserves it. But, more often than not, many a true word is spoken in jest.

Anyone intimately acquainted with the appointment of bishops will tell you it can be a notoriously tricky exercise. For example, sometimes, when it looks as if an ideal candidate has been found and approved by the Pope, that man may well reject the elevation and so the process begins again.

Currently, a number of Irish dioceses are awaiting the appointment of a bishop, though only Killaloe is sede vacante (i.e. without a bishop). Since Dr Kieran O’Reilly was installed as Archbishop of neighbouring Cashel & Emly a year ago, Killaloe has been awaiting the appointment of a new shepherd, though an announcement is now said to be imminent.

Bishop John Kirby of Clonfert submitted his resignation over two years ago while Cork’s Bishop John Buckley, Raphoe’s Philip Boyce and Meath’s Michael Smith have also sent letters to Rome formally resigning having reached the mandatory retirement age of 75.

Vacancies

So, in all papal nuncio Archbishop Charles Brown currently has four vacancies to fill with all the consultation, paperwork and back and forwarding with Rome that this entails.

Presuming that the vacant diocese will be filled and those over retirement age replaced, Pope Francis will have appointed 11 Irish diocesan bishops, Benedict XVI appointed nine and six will have been appointed by Pope St John Paul II.

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UNITED STATES
New Statesman

Spotlight fans interested in a deeper, survivor-led exploration of the extent of abuse in the Church would do well to watch Alex Gibney’s documentary Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God.

BY ANNA LESZKIEWICZ

“If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to abuse one.” These are the words of Stanley Tucci’s character, attorney Mitchell Garabedian, in the Oscar-nominated film Spotlight. It’s a sentiment that runs throughout the film, which centres on four journalists working at the Boston Globe in 2001, as they attempt to uncover the extent of sex abuse crimes committed by priests of the Catholic Church.

The film follows their mounting horror as they uncover more and more people were involved in the abuse, both directly and indirectly: their estimates of priests abusing children in the local area climb from seven to thirteen to ninety, their geographical understanding of the scope of the problem broadens from Boston, across the United States, all the way to the Vatican.

It focuses on the journalistic efforts involved in bringing this disturbing scandal to light, so while it deals sensitively with interviews with victims, it never fully explores the impact of abuse on the individual, or forensically explores the full extent of the Church’s crimes.

Audience members interested in a deeper, survivor-led exploration of the extent of abuse in the Church would do well to watch Alex Gibney’s Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God, available in the UK on Netflix. It focuses on the first known protest against clerical sex abuse, told primarily through a series of subtitled or dubbed interviews with four deaf men, Terry Kohut, Gary Smith, Pat Kuehn and Arthur Budzinski, all of whom were abused by their teacher Father Lawrence Murphy at St. John’s School for the Deaf in Milwaukee in the 1960s.

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CHILE
El Mostrador

[Juan Carlos Cruz, victim of priest Fernando Karadima, will travel to Rome to meet next week with members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Children.]

Entre este viernes y el martes de la próxima semana, Juan Carlos Cruz, una de las víctimas de Fernando Karadima, viajará a Roma invitado por un miembro de la Comisión Papal para la tutela de los menores creada por el Papa Francisco en el marco de los casos registrados en todo el mundo.

Aunque hubo una petición especial de otro de los miembros de la comisión para agendarlo en plenario y así el periodista pudiera exponer su visión sobre estos hechos, eso aún no es seguro que ocurra. Lo que sí es claro, es que Cruz lleva consigo cartas del Clero de Osorno, de víctimas chilenas de abusos sexuales cometidos por sacerdotes en Chile y en otros países.

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OHO
10TV

[with video]

By 10TV Web Staff
Wednesday February 3, 2016

STEUBENVILLE, Ohio – The man who traveled to Mexico to allegedly rape and molest infants was also trying to have contact with young children alone in Ohio.

According to a police report last May from the Steubenville Police Department, Joel Wright placed an ad on Craigslist offering to pay parents up to $150 to watch and babysit their young children.

The ad (from a man listed as “Joel”) reads he would play with the children as parents supervised, however it goes on to read “Then you can leave to go out, go shopping, go to a movie, etc…”

The report states a tipster answered the ad and alerted police because she was concerned.

The responder said he lived in Steubenville and is a student at Franciscan University. He also sent over a photo of himself, which was later identified as Joel Wright by university security.

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CALIFORNIA
Hollywood Reporter

by Roger Durling 2/3/2016

Thanks to ‘Spotlight,’ Roger Durling, the head of the fest (running Feb. 3-13), is opening up about his “painful journey of healing”: “Now I’m allowed to feel vindicated.”

This story first appeared in the Feb. 12 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.

I feared the idea of watching Spotlight, but as the credits rolled, there was an incredible feeling of cathartic liberation. I sat in the theater realizing that I was not invisible anymore. I had seen victims of priest child abuse portrayed on the screen with the utmost sympathy.

When I was a young boy, I myself became a victim of abuse by a priest in Panama, where I was born. I rarely discuss it publicly, but it’s been a painful journey of healing and coming to terms with the fact that it wasn’t my fault. I’m a sur­vivor. I’ve been lucky. I know victims who have become drug addicts, who have turned to prostitution or — worse — who have committed suicide. For many years, I compartmentalized my struggle. I had completely erased the events from my history. Sadly, the trauma remained. I couldn’t be intimate. I hated my body and the way I looked. I washed my hands compulsively. Being a gay man made me an easy prey to my oppressor, and for close to 30 years I struggled with the idea that my sexuality was to blame for my instability.

Movies saved my life and gave me purpose. My abuse had made me feel that I wasn’t good enough for anything, that ultimately I would fail at whatever I set out to do. I got a graduate degree from Columbia University, but I didn’t believe in myself enough to capitalize on my education. After school, I attempted to be a writer, but I didn’t push myself as hard as I should have. I feared rejection too much. I would accept jobs with abusive bosses because that’s the way I felt most comfortable. My only solace was movies. In the dark, among fellow cinephiles, I didn’t feel disfigured. I could look Hannibal Lecter in the face — and I was fearless.

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PENNSYLVANIA
Church Militant

by Joseph Pelletier • ChurchMilitant.com • February 3, 2016

Victim allegedly admits he was not sexually abused by Fr. Joseph Maurizio

JOHNSTOWN, Penn. (ChurchMilitant.com) – New evidence is emerging in the case of a Pennsylvania priest convicted of sex abuse.

A federal judge heard claims Tuesday that prosecutors withheld evidence against Fr. Joseph Maurizio, 70, who was found guilty in September of repeated sexual abuse over the course of several years while acting as a missionary in Honduras.

The convictions include sexually abusing children at the ProNino orphanage in El Progresso, using orphanage funds to pay for sexual favors from “street children” and taking a photo of a naked child.

According to Tuesday’s hearing, a statement by one of the alleged victims known as Erick had not been brought forth during the trial, and involved the boy admitting to officials that he hadn’t been “abused” by Fr. Maurizio. “Perhaps they think he really abused me, but that was not the case,” Erick had informed the team of investigators.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Larson asserts that in the mind of the alleged victim, the word “abuse” refers to a specific sex act, as the boy later elucidated his statement and confirmed that the priest had indeed fondled him. This, says Larson, is in line with his testimony.

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NEW MEXICO
Gallup Independent

Published in the Gallup Independent, Gallup, NM, Feb. 1, 2016

By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Independent correspondent

GALLUP — As an advocate for victims of sexual abuse, Joelle Casteix has used her own experience to help support other survivors.

Casteix was sexually molested as a teenager by one of her high school teachers. Although she has worked as a journalist, educator and public relations professional, that devastating experience as a teen eventually led Casteix to become the volunteer Western Regional director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. Despite the word “priest” in the title, the organization offers support to abuse victims from all backgrounds and denominations.

In recent years, Casteix, who lives in California, has widened the scope of her efforts to also educate parents and communities about abuse-prevention strategies. As a result, she recently published the book “The Well-Armored Child/A Parent’s Guide to Preventing Sexual Abuse.”

Q: Why was it important to you to write this book?

A: I have been a survivor/ advocate for almost 15 years, working with victims of child sexual abuse from all over the world. But no matter where the survivor was from, every victim’s story was strikingly similar to that of other victims, and my own.

I realized that the vast majority could have been saved from abuse — or become a “hard target” — if the victim’s parents and community members had learned a few simple tools. The problem is that no one tells parents what those tools are.

Q: What are some of the warning signs that a child is being sexually abused?

A: Is an adult spending too much time with your child and/or showering your child with attention? Have you noticed behavioral changes in your child, including secrecy, changes in peer group, secret social media and email accounts, gifts that your child cannot or will not explain (including technology, gift cards, pornography and other expensive items)? Has your child recently quit a favorite sport or hobby for no apparent reason? Is your child suddenly ashamed or embarrassed about his or her body? Is he or she skipping class? Are you seeing overly sexualized behavior or language in your child?

Older teenagers who have been sexually abused can and do show more aggressive “acting out,” including drug and alcohol use, anger and aggression. Girls tend to act more “inward,” and instead show signs of shame, depression, cutting (or other self-destructive behaviors), isolation and fear. Always address any noticeable changes in behavior and open up lines of communication with your child.

Q: Explain what “grooming” is, and list some of the common grooming tactics of predators.

A: Predatory grooming is how an adult targets and creates a “compliant” victim, that is, a victim who is too scared and manipulated to understand and/or report the sexual abuse. Predators use attention, flattery, gifts (including technology, drugs, alcohol, money, food and toys) and secrets to isolate the child from peers, make the child feel special, blur sexual boundaries, and convince the child that the abuse is love. It’s a long process of subtle manipulation that can take weeks to months. The goals? Gain access to a child, build trust and make him or herself the center of the child’s world … in order to sexually abuse the child.Grooming is a main reason why many victims can take decades to report. Because the child was so carefully manipulated, the child believes he or she did something to “ask for” or “deserve” the abuse. The child believes the abuse was his or her fault. What’s even more tragic is that a carefully groomed child will often love and respect their abuser, even though the child knows the abuse is wrong.

Q: Are there typical red flag behaviors that predators tend to exhibit?

A: Not really. Predators are cunning. They are not the “strangers in trench coats” and do not follow stereotypes. They can be men, women and even other children. That’s why it’s important you empower your child with strong body boundaries, the proper biological language to describe his or her body, and make your rules and boundaries clear to others when it comes to your child. A predator is far less likely to target a child who knows the proper names for body parts, has a good relationship with his or her parents, and who has parents who will not allow the predator to spend inappropriate unsupervised time one-on-one with a child.

Q: How common is the sexual abuse of children by other kids or older teens?

A: Recent statistics from the Office of Victims of Crime state that approximately 25 percent of child sexual abuse is perpetrated by another child. The reason this type of abuse proliferates is twofold. First, adults tend to shrug off the behavior as “child’s play” or “boys will be boys.” The second reason is the idea that a child could sexually abuse another child is abhorrent: We don’t want to think about it. Fortunately, our society has taken a strong stance on bullying — encouraging children to report, not be a bystander, and stand up to aggressive children. Because of that, child-on-child sexual abuse is now reported more often by children, who see it as a violent form of bullying.

If your child says he or she has seen this kind of abuse or has been sexually abused by another child, report to law enforcement immediately. Both the victim and the abusive child need immediate help and intervention. It is a serious crime.

Q: What should parents know about children’s use of the Internet and social media?

A: Predators can groom children just as easily over the Internet as they can in person — and this kind of grooming is preventable. Monitor all Internet-enabled devices in your home.

If you get pushback from your child, remember: It is your name on the contract for Internet service. Therefore, your child should have no expectation of privacy on the Internet. Make sure all Internet-capable devices (phones, tablets, gaming consoles) are only kept and used in common areas of the home and never behind closed doors. Make a “no cellphones in bathrooms” rule. Ensure your children understand and communicate to peers and adults that you monitor everything — this not only cuts down on cyber bullying, but puts predators on notice.

Q: What can parents do to protect their children from being vulnerable to sexual abuse?

A: There are three things: Communicate openly with your child, help your child cultivate strong body boundaries and authentic self-esteem, and monitor Internet-enabled technology.

Q: If a reader has experienced sexual abuse, what message would you share with him or her?

A: Acknowledge the abuse, talk about it and get help. You are not alone and the abuse was not your fault. There are wonderful healing resources available for men and women of all ages who were sexually abused as children and/or sexually assaulted as an adult. You can regain your power, your dignity and your voice. And by speaking out, getting help and healing, you can help break the cycle.

Q: How much is your book, and where can readers purchase it?

A: The book is $12.95 for the paperback and $3.99 for the ebook (Kindle/Nook). It can be purchased directly through Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

Information:
jcasteix@gmail.com

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NEW MEXICO
Gallup Independent

Published in the Gallup Independent, Gallup, N.M., Feb. 2, 2016

Did accused abuser, ‘Mr. Wonder,’ have links to Zuni?

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

GALLUP — When U. S. Marshals arrested Frank Selas, aka Frank Szeles, last week in California, law enforcement officials in Louisiana were a step closer to finally resolving a decades-old child sex abuse case.

With Selas’ arrest, however, several new mysteries surfaced. Was Selas, 76, really the fugitive law enforcement officials had been hunting for 37 years? Had Selas left a trail of sex abuse victims around the world? And had Selas once worked as a school principal at the Diocese of Gallup’s St. Anthony Mission School on the Pueblo of Zuni in 1974?

‘Mr. Wonder’

On Jan. 26, Sheriff William Earl Hilton, of Louisiana’s Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office, called a news conference about Selas’ arrest the previous day.

“As I have stated many times before, there are cases you never forget, some that always are in the back of your mind that you hope one day to solve,” Hilton stated in a news release. “And today, this person has been brought to justice.”

According to Hilton, back in 1979, Selas was a children’s television personality in Monroe, Louisiana, known as “Mr. Wonder” on KNOE-TV. In addition to hosting his kiddie TV show, Selas invited children between the ages of 5 and 11 to enjoy free camping weekends with “Mr. Wonder.”

In June 1979, Hilton said, he was a detective when several parents accused Selas of sexually abusing their sons on a camping trip. An investigation was launched and an arrest warrant was issued, but Selas skipped town before he could be arrested. His car was found a day later in the Dallas area, and he remained a fugitive for the next 37 years.

“The primary reason for this press conference is detectives believe there are more victims out there, possibly over several jurisdictions on (sic) Louisiana, nationally and even internationally as Selas travelled to several countries including Japan and Central and South America,” the news release stated.

Hilton encouraged anyone with knowledge about Selas to contact Detective Stephen Phillips at the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office at 318-473-6727 or 318-473-6700.

Classified ad clues

After Selas’ disappearance in 1979, sheriff’s officials began learning more about his past. They learned Selas had bragged that he had worked in 31 different countries, and they verified his teaching position at St. Mary’s International School in Tokyo, a Catholic school that has been impacted by the clergy sex abuse scandal. While at St. Mary’s, Selas led adventure trips for adolescent boys that he called the “Junior Peace Corps.” To date, however, there are no known allegations against Selas during his time at St. Mary’s.

But prior to working in Louisiana, did Selas also work briefly at St. Anthony Mission in Zuni?

Ken Booth, a retired journalist, has been attempting to track Selas for more than three decades. Booth’s online research led him to the discovery of classified ads in the Gallup Independent from 1974. Three ads, placed in August and September of that year, directed job seekers to contact the principal of St. Anthony School, listed as “Frank Seles” or “Frank Selas.”

“We have no records of the man at all,” the Rev. Patrick McGuire, St. Anthony’s current pastor, said in a phone interview Monday.

McGuire said he was contacted by a detective from Louisiana last week inquiring about Selas. McGuire said he has looked through the school’s old personnel records, covered with “50 years of dust,” and found no reference to Selas. The detective, McGuire said, told him Selas reportedly worked at several other schools that also have not been able to locate Selas’ old personnel records.

McGuire, who said he would continue to search mission files, said four employees at St. Anthony have had a relationship with the school dating back to the 1960s and none remember Selas’ name or recognize his face from law enforcement photos.

“They have no recollections of him,” McGuire said.

Jeanette Suter, superintendent for Catholic schools in the Diocese of Gallup, was reached at her chancery office Monday. Suter said she had been out of town and was unaware of the Selas inquiry but she would look through chancery’s archives.

Franciscan records

The Rev. Thomas Maikowski, who resigned as director of education for the Gallup Diocese in 2005, was also contacted Monday. He suggested the Franciscan sisters in Colorado might have information about Selas’ possible employment in Zuni. Maikowski said he did not take over the diocesan education department until the late 1970s, so any principal in 1974 would have pre-dated him. The Franciscan sisters, however, were in charge of the Zuni mission school then, he said.

Questions to the Sisters of St. Francis of the Perpetual Adoration, based in Colorado Springs, were directed to Gail Hickert, the CEO of Mount St. Francis. In addition to once running St. Anthony School in Zuni, sisters from the religious order founded Gallup’s now defunct St. Mary’s Hospital.

Hickert said she had no idea where the religious order’s old personnel records from Zuni might be kept and said elderly sisters who once worked in the Gallup Diocese now have dementia.

Marquette University in Milwaukee does have Catholic archives from Native American communities in the western U.S., including the Pueblo of Zuni. According to an online Marquette resource, the university has some archived Zuni Mission records from the Sisters of St. Francis between the years 1935 and 1991, but none is specifically listed as dated from 1974.

Disputed identity

Selas was booked into jail in San Diego, where he is being held without bail. At his arraignment Wednesday, Selas pleaded not guilty to a fugitive charge, and he and his attorney are disputing that he is the person named in the criminal complaint.

Law enforcement authorities believe Selas fled to South America in 1979, returned to the U.S. in the 1980s, and then lived in numerous locations across the country, including Connecticut, Vermont, Illinois, Massachusetts and finally Southern California. They said Selas changed his surname to Szeles in 1992 in San Diego County.

After Selas’ arrest, spokesmen from both the Boy Scouts of America and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued statements that the California resident known as “Frank Szeles” had failed to comply with their youth protection policies in the past and had been barred from contact with children. Those violations, however, never resulted in any criminal charges.

Since Selas is arguing that he is not the man wanted by Louisiana authorities, San Diego Superior Court Judge David Szumowski has scheduled an identity hearing Feb. 11.

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

INDIA
Business Standard

Press Trust of India | Mumbai
February 4, 2016

A 35-year-old former priest attached to a temple was arrested from South Mumbai for allegedly raping and blackmailing a 38-year-old married woman, police said today.

The accused, identified as Prem Singh Parmar, was arrested last night.

Police said Parmar, earlier working with a temple in Cotton Green area, had allegedly been raping the woman since 2013.

A police official said Parmar became friendly with the woman when she used to visit the temple.

Parmar, a resident of Kalbadevi in South Mumbai, allegedly called the woman to his house in 2013 under the pretext of offering her a “special prasad”.

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

LOUISIANA
KATC

Wednesday was the third day of trial for former priest Mark Broussard, who is facing child molestation charges that date back to the 1980’s.

Broussard was living in Duson when he was arrested in 2012 on rape and sexual battery charges after a letter surfaced in late 2011, alleging that the former priest had sexually abused a Calcasieu Parish man as a child.

Wednesday morning, the prosecution was still calling witnesses for its case. A deacon with the Lake Charles Diocese took the stand to testify for the state.

The deacon presented Broussard’s personnel files from when he was with the diocese, including a letter Broussard wrote to his friends and family in 1994.

The letter was written two days before his resignation from the priesthood to tell his loved ones that he was leaving the church, “It is best for me and it is best for the Church,” read one line of the letter.

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