ABUSE TRACKER

UNITED STATES
POPE FRANCIS the CON-Christ.

July 14, 2014

Paris Arrow

The Opus Dei Beast PR Stunt of the Day is Pope Francis saying there are (only) “2% of pedophile priests and cardinals and bishops and they are like leprosy in the church” in an interview with famous journalist Eugenio Scalfari published in La Repubblica. But soon after, Vatican (Jesuit) spokesman, Mr. Federico Lombardi refuted that “it is important to notice that the words Mr. Scalfari attributes to the Pope, ‘in quotations’ come from the expert journalist Scalfari’s own memory of what the Pope said and is not an exact transcription of a recording nor a review of such a transcript by the Pope himself to whom the words are attributed”.

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

UNITED KINGDOM
The Freethinker

BARRY DUKE, EDITOR

MANY thought that O’Brien, former head of the Catholic Church in Scotland, had crept off to some monastery, there to repent for his predatory sexual behaviour. But it’s just been revealed that the man who won a “Bigot of the Year” award for his vicious homophobia is living in a £208,750 bungalow – bought by Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh Leo Cushley – in a Northumberland village.

O’Brien, 76, refused this week to explain his situation, saying only:

I’m not speaking to anyone at the moment.

The disgraced churchman has been staying in the former pit village of Ellington, Northumberland, since January.

The house was purchased in the same month by Cushley – who succeeded O’Brien as Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh – and two other leading churchmen in their capacity as trustees of the archdiocese.

O’Brien would not answer questions yesterday about why he was living on the other side of England from Cumbria, where he was understood to be undertaking a religious retreat.

When pressed on the house ownership, he replied:

You’ll need to check that with the diocese. I’m not talking about it, I’m not allowed to talk about it.

O’Brien was brought down after being accused of hypocrisy over his continual condemnation of homosexuality. He called it a “moral degradation” and described gay marriage as “harmful”.

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UNITED STATES
Waiting for Godot to Leave

Kevin O’Brien

Anonymous comments on my post The Nature of the Problem …

Now it was a grave sin what those priests and Bishops did decades ago, but it is time to stop acting like what happened then is still happening now. The Church has taken many steps to prevent sexual abuse from happening.

But these are steps that are not being followed, at least in St. Paul, Kansas City and St. Louis. The enabling of sexual abuse by bishops is still going on. The sexual abuse is still happening.

Read the recent affidavit by Jennifer Haselberger. You can tell yourself that she’s a flaming liberal in it for the money – but at one point she says she had high hopes for Archbishop Nienstedt because he was “doctrinally pure”. So that won’t wash.

And most of what she describes is backed up by documentary evidence, and it rings very true.

A friend of mine says the bishops have been behaving with “knavish imbecility”. It’s a great phrase, and it comes from Hilaire Belloc, who speaks of the Church as …

… an institute run with such knavish imbecility that if it were not the work of God it would not last a fortnight.

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CANADA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, July 17, 2014

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

A Canadian Orthodox archbishop, who was convicted of child sexual abuse and sentenced to 8 months in jail last week, has been released on bail. We are disappointed the judge granted this request.

Archbishop Seraphim Storheim was found criminally guilty of sexually abusing a child. Child abuse victims rarely report their abuse lightly and Storheim has two victims speaking publically. Child molesters rarely abuse only once or change their ways. We hope no other children will be hurt while he walks free.

It is not too late to report what you know to police. If you were abused or you know someone who was abused by Storheim please contact law enforcement and get help. We also urge the Orthodox Church of America to alert parishioners that Storheim has been released and is still a convicted child molester.

NOTE – in an earlier statement, we wrote “The OCA opposes his release.” We meant to say “The OCA should oppose his release.” We regret the error.

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CANADA
Global News

By Chinta Puxley The Canadian Press

WINNIPEG – A former Orthodox priest convicted of sexually assaulting an altar boy spent just over a week behind bars before being freed on bail until his appeal is heard.

Seraphim Storheim was convicted of sexual assault early this year and sentenced last week to eight months in jail for an assault dating back almost 30 years. His lawyer Jeff Gindin immediately appealed the conviction and sentence, arguing the judge came to the wrong conclusion when he didn’t find Storheim’s account credible.

Gindin argued Thursday his client should be released on bail until the appeal is heard because he poses no threat to society. If Storheim had not been granted bail, Gindin said it’s possible he would have served the bulk of his sentence before his appeal was heard.

Justice Diana Cameron of Manitoba’s Court of Appeal agreed that was likely — even if the appeal moves quickly.

“It’s entirely conceivable he would have served out his sentence before a decision was rendered by this court,” she said.

Storheim, now 68, showed no emotion as he was granted bail and told he could not be alone with a child under the age of 18 as a condition of his release.

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MINNESOTA
Friendly Atheist

July 17, 2014 By Hemant Mehta

Twin Cities (Minnesota) Archbishop John Nienstedt (below) spent years arguing against LGBT rights. In 2007, he wrote that “those who actively encourage or promote homosexual acts… formally cooperate in a grave evil and, if they do so knowingly and willingly, are guilty of mortal sin.” He condemned Brokeback Mountain when it came out. And he spent $650,000 of the Church’s money trying to convince Minnesota voters to pass an amendment banning same-sex marriage — an amendment that ultimately failed.

It’s hardly surprisingly, then, to learn that Nienstedt was under investigation for having sex with other priests. More importantly, he retaliated against anyone who didn’t respond in kind or questioned what he was doing. He denies all of these allegations, of course.

But it gets worse. One of the men promoted by Nienstedt to become a pastor, Curtis Wehmeyer, ended up molesting kids while in that role. It was discovered that Nienstedt knew about Wehmeyer’s criminal history when he promoted him to that position.

It’s just astonishing how any of this could have happened. And we haven’t scraped the bottom of the barrel yet, since Nienstedt’s “archivist and top adviser on Roman Catholic church law” Jennifer Haselberger is finally speaking out against the cover-ups that took place while she was there:

Haselberger said that when she started examining records in 2008 of clergy under restrictions over sex misconduct with adults and children she found “nearly 20″ of the 48 men still in ministry. She said she repeatedly warned Nienstedt and his aides about the risk of these placements, but they took action only in one case. As a result of raising alarms, she said she was eventually shut out of meetings about priest misconduct. She resigned last year.
…
Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens said in a statement that Haselberger’s “recollections are not always shared by others within the archdiocese.” He said the archdiocese was taking steps toward “greater transparency and accountability.”

Well, that’s convenient. The recollections may not be shared, but the Church is known for just dismissing things that make it look bad. They love sweeping naughty/molest-y clergy members under the rug.

You can read Haselberger’s full affidavit here. It’s more than 100 pages of information the Church doesn’t want you to hear. Haselberger deserves a lot of credit for shining a light on this information. It’s an incredibly courageous move, given the size and influence of the institution she’s up against.

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MINNESOTA
Catholic News Agency

Minneapolis, Minn., Jul 17, 2014 / 01:10 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- An auxiliary bishop of the Saint Paul-Minneapolis archdiocese says the affidavit of a former chancellor on the handling of sex abuse allegations is not necessarily consistent the view of others involved.

“Her recollections are not always shared by others within the archdiocese,” Bishop Andrew Cozzens said July 15 of the affidavit filed by Jennifer Haselberger – who was chancellor of the archdiocese from 2008-2013.

Her sworn statement in a lawsuit concerning sexual abuse by a former priest was filed July 7, and charged that while she was employed there, the Saint Paul-Minneapolis archdiocese had a pattern of failing to deal appropriately with allegations made against clergy of sex abuse.

The lawsuit is filed by a man, known as Doe 1, who claims to have been abused as a minor by Thomas Adamson, then a priest, in 1976 and 1977. The suit had been filed against Adamson, as well as the Saint Paul-Minneapolis archdiocese and the Diocese of Winona.

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UNITED STATES
Deseret News

Compiled by Kelsey Dallas
For the Deseret News
Published: Thursday, July 17 2014

Pope Francis spoke openly about clergy sexual abuse in a recent interview with an Italian newspaper. But instead of celebrating his willingness to address the issue, some Catholics, including officials at the Vatican, worry that his comments may do more harm than good.

On Sunday, La Repubblica published its account of a conversation between the paper’s founder, Eugenio Scalfari, and Pope Francis. In it, the pope addresses clergy sexual abuse, calling pedophilia a “leprosy in our house.”

“Many of my collaborators who fight with me (against pedophilia) reassure me with reliable statistics that … the level of pedophilia in the church is at about 2 percent. … This data should hearten me but I have to tell you that it does not hearten me at all. In fact, I think that it is very grave,” Francis said to Scalfari. Reuters published the translated excerpt.

Reaction to the interview ranged from difficulty proving the accuracy of the pope’s 2 percent figure to disputes over how far up in the Catholic Church’s hierarchy abusers can be found. …

“The question of the percentage of pedophiles in the priesthood is not easily answered, even in the United States, where bishops release some data on surveys and survivors have collected significant information over the years through litigation,” Michelle Boorstein wrote for the Post. “Figures vary among church leaders and outside analysts. The question in most other parts of the world, particularly in developing countries, seems completely unanswered. However, survivor advocates said two percent sounds low.”

SNAP, the survivors network of those abused by priests, issued a statement about the pope’s comments, expressing frustration with Francis’ affinity for speaking about clergy sexual abuse rather than acting to end it.

“No one benefits when the world’s top Catholic official mischaracterizes the crisis, by talking often about abuse and rarely about cover up. No one benefits when he minimizes the crisis by low-balling estimates of child-molesting clerics,” the statement explained.

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CANADA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, July 17, 2014

Statement by Melanie Jula Sakoda of Moraga, California, Orthodox Director of SNAP, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 925-708-6175, melanie.sakoda@gmail.com )

A Canadian archbishop, who was convicted of child sexual abuse and sentenced to 8 months in jail last week, has appealed his conviction and requested to be released on bail. We hope the judge denies this request.

Archbishop Seraphim Storheim was found criminally guilty of sexually abusing a child. While locked up, he cannot hurt any more children. We disagree with Storheim’s attorney, who claims the archbishop poses no threat to society. Child molesters rarely abuse only once or change their ways.

The Orthodox Church in America (OCA) opposes his release and now more than ever should reach out to anyone else who was hurt by the archbishop and might be suffering in silence and self-blame.

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NIGERIA
Y Naija

by S’ola Filani

A middle‑aged pastor of one of the Pentecostal churches in Ile‑Oluji area of Ondo State, Peter Etim, has been arrested for child abuse – inflicting serious body injuries on two of his male children.

He was arrested by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Ondo State Command, on Wednesday.

For stealing his N180, and selling some wares in his shop on credit without his permission, the pastor inflicted the injuries on his boys – Elijah (10) and Hope (8), by using electric wire to beat them.

Briefing journalists, the command image maker, Mr. Kayode Balogun, advised parents and guardians to be careful about the way they treat their children.

Balogun said children have some rights which needed to be protected under the Child Rights Act of Ondo State and the federation.

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NEBRASKA
National Catholic Reporter

Robert McClory | Jun. 18, 2014

CRISIS OF CATHOLIC AUTHORITY: FAITH AND POWER IN THE DIOCESE OF LINCOLN, NEBRASKA
By Rachel Pokora
Published by Paragon House, $19.95

Crisis of Catholic Authority is a kind of ecclesiastical horror story. It relates what can happen when an autocratic hierarch chooses to exercise his supreme, punitive power over some of his subjects. No one on this earth will restrain him, neither the priests of his diocese, nor his fellow bishops in the U.S., nor the high authorities in Rome, not even the pope himself. And like some ancient gothic curse, this awesome penalty has acquired a life of its own, continuing in full force for 18 years, outliving the resignation of the bishop who pronounced it, still in effect to this day and into the foreseeable future.

The bishop is Fabian Bruskewitz, who ruled the diocese of Lincoln, Neb., from 1992 to 2012. Those immediately affected by excommunication in 1996 were some 45 members of the Nebraska chapter of the Call to Action organization who happened to live in the Lincoln diocese. They were given one month to resign from the accursed group, at which time the penalty would automatically go into effect. Also presumably affected were any other Call to Action members who would move to Lincoln in the future without renouncing their membership.

It should be noted that no other U.S. bishop has followed Bruskewitz’s lead in all these years, though the bishop himself has become a kind of folk hero to supporters of Mother Angelica’s EWTN television station and other far-right conservative Catholic organizations.

Author Rachel Pokora narrates the story clearly, without rancor or bitterness. She is a professor of communications at Nebraska Wesleyan University who moved to Lincoln after Bruskewitz struck. She chose to join CTA’s Nebraska chapter after experiencing the rigidity and extreme conservatism that marked parish life in the diocese, and she later served for several years as the chapter’s president.

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UNITED STATES
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

There’s tons of truth in the axiom “Past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior.”

Yet when a pope is picked, many predict – based solely on hope and ignoring considerable evidence – that he’ll “be better” on abuse than his predecessor.

That’s why we are so grateful to the amazing researchers at BA.org [BishopAccountability.org] who dug deep into how Pope Francis dealt with clergy sex abuse and cover up cases in Argentina. What they found is very disturbing.

And their work, though seemingly ignored at first, is finally gaining traction.

In the past few weeks, more and more news outlets and bloggers are citing this important research.

The Guardian

The Washington Post

The Telegraph

The American Conservative

The New York Times

The Global Post

Let this be a reminder to all of us: when our efforts don’t seem to bear fruit, it’s best to be patient and fight pessimism. It may take weeks or months or sometimes years. But usually, our hard work is noticed and effective.

Congrats & thanks to BA.org

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LOUISIANA
WWNO

By JIM ENGSTER

David Clohessy, the Executive Director of the Snap Network (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) joins Jim for the first part of today’s show to discuss the Louisiana Supreme Court’s 6-1 ruling against seal of confessional in a recent case against a Baton Rouge Priest. Also, Attorney Michael Wolf joins the conversation in studio to discuss the recent court decision and explain the legal action taken.

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CANADA
Metro

By Staff
The Canadian Press

WINNIPEG – A former Orthodox priest convicted of sexually assaulting an altar boy will hear today if he will be granted bail pending an appeal.

Seraphim Storheim was convicted last week and sentenced to eight months in jail for an incident dating back almost 30 years.

Jeff Gindin, his lawyer, immediately appealed the conviction and the sentence.

Gindin says his client should be released on bail until the appeal is heard because he poses no threat to society.

He told a judge Thursday that if Storheim is not granted bail, it’s possible he will have to serve out the bulk of his sentence before his appeal is heard.

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VATICAN CITY
Christian Post

BY NICOLA MENZIE , CHRISTIAN POST REPORTER
June 7, 2014

Joel Osteen, bestselling motivational author and evangelical pastor of America’s fastest-growing megachurch, was among a small group that included Mormon Sen. Mike Lee, to meet privately with Pope Francis at the Vatican in Rome, this week.

Osteen said he was honored to meet with Pope Francis, who leads the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics.

“I like the fact that this pope is trying to make the church larger, not smaller. He’s not pushing people out but making the church more inclusive. That resonated with me,” Osteen told the Houston Chronicle.

The megachurch pastor, who ministers to 52,000 worshippers weekly and reaches millions through his books and television broadcasts, added that the group’s meeting with Francis was cut short due to the death of a cardinal, Simon Lourdusamy. Osteen added, however, that the pope asked the group to pray for peace in the Middle East as well as for him.

According to Deseret News, the meeting with Pope Francis on Thursday was “part of a multiday, unofficial visit to Italy to promote ecumenical prayer and interfaith understanding.”

In addition to Sen. Lee’s and Osteen’s presence, the publication reports that others in attendance included Tim Timmons, a pastor and author based in Newport Beach, Calif., and Gayle D. Beebe, president of Westmont College in Santa Barbara, Calif.

The Fellowship, or The International Foundation, reportedly organized the trip. The Fellowship is led by evangelical Christian minister Douglas Coe, who was noted by the Vatican Information Services as one of many guests received by Pope Francis on Thursday, cited simply as: “Doug Coe of the National Prayer Breakfast, U.S.A., and entourage.” The Fellowship is the main organizer behind the annual National Prayer Breakfast held in Washington, D.C.

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ROME
Christian News

July 3, 2014

ROME – Two controversial TV preachers recently met Pope Francis in an effort to work toward tearing down the ‘walls of division’ between Catholics and Protestants.

Kenneth Copeland and James Robison are two religious leaders in northeast Texas known for drawing huge crowds to their services and events, and who were a part of leading the group identifying as a “delegation of Evangelical Christian leaders” in its meeting with the Roman Catholic pontiff late last month.

Copeland heads Kenneth Copeland Ministries and Eagle Mountain International Church, while Robison is an “apostolic elder” at Gateway Church and co-hosts the Life Today TV program.

In 2008, CBS News released a detailed report on Kenneth Copeland Ministries, saying an investigation “raises serious questions about the Copeland’s religious empire.” For example, according to the report, the “ministry” operates private jets which are often used for vacation trips.

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VATICAN CITY
Worthy News

Monday, June 30, 2014

VATICAN CITY (Worthy News)– A delegation of evangelicals led by televangelists Kenneth Copeland and James Robison met with Pope Francis for three hours last week at the Vatican.

The meeting was set up by Bishop Tony Palmer, a bishop of the Anglican Episcopal Church in the United Kingdom. Last January, Palmer addressed a Kenneth Copeland pastor’s conference calling for unity between Catholics and Protestants.

“This meeting was a miracle,” Robison told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “This is something God has done. God wants his arms around the world. And he wants Christians to put his arms around the world by working together.”

Over the past few years, Robison has led several conferences with evangelicals and Catholics working toward an ecumenical understanding. Robison along with Catholic philosopher Jay W. Richards wrote a book entitled, “Indivisible.”

Earlier this month, mega-church speaker Joel Osteen, also met with the Pope saying, “I love the fact that’s he’s made the Church more inclusive, not trying to make it smaller, but to try to make it larger — to take everybody in. So, that just resonates with me.”

However, critics have expressed concerns about the recent ecumenical gatherings, stating that ecumenicism is far from biblical and point to the understanding that the last religious ruler termed the “False Prophet” by many will gather the world into a false “one world religion.”

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UNITED KINGDOM
Lancashire Telegraph

By Peter Magill, Chief reporter

A SCHOOLGIRL who confided that she was being sexually abused by a Jehovah’s Witness was then repeatedly molested by the man she had turned to for help, a court heard.

The 12-year-old was ‘infatuated’ with Eugene Nugent, who was in his early 20s, and ‘followed him around like a puppy’, jurors at Burnley Crown Court were told.

But after the girl, a member of a Jehovah’s Witness family in Haslingden, told Nugent that a senior member of the congregation had been sexually assaulting her, he also began abusing her, the court heard.

Nugent, now 53, is accused of inciting her to commit sex acts at his home, the garage where he worked, near Grane Reservoir and in a shed.

Prosecutor Sara Dodd said that on one occasion, while his wife was out of the house, he also had full sex with the girl, despite her telling him to stop halfway through. She later told one of her sisters about what had happened.

Nugent, of Cobden Street, Hapton, has denied having sexual intercourse with a girl aged under 13 and seven charges of indecency with a child between July 1983 and July 1984.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, July 17, 2014

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

A victim abused by a Jehovah’s Witness elder was later abused by the man she confided in. Our hearts ache for this victim and we applaud her courage in speaking out.

[Lancashire Telegraph]

We hope that the perpetrators in this case are held accountable for their horrendous crimes and that law enforcement investigates anyone who may have helped cover-up this abuse.

We urge anyone who saw, suspects or suffered child sexual abuse to gain courage from this brave woman and report to police and start healing.

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UNITED STATES
The Open Tabernacle: Here Comes Everybody

Pope Francis Met With the Head of the Family – the Secretive, Powerful Politicians Based in a Wash. DC Townhouse

Posted on July 17, 2014 by Betty Clermont

On June 5, Pope Francis met in private with Doug Coe, one of the most influential evangelicals in the US and head of the Family, tea-party ally Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and former U.S. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne who served under Bush 43 amid unprecedented scandal.

“Their goal is a worldwide invisible organization….The core issue is capitalism and power.” The Family has connections with businessmen in the oil and aerospace industries, the CIA, Pentagon and Department of Defense according to Jeff Sharlet, investigative journalist and author of The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power. Their “friends” include:

• Salvadoran general Carlos Eugenios Vides Casanova, convicted by a Florida jury for the torture of thousands.
• Honduran general Gustavo Alvarez Martinez, a minister also linked to the CIA and death squads
• Omar al-Bashir, the president of oil-rich Sudan, who has been indicted for genocide in the International Criminal Court
• Yoweri Museveni, president of Uganda, which recently enacted the Anti-Homosexuality Bill mandating the death penalty for some homosexual acts.
• General Sani Abacha, dictator of Nigeria, the US’s fourth-largest supplier of petroleum. “Abacha was known for two qualities: the greed that led him to steal $3 billion from his country, and the ruthlessness that made that theft possible. His execution of dissident writer Ken Saro-Wiwa in 1995 made international headlines.”

“Sen. Mike Lee was Sen. Ted Cruz’s right-hand man throughout the 16-day government shutdown.”

In February, Lee and Cruz introduced S. 2024, the State Marriage Defense Act “which respects the definition of marriage held by the people of each state and protects states from the federal government’s efforts to force any other definition upon them.”

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UNITED KINGDOM
BBC News

By Tom Bateman
Today programme reporter

An alleged victim of child sexual abuse has warned the inquiry into historical cases faces failure without fast-tracked psychological victim support.

The overarching inquiry commissioned by the Home Office will consider cases going back several decades.

“David” told the BBC his experience suggested victims who came forward could “go through hell”.

The Home Office said it was working across government to ensure victims had the support and help they needed.

Home Secretary Theresa May announced the inquiry last week to examine how public institutions had handled their duty of care to protect children from paedophiles.

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UNITED KINGDOM
London Evening Standard

JOE MURPHY, POLITICAL EDITOR

Published: 17 July 2014

A majority of Britons lack confidence that the new inquiries into child abuse will ever get to the truth, an exclusive poll reveals today.

Research by Ipsos MORI found that 56 per cent doubt they will learn what happened from a new overarching inquiry and a separate probe into missing files.

A huge majority — 87 per cent — think child abuse was covered up in the Seventies and Eighties. Some 62 per cent “strongly” believe this.

Half the public think establishment figures would attempt a cover-up if such scandals were to happen again today.

Two probes were announced last week, including an overarching inquiry into the failure to properly investigate alleged paedophile rings in politics, the BBC and health services. The Prime Minister vowed to leave “no stone unturned” in the hunt for facts.

Today’s poll reveals many people distrust the “establishment”, past and present, to let the truth come out.

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UNITED KINGDOM
The Guardian

Rowena Mason, political correspondent
theguardian.com, Thursday 17 July 2014

Labour has called for a review of child protection amid concerns that the police, law enforcement agencies and the criminal record checking authority do not have enough resources to deal with “serious, hidden” sexual crimes on the internet.

The shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, urged the government to draw up an urgent action plan to tackle the problem after there was a 65% increase in reported child abuse images but a 9% drop in prosecutions for child sex offences.

She also questioned whether police forces had enough resources to deal with online paedophile activity after the Times claimed the National Crime Agency had identified more than 10,000 suspects that it does not have the capacity to investigate. It comes after almost 660 suspected paedophiles were arrested in connection with child abuse images on the internet in a new operation, with the majority having no previous contact with police.

In an urgent question in the Commons, Cooper also raised worries about “chaos” at the new Disclosure and Barring Service, where the number of criminals banned from working with children has dropped by about 75% since new policy changes brought in by the Home Office.

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ARGENTINA
BishopAccountability.org

[Translated into English by BishopAccountability.org. To see the original letter in Spanish, click here. To see videos, photos, and background information on Argentine survivors, click here.]

Buenos Aires, July 5, 2014

Pope Francis:

We are writing to you because, on the occasion of your upcoming meeting with survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests, no Argentine survivor was invited to attend.

This fact pains us, considering that you must know about the cases here that have given rise to many years of struggle by victims, and about the new cases that have surfaced.

On a number of occasions you’ve pledged zero tolerance when confronting these cases; and so, this letter appeals to your sense of Truth and Justice.

As survivors of child sex abuse by clergy, we urge you to:

-Issue a decree that establishes as a criminal offense the commission and cover-up of child sex abuse by clergy. To that end, there must be an investigation of the bishops, archbishops, cardinals, monsignors and religious who have transferred pedophile priests.

-We also demand the nullification of the statute of limitations for filing a criminal complaint to the archdiocese, since, in Argentina, [the time within which to bring legal proceedings] is restricted to 20 years, dating to when the abuse was committed.

-In many instances the victims suffer from an emotional block and are unable to speak. When, finally, they do break the silence, no one believes them and the statutes of limitations in their cases have elapsed. We demand that they be believed: part of their emotional healing is being able to publicly denounce their assailant and his accomplices.

-You must correct the dangerous weakness in church law that allows bishops to keep [priests] in ministry. Two such cases involve Monseñor Ricardo Faifer, who covered up for Reverend Domingo Pacheco, and Monseñor Héctor Agüer, who covered up Reverend Ricardo Giménez. Not only these priests, but all other priests around the globe who have abused children. Case after case has seen repeated, systematic cover-up by both local church officials and the Vatican.

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SOUTH CAROLINA
WCSC

By Harve Jacobsnd

MT. PLEASANT, SC (WCSC) –
A chaplain at MUSC went before a bond judge Wednesday after his arrest for several alleged sexual encounters with a 17-year-old boy.

Mt. Pleasant Police arrested 40 year old Gerig Huggins Tuesday and charged him with unlawful conduct toward a child.

According to court papers, Chaplain Huggins exposed himself to and touched his accuser’s private parts on several occasions at a home in Mt. Pleasant.

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SOUTH CAROLINA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, July 17, 2014

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

A South Carolina pastor has been arrested after allegations of child sexual abuse were reported. We are grateful to the brave victim who came forward and is working to help protect other children.

Gerig Michael Huggins is a full time chaplain at the Medical University and an Assemblies of God pastor. Huggins allegedly abused a 14 year old boy in Georgia and South Carolina. According to Medical University’s website Huggins has been a pastor in Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina.

We are concerned that Huggins has many more victims in these states and urge officials at Assemblies of God to reach out to anyone who might be suffering in silence and self-blame.

We urgently urge law enforcement to investigate any other possible victims. We also beg anyone who saw, suspects or suffered abuse by Huggins to call police right away and help protect children.

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MINNESOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, July 17, 2014

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

Ramsey County D.A. John Choi has spoken several times about how Minnesota laws prevent him from doing more about clergy sex crimes and cover ups in the Twin Cities Catholic archdiocese.

We find his claims hard to swallow. But here’s something he CAN do: He can – and should – investigate three high-ranking current or former Twin Cities Catholic officials for perjury.

Under oath these four have many, and often radically, different recollections of how clergy sex abuse and cover up cases have been handled in recent years.

By far the most credible, of course, is former chancellor Jennifer Haselberger who, in a compelling new 107 page affidavit, disagrees strongly with the sworn testimony of a church lawyer Andrew Eisenzimmer and Archbishop John Nienstedt and former second-in-command Fr. Kevin McDonough.

One or more of them is lying.

And these were recent sworn statements or depositions, so there should be no statute of limitations barriers. All of these individuals are healthy, so there should be no claims of dementia or Alzheimer’s.

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IRELAND
Journal

Mark Vincent Healy is a campaigning abuse survivor. Read his full report and response to the NSBCCCI audit into the Holy Ghost Fathers here.

THE FIRST MALE survivor of Irish clerical child sexual abuse to meet with Pope Francis was myself, Mark Vincent Healy. I followed Marie Kane, also from Ireland, as the fourth survivor to meet with Pope Francis. There were six of us presented to Pope Francis from the United Kingdom, Ireland and Germany.

It was such an important and historic moment for Irish survivors where the Pope was left in no doubt about the human and spiritual cost that clerical child sexual abuse causes. Those costs over decades were in the form of self-harming to suicide to spiritual isolation and what is called ‘soul murder’.
In my letter I personally presented to Pope Francis I wrote:

The world will indeed be curious about our meeting and wondering what will come of it. There are opposing opinions about such a meeting ranging from high hope on the one hand, to scepticism, if not derision, that nothing positive can possible come of such a meeting. For my part I can only hold out hope.I contacted other survivors and their families to let them know I had been accorded this opportunity. Many do not trust the Catholic Church and for good reason considering the enormous betrayal of trust which was later followed by the enormous distress in seeking remedy and redress.However, I feel any opportunity to dialogue and lay out the realities of Clerical Child Sexual Abuse is not to be squandered. I am not sure I have what it takes to give the sort of presentation this subject requires but I will be happy to have made the effort than to have lost the opportunity in not even trying.

A copy of my prepared letter had been sent to Archbishop Diarmuid Martin two days before meeting Pope Francis.

There had been and still is huge speculation about the survivors who met with Pope Francis. Indeed some of the comments have been very hurtful, portraying none of the difficulties and braveries exhibited in taking such a momentous step in agreeing to meet with the Patriarch of a Church of one billion followers, a church which has contributed to so much pain and suffering on children, its own children, the children of the living God, the very survivors who met with Pope Francis for the first time.

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UNITED STATES
Washington Post

Some say pope’s reported claim that 2 percent of priests are pedophiles is too low

By Michelle Boorstein July 14

Another news-making Pope Francis interview, another round of unanswered questions. This time, the topic is clergy sex abuse.

In an interview published Sunday in the Italian daily La Repubblica, the pope talks with the newspaper’s founder, atheist Eugenio Scalfari, about the “leprosy” of pedophilia. The article quotes the pope as saying about 2 percent of Catholic priests are pedophiles, but it doesn’t have Francis citing a source and the figure appears to come up in a conversational way. This is the third interview between the two men since Francis took office last year.

“Many of my collaborators who fight with me (against pedophilia) reassure me with reliable statistics that say that the level of pedophilia in the Church is at about 2 percent,” Francis was quoted as saying, according to a translation by Reuters. …

In a 2004, a report released by John Jay College of Criminal Justice, which worked with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said 4 percent of priests and deacons between 1950 and 2002 were accused of sexually abusing a minor.

Bishop-accountability.org, a Web site that publishes public information about accused priests and their cases, notes that some U.S. dioceses don’t submit regular reports to bishops on such cases. The group alleges that in dioceses where greater information was made available, either by choice or because of litigation, “the percentage of accused priests is approaching 10 percent.”

Anne Barrett Doyle of bishop-accountability.org, said the figure — however it was said — is “extremely low, it’s wrong.” She noted that Francis met last week with several European victims — his first such meeting — survivors from the developing world, including Latin America, were excluded.

“I think what this reflects is this pope’s lingering containment strategy. . . . I think he’s continuing to minimize the problem.”

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IRELAND
Journal

A NUMBER OF groups representing the women and children that were in mother and baby homes have raised concerns about the interdepartmental report published today.

The new Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, James Reilly published the report examining what the government know about the homes. Judge Yvonne Murphy was also announced as the chairperson of the Commission of Investigation into mother and baby homes.

Omissions

While Paul Redmond, spokesperson for the Coalition of Mother and Baby Homes Survivors (CMABS) said that report published today was “reasonably comprehensive” he said there were some “glaring omissions”.

The citing of some holding centres, but the exclusion of the Temple Hill holding centre was concerning, they said.

He said that only including registered births to calculate figures in the nine mother and baby homes instead of the numbers of expectant mothers “also seriously misrepresents and downplays the numbers involved” he claimed.

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IRELAND
Department of Children and Youth Affairs

I. Introduction

The Inter Departmental Group was set up in response to revelations and public controversy regarding conditions in Mother and Baby Homes. This controversy originally centred on the high rate of deaths at the Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, Co. Galway. A local historian, Ms Catherine Corless, sourced details from public records of 796 child deaths, very many of them infants, in this home in the period from 1925 to 1961. There was also considerable anxiety and questions as to the burial arrangements for these infants.

Notwithstanding that Tuam was the original focus of this controversy, related issues of death rates, burial arrangements and general conditions have also been raised with regard to Mother and Baby Homes in other locations.

Shortly after the Inter-Departmental Group was established, Dáil Eireann passed a motion, following a Government sponsored amendment, on 11th June 2014 as follows:

“That Dáil Éireann:

acknowledges the need to establish the facts regarding the deaths of almost 800 children at the Bon Secours Sisters institution in Tuam, County Galway between 1925 and 1961, including arrangements for the burial of these children;

acknowledges that there is also a need to examine other “mother and baby homes” operational in the State in that era;

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IRELAND
Journal

ALMOST 500 unclaimed infant bodies were sent to anatomy departments around the country for medical examination between 1940 and 1965.

A government report published today shows that medical schools including UCD, Trinity College and, the Royal College of Surgeons and NUI Galway received infant remains.

Read the report in full here.

Remains

Mother-and-baby homes were amongst the institutions that transferred infant remains to anatomy departments, with the report stating that “it is not possible to establish all the facts on this issue in the time available…”.

The handing over of infant remains was legal under the Anatomy Act 1832 so as to provide “legal cadavers” for medical research. The law remains in force, says the report, but “since that time unclaimed bodies are no longer accepted by anatomy departments.

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IRELAND
Irish Independent

Eilish O’Regan
Published 17/07/2014

BABIES who were born illegitimate were nearly four times more likely to die than those whose mothers were married up until 1950, a new report on the background to the mother and baby homes controversy has revealed.

The report was drawn up to provide a background to the promised Commission of Investigation into treatment of mothers and babies at the homes.

But Children’s Minister James Reilly, who announced Judge Yvonne Murphy will chair the commission, said yesterday he will not be ready with terms of reference for the statutory inquiry until the autumn – and insisted it is too early to say how far it will extend.

Asked if all the Protestant-run homes and Magdalene Laundries will be included, he said: “It would be too premature for me to say they will at this stage. I am not by any means saying that they will not be.”

The report drew criticism from Derek Leinster, chair of the Bethany survivors group, who feared not all Protestant-run homes will be included. He pointed to the report’s caution about not reinvestigating institutions covered by the Ryan Commission.

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IRELAND
Evening Echo

SHALLOW graves could be present in the grounds of the Bessborough mother and baby home, according to a leading archeologist.

A site examination was carried out yesterday by archeologist Toni Maguire. He found a number of shallow indentations on the avenue between Bessborough grotto and the former Little Angels plot.

A study by the General Registration Office and Department of Health records indicates that up to 1,000 mothers and children may have died at the home.

Meanwhile, survivors of the Mother and Baby homes have appealed to the Minister for Children, James Reilly, to ensure the inquiry into the homes will be far-reaching.

Judge Yvonne Murphy was appointed yesterday to oversee the inquiry by Minister Reilly.

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IRELAND
IrishCentral

Kate Hickey @KateHickey_ July 17,2014

The Irish government has confirmed that the remains of almost 500 “unclaimed” infants were used for medical examinations and nearly 2,000 were put up for adoption in the United States.

A document released by the government also shows that the remains of 474 babies were sent to medical schools between 1940 and 1965, without the consent of their families.

The report also shows that of the nearly 2,000 children sent to the United States for adoption there are few or no records of parental consent. Many were apparently sold to wealthy Catholic families.

It was also announced that Judge Yvonne Murphy, the author of a report into the practice of symphysiotomy (medically breaking the pelvis during birth), will chair the official commission of inquiry into the mother and baby homes in Ireland.

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IRELAND
Galway Advertiser

By Martina Nee Galway Advertiser, Thu, Jul 17, 2014

The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Dr James Reilly, has announced the appointment of Judge Yvonne Murphy as chair of the Commission of Investigation into mother and baby homes.

Making the announcement yesterday afternoon, Minister Reilly said: “I am delighted that a widely respected person of the calibre of Judge Yvonne Murphy has agreed to head up this investigation. Judge Murphy has a very strong track record in effectively establishing the truth in relation to important and sensitive matters. She is ideally suited to this challenging role. The Government may give consideration to the appointment of further members to the commission, but I believe Judge Murphy’s agreement to undertake the role of chair of the commission is a very positive development in the process to establish an effective and independent investigation.”

The announcement was made alongside the release of the report of the Inter-Departmental Group on Mother and Baby Homes. The report is the product of work undertaken by the group established in early June.

The report confirmed that the General Register’s Office has identified the deaths of 796 children at the Tuam mother and baby home while it was run by the Bon Secours Sisters from 1925 to 1961, averaging 22.2 deaths a year but ranging from one in 1958 to 53 in 1947. The number of births identified came to 1,101 during the 36 years that the Tuam home operated.

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AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald

July 17, 2014

David Ellery
Reporter for The Canberra Times.

Archbishop Christopher Prowse does not know how the Catholic Church may move forward in the wake of its recent sex abuse scandals but he is convinced the victims will be a part of any solution.

“We are going through an unprecedented crisis in the Catholic church,” he said this week. “There is so much shame, there is so much humiliation with the criminal acts of some of us [that] for us to stand alongside victims, to encourage them to come forward and to listen to their story, is absolutely imperative.”

Appointed to lead the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn last September, Archbishop Prowse said he had been humbled and inspired by “the raw courage of so many victims of clerical sex abuse as children”.

“They have been very heroic in trying to refocus on their life and to instruct us as a church [on] where we have failed and what we can do to ameliorate a very difficult stage of our history.”

He said the victims “who are able to be courageous enough to share with us their stories” are “the new missionaries”.

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SOUTH CAROLINA
The Post and Courier

Dave Munday Email @dmunday
Jul 16 2014

A local pastor and MUSC chaplain was arrested Tuesday after a man accused him of sexually abusing him when he was a teenager.

Gerig Michael Huggins, 50, of Lantern’s Rest in Mount Pleasant, was charged with ill treatment of a child, according to Mount Pleasant Police Inspector Chip Googe.

The victim told police he was assaulted when he was 14 years old and living in Woodstock, Ga., and the assaults continued when he was 16 and 17 and living in Mount Pleasant.

Police released no other details of the allegation.

Huggins became a full-time chaplain at the Medical University in 2009, according to the Medical University of South Carolina’s web page that lists the chaplain staff.

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MINNESOTA
Bilgrimage

Haselberger Affidavit: Attempt to Have Father Tegeder Declared Disabled for Opposing Archbishop’s Campaign Against Marriage Equality, While Known Threat to Minors, Father Wehmeyer, Remained in Ministry

William D. Lindsey

There’s a significant detail tucked away in Jennifer Haselberger’s lengthy affidavit (significant to me, if to no one else) that I’d like to bring to readers’ attention: a section of the affidavit (§ 72) directly counters a claim made by Archbishop Nienstedt’s attorney in Nienstedt’s deposition that the archbishop does not have the power to declare a priest disabled. Haselberger notes that, after his attorney made this claim, Nienstedt himself added that he didn’t understand questions directed to him about his prerogative as archbishop to declare a priest disabled.

Haselberger states flatly that “the Archbishop was in error” about this matter of fact, and that he had every reason to understand full well that declaring a priest disabled is “the exclusive prerogative of the Archbishop.” He would have known this, she asserts, because she herself had made this point in two memos to him between 2010 and 2011.

The subject of those memos? The discussion was not about, as one might imagine, having a pedophile priest known to be abusing minors declared disabled, so that he could be removed from ministry.

Haselberger states that she wrote Nienstedt at the prompting of the former vicar general and moderator of the curia of the archdiocese, Father Peter Laird, who resigned that position last October when it was reported by Minnesota NPR that Laird had information about the abuse of minors by fellow priest Curtis Wehmeyer, and did not turn this information over to criminal authorities. Haselberger’s affidavit says that Laird prompted her to write Nienstedt because he

wanted the Archbishop to declare Father Michael Tegeder disabled as a means of silencing his opposition to the Archbishop’s efforts to promote a constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriage.

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IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph

BY IAN ELLIOTT – 17 JULY 2014

Pope Francis has recently been quoted as saying that “2%” – that is, one in 50 – of the Catholic Church’s clergy is a paedophile involved in child-abuse cases.

This information has often been requested previously, but has never been provided by the Catholic Church.

For this reason I was shocked to see a figure being quoted by Pope Francis and the question immediately arose in my mind as to how he calculated it?

Previous experiences for me have taught me to be very wary of opinion stated as fact. This frequently happens when leading churchmen express their views about clerical abuse, but present them as if they were facts.

I recall the public statement made by Cardinal Pell in Australia, when the Government there announced the setting up of a Royal Commission to examine institutional abuse in that country.

His confidence in the way allegations had been handled in the Australian Church has been shown to be badly misplaced.

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AUSTRALIA
Daily Telegraph

Paedophile accused: Sydney man, 55, posed as welfare worker in Vanuatu and gave toys to children before molesting them, say police

BEN PIKE THE DAILY TELEGRAPH JULY 17, 2014

ACCUSED paeodphile Gregory Druery used his position of trust with he church and families to abuse children, police say.

The 50-year-old, technician who was arrested at a Chipping Norton apartment this morning, brought underprivileged children from Vanuatu to Australia by offering them paid holidays.

He also gave toys to kids with toys while in the tiny Pacific nation.

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FLORIDA
News-Journal

By Richard Conn & Annie Martin
richard.conn@news-jrnl.com annie.martin@news-jrnl.com
Published: Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Edgewater police are reopening a decade-old case involving a Warner Christian Academy teacher who was arrested Monday by the FBI and charged with producing and distributing child pornography.

Agents found thousands of pornographic images of children on the computer of Matthew Graziotti, who turned 43 on Tuesday, when they executed a search warrant Monday at his Mango Tree Drive home in Edgewater. Graziotti is a fifth-grade teacher at the South Daytona private school and also served as director of the school’s summer day camp.

The school’s superintendent, Mark Tress, said Graziotti was placed on unpaid administrative suspension pending results of the case. Graziotti is being held at Seminole County Jail.

Following Graziotti’s arrest, Edgewater police are going to look into a 2004 complaint lodged against him, Capt. Joe Mahoney said.

“In 2004, there was an allegation made against Mr. Graziotti that he had misconduct with minor children,” Mahoney said. “We investigated it; we weren’t able to produce obviously any incriminating results at that time, and knowing what we know now, we’ve reactivated it.”

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MINNESOTA
Pioneer Press

By Sarah Horner
shorner@pioneerpress.com
POSTED: 07/15/2014 1

A Maplewood pastor accused of sexually assaulting two girls emphatically denied the allegations in court Tuesday and described his relationship with the girls, now teens, as “beautiful.”

Jacoby Kindred Sr., 61, took the stand in Ramsey County District Court as the sole witness to testify in his defense in the case pending against him.

The husband and father is charged with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. Prosecutors say he assaulted a 14-year-old girl and her 16-year-old sister over several years, starting when the girls were about 6.

The alleged misconduct included fondling, oral sex and penetration and reportedly took place at Kindred’s homes, a Target parking lot and during stops Kindred made while taking the girls to school.

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TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
Newsday

By CAROL MATROO Thursday, July 17 2014

ANGLICAN Bishop Clyde Berkely wants a meeting with the Board of the St Michael’s Home for Boys, “in short order”, to address a damning report on the establishment which was made public by Attorney General Ramlogan on Tuesday.

St Michael’s is an institution that works with troubled boys who have been recommended by the courts for various delinquent behaviours. Ramlogan’s charges, from a report of an investigation done on the operation of that Home, include allegations of sexual abuse, theft of inmates’ property by staff and general neglect including ignoring fights among the boys.

One such fight led to the death of inmate Brandon Hargreaves, 14, in April last year which triggered the probe that led to the damning report which made stinging allegations against the Home. This led the AG to call on the Acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams and Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Roger Gasperd to commence criminal investigations.

“I will be looking at the matter more in depth because these are very serious allegations that have been made and of course I am very concerned about it,” said Berkely, the head of the local Anglican Church. His diocese shares responsibility for the operation of St Michael’s with the Ministry of Gender, Youth and Child Development.

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CALIFORNIA
KSRO

Michelle Marques
7/16/2014

In one of the largest settlements nationwide, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa is paying three-point-five million dollars to a teenager who was molested by a Lakeport priest. The settlement was announced late yesterday, and is the final one in a series of sexual abuse cases in the diocese that spanned over twenty years. According to the “Press-Democrat,” the diocese, which serves about 160-thousand Catholics from Petaluma to the Oregon border, has paid about 25-million-dollars to sex abuse victims since 1990.

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WEST VIRGINIA
Charleston Gazette

By Erin Beck
Staff writer

A Minnesota priest resigned after a Catholic clergy review board investigated allegations from a mission trip to West Virginia.

Joseph Gallatin rubbed the chest and stomach under the shirt of a 17-year-old Minnesota boy in 1998, according to a statement from the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

In a more than 100-page affidavit submitted Tuesday, Jennifer M. Haselberger, the former chancellor of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, said she repeatedly raised concerns that Gallatin admitted he found the act sexually pleasurable and had admitted sexual attraction to boys as young as 12.

Her sworn statement, which alleges the archdiocese covered up warnings about approximately 40 priests over a five-year period, was submitted as part of a sexual abuse lawsuit.

In a statement from the archdiocese, spokesman Jim Accurso said, “Her recollections are not always shared by others within the archdiocese. However, Ms. Haselberger’s experience highlights the importance of ongoing constructive dialogue and reform aimed at ensuring the safety of children.” He also said the archdiocese had conducted a review of its response to sexual abuse allegations and has begun implementing some of the recommendations.

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CALIFORNIA
Catholic World Report

By Carl E. Olson

The Diocese of Santa Rosa announced yesterday that it has paid “a significant settlement” to a victim of the deceased Fr. Ted Oswald, who died in 2010. A statement released by the Communications Office of the Diocese states, “With this settlement, there are no known abuse cases pending against the diocese.” It continues:

Bishop Robert F. Vasa, who has led the diocese since 2011, expressed great sadness for the victim and for all victims.

“The settlement involves a lot of money. It does not, however, restore peace and tranquility to this child of God. I pray this can come in time.

“I humbly apologize to this young person on behalf of the Church that failed to protect them. I also take this occasion to apologize to all victims for the harm done to them. This perversity, though prevalent in all parts of society, was allowed to persist in the Church for too long. Thus while continuing to be vigilant we must also seek forgiveness. Those who have left the Church because of this scandal must be invited again to believe the Church brings goodness, truth, and the light of Christ’s healing presence and mercy.

“This requires the Church to root out every hint of this type of perversity. This is a task beyond human power. So while we need to maintain attentive vigilance, we especially need to redouble our attentiveness to prayer and works of penance.

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IRELAND
Irish Mirror

Jul 16, 2014 20:21 By Sarah Bardon

Inter-departmental inquiry reveals the shocking extent of the scandal ahead of full investigation later this year

The bodies of 474 children were used for medical experiments, an initial probe into the mother and baby homes has revealed.

The inter-departmental inquiry attempted to lift the lid on the depth of the problem ahead of the Commission on Investigation, which will be launched later this year.

It said that inquiry should focus on nine ‘core homes’ including Tuam where the mass grave was discovered and the Bethany Homes.

The report also detailed how:

– There were 23,707 babies born across the nine homes;

– There were 976 Illegitimate Infant Deaths in Institutions including the 796 in Tuam;

– 2,000 children from homes were put up for adoption in the United States;

But the inquiry admitted there is considerable difficulty in establishing if the women were forced to do this.

The chief medical officer was unable to find documents to confirm if consent was given for medical trials.

New Children’s Minister James Reilly announced the chair of the new Commission of Investigation and said the terms of reference would be drawn up by September.

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IRELAND
Irish Times

Mark Hilliard

Thu, Jul 17, 2014

Judge Yvonne Murphy’s appointment as chairwoman of the commission of investigation into matters related to mother and baby homes is her latest such role in high-profile State inquiries.

The retired Circuit Court judge previously led the Government’s commission of investigation into the handling of clerical child sex abuse allegations in the Dublin archdiocese between 1975 and 2004, which led to the publication of what became known as the Murphy report.

Last November she was appointed by then minister for health James Reilly to an advisory position in helping “find closure” for women who had suffered the effects of symphysiotomy.

At the time, the minister noted the “appointment of an independent person of Judge Yvonne Murphy’s calibre will hopefully bring closure for these women for the years of suffering they have endured”.

A former news journalist with RTÉ, Judge Murphy entered the Law Library in the 1980s and was subsequently appointed to the Circuit Court bench in the late 1990s, where she presided mainly over criminal cases and also dealt with family law cases.

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IRELAND
Irish Times

Lorna Siggins

Thu, Jul 17, 2014

The Co Galway historian who researched the deaths of almost 800 infants and children in the Bon Secours home in Tuam from the 1920s to 1961 has welcomed the appointment of Judge Yvonne Murphy to head the Government’s commission of investigation into mother and baby homes.

Catherine Corless said the selection of Judge Murphy was a positive step, and her group would await with interest the publication by Minister for Children James Reilly of the commission’s terms of reference.

Ms Corless, who emphasised that she was not a campaigner, but was keen to establish the truth, said that she had made a submission in a personal capacity to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs after the statutory commission was first announced by former minister for children Charlie Flanagan last month.

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IRELAND
Irish Times

Fiach Kelly

Thu, Jul 17, 2014

Minister for Children James Reilly has said the Government is “determined” exchequer money should be prioritised towards services for people, rather than towards commissions of investigations.

However, Dr Reilly said Judge Yvonne Murphy, who has been appointed to chair the commission of investigation into mother and baby homes, would be provided with funds to carry out her work.

Dr Reilly said Judge Murphy had “considerable experience in this area”, but added: “When it comes to cost, the Government is determined that the money available should be put into services, not into running commissions.

“The Government is determined that this commission should be broad enough and inclusive enough to get us a thorough understanding of the issues but precise enough to allow it to complete its work in a timely and cost-effective way.”

Dr Reilly said “the funds will be made available” with Judge Murphy due to give the Government an estimated cost for the inquiry in the coming months.

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IRELAND
Irish Examiner

Dr. Niamh Hourigan

MAYA ANGELOU, the American writer who died recently wrote ‘History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived but if faced with courage need not be lived again’.

Yesterday, Judge Yvonne Murphy, who has previously chaired inquiries on clerical sexual abuse was given with the task of facing one of the darkest episodes of Irish history, infant mortality rates in Irish mother and baby homes.

Criticisms from the UN Committee on Torture about the outcomes of previous investigations, specifically those into the Magdalene Laundries and victims of symphysiotomy suggest that these investigations have not faced these controversies with courage. They criticise the lack of statutory powers to compel witnesses and retrieve information by investigating committees.

They highlight the absence of adequate reparation and most importantly, the lack of accountability from either Church and State in assuming responsibility for what happened. In terms of the McAleese report on the Magdalene Laundries, they are critical of the weight given to the views of religious order representatives compared to the marginal treatment of the experiences of survivors.

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IRELAND
Irish Examiner

By Claire O’Sullivan
Irish Examiner Reporter

The overwhelming reaction to the Department of Justice’s intergovernmental report on mother-and-baby homes was that it was too limited and would undermine the thoroughness of any subsequent inquiry.

Many of the groups also expressed disappointment that Judge Yvonne Murphy was chosen rather than an international expert.

Adoption Rights Alliance described the report as “coming from the point of view of protecting the State rather than getting at the underlying truth of what happened”.

“This is more basic fact finding rather than truth finding mission. Including a limited number of institutions and leaving out a whole raft of other institutions and adoption issues that are all linked to the mother and baby homes shows a failure to grasp the bigger picture here. We believe no effort is being made to establish accountability,” said Claire Mc Gettrick.

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IRELAND
Irish Examiner

By Juno McEnroe
Political Correspondent

The Government has been advised that at least nine institutions should be included in the mother-and-baby home investigation and that death rates there were “undesirably high”.

But the terms, timeframe, and areas for investigation will not be known until the autumn at the earliest.

A report for Government has recommended a full historical survey of unmarried mothers and their children be carried out, including where and how they were treated and housed.

Children’s Minister James Reilly yesterday published the interdepartmental report which will inform the terms of reference for the commission of investigation.

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IRELAND
BBC News

Judge Yvonne Murphy will chair an inquiry into church-run “mother and baby homes” in the Republic of Ireland, the government has announced.

The Commission of Investigation was set up after the remains of almost 800 children were found in Tuam, County Galway, earlier this year.

It was one of 10 institutions in which about 35,000 unmarried mothers – so-called fallen women – are thought to have been sent.

Fergal Keane reports from Cork.

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IRELAND
Irish Times

Fiach Kelly

Wed, Jul 16, 2014

The Government has appointed Judge Yvonne Murphy to chair the Commission of Investigation into mother-and-baby homes.

However, speaking this afternoon, Minister for Children James Reilly said the exact terms of reference for the inquiry had yet to be decided.

Dr Reilly said the Government would not finalise the terms of reference until the autumn but said everything is “on the table”. There have been calls to include other institutions, such as Magdalene Laundries, in any inquiry.

Judge Murphy previously headed up a commission of investigation into clerical sex abuse, which led to the Murphy Report in 2009.

The latest investigation was prompted by reports that 796 babies and children had died at the Tuam mother and baby home between 1925 and 1961.

“On the return of the Dáil after the summer recess I intend tabling a draft order to establish the commission under the Commission of Investigation Act, 2004 together with a statement providing an estimate of the costs to be incurred by the commission in conducting the investigation and a time frame for its work,” the Minister said. “This is a complex task and it is very important it is completed to the highest standard.

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IRELAND
Journal

THE SHEER NUMBER of registered maternity homes presents a “difficulty” for the Commission of Inquiry tasked with investigating mother and baby homes.

Core group

In an inter-departmental report published today into what the government knows about these institutions, it lists the “core group” of Mother and Baby Homes as:

[chart]

Source: Report of the Inter-Departmental Group on Mother and Baby Homes via Department of Children and Youth Affairs

However, the Commission have been asked to include a wide range of institutions within their scope of their inquiry.

The institutions come under the what were known as registered maternity homes (Registration of Maternity Homes Act, 1934). However, while many of the homes catered for unmarried mothers, their function was not solely confined to that function.

Under the Maternity Homes Act 1934 every local authority in Ireland had to register the maternity homes in the county with the Department of Health.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Scotsman

by STEPHEN McGINTY
Published on the 16 July 2014

THE disgraced Cardinal Keith O’Brien is now living in a £200,000 house in England bought for him by the current Archbishop of Edinburgh and St Andrews.

Archbishop Leo Cushley purchased the home in Northumberland in January and Cardinal O’Brien moved in shortly afterwards. It had been thought that O’Brien had been living in a monastery in Northumberland, after completing a period of ‘penance’ ordered by the Pope.

The Cardinal, who is currently the subject of an ongoing investigation by the Vatican, was forced to resign in February 2013 after three serving priests and one former priest come forward with allegations of ‘inappropriate behaviour’.

Shortly afterwards Cardinal O’Brien released a statement in which he said: “There have been times that my sexual conduct has fallen below the standards expected of me as a priest, archbishop and cardinal.”

He was quoted as saying: “I’m not speaking to anyone at the moment.” When asked about his new home he said: “You’ll need to check that with the diocese. I’m not talking about it, I’m not allowed to talk about it.”

Neighbours in the small village said they were unaware of the cardinal’s background but said he was regularly visited by people from Scotland.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Pink News

A Scottish cardinal who preached against gay relationships but then admitted to “inappropriate behaviour” with male priests is living out retirement in a bungalow paid for by the Catholic Church.

It had previously been thought Cardinal Keith O’Brien was living in a monastery in England for “spiritual renewal and penance” after admitting he had “fallen beneath the standards” expected of him.

But the Daily Record reports he’s actually staying in a £208,750 bungalow – bought by Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh Leo Cushley – in the village of Ellington, Northumberland.

Cardinal O’Brien, 76, was tracked down by reporters on Tuesday, but refused to answer questions about his living arrangements

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MINNESOTA
Pioneer Press

By Emily Gurnon
egurnon@pioneerpress.com
POSTED: 07/16/2014

It all goes back to a 14-year-old girl’s letter to herself, a prosecutor said. The girl wrote that a family member was making her perform sexual acts.

That wasn’t true, Jacoby Kindred Sr. insisted in Ramsey County District Court. Kindred, 61, of Maplewood, testified in his own defense at his trial, where he faces two charges of criminal sexual conduct.

He’s accused of raping and molesting two underage female relatives over several years, beginning when they were about 6. A preacher who said he was ordained by Sarah Family Ministries of St. Paul, Kindred also told the girls that he had a “sex demon” in him and that if he did not relieve an excessive buildup of sperm in his body, he would die, they testified.

When the older girl was 15, and Kindred had vaginal intercourse with her, he complained that she lay there “like a bump on a log,” she said.

He told the girls that no one would believe them if they reported his actions, they said.

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UNITED KINGDOM
The Times

Mike Wade

The disgraced Cardinal Keith O’Brien has been gifted a retirement home in a quiet Northumberland village by the Catholic Church.

Cardinal O’Brien stepped down from his post at the head of the Church in Scotland with immediate effect in February last year, following allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour with five seminarians. It was later reported that he was doing penance in a Cumbrian monastry after he confessed to behaviour “below the standards expected of a priest”.

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CALIFORNIA
The Record

By The Record
July 16, 2014

STOCKTON – Victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests stood outside the downtown Diocese of Stockton headquarters Wednesday morning to bring attention to a malfunctioning telephone line that ​might have ​prevented other abuse victims from obtaining information for almost two weeks on filing a claim before next month’s deadline.

They believe the leader of the six-county diocese, Bishop Stephen Blaire, is ultimately responsible for the situation despite claims to the contrary.

A statement issued this week by SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said:

“Never mind what lawyers do or don’t do. The person responsible for the crimes of child-molesting clerics is the bishop. The person whose duty it is to reach out to those hurt by predator priests is the bishop.”

A spokeswoman for Blaire ​said he was on vacation this week and unavailable for comment.

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UNITED STATES
POPE FRANCIS the CON-Christ.

Updated July 15, 2014

Paris Arrow

The article in June 24 that – Pope Francis’s achievements are substantial and not merely empty symbolism – was republished again at a Catholic news agency and so we are also republishing our rebuttal. Some things have happened since then. For one, it was almost a month ago when we wrote in our rebuttal that the biggest statue of Christ the Redeemer on the top of a hill in Rio de Janeiro where the FIFA was happening is a symbol of Christ and not the substance of Christ. The FIFA now is over and thank God that Germany won because that victory did both Brazil and us a big favor. The Brazilians have been praying that Germany would win to do them a favor because 100,000 Argentinians have descended to Brazil and have taken over the city and were making so much noise day and night all over Rio de Janeiro including Copacabana, Beach.

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UNITED STATES
Talk to Action
.
Frank Cocozzelli
Sat Jul 12, 2014

Pope Francis recently indicated he is serious about ending child sex abuse and cover-ups by Catholic prelates by defrocking a former apostolic nuncio (a nuncio is essentially a high level Vatican diplomat) for having sexual relations with young boys.

But while the Holy See should be applauded for this decisive action, there is unfinished business with the bishop of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Missouri. And the bishop in question is Robert Finn a darling of the American Catholic Right who have very little to say – at least now that he is a convicted criminal.

As the National Catholic Reporter described recent events:

The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has ordered the laicization of an archbishop-ambassador accused of paying for sex with minors.

Józef Wesołowski, former apostolic nuncio to the Dominican Republic, will have two months to prepare an appeal to the ruling, which was announced in a brief statement from the Vatican on Friday.

The former nuncio, who the Vatican did not refer to as an archbishop in the statement, was removed from his post in August with little explanation. News accounts days afterward detailed allegations of paying for sex with minors and being connected to a Polish priest accused of sexually assaulting at least 14 underage boys.

But while Francis has acted on Wesołowski, he has yet to remove Robert Finn.

Let’s recall that the crimes of Bishop Finn resulted from his knowledge of the related crimes of a priest in his diocese who pleaded guilty in Federal Court to four counts of producing child pornography and one count of attempted production of child pornography. As I reported here and here, Bishop Finn had constructive knowledge of that priest’s improper touching of young girls and possession of child pornography. Finn knew or had good reason to suspect the priest`s crimes. Had he acted, he would have prevented other crimes against children under his pastoral care. Indeed, in September 2012 Bishop Finn became the first American prelate convicted of failing to report a pedophile priest.

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CALIFORNIA
Law Office of Michael J. Kinslow

26050 Acero ~ Mission Viejo, California 92691
(Office) 949.288.6678 (Mobile) 949.282.9494 (Fax) 949.288.6676 (E-mail) mjpk@kinslowlaw.com

15 July 2014

This week, a Church expert stated that one in fifty priests of the Roman Catholic Church has sexually abused a child. That statistic includes bishops and cardinals. The expert, Pope Francis, described the scourge of childhood sexual abuse within his ranks as a leprosy. The Pope admits that which cannot be denied by any reasonable mind: that many more in the Church are guilty of covering up the scourge. The statements were made in a recent interview the Pope had with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica.

While the Pope’s recognition of the scourge is welcomed, the time for words alone has long passed. Vigorous action is required. Action more intense then that employed by those who inflicted, facilitated, and ratified the abuse of children. The bishops in the Pope’s church have lost their moral authority to lead on the issue. They must stop treating survivors and their families as adversaries. Openness in the extreme is required to move the Church forward. Real hope will emerge only after the bishops produce the records of their actions and cooperate with civil and law enforcement officials investigating the scourge in jurisdictions all across the globe. The bishops must stand down in their lobbying and public relations efforts to thwart the rights of survivors and state officials to access courts to investigate wrongs committed and remedy the damage inflicted. Stop fighting against the reform of statutes of limitations that would pave the way to Lady Justice atop courthouses. Cease the efforts at cover-up and let the sun created by God shine on in. In sum and substance, the Pope must order his men to get out of the way and allow the day of reckoning, which must precede reconciliation, to dawn.

As an advocate who stands with survivors, I have seen time and again the re-victimization which occurs when the words and public relations efforts of those responsible for childhood sexual abuse do not match their conduct toward the survivor who has found the courage to come forward. I have also seen the strength that emerges when a survivor is able to access the civil and criminal justice systems and confront those responsible for their abuse. I chose a policy that promotes the latter. His Holiness, Francis, should do the same.

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MINNESOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 314 503 0003, SNAPdorris@gmail.com )

A former top Catholic official disclosed yesterday that she was asked to seek tax-exemption in cases where she believed it was “wrong.” In light of this – and widespread deception by others in the Twin Cities Catholic hierarchy – we call on the Internal Revenue Service to begin investigating the St. Paul archdiocese.

In a sworn new court filing yesterday, whistleblower Jennifer Haselberger wrote: “It was a constant struggle to keep Archbishop (Nienstedt) and especially Father (Peter) Laird within the bounds of their legal authority, and there were times when I was instructed by Father Laird to move ahead with an incorporation or, more frequently, to submit an entity for inclusion under the IRS Group Tax Exemption, when I believed that doing so was wrong.”

On its face, this revelation, by a clearly honest whistleblower, is worrisome. But it’s more problematic given;

– how other Catholic institutions have tried to move and hide assets before and during bankruptcy proceedings,

– how St. Paul church officials have considered seeking bankruptcy protection, and

– how archdiocesan staff have skirted and likely broken both secular and church laws regarding children’s safety.

Catholics and citizens should know whether improper financial moves have been made by archdiocesan officials. We hope the IRS moves quickly to follow up on Haselberger’s allegations.

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MINNESOTA
Spokesman-Review

The desire to retain position at the cost of victims continues within the Catholic Church. St. Paul-Minneapolis Archbishop John C. Nienstedt refuses to resign while the scandal surrounding him continues.

Former chancellor, Jennifer M. Hasleberger, filed an affidavit claiming while the archbishop was informed of pedophile priests, he did nothing. Haselberger’s documents also claim the archbishop, “…declined to report suspected abusers to civil authorities; failed to monitor sex offenders in the clergy; and in various ways violated the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People written by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.”

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
Berger’s Beat

Today’s New York Times details a rolling church abuse controversy in the Twin Cities (Archbishop Robert Carlson’s home diocese), where ex-KMOV reporter Ann Steffens is now the interim communications director for perhaps the second most-embattled Catholic prelate in the U.S. – St. Paul Archbishop John Nienstedt. Nienstedt is a virulently anti-gay crusader who faces new accusations that he himself broke his celibacy vows (with perhaps as many as 10 men) and continuing charges that he repeatedly and recently minimized, mischaracterized, hid and enabled child sex crimes.
(Reminder, after leaving journalism, Steffens became the flak for the controversial then-Archbishop Raymond Burke, who fought with St. Stan’s, Sheryl Crow and many others during his stormy tenure here. She’s the second ex-Channel 4 reporter to take on that role, following in the footsteps of Jamie Allman.)
And for the curious, the MOST embattled U.S.Catholic bishop continues to be Kansas City’s Robert Finn, who hails from our town.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
CBS St. Louis

SNAP Calls on Archbishop Robert Carlson to Release Names of “Credibly Accused” Priests, Archdiocese Staffers

Kevin Killeen (@KMOXKilleen)
July 16, 2014

ST. LOUIS (KMOX) – The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests wants Archbishop Robert Carlson to take further action, following last week’s out-of-court settlement against accused former priest Father Joseph Ross.

“Private eyes told us that Ross is living now in St. Charles County, likely with his relatives,” says SNAP’s David Clohessy. “He’s clearly a serial predator—church officials have admitted this—and we believe that Archbishop Carlson should use his resources to warn families about Father Ross.”

Clohessy also wants the Archbishop to release the names of 115 priests and other St. Louis Archdiocese employees who, according to a list tallied by the church in the Ross case, have been “credibly accused” of child sexual abuse.

The Archdiocese released a statement on Ross saying it doesn’t keep track of ex-priests, and it can’t reveal the names of the 115 accused staffers because it doesn’t comment on personnel matters.

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UNITED STATES
Daily Hampshire Gazette

Pope Francis met for the first time last week with Catholics sexually abused by members of the clergy. He conducted a private Mass with six victims — two each from Ireland, Britain and Germany — at his Vatican residence. He also spent several hours listening to their accounts, one on one.

We pray that the time spent with the victims gives the pope added strength to heal this deep wound in the Catholic Church.

To his credit, the pope went further than any of his predecessors in promising to hold bishops accountable for their failure to protect children from abusive priests. This is a dramatic change from the church’s stance on accountability just a few months ago. We just hope it is followed up with decisive action.

The pope’s meeting with victims happened after the church came under harsh criticism in two recent United Nations reports. In February the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child concluded that the Vatican had placed its interests over those of victims by enabling priests to rape and molest tens of thousands of children under the protection of a clerical code of silence.

In May, the U.N. Committee Against Torture concluded that Vatican officials had failed to report sex abuse charges properly, transferred priests rather than disciplining them and failed to pay adequate compensation to victims. That report found that the Vatican, despite its claims to the contrary, exercises worldwide control over its bishops and priests and must comply with the U.N.’s anti-torture treaty.

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MINNESOTA
Bilgrimage

Jerry Slevin on Jennifer Haselberger’s Affidavit: “It Underscores That Francis’ Calculated and Ineffective Approach to Facing the Catholic Church’s Greatest Challenge in Centuries Will Likely Be a Failure”

William D. Lindsey

In response to Brian Roewe’s report today at National Catholic Reporter about Jennifer Haselberger’s affidavit in the sexual abuse lawsuit involving the archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis, Harvard-trained international lawyer Jerry Slevin writes,

Her affidavit provides detailed evidence of how a major diocese covered up numerous cases of priest sexual abuse that continued even after Pope Francis’ election and may still be going on. It underscores that Francis’ calculated and ineffective approach to facing the Catholic Church’s greatest challenge in centuries will likely be a failure.

Not a single bishop to date has been removed for covering up for child predator priests.
The affidavit includes revealing and disturbing looks at some of the US hierarchy’s key players: (1) Archbishop Harry Flynn, one of the leaders of the US bishops’ purported child protection “reform program”, (2) Archbishop John Nienstedt, a top anti-gay marriage culture warrior subject now also to an investigation of alleged earlier hypocritical gay relationships, and (3) Fr. Kevin McDonough, a former Minneapolis vicar general and older brother of President Obama’s Chief of Staff, Denis McDonough.

Jerry’s absolutely correct. He argues that Pope Francis’s decision to prioritize the Vatican’s financial scandals while dragging his feet on the abuse crisis has been a serious mistake, and that his vague, half-hearted, ineffectual gestures to date in the direction of accountability and transparency in addressing the abuse crisis suggest that “he hasn’t changed much from when he exhibited a clearly underwhelming approach to curtailing priest abusers in Argentina.”

In Jerry’s view, unless Francis wakes up soon and begins to deal with the mess on full display in Jennifer Haselberger’s affidavit (and, as Jerry notes, we can reasonably infer from abundant evidence that the crimes are continuing even now throughout the Catholic world), his papacy will have been a failure.

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CALIFORNIA
Insurance News Net

By Jeremy Hay, The Press Democrat, Santa Rosa, Calif.
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services

July 16–The Roman Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa has paid $3.5 million to a teenager who was molested by a Lakeport priest, one of the largest settlements paid out by the North Coast diocese in a series of sexual abuse cases that spanned more than two decades.

An attorney for the victim attributed the settlement’s size partly to the church’s failure to protect children from the Rev. Ted Oswald, even though it was aware he had abused others. Oswald molested the boy, then 12, in 2010, the same year the priest died, with some of the incidents taking place in the Lakeport parish church.

“But for the diocese’s actions, it is entirely possible that this 12-year-old boy would never have been molested,” said Skye Daley, the victim’s attorney.

Bishop Robert F. Vasa, who has led the diocese since 2011, was on vacation Tuesday and unavailable for comment. Diocese spokesman Brian O’Neel rejected Daley’s assertion.

“When the diocese became aware of this most recent allegation, they removed Father Oswald from ministry and reported the situation to civil authorities,” O’Neel said. “The diocese could not do more than the civil authorities could.”

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WEST VIRGINIA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 314 503 0003, SNAPdorris@gmail.com )

A new court filing yesterday revealed that an admitted predator priest likely molested a West Virginia boy and a support group for victims is urging the state’s Catholic bishop to “aggressively reach out” to anyone else the cleric may have assaulted.

The priest is Fr. Joseph G. Gallatin, who was suspended in Dec. 2013 when church officials found evidence of “inappropriate conduct with a minor” around 1998 in his personnel file. Those records included reference to”the sexual nature of his contact” with a West Virginia boy and his “admitted sexual attraction to boys as young as 12,” a former high-ranking church official-turned-whistleblower wrote.

Last month, a St. Paul Minnesota church panel determined that “significant restrictions” would be placed on Fr. Gallatin with continued monitoring and very limited ministry not involving children.

Jennifer Haselberger, the former chancellor of the St. Paul archdiocese, wrote a stunning 107 page affidavit that was filed in a civil child sex abuse and cover up lawsuit in the Twin Cities. In it, she outlined;

–repeated instances of a “cavalier attitude” towards the safety of children by Catholic officials and

–about 20 clergy in ministry who were guilty of sexual misconduct with adults and children despite bishops’ pledges of “zero tolerance.”

Fr. Gallatin is mentioned by name 18 times in the document.

Click here for her full affidavit.

Fr. Gallatin’s records may be available from St. Paul attorney Jeff Anderson (jeff@andersonadvocates.com, 612 817 8665 cell, 651 227 9990), who represents abuse victims.

We call on Bishop Michael J. Bransfield Bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston to use his resources to seek out others who may have been hurt by Fr. Gallatin. Bransfield should put notices in parish bulletins and church websites and make pulpit announcements across the state this Sunday, urging anyone who may have seen, suspected or suffered crimes by Fr. Gallatin to call police and get help.

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MINNESOTA/MASSACHUSETTS
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Wednesday, July 16, 2014

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

Catholic officials issued a “clearly false and deceptive statement” about the marriage of one of America’s most notorious predator priest, Fr. James Porter of the Fall River diocese, according to a stunning 107 page affidavit filed in a Minnesota court yesterday.

The affidavit is from Jennifer Haselberger, the former chancellor and canon lawyer for the St. Paul Catholic archdiocese. In April of 2013, she resigned in protest after repeated cases in which she felt that top Catholic staffers endangered kids, hid evidence of crimes and deceived parishioners and the public.

In an exhibit attached to her affidavit, Haselberger wrote last year to her boss, St. Paul Archbishop John Nienstedt:

“I discovered four ‘restricted’ files on Father James Porter, which included a 1974 ‘Stipulation to the Execution of Rescript’ which required Porter to receive the permission of the Archbishop in order to enter into marriage because of ‘past problems in sexual orientation’ that ‘might jeopardize a possible future marriage’, and a statement from the Archdiocese in the 1990s indicating that ‘there was no information trail that led from Porter’s abusive past to the decisions made about his marriage’ (a clearly false and deceptive statement).”

“This, in combination with other issues. . .have led me to conclude that it is impossible for me to continue in my position given my personal ethics, religious convictions, and sense of integrity.”

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UNITED STATES
BishopAccountability.org – Monitor

Dear Friend,

Pope Francis’s meeting last week with six clergy sex abuse survivors made headlines worldwide – not only because it was his first encounter with the church’s own victims, but because he made the first promise by any pope to discipline complicit bishops: “All bishops must carry out their pastoral ministry with the utmost care in order to help foster the protection of minors, and they will be held accountable.”

Pope Francis must now internalize his message about Church leaders who “did not respond adequately to reports of abuse.” Our research has revealed that such accountability must begin with the Pope himself.

What is known of the Pope’s past response to clergy sex abuse has been documented in a comprehensive report by BishopAccountability.org. Our work began last year, soon after the former archbishop of Buenos Aires became our first Latin American pope. We gathered and translated hundreds of Argentine court documents and news articles into English. We located and interviewed Argentine whistleblowers and survivors, including four who had sought then-cardinal Bergoglio’s help but were ignored by him. We researched the Argentine legal code and wrote summaries of cases involving 42 clerics. The result was a 17,000-word report in English and Spanish, including detailed studies of the crucial cases, a database of the accused, and profiles of the survivors who sought the future Pope’s help. We believe it to be the Internet’s most thorough analysis of clergy sexual abuse in Argentina and of the Pope’s role as archbishop.

Last week, our research and insights were cited by the Washington Post and New York Times, in two reports each by NPR and Reuters, by GlobalPost, AP, and papers in Europe. One longtime Vatican reporter said our report had been “crucial,” and NPR’s top European correspondent noted our unique role:

News anchor, NPR: Sylvia, what was Pope Francis’s record on the issue of sex abuse before he was pope …?

Sylvia Poggioli, NPR’s Rome correspondent: Little was known in the English-speaking world until the Boston-based group BishopAccountability.org recently published a report … [more]

For the first time in Francis’s papacy, his troubling past performance on clergy sex abuse is being widely considered.

Now he has finally met face-to-face with the church’s own wounded for the first time, and perhaps he will be changed by the experience. For specific recommendations of what he must do next, see the statement we issued last week. Better yet, read the moving open letter sent to him last week by Argentine survivors, empowered now despite the impunity of Argentine bishops and their country’s victim-hostile laws. Their anguish is being heard worldwide.

Sincerely,
Anne

Anne Barrett Doyle
Co-Director
BishopAccountability.org

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IRELAND
Irish Independent

Ian Elliot
Published 16/07/2014

Pope Francis has been quoted as saying that “two per cent” – or one in 50 – of the Catholic Church’s clergy are paedophiles involved in abuse cases.

This information has often been requested previously but has never been provided by the church.

For this reason, I was shocked to see a figure being quoted by Pope Francis and the question immediately arose in my mind as to how he calculated it?

Previous experiences for me in Ireland have taught me to be wary of opinion stated as fact.

This frequently happens when leading churchmen express their views about clerical abuse but present them as facts.

I recall the public statement made by Cardinal Pell in Australia when the government there announced the setting up of a Royal Commission to examine institutional abuse in that country. His confidence in the way allegations had been handled in the Australian church has been shown to be badly misplaced.

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IRELAND
Irish News

A PROMINENT Irish abuse survivor has said she believes quotes attributed to Pope Francis about the number of paedophile priests in the Church are accurate.

Marie Collins, a member of the Vatican’s new child protection commission, was referring to reported comments by the Pontiff in Italian paper La Repubblica that 2 per cent of Catholic clergy – equivalent to one in 50, or nearly 8,000 in total – were child abusers.

The Vatican has disputed the quotes but Ms Collins said she believed the Pope was responsible for the remarks and she could “see a shift” in the Church’s approach to the issue under Francis’s leadership.

Pope Francis reportedly told veteran journalist Eugenio Scalfari that child abusers within the ranks of the clergy included “priests, and even bishops and cardinals”.

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GUAM
KUAM

by Jolene Toves

Guam – His blog has been known to create quite the uproar within the Catholic community, and with the recent visit from a Vatican official, Tim Rohr isn’t holding back.

Rohr is the main person behind the Junglewatch website a blog focusing on the dealings within the local Catholic community. For many who’ve visited the site he’s brought up strong criticism of Archbishop Anthony Apuron, from his connection to the Neocatechumenal way to last year’s controversial removal of Father Paul Gofigan, the long time pastor at Santa Barbara Church in Dededo.

Over the last couple of day the Archdiocese of Hagatna has been hosting the Vatican’s delegate Archbishop Martin Krebs. Krebs has been holding closed door meetings with local clergy.

According to Rohr however he’s learned those meetings, in particular, one that included Archbishop Apuron got a little heated. Rorh says while the meeting was supposed to focus on concerns of local priests, the archbishop allegedly used 15 minutes of the time to go over Diocesan financials. It was Monsignor David Quitigua, Rohr says spoke up and reminded them what they really were there for.

“There’s just a lot of serious frustration anger that’s pent up for many years because for many years the priest have tried many things that they could do to work things out try to get some harmony going some unity and it all just seems to fall by the way side after they had their meetings and they come up with their action plans,” he said.

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UNITED STATES
BishopAccountability.org

Summary of Case: William C. Wehrle was a Jesuit of the Maryland Province, ordained in 1950. His assignments took him to the archdioceses of Baltimore MD, Washington DC and Omaha NE, as well as to the Pittsburgh and Denver dioceses. In 1985 Wehrle was accused of sexual abuse; he was removed from his Woodstock, MD parish and resurfaced two years later in Pittsburgh, PA. He died in 1995.

Ordained: 1950
Died: Aug. 25, 1995

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CANADA
Toronto Star

By: Tim Alamenciak News reporter, Published on Tue Jul 15 2014

The claims of 38,000 residential school survivors could be headed for a vault instead of an incinerator depending on the direction of a judge.

On the second day of arguments over the potential destruction of documents detailing abuse at residential schools, Julian Falconer, the lawyer representing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, proposed an alternative to eradication — locking the documents away for 30 years and then transferring them to Library and Archives Canada.

“You’re guaranteeing the claimants that no one can access their information for three decades and you’re not putting yourself in that irreversible position the Truth and Reconciliation Commission is worried about,” said Falconer. “The minute you destroy this portion of history, you alter the ability for generations to come to remind people what was done to these individuals.”

Under the commission’s proposal, survivors would have the option of voluntarily sending their files to the National Research Centre, an archive set up at the University of Manitoba. Falconer also said the commission would accept a 50-year seal on the records if 30 years was deemed to be too short.

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CALIFORNIA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

Victims seek bishop’s help
Deadline has been set for victims to step forward
According to court filing, 11 predators worked in diocese
But survivors’ group says “there are surely more”
SNAP: Anyone who believes they have a claim should act now
Organization is available to help survivors as they navigate this process

WHAT:
Holding signs and childhood photos at a sidewalk news conference, clergy sex abuse victims and their supporters will

— urge officials of the Stockton Catholic diocese to aggressively seek out abuse victims before an August 15th deadline;
— list names the 11 predator priests diocesan officials admit to, plus identify additional child molesting clerics who have been accused, sued or convicted (and where they worked);
— beg victims to come forward, report crimes and report their abuse before it is too late.
–give out contact information for local SNAP leaders who are available to help survivors as they come forward

Where:
Outside the Diocesan headquarters, 212 N San Joaquin Street (between Miner and Channel), Stockton

When:
Wednesday, July 16th at 11:00 a.m.

Who:
Two to three victims of child sex abuse and their supporters who are members of a support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPNetwork.org)

Why:
In January, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Stockton filed for bankruptcy. The deadline for sex abuse victims to report abuse and seek compensation is August 15 at 4:00 pm.

[bankruptcy court document]

The August 15th deadline, or “bar date,” is explicitly for child sex abuse victims. (Other “creditors” have an earlier deadline.) After August 15th, victims of sexual abuse in the Diocese of Stockton will likely be unable to use the civil justice system to seek justice.

However, for almost two weeks, from June 25th through July 7th, a toll free phone line giving information to clergy sex abuse victims in the Stockton Diocese malfunctioned, according to a New Mexico newspaper.

(The complete text of the July 12th article is pasted below.)

While the faulty phone lines were being monitored by the California law firm of Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones, SNAP feels the person ultimately responsible for outreach to victims of child molesting clerics is Stockton’s Bishop Stephen Blaire.

SNAP is urging Blaire to step up efforts to find and help victims now. The group wants Blaire to personally visit every parish where pedophile priests worked, begging victims, witnesses and whistleblowers to speak up. He should post the names of every proven, admitted and credibly accused child molesting cleric in every parish bulletin, SNAP says, and should “more aggressively than ever seek out those who are in pain because Catholic priests assaulted kids and Catholic officials hid those crimes.”

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MINNESOTA
Fox 9

[with video]

ST. PAUL, Minn. (KMSP) –
The most detailed allegations made by canon lawyer-turned-whistleblower Jennifer Haselberger are now public. A 107-page affidavit released Tuesday accuses archbishops and senior staff of lying to the public and concealing evidence of alleged sexual abuse by clergy in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Haselberger pulled no punches as she detailed practices and decisions within the archdiocese that ignore the Catholic church’s “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,” and she was very thorough as she laid out what she knew about the sex, the secrets and the cover-ups.

‘Stop looking under the rocks’

Haselberger said she was told to “stop looking under rocks.” More specifically, she said the men at the top — Archbishop John Nienstedt and his former second in commands, vicar generals Peter Laird and Kevin McDonough — obstructed and ostracized her.

She said Nienstedt ordered his secretary to shred important documents under Haselberger’s desk, including some that later proved to be important — like financial records related to the marriage amendment campaign funding and the investigation by the campaign finance board.

Haselberger also described McDonough as an apologist for abusing priests, who believed in forgiveness, not zero tolerance.

Paper chase for problem priest files

Haselberger said that when she started examining records in 2008, she found the files of “nearly 20” priests who were guilty of sexual misconduct but were still in ministry. Those priests include Father Curtis Wehmeyer, who was allowed to live in a camper by the church, where he smoked marijuana and would go on to molest two boys. Also, Father Jonathan Shelley, who had alleged child pornography on his computer, but for 8 years the church did nothing.

According to Haselberger, most priests hadn’t had background checks since the early 1990s, despite the “industry standard” of background checks every 3 to 5 years. Furthermore, the archdiocese relied heavily on self-reporting by sexual misconduct offenders, “with very little effort made to verify if those reports were accurate.”

Furthermore, Haselberger said those priests who were accused of sexual misconduct joined a sort of shell game that allowed them to be quietly moved while the personnel records were scattered here and there.

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IRELAND
Irish Examiner

By Joe Gill

First, a confession. I’m not much of a Catholic and have a limited relationship with religion.

A succession of awful stories about the Church’s role in destroying so many young lives over recent decades did not help. The material trappings that evolved around the upper levels of the institution were also in conflict with what I assumed Catholicism should be all about.

Against that backdrop there have been two interventions in the financial world by Pope Francis that have caught my eye in the last month. Both point to a different and more encouraging impulse within the Church and, if replicated in other parts of its moral sphere, may resuscitate belief in its ability to do good.

The first notable engagement by the Pope was to gut the Vatican Bank and the second was his opinion about commodity speculation.

For years, the Vatican Bank has been mired in controversy and a suspicious odour has emanated from it for decades. A lack of transparency was a core problem and it has been difficult to ascertain what purpose it had aside from providing power for certain individuals.

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SCOTLAND
Edinburgh Evening News

SHAMED cardinal Keith O’Brien is enjoying a quiet retirement in a comfortable home bought by the Catholic Church.

The UK’s former senior Catholic is staying in a £208,750 bungalow – bought by Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh Leo Cushley – in a Northumberland village.

It had previously been thought O’Brien was living in a monastery in 
England after admitting he had “fallen beneath the standards” expected of him.

But the disgraced churchman has been living in the village of Ellington, Northumberland, since January.

Documents show the house was purchased in the same month by Cushley – who succeeded O’Brien as Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh – and two other leading churchmen in their capacity as trustees of the 
archdiocese.

Neighbours, unaware of his identity, spoke of regular groups of visitors with Scottish accents.

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SCOTLAND
Daily Record

Jul 16, 2014 03:00 By Keith McLeod

DESPITE O’Brien’s self-imposed exile from Scotland, he is living just 50 miles across the Border in a house bought by Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh Leo Cushley.

SEX shame cardinal Keith O’Brien is enjoying a quiet retirement in a comfortable home provided by the Catholic Church.

It had been believed O’Brien was doing penance at a monastery in England after admitting he had “fallen beneath the standards” expected of him.

But the UK’s former senior Catholic is staying in a £208,750 bungalow – bought by Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh Leo Cushley – in a Northumberland village.

O’Brien, 76, refused to explain his situation yesterday, saying only: “I’m not speaking to anyone at the moment.”

The disgraced churchman has been staying in the former pit village of Ellington, Northumberland, since January.

The house was purchased in the same month by Cushley – who succeeded O’Brien as Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh – and two other leading churchmen in their capacity as trustees of the archdiocese.

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IRELAND
Irish Independent

Sam Griffin
Published 16/07/2014

THE State’s failure to take accountability for a ‘collection’ of abuses, including the mother and baby home scandal, the Magdalene laundries, symphysiotomy procedures and child abuse has been slammed by the UN.

The chair of the organisation’s human rights committee, Nigel Rodley, said there was “quite a collection” of social issues that still need to be addressed by the State. He made the remarks in his concluding comments after two days of intense of scrutiny of Ireland’s human right issues in Geneva.

“The issue that remains for the state party is what it is going to do about accountability,” he told the committee.

He said the instances of abuse were “not disconnected from the institutional belief system” that has predominated and dominated and the state. On the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act, he welcomed the recognition of the primary right to life of the woman, which he said “has to prevail over that of the unborn child”.

But he added he was sorry that the legislation did not extend to the right to health of the woman.

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AUSTRALIA
The Conversation

Richard Umbers
Lecturer in Ethics & Philosophy at University of Notre Dame Australia

Imagine you were playing with your phone while you waited for the World Cup final to get underway and you suddenly saw a photo of the Pope Emeritus eating popcorn with the current Pontiff on your timeline. Below the photo is a tagline wishing both countries well and a quote from St John Paul II:

Sport … protects the weak and excludes no-one.

In the very near future we may see such a radical reshaping of how we view the Vatican and it will come via the most unlikely of social media champions, Cardinal George Pell, current Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy in the Holy See.

Cognisant that the wireless no longer refers to a radio set, last Wednesday Pell, the former archbishop of Sydney and Melbourne, broadcast a social media thrust for the Vatican by way of a YouTube-streamed interview.

New media to spread the word

You won’t find the tweetless @CardinalPell trolling @RichardDawkins or sending you an invitation to play CandyCrush on Facebook. Pell is, however, a strong backer of initiative and spreading the Gospel message among youth. For that reason he is more than happy to encourage new media despite his own lack of personal interest.

We have seen similar bold moves from Pell in the past. During the 2008 World Youth Day, as Archbishop of Sydney, he launched a major social networking initiative – Christ in the Third Millennium (XT3) – which was touted as the Catholic Facebook.

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FLORIDA
WESH

[with video]

SOUTH DAYTONA, Fla. —A South Daytona teacher is accused of possessing thousands of images of child pornography, and distributing more than 100 images and several videos to an undercover FBI agent.

Investigators arrested 42-year-old Matthew Graziotti Monday at his Edgewater home. He is a middle school teacher, coach and director of the summer camp program at Warner Christian Academy in South Daytona.

“We were all shocked, really were,” said Warner Christian Academy Superintendent Mark Tress. “Like I said, there was nothing at all that pointed to that, because if there were I would have been investigating that.”

Neighbors watched as the agents carried out bags of evidence and then escorted Graziotti out of his home in handcuffs. They say he hung his head.

“Almost ashamed because there were a couple of us that knew him that were out and I think he was upset that a couple of us who knew him. What he had done,” said neighbor Susan Hoff.

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FLORIDA
Click Orlando

Author: Dawn Brooks, Online Editor, Producer
Sheli Muniz, Reporter, smuniz@wkmg.com

ORLANDO, Fla. –
An Edgewater teacher was arrested Monday on charges of producing and distributing child pornography, the Department of Justice said in a statement.

According to a criminal complaint, Matthew C. Graziotti, 42, an elementary teacher at Warner Christian Academy, distributed 141 pictures and six videos that depicted sexual abuse and exploitation of children to an FBI agent who was acting in an undercover capacity.

In addition, thousands of child porn pictures were found on Graziotti’s computer Monday during the execution of a search warrant.

The DOJ said one of the files on Graziotti’s computer found by agents showed a picture of him sexually abusing a prepubescent boy. They later found the camera used to take the photograph.

Through an investigation, officials learned that Graziotti teaches elementary school, is the director of the school’s summer day camp program, and he formerly worked as a youth pastor at a church in Edgewater, the DOJ said.

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FLORIDA
Daily Mail (UK)

An elementary school teacher in Orlando, Florida, has been charged with producing and distributing child pornography.

Matthew C. Graziotti, 42, who worked at Warner Christian Academy, distributed 141 pictures and six videos that depicted sexual abuse and exploitation of children to an undercover FBI agent, according to a Department of Justice statement.

On Monday, police executed a search warrant and found thousands of images of child porn on Graziotti’s computer, including one where he is molesting a prepubescent boy.

Agents later found the camera that was used to take that photograph.

Graziotti teaches at the elementary school, is the director of the school’s summer day camp program and he previoulsy worked at a church in Edgewater as a youth pastor, the DOJ said.

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MINNESOTA
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis

Date: Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Source: Jim Accurso, Media and Public Relations Manager

From Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens

Today, it was brought to our attention that Jennifer Haselberger, former Chancellor of Canonical Affairs for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, provided an affidavit in the case of Doe 1, which is a civil lawsuit against the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the Diocese of Winona, and Thomas Adamson. Thomas Adamson was accused of abusing Doe 1 in 1976 – 1977, decades before Ms. Haselberger’s service to the archdiocese.

This affidavit provides a more detailed account of Ms. Haselberger’s perspective of events at the archdiocese, which she has already shared publicly during the past year. Her recollections are not always shared by others within the archdiocese. However, Ms. Haselberger’s experience highlights the importance of ongoing constructive dialogue and reform aimed at insuring the safety of children.

Since Ms. Haselberger’s departure, we have begun the implementation of the Safe Environment and Ministerial Standards Task Force Recommendations which address some of the concerns she has raised. We continue to take concrete steps toward greater transparency and accountability in protecting children while offering hope and healing to victims.

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FLORIDA
Orlando Sentinel

By Amy Pavuk, Orlando Sentinel
12:41 p.m. EDT, July 15, 2014

A South Daytona elementary teacher and former youth pastor accused of possessing thousands of child pornography images — including some he produced — remained jailed Tuesday, while federal agents continue to investigate the case.

Matthew Graziotti, 42, was arrested Monday after FBI agents searched his Edgewater home and found the illegal images on his laptop, according to a criminal complaint filed in Orlando federal court.

The same day, Warner Christian Academy announced it suspended Graziotti, a fifth-grade teacher, without pay.

Agents began investigating Graziotti in May, when an undercover agent using a peer-to-peer file sharing program downloaded about 140 child pornography images and six videos from him.

When agents arrived at Graziotti’s house on Monday, that file sharing program was running on his laptop, and uploading and downloading files with names that were indicative of child pornography, the complaint said.

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MINNESOTA
Christian Science Monitor

Jennifer Haselberger, the highest-level official from a US diocese to make claims of a cover-up, is a canon law expert educated at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. She alleges a cover-up is happening right now in Minnesota.

By Rachel Zoll, AP Religion Writer JULY 15, 201

A canon lawyer alleging a widespread cover-up of clergy sex misconduct in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has made her most detailed claims yet, accusing archbishops and their top staff of lying to the public and of ignoring the US bishops’ pledge to have no tolerance of priests who abuse.

Jennifer Haselberger, who spent five years as Archbishop John Nienstedt’s archivist and top adviser on Roman Catholic church law, also charged that the church used a chaotic system of record-keeping that helped conceal the backgrounds of guilty priests who remained on assignment.

Haselberger said that when she started examining records in 2008 of clergy under restrictions over sex misconduct with adults and children she found “nearly 20” of the 48 men still in ministry. She said she repeatedly warned Nienstedt and his aides about the risk of these placements, but they took action only in one case. As a result of raising alarms, she said she was eventually shut out of meetings about priest misconduct. She resigned last year.

“Had there been any serious desire to implement change, it could have been done quickly and easily with the stroke of a single pen,” Haselberger wrote in the affidavit, released Tuesday in a civil lawsuit brought by attorney Jeff Anderson. “The archbishop’s administrative authority in his diocese is basically unlimited.”

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MINNESOTA
KAAL

[with video]

By: Brandi Powell

A canon lawyer who became a whistleblower against the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis says church officials considered silencing a critic by declaring him to be disabled.

In a sworn statement released Tuesday, Jennifer Haselberger claimed that she was “ignored” and “dismissed” when she brought up sex abuse allegations to the church. The affidavit was filed after the archdiocese attempted to throw sexual abuse survivor, John Doe 1’s civil lawsuit out of court.

The law firm, Jeff Anderson and Associates, is representing John Doe 1 in the case. Attorneys released Haselberger’s sworn affidavit.

University of St. Thomas Canon Law Expert Dr. Charles Reid weighed in on the claims. He said Haselberger makes it clear that investigations carried out by the Archdiocese were “inadequate.”

“If her affidavit lays out the foundations of Jeff Anderson’s case, I think she presents compelling testimony that helps lay the groundwork for a claim of past, and perhaps even continuing, public nuisance,” Reid explained.

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MINNESOTA
KARE

[with video]

ST. PAUL, Minn. – In an insider’s view of how the St.Paul Archdiocese handled priest sex abuse cases, a whistleblower documents claims of cover-ups, lies and the turning of a blind eye towards the safety of children.

In a scathing 107-page affidavit filed by Twin Cities attorney Jeff Anderson in the civil suit by a man known as Doe 1, canon lawyer Jennifer M. Haselberger, the former chancellor for canonical affairs at the St. Paul Archdiocese, describes a “cavalier attitude toward the safety of other people’s children.”

Haselberger was employed by the Archdiocese from 2008 to 2013. Her affidavit was filed Tuesday in Ramsey County. It describes the Archdiocese as being incredibly “reckless and irresponsible.”

In the case of Fr. Curtis Wehmeyer, Haselberger writes that in 2009 she notified the Archbishop about what she calls Wehmeyer’s “history of acting out sexually.” Despite the warning Archbishop John Nienstedt appointed Wehmeyer pastor at Blessed Sacrament in St. Paul where he later sexually abused two boys. Wehmeyer pled guilty in 2012.

Feeling she was “out of options” with the church, Haselberger on two occasions called a friend who worked for the Ramsey County attorney’s office. Her affidavit reads like a road map for investigators, including footnotes where she describes a small light blue file about problem priests. She accuses church leadership of consistently “failing to investigate” allegations of reported sexual abuse and “not taking necessary precautions.”

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MINNESOTA
The New York Times

By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
JULY 15, 2014

Just two years ago, the Roman Catholic archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis was making headlines as a leader in the battle against same-sex marriage. But for the last year and a half, the archbishop, John C. Nienstedt, has been battling to hold onto his post in the face of a series of scandals, which further deepened on Tuesday with the filing of an explosive affidavit by the former chancellor of the archdiocese.

The troubles started in May 2013 when the accountant for the archdiocese pleaded guilty to stealing more than $670,000 in church funds, and intensified when the chancellor, Jennifer M. Haselberger, quit and went public that autumn with allegations that the archbishop and his inner circle had covered up the actions of pedophile priests in recent years and funneled special payments to them.

This month brought new revelations, first reported by the Catholic journal Commonweal, that Archbishop Nienstedt had earlier this year commissioned an investigation of himself in response to allegations that he had a series of inappropriate sexual relationships with men, including seminarians and priests he supervised, as he moved up the church’s hierarchy in Detroit and Minnesota.

The archbishop said the accusations are “entirely false,” and do not involve minors or criminal conduct, and that he had authorized his auxiliary bishop to hire a law firm in Minneapolis to conduct an independent investigation.

His defenders say he is being pilloried because of his staunch opposition to homosexuality, spending more than $650,000 in church funds in 2012 to campaign for a state constitutional amendment that would have banned same-sex marriage. The amendment ultimately failed.

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CONNECTICUT
Darien Times

By Susan Shultz on July 15, 2014

As he prepares to celebrate the first anniversary of his installation, the new leader of the Diocese of Bridgeport continues to open doors of communication between the leaders of the church and area Roman Catholic parishioners. To that end, Bishop Frank Caggiano has announced the fourth diocesan synod to be held throughout the next fiscal year.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport will convene a diocesan synod this fall for the first time since 1981. According to Catholic.org, a synod is a gathering of designated officials and representatives of a church, with legislative and policy-making powers. The synod in 1981 was held under the second bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport, the Most Rev. Walter W. Curtis. There were also synods in 1971 and 1961.

Caggiano recently told The Darien Times that the synod is a process required under old church law. He hopes that the synod process will help make strides in issues facing the diocese, including the need to improve transparency and communication, and young Catholic adults feeling distant from the church.

“I’ve heard over and over that people are anxious to do something — to have input and be heard. What we are going to do is get together to address this and there is no better way to do it than a synod,” he said.

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MINNESOTA
The American Conservative

Catholic Bishops As Fifth Columnists In War On Religious Liberty

By ROD DREHER • July 15, 2014

A reader sends along the sworn affidavit of Jennifer Haselberger (PDF), from 2008-2013 the chief canon lawyer for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. It’s part of a civil lawsuit having to do with alleged clerical sexual abuse in that archdiocese, and the conduct of its archbishop, John Nienstedt.

Learning how the sausage is made in the Minneapolis archdiocese makes for sobering reading. For starters, she said that shortly after she was hired by the archdiocesan marriage tribunal, she learned that the priest leading it, Father Conlin, had been taken out of parish ministry because he had fathered a child out of wedlock with a married woman — a woman that some believed he had been counseling when he got her pregnant. Haselberger said she was shocked to discover this, and even more shocked when she learned that the archbishop and many other canon lawyers knew about it before the priest was appointed to lead the tribunal — a position in which he would be leading decision-making about the validity of marriages, and dealing with emotionally vulnerable men and women. Haselberger testified that she wanted to quit her job, but another canon lawyer told her that if she did, people would think that she was the woman carrying Father Conlin’s baby, and that it would hurt her ability to find another canon law position.

When she eventually left the archdiocese for the first time, in her exit interview she talked about how the archdiocese’s toleration of moral corruption by priests on the tribunal hurt the morale of its lay employees. At that time, Harry Flynn was the Minneapolis archbishop — and tolerated all this even as he was chairman of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ sexual abuse task force. …

If Haselberger is telling the truth, it staggers the mind to think that Pope Francis — who has the right to remove Nienstedt — tolerates this man remaining in charge a single day longer. Then again, Bishop Finn still rules in Kansas City, and according to a comprehensive report done by BishopAccountability.org, the pope had a poor record on responding to abuse as Archbishop of Buenos Aires.

As a non-Catholic, I read this story, and think about how religious liberty in this country is now under assault, especially how right here in Louisiana, the seal of the confessional is severely threatened by ongoing litigation. And I think about how the archbishops of Minneapolis-St. Paul have behaved, saying one thing to reassure the public, but in fact behaving in exactly the opposite way, doing whatever they could to protect the clericalist mafia, and to marginalize Catholics like Jennifer Haselberger, who only wanted the Church to be the Church. I think about how the archdiocese appointed a priest who — if Haselberger is telling the truth (and as chancellor, had access to his personnel file) — had used the confessional as a way to facilitate an adulterous relationship.

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MINNESOTA
National Catholic Reporter

Brian Roewe | Jul. 15, 2014

After weeks of depositions from top officials exposing how they handled abusive priests and allegations that arose in the St. Paul-Minneapolis archdiocese, sworn written testimony from a former chancellor pulled back the curtain further to reveal a system “far, far from best practice.”

In a 107-page affidavit made public Tuesday, Jennifer Haselberger — the canon lawyer whose leaking of documents and files promulgated the region’s current abuse scandal — disputed the accounts of her former coworkers and described in compelling detail the mistakes, oversights and omissions she witnessed during her tenure as chancellor of canonical affairs.

At one point, Haselberger characterized the archdiocese as having a “cavalier attitude towards the safety of other children.”

The affidavit, released by attorney Jeff Anderson, was taken in relation to the John Doe 1 lawsuit against the Twin Cities archdiocese, the Winona, Minn., diocese and former priest Thomas Adamson. The next hearing is set for Monday. Anderson, pursuing a public nuisance charge against the archdiocese, told NCR the sworn statement is “a powerful recitation of whistleblowing and truth telling.”

Among Haselberger’s revelations:

A perceived pattern of incomplete investigations of sexual misconduct by Setter and Associates, a private firm frequently hired by the archdiocese, including in the Fr. Jonathan Shelley pornographic images case;

A lax application of policies outlined by the 2002 Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People by former vicar general and safe environment delegate Fr. Kevin McDonough: “While he occasionally gave lip-service to these principles, he never accepted them and often failed to apply them”;

As of April 2013, the archdiocese had not secured the “essential three” forms required by the charter (background check, VIRTUS training, signed Code of Conduct) for all diocesan priests, and struggled to renew background checks;

Charter auditors have never been allowed to access clergy records “to determine if the data matched what we

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UNITED KINGDOM
BBC News

[with video]

Retired judge Baroness Butler-Sloss has used her first appearance in the House of Lords since stepping down as head of a probe into child sex abuse to call for extra funds to be given to the police to help the tackle child abuse.

Lady Butler-Sloss who sits as a crossbench peer told peers that the police’s ability to tackle both historical and ongoing child abuse is being undermined by cuts to their funding.

“There needs to be sufficient resources for the police, who are at the moment being cut down” she told peers

The former High Court judge stepped down as the head of an independent inquiry into allegations of historical child abuse on 14 July saying she was “not the right person” for the job.

Her resignation came after days of pressure over her links to the political establishment in the 1980s, when her late brother, Sir Michael Havers, was attorney general.

Several other peers called for the government to do more to prevent and tackle child abuse during the oral questions session on 15 July 2014.

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