ABUSE TRACKER

PHILIPPINES
Philippine Daily Inquirer

12:30 am | Wednesday, September 26th, 2012

A Catholic prelate came to the defense of Msgr. Cristobal Garcia, who was caught in a controversy involving ivory smuggling in the Philippines.

Msgr. Jose Barrion, chairman of the cultural heritage committee of the diocese of San Pablo, Laguna province, said he believed that Garcia’s collection of ivory-made religious images, were acquired a long time ago.

“When you say collection, we’re talking here of antique pieces, items that existed hundreds of years ago,” Barrion said in an interview.

“The images in Monsignor Garcia’s collection were not recently made, those are antiques, probably made long before the law banning ivory trading was implemented,” Barrion said.

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

MILWAUKEE (WI)
SNAP Wisconsin

Having spent 7.5 million fighting victims, Archbishop Listecki appears to be reversing course

September 25, 2012

Having spent 7.5 million fighting victims, Archbishop Listecki appears to be reversing course

Archdiocese signaling major breakthrough to be announced next week with 570 victims

Statement by Peter Isely, SNAP Midwest Director (Milwaukee)
CONTACT: 414.429.7259

Charles Dickens once wrote that the courts are where lawyers “spin masterly fictions” so judges can “waste their days reading mountains of costly nonsense.”

It is being reported today just how costly this nonsense has been for Catholics of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

The Archdiocese, which filed for bankruptcy in January of 2011, was ordered into mediation this summer with nearly 570 victim/survivors by Federal Bankruptcy Judge Susan V. Kelley. As Dickens might have predicted, Archbishop Listecki has spent an obscene 7.5 million dollars on lawyers and consultants, and not a dime on helping to heal or provide restitution to those harmed. And much of that money, all of it incidentally deriving from charitable contributions, has been used by the archdiocese to file and argue endless court motions and legal technicalities to throw out of court most of the 570 victim/survivors who have filed restitution claims. The archdiocese has also used those millions to prevent the release to the public of nearly 60,000 pages of secret church documents and depositions detailing decades of cover-up of child sex crimes by dozens of priests and employees of the archdiocese.

Ironically, when Archbishop Listecki went into bankruptcy court in January 2011 he claimed that the archdiocese had to file because it was unable to cover more than 4.5 million in mediating abuse claims, yet he has put that amount and 3 million dollars more into the pockets of lawyers in the last 22 months alone. And while Listecki has spent millions on lawyers he has so far only offered $300,000 dollars to victims and even that amount he wants to restrict to an alleged “therapy fund” to be controlled, of course, by the archdiocese.

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.

TEXAS
Houston Chronicle

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Court documents show that a Hindu guru who became a fugitive after being convicted of molesting two teenagers at his Texas ashram is likely in India.

The Austin American Statesman (http://bit.ly/Sj8TwW ) reported Tuesday that Prakashanand Saraswati (prah-KAHSH’-ah-nahnd sah-rah-SWAH’-tee) was apparently able to flee sentencing with the help of followers who are now under investigation by federal prosecutors.

A Hays County jury convicted the 83-year-old guru in March 2011 on 20 counts of indecency with a child by sexual contact. He skipped sentencing after the trial while free on a $1 million bond and hasn’t been seen since.

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.

COLUMBUS (OH)
ABC 6

[with video]

COLUMBUS — The group SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is protesting out in front of Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral.

The group says it wants to reach out to other who may have been hurt in light of the recent arrest of Father Patrick Nicholas Hughes last week.

Hughes was arrested by the Franklin County Sheriff’s office for trying to meet up for a sexual encounter with two boys, ages 9 and 14.

He was the acting dean at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral in the Short North.

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

IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has come under fire for using his mobile phone during a meeting with the Pope.

Mr Kenny was accused of behaving discourteously as Pope Benedict XVI made an address in Italy at the weekend.

A Government spokesman said the Taoiseach would not comment on the video footage that showed him browsing on his touch-screen phone during the event.

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

ILLINOIS
My Suburban Life

By Brett Schweinberg, bschweinberg@mysuburbanlife.com
Berwyn Life

Posted Sep 25, 2012

Berwyn, IL —
A Catholic priest serving in Evergreen Park has been removed from duty by the Archdiocese of Chicago after allegations surfaced that he abused a minor in Berwyn more than 30 years ago.

According to a statement from the Archdiocese, the church’s Independent Review Board determined that there is reasonable cause to suspect Miller had sexually abused a minor while serving at Berwyn’s St. Leonard Parish.

The incident was immediately reported to the Department of Children and Family Services as well as the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.

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

CANADA
The Catholic Register

Written by Deborah Gyapong, Canadian Catholic News
Tuesday, 25 September 2012

Ste. ADÈLE, Que. – At their annual plenary Sept. 24-28 the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) are examining the prevention of clerical sexual abuse as part of its packed five-day agenda.

The 90-plus bishops gathered from across Canada will receive the updated guidelines prepared for submission to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, conference president Archbishop Richard Smith said in his annual president’s address at the Mont-Gabriel Hotel here Sept. 23.

“Of course our ongoing response must extend far beyond the articulation of protocols and procedures to an embrace in love and compassion of any person, family or community affected by this scourge,” Smith said.

The reflections will also deal with the impact of the clerical sexual abuse crisis on the ministry of priests and how bishops can provide better support. It will also look at the conditions that increase the risk of sexual abuse with an eye to prevention, according to the CCCB program for the week, most of which is closed to visitors and news media.

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.

NORTHERN IRELAND
UTV

A woman, who claims she was abused by a Catholic priest as a child, gave tearful evidence about the choices she faced – reporting the alleged abuse or committing suicide.

The 40-year-old woman told the jury how she “turned to drink” in an effort to block her memories of abuse at the hands of 69-year-old Peter Donnelly.

The alleged abuse, which happened in the 1980s, was reported to police two years ago.

Donnelly, from Drumaroad Hill in Castlewellan, was curate at St Matthew’s Church, Bryson Street, Belfast at the time.

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

NORTHERN IRELAND
BBC News

A woman who claims she was sexually abused as a child by a Catholic priest in east Belfast has gave tearful evidence at his trial in the city.

Testifying at Belfast Crown Court over a live TV link up, the 40-year-old woman said she had considered suicide before reporting the alleged abuse.

The priest, Peter Donnelly from Drumaroad Hill in Castlewellan, faces seven charges of abuse on dates between 31 July 1983 and 1 August 1987.

The 69 year old denies the charges.

During her testimony, the woman told the jury how she “turned to drink” in an effort to block her memories of the abuse she says she suffered at the hands of the accused.

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.

CENTERVILLE (MA)
CBS Boston

[with video]

By WBZ-TV Chief Correspondent Joe Shortsleeve

September 24, 2012

CENTERVILLE (CBS) – When parents bring their children to Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church in Centerville for religious education, they’re asked to sign a document, obtained by the I-Team, which absolves the church of liability, and puts it all on the parents.

It’s called the Parental Contract for Diocesan Activities, and in it parents agree that: “Should we choose to allow another adult to provide supervision to a child, the ultimate supervision and safety of that child is still our responsibility and ours alone.”

And further that: “We specifically agree not to hold the Diocese or any of its employees or contractors liable for any accident, illness or harm that may result from the trip or activity.”

Mitchell Garabedian, a lawyer for hundreds of people sexually abused by Catholic priests, was critical of the parental contract.

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

DEUTSCHLAND
Mittelbayerische

Deutsche Ärzte diagnostizieren pro Jahr mehr als 4000 Missbrauchsfälle bei Minderjährigen. Oft verschließt das Umfeld der Betroffenen die Augen.

München. Jedes Jahr wird in deutschen Arztpraxen bei mehr als 4000 Minderjährigen Missbrauch diagnostiziert. Das ergibt sich aus einer hochgerechneten Auswertung von Patientendaten der Techniker Krankenkasse (TK), die am Montag in München veröffentlicht wurde. Missbrauch im medizinischen Sinne umfasst nach Definition der Weltgesundheitsorganisation Vernachlässigung, körperlichen, sexuellen und psychischen Missbrauch. Wie hoch die Dunkelziffer sei, könnten selbst Fachleute nur schwer schätzen, hieß es.

Die Krankenkasse unterstrich die Bedeutung einer schnellen und zweifelsfreien Diagnose. Nur dann könne sachgerecht reagiert werden. Alle beteiligten Berufsgruppen und Institutionen müssten dafür eng zusammenarbeiten. Denn die Hilfen, die ein misshandeltes Kind benötige, könnten meist nicht von einer Person oder Einrichtung erbracht werden. Auch würden die strengsten Gesetze nichts helfen, wenn die den Kindern nahe stehenden Personen aus Unwissenheit oder Unsicherheit vor Gewalt die Augen verschlössen.

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.

VATIKAN
Radio Vatikan

Erzbischof Gerhard Ludwig Müller will die Polarisierungen in der Kirche überwinden helfen. Das sagte er im Interview mit Radio Vatikan. Mitte September beginnt im Vatikan traditionsgemäß das Arbeitsjahr nach den Ferien, für Erzbischof Müller ist es das erste Jahr in dieser Position in Rom. Er war am 2. Juli zum Präfekten der Glaubenskongregation ernannt worden. Pater Bernd Hagenkord hat mit ihm gesprochen.

Herr Erzbischof, ganz neu ist Ihnen die Glaubenskongregation ja nicht, sie sind ja bereits Mitglied gewesen, aber seit etwas über 80 Tagen haben Sie das Amt des Präfekten inne. Sind Sie schon in Ihrem neuen Amt und in Rom angekommen?

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

DEUTSCHLAND
MissBiT

Bereits mehrfach wurde in diversen Medien (Spiegel, SWR, Saarbrücker Zeitung) über die Pfarrei Herz Jesu, Püttlingen im Zusammenhang mit Fällen sexuellen Missbrauchs Minderjähriger berichtet.
Als ehemaliger Pfarrer dieser Pfarrei habe ich im Sommer 2010 drei Sexualstraftäter angezeigt, darunter zwei ehemalige in der traditionalistischen Martingemeinde in Köllerbach tätige Priester sowie einen dort in einflussreicher Stellung tätigen Laien.

Dies geschah auch auf dem Hintergrund, dass ein Betroffener einen der Täter ermorden wollte und mich darüber in Kenntnis setzte.

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.

AUSTRALIEN
T.O.P.

Das volle Ausmaß des sexuellen Mißbrauchs in der katholischen Kirche Australiens wird deutlicher. Vor einem parlamentarischen Untersuchungsausschuß in Victoria erklärte die Kirche, daß 620 Kinder Opfer von sexuellem Mißbrauch durch Priester geworden seien. Die Fällen liegen bis zu 80 Jahren zurück.

Die beiden Töchter von Chrissie Foster, Emma and Cathy, wurden durch den gleichen Priester mißbraucht und traumatisiert. Emma begann Selbtmord, Cathy verfiel der Trunkenheit und dem Drogenmißbrauch. In einem Verkehrsunfall trug sie erhebliche Hirnverletzungen davon. Die Täter, so Chrissie Foster, haben so viele Leben ruiniert, soviel Todesfälle und Leid verursacht, daß sie aus der Gesellschaft entfernt und bestraft werden müssen.

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

DEUTSCHLAND
RP

Fulda (RPO). 126 000 Deutsche sind 2011 aus der katholischen Kirche ausgetreten.

Das schmälert die Kirchensteuer-Einnahmen. Bischöfe wollen damit auch den Zugang zum Kirchenleben versperren. Reformer halten dagegen nichts von “Pay und Pray”.

2011 sind über 120.000 Menschen aus der katholischen Kirche ausgetreten. Ihnen wollen die Bischöfe nun auch die Teilnahme am Kirchenleben untersagen. Foto: dpa, Oliver Berg

Die Deutsche Bischofskonferenz bleibt bei ihrer harten Linie im Umgang mit Kirchenaustritten. Wenn sich Menschen in einem öffentlichen Akt von der Kirche distanzierten, müsse das Konsequenzen haben, sagte Erzbischof Robert Zollitsch (Freiburg) zum Auftakt der Herbst-Vollversammlung am Montag in Fulda. Ein am Donnerstag veröffentlichtes und vom Vatikan bestätigtes Dekret stellt klar, dass es nicht möglich ist, aus der Kirche auszutreten und zugleich gläubiges Mitglied zu bleiben. Damit macht die katholische Kirche die Mitgliedschaft von der Zahlung der Kirchensteuer abhängig.

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

DEUTSCHLAND
Mein Flotwedel

LÜNEBURG. Mit dürren Worten hat sich der Erzieher, der vom Celler Amtsgericht in erster Instanz wegen schweren sexuellen Missbrauchs eines Kindes und Missbrauchs von Schutzbefohlenen zu zweieinhalb Jahren Haft verurteilt worden war, gestern beim Opfer entschuldigt. Neben zwei Sätzen, in denen sich der Mann persönlich äußerte, erklärte sein Anwalt Ernst-Otto Nolte, dass der 30-Jährige die Taten einräume, die Verantwortung übernehme und für die Schäden eintrete.

Hätte er das schon zu Prozessbeginn im Februar in Celle gemacht, wären der Hauptzeugin und einer Reihe Jugendlicher intime und belastende Aussagen vor Gericht erspart geblieben. „Ein Geständnis in zweiter Instanz ist nicht so viel wert wie ein Geständnis in erster Instanz, es ist aber immer noch gewichtig“, sagte der Vorsitzende Richter der Berufungskammer in der Urteilsbegründung. Zugleich betonte er die schwere Schuld des Angeklagten. Was dem Opfer geschehen sei, „ist in der Lage, die Entwicklung eines jungen Menschen gravierend zu beeinflussen“. Das Gericht entschied sich dennoch zu einer vergleichsweise milden Strafe und verurteilte den Angeklagten zu einer Freiheitsstrafe von zwei Jahren auf Bewährung. Die Bewährungszeit beträgt vier Jahre. Dem Täter wird zudem ein Bewährungshelfer an die Seite gestellt.

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.

POLAND
The News

The Salesian Society has said that pupils licking cream off a monk’s bare knees will no longer be part of initiation ceremonies at a high school run by monks in Lubin, southern Poland.

Father Alfred F. Leja, chief inspector at the society, which supervises educational standards at the St Dominik Salvio high school in Lubin, said that initiation ceremonies involving a priest with white foam on his knees, with first year pupils kneeling before him, “crossed the boundaries of good taste” and would no longer occur.

Last week it was reported that the school had photographs on its web site of 13 year-old pupils kneeling before a priest, who had what TV Odra said was whipped cream on his knees – the school claims it was shaving foam – during an initiation ceremony for first year students.

The children appear to be licking the cream off the priest’s legs in the photos, which have now been withdrawn from the school web site.

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

DEUTSCHLAND
netzwerkB

[Deutscher Bundestag]

Nach zwei Jahren Untätigkeit der SPD und der übrigen Parteien und einem Runden Tisch von Politik und Institutionen, dessen Ergebnisse den Belangen der Täter und deren Organisationen mehr entgegenkommen als den Interessen der Opfer (z.B. bei Fragen wie Anzeigepflicht und Höhe der Entschädigung), bringt die SPD das Thema Verjährungsfristen im zivilrechtlichen Bereich, als auch im strafrechtlichen Bereich, bei sexuellem Missbrauch von Kindern und minderjährigen Schutzbefohlen, auf die Tagesordnung des Deutschen Bundestages am Donnerstag den 27. September 2012.

Tagesordnung:

12.) Beratung Ber (6.A)
gemäß § 62 Abs.2 GO
zum Entwurf SPD Verlängerung der straf- und zivilrechtlichen Verjährungsfristen bei sexuellem Missbrauch von Kindern und minderjährigen Schutzbefohlen
– Drs 17/3646, 17/…. –
(TOP 12, 00:30 Stunden)

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.

ARGENTINA
Religion Digital

(RD/Agencias/Valores Religiosos).- El sacerdote argentino Justo José Ilarraz ha sido acusado de abusar sistemáticamente de chicos de entre 12 y 14 años, entre 1984 y 1992. El Arzobispado de Paraná admitió las “faltas gravísimas” del cura, aunque aclaró que fue apartado del ejercicio del sacerdocio “hasta que la Santa Sede resuelva la situación”. Lo acusan de haber violado de más de 50 chicos a lo largo de ocho años.

Ayer se supo que la Justicia provincial trabaja en el inicio de una causa en la que se investigará la denuncia formulada por el quincenario Análisis de la Actualidad, dando cuenta de que el Arzobispado de Paraná nunca denunció el abuso cometido por el cura Justo José Ilarraz contra no menos de 50 chicos de entre 12 y 14 años, quienes recién comenzaban su carrera religiosa y estaban bajo su tutela en el Seminario Menor de esa capital.

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

IRELAND
Irish Times

PATSY McGARRY, Religious Affairs Correspondent

THE CATHOLIC Church’s child protection watchdog, the National Board for Safeguarding Children (NBSC), has said the contract of its chief executive, Ian Elliott, will conclude at the end of June 2013. Mr Elliott will be 65 next summer.

In a statement yesterday the NBSC added that “the board will engage in discussions and examine with Mr Elliott whether and how his work with the board can continue beyond that point”.

It said “we would like to make it clear that the board has not been subject to any pressures in this regard. While those discussions are ongoing, we will not be making any further statements.”

The NBSC is funded by the Irish Catholic bishops, the Conference of Religious of Ireland and the Irish Missionary Union.

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

UNITED STATES
TheMediaReport

Dave Pierre

The 10th anniversary conference of Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) in Boston this month proved to be anything but “faithful” to the teaching authority of the Catholic Church.

Youthful rebellion

TheMediaReport.com was there when Jamie L. Manson, a writer for the dissident newspaper National Catholic Reporter, unleashed a vitriolic attack on Catholics who have the audacity to be faithful to the Magisterium.

The title of Manson’s talk was “Church and young Catholics: Is there a future?” but Manson reserved her harshest venom for those young Catholics who have celebrated Church orthodoxy. After deriding those who would attend “World Youth Day,” Manson unleashed a barrage that can only described as bigoted, condescending, and nasty.

According to Manson, orthodox Catholics:
■”don’t want to see women’s equality in church or even in society” (!);
■”do not want to see gays and lesbians and transgendered people treated with dignity”;
■”are in denial about the sex abuse crisis”;
■”are afraid of cultural flux and uncertainty”; and
■”are afraid of the world.”

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

FORT WORTH (TX)
Star-Telegram

Editorial

If it was true, as some critics said back when, that Roman Catholic Bishop Kevin Vann was too timid in dealing with difficult issues, that won’t be his legacy when he leaves the Diocese of Fort Worth in December.

It’s hardly surprising that Pope Benedict XVI assigned Vann to Orange County, Calif., the fastest-growing Catholic diocese in the country. The Fort Worth Diocese grew from 400,000 to 710,000 during Van’s seven years here. But that’s only one of the many challenges he ably handled.

Vann, 61, is a former lab technician who spent most of his life in Illinois. He was ordained bishop after his predecessor, Bishop Joseph Delaney, died in July 2005.

Where Delaney exercised tightly centralized authority, Vann was out in the parishes of the 28-county diocese, affable and approachable, and he reached out to other religions.

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.

TEXAS
Statesman

By Eric Dexheimer

Two days after a Hays County jury convicted Prakashanand Saraswati of 20 counts of indecency with a child for groping two teenagers who lived at the Hindu ashram he’d founded, newly filed court documents say his followers met in a devotee’s home a mile up the road in Driftwood to plan how to spirit him out of the country before his sentencing.

Later that night of March 6, 2011, or early the next morning, at least one of them accompanied the guru, who uses a wheelchair, over the Mexican border to Nuevo Laredo, according to the documents. After secretly moving just south of Tijuana in mid-2011, Prakashanand — who’d shaved his long white beard and cut his shoulder-length hair — then used a fake passport to escape to India in November.

The information, as well as other details of how Prakashanand’s followers in Texas and across the country clandestinely moved the spiritual leader while evading law enforcement, is included in court documents filed in Hays County. An affidavit in support of a search warrant signed last week by a Hays County judge seeks access to Yahoo email accounts of a preacher and close associate of the guru’s who lives in India.

Although many of the assertions in the document came from law enforcement interviews with devotees, much also was obtained from cellphone records and private emails written between Prakashanand’s followers.

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.

NORTHERN IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph

A Catholic priest has gone on trial accused of sexually abusing a young girl almost 30 years ago.

The Belfast Crown Court jury of six men and six women heard claims that when the alleged victim was performing various duties at the parochial house of St Matthew’s Church — on Bryson Street in the Short Strand area of east Belfast — she was subjected to numerous bouts of abuse at the hands of 69-year-old clergyman Peter Donnelly.

The priest, with an address at Drumaroad Hill, Castlewellan, Co Down, was curate at the church at the time and denies six counts of indecent assault and one of gross indecency alleged to have occurred on dates between July 31, 1983, and August 1, 1987.

He stood down from his position in the Drumaroad parish last year when the allegations came to light.

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

CANADA
CBC News

The University of Winnipeg has received a $500,000 grant to study the intergenerational impacts of Canada’s residential schools system.

The university announced on Monday that its Oral History Centre has received the grant from the Aboriginal Healing Foundation to produce a digital storytelling project.

As part of the project, researchers will speak with aboriginal men who were raised by those who were students of residential schools.

The latest study builds on similar research that was carried out in 2010, when six aboriginal women shared their stories of being raised by mothers who had to attend the schools.

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

CALIFORNIA
Modesto Bee

Bee Staff Reports
local@modbee.com

Another woman has come forward, saying she was abused by defrocked priest Oliver O’Grady from 1991 to 1992, when he served in St. Andrew’s Parish in San Andreas, according to the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.

The woman, now 51, is identified in court papers as “Jane Doe 51,” according to the Record of Stockton. She said she was sexually abused by O’Grady when she was 11 and 12. She said the diocese covered up the crimes and has filed suit against it.

O’Grady, convicted of molesting two boys from Turlock, served seven years of a 14-year sentence before being deported to his native Ireland. He is in prison there on child pornography charges.

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

WORCESTER (MA)
NECN

[with video]

(NECN: Katelyn Tivnan) – The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) is concerned with how the Orthodox Church is handling the release of a convicted abuser.

Reverend Charles Abdelahad has completed a 90 day jail sentence for abusing a parishioner at St. George’s Cathedral in Worcester where he was a pastor. SNAP is concerned he will be reinstated in his role in the Orthodox Church despite the conviction.

The reverend took a leave of absence from the Worcester cathedral following his arrest. In May, he was found guilty of assaulting a 45-year-old female parishioner during counseling sessions. The assaults allegedly consisted of biting, kicking and beating the woman with a bat.

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.

GERMANY
ABC – The World Today (Australia)

Mary Gearin reported this story on Tuesday, September 25, 2012 12:42:00

ELEANOR HALL: The Catholic Church has suffered from declining numbers in its congregations for decades. This is not helped by the continuing revelations worldwide about sexual abuse within the church.

In Germany the declining congregations have led to a loss of cash flow as well.

But now German bishops have decreed that any German Catholic who doesn’t pay a significant tax to the church will be excommunicated, as Europe correspondent Mary Gearin reports.

ANDREAS JANKE: I’m very sad, I feel it’s a pity.

MARY GEARIN: Andreas Janke has had to pay his penance for choosing not to pay tax as a Catholic in Bavaria.

ANDREAS JANKE: I lost all my rights as Catholic. In the bible says nothing written that you have to pay tax and you should pay willingly from your free will.

MARY GEARIN: Germany’s church tax is based on the notion of tithing, and it’s the way money flows to all religions in some European countries, including Switzerland and Austria.

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.

TULSA (OK)
Courthouse News Service

By DAVID LEE

(CN) – An Oklahoma megachurch waited two weeks to inform a mother that her 13-year-old had been raped by one of its employees, then it lied about having contacted the police and blamed the child, the parent says in court.

In connection to the alleged incident, Victory Christian Center, of Tulsa, admitted last week that its former employee Chris Denman has been charged with first-degree rape.

The victim, whose name is abbreviated to M.B. in the complaint, sued the church through her mother in Tulsa County Court on Friday. Courthouse News redacted the mother’s name from the complaint and its coverage to protect the child.

M.B. says Denman raped her in a stairwell during a church summer camp on Aug. 13, and that she reported the rape to church officials the next day.

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.

TULSA (OK)
KJRH

Posted: 09/24/2012

TULSA – Another possible victim has come forward with accusations of sexual misconduct against former Victory Christian Center employee Chris Denman, the fourth involving a former church employee in recent months.

The 12-year-old girl is the third minor to bring claims of sexual abuse against Denman. Denman, 20, was arrested Sept. 5 for raping a 13-year-old girl at a church event and molesting a 15-year-old girl.

Counts of lewd proposal to a child and use of a computer to facilitate a sex crime were attached to Denman’s initial charges of first-degree rape, forcible sodomy, lewd molestation and use of a computer to facilitate a sex crime.

The original allegations against the former church intern have ignited a firestorm in recent weeks as six other Victory Christian employees have been arrested — one Israel Castillo for making a lewd proposal to a minor and using a computer to facilitate a sex crime and five others for failure to report child abuse.

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

LYNN (MA)
The Daily Item

By Thor Jourgensen / The Daily Item
LYNN — Carmen Sierra wept over the Archdiocese of Boston’s announcement that the Rev. James Gaudreau, pastor of St. Joseph’s Church where Sierra has worshiped for 45 years, faces an allegation of child sexual abuse.

“I don’t believe that. He’s the best. Everybody cares about him,” Sierra said Monday.

She lives three blocks away from the brick church on Union Street where another long-time parishioner, Jimmy Gonzalez, said more than 800 people attend 11:30 Mass on Sunday morning. Gonzalez on Monday said he thinks “revenge” motivated the accusation against the stern, sometimes confrontational Gaudreau.

“During all these years, Rev. Gaudreau has made a lot of enemies,” Gonzalez said.

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

AUSTRALIA
ABC News

A court has been told a New South Wales Catholic priest charged with covering up sex abuse is terminally ill.

Today was to be Father Tom Brennan’s first appearance in court after being charged with covering up buggery and indecent assault offences by a defrocked Hunter Valley priest in the 1970s.

The charges stem from Brennan’s time as a principal at a Newcastle Catholic high school.

He is also charged with assaulting an eight or nine-year-old boy.

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

AUSTRALIA
Catholic News Agency

Melbourne, Australia, Sep 25, 2012 / 12:01 am (CNA).- The Catholic bishops of Australia’s Victoria state have said the Catholic Church in Victoria will cooperate “fully” with the Australian state’s parliamentary inquiry into child abuse.

“Sexual abuse in the Catholic Church has caused deep concern among Catholics and the wider community,” Archbishop Denis Hart of Melbourne said Sept. 21. “It is shameful and shocking that this abuse, with its dramatic impact on those who were abused and their families, was committed by Catholic priests, religious and church workers.”

The Victorian parliament has launched an inquiry into how religious and other non-governmental organizations handled child abuse, following suicides by dozens of people abused by clergy, Agence France Presse reports.

The Catholic bishops said the incidence of abuse has fallen “dramatically” from the “appalling numbers” in the 1960s and 1970s. In the last 16 years, the Catholic Church in Victoria has upheld about 620 cases of criminal child abuse, with most claims regarding incidents between 30 and 80 years ago.

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.

STOCKTON (CA)
The Record

By Jennie Rodriguez-Moore
Record Staff Writer

September 25, 2012

STOCKTON – A woman has come forward, saying she was abused by defrocked priest Oliver O’Grady from 1991 to 1992, when he served in the St. Andrew’s parish in San Andreas.

Identified in court papers as “Jane Doe 51,” the woman said O’Grady molested her when she was 11 and 12 years old. She is now in her 30s.

She filed a civil lawsuit for an unlimited, undetermined amount against the Diocese of Stockton in August at San Joaquin County Superior Court, claiming the diocese failed to protect her by covering up O’Grady’s sex crimes and continuing to employ him.

The civil complaint says Jane Doe 51 comes from a devoutly religious family. She was baptized, confirmed, received the sacraments, went to confession with O’Grady and celebrated weekly Mass at the church.

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.

GERMANY
IHT Rendezvous

By ALAN COWELL

BERLIN — Matters of faith have been much on German minds in recent times with debate raging among its Muslim and Jewish minorities over a court’s challenge to the practice of infant circumcision and, as I wrote in my latest Page Two column, over the country’s response to the contentious, American-made video denigrating the Prophet Muhammad that has stirred anger across the Muslim world.

But, in a development that has made fewer international headlines, many of Germany’s Roman Catholics are becoming increasingly incensed by an effort endorsed by the Vatican to ensure that churchgoers continue to pay a mandatory tax.

The decades-old church tax, as it is known, earns the country’s Protestant and Catholic churches a total of some €9 billion a year. Germans can avoid paying the levy – up to 9 percent of their assessed income tax — if they formally leave the church.

As of Monday, Germany’s Roman Catholic Bishops have decreed, those who leave the church may no longer qualify for religious ceremonies such as a Christian burial and may not partake in confession or communion; become a godfather at baptism or confirmation; or hold office within the church. But it will now be open to them to discuss a return to the fold with their priests.

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

GERMANY
The Guardian (United Kingdom)

Reuters
guardian.co.uk, Monday 24 September 2012

Roman Catholic activists in Germany have criticised a decree that denies sacraments and religious burials to people who opt out of a “church tax”.

Bishops issued the decree on Friday, warning Catholics who stop paying the tax they would be excluded from all religious activities, including working in a church, becoming a godparent or taking part in parish activities.

“‘Pay and pray’ is a completely wrong signal at the wrong time,” the reformist movement We Are Church said on Monday. The group said the decree “shows the great fear of the German bishops and the Vatican about further serious losses in church tax revenue”.

A conservative group called the Union of Associations, which is loyal to the pope, asked why Catholics who stopped paying the tax would be punished but those it called heretics could stay in its ranks.

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

ILLINOIS
Patch

By Lorraine Swanson

Rev. Gary M. Miller, the senior pastor at St. Bernadette Catholic Church in Evergreen Park, has stepped down from his duties as pastor amid sexual misconduct allegations with minor over 30 years ago.

The Archdiocese of Chicago announced on its website that Miller resigned as of Sunday, Sept. 23, and has been removed of all ministerial duties.

The allegation was made to the Archdiocese of Chicago on June 30, 2012, that Miller had engaged in sexual misconduct with a minor while assigned to St. Leonard Parish in Berwyn.

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.

MILWAUKEE (WI)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel

Sept. 24, 2012 5:57 p.m.

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee and victims of sex abuse by priests and others in authority have extended their court-ordered mediation into next week, prompting speculation that one of the Catholic Church’s largest bankruptcies could be nearing a close.

Lawyers for both sides met for another session Monday with the mediator, retired U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Randall J. Newsome of San Francisco, in hopes of hammering out a settlement that would compensate victims and allow the archdiocese to continue its mission.

Archdiocese spokesman Jerry Topczewski said “much progress” has been made. But neither he nor attorneys representing victims would comment on the substance of the talks, or whether they believed a settlement was imminent.

“Based on the status of the talks, we thought it was appropriate to continue. But I wouldn’t talk about the status beyond that,” said James Stang, the lead attorney for the creditors committee.

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

CANADA
Truth and Reconciliation Commission

September 20, 2012 – The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) will host hearings in Thompson (September 25 and 26) and at Sagkeeng First Nation (October 2 and 3).
The hearings will provide an opportunity for those affected by the Indian Residential School system and its legacy to share their experiences with a TRC Commissioner (Dr. Marie Wilson in Thompson; Chief Wilton Littlechild at Sagkeeng) as well as with community members and anyone else who would like to learn about and bear witness to the schools’ legacy. Those who want to make a private statement to the Commission will also be able to do so.

Thompson: September 25, 26 at River Lodge, 351 Jasper Avenue
Sagkeeng: October 2, 3 at Sagkeeng Arena Multiplex

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.

NEDERLAND
Trouw

[Summary: The Utrecht archdiocese has asked Cardinal Ad Simonis to repent because of his role in covering up sexual abuse.]

Het aartsbisdom Utrecht roept kardinaal Ad Simonis op om spijt te betuigen omdat hij niet fel genoeg heeft opgetreden tegen seksueel misbruik. Simonis was ‘eindverantwoordelijk’ voor een misbruikgeval in de jaren ’80. .

In 1983 werd hij van seksueel misbruik door de Overijsselse pastoor Boonk schriftelijk op de hoogte gesteld. Volgens het aartsbisdom heeft Simonis, die destijds bisschop van Utrecht was, ‘onvoldoende adequaat gereageerd’. De bisdomstaf sluit zich aan bij de oproep van een slachtoffergroep.

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.

AUSTRALIE
Friesch Dagblad

Melbourne | De Rooms-Katholieke Kerk in de Australische staat Victoria heeft bevestigd dat er sinds de jaren dertig van de vorige eeuw meer dan zeshonderd kinderen seksueel zijn misbruikt. Dat meldde de BBC.

De meeste gevallen van misbruik vonden plaats tussen 1960 en 1980. De kerk onderzoekt nog 45 andere gevallen. Er zijn nauwelijks meldingen binnengekomen van misbruik dat na 1990 zou zijn gepleegd, aldus Denis Hart, aartsbisschop van Melbourne. Dat komt volgens hem doordat er sinds de jaren tachtig strenger wordt opgetreden. Hart vindt het misbruik „afschuwelijk en beschamend”. In een statement zegt hij dat het belangrijk is om open te zijn over het misbruik.

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.

STOCKTON (CA)
The Record

September 24, 2012

STOCKTON – Another woman has come forward, saying she was abused by defrocked priest Oliver O’Grady from 1991 to 1992, when he served in the St. Andrew’s parish in San Andreas, according to the SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.

The woman, now 51, is identified in court papers as “Jane Doe 51.” She said she was sexually abused by O’Grady when she was 11 and 12. She says the diocese covered up the crimes and has filed suit against it.

O’Grady, convicted of molesting two boys from Turlock, served seven years of a 14-year sentence before being deported his native Ireland. He is serving time in a prison there, having been convicted of child pornography charges.

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

WORCESTER (MA)
Telegram & Gazette

By Bronislaus B. Kush TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
bkush@telegram.com

WORCESTER — The Rev. Charles M. Abdelahad, who took a voluntary leave of absence as pastor of St. George Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral last year after being charged with sexually assaulting a female parishioner, may have returned to his ministerial duties.

Officials with the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests said today that parishioners of St. George’s have told them that they have seen Rev. Abdelahad working with choir members and taking part in worship services at Antiochian churches in Dedham and Norwood.

“Why take the risk? That’s the question that Orthodox Church officials and members must ask themselves about Father Abdelahad,” said David O’Regan, an official with the Worcester chapter of SNAP. “Why let him be around vulnerable adults in a church setting, given his conviction on charges of assault and battery.”

Rev. Abdelahad was sentenced to serve 90 days of a two-year jail term at the Worcester County Jail and House of Correction after being convicted in May of abusing a 45-year-old woman during counseling sessions held over a three-year period at the Anna Street church.

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.

GERMANY
Huffington Post

By FRANK JORDANS

BERLIN — A Catholic reform group in Germany criticized the country’s bishops Monday for declaring that believers who refuse to pay religious taxes won’t be able to receive the sacrament, become godparents or work in church institutions.

A century-old agreement with the state adds up to nine percent to the income tax bill of Germany’s 25 million registered Roman Catholics, earning the church more than (EURO)4 billion ($5.2 billion) annually. The same tax applies to Protestants and Jews.

The churches use the income to pay employees’ salaries and fund social work such as care for the elderly. The churches themselves aren’t taxed by the state but instead pay an administrative fee for the collection of religious tax. Donations represent a far smaller share of the churches’ income than in the United States.

The Catholic bishops’ decree in Germany last week is part of an attempt to stem the steady flow of people who opt out of paying religious taxes. It declares that they have committed a “grave lapse” and effectively left the church.

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

PHILIPPINES
Philippine Daily Inquirer

3:07 am | Tuesday, September 25th, 2012

Who is Msgr. Cristobal E. Garcia?

Belonging to the Archdiocese of Cebu, he is the head of the Commission on Worship; the rector of the Archdiocesan Shrine of Jesus Nazareno in Cansojong, Talisay; and director of the archdiocese publications, “Bag-ong Lungsuranon” and “Mag-ambahan Kita,” according to the 2008-2009 Catholic Directory of the Philippines.

His high-profile ministry is a far cry from his situation some 20 years ago when he was expelled from the Dominican Order. Garcia then was working in the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

His expulsion reportedly came after a nun told police that an altar boy had been found in his bed in a Los Angeles rectory.

According to a listing from the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles that was reported in the Los Angeles Times, Garcia was accused of “molesting two youths” from 1980 to 1984.

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
Kent Online

A priest from Margate has denied raping a woman earlier this year.

John Taylor appeared at Canterbury Crown Court earlier today to formally enter a plea of not guilty to rape on February 22.

The 48-year-old of Canterbury Road used to work at the Old Roman Catholic Church in St Mildred’s Road, Westgate, and wore a cross on a chain over his black suit as he sat in the dock.

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.

LYNN (MA)
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

Posted by David Clohessy on September 24, 2012

We are glad that Fr. James Gaudreau has been removed from ministry following this allegation of sexual abuse. However, the Archdiocese of Boston can and should do a lot more in this case.

According to diocesan spokesperson Kellyanne Dignan, the abuse in question is alleged to have taken place in 2006. The fact that it has happened so recently means it is likely that there could be criminal charges in this matter. If the Archdiocese of Boston wants to prove to its flock that it truly cares about protecting kids and preventing further abuse, church officials should work diligently to help the Boston police uncover the facts of this matter.

Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley should use all of the resources available to him to reach out to others who may have information on Fr. Gaudreau’s alleged crimes. He should also visit each parish where Gaudreau worked and actively seek out victims or witnesses at each location.

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.

WORCESTER (MA)
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

WHAT
Holding signs and childhood photos at a sidewalk news conference, clergy sex abuse victims will
–disclose that a Worcester-area priest is still in active ministry despite a recent criminal conviction,
–urge his church supervisors to immediately and permanently oust him, and
–prod anyone who may have seen, suspected or suffered his crimes to call police, expose wrongdoing, protect others and start healing.

WHEN
Monday, September 24 at 1 p.m.

WHERE
On the sidewalk outside the Worcester District Court House, 225 Main Street (corner of Martin Luther King Jr Blvd) in Worcester, MA

WHO
Three victims of sexual abuse and their supporters who are members of a self-help group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPNetwork.org)

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.

LYNN (MA)
Boston Globe

By Matt Rocheleau and Gal Tziperman Lotan
Globe Correspondents
September 23, 2012

A Roman Catholic priest who has worked at a church in Lynn for the past three decades has been placed on paid administrative leave because of an accusation of sexual abuse of a child, the Archdiocese of Boston announced Sunday.

The Rev. James E. Gaudreau, 69, arrived at Saint Joseph Parish in 1984 as the Spanish apostolate for the Lynn area and became the church’s pastor in 1993, archdiocese spokeswoman Kellyanne Dignan said by phone.

The alleged abuse occurred in 2006, but the archdiocese was notified only recently, Dignan said. Gaudreau was placed on leave Friday. Dignan declined to release the age of the child or other details.

Archdiocese officials said they have notified police about the case and have launched an investigation. Lynn police declined to comment.

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

ILLINOIS
WGN News

10:10 a.m. CDT, September 24, 2012

EVERGREEN PARK, Ill.—
A Catholic priest in Evergreen Park has resigned after being accused of sexual misconduct.

Reverend Gary Miller has stepped down from his duties as pastor of St. Bernadette parish.

The Archdiocese of Chicago received a report in June saying Miller was sexually involved with a minor at St. Leonard parish in Berwyn, more than 30-years ago.

The archdiocese has reported the case to DCFS, and is sending a report to the Vatican.

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.

NORTHERN IRELAND
BBC News

A Catholic priest went on trial on Monday accused of sexually abusing a young girl almost 30 years ago.

Belfast Crown Court heard claims that the alleged victim was abused by 69-year-old Peter Donnelly at the parochial house of St Matthew’s Church, Belfast.

The priest, from Drumaroad Hill in Castlewellan, was a curate at the time.

He denies six counts of indecent assault and one of gross indecency between 31 July 1983 and 1 August 1987.

Opening the case against him prosecuting lawyer Kate McKay warned the jury that although such offences “may raise the hackles” of people, they had to set aside any feelings of sympathy or prejudice in deciding the case.

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

CALIFORNIA
Loyolan

Posted: Thursday, September 20, 2012

Adrien Jarvis, Editor in Chief

News broke last week that a former 15-year Jesuit employee of LMU, Brother William Farrington, S.J., had been accused of sexual misconduct at two schools where he previously worked. The University has since launched an investigation into Farrington’s time at LMU, according to President David W. Burcham. So far, no similar allegations have been made against him during his tenure at the University.

“As of now, I can say confidently that … there’s no evidence of any complaint or wrongdoing while he was here – not even rumors,” said Burcham.

However, Northwest Regional Director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) Joey Piscitelli believes that alleged victims at LMU will come forward.

“He was in a position [at LMU] in admissions to actually talk to people who are under the age of 18.

… For him to be there for that long, and for him to be a serial molester, the chance that he didn’t molest somebody there, I think, is very little,” said Piscitelli. He added that since the first alleged victim from Farrington’s former place of employment, Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose, Calif. came forward on Sept. 11, he has received five calls from others claiming sexual misconduct by Farrington.

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.

NORTHERN IRELAND
RTE News

Catholic priest has gone on trial in Belfast accused of sexually abusing a young girl almost 30 years ago.

69-year-old Peter Donnelly from Castlewellan in Co Down, who was a curate at St Mathew’s Church in Belfast, denies six charges of indecent assault and one gross of indecency alleged to have occurred between July 1983 and August 1987.

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

VATICAN CITY
Vatican Information Service

Vatican City, (VIS) – The Holy Father appointed: …

– Cardinal George Pell, archbishop of Sydney, Australia, as a member of the Congregation for Bishops.

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

AUSTRALIA
Catholic Online

9/24/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

More than 600 children are estimated to have been sexually abused by priests since the Thirties

The archbishop of Melbourne Denis Hart has described the recently revealed statistics as “horrific and shameful.” Australia’s Roman Catholic Church has finally come forward to admit that more than 600 children have been sexually abused by its priests since the Thirties in the state of Victoria.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) – Campaigners say the actual figure could be closer to as many as 10,000 victims. The recent admission came in a submission to a state parliamentary inquiry into the handling of abuse cases.

The church confirmed that the 620 cases went back 80 years, the majority of the instances taking place between the Sixties and the Eighties. There are an additional 45 cases under investigation.

Archbishop Hart said it was important to be open “about the horrific abuse that has occurred in Victoria and elsewhere.”

In a written statement, Hart continued, “We look to this inquiry to assist the healing of those who have been abused, to examine the broad context of the church’s response, especially over the last 16 years, and to make recommendations to enhance the care for victims and preventative measures that are now in place.”

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

CANADA
The Chronicle-Herald

September 24, 2012 By DAVENE JEFFREY Staff Reporter

Three men who claim they were sexually assaulted by priests decades ago are suing the Roman Catholic Diocese of Antigonish.

In Halifax court documents filed late last week, William Muirhead, 49, of Stellarton, John Parsons, 62, of Bras d’Or and Myles Parsons, 63 of Nanaimo, B.C., all seek damages under $100,000 for assault and emotional harm.

The diocese has not yet filed a defence and none of the allegations have been proven in court.

However, each claim holds the diocese vicariously liable in negligence and assault.

According to the documents filed in Nova Scotia Supreme Court, twin brothers Clair and Claude Richard were parish priests at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church at Little Bras d’Or in the 1960s.

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

UNITED STATES
Daily Mail

By Paul Thompson

PUBLISHED:19:10 EST, 22 September 2012

A priest from Co. Offaly who won infamy by being jailed for using parish funds to finance lavish trips to Las Vegas and presents for his mistress has been let out of prison early – and has vowed to win his collar back.

When Fr Francis Guinan was jailed for plundering Church money, he was accused of being involved in the worst case of embezzlement in the US Catholic Church’s history. Condemned as a ‘professional money launderer’, he was defrocked and banned from setting foot in his former parish.

Lurid tales of nights spent gambling in Las Vegas while accompanied by his much younger mistress ensured that his trial garnered headlines around the world.

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

ROME
Irish Times

PADDY AGNEW in Rome and MICHAEL O’REGAN

TAOISEACH ENDA Kenny’s encounter with Pope Benedict XVI at Castel Gandolfo on Saturday passed off without any significant exchange between the two men.

Mr Kenny had attended the papal audience as part of a delegation from the Centrist Democrat International (CDI) group, which held a two-day meeting in Rome.

Still tired from his pastoral visit to Lebanon last week, the 85-year-old pontiff kept the audience brief, preferring to pose with the CDI delegation for a group photograph rather than exchange individual greetings with the 100-plus group. Among those who attended the audience along with the Taoiseach were Greek prime minister Antonis Samaras, Albanian prime minister Sali Berisha and the spokesman for the Syrian National Transitional Council, George Sabra.

The Taoiseach had nothing to say to the waiting Irish media, given that he had had no significant exchange with Pope Benedict. On this, his first meeting with the pontiff since his stinging criticism of the Holy See in the Dáil last summer, many had wondered if there would be any further “dialogue” with the pope on the clerical sex abuse issue. However, in the context of a group meeting, that had never seemed a realistic possibility.

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

UNITED STATES
Irish Central

By
DARA KELLY,
IrishCentral Staff Writer

Published Monday, September 24, 2012\

An Irish priest who used parish funds for trips to Las Vegas and presents for his mistress has vowed to win his status as a priest back after getting out of prison early.

When Fr Francis Guinan was sentenced for four years in a Florida prison for embezzling the Church’s money, he was also defrocked and banned from ever setting foot again in his former parish.

According to the Irish Mail on Sunday, the 69-year-old priest from Birr, Co. Offaly, insists he is innocent. He hopes that if he is given a chance to explain his story during a Church tribunal review, he will have the opportunity be a priest again.

“What people heard in the court when I was jailed was not the whole truth. There was a picture that was painted of me that was not true. All I can hope is that when my case is looked at again, people will learn different facts. I want my side of the story to be heard. How I have been portrayed is not right. I am innocent,” he told the Daily Mail.

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

MISSOURI
KAIT

Posted by Brandi Hunter, Video Journalist

SENATH, MO (KAIT) – A person who intentionally disrupts a house of worship in Missouri could face jail time, according to a newly enacted Missouri law.

Senate Bill No. 755, or the House of Worship Protection Act took effect August 28.

According to the act, “a person commits the crime of disturbing a house of worship if such person intentionally and unreasonably disturbs a building used for religious purposes by using profanity, rude or indecent behavior, or making noise. A person commits the crime if they engage in such behavior within the house of worship or so close to the building that the services are disturbed.”

Senath resident Justin Casey believes the Protection Act is necessary.

“There’s a lot of people that come and disrupt church because some people don’t agree with it,” he said. “You don’t want them to go into your house and disrupt what you got to do and law protects that so why not protect church like that.” …

The ACLU filed the suit on behalf of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), and Voice of the Faithful of Kansas City.

SNAP and Voice of the Faithful members believe their protests outside Catholic churches in support of sexual abuse victims could be deemed illegal under the House of Worship Protection Act.

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.

LYNN (MA)
The Daily Item

By Cyrus Moulton / The Daily Item
LYNN — The Archdiocese of Boston has placed the Rev. James E. Gaudreau, pastor of St. Joseph’s Church, on administrative leave after receiving an allegation of sexual abuse of a child, according to an Archdiocese statement Friday.

“The Archdiocese will work with the parish if there is any help that they need,” said Archdiocese spokesperson Kellyanne Dignan in a phone interview Sunday. She declined to give any information on the complaint other than it involved a child, and the conduct in question is alleged to have occurred around 2006. The alleged conduct “was only recently reported to the Archdiocese,” the statement said.

“To protect the privacy of the individual and to protect the integrity of the investigation, I cannot get into any more details of the complaint,” Dignan said.

Gaudreau, 69, has been at the St. Joseph’s since 1984 and its pastor since 1993, Dignan said. She said that the Archdiocese provided staff to assist with pastoral care and to celebrate Masses on Saturday and Sunday and informed parishioners. Dignan said Masses will continue as scheduled.

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

UNITED STATES
CatholicCitizens.org

By Susan E. Jordan -Catholic Citizens of Illinois

My introduction to Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) was in March of 2002 when I lived in the Boston area.

After the Boston Globe launched its now famous investigative reporting of the clergy sex abuse scandal in early January, many Catholic parishes in the Boston area held listening sessions for concerned parishioners. Within a few months, a steady group of these Catholics from throughout the Boston area began to convene on a regular basis at St. John the Evangelist parish in Wellesley. From an initial gathering of perhaps 30 people on a Monday night, these weekly gatherings grew to over 500 attendees with coverage by CNN, PBS and other major media outlets. This was the genesis of Voice of the Faithful.

My initial reaction to an increasing awareness of the scandal was a desire to figure out some concrete and compassionate way to reach out to the victims (survivors) of clergy sexual abuse. I had never encountered anyone who had experienced such abuse; and any stories I had read or heard I had simply dismissed as Catholic bashing. With the incessant coverage by the Boston Globe, Catholics were bombarded with endless accounts of new abuse cases. The VOTF gatherings brought together abuse survivors with concerned Catholics. The initial intent seemed laudable and credible: 1) support the survivors-work towards healing; 2) recognize “priests of integrity” (this peculiar title always baffled me, but my interpretation was that most priests are faithful to their vows); 3) shape structural change within the Church-to eliminate future abuses. The VOTF mantra “Keep the Faith, Change the Church” was intended to reflect the spirit of the Second Vatican Council toward greater involvement of the laity.

As the VOTF meetings progressed, I found myself included in the Leadership Council. However, I noticed a change in the composition of attendees at these leadership meetings: on one occasion I learned I was sitting between representatives from Call to Action and WomenChurch. I also noticed the VOTF platform was beginning to shift from the original intent of helping survivors to challenging Church teachings on contraception and other issues. During the planning meetings for VOFT’s first convention in June of 2002, I put forth suggestions for speakers like George Weigel, Richard John Neuhaus and Mary Anne Glendon. The visceral reaction seemed to convey that my recommendations were akin to Hitler and Stalin. When I was turned down as VOTF’s first Executive Director, I realized the Holy Spirit had been watching over me and guiding me right out the door for some time. Deo Gratias.

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.

WASHINGTON
BishopAccountability.org – Assignment Record

Summary of Case: William S. Skylstad was ordained a priest of the Spokane diocese in 1960. He was a minor seminary teacher and parish priest, and held several chancery positions, including Chancellor. He was appointed Yakima bishop in 1977, where he served until his appointment as bishop of Spokane in 1990. Skylstad was involved in a number of U.S.C.C.B. committees. He was elected U.S.C.C.B. vice-president in 2001 and U.S.C.C.B. president in 2004, a position he held until 2007. In Dec. 2005, Skylstad was accused of having sexually abused a minor female in the early 1960s. Skylstad denied the accusation. His lawyer hired an investigator who determined there was no evidence to support his accuser’s claim. Skylstad retired in 2010, and served as apostolic administrator of Baker, OR Jan. 2011-March 2012.

Ordained: 1960
Appointed: Bishop of Yakima Feb. 22, 1977
Appointed: Bishop of Spokane April 17, 1990
Retired: June 30, 2010

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

UNITED STATES/AUSTRALIA
YouTube

Published on Sep 22, 2012 by AlJazeeraEnglish

David Clohessy, a member of SNAP – the survivors network for those Abused by Priests speaks to Al Jazeera from St. Louis, Missouri in the U.S.

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

CALIFORNIA
The Worthy Adversary

Posted by Joelle Casteix on September 23, 2012

Convicted priest named in new sex abuse lawsuit
Young girl was molested in San Andreas CA parish
She is the latest of former cleric’s dozens of victims
Deported from US, he’s now in Irish prison for child porn
“Come forward and report abuse,” victims’ group begs
Anyone born after 1977 still has legal rights, they say

Another alleged victim of a notorious Stockton Catholic predator priest, who was convicted of and deported for child sex crimes, has filed a sex abuse and cover-up lawsuit in San Joaquin County Superior Court.

The woman, Jane Doe 51, charges that she was sexually abused by ex-cleric Oliver O’Grady in 1991-1992, when she was 11 and 12 years old. According to the suit, the abuse took place at St. Andrew’s parish in San Andreas.

Members of a support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, think that this may not be the last O’Grady victim to come forward.

“How many more O’Grady victims are suffering in silence?” said Joelle Casteix of Newport Beach, SNAP’s volunteer Western Regional Director. “O’Grady destroyed children across Stockton, yet his bosses did little to protect children – and even less to help victims. I fear there may be many more victims who don’t know they have rights to seek justice.”

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.

LYNN (MA)
Boston Globe

By Gal Tziperman Lotan
Globe Correspondent
September 23, 2012

A Lynn Roman Catholic priest was placed on paid administrative leave Friday because of an accusation of sexual abuse of a child, the Archdiocese of Boston said in a statement today.

The Rev. James E. Gaudreau, 69, arrived at St. Joseph Parish in 1984 as the Spanish apostolate for the Lynn area and became the church’s pastor in 1993, Archdiocese spokeswoman Kellyanne Dignan said in a phone interview.

The alleged abuse occurred in 2006, but the Archdiocese was only notified recently, the statement said.

Dignan declined to release the age of the child or other details.

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.

LYNN (MA)
WCVB

LYNN, Mass. —
The Archdiocese of Boston announced Sunday that it has placed Rev. James E. Gaudreau on administrative leave of absence as a result of receiving an allegation of sexual abuse of a child.

Gaudreau is the pastor at St. Joseph’s in Lynn. The archdiocese said the alleged conduct occurred in 2006 and was recently reported to them.

Police were immediately notified to investigate the complaint. As a result, the Archdiocese placed Gaudreau on leave pending the outcome.

The Archdiocese said they will work to resolve the case as expeditiously as possible and in a manner that is fair to all parties.

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.

LYNN (MA)
The Republic

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
September 23, 2012

BOSTON — The Archdiocese of Boston has placed a Roman Catholic priest in Lynn on leave because of an allegation that he sexually abused a child in 2006.

The archdiocese released a statement Sunday saying the Rev. James Gaudreau will remain on an administrative leave of absence pending the outcome of an archdiocese investigation. Gaudreau is the pastor of St. Joseph Parish.

Church officials say the allegation was only recently reported to the archdiocese, and they have notified police.

Gaudreau couldn’t be reached Sunday. An operator for a call service for the St. Joseph rectory declined to take a message.

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.

LYNN (MA)
CBS Boston

BOSTON (CBS) – A priest from Lynn is facing allegations of child sex abuse.

The Archdiocese of Boston announced Sunday that Rev. James E. Gaudreau of St. Joseph’s in Lynn is alleged to have abused a child in 2006. The incident was only recently reported to the church.

The Archdiocese says they notified the police and have begun an investigation into the complaint.

Gaudreau has since been placed on leave.

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

DEUTSCHLAND
Domradio

Das Bundesverwaltungsgericht in Leipzig wird sich am 26. September mit der Möglichkeit eines teilweisen Austritts aus der katholischen Kirche befassen. Der emeritierte Freiburger Kirchenrechtler Hartmut Zapp hatte 2007 seinen Austritt aus der katholischen Kirche „als Körperschaft öffentlichen Rechts“ erklärt und keine Kirchensteuern mehr gezahlt. Gleichzeitig betonte er jedoch, er verstehe sich weiterhin als gläubiges Mitglied der Kirche. Dies will die katholische Kirche nicht akzeptieren. Im Hintergrund des seit 2007 anhängigen Rechtstreits steht Zapps Kritik an der Verwaltungspraxis von Kirchensteuererhebung und Kirchenaustritt in Deutschland. Er argumentiert, die deutschen Bischöfe ignorierten weltkirchliche Regelungen. Der Vatikan habe 2006 klargestellt, dass ein vor staatlicher Stelle erklärter Austritt nicht für eine Exkommunikation, also die Aberkennung aller kirchlichen Rechte, ausreiche. Dies sehen die deutschen Bischöfe anders. Mittlerweile gibt es bundesweit mindestens zwei weitere Streitfälle um einen teilweisen Kirchenaustritt. Zapp hatte mit seiner Klage in erster Instanz Recht erhalten. Der Verwaltungsgerichtshof Baden-Württemberg entschied dann aber im Sinn der Kirche und stellte im Mai 2010 fest, dass ein teilweiser Kirchenaustritt unzulässig sei: Eine Austrittserklärung könne nicht auf den staatlichen Rechtskreis beschränkt werden.

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

POLEN
20 Minuten

von Simone Kubli – Ein katholischer Priester musste sich rechtfertigen, nachdem Fotos eines bizarren Initiationsrituals an seiner Schule in Lubin aufgetaucht waren. Nichts ist, wie es scheint. Oder doch?

Der erste Eindruck täuscht: Die Bilder zeigen keine obszönen Sexpraktiken, die hier ein kurzgeschorener Mann im Kreise hübscher Blondinen sitzend über sich ergehen lässt. Nein, der Rohrstock auf seinen Beinen ist keine Peitsche. Der weisse Schaum, den die Mädchen von seinen Knien lecken, ist kein Schlagrahm. Demzufolge ist in der Dose, die auch kein Dildo ist, auch kein Schlagrahm drin.

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

DEUTSCHLAND
Duckhome

Geschrieben von
Jochen Hoff

Sonntag, 23. September 2012

Es ist schön, dass es laut einer offiziellen Untersuchung in Australien seit 1990 nur noch wenige Missbrauchsfälle durch Mitarbeiter und Priester der katholischen Kirche gegeben hat. Wie glaubwürdig das angesichts der zugegebenen mindestens 620 Fälle aus den vergangen Jahrzehnten ist bleibt dem Urteil des Lesers selbst überlassen.

In den USA ist der katholische Bischof von Kansas City (Bundesstaat Missouri), Robert Finn, zu einer zweijährigen Bewährungsstrafe verurteilt worden, weil er die Polizei monatelang nicht über ihm vorliegende Hinweise informiert, wonach ein Priester möglicherweise Kinder sexuell missbraucht habe. Gleichzeitig wurde in Deutschland der Blogger Jochen Hoff auch in zweiter Instanz wegen Schmähkritik verurteilt weil er mit harten aber ehrlichen Worten darauf hingewiesen hatte das der Regensburger Bischof Müller den Kindesmissbrauch des Pfarrers von Riekhofen erst ermöglicht und damit unterstützt hatte, weil er diesen nach seinem ersten Kindesmissbrauch wieder in der Kinder und Jugendarbeit eingesetzt hat.

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.

TOLEDO (OH)
New York Daily News

Justice Story: Killer priest murders nun in chapel sacristy, leaves demonic stab pattern over her heart

By David J. Krajicek / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Published: Sunday, September 23, 2012

The nun’s killer left behind a pointed message.

Sister Margaret Ann Pahl, 71, was murdered on the morning before Easter in 1980, an ungodly act on Holy Saturday. Her body was found in the chapel sacristy at Mercy Hospital in Toledo, Ohio.

She had been confronted by her killer as she prepared for that day’s services. Pahl was choked to death’s door, jabbed mercilessly with a letter opener, and then sexually violated. She was found with an altar cloth shrouding her torso.

It was a ritual murder with hallmarks of pathological rage.

Among 31 stab wounds, nine punctures over her heart formed the outline of an inverted Crucifix, a demonic symbol. She had been stripped below the waist and defiled with a cross.

The homicide was unthinkable. Who would do such a thing to an elderly nun?

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

AUSTRALIA
God Discussion

[with video]

Australian Roman Catholic Church admits to 600 child sex abuse victims — SNAP says it’s time for Catholic abusers and enablers to be treated like criminals, not with favoritism

Al Jazeera reports that Australia’s Roman Catholic Church has confirmed that more than 600 children have been sexually abused by its priests since the 1930s in the state of Victoria. The archbishop of Melbourne, Denis Hart, described the figures as “horrific and shameful.”

The child abuse scandals and coverups have caused concern worldwide. In Belgium, there were at least 300 victims and it was reported that a former head of the church advised a victim not to go public. Thousands of abuse cases became public in Ireland, and one report found that four archbishops effectively turned a blind eye to the problem for almost 30 years. There was outrage in the United States when it was discovered that church officials were covering up abuse by two priests in Boston by moving them from post to post. These are just a few of the incidents reported over the past few years. …

David Clohessy, a member of SNAP — the Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests — commented about the Church’s admission of Australian abuse.

“We are grateful that so many victims in Australia have spoken up and are continuing to speak up,” Clohessy said. “We do believe that these figures [the 600 admitted by the Church] are very low. It would be naive to assume that Church officials who have worked for decades to conceal the abuse would suddenly do a complete reversal and be totally forthcoming. We think that many more kids in Australia have been abused and frankly, are still being abused. We’re not very impressed with the Church hierarchy’s response so far.”

Clohessy thinks that the parliamentary inquiry is a positive influence. “Church officials oftentimes, in a crisis like this, appoint their own panel to investigate. We think those are, just frankly, a diversion and a waste of time. There’s a much better chance at getting to the truth if governmental bodies investigate. But beyond that, there also has to be criminal prosecution, not just of the predator priests, but of each and every current and former Catholic official who knew of or suspected the crimes and hid them. Only then will there really be reform in the Church and will kids be safer. We have to go after the higher-ups, not just the child molester clerics themselves.”

Al Jazeera asked Clohessy what bothers him the most, after all these years. Clohessy is disturbed by each abuse case that SNAP receives and added, “What is the most problematic or the most troubling to me personally is that we still do see a lot of secular officials who treat Catholic officials with kid gloves and with favoritism and with special treatment. Let’s face it. Many of these highly respected, highly educated bishops are in fact acting like criminals and they need to be treated that way. We need to see police and prosecutors and governmental authorities coming down on these complicit church officials like a ton of bricks; otherwise, the crimes and the cover-ups simply continue.”

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

DEUTSCHLAND
Echo

Kirche – Evangelische Gemeinde Mörfelden stellt Schutzkonzept gegen sexuelle Übergriffe auf Kinder und Jugendliche vor

MÖRFELDEN.

Ein Jahr lang arbeitete die evangelische Gemeinde Mörfelden an ihrem Schutzkonzept gegen sexualisierte Gewalt an Kindern und Jugendlichen. Mit den Sommermonaten begann die Umsetzung. „Wir wollen damit Verantwortung übernehmen“, erklärt Pfarrerin Andrea Schätzler-Weber. Es sei wichtig, die Augen vor möglichen sexuellen Übergriffen nicht zu verschließen und die Kinder bestmöglich zu schützen.

Aufgestellt wurde das Konzept vom Kinder- und Jugendausschuss der Gemeinde, in dem Pfarrerin Barbara Schindler und Herbert Böhnke federführend mitarbeiteten. Professionelle Unterstützung kam vom Verein Wildwasser, der von sexuellem Missbrauch Betroffenen und deren Angehörigen Hilfe anbietet. Nachdem die Walldorfer Kirchengemeinde ihr Konzept zum Jahresanfang fertigstellte, haben nun beide evangelischen Gemeinden ein Präventionskonzept.

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

ROME
RTE News

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has attended an address by Pope Benedict with his European political allies in Italy.

The meeting was a group event and did not involve any exchange between Mr Kenny and the Pope.

Pope Benedict addressed the delegation briefly saying the authentic progress of human society cannot forgo policies aimed at protecting and promoting marriage.

It is understood that the meeting at Castel Gandolfo did not involve any exchange between the Taoiseach and the Pope.

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

CALIFORNIA
What They Knew

“Dedicated to the Men in Black who protect their fellow brothers from law enforcement.”

This week has continued another horrid month for the California Province of the Society of Jesus. That poor California Province Public Relations Director is earning his paycheck this year…

But his job is nothing compared to that of the Sensitive Incidents Team (SIT) of the California Province. Now skipping past the numerous puns about “SIT-ting on evidence” or “abbreviated SIT because thats usually what they do and never call the police.” They are the “SWAT Team for Jesuit Child Sex Abuse” and they have been busy. First we had the summer of Jerold Lindner SJ. With the total of victims at over 8 between the San Jose and Sacramento areas, there is the William Farrington SJ “sensitive incident”. Thanks to the work of these dedicated Jesuit “ninjas” we will never know how many other abusers this group has hid in the shadows from legitimate criminal investigation.

Occasionally, we here at What They Knew get criticized for being anti-clerical and giving the impression that there are no good Jesuits. That is simply not true. There are a many Jesuits who do wonderful things and you can read about them on the numerous Jesuit websites the Society has paid very good money for. Also of note there are a few very good Jesuits who abhor the abuse of children, despise their corrupt Superiors and detest the cover-up / code of silence. These anonymous Jesuit priests toil thanklessly to get the truth out at huge risk and help us get documents and assist this website as a means of change for an organization they believe would be restored minus the criminal element within. But more from them later.

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

UNITED STATES
National Catholic Register

by BISHOP R. DANIEL CONLON
09/22/2012

Stories in the news over the past year have shown the horrific reality of something Catholics learned when the clergy sexual-abuse crisis rocked the Church in the United States — the sexual abuse of children is a much larger problem than most people realize, one that has destroyed countless innocent lives and, sadly, does not receive the attention it deserves until a “big name” is involved.

One out of four females and one out of six males are abused before they reach the age of 18.

Society still has not come fully to terms with the sweeping scope of this problem and the reality that so many people are living with the pain it has caused.

Victims of abuse — from within their churches, their schools and even their families — carry heavy burdens of crippling shame. This sometimes results in “self-treatment” to deaden the pain with drugs and alcohol. There can be difficulties with relationships, trusting others or managing anger.

Sadly, many lose their faith in God and even end their own lives.

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

AUSTRALIA
Canberra Times

The victims of sexual abuse say they felt stripped bare, humiliated, embarrassed, bullied, belittled and disbelieved, JUDY COURTIN writes

Valiant gentlemen,
Let us survey the vantage of the field
Call for some men of sound direction
Let’s want no discipline, make no delay,
For, lords, to-morrow is a busy day.

– Shakespeare, Richard III

The Catholic Church is nervous and preparing for battle. Legal fortifications are being erected, especially around the Sydney and Melbourne Archdioceses. Opening arguments for the defence are in position and the hierarchy is hunkering down.

Perhaps, like King Richard, the clergy offenders and their protectors are collectively dreaming of the ghosts of their victims – those who have survived and those who have died prematurely.

As Archbishop George Cardinal Pell and Archbishop Denis Hart plan their ecclesiastical battle strategy, or perhaps it is a strategy for self-survival, it is apparent they are trying to distance and isolate themselves and their archdioceses from the rest of the Catholic Church in Australia.

Calls for a Royal Commission in NSW are escalating and the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into the handling of child abuse by religious and other organisations is looming.

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.

TULSA (OK)
Tulsa World

By JARREL WADE World Staff Writer
Published: 9/23/2012

Victory Christian Center leaders began encouraging their congregation to speak up about sexual abuse this weekend following charges involving sexual crimes against children at the church and a two-week lapse in reporting the allegations to police, according to a church statement.

In addition, Victory Christian officials provided to the World a detailed account of the two weeks before police were notified.

The message to the congregation comes after the church fired two staff members who were later charged with child sex crimes and five other staff members were charged with failure to report child abuse. Police said last week that their investigation has revealed more possible victims with a possibility for a third suspect, but parents of new possible victims have not cooperated.

In her statement Saturday to her congregation during weekend services, Victory Christian Senior Pastor Sharon Daugherty said she has grieved about the situation and encouraged anyone with knowledge of child abuse to report it to authorities.

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

ILLINOIS
Herald-News

By Bob Okon bokon@stmedianetwork.com September 22, 2012

WATSEKA — Talk to people in Watseka about the Rev. F. Lee Ryan, and you hear that he’s a great guy.

“Father is well liked by everybody in this town,” said Gary Cahoe while cutting hair at his downtown barber shop. “I don’t think you would hear anything bad about him.”

“He’s very caring,” said Lonnie Dirks, bereavement, community outreach and crisis intervention coordinator for Iroquois Memorial Hospice. She has worked with some of the same shut-ins who Ryan has seen as a priest during his 20 years as a pastor at St. Edmund’s Parish in Watseka.

“He’s fun. That’s one reason everyone likes him,” Dirks said. “He’s very positive. You ask him to be somewhere, and he’s there.”

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

UNITED STATES
Catholic Online

By Deacon Keith Fournier
9/22/2012

Bishop Kevin Vann’s appointment means that one more foundation stone is in place in a critical – and rapidly growing – Diocese in the United States of America. Benedict the Builder continues to fortify the Church with living stones. When this papacy is recounted in history, Pope benedict XVI’s apostolic work will be credited with having re-secured the Catholic Church in a time of trial so that she could inaugurate the new missionary age of the Third Millennium. His appointment of Bishops is key to that entire undertaking.

WASHINGTON, DC (Catholic Online) – In the wake of the announcement of Bishop James Conley’s appointment to Lincoln, Nebraska we hear another announcement of good news, Bishops Kevin Vann of Fort Worth, Texas, will soon be the fourth bishop of Orange, California.

Benedict the Builder is placing the Foundation stones in place upon which will be built a firm foundation for the Church in the United States. She is being secured and made ready for the challenges we face. From the beginning of his service to the Church, Pope Benedict XVI has been about rebuilding the Church.

When this papacy is recounted in history, Pope benedict XVI’s apostolic work will be credited with having re-secured the Catholic Church in a time of trial so that she could inaugurate the new missionary age of the Third Millennium. His appointment of Bishops is key to that entire undertaking.

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

ROME
Vatican Insider

Ireland’s Prime Minister , who attacked the Vatican in a July 2011 speech over its failure to protect children, attended a papal audience but the pope did not greet him or any other leader present

Gerard O’Connell
Rome

Ireland’s Prime Minister (Taoiseach), Enda Kenny, attended a papal audience with other European political leaders linked to the internationalCentrist Democratic movement at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo this morning, September 22, but the Pope did not greet him or any of the other political leaders present.

Pope Benedict spoke to group of some 100 political leaders from across the globe on the need for ethics in economics, and the importance of defending human life -from conception to natural death, and marriage.

The Italian politician, Ferdinando Casini, greeted the Pope on behalf of the whole group, and presented him with a book.

Given the group’s size, nobody had imagined that Benedict XVI would greet them all individually, but it had been expected that he would shake hands with the European Prime Ministers, including Ireland’s Enda Kenny, who was seated on the front row alongside the Greek Prime Minister. This did not happen.

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

ILLINOIS
Daily Journal

By Dennis Yohnka
dyohnka@daily-journal.com
815-937-3384

While a group of parishioners at St. Edmund Catholic Church in Watseka support the Rev. Lee Ryan, their embattled former pastor, they are not offering vocal support out of concern it will hurt his chances to return to the ministry.

Kankakee attorney Leonard Sacks is also supportive of Ryan, and he has no qualms about speaking up.

“In my opinion, [Ryan] is being thrown under the bus in an attempt to give the impression that the church is coming down hard on abusers,” Sacks said in an interview Friday

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

ILLINOIS
Daily Journal

By Dennis Yohnka
dyohnka@daily-journal.com
815-937-3384

Last week’s on-again, off-again reinstatement of the Rev. Lee Ryan, former pastor of St. Edmund Catholic Church in Watseka, reopened the emotional wounds of a parish.

It also brought a new voice into a generally stifled discussion of the priest’s innocence or guilt — a matter that will never come to a real courtroom.

Ryan, 79, was removed from the ministry in May 2010, based on claims of sexual abuse filed by a Florida man, now 52.

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

ROME/IRELAND
New Statesman

Enda Kenny must acknowledge the damage done by the Catholic Church to Ireland

By Aaron Vallely Published 22 September 2012

Ireland’s very own bronze-haired, twinkly-eyed Taoiseach Enda Kenny is today meeting Pope Benedict XVI in Rome. As to what should be on his lips is anyone’s guess. One hopes that he is mindful of our history, and that his smile does not take precedence over the articulation of anger felt by our – although economically burdened – still optimistic people and that he makes the Catholic Church acknowledge the irrevocable damage inflicted by them and their institution head-on, face to face.

“A society of albanised peasants,” was the damning depiction of 1960s Ireland declared by the late writer, Sean O’Faolain. Run, as he said we were then, by a completely obscurantist, repressive, regressive and uncultivated church, it was theocracy that managed the holy land of Ireland. And it was here, as in other places, that politics and religion have had an incestuous relationship. Ireland is a wicked example of what can go wrong.

While most of the west in the 19th century was industrialised and urbanised, Ireland remained an impoverished Catholic society, shackled with arrested development, where the men of the holy cloth had the last word not only in sermon, but on all sorts of policy, public and social. The Catholic Church was the alpha and the omega. There was deep attachment to land and faith, tradition and ritual. The modernisation of Ireland, however, inevitably would be in opposition to religion. Television, the sexual revolution and globalisation, all contributed fiercely. It was the sex scandals, though, that would be the killer element in the implosion of the church.

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

ROME
Irish Times

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has met with Pope Benedict XVI in Rome.

The Fine Gael leader’s meeting with the Pontiff is his first since he castigated the Vatican for its inaction in dealing with the issue of child abuse in Ireland.

He is in Rome as part of a two-day meeting of the Centrist Democrats International group hosted by the Italian leader, Mario Monti.

The group is affiliated with the European People’s Party, of which Fine Gael is a member.

Mr Kenny was among a group of European political leaders who met Pope Benedict at his residence at Castel Gandolfo.

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

ROME
Newstalk

A meeting is underway between the Taoiseach and Pope Benedict this afternoon for the first time since Mr Kenny launched a fierce attack on the Vatican’s record on handling clerical child sex abuse.

Enda Kenny has insisted he’s not at all uncomfortable about today’s encounter with the Pope – which is part of a visit by a group of centre right politicians.

In his July 2011 speech, the Taoiseach accused the Vatican of dysfunction and elitism in its failure to tackle the clerical abuse problem.

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

ROME
Irish Examiner

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has met Pope Benedict for the first time since he attacked the Vatican’s record on clerical child sex abuse in a Dáil speech last year.

Mr Kenny was part of a delegation of centre-right politicians who visited to the pontiff’s summer residence near Rome.

The Taoiseach declined to comment on the meeting following the short encounter.

He is in Rome as part of a two-day meeting of the Centrist Democrats International group hosted by the Italian leader, Mario Monti.

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

ROME
RTE News

Taoiseach Enda Kenny declined to comment following his meeting with Pope Benedict at his residence at Castel Gandolfo near Rome.

A Government spokesperson said Mr Kenny met the Pontiff and that they exchanged pleasantries.

This is the first encounter since Mr Kenny strongly criticised the Vatican’s response to child sex abuse in the Dáil.

At that time, Mr Kenny spoke about what he called the dysfunction, the disconnection, the elitism that dominates the Vatican today.

Mr Kenny met with the Pontiff as part of a delegation representing centre-right political parties from around the world.

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

IRELAND
Irish Independent

By Michael Kelly

Saturday September 22 2012

[Enda Kenny’s speech that criticized the Vatican]

ENDA Kenny will certainly not be the most high-profile of European leaders meeting Pope Benedict this afternoon. However, despite never having met before, both men have been on opposite sides of a very public spat.

Today’s meeting at the Pope’s summer residence will be the first time an Irish government minister has met the head of the Catholic Church since a series of high-profile clerical-abuse reports were published. The encounter, albeit brief, is also an opportunity to look forward to a relationship built on mutual respect.

Mr Kenny’s 2011 speech excoriating the Vatican’s handling of abuse marked a decisive turning point in church-State relations. Never before had a Taoiseach spoken of the Vatican in such stark terms.

Accusing it of adopting a “calculated, withering position” on abuse in the wake of the Cloyne Report, the Taoiseach undoubtedly captured the public mood.

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

OHIO
Greek Reporter

By A. Papapostolou on September 21, 2012

A Greek Orthodox priest in Ohio has been arrested on charges including attempted rape after allegedly trying to arrange to have sex with boys, police said.

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office said in a release the Rev. Patrick Hughes, 56, was arrested at 7 p.m. Tuesday when he arrived at a location where he thought he was going to meet two boys, ages 9 and 14, for a sexual encounter, The Columbus Dispatch reported Thursday.

Hughes, acting dean at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Columbus, had posted a notice on an adult website “indicative of someone looking for sexual relations with children,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release. A detective assigned to the county Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force responded to the post and set up the meeting.

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

GERMANY
The Eponymous Flower

Edit: you’ll possibly remember the St. Polten, Austria debacle which closed a seminary and involved a corrective suspension of two priests both its Rector, Father Ulrich Kuechl and the Sub-regent, Doctor Wolfgang Rothe. Kreuz.net has learned that Father Rothe is being reassigned to a parish by the Old Liberal Cardinal of Munich. We think the double standard in this matter will continue and the Liberal regime which abets such outrages will facilitate the “clean up” while the Church itself will continue to suffer their poor management and bad faith.

Germany. The priest who stumbled into a homosexual scandal, the Ex-subregent of St. Polten in Austria, Father Wolfgang Rothe, is going to be a Parish Vicar in Munich. The Old Liberal Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising has signed the decree of appointment on July 9th. Father Rothe will assume the position in September. He is the Parish Vicar in a Munich Parish organization “Transfituration of Christ — St. Micheal”. He was last active as a chaplain in a convalescent home.

It’s been an interesting summer for reassignments and such. Bishop Finn of Kansas City was recently tried and found guilty for the misdemeanor offense of “failing to report child abuse”. This was widely hailed by many as a symbol of the clergy’s protected status and the continuing corruption in the Church. There were a few bloggers even on the traditional side who uncritically accepted the New York Times, professional victim side of all this.

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

NEW YORK
CT Post

In the halls of the New York State Assembly, there’s a scandal going on. In a case of the alleged sexual harassment of two female staffers by Brooklyn Assemblyman Vito J. Lopez, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver authorized a secret settlement payment in excess of $100,000.

According Mr. Silver: the payment was made on the advice of counsel that it would be better to settle than to go to trial; the payment was kept secret in deference to the alleged victims’ request for confidential mediation; the decision to bypass the Assembly’s bipartisan ethics committee was made to protect the identity of the complainants.

According to Gloria Allred and Kevin Mintzer, lawyers representing Lopez’s complainants, Silver’s “truthiness” leaves room for debate. …

From 1950-2002, the Catholic Church alone paid out $572,507,094 in partial restitution to victims of its coverups. How much more in taxes and tithes will it take?

What isn’t being gotten in “it must not get out that it does happen here” school of denial is that Vito Lopez is an old-school predator: he targets women.

Ask yourself: when have you heard of girls being molested, raped, by pedophile priests? Indeed, the recent spate of high-profile cases have all headlined the sexual abuse of boys. In a society as open to homophobic suggestion as ours, by ignoring victimized girls, we’ve been encouraged to link the pedophilia of priests to homosexuality.

“Of course it happens to girls. I’m one of them,” says Barbara Blaine, founder of SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests). Blaine was 12 when a priest raped her.

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

MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

by Tim Nelson, Minnesota Public Radio
September 21, 2012

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Authorities in Ramsey County have charged a priest in St. Paul with molesting a young boy in his parish, and exposing himself to another.

Curtis Wehmeyer, 47, is accused of sexual contact two years ago with a 12-year-old boy and the boy’s older brother, who was 14 at the time of alleged sexual misconduct. The boys attended the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in St. Paul.

Wehmeyer was arrested in June. He faces three counts of sexual misconduct. The criminal complaint details incidents during the summer of 2010 in a camper trailer in the parking lot at the church and on a camping trip at Big Sandy Lake near Aitkin.

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said the boys’ mother came to authorities earlier this summer. The mother reported Wehmeyer had allegedly touched the younger boy inappropriately. The complaint also says he offered the boys drugs and alcohol and showed them porn.

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

AUSTRALIA
Herald Sun

THE Catholic Church has cleared a priest accused of raping breakaway Anglican Archbishop John Hepworth more than 40 years ago to resume parish duties.

Monsignor Ian Dempsey has resumed duties at the Hallett Cove and Brighton parishes, despite an ongoing police sex-crimes investigation, The Australian reported today.

Vicar-General Philip Marshall defended the decision to allow Monsignor Dempsey to resume ministry on the basis an independent investigation by Michael Abbott QC last year found no substance to the allegations.

The Advertiser revealed earlier this month that the Director of Public Prosecutions, Adam Kimber, was considering whether to lay charges against Monsignor Dempsey.

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.

FORT WORTH (TX)
Star-Telegram

By Bill Hanna
billhanna@star-telegram.com

Bishop Kevin W. Vann, who led the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth through a difficult period of settling sex abuse cases and oversaw massive growth of the 28-county diocese during his seven-year tenure, is leaving to become the bishop in Orange, Calif.

Pope Benedict XVI named Vann to the new position, which he will take over in December.

Vann, 61, was installed as the third bishop in Fort Worth in July 2005, just one day after the death of Bishop Joseph P. Delaney. He will become the fourth bishop of the Orange Diocese, which, with an estimated 1.3 million Catholics, is the 10th-largest and fastest-growing Catholic diocese in the country.

One of his tasks will be overseeing the transformation of the Crystal Cathedral, the former home of evangelist Rev. Robert Schuller, into the spiritual and administrative headquarters of the Orange Diocese.

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

IRELAND
Irish Central

By
PATRICK COUNIHAN,
IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Saturday, September 22, 2012

A former Papal Nuncio left Ireland under a cloud after vast sums of South American funded money were found in his bank account.

Archbishop Gaetano Alibrandi left Dublin and the Vatican’s diplomatic service in 1989 after investigations into his financial affairs.

The Irish Times reports that the money originated in South America where Alibrandi had served as Papal Nuncio to Chile from 1961.

He led the Chilean delegation to the second Vatican Council, which opened in October 1962.

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.

ORANGE (CA)
KPCC

New Bishop Kevin Vann surprised everyone in the crowd at the Marywood Pastoral Center in Orange by speaking to them in Spanish.

He even made a few jokes, taking off one of his very Texan black cowboy boots and showing them to the cameras. They’re embroidered with his initials and an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Bishop Vann — who has been a priest for 30 years — said he has no specific plans yet for the Diocese of Orange. But he expressed his desire to work with the local Catholic community, including departing Bishop Tod Brown, to learn the ropes.

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.

ROCHESTER (NY)
Star-Gazette

Bishop Matthew H. Clark announced Friday morning that his resignation from the Diocese of Rochester was accepted by the Pope.

At a news conference, Clark delivered the news and was joined by the new Apostolic Administrator for Rochester, Bishop Robert J. Cunningham of Syracuse. Cunningham will lead the Diocese of Rochester until a permanent replacement is named. The Rochester diocese includes Tompkins, Tioga, Chemung. Steuben and eight other Finger Lakes region counties.

“It’s important to remember that the work of the church goes on,” Cunningham said.

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