ABUSE TRACKER

A digest of links to media coverage of clergy abuse. For recent coverage listed in this blog, read the full article in the newspaper or other media source by clicking “Read original article.” For earlier coverage, click the title to read the original article.

August 3, 2012

Kansas City diocese supports victims in wake of priest’s guilty plea

KANSAS CITY (MO)
Catholic News Agency

By Hillary Senour

Kansas City, Mo., Aug 3, 2012 / 11:37 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph voiced deep sympathy for victims harmed by a diocesan priest who plead guilty in federal court Aug. 2 to child pornography charges.

“The diocese expresses its profound concern for anyone who may have been harmed by Shawn Ratigan and urges prayer for all affected by his actions,” the diocese said in a statement Monday.

Fr. Ratigan, who served as pastor of parishes throughout the diocese, plead guilty to the charge of producing or attempting to produce child pornography in federal court, over a year after his initial arrest.

“The diocese is fundamentally committed to ensure that every report of sexual abuse, boundary violation or misconduct is addressed thoroughly and immediately,” the statement 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.

COMMENT: We need a royal commission into church sex abuse

AUSTRALIA
Newcastle Herald

JOANNE MCCARTHY

04 Aug, 2012

The state government must hold a royal commission into child sex abuse within the Catholic Church. Comment by Joanne McCarthy.

LAST Saturday I sent an email to a fair number of Australia’s bishops after Maitland-Newcastle Bishop Bill Wright acknowledged growing calls for a royal commission into the Catholic Church’s handling of child sex abuse cases, and said he was ‘‘broadly supportive’’ of a public inquiry.

I asked one question: ‘‘Do you support a royal commission into the church’s handling of child sex abuse cases?’’

A Victorian bishop responded fairly quickly, saying he was willing to assist that state’s parliamentary inquiry into church abuse matters. He didn’t respond to my follow-up question: ‘‘But not a royal commission?’’

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.

Lawsuits filed against New Brunswick Catholic diocese alleging sex abuse coverup

CANADA
Montreal Gazette

By The Canadian Press
August 3, 2012

BATHURST, N.B. – A law firm representing sexual abuse victims of former New Brunswick priest Levi Noel has launched 11 lawsuits alleging members of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bathurst covered up the crimes.

In January 2010, Noel was sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to 22 charges of sexual assault against 18 boys between 1958 and 1980.

A statement of claim filed today in the province’s Court of Queens Bench alleges clergy failed to properly react to Noel’s conduct and promoted “a culture of secrecy” that didn’t help the victims.

The Ontario-based Ledroit Beckett law firm has filed 20 lawsuits in total against Noel and the diocese, but no statements of defence have been filed.

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.

Call to bring Catholic Church to account

AUSTRALIA
Newcastle Herald

BY JOANNE MCCARTHY

04 Aug, 2012

IN a car on the side of the road a man wept yesterday for the mates he has lost from St Pius X, Adamstown.

Phil Crosbie, 48, of Jewells, was also angry – at the church that protected a paedophile priest, and at governments that have a responsibility to bring the Catholic church to account.

‘‘I’d like to see every one of these bastards brought to account. Even if they’re dead, I’d like to see it acknowledged what they did, or who they protected,’’ Mr Crosbie said.

‘‘I’d like governments to act. They have a responsibility, but they don’t have the courage because it’s the Catholic church. They don’t have the ticker.’’

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.

Prosecutors to seek life term for priest

KANAS CITY (MO)
The Columbia Tribune

Friday, August 3, 2012

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A Roman Catholic priest in Kansas City pleaded guilty yesterday to producing child pornography in a federal case that also led to charges against the diocese bishop for failing to report suspected child abuse, and prosecutors said they would recommend that he be sentenced to life in prison.

The Rev. Shawn Ratigan, 46, had been scheduled for trial later this month. He was charged with producing child pornography in May 2011 after police received a flash drive from the priest’s computer that contained hundreds of images of children, most of them clothed, with the focus on their crotch areas. Prosecutors alleged he photographed girls, sometimes under their skirts, in and around churches where he had worked in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph.

Under terms of the plea deal, Ratigan pleaded guilty to four counts of producing child pornography and one count of attempting to produce child porn. Eight other counts against him were dismissed.

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.

Unholy vows

AUSTRALIA
The Australian

CAROLINE OVERINGTON
From:The Australian
August 04, 2012

IT is tempting to start this story with: A truck driver, a police officer and a Catholic priest walk into a bar … because that is what happened.

It was 11pm on a sweaty night in Manila. The bar was called Shinju No Mori – “Forest of the Pearls”. The truck driver was Steve Christie of Cranebrook in Sydney’s west; the police officer was the barrel-chested Ray King of the Liverpool Local Area Command; the priest was the trendily dressed and shaved-of-head Father Kevin Lee of the Padre Pio Catholic Church in Sydney’s Glenmore Park.

The three men had been on a pilgrimage in the Philippines with seven others from their church. They’d visited an orphanage, snorkelled around the islands, and were generally having a good time. The bar was directly below the hotel where they were staying. There were women out the front known as “guest relations officers” – poor girls from the villages who lend a bit of glamour to the joint and encourage Westerners to drink and use the karaoke machine.

So the three men sat down and a couple of bar girls approached, including a 25-year-old mother of two who told the group that her name was Dimple; in fact, it was Josefina. Like the others, this slightly built woman was from a poor village – her own mother had died when she was just 16 and her job before moving to Manila was selling plastic buckets in the streets.

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.

Catholic priest goes to police over teacher sex claims

AUSTRALIA
The Australian

Caroline Overington
From:The Australian
August 04, 2012

A CATHOLIC priest has provided NSW Police with information about at least one Catholic school teacher that he believes to be guilty of sex crimes against Catholic schoolboys in Sydney’s west in the 1990s.

Father Kevin Lee, who caused a storm in May when he revealed that despite having been a Catholic priest for 20 years he was secretly married, told The Weekend Australian that a victim of the teacher’s crimes had come to him with information and he had “taken it to police this time because I’m tired of keeping secrets for the Catholic Church”.

“In the past, I’ve taken information about priests to the church and they’ve ignored it, so this time, with the teacher, I’ve gone to police and I’m co-operating with police.”

The church vehemently denies the allegation that it has engaged in a cover-up of any sex crimes by priests. The Bishop of Parramatta, Anthony Fisher, said in a statement: “When in the past Kevin raised with me concerns about particular priests these were thoroughly investigated.

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 and LCWR, a fired archbishop and getting Boko Haram right

VATICAN CITY
National Catholic Reporter

by John L Allen Jr on Aug. 02, 2012 All Things Catholic …

On the very day Müller got a new job, Archbishop Róbert Bezák of Trnava, Slovakia, lost his old one. He was removed from office by the Vatican on July 2, and since that’s a fairly rare occurrence, curiosity continues to swirl around what happened in the case of the 52-year-old Redemptorist, appointed to lead the Slovakian church in April 2009.

Prior to his downfall, Bezák had been seen as a figure to watch in the European hierarchy — one of the continent’s youngest major prelates, someone who appealed to the center-left camp in both the church and in European politics. As is customary, the Vatican has declined to provide any official explanation for dumping him, and, as is equally customary, that information vacuum has generated speculation and conspiracy theories.

Three developments have occurred since I last updated this story in mid-July.

First, the Slovakian bishops met July 17 and didn’t line up in defense of their fallen colleague. A statement said: “The Holy Father made this decision after being personally and thoroughly acquainted with the results of a visitation and communication between Bezák and the relevant [Vatican] congregations. The bishops … accept the Holy See’s decision.” …

•Bezák’s choice of aides, charging they included priests who are known homosexuals or who have illegitimate children.
•Bezák’s willingness to accept candidates for the priesthood who had been rejected in other dioceses, either for their doctrinal views or for suspect personal morality.
•Questions about financial management, including Bezák’s reliance on Slovakian laity linked to political and financial scandals.
•Questions about Bezák’s views on issues such as priestly celibacy, Marian devotion, the ordination of women, abortion, euthanasia and extramarital sex.
•Bezák’s allegedly irreverent manner of referring to the pope simply as “Mr. Pope” in public (in Slovakia, it’s apparently common parlance to add “Mr.” before formal titles), and of allegedly referring to other Slovakian bishops as “old men and fools” while styling himself as “modern” and “enlightened.”

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.

Demonstratie tegen komst Martin

BELGIE
NOS

In de Belgische plaats Malonne hebben honderden mensen gedemonstreerd tegen de komst van Michelle Martin, de ex-vrouw van Marc Dutroux.

Dinsdag oordeelde een rechtbank dat Martin vervroegd vrijkomt en naar een klooster in het Waalse dorp gaat. Inwoners van Malonne zijn daar fel op tegen.

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.

Malonne vol afkeer over komst Martin

BELGIE
hbvl

“Duizend maal neen.” “Ik maak haar af.” “Ons dorp is geen vuilbak.” Aan straffe quotes geen gebrek, dinsdag in Malonne, het Naamse dorpje met z’n 4.000 zielen, 10 clarissen en binnenkort ook Michelle Martin. De aangekondigde komst van de ex van Dutroux stoot er op een muur van pure haat. “We begrijpen het niet. De clarissen zouden volgend jaar verhuizen. Is dat klooster dan voor Martin alleen? Of nemen ze haar mee?”

“Dégueulasse, monsieur. Het is walgelijk”, zegt Freddy, bezoeker van de plaatselijke kroeg. “Dat ons dorp op deze manier in de belangstelling moet komen. Malonne is toch niet de vuilbak van het land, hein. Als ze haar toch al naar hier sturen, dat het dan meteen naar het kerkhof is, naast het klooster.”

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.

MO – SNAP to Bishop: Stop denying child porn

KANSAS CITY (MO)
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

Posted by Mike Hunter on August 03, 2012

Now that Fr. Ratigan has pled guilty to child porn, Bishop Finn should drop his legal maneuver claiming the photos are not child porn.

In late April, without fanfare or public notice, Finn and his lawyers filed a motion saying that the pictures Fr. Ratigan had stored on his computer were not child porn, despite the fact that they included close-up shots of the genitalia of young girls. According to Finn, these pictures did not meet the criteria for “obscenity,” and therefore were not porn.

It defies common sense and common decency for one of Finn’s priests to admit in court that he took child porn photos while Finn is in another court saying they’re not child porn.

Here’s why this is so awful.

First, this desperate and disingenuous move by the bishop rubs even more salt into the already-deep and still-fresh wounds of the families of Fr. Ratigan’s victims.

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

Megachurch pastor investigated over sex with teen girl

HAMMOND (IN)
The Raw Story

By Eric W. Dolan
Thursday, August 2, 2012

The former pastor of an Indiana megachurch is under investigation for having sex with a member of the church when she was only 16, according to USA Today.

Jack Schaap, 54, was dismissed as the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Hammond after he admitted having a relationship with the teenage girl, who is now 17. He had been employed by the fundamentalist church for nearly 30 years.

“At this time, we deeply regret the need to announce that First Baptist Church has dismissed our pastor, Dr. Jack Schaap, due to a sin that has caused him to forfeit his right to be our pastor,” the church said in a statement.

“First Baptist Church is in full cooperation with our local authorities in their investigation of this matter. Our church grieves over the need to take this action and the impact it will have on our people.”

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.

Porno priest punished for his sins

KANSAS CITY (MO)
The Kansas City Star

Yael T. Abouhalkah

The Rev. Shawn Ratigan has pleaded guilty to charges related to child pornography, staining the reputation of the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph.

Ratigan – a sick older man taking pictures of young children – should be put away for life as punishment for those sins.

But the real test for local Catholics comes in the next month.

After all, Ratigan was just one person going astray, admittedly one of the few that have been identified by name among Catholic priests involved in the abuse of children.

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

Sexueller Missbrauch…

DEUTSCHLAND
Evangelische Kirke in Mitteldeutschland

[mit video]

In der EKM, der evangelischen Kirche in Mitteldeutschland, gibt es einen Verdacht auf sexuellen Missbrauch an Kindern.

Ein Pfarrer soll die Taten vor über 30 Jahren in Bad Lauchstädt im Saalekreis begangen haben, erklärt EKM-Pressesprecherin Susanne Sobko.

Susanne Sobko: Es gab zwei Zeugen, die sich bei uns gemeldet haben. Und es gab genug Anlass dafür, dass Anzeige bei der Staatsanwaltschaft erstattet wurde, und gleichzeitig hat die EKM ein Disziplinarverfahren eingeleitet, was dann weitreichende Folgen für den Pfarrer haben könnte.

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.

Pfarrer wegen Missbrauchsvorwurf beurlaubt

DEUTSCHLAND
SR

Das Bistum Trier hat einen Pfarrer aus dem Saarland wegen des Verdachtes auf sexuellen Missbrauch beurlaubt. Die Staatsanwaltschaft ermittelt gegen ihn. Der Beschuldigte weist die Vorwürfe zurück.

(03.08.2012) Die katholische Kirche kommt nicht zur Ruhe. Das Bistum Trier hat einen Pfarrer der Pfarreiengemeinschaft Lebach wegen des Verdachtes auf sexuellen Missbrauch beurlaubt. Wie das Bistum am Freitag mitteilte, ermittelt die Staatsanwaltschaft Saarbrücken gegen den Priester.

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.

Geld für Sex? Priester beurlaubt

DEUTSCHLAND
Merkur

Trier – Ein Priester im Saarland soll einem Jugendlichen Geld für Sex geboten haben. Die Staatsanwaltschaft ermittelt. Das Bistum Trier hat den Priester beurlaubt und untersucht den Fall.

Das Bistum Trier hat einen 65 Jahre alten Priester im Saarland beurlaubt, der einem Jugendlichen Geld für Sex angeboten haben soll. Nach bisheriger Kenntnis habe es aber keine sexuellen Handlungen gegeben, teilte Bistumssprecher Stephan Kronenburg am Freitag mit. Die Staatsanwaltschaft Saarbrücken ermittelt gegen den Priester der Pfarreiengemeinschaft Lebach. Das Bistum hat inzwischen kirchenrechtliche Voruntersuchungen gegen 17 Priester eingeleitet, eine davon ist bereits abgeschlossen.

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.

Another Redemptorist in the firing line! Brendan Butler

IRELAND
The Association of Catholic Priests

The Redemptorist Order seems to be in the firing line of the Vatican and should be proud of such a distinction. After the silencing of two Redemptorist priests, Gerry Moloney and Tony Flannery here now Archbishop Bezak, a 52 year old Redemptorist Archbishop of Trnnava, in Slovakia has been personally dismissed by Pope Benedict after refusing to go quietly . He had been only in the job for three years and appears to have upset his very conservative predecessor Archbishop Sokol by investigating alleged financial irregularities in the running of the Archdiocese over the past twenty years of Sokol’s reign. The dismissed Bezak spoke at his last mass saying only that the Vatican had ordered him ‘not to speak to the media about the circumstances surrounding his dismissal ‘.

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.

MO – Catholic priest pleads guilty to child porn; SNAP responds

KANSAS CITY (MO)
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

Posted by Mike Hunter on August 02, 2012

We hope Fr Shawn Ratigan’s guilty plea today will help deeply wounded families recover more quickly. While trials can be cathartic, they can sometimes cause more trauma for survivors and families.

We applaud these families for bravely cooperating with law enforcement to help get a dangerous Catholic cleric away from kids. Too often, victims’ parents stay trapped in fear, shame and self-blame. Wanting desperately to protect their loved ones from any more pain, they shun the legal process. Sadly, when this happens, predators go on to assault others. So again, we are grateful that these struggling families are acting responsibly by helping police and prosecutors pursue Fr. Ratigan and keep him away from kids, like Bishop Finn refused to do.

Nothing Fr. Ratigan or Bishop Finn can do will erase the terrible harm and betrayal they have inflicted on victims, families, and parishioners. Action can be taken to ensure other children are not hurt and other victims get healing. It is still important for other victims, witnesses and whistleblowers to keep coming forward.

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.

Polski ksiądz aresztowany za pedofilskie zdjęcia!

BOSTON (MA)
SE (Polska)

Franciszkanin, ojciec Andrzej Urbaniak (41 l.), proboszcz parafii Matki Boskiej Częstochowskiej z Bostonu aresztowany! Policja znalazła na jego komputerze pedofilskie zdjęcia kilkuletnich dziewczynek. Podczas przesłuchania na policji przyznaje się do ściągania dziecięcej pornografii, ale przed sądem mówi zdecydowanie: „Not guilty!”.

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.

Polish priest on child pornography charges in Boston

BOSTON (MA)
The News (Poland)

Priest Andrzej Urbaniak, who serves the Polish community in Boston, Massachusetts, has been charged with downloading and distributing pornographic images of children.

The priest, who moved from Poland to the US 14 years ago, was allegedly in the process of downloading the images of children aged between 8 and 10 years old from file-sharing web sites when police entered the rectory in South Boston, reports the Boston Globe.

Urbaniak, who belongs to an order of Franciscans based in Poland, has been a popular priest working at the Our Lady of Czestochowa Church in South Boston for four years and who served the congregation of Polish ex-pats in the city.

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

Fired pastor confesses to affair with teen

HAMMOND (IN)
WGN

[with video]

Julie Unruh
WGN News

HAMMOND, Ind.—
Stripped of his duties, the pastor of a northwest Indiana mega-church has confessed to having sex with an underage girl when she was 16.

The Board of Deacons shared that with its congregation in Hammond Wednesday night. The girl was a member of the First Baptist Church of Hammond, the same church where Brother Jack Schaap was the pastor for the past 11 years.

Schaap married the daughter of the church’s founder and is said to be attempting to reconcile with her now.

No charges have been filed, but the FBI is said to be investigating allegations that multiple sexual encounters took place with the same girl across state lines.

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.

Hammond Baptist dismisses pastor for ‘sin’

HAMMOND (IN)
NWTimes

July 31, 2012 5:45 pm • Bill Dolan bill.dolan@nwi.com, (219) 662-5328

HAMMOND | The First Baptist Church of Hammond has dismissed Jack Schaap as its pastor in the wake of a Lake County police investigation.

A press release the church issued Tuesday afternoon states Schaap committed “a sin that has caused him to forfeit his right to be our pastor.” A source close to the investigation said Schaap began an affair in April with a 16-year-old girl who was affiliated with the church’s Hyles-Anderson College in Crown Point, though she was not a student.

Eddie Wilson, a spokesman for the church, said its deacon board, a group of more than 100 men who represent the congregation, made the dismissal decision and are cooperating with police in the matter for a behavior that he termed “physically improper.”

Wilson declined to elaborate further because of the police investigation.

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

Local Reverend “Saddened But Not Shocked” Over Release Of Carlson Report

MAINE
WABI

[with video]

by Lauren Morrison – August 2nd 2012

The details released in the State Police report on the investigation into Robert Carlson may come as a shock to some, but for others, as difficult as the details maybe, it wasn’t a surprise.

Rev.Carl Schreiber leads the East Orrington Congregational Church where Carlson was once a pastor.

Rev. Schreiber says “We’re saddened, I don’t know if shock is the right word because Bob was a human and we’re all capable of different things that we didn’t realize.”

The allegations of sexual abuse were made reality with the release of the report.

Rev. Schreiber believes the report may provide the answers that some were looking for.

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.

People who suspected abuse by Carlson should be held accountable

MAINE
Bangor Daily News

[State Police report – WABI]

Editorial

Posted Aug. 02, 2012

All that enables wickedness is silence and inaction by those with the power to stop it. The people who worked and were friends with the Rev. Robert Carlson and knew about his potential sex-abuse victims should be held accountable by police if they fail to admit their own complacency. There is no excuse for potentially letting children be traumatized for years. There is no excuse for knowing or suspecting and doing nothing.

Enough of remaining silent. If you received information about or witnessed criminal or inappropriate sexual behavior by Carlson and did not tell police, you displayed the same hypocrisy as the man who claimed to be a reverend. Instead of comfort, he brought torment to multiple children, as evidenced by a Maine State Police report released Wednesday.

The report details interviews police conducted with victims, the former president of Husson University, Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office employees, a Bangor police officer and a therapist who treated some of Carlson’s victims. It shows that Carlson — who was the chaplain of the Penobscot County Jail for 32 years and the chaplain of Husson for 11 years — likely sexually abused several children over four decades, until he jumped off the Penobscot Narrows Bridge on Nov. 13, 2011.

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.

State Police: No Charges to Be Pursued in Carlson Sexual Abuse Investigation

MAINE
WABI

[State Police report]

[with video]

by Catherine Pegram – August 2nd 2012

State police say no one will face any charges over what they may or may have know about Robert Carlson’s abusive behavior before he killed himself.

Eight months after his death, State police released a final report on the case Wednesday.

Spokesperson Steve McCausland says the report will not be turned over to prosecutors because no one interviewed for it, law enforcement or otherwise, committed any crimes.

Penobscot County District Attorney Chris Almy, someone who could review the case and pursue charges, says he has not read the Carlson report, so he can’t speak specifically about it.

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

Police Report Details Multiple Sexually Abused Children by Religious Leader

MAINE
MPBN

08/02/2012 Reported By: Jay Field

A former religious and civic leader in Bangor sexually abused several multiple children over the last forty years, according to people interviewed in an investigation by the Maine State Police.

The Reverend Robert Carlson jumped to his death from the Penobscot Narrows Bridge last November, shortly after learning that he was the target of a probe. A final police report on the now-closed case, obtained by MPBN, suggests people were concerned about Carlson’s behavior as far back as the 1970s. It also raises questions, and provides few answers, about why people didn’t do more to investigate their suspicions or report them to law enforcement.

Last month’s scathing report on Penn State’s handling of allegations against Jerry Sandusky highlights what appears to a pattern of looking the other way that’s all too common in sexual abuse cases.

Nothing in the Maine state police report suggests anyone who was suspicious of Carlson did anything wrong.

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.

Former Husson President Reacts to Rev. Carlson Investigation

MAINE
WABI

by Caroline Connolly – August 2nd 2012

Bangor – State Conservation Commissioner, William Beardsley, is speaking out in defense of his decision to not report concerns raised about Rev. Robert Carlson during his time at the former Husson College.

Carlson committed suicide last November when he learned state police were investigating him based on allegations of sexual abuse. In a 104 page police report, released Wednesday, an interview with Beardsley reveals the former Husson College president may have had warning signs about Carlson, who was serving as the school’s chaplain at the time.

In 2005 and 2006, Beardsley received two phone calls from people alluding to misconduct by Carlson.

“A friend of mine in Vermont said that he had third hand information about, from somebody, that wanted me to know that Bob Carlson was not who I thought he would be,” said Beardsley.

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.

What Can We Learn From The Reverend Carlson Investigation?

MAINE
WABI

[with video]

by Rob Poindexter – August 2nd 2012

The state police investigation into Reverend Robert Carlson has left a lot of unanswered questions about how we fight child sexual abuse in Maine.

The 104 page State Police report in the case of Carlson and his alleged sexual abuse of numerous boys sites numerous red flags and warning signs that were either missed or ignored.

Penobscot County Sheriff Glen Ross was a close friend of Carlson. “I never saw a sign. There’s nobody anymore stunned than myself in this matter,” Ross said Thursday. “He was involved in everything. He was a well respected leader. He apparently did things that were out of the view of a lot.”

According to the state police report, Ross tipped Carlson off about the child sexual abuse investigation being conducted. Shortly after Ross spoke to Carlson about the investigation, police say Carlson committed suicide by jumping off the Penobscot Narrows Bridge. Ross doesn’t think he crossed any ethical lines by alerting Carlson, who also volunteered at the jail, about the investigation. “The bottom line is I did the right things for the right reasons. I did it not to warn him, but to prevent his access into the jail,” Ross said. “You cannot fault somebody for trying to make sure they’ve protected their inmates and their agencies. That’s my job as a sheriff.” According to the report, Carlson never denied the allegations in his conversations with Ross.

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.

People named in Bob Carlson investigation report repsond to findings

MAINE
WCSH

[with video]

BANGOR, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — One of the men named in the Maine State Police report about the Bob Carlson sex abuse investigation says the police got it wrong.

An anonymous source in the report said Former Husson University President Bill Beardsley knew about two potential victims of sexual abuse at Husson University.

The person told police one student came forward to Beardsley, and a third-party reported abuse for another student to the President.

Beardsley told NEWS CENTER that never happened.

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 and Money. The Moneyval Earthquake Isn’t Over

VATICAN CITY
Chiesa

A new president for the IOR. The future of Cardinal Nicora. More tremors are on the way. But in the meantime, the operation of transparency set in motion by Benedict XVI has knocked down all the alibis. It is an example binding for all Catholic institutions

by Sandro Magister

ROME, August 3, 2012 – Very few have read it, and it isn’t even in bookstores yet, with its five hundred pages of text and annexes. But the report that Moneyval published in the middle of July about the Vatican and finance has marked an historic watershed.

For the first time, the Holy See has submitted its institutions and laws to the judgment of an international external auditor. For the first time, it has allowed itself to be graded and given its homework by a secular authority. In a matter, like God and Mammon, in which it has greatly sinned.

It is an event, that marked by the report from Moneyval, that once again requires a rewriting of the conventional profile of Pope Benedict XVI.

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Police investigate fired Hammond pastor

HAMMOND (IN)
Chicago Tribune

By Lisa Black and Dennis Sullivan, Chicago Tribune

An evangelical megachurch pastor has lost his job and is being investigated by the Lake County, Ind., Sheriff’s Department after admitting that he had an “improper relationship” with a young woman, a spokesman for First Baptist Church of Hammond said.

A board of deacons decided to fire Jack Schaap on Monday night and then reported allegations to the Sheriff’s Department on Tuesday because it was unclear whether the woman was a minor, spokesman Eddie Wilson said.

The sheriff’s office confirmed in a statement released Wednesday that the inquiry involves “alleged misconduct with a juvenile” and said the FBI is also investigating.

The church, which claims 15,000 regular attendees, posted a news release on its website stating that Schaap was dismissed “due to a sin that has caused him to forfeit his right to be our pastor. … Our church grieves over the need to take this action and the impact it will have on our people.”

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Church Officials Not Notified Of Past Abuse Allegations, Conference Bishop Questioned

ALABAMA
WHNT

[with video]

August 2, 2012, by Melissa Payne

SHEFFIELD, Ala. (WHNT) – Sexual abuse accusations surfaced at Sheffield First United Methodist Church and a police investigation started immediately.

In a statement, the district acknowledges another possible case of inappropriate contact between Oliver Brazelle and another young person.

However, area church officials claim they never knew about those allegations until Thursday.

According to a release by the Sheffield First United Methodist Church, nine years ago a counselor from the Shoals area contacted then bishop, Robert Fannin about a client claiming inappropriate behavior with Brazelle dating back to the 70′s.

Sheffield First United Methodist Church spokesman Billy Don Anderson says in 2003, Bishop Fannin and Brazelle had a private meeting where an agreement was made for Brazelle not to have contact with children.

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Carlson’s abuse followed familiar pattern, but few spoke up

MAINE
Bangor Daily News

By Nok-Noi Ricker, BDN Staff

Posted Aug. 02, 2012

BANGOR, Maine — Revelations in a Maine State Police report that the Rev. Robert Carlson sexually abused multiple children have raised questions about how he got away with it for decades, especially since the report revealed police officers, detectives, a former university president and others expressed concerns about Carlson’s disturbing behavior with young people.

Carlson was a serial child sex abuser, Lt. Christopher Coleman, commander of the Maine State Police’s Major Crimes Unit for the northern part of the state, said after the 104-page report was made public Wednesday. Carlson abused children for decades and “it caused a lot of trauma to many people,” the lieutenant said.

“Clearly the report indicates there are several victims and there may be more out there,” Coleman said. “There may be other victims out there who did not participate in this process.”

Robert Gossart of Salisbury Cove, the Maine representative for Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, also known as SNAP, said there is one major reason criminals such as Carlson and Jerry Sandusky, the former Penn State assistant football coach who recently was convicted of 45 counts of child sexual abuse, got away with their deviant crimes for so long.

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Controversy over clergy abuse takes its toll

AUSTRALIA
ABC Ballarat

By Dominic Brine

The Catholic Bishop of the Ballarat diocese for the past 15 years Bishop Peter Connors has retired a year early due in part to the ongoing controversy over abuse by some members of the Catholic clergy.

“I had some health problems and I had dealt with a lot issues concerning sexual assault cases.”

Bishop Connors has met with 30 to 40 victims over the last 15 years.

“You notice what a horrible affect the abuse has had on the victim and then you come to realise that the victim has a partner who is confused or upset and also the victim’s parents who must have wondered for years what’s been happening to their son or daughter.”

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K.C. priest pleads guilty to child pornography charges

KANSAS CITY (MO)
WBIR

By Michael Winter, USA TODAY

Averting trial later this month, a Roman Catholic priest in Kansas City pleaded guilty today to child pornography charges for photographing five young girls in and around churches, according to news reports from Missouri.

The girls ranged in age from 2 to 9 years old. The photography occurred between 2006 and last year.

Misdemeanor charges and civil lawsuits are also pending against Bishop Robert Finn and the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph for failing to report child abuse.

The Rev. Shawn Ratigan, 46, pleaded guilty to four counts of producing child pornography and one count of attempting to produce child pornography. Eight other counts involving the girls were dropped.

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Priest pleads guilty to child porn charges

KANSAS CITY (MO)
Examiner

By Bill Draper
The Associated Press

Posted Aug 03, 2012

Kansas City, MO —

A Roman Catholic priest in Kansas City arrested in Independence pleaded guilty Thursday to producing child pornography in a federal case that also led to charges against the diocese bishop for failing to report suspected child abuse, and prosecutors said they would recommend that he be sentenced to life in prison.

The Rev. Shawn Ratigan, 46, had been scheduled for trial later this month. He was charged with child pornography in May 2011 in Clay County after police received a flash drive from the priest’s computer that contained hundreds of images of children, most of them clothed, with the focus on their crotch areas. Prosecutors alleged he photographed girls, sometimes under their skirts, in and around churches where he had worked in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph.

Under terms of the plea deal, Ratigan pleaded guilty to four counts of producing child pornography and one count of attempting to produce child porn. Eight other counts against Ratigan were dismissed.

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Judge clears Portland Diocese of clergy abuse case

MAINE
San Francisco Chronicle

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — A Maine judge has ruled that the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland did not conceal prior sex abuse allegations against a priest accused of molesting a young boy in the late 1980s.

The now 38-year-old Augusta man who made the abuse claim said in a lawsuit that the diocese covered up previous sex abuse complaints against the Rev. Raymond Melville. The alleged victim says he was abused as a boy between September 1986 and June 1988.

Judge Donald Marden wrote in a decision released this week that “it is undisputed” that the diocese received no sexual abuse complaints against Melville prior to 1990.

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August 2, 2012

Portland diocese cleared in Augusta abuse case

MAINE
Kennebec Journal

By Betty Adams
badams@centralmaine.com
Staff Writer

AUGUSTA — A Superior Court judge has cleared the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland in the final count of a civil lawsuit alleging sexual abuse by a former city priest against a young boy.

The ruling says the diocese did not fraudulently conceal information about prior acts committed by Raymond P. Melville that would have alerted the alleged victim or his family to any danger.

William J. Picher, of Augusta, had accused Melville of sexually abusing him while he was a student at St. Mary’s School between September 1986 and June 1988. Melville was ordained in Presque Isle in 1985 and his initial assignment was assistant pastor at St. Mary’s Parish in Augusta.

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Priest Shawn Ratigan Pleads Guilty in Child Porn Case

KANSAS CITY (MO)
Fox 4

[with video]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Catholic priest Shawn F. Ratigan changed his plea to guilty in a child pornography case on Thursday, and prosecutors say that they want to make sure he stays behind bars for the rest of his life.

Ratigan, 46, who formerly worked at a church in the Northland, pleaded guilty to four counts of producing child pornography and one count of attempted production of child pornography in a Kansas City federal courtroom on Thursday afternoon.

He had previously pleaded non-guilty to the charges. In exchange for changing his plea, prosecutors agreed to drop seven other charges.

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Former priest charged in 2005 Marble Falls indecency case dies

TEXAS
Daily Tribune

Thursday, 02 August 2012 15:38 Daniel Clifton • Tribune Staff

AUSTIN — A former Horseshoe Bay priest arrested in 2005 and accused of groping a teenager at a Marble Falls movie theater has died.

Paul Maurice Clogan, 81, faced indecency with a child by contact charges after Marble Falls police said he touched a teenage boy Dec. 16, 2005, during a showing of “King Kong” at the former Driftwood Movie Theater, now called Showbiz Cinemas 8.

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Rev. Thomas Adamson – Assignment Record

UNITED STATES
BishopAccountability.org – Assignment Record

Summary of Case: Ordained a priest of the Winona diocese in 1958, Adamson has been accused of sexually abusing at least 28 children during his 25 years in the priesthood, and is said by experts to have possibly abused as many as 100 boys. He was transfered to the St. Paul-Minneapolis archdiocese in 1975 after multiple complaints by families that he was sexually abusing boys in Winona. Adamson’s sexual abuse of boys continued in the Twin Cities archdiocese. He underwent psychiatric evaluation and treatment numerous times over the decades. Adamson was placed on leave in December 1984, after victims began surfacing and filing lawsuits. He has admitted to sexual misconduct with boys beginning in 1961 and throughout his career. After his dismissal from active ministry, Adamson went on to live in Eau Claire, WI, where he took classes at the University of Wisconsin, and worked as a clerk and nursing home activities assistant. The Winona diocese announced in March 2012 that Adamson had returned to his home town of Rochester, and that he was not permitted on diocesan church or school property.

Born: July 12, 1933
Ordained: May 31, 1958

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1in6 Thursday: Ending Violence Against Men and Boys

UNITED STATES
Joyful Heart Foundation

[with video]

I was telling a friend recently about my emotional reaction the first time I heard the Joyful Heart Foundation’s PSA that talks about about engaging men to “end violence against all people, men women and children.”

I explained that the words “…men, women and children,” brought tears to my eyes, because in my nearly 25 years working in the field of child protection, sexual and domestic violence intervention, I’d never heard anyone else talk so directly about ending violence against men.

As one of the 19 million adult men in the United States who experienced childhood sexual abuse myself, I’m well-acquainted with the impact that that trauma had on my growth and development. I find the choice to include men, as being worthy of protection from violence, profoundly validating.

My friend, a man I deeply respect for his years working tirelessly as an activist in the movement to engage men in ending violence against women and children, seemed shocked by the phrase. “Did they actually say it like that…’men, women and children,” he asked. “I could never say that.”

How unfortunate!

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Priest serving in Boston put on leave after arrest on child porn charge

BOSTON (MA)
U.S. Catholic

Thursday, August 2, 2012

By Catholic News Service

BOSTON (CNS) — The Boston Archdiocese placed a Franciscan priest on administrative leave from his pastoral duties following his arrest on child pornography charges that involved the use of a computer located in the parish rectory.

Father Andrzej Urbaniak, a Conventual Franciscan who serves at Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish, was arrested July 31 and charged with possessing and distributing child pornography. At his arraignment the next day, he pleaded not guilty.

“The provincial superior of his religious order in Poland has been informed of the matter. Father Urbaniak’s faculties have been suspended and he is not allowed to function as a priest in the archdiocese,” said a statement released Aug. 1 by Boston church officials.

The archdiocese said it is “fully cooperating with law enforcement.”

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Seminarian screening aims to prevent abuse

UNITED STATES
National Catholic Reporter

Aug. 02, 2012
By Monica Clark

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — When the U.S. bishops adopted the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People in 2002 to put an end to the sexual abuse of children by priests and others in the church, they committed to using “adequate screening and evaluative techniques in deciding the fitness of candidates for ordination.”

Such screening most often includes psychological testing and analysis, something that psychologist Thomas Plante has been doing for dioceses and religious communities for 25 years.

Psychological screening can’t provide a 100 percent guarantee that once ordained, a man won’t subsequently abuse children, said Plante, who has screened nearly 700 seminarians. But it goes a long way toward ensuring that only men who are emotionally healthy and least likely to engage in aberrant sexual behavior are admitted to the priesthood.

“Through screening we can make sure that anyone with a predilection to harm kids is prevented from entering ministry,” said Plante, a professor of psychology and director of the Spirituality and Health Institute at Santa Clara University here.

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Sheffield Church Sends Letter To Members About Sex Abuse Investigation

ALABAMA
WHNT

August 2, 2012, by Melissa Payne and Carter Watkins

SHEFFIELD, Ala. (WHNT) – A new day brings new developments in the investigation into a former church music director facing allegations of sexual misconduct with church youth.

In a letter from Sheffield First United Methodist Church to its congregation, Pastor/Parish Relations Chairman Billy Don Anderson outlined the events that led to Music Director Oliver Brazelle’s firing.

In the letter, Anderson says a decision was made to confront Brazelle about rumors of sexual misconduct that were circulating.

The letter states “Oliver admitted to us [Anderson and Pastor Zeke Haselden], that he had an inappropriate relationship with a younger member of our church sometime in the 1990s.”

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Shawn Ratigan, priest accused of producing child pornography, pleads guilty

KANSAS CITY (MO)
Pitch

Posted by Ben Palosaari on Thu, Aug 2, 2012

Shawn Ratigan, a former priest at Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Eucharist in Independence, has pleaded guilty to five federal felony counts of making or attempting to make child pornography, The Star reports. He faces up to 30 years in prison for each count. Ratigan’s shocking story became public last year. He took his laptop to a repair shop and up-skirt photographs of children were discovered on the hard drive. A technician told church officials, who in turn told the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph.

Officials within the diocese allegedly sat on the information from December 2010 to May 2011 before they told police. They copied the pornography to discs and gave the computer to Ratigan’s family members. They destroyed the computer, and diocese officials gave the images to detectives.

Bishop Robert W. Finn released a statement when the charges were announced in which he said he regretted the way the diocese has handled the situation. Court documents said at the time that Ratigan attempted suicide on December 17, 2010 by running his motorcycle in his closed garage. Documents also said he had left a suicide note apologizing to the girls he allegedly had pictures of.

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Kansas City priest …

KANSAS CITY (MO)
Washington Post

Kansas City priest pleads guilty to 5 federal child pornography charges; 8 others dismissed

By Associated Press, Updated: Thursday, August 2

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Roman Catholic priest in Kansas City pleaded guilty Thursday to producing child pornography in a federal case that also led to charges against the diocese bishop for failing to report suspected child abuse, and prosecutors said they would recommend that he be sentenced to life in prison.

The Rev. Shawn Ratigan, 46, had been scheduled for trial later this month. He was charged with child pornography in May 2011 in Clay County after police received a flash drive from the priest’s computer that contained hundreds of images of children, most of them clothed, with the focus on their crotch areas. Prosecutors alleged he photographed girls, sometimes under their skirts, in and around churches where he had worked in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph.

Under terms of the plea deal, Ratigan pleaded guilty to four counts of producing child pornography and one count of attempting to produce child porn. Eight other counts against Ratigan were dismissed.

Acting U.S. Attorney David Ketchmark said the guilty pleas represent one charge for each of five victims whose abuse started in June 2005 — one year after Ratigan was ordained as a priest. …

In a statement released Wednesday, the diocese expressed its “profound concern” for anyone harmed by Ratigan and said it is committed to making sure “every report of sexual abuse, boundary violation or misconduct is addressed thoroughly and immediately.”

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Kansas City priest faces up to life in prison after pleading guilty to child porn charges

KANSAS CITY (MO)
National Catholic Reporter

Aug. 02, 2012
By Joshua J. McElwee

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Fr. Shawn Ratigan, a Kansas City-St. Joseph, Mo., diocesan priest, faces up to life in prison after pleading guilty to five of 13 charges of child pornography leveled against him.

Ratigan originally pleaded not guilty to the federal charges of possession and production of child pornography.

The change in plea was made in federal court Thursday afternoon in Kansas City. The prosecution agreed to drop Ratigan’s other eight charges if he pleaded guilty to the five. Each count carries between 15 and 30 years in prison, which could be served consecutively or cumulatively.

Ratigan’s sentencing date has not yet been set.

The case made headlines in the fall when prosecutors in Jackson County, Mo., separately charged Bishop Robert Finn and the Kansas City diocese with individual counts of failure to report suspected child abuse, which are criminal misdemeanors, regarding their oversight of the priest.

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Our Official Statement

HAMMOND (IN)
First Baptist Church

First Baptist Church Pastor Dismissed

July 31, 2012

Hammond, IN–At this time, we deeply regret the need to announce that First Baptist Church has dismissed our pastor, Dr. Jack Schaap, due to a sin that has caused him to forfeit his right to be our pastor. First Baptist Church is in full cooperation with our local authorities in their investigation of this matter. Our church grieves over the need to take this action and the impact it will have on our people.

We ask that everyone pray for the families involved and pray that the situation will be handled in a Christ honoring manner. We look forward to the days ahead as we continue to service the needs of our surrounding community and the Chicago area.

For any media-related questions, please contact First Baptist Church spokesman, Eddie Wilson at (219) 945-6475.

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Rabbi given probation, not jail in sex assault case

BOSTON (MA)
Boston Herald

By Matt Stout
Thursday, August 2, 2012

The pedophile rabbi who admitted to molesting three young boys in the 1970s was sentenced to 10 years probation today in Suffolk Superior Court, a possibility one of his victims said he was told to expect.

Prosecutors say they asked that Stanley Levitt, 66, be sentenced to 2 ½ years behind bars after he pleaded guilty to four counts of indecent assault and battery on a child.

The rabbi, who lives in Philadelphia, yesterday admitted to sexually assaulting three sixth-grade boys while he working as a Brookline religious teacher more than three decades ago.

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Mass. rabbi gets decade probation on abuse charges

BOSTON (MA)
San Francisco Chronicle

BOSTON (AP) — A rabbi who admitted sexually abusing three boys while working in the Boston area as a religious teacher in the 1970s was sentenced Thursday to 10 years of probation but spared jail time.

Stanley Levitt pleaded guilty Wednesday to four counts of indecent assault and battery on a child as his trial was set to begin.

On Thursday, prosecutors asked for a 2½-year sentence, plus 10 years of probation. But Superior Court Judge Geraldine Hines said she would stick to the terms of a plea agreement reached last year between prosecutors and Levitt’s attorney.

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KC priest admits taking pornographic photos of young girls

KANSAS CITY (MO)
The Kansas City Star

By TONY RIZZO And JUDY L. THOMAS
The Kansas City Star

As a priest, he absolved others of their sins in the anonymity of the confessional.

This afternoon, the Rev. Shawn Ratigan stood in the very public forum of a federal courtroom and confessed to some of his own.

Ratigan, 46, pleaded guilty to using five girls to produce or attempt to produce child pornography over several years while serving as pastor to congregations in the Northland and St. Joseph.

Each count carries a maximum sentence of up to 30 years in federal prison. Prosecutors are expected to argue later for a sentence that ensures that Ratigan spends a significant portion of the rest of his life behind bars.

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KC priest pleads guilty to child porn charges

KANSAS CITY (MO)
The Associated Press

By BILL DRAPER

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas City priest has pleaded guilty to federal child pornography counts in a case that led to misdemeanor criminal charges against his bishop and diocese.

The Rev. Shawn Ratigan on Thursday pleaded guilty to five counts of producing and attempting to produce child pornography. Eight other counts were dismissed.

No sentencing date has been set, but guidelines indicate he’ll spend at least 15 years in prison.

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Hammond Church: Fired Pastor Admitted Sex With 17-Year-Old

HAMMOND (IN)
CBS Chicago

CHICAGO (CBS) – Officials First Baptist Church of Hammond., Ind., said Wednesday night fired Pastor Jack Schaap admitted to having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl who is a member of the church, prompting their decision to fire him this week.

CBS 2′s Brad Edwards reports, at a meeting with members of the congregation Wednesday night, church officials acknowledged Schaap is being investigated for misconduct with a 17-year-old girl. The age of consent in Indiana is 16.

Published reports say the church does not expect charges to be filed in the case.

Cameras were not allowed in the meeting, but the congregation was told Schaap admitted to an inappropriate relationship with a minor.

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Megachurch pastor axed over cell pics of makeout session with teen

INDIANA
New York Daily News

By Anthony Bartkewicz / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Thursday, August 2, 2012

The pastor of an Indiana megachurch lost his job after being careless with cell phone pictures showing him making out with a young woman.

The girl may be as young as 16, and police are now investigating Jack Schaap.

Schaap, 54, was fired from First Baptist Church in Hammond on Tuesday after 11 years in the pulpit, a church spokesman told WBBM-TV.

Former First Baptist member Trisha Kee said Schaap left his cell phone behind and a deacon picked it up to bring it to him.

“The deacon then saw a text come through from a teenage girl in the church, and it was a picture of Jack Schaap and this girl making out,” she said.

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Megachurch pastor fired over ‘sin’ with teenage girl

INDIANA
Shreveport Times

Written by
Douglas Stanglin
Gannett

An Indiana sheriff’s office is investigating alleged misconduct by the pastor of an evangelical megachurch who was fired after admitting to an “improper relationship” with a teenage girl, the Hammond Post-Tribune reports.

Jack Schaap, 54, was pastor at 15,000-congregation First Baptist Church of Hammond, Ind., for 11 years and broadcast his sermons worldwide.

The church said in a news release that Schaap committed “a sin that has caused him to forfeit his right to be our pastor,” the Associated Press reports.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Department says it is investigating the alleged misconduct but does not expect to file charges, the Post-Tribune reports.

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No charges expected against Hammond church leader

HAMMOND (IN)
Post-Tribune

HAMMOND — No charges are expected to be filed against Pastor Jack Schaap for his involvement with an underage girl, according to a First Baptist Church of Hammond official, although the church remains resolute in being cooperative with authorities.

A release put out by Lake County Sheriff John Buncich’s office on Wednesday said his office, along with the FBI’s Merrillville office, are continuing the investigation into Schaap for his alleged misconduct with the church member. Church spokesman Eddie Wilson said the girl is 17. The age of consent in Indiana is 16.

“There has been a lot of conjecture regarding the girl in the press,” Wilson said, adding that the girl and her family are church members. He said she isn’t a student at the Schererville-based Hyles-Anderson College, where Schaap was the chancellor until he was relieved of his duties. “We don’t expect charges to be filed against him (with regard to statutory rape).”

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Police investigate IFB pastor

HAMMOND (IN)
Associated Baptist Press

Thursday, August 2, 2012

A prominent Independent Fundamental Baptist church is in the spotlight for sexual scandal, and it isn’t the first time.

By Bob Allen

An Indiana sheriff’s office is investigating a prominent independent Baptist pastor fired from his 15,000-member mega church for alleged sexual misconduct with an underage girl.

First Baptist Church in Hammond, Ind., posted a news release on the church website announcing dismissal of Pastor Jack Schaap “due to a sin that has caused him to forfeit his right to be our pastor.”

The Lake County Sheriff’s Department in Crown Point, Ind., released a statement confirming an inquiry that involves “alleged misconduct with a juvenile.”

The Hammond Post-Tribune quoted a church leader saying they are cooperating with police, but don’t expect any charges to be filed because the girl is 17. Sixteen is the age of consent in Indiana.

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Jack Schaap Confesses To Sexual Relationship With Teen After Firing From Megachurch

INDIANA
Huffington Post

[with video]

The former pastor of First Baptist Church of Hammond has confessed to having sex with a member of the church when she was 16, board members told the congregation Wednesday night.

The Board of Deacons addressed the church Wednesday to explain their sudden decision to fire pastor Jack Schaap, who had led the church for the past 11 years. The church plans to fully cooperate with an FBI investigation into allegations that multiple sexual encounters involving the same girl took place across state lines.

“Stick with us,” the board asked of the 15,000 member congregation, according to the WGN.

Schaap’s affair was outed accidentally, a former church member told CBS Chicago.

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Married Megachurch Pastor Fired After Admitting to Sex With 16-Year-Old Church Member

INDIANA
The Blaze

Churches are far from immune when it comes to scandal. This is the sad reality that has hit First Baptist Church of Hammond in Indiana, where Dr. Jack Schaap, 54, the pastor there for the past 11 years, is under fire. The allegation being waged against him? That the married pastor and father of two had sex with a 16-year-old female church member.

Now, here’s the irony — Schaap is married to the daughter of the Rev. Jack Hyles. Hyles, who ran the church until his death in 2001, was also accused of being involved in sexual and financial scandals. While he denied the charges waged against him, the church is clearly no stranger to controversy.

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Rabbi Levitt sentenced to 10 years probation for abusing three boys in Boston in 1975-76

BOSTON (MA)
Boston Globe

By Wesley Lowery, Globe Correspondent

A one-time religious instructor for a prominent Brookline school today was sentenced to 10 years probation for sexually abusing three of his students in Boston during the 1975-1976 school year.

The probation sentence was imposed on Rabbi Stanley V. Levitt by Suffolk Superior Court Judge Geraldine Hines one day after Levitt pleaded guilty in the Boston courthouse to four counts of indecent assault and battery on a child.

He faced up to 40 years imprisonment if given the maximum, and Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley’s office today asked Hines to imprison Levitt for 2½ years. But Hines refused the request from prosecutors, saying from the bench that she was going to adhere to a plea agreement that was reached last fall between prosecutors and Levitt’s defense attorney, Scott Curtis.

According to Suffolk prosecutors, two of the assaults took place at Levitt’s home on Chiswick Road in Brighton; the third occurred while the child was recuperating at Boston Children’s Hospital. All three victims were boys, two were 11 years old at the time.

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Chile, Legionär in Schwierigkeiten: für ihn der “Vorwurf der Pädophilie

CHILE
Apocalisse Laica

Father John O’Reilly ist die bekannteste Gesicht in der Gemeinde der Chile Degollado. Er missbraucht ein Kind. Der Priester: “Ich bin unschuldig.”

Andres Beltramo Alvarez – Vatikanstadt

Dies ist das bekannteste Gesicht der Legionäre Christi in Chile Die gebürtige Irin durch 1986 lebt in dem südamerikanischen Land, wo er Bürgerschaft “aus Gnade” vom Parlament in 2008. Sein Name ist John O’Reilly und ist jetzt in der Mitte des Sturms. Steht vor einer Klage des angeblichen sexuellen Missbrauchs gegen ein neues Baby. Er besteht auf seiner Unschuld und sagt, er sei “bereit, vor den staatlichen und kirchlichen Gerichten erscheinen.

Die Bombe explodierte Mittwoch 25 Juli, wenn das Kollegium Cumbres de Santiago de Chile, die ein Kaplan ist, hat eine Erklärung, in der sie bekannt gemacht die Entscheidung der Exekutive, einen Bericht an das Justizministerium einreichen, die Vorwürfe zu klären freigegeben.

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Cile, Legionario nei guai: per lui l’accusa di pedofilia

CILE
Vatican Insider

Padre John O’Reilly è il volto più noto in Cile della congregazione di Degollado. Avrebbe abusato di una bambina. Il religioso: “Sono innocente”

Andrés Beltramo Álvarez
Città del Vaticano

Si tratta del volto più noto dei Legionari di Cristo nel Cile. Irlandese di nascita, dal 1986 abita nel paese sudamericano, dove ha ricevuto la cittadinanza “per grazia” dal Parlamento nel 2008. Si chiama John O’Reilly e oggi è nel bel mezzo della tempesta. Sta affrontando una denuncia per presunti abusi sessuali neo confronti di una bambina. Lui insiste sulla sua innocenza, e si dice “disponibile a comparire davanti ai tribunali civili ed ecclesiastici.

La bomba è esplosa mercoledì 25 luglio, quando il Collegio Cumbres de Santiago de Chile, del quale è cappellano, ha divulgato un comunicato nel quale si rendeva nota la decisione dei direttivi di presentare alla giustizia una segnalazione per chiarire le accuse.

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Niederländischer Bischof: Kirche sieht Sexualität positiv

NIEDERLANDE
KIPA-APIC

Amsterdam, 2.8.12 (Kipa) Der niederländische Bischof Gerard de Korte sieht in repressiver Sexualerziehung einen Grund für sexuellen Missbrauch. Früher sei Sexualität nicht nur für die Kirche, sondern für die ganze Gesellschaft ein Tabu gewesen, einschliesslich der Nichtchristen, sagte der Bischof von Groningen-Leeuwarden dem Onlinemagazin “NieuwWij” (Donnerstag).

Jahrhundertelang habe die Kirche unter dem Einfluss der Theologie von Augustinus negativ über Sexualität gesprochen. Diese Angst-Atmosphäre könnte sexuelle Fehlentwicklungen und somit sexuellen Missbrauch begünstigt haben.

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Judge denies Catholic Diocese of Green Bay’s request to dismiss Merryfield case

APPLETON (WI)
Fox 11

APPLETON – A judge has denied another request by the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay to dismiss the lawsuit brought by Todd and Troy Merryfield.

Todd and Troy Merryfield were molested by former priest John Feeney in 1978. In May, a jury made the award saying the diocese committed fraud by not telling the Merryfields about Feeney’s past history of sexual abuse. But, a judge overturned the verdict, saying a juror was not truthful during the selection process, and a new trial was ordered. No new trial date has been set.

The Diocese asked Outagamie County Judge Nancy Krueger to throw out the case, using the legal argument known as “laches” – that the Merryfields waited too long to file the suit and the resulting loss in testimony and evidence has damaged the case such that it isn’t fair to try.

In a ruling filed late Wednesday afternoon, however, Krueger denies the Diocese’s request for dismissal.

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Merryfields suit against GB Catholic Diocese won’t be dismissed

WISCONSIN
WTAQ

APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) – An Outagamie County judge has denied another request by the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay to dismiss the lawsuit by two brothers molested by a former priest.

The Diocese asked Judge Nancy Krueger to toss the case, using the legal argument known as “laches” – that Todd and Troy Merryfield waited too long to file the suit and the resulting loss in testimony and evidence has damaged the case such that it isn’t fair to try.

The Merryfields were molested by former priest John Feeney in 1978. In May, a jury made the award saying the diocese committed fraud by not telling the Merryfields about Feeney’s past history of sexual abuse. But, a judge overturned the verdict, saying a juror was not truthful during the selection process, and a new trial was ordered. No new trial date has been set.

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Former youth pastor sentenced to 3 years

ALABAMA
The Wetumpka Herald

Posted: Thursday, August 2, 2012

Kevin Taylor

Former Bethel Assembly of God youth pastor John A. Astorga, 37, was sentenced to 36 months in prison for two counts of first-degree sexual abuse.

While he was youth pastor at Bethel, he sexually abused two female parishioners of the church. One was less than 12 years old at the time of the other was more than 12 years old.

Both appeared before Circuit Court Judge Ben Fuller to speak before Astorga was sentenced.

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Missouri: Priest to Plead Guilty in Child Pornography Case

KANSAS CITY (MO)
The New York Times

By LAURIE GOODSTEIN

Published: August 1, 2012

The Rev. Shawn Ratigan, a priest in Kansas City who is accused of producing pornographic photographs of young girls he knew, has filed notice that he will plead guilty in federal court on Thursday. He had previously pleaded not guilty and was to be tried this month. Diocesan employees discovered hundreds of images of girls’ genitals on a laptop computer the priest had taken in for repair in December 2010. Father Ratigan then survived a suicide attempt, and was reassigned to live in a church facility where he continued to have contact with children.

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After cleared of scandal, Sewickley priest resigns

PENNSYLVANIA
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

August 2, 2012

By Ann Rodgers / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A Catholic priest who was cleared of suspicion of child sex abuse has resigned from his parish but will return for a final Mass.

In April a family expressed concern to diocesan officials about a Facebook post to their minor child from the Rev. Daniel Valentine, 63, of St. James parish in Sewickley. The diocese turned to the Allegheny County district attorney’s office, which sent forensic investigators to examine computers Father Valentine had access to. Meanwhile, he took a voluntary leave of absence.

The investigators “determined that Father Valentine had not engaged in any criminal conduct,” said District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. “There were things on the computer that we felt were inappropriate but not criminal, and I so advised the diocese.”

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Shawn Ratigan to plead guilty today

KANSAS CITY (MO)
Examiner

By Bill Draper
The Associated Press

Kansas City, MO —

A Kansas City priest accused of producing and possessing child pornography will plead guilty today to at least some of the federal charges he faces, his attorney confirmed.

The Rev. Shawn Ratigan, 46, was charged last August with six counts of production of child pornography, two counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of attempted production of child pornography.

He also faces three child pornography counts in Clay County, where he was charged in May 2011 after officials with the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph turned over images taken from Ratigan’s computer to police.

Ratigan’s federal public defender, Bob Kuchar, on Wednesday told The Associated Press details of the priest’s plea were still being worked out and he could not comment until after today’s hearing.

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Accused priest dies in Texas

MAINE
WLBZ

Written by
Krister Rollins

(NEWS CENTER) – A retired priest who had been tried — but never convicted — on a charge of indecency with a minor has died.

Paul Clogan was born in Massachusetts, lived in Texas with a family for years and then became an ordained priest in Maine in 1999.

He spent a year and a half in the Portland Diocese before returning to Texas.

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Priest Target Of Criminal Investigation

INDIANA
WBIW

Last updated on Thursday, August 02, 2012

(IRELAND) – Father Ron Kreilein, priest at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Ireland, Indiana was the target of a criminal investigation involving alleged sexting with a former adult male parishioner who Kreilein at one time was counseling.

Sexting is the exchange of sexually explicit telephone text messages.

No charges were filed by Dubois County prosecutor Kevin Crouse against the 57-year old Kreilein.

But the Evansville diocese has confirmed Kreilein was granted an indefinite leave of absence, during which time he is not ministering to parishioners or performing any other duties of a parish priest. Other members of the diocesan clergy are filling these roles at St. Mary’s.

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Letselschade-advocaten Haarlem en Amsterdam lopen zich warm

NEDERLAND
IJMuider Courant

HAARLEM – De klachten wegens seksueel misbruik en sadisme in het bisdom Haarlem-Amsterdam stapelen zich op. Ze zullen straks allemaal door de klachtencommissie inzake seksueel misbruik binnen de rooms-katholieke kerk worden behandeld

Allereerst de zaak tegen de wijd en zijd bekende Haarlemse priester, die onder meer in de Haarlemse Josephkerk in de Jansstraat heeft gewerkt. Drie nichtjes van de priester hebben een zaak tegen hem wegens seksueel misbruik gewonnen. Drie andere door hem bepotelde nichtjes namen in 1996 ieder 15.000 gulden van hem aan en daarmee dacht de Haarlemse priester de zaak min of meer te hebben afgekocht.

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Hulp aan slachtoffers van misbruik

NEDERLAND
Bisdom Roermond

Het is algemeen bekend dat de katholieke Kerk een onderzoek heeft laten verrichten naar het seksueel misbruik binnen de instellingen van de Kerk over de periode van 1945-2010, nadat daarover steeds meer klachten en berichten naar buiten kwamen. Het onderzoeksrapport van de Commissie Deetman werd in december 2011 bekendgemaakt. Als vervolg daarop is een aantal maatregelen genomen door de bisschoppenconferentie, de religieuzen en de afzonderlijke bisdommen. Zo is er in het bisdom Roermond in het kader van de zorg voor slachtoffers van seksueel misbruik, reeds enige tijd een begeleidingcommissie ingesteld door de bisschop.

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BISDOM PORTSMOUTH VERLIEST IN BEROEP IN ZAAK SEKSUEEL MISBRUIK

VERENIGD KONINKRIJK
Kerknet

BRUSSEL (KerkNet/KNA) – Het katholieke bisdom van Portsmouth (Verenigd Koninkrijk) is in beroep teruggefloten in een zaak van seksueel misbruik. De bevoegde rechter heeft donderdag een uitspraak van november vorig jaar bevestigd. Hij argumenteerde dat de katholieke Kerk met haar priesters eenzelfde professionele relatie heeft als die van om het even welke werkgever tegenover zijn werknemers. Om die reden kan de instelling dan ook aansprakelijk worden gesteld voor het eventuele wangedrag van een van haar werknemers.

De rechtbank verklaarde dat haar beslissing “een bredere, algemene betekenis met betrekking tot (schade)claims tegen de katholieke Kerk” heeft.

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Kerk & Leven: “Kloosters zijn geen ballingsoorden”

BELGIE
Vandaag

[Dit klooster wordt nieuwe thuis van Michelle Martin – video – Het Nieuwsblad]

“Kloosters zijn geen ballingsoorden. Dat zowel Roger Vangheluwe als Michelle Martin zich nu (willen) terugtrekken in een klooster, is toeval.” Dat zegt Bert Claerhout, hoofdredacteur van Kerk & Leven.

“Wie tot een klooster wil toetreden, moet dat uit vrije keuze doen”, stelt Claerhout. “Anders hou je dat niet vol en is het voor niemand goed. Wie buiten het geloof staat, kan in een klooster misschien wel stilte vinden, maar komt ook in een vreemde omgeving terecht. Dat biedt doorgaans weinig soelaas.”

Dat Vangheluwe en nu Martin zich kort na elkaar terugtrekken in het kloosterleven is uitzonderlijk volgens Claerhout. “Voor Vangheluwe was – gezien de omstandigheden – een ander leven moeilijk en hij komt natuurlijk in een bekende omgeving terecht.”

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Rabbi Pleads Guilty To Sexually Abusing 3 Boys

BOSTON (MA)
Failed Messiah

Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com

Rabbi Stanley Levitt has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing three children in the 1970s, the Boston Globe reports.

Levitt’s trial was about to begin when entered his guilty plea today. Levitt will be sentenced tomorrow.

The abuse took place in the 1970s while Levitt was teaching at Maimonides day school in Brookline, Massachusetts.

Levitt is now 66-years-old. He resides in the Philadelphia area.

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Victim savors conviction of pedophile rabbi

BOSTON (MA)
Boston Herald

By Matt Stout
Thursday, August 2, 2012

A man once targeted by the pedophile rabbi who pleaded guilty yesterday to preying on boys in the 1970s said he’s relishing the chance to face the “sick man” who used his power as a Brookline religion teacher.

“I don’t have any hope of retribution, I don’t want any revenge … but I have no problem facing him whatsoever,” Michael Brecher, now 48, told the Herald, saying he will address the court when Rabbi Stanley Levitt, 66, is sentenced today in Suffolk Superior court on four counts of indecent assault and battery on a child.

Levitt’s guilty plea comes roughly eight months after he initially was expected to admit to the decades-old abuse, but balked at the last minute.

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Rabbi to be sentenced in Boston on abuse charges

BOSTON (MA)
Boston Globe

August 2, 2012

BOSTON—A rabbi is being sentenced after admitting he sexually abused three students while working in the Boston area as a religious teacher in the 1970s.

Stanley Levitt pleaded guilty Wednesday to four counts of indecent assault and battery on a child as his trial was set to begin. He is to be sentenced Thursday.

Prosecutors say the 66-year-old Philadelphia man lived in Boston and worked in Brookline when he abused three boys in his care.

A grand jury indicted him in 2009 after two victims said Levitt assaulted them in 1975 while they were his students. A third victim later came forward.

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Brookline rabbi pleads guilty to child sexual assault

BROOKLINE (MA)
Wicked Local Brookline

Brookline —

A former Maimonides School teacher pleaded guilty Wednesday, Aug. 1, to charges of sexual contact with children more than 30 years ago, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley.

Rabbi Stanley Levitt, 66, most recently of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty to four counts of indecent assault and battery on a child as the trial was set to begin, according to a release from the Suffolk DA’s office. He will be sentenced Aug. 2.

Had the case made it to trial, Assistant District Attorney David Deakin would have shown that Levitt had sexually assaulted three sixth-grade boys during the mid-1970s.

“This is a victory, not just for the victims in this case, but for every person who suffered abuse at the hands of a trusted adult,” Conley said. “The defendant’s full admission of guilt is proof that the men he abused as children were telling the truth when they finally shared their terrible secret.”

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Largo puppeteer accused of wanting to cook, eat child waives bail hearing

FLORIDA
Tampa Bay Times

TAMPA — A Largo puppeteer accused last month of possessing child pornography and harboring fantasies about kidnapping, cooking and eating a young member of his church has waived a bail hearing, a judge said Wednesday.

That means Ronald William Brown, 57, will remain jailed without bail as he awaits trial in U.S. District Court in Tampa on federal charges of possessing child porn and conspiring to kidnap a child.

Prosecutors argue Brown would be a danger to the community and might flee if released.

In a two-page order, Magistrate Judge Thomas Wilson said Brown is free to request a bail hearing at a later date. No trial date is scheduled.

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Legislature postpones extending statute of limitations for child sex abuse

MASSACHUSETTS
Boston Globe

By Stephanie Ebbert
| Globe Staff
August 02, 2012

A bill that would extend the period of time during which child victims of sexual abuse could file claims against their abusers stalled Tuesday night, when the formal legislative session ended with unresolved differences between House and Senate versions and concerns about the bill’s constitutionality.

But advocates say they remain optimistic that a compromise can be forged in a conference committee in the coming weeks. Legislation can still be approved after formal sessions end, as long as no member raises an objection to the measure.

“They’ll have the time to do it and do it right, so we don’t have any unintended consequences,” said Carmen Durso, an attorney who represents victims of sexual abuse. “I believe they’re going to make a sincere effort to get this done. This is the most progress we’ve ever made in 10 years. So I’m encouraged.”

The measure would end the strict statute of limitations that now requires child victims of sexual abuse to file claims before they turn 21. The House version would extend that deadline to 27 years after a victim turns 16, or until the age of 43. That would be consistent with the statute of limitation for filing criminal charges, which was extended in 2006 after complaints by prosecutors who were unable to bring old cases against Catholic priests.

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State Police release report on Bob Carlson sex abuse investigation

MAINE
WLBZ

Written by
Danielle Waugh

AUGUSTA, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — Maine State Police have been investigating Rev. Bob Carlson for sexual abuse allegations since November 2011, and kept the investigation open after his suicide off the Penobscot Narrows Bridge.

Police have released a 100-page document detailing at least 18 interviews and several accounts of abuse.

Police began investigating Carlson after an anonymous letter sent to the District Attorney, Maine State Police, and other agencies alleged he had abused a boy in the 1970s, and suggested Carlson had abused more people.

Carlson, who was a minister, chaplain, and founder of the Penobscot Community Health Care, committed suicide by jumping off of the Penobscot Narrows Bridge the day after he learned of the investigation in mid-November.

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Carlson sexually abused several children, victims tell state police

MAINE
Bangor Daily News

[the State Police report]

By Nok-Noi Ricker, BDN Staff

BANGOR, Maine — The Rev. Robert Carlson sexually abused several children over the last four decades and groomed them to be his victims, according to people interviewed by the Maine State Police during a now concluded investigation into allegations leveled against the late community leader.

“There clearly were victims of sexual abuse that indicated that Bob Carlson was their abuser,” Lt. Christopher Coleman, commander of the Maine State Police’s Major Crimes Unit for the northern part of the state, said Wednesday. “It appears that it occurred over many years and it caused a lot of trauma to many people.”

Exactly how many children fell victim to Carlson is not known, and it is likely that other child sex abuse victims chose not to come forward, Coleman said.

Carlson was a longtime religious and civic leader who committed suicide by jumping from the Penobscot Narrows Bridge on Nov. 13, 2011, shortly after learning detectives were looking into allegations of sex abuse involving him and a boy.

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Confessions of an Ex-Priest: My Flirtation With the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

UNITED STATES
Huffington Post

Tom Rastrelli

On Friday, July 27, the U.S. Catholic hierarchy took another leap to the anti-LGBT right when the Vatican named Bishop Salvatore Cordileone the next Archbishop of San Francisco. Cordileone, who helped draft California’s Proposition 8, is the chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage. At the press conference following his promotion’s announcement, Cordileone restated his position that civil marriage is only the union of a man and a woman before saying, “I don’t see how that’s discriminatory against anyone.” Such contradictory statements may sound absurd to outsiders, but to Catholic clerics, who are formed in a homophobic seminary system, they are a means of survival.

In November 2001, two months before the Boston Globe unmasked Cardinal Law’s coverup of priest-perpetrated sexual abuse of children, I was in my final year of Catholic seminary. My brother seminarians and I stumbled through the predawn darkness and boarded a chartered bus. We were men in black (clerical attire) charged with a mission: Hobnob over breakfast with members of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, who were in Washington, D.C., for their annual meeting. Our goal: Get them to send more meat to our school, St. Mary’s Seminary, known in conservative circles as the Pink Palace.

As the bus rolled to a stop in front of the bishops’ hotel, my chest tightened. Openly gay Catholics wrapped in coats and scarves lined the dimly lit sidewalk. Candles flickered before their frozen faces as they maintained a silent, 24-hour protest of the Church’s teachings on homosexuality. I rushed past them with the herd of soon-to-be-priests.

In the safety of the conference room, which smelled of coffee, dry cleaning, and musk, we waited for the guests of honor to arrive. We bitched about the ungodly hour and planned our ecclesial courting: “What’s he looking for?” “He’s into Opus Dei, so you stay away from him.” “Thank goodness mine’s a liberal.” “Liberal with the altar boys!” “Is my collar straight?”

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Southie priest held on porn charge

BOSTON (MA)
Boston Herald

By Laurel J. Sweet and Richard Weir
Thursday, August 2, 2012

A Polish priest accused of trading in pornographic pictures of prepubescent girls was arrested at his South Boston church Tuesday.

Rev. Andrzej “Andrew” Urbaniak, 41, a native of Knurow, Poland, pleaded not guilty to charges of possession of child pornography and dissemination of images of a nude child. Police reports filed with the court stated he had “child pornography/child sexual abuse images” on his computer.

Assistant Suffolk District Attorney Kate Clayman said Urbaniak volunteered to investigators, who’d been monitoring him online since June 13 based on a referral from the State Police Crimes Against Children Unit, that he did kiddie porn searches using keywords like “7 yo (years old).” State police told Boston detectives they’d found searches for “pre-teen,” “pedofilia” and “lolitas.”

The Archdiocese of Boston announced yesterday Urbaniak is on administrative leave. He came to this country 12 years ago and has been pastor of Our Lady of Czestochowa on Dorchester Avenue for four years. He was assigned by his religious order in Poland to help Boston’s Polish-Catholic community.

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August 1, 2012

South Boston priest accused of downloading child porn onto church computer

BOSTON (MA)
NECN

[with video]

(NECN: Julie Loncich) – A two-month-long investigation has landed a South Boston priest behind bars, charged with child porn possession and distribution.

He appeared in court Wednesday.

The allegations are quite serious and frankly stunned parishioners that NECN spoke with.

Father Andrzej Urbaniak is accused of downloading and sharing child porn on a church computer.

“My client is very sad,” says Defense Attorney Jeffrey Denner.

He has been a priest for 14 years, 12 of which he spent in the United States and the last four at Our Lady of Czestochowa in South Boston. Father Urbaniak hung his head throughout much of his arraignment Wednesday morning.

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Michelle Martin, Belgium Pedophile Marc Dutroux’s Ex-Wife, To Be Released From Prison

BELGIUM
Huffington Post

By ROBERT WIELAARD and DON MELVIN, The Associated Press

BRUSSELS — The ex-wife of a notorious pedophile who aided her husband’s horrific abuse and murder of young girls – and who let two children starve to death while her husband was in jail – was approved Tuesday for early release from prison, infuriating the victims’ parents and reopening a dark chapter in Belgian history.

Michelle Martin, who is now 52, received a 30-year prison term in 2004 for not freeing girls her then-husband Marc Dutroux held captive behind a secret door in their decrepit, dirty basement in Marcinelle, 40 miles south of Brussels.

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Suspended priest ordained in Maine dies in Texas

MAINE/TEXAS
Bangor Daily News

By Judy Harrison, BDN Staff

Posted Aug. 01, 2012

PORTLAND, Maine — A former Maine priest suspended from the ministry seven years ago after he was arrested for allegedly groping a teenage boy in a Texas movie theater has died, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland announced Wednesday.

Paul Clogan died Sunday in Austin, Texas, at the age of 81.

Clogan worked as a priest in Maine for 18 months before transferring to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Austin in January 2001.

He was a priest at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Horseshoe Falls, Texas, when he was arrested in December 2005 at a movie theater in the nearby town of Marble Falls, according to a previously published report.

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First Baptist Church of Hammond Removes their Pastor

INDIANA
Fundamental News

Posted on Aug 1, 2012

The Baptist church made popular by Jack Hyles has removed Jack Schaap, the pastor that replaced Hyles after his death. They have removed him for an improper relationship with a girl:

“Hammond, IN–At this time, we deeply regret the need to announce that First Baptist Church has dismissed our pastor, Dr. Jack Schaap, due to a sin that has caused him to forfeit his right to be our pastor. First Baptist Church is in full cooperation with our local authorities in their investigation of this matter. Our church grieves over the need to take this action and the impact it will have on our people. We ask that everyone pray for the families involved and pray that the situation will be handled in a Christ honoring manner. We look forward to the days ahead as we continue to service the needs of our surrounding community and the Chicago area….”

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Meer politie bij klooster van Michelle Martin

BELGIE
De Standaard

De burgemeester van Namen merkt een ‘toerisme van slecht allooi’ bij het klooster waar Michelle Martin zal verblijven. Hij heeft daarom een sterkere aanwezigheid van de politie in de Naamse deelgemeente Malonne gevraagd.

Dinsdagnacht werden op de muren van het clarissenklooster in Malonne tags tegen Michelle Martin aangebracht. Mogelijk wordt er ook gemanifesteerd.

‘We hebben contact opgenomen met potentiële initiatiefnemers van manifestaties anti-Michelle Martin en zullen maatregelen treffen om deze bijeenkomsten zo goed mogelijk te omkaderen’, zei burgmeester Maxime Prévot.

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Belgium releases Michelle Martin, ex-wife of pedophile killer, to convent

BELGIUM
GlobalPost

Amanda MorrowJuly 31, 2012

A Belgian court has ruled that Michelle Martin, ex-wife and accomplice of the pedophile killer Marc Dutroux, can be released to a convent, Agence France Press reported.

Martin, 52, was convicted of helping Dutroux hold six young girls prisoner in the 1990s, and of complicity in the deaths of two eight-year-old girls – Julie Lejeune and Melissa Russo – who died of starvation in Dutroux’s dungeon.

Dutroux, who also raped his victims, and killed two others, is serving a life sentence. Martin, meanwhile, has spent 16 years in prison, after being sentenced to 30 years, and refused parole three times.

AFP reported that the court’s decision to grant Martin “conditional release” comes after the Clarisses convent, in central Belgium, agreed to take her in.

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Marc Dutroux ex-wife to transfer to Belgium convent

BELGIUM
BBC News

A Belgian court has decided to transfer the jailed ex-wife of the notorious child killer Marc Dutroux to a convent.

The “conditional release” ruling came after a convent near Namur in southern Belgium agreed to take her in.

Last year France refused to let Michelle Martin move to a convent in northern France.

She has spent 16 years in prison, out of a 30-year jail term. She was found complicit in two of Dutroux’s four murders of young girls.

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Klooster beklad tegen komst ex-Dutroux

BELGIE
RKnieuws

NAMEN (RKnieuws.net) – In de nacht van dinsdag op woensdag hebben onbekenden op het Clarissenklooster in Malonne bij Namen tags aangebracht tegen de opvang van Michelle Martin, de ex van Dutroux.

Later deze week zal er in Malonne ook betoogd worden tegen de komst van Michelle Martin. Ontevreden buurtbewoners hebben inmiddels protestbrieven bezorgd in het klooster. De omwonenden begrijpen de beslissing van de monialen om de vrouw op te vangen niet.

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Boston priest arrested on child pornography charges

BOSTON (MA)
Terra

A South Boston priest was charged on Wednesday with possessing and distributing child pornography using a computer in his parish’s rectory, authorities said.

Andrew J. Urbaniak was arraigned in South Boston District Court on one count of possession of child pornography and one charge of distributing images of a child in the nude, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office.

Police arrested Urbaniak, 39, at Our Lady of Czestochowa, a Polish church in the Archdiocese of Boston, on Tuesday.

After obtaining a search warrant, detectives seized Urbaniak’s computer, where pornographic images of girls between the ages of 8 and 10 were found, according to the Boston Police Department.

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Oscar winner’s ‘explosive’ film about abuse at Milwaukee’s St. John’s to premi

WISCONSIN
SNAP Wisconsin

[with video and links]

Statement by Peter Isely, SNAP Midwest Director

I am very pleased to announce that Alex Gibney’s new documentary, which details the abuse and cover up of sex crimes against over 200 deaf children at St. John’s School in Milwaukee, will have its world-wide premier September 8 at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film widens from the story of survivors, to the secret involvement of the Vatican and Pope Benedict XVI, to the explosive revelations in documents obtained by the New York Times, to the activism of survivors to bring this case to the world, helping to set off a still continuing avalanche of new cases from around the globe.

At the very center of the film, of course, are the remarkable survivors from St. John’s. This is really their film. I was honored to help Alex and his outstanding team on this project in any way I could because I believe that his special artistry, skill and passion as the world’s leading documentarian would do justice to their remarkable story.

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Prosecutor: South Boston priest downloading child porn when he was arrested

BOSTON (MA)
Boston Globe

[with video]

By Brian R. Ballou and John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

The computer at the South Boston rectory where the Rev. Andrew J. Urbaniak lives was downloading child pornography when Boston police detectives entered the building on Monday, a prosecutor said at Urbaniak’s arraignment today on child porn charges.

Urbaniak, 39, mostly kept his head down during his arraignment in South Boston Municipal Court where he pleaded not guilty to charges of possession and dissemination of child pornography. Judge Michael Bolden set bail at $10,000 cash.

Rev. Andrew J. Urbaniak (Suffolk district attorney)For the past four years, Urbaniak has been assigned to Our Lady of Czestochowa Church in South Boston where he is currently the pastor. In the wake of his arrest, the Archdiocese of Boston issued a statement saying Urbaniak is now on administrative leave and is banned from performing his religious duties as a priest.

“Urbaniak’s faculties have been suspended and he is not allowed to function as a priest in the Archdiocese,’’ the statement said. “The Archdiocese is fully cooperating with law enforcement. The Church prays for all those impacted by these events and is committed to providing for the pastoral care of the parish during this difficult time.’’

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** SNAP CONFERENCE 2012 EXCLUSIVE ** One Hand Washes the Other: Jeff Anderson, Other Contingency Lawyers Bankroll Church-Bashing Group

CHICAGO (IL)
TheMediaReport

Dave Pierre

The high-profile, Church-suing attorney Jeff Anderson offered up a whopping check for $43,950 to SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) as he orchestrated this year’s fundraising session at the group’s annual conference at the Hilton Rosemont in Chicago, according to sources who were there.

Seizing the microphone during a mid-afternoon session this past Saturday, the zealous Anderson pleaded aggressively with attendees in the conference room to donate to the anti-Catholic group. Anderson announced that he would match all pledges made during the drive.

As the pledges commenced, Anderson energetically dashed around the room working the crowd like a carnival barker, eager to rake in more money for his favorite cause.

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Prosecutors Drop Indecent Assault Charges Against Walpole Priest

WALPOLE (MA)
CBS Boston

WALPOLE (CBS) – Indecent assault charges against Walpole priest have been dropped, after his accuser told prosecutors he did not want to testify.

The Norfolk County District Attorney said charges against Blessed Sacrament priest Emile “Mike” Boutin were officially withdrawn on Tuesday.

Back in 2010, a 21-year-old man told police Boutin had followed him into the woods behind the Route 138 Park and Ride lot in Canton and grabbed him inappropriately

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MO – SNAP responds to possible priest guilty plea

KANSAS CITY (MO)
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

Posted by Peter Isely on August 01, 2012

If Fr. Ratigan pleads guilty, several suffering families will be spared the trauma of a trial. We ache for every single child, mom, dad, and sibling who is in pain because of Fr. Ratigan’s crimes and Catholic officials’ complicity.

Regardless of what happens tomorrow, Bishop Finn – and every KC Catholic employee – still has a moral and civic duty to help find and console every family hurt by Fr. Ratigan. No doubt there are still former parishioners who have moved elsewhere who need and deserve outreach and comfort. Church staff must help in this way or remain a part of the problem, not the solution.

Fr. Ratigan and Bishop Finn and the diocese all face other criminal charges. So tomorrow’s outcome is not the end of this tragedy. It’s still important for victims, witnesses and whistleblowers to come forward. No one should assume that justice will be done in each of these cases. Instead, we must help make sure justice is done and kids are protected. That means that whatever we may know or suspect must be given, as soon as possible, to law enforcement, so they can build the strongest case possible against these wrongdoers.

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