ABUSE TRACKER

UNITED STATES
Voice from the Desert

Dear Friends,

I’m sure most of you have seen today’s New York Times article entitled “Church Using Priests’ Cases to Pressure Victims’ Network.”

I hope that you’ll consider responding to this important article by adding your comments on the NY Times site and by visiting the SNAP website too. SNAP deserves our financial and moral support.

The Catholic church in the United States has always played two games with individual survivors of abuse by its clergy—pastoral softball and legal hardball. But now we have confirmation from a straight-talking, knowledgeable player, William Donohue of the Catholic League, that SNAP as an organization is being targeted:

“The bishops have come together collectively. I can’t give you the names, but there’s a growing consensus on the part of the bishops that they had better toughen up and go out and buy some good lawyers to get tough. We don’t need altar boys.”

The USCCB has issued a denial, but there is ample corroboration for Mr. Donohue’s assessment.

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UNITED STATES
Voice from the Desert

Dear SNAP Members and Supporters:

We are extremely grateful for the support you have shown to us today!

But since we are doing so well in getting our message out – but the threat to us remains–we want to take advantage of this unique moment and ask one more favor of you.

Would you please take the time to sign on to SNAP’s petition and help spread the word about it?

It asks Cardinal Dolan (President of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops) to publicly take a stand against bullying tactics by some church officials and lawyers.. It says:

Cardinal Dolan – “Stop the legal bullying!”

As the head of America’s bishops, we urge you to publicly denounce, and stop, the bullying tactics used by bishops and church defense lawyers against those seeking help from the support group SNAP, including victims of abuse by clerics, witnesses, whistleblowers, police, prosecutors and journalists.

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UNITED STATES
The New York Times

Editorial

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, known as SNAP, has played a critical role in making public the horrific crimes of pedophile priests and holding the Roman Catholic Church accountable for the crimes. Now the church is using a tactic that could cripple SNAP by embroiling it in costly litigation in which it is not a party.

As Laurie Goodstein wrote in The Times on Tuesday, lawyers for the church and priests accused of sex abuse in two Missouri cases have gone to court to compel SNAP to hand over two decades’ worth of e-mails and a huge amount of private correspondence with victims, lawyers, witnesses, reporters, prosecutors and the police.

The group has been subpoenaed five times in recent months and its national director, David Clohessy, deposed in the Kansas City, Mo., case. SNAP says it has incurred about $50,000 in legal fees and devoted hundreds of hours of staff time since the subpoenas began. This is a strange level of interest since SNAP is not involved in either case and Mr. Clohessy has sworn that he has had no contact with the accuser in the Kansas City case. The church’s lawyers want information on the network’s members and tactics, going beyond the cases. “The real motive is to harass and discredit and bankrupt SNAP, while discouraging victims, witnesses, whistle-blowers, police, prosecutors and journalists from seeking our help,” Mr. Clohessy said.

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UNITED STATES
The Media Report

Dave Pierre

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) is slowly being exposed as the dishonest and mean-spirited organization that is it, and this reality appears to be upsetting the New York Times.

Today’s paper (Tue., 3/13/12) has plastered a front-page article by religion editor Laurie Goodstein that is largely a sympathetic portrait of the anti-Catholic organization.

Goodstein’s narrative is predictable: Big Catholic Church: bad and mean. Little-ol’ SNAP: innocent and good.

Goodstein ignores SNAP’s lengthy history of deception and nastiness. For example, Goodstein writes:

“[I]n 2002, American bishops met at their conference in Dallas with [SNAP] members who gave emotional testimony about the toll of the abuse. But relations have deteriorated since then, and SNAP members say bishops now refuse to meet with them.”

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NEDERLAND
Een Vandaag

[met video]

In Nederland zijn duizenden straten, pleinen, hofjes, onderscheidingen, scholen en kerken vernoemd naar geestelijken. Nu het misbruikschandaal in de Katholieke Kerk in volle omvang zichtbaar wordt, zouden alle namen van misbruikende geestelijken uit het straatbeeld moeten verdwijnen.

Dat stelt één van de slachtoffers van voormalig monseigneur Jan Niënhaus, voormalig hulpbisschop. Niënhaus wordt als een van de weinigen genoemd in het rapport van de commissie Deetman, de commissie die onderzoek deed naar seksueel misbruik in de Katholieke Kerk. De Mgr Niënhausstichting, een stichting voor Katholiek onderwijs, nam in 2007 de naam aan van Niënhaus. Nu is de stichting op zoek naar een nieuwe naam. En daar komt heel wat bij kijken.

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WISCONSIN
SNAP Wisconsin

The following statement was issued by WCASA, the Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Wisconsin’s largest advocacy organization for victim/survivors of sex crimes:

Recent reports in Milwaukee Federal Bankruptcy court indicate that at least 8,000 alleged acts of sexual assault and abuse were committed against children in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee over the past fifty years. The 570 adult survivors of these childhood crimes who filed a report with the court are to be lauded for their courage and supported in their efforts to obtain justice. They, and indeed all of us, are entitled to transparency and accountability from church officials concerning any policies and practices which have allowed offenders to evade justice and leave countless other children at risk over these many years.

Among the revelations surfacing in the reports submitted to the court are the existence of some 100 alleged clerical sex offenders, church employees, and volunteers not yet investigated or publically identified as abusers by the archdiocese. Some of these offenders are deceased, but a significant number are living and working unidentified in the community, some likely in a professional capacity with children and families.

Research on child sex crimes has repeatedly shown that most victims do not come forward and report the offense, and when they do it often takes years, if not decades to talk to someone, much less call the police. That is why, according to Human Rights Watch, less than 1 in 10 child molesters in the United States are known by law enforcement officials.

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MILWAUKEE (WI)
WISN

MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee-area clergy sex abuse victims group is urging the state attorney general to investigate who it calls unidentified sex offenders.

The 100 unidentified individuals came to light during the Milwaukee archdiocese’s bankruptcy filing in federal court. Seventy-five of them are priests.

“This is a public safety concern because the community needs to know where these individuals are, where they’re living, what they’re doing. Are they working with families and children” So this is a very important matter,” Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests Wisconsin Director John Pilmaier said.

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MILWAUKEE (WI)
CBS 58

[with video]

by Laura Rodriguez

Victims and survivors of clergy sexual abuse say 2 offenders are currently working with children and families, but the Archdiocese says both men were removed from the priesthood even after civil authorities declined prosecution.

SNAP says one of these men is now a licensed clinical social worker. The other is a funeral director.

“This is a public safety concern because the community needs to know where these individuals are, where they are living, what they’re doing,” said John Pilmaier, SNAP Wisconsin Director.

The press conference is a response to comments made by bankruptcy Judge Susan V. Kelley during the last court hearing on February 29th.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Inquirer

He had sex with a minor, according to a 1994 document. He will be suspended, a source said.

By John P. Martin
Inquirer Staff Writer

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia plans to suspend a priest nearly two decades after church leaders learned he had sex with a girl, 17, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Msgr. Richard T. Powers, 76, who had served in parishes across the region and was most recently assigned to Epiphany of Our Lord in South Philadelphia, will be placed on administrative leave pending a review, said the source, who asked not to be identified discussing a personnel issue.

Powers’ suspension comes after his name emerged on a newly disclosed 1994 internal church memo that listed 35 area priests suspected or accused of abusing children.

Cardinal Anthony J. Bevilacqua allegedly ordered that memo shredded, but a copy was discovered in a safe in the archdiocese’s Center City offices in 2006 and turned over last month to Philadelphia prosecutors.

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NEDERLAND
Meldpunt Seksueel Misbruik RKK

Welkom op de website van Meldpunt Seksueel Misbruik RKK, voorheen Hulp & Recht.De kerkelijke instelling Hulp & Recht is overgegaan in de onafhankelijke Stichting Beheer & Toezicht inzake seksueel misbruik in de RK Kerk. De door de bisschoppen en de hogere religieuze oversten opgerichte commissie Bandell adviseerde daartoe 24 juni 2011 (zie rapport commissie Bandell)

De stichting kent 4 onderdelen elk met afzonderlijke informatie op deze website:

•Meldpunt, het ‘front office’ waar mensen melding kunnen maken van seksueel misbruik;
•Platform Hulpverlening na seksueel misbruik in de RK Kerk, waar mensen geholpen worden door o.a. vertrouwenspersonen of doorverwezen kunnen worden;
•Klachtencommissie voor seksueel misbruik in de RK Kerk, waar de klachten behandeld worden.
•Compensatiecommissie voor seksueel misbruik in de RK Kerk, waar de compensatie kan worden aangevraagd.

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BELGIE
De Morgen

De zaak-Vangheluwe blijft beroeren. De onthulling van pedofilie in het hart van het West-Vlaamse bisdom deed walgen. Vooral de intrieste manier waarop kardinaal Danneels probeerde de klacht van een misbruikte jongen onder tafel te vegen, was alleszeggend over de (emotionele) intelligentie van de katholieke kerktop in dit land.

Tegelijk strookt de manier waarop bisschop Vangheluwe weg kwam met de zaak niet met ons rechtvaardigheidsgevoel: juridisch gezien blijft hij, door verjaring, volledig buiten schot. En binnen het instituut dat hem de macht gaf om te misbruiken, zijn de sancties op zijn zachtst gezegd niet echt in proportie. De kerk ontnam hem het recht om voor te gaan in een viering, maar houdt hem wel netjes binnen haar muren.

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NEW YORK
News 10

[with video]

By Taryn Fitsik

ALBANY, N.Y.–Abortion, statute of limitations for sex abuse and preserving Catholic schools, all on the list of things discussed Monday between Governor Andrew Cuomo and Timothy Cardinal Dolan.

It is Dolan’s first visit to Albany since being elevated to the College of Cardinals in February.

NEWS10 ABC spoke with Cardinal Dolan after his meeting with the Governor and joins us with what he had to say.

Cardinal Dolan says there are more than 70 issues the church regularly advocates for or against, but for meetings with the Governor, they have to narrow it down to just a few.

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NEW YORK
New York Daily News

BY Ken Lovett

In one part of my interview with Cardinal Dolan that did not make this morning’s column, New York’s archbishop said he holds no grudge at group of Irish American state lawmakers who chose not to honor him at its annual dinner tonight.

“I didn’t pay much attention to it,” Dolan said of the snub. “I got a good number of calls from lawmakers saying ‘we didn’t’ intend this.’ ”

My column two weeks ago detailed how it looked like Dolan was set to be celebrated as the guest of honor at tonight’s New York American-Irish Legislators Society dinner. Ultimately, however, the decision was made to instead honor liberal civil rights lawyer Brian O’Dwyer–a move that upset some members of the organization who felt it was an insult given Dolan’s ascension to cardinal this year.

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NEW YORK
New York Daily News

BY Celeste Katz

Timothy Cardinal Dolan hit Albany for a round of lobbying on issues close to the heart of the Catholic Church, with those ranging from abortion to same-sex marriage. Per our Glenn Blain, Dolan also spoke at length about a subject arguably as controversial as either of those: The Child Victims Act, which would extend the statute of limitations in clergy sexual abuse cases.

“We feel that this is terribly unjust. It singles [out] the church and it would be — and I use the word purposefully — devastating for the life of the church,” Dolan told reporters gathered in the LCA, as you can see from the pic at right from Blain’s Twitter feed.

“And the governor listens. He’s a good lawyer. He reminded us of his allegiance to classical jurisprudence that would see a great benefit in the protection of the statute of limitations to see that the innocent of protected and that justice is done,” he said.

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CZECH REPUBLIC
Prague Daily Monitor

ČTK

14 March 2012

Prague, March 13 (CTK) – Three Czech activists have sent an open letter to Pope Benedict XVI, telling him they disapprove of the planned Czech law on the return of confiscated property to churches and on financial settlement, they told journalists Tuesday.

Writer Lenka Prochazkova, historian Mojmir Grygar and art director Vaclav Dvorak said in their opinion the planned law is unfounded from the ethical, historical and legal points of view and is at variance with the constitution.

The activists said they have lodged several dozens of criminal complaints over the government’s bill. Prochazkova alone has lodged a complaint against all members of the cabinet on suspicion of abuse of power and breach of trust.

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MINNESOTA
West Central Tribune

By: Carolyn Lange, West Central Tribune

WILLMAR — County officials in west central Minnesota are scratching their heads trying to figure out why they’ve been receiving large packets of priority and certified mailings from Warren Jeffs, the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Jeffs is serving a life-sentence in Palestine, Texas, for raping two young girls that he claimed were his “spiritual” wives.

The bundles of letters and booklets began arriving a couple months ago to many county commissioners in the region.

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NEW YORK
People’s World

by: Dan Margolis

In a meeting with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Democrat, Cardinal Timothy Dolan stressed that he was resolutely opposed to the proposed Child Victims Act, which, he says, “unfairly” targets the Catholic Church.

“We feel that this is terribly unjust. It singles [out] the church and it would be, and I use the word purposefully, devastating for the life of the church,” Dolan told reporters.

In actuality, the bill neither explicitly targets nor mentions the Catholic Church. However, due to the church’s ongoing abuse scandals, the bill it would likely cost the Cardinal Dolan’s diocese and others a good deal of money by making it easier for victims of pedophile priests to bring charges.

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GERMANY
Catholic Sentinel

Catholic News Service

The German bishops welcome progress in the national dialogue on the Catholic Church’s future, inaugurated in the wake of sexual abuse scandals.The talks begin in June by 30 German bishops and 300 invited clergy and lay representatives continue through 2015, with each year examining a church task.Several hundred Germans have claimed molestation by priests and church staffers since allegations were made against a Catholic college in Berlin in 2010.Under church guidelines, people who work with Catholic youth must now obtain police checks and undergo psychiatric tests, while the church’s 27 dioceses must have independent ombudsmen and experts. Germany’s 54 theology faculties and institutes report student admissions have dropped by half in the past 15 years. The sharpest decline was in Pope Benedict’s native Bavaria.The German bishops welcome progress in the national dialogue on the Catholic Church’s future, inaugurated in the wake of sexual abuse scandals.

The talks begin in June by 30 German bishops and 300 invited clergy and lay representatives continue through 2015, with each year examining a church task.

Several hundred Germans have claimed molestation by priests and church staffers since allegations were made against a Catholic college in Berlin in 2010.

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UNITED STATES
Daily Camera

JEB BARRETT
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests
Denver SNAP Leader

I hope people are paying attention to what the Catholic Church is doing across the nation! Read Tuesday’s New York Times article.

Every American should be outraged by the continuing hardball tactics of the Roman Catholic Church across the nation, as they do all they can to silence the truth of their historic sexual exploitation of children and vulnerable adults. They would like nothing more than wipe to out the most important lifeline for victims of sexual assault by clergy, so that we can now call ourselves survivors of sexual abuse. Because of what happened to us, we will never know what it would be like to have not been fondled, raped and sodomized.

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IRELAND
Irish Independent

Wednesday March 14 2012

A SENIOR cleric who denied any wrongdoing after a complaint of child sexual abuse was made against him by a woman last year has died in tragic circumstances.

Fr John Sweetman had taken leave from parish duties in Riverchapel, Co Wexford, pending garda and HSE investigations.

The accusations he faced allegedly took place 30 years ago when he was a young priest in his 20s in Wexford town.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Crawley News

A RETIRED priest, accused of sexually assaulting children in Crawley more than 40 years ago, has been released on police bail.

The 73-year-old man was arrested at his home near Eastbourne last Tuesday on suspicion of historic sexual assaults.

It followed a six-month investigation by a team of specialist Sussex Police child protection detectives.

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ARKANSAS
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

Posted by Barbara Dorris on March 13, 2012

Late last week, a Little Rock Circuit Judge Wendell Griffin (6th Judicial District) ruled that a clergy sexual abuse case will not be dismissed and can proceed toward trial.

We are grateful that this case will move forward. Fr. Charles Kanu apparently used his powerful position as a clergyman to counsel, then assault, this brave woman. After gaining her trust, he attacked her. We fear this is not an isolated incident and suspect that others hurt by Fr. Kanu are still trapped in guilt and self-blame.

We applaud this woman for having the courage to come forward and the wisdom to report these crimes to civil authorities.

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UNITED STATES
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

Posted by Becky Plumly Ianni on March 13, 2012

We’re heartsick over these legal attacks and the chilling impact these church officials are having and will have on vulnerable and hurting victims, witnesses and whistleblowers. They are crippling our work to protect the vulnerable and heal the wounded, and rubbing even more salt into the already deep and still fresh wounds of hundreds of child sex abuse victims and thousands of betrayed Catholics.

And we’re scared for victims of domestic violence, rape and other sex crimes who, thanks to Catholic officials, must now worry that accused or admitted sex offenders will try to get their private emails in completely unrelated civil lawsuits involving litigants they’ve never meet in places they’ve never been.

We call on Catholic church employees and members – from Cardinal Tim Dolan on down – to publicly denounce and stop these mean-spirited and intimidating attacks. Until America’s bishops forcefully condemn and stop using these brutal tactics, parishioners and the public will believe what Mr. Donahue maintains: that bishops “have come together collectively” to “better toughen up.”

These hardball legal maneuvers by church officials make it harder for citizens to report known and suspected crimes and harder for police and prosecutors to arrest and convict criminals. They make it tougher for suffering victims to get the help they so desperately need and deserve. And they violate Constitutionally-protected freedoms of speech and association and privacy.

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PENNSYLVANIA
WFMZ

Author: Will Lewis

EASTON, Pa. –
A Berks County priest who admitted to having an inappropriate relationship with an 18-year-old woman is now being investigated for the same thing in Northampton County, but this time, officials said there could be more to the story.

The priest, Cletus Onyegbule, has admitted to having sex with the woman in the rectory of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Bethlehem Township, investigators said.

“The day after her 18th birthday, in the rectory of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, he admitted to that essentially,” said Morganelli. “Then she claims she got pregnant right away and in March was taken for an abortion by this priest, and he was with her and paid for it.”

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SCHWEIZ
NZZ

Gross war das Aufsehen, das die Initianten mit der Lancierung ihrer Volksinitiative für die Wiedereinführung der Todesstrafe bei Mord mit sexuellem Missbrauch im August 2010 erregt hatte. Nun ist sie mit viel weniger Getöse formell erledigt worden.

(sda) Die Sammelfrist ist am 24. Februar ungenutzt abgelaufen, wie aus der am Dienstag im Bundesblatt veröffentlichten Mitteilung der Bundeskanzlei hervorgeht.

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OHIO
The Plain Dealer

By Jeff Piorkowski, Sun News

SOUTH EUCLID

— Former, and possibly future, parishioners of St. Margaret Mary Church are ecstatic with the news that the parish could be re-opened.

“I said ‘Thank you God, thank you God, and then I said a Rosary,” said parish member Bobbie French of her reaction after hearing the news that broke March 7.

French was particularly invested in the re-opening, stating, “I sent 14 letters to Bishop (Richard) Lennon, two letters to Rome, two to a bishop in Washington, and one to a bishop in New Jersey.”

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CALIFORNIA
Orange County Weekly

By Gustavo Arellano

Tue., Mar. 13 2012

​Every couple of months, I get a non-sequitor gloat from a local Catholic who’s always too cowardly to sign their name–best guess is Diocese of Orange Bishop Tod D. Brown, but could easily be notorious outer of sex-abuse victims Matt Cunningham. This yellow belly won’t even send me an email–instead, they submit a rant against me with no return address, no indicators of their pendejo identity.

The emails don’t even make sense, but are directed at me because of my work exposing all of Orange’s nasty pedo-priests and their nastier protectors and even-nastier apologists. This was his last one; here’s the latest!

To wit:

Uh…. Attendance at Catholic churches in Orange County still full… Just bought a $58 million high profile property AFTER paying $100 million in lawsuits just a few years ago… Close to HALF of the parishes are in an EXPANSION project of some kind… Hmmm, Gustavo! Let’s ramp up your anti-Catholic hate! I don’t think all that effort of yours is paying off, except that you’re helping the Church filter out the floosy Catholics because if anybody is influenced by your low-brand city-college level work, it would be idiots like you! Heh heh …. must be so frustrating being you…

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Chicago Tribune

March 13, 2012

By Dave Warner

PHILADELPHIA, March 13 (Reuters) – The former chief financial officer of the beleaguered Archdiocese of Philadelphia surrendered to authorities on Tuesday to face charges that she
stole more than $900,000 from the church to pay her credit card bills.

Anita Guzzardi, 41, is accused of theft, forgery and other charges involving the archdiocese, the nation’s sixth-largest, which is less than two weeks away from the start of a high-profile pedophilia trial.

Monsignor William Lynn faces child endangerment charges, and a priest and a defrocked priest are accused of sexually abusing children between 1996 and 1999. Lynn would be the first high-ranking U.S. cleric to go on trial in a child sex abuse case.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
The Mercury

The following press release was issued by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia after charges were filed against the archdiocese’s former chief financial officer of the Archdiocese.

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has worked closely with the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office regarding the embezzlement of funds by Anita Guzzardi, the former chief financial officer of the Archdiocese.

On July 13, 2011, the District Attorney’s Office alerted the Archdiocese to certain accounting irregularities reported to the D.A.’s office by a credit card company. Guzzardi was placed on administrative leave the following day. After a preliminary internal forensic financial investigation by the Archdiocese, she was terminated on July 22. Following the initial investigation, the Archdiocese continued the financial investigation and shared all findings with the D.A.’s office in August.

Estimates show that Guzzardi embezzled more than $900,000 from the general operating fund of the Archdiocese. Donations to the Heritage of Faith ~ Vision of Hope capital campaign and the annual Catholic Charities Appeal were not impacted. The theft had no effect on the work of the Blue Ribbon Commission or the decision to close or regionalize any school.

Insurance will cover most of the costs for embezzled funds and a portion of the fees for the internal investigation.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Courier-Post

Written by
JIM WALSH
Courier-Post Staff

PHILADELPHIA — A South Jersey woman is accused of stealing more than $900,000 while working as a financial officer for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

Anita Guzzardi, 42, of Barrington allegedly stole the funds from 2005 until mid-2011, the District Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia said Tuesday. Guzzardi, who joined the archdiocese in 1989, held multiple finance-related posts and was appointed chief financial officer on July 1, 2011.

Authorities said an investigation began in July 2011, when American Express contacted the DA’s office over suspicious activity with two accounts in Guzzardi’s name. Investigators learned Guzzardi allegedly used 184 checks from the archdiocese’s general fund to pay her American Express bills over almost six years. She also allegedly used 146 archdiocesan checks to pay her personal Chase credit card.

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UNITED STATES
Think Progress

By Adam Peck on Mar 13, 2012

This morning, The New York Times published an article outlining the Catholic Church’s apparent new strategy for dealing with lawsuits brought by the victims of sexual assault. Namely, filing legal actions designed to cripple organizations that support victims of pedophile priests.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, is the target of one such suit. The church is asking a court to force SNAP to turn over 20 years worth of email correspondence between the group and victims, journalists and whistle-blowers, a demand that SNAP officials say would cripple their ability to continue supporting victims of sexual assault.

The church would not comment to the New York Times citing a judge’s order, but radical conservative Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, had plenty of words for victims and their supporters:

“[Donohue] said targeting the network was justified because “SNAP is a menace to the Catholic Church.” …

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PENNSYLVANIA
The Morning Call

By Pamela Lehman and Matt Assad, Of The Morning Call

11:16 p.m. EDT, March 12, 2012
A Catholic priest recently removed from his Berks County parish after acknowledging an inappropriate relationship with a woman is under investigation in Northampton County for possible criminal conduct with her when she was 17.

Investigators are trying to determine whether the Rev. Cletus Onyegbule used his position of authority at his former parish, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Bethlehem Township, to groom the girl for a sexual relationship with him, District Attorney John Morganelli said.

According to a source close to the investigation, a day after the girl’s 18th birthday in February 2006, she consented to sex with Onyegbule while in the rectory office at Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

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ALBANY (NY)
Albany Times Union

REV KENNETH DOYLE
Chancellor
Diocese of Albany

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany recently signed an agreement with the 14 district attorneys addressing how allegations of clergy sexual abuse of minors are handled. For nearly 10 years, the diocese has followed a standard protocol when handling sexual abuse allegations, based on the recommendations of the DAs and an independent task force of experts. The new memorandum of understanding updates the protocol based on the collective experience of the last decade.

Much of the Times Union’s March 6 editorial on the topic (“Not the last word on sexual abuse”) was wrong, even though the newspaper had or easily could have had accurate information.

Here are the facts:

It has been and will continue to be our policy to immediately notify the appropriate district attorney of any allegation regarding sexual or physical abuse of a minor by a member of the clergy or employee of the diocese, regardless of when such an act was committed.

It has been and will continue to be our policy to fully cooperate with the DA and to defer our investigation until the DA’s investigation is done.

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KENTUCKY
KY Forward

A friend of mine recently responded to a local newspaper cartoon with a letter to the editor and a cancellation of his subscription. The cartoon depicted a woman being harassed by a bishop about her use of contraception but the bishop then making a forward comment about her little boy. While this cartoon is utterly tasteless, the truly shocking element of all of this were the reader comments submitted on the newspaper’s website. The sheer ignorance of most individuals regarding the priest abuse scandal is astounding. Our mainstream media outlets would lead you to believe that a majority of priests were abusers and the numbers of victims in the millions. Without minimizing the seriousness of the abuse that did indeed occur, it’s important to take a look at the facts and let them speak for themselves.

Here’s how to start. There is an important document known as the John Jay report that outlines the specifics of the crisis with documented statistics. This report was commissioned by the Catholic Church and independently conducted by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York to take a critical look into the matter of accusations against priests to try to get a better understanding of why this crisis occurred in the first place. To my knowledge, this was an unprecedented move on behalf of the American Catholic church. I have known of no other institution upon discovering a weakness of this nature that has freely chosen an investigation into their own operation, but this is exactly what the Catholic Church did.

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MISSOURI
The Rolla Daily News

By Shannon Beck
The Rolla Daily News

Posted Mar 13, 2012

Rolla, Mo. —

When Father Joseph Carlo of the Christ Episcopal Church in Rolla retired in 1990, he left behind a legacy as a priest who led his congregation to flourish. An internal church investigation recently completed by the Episcopal Church’s Diocese of Missouri may leave Carlo with a new legacy.

According to the Rev. Canon Daniel Smith of the Diocese of Missouri, an investigation into reports of alleged sexual abuse of children within the church by Carlo was recently completed.

According to Smith, the church has been in contact with five people who claim they were abused by Carlo between 1975 and 1985.

“We believe that(sexual abuse) has occurred,” Smith said about the abuse allegations and the results of the internal investigation.

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UNITED STATES
Catholic League

On January 2, David Clohessy, the president of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), was deposed in Missouri regarding his role in cases of priestly sexual abuse. The deposition was recently made available [click here]; Catholic League president Bill Donohue has written a report on it, SNAP UNRAVELS [to read it, click here]; it is being mailed to the bishops today.

Donohue summarizes his report as follows:

David Clohessy claims that he doesn’t have to turn over most of the requested documents, or answer many of the questions. Why? Because SNAP is a rape crisis center, and therefore its confidentiality is protected under Missouri law. But when asked directly if SNAP is a rape crisis center, he said, “I don’t know.” He also admitted that he doesn’t know what constitutes a rape crisis center in Missouri.

Clohessy counsels alleged victims of abuse for a living, yet he admits to having no training whatsoever. He confessed that he does his unlicensed counseling in places like Starbucks; he also “consoles” his clients over the phone. Furthermore, there is not a single employed licensed counselor on SNAP’s staff. Moreover, he could not state a single instance where SNAP has paid for a licensed counselor to counsel a specific person.

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UNITED STATES
Young Feminists

Statement of NOW President Terry O’Neill

March 13, 2012

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is at it again. In addition to playing a major role in the right-wing war on women, the all-male hierarchy of the Catholic Church is trying to silence an organization dedicated to helping women and men who have been victimized by clergy.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) is a tiny organization of almost all volunteers with an annual budget of less than a half million dollars. The threat SNAP poses to the hierarchy of the Catholic Church is not based on its relative strength, but on the power of the truth. So, naturally, the bishops want to squash them like a bug. How’s that for Christian morals?

For decades, the hierarchy of the Catholic Church swept accusations of sexual abuse under the rug along with its collective conscience. Now, in two Missouri cases, attorneys for accused priests are inundating SNAP with subpoenas and other tactical measures that can be viewed as an abuse of the legal process.

The National Organization for Women wants to know: How much money are the bishops spending to demolish SNAP? Wouldn’t that money be better spent establishing processes for rooting out sexually abusive priests and caring for their victims?

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ARKANSAS
Herman Law

By Arick Fudali

March 12, 2012

In a case of first impresstion, an Arkansas Judge recently rejected the Diocese of Little Rock’s claim that the First Amendment prevents an adult parishioner from bringing a negligent claim against the Diocese where the victim was sexually exploited by her priest, Father Charles Kanu, during counseling sessions.

The Court ruled that religious organizations must be held to the same standard as all other employers and that the Free Exercise clause of the First Amendment does not allow the Church to put parishioner’s in harms way.

Arkansas has a criminal statute making it a felony for counselors (including clergymen) and other professionals who are in a position of trust or authority to use that position to engage in sex. The Court found that the criminal statute created an independent basis to create a duty of care.

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UNITED STATES
Hotspyer

Stop menacing us with your
“I was raped by a priest” complaints!

File this under oh my god:

[T]here’s a growing consensus on the part of the bishops that they had better toughen up and go out and buy some good lawyers to get tough. We don’t need altar boys.

That’s William Donohue, head of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, explaining the Catholic Church’s new “get tough” strategy to silence and shut down those meanie rape and abuse victims and their advocates, by trying to bury SNAP in a barrage of costly and irrelevant legal proceedings.

SNAP is the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. According to the New York Times, it has three paid staff members, and its revenue in 2010 was a whopping $ 352,903. In other words, compared to the mighty Catholic Church, it’s a pretty small, not-very-well-funded organization that exists solely to support those who’ve been victimized by the Church. Which means, according to Donohue, that SNAP is “a menace to the Catholic Church.”

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FREEPORT (ME)
The Forecaster

By David Harry

Mar 13, 2012

FREEPORT — A federal civil lawsuit about sex abuse in Haiti now involves a local man.

Paul Kendrick, 62, has been issued a subpoena by Boston-based attorney Theodore J. Folkman, who represents the Rev. Paul Carrier in a case being heard in U.S. District Court in New Haven, Conn.

Carrier is one of 18 individuals and institutions named as defendants by Haitian Joseph Jean-Charles, who seeks $20 million from each for sexual abuse he allegedly suffered at the hands of Douglas Perlitz.

Perlitz was employed by Carrier as the executive director of a residential schools for boys called Project Pierre Touissaint.

According to court records, the school was founded in 1997 by Carrier, Perlitz and Fairfield University, a Jesuit school in Fairfield, Conn. The residential schools and an intake center, all near Cap Haitien, were operated by the Haiti Fund, which was overseen by the university and Carrier.

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BELGIE
Het Nieuwsblad

Rik Devillé van de werkgroep mensenrechten in de Kerk, heeft bedenkingen bij het pleidooi van Mieke Van Hecke over meer ‘vergiffenis’ in onze samenleving – ook voor mensen als Roger vangheluwe.

Rik Devillé wil wel praten over vergiffenis voor mensen als Roger Vangheluwe. Maar niet zonder dat Vangheluwe zelf eerst stappen doet.

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CANADA
Toronto Star

Richard J. Brennan
National Affairs Writer

The name on the local arena in the French language New Brunswick village of Cap-Pelé was a constant reminder of a time that town residents and victims of the late Father Camille Léger would rather forget.

While memories can’t be erased, council decided to do the next best thing Monday and that was remove Léger name from the front of the arena in the village where he was priest from 1959 to the 1980s.

While Léger, who died 22 years ago, was never charged with sexual assault, even the Catholic Church is convinced that several in the small southeastern fishing village were victimized by him during his tenure there.

As it turns out, when Cap-Pelé residents were told last week they would be asked in a May 14 plebiscite if they wanted to change the name of the local arena, several people came forward with allegations of sexual abuse.

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UNITED STATES
Ms. Magazine

Attorneys representing the Roman Catholic Church and priests who have been charged in two Missouri sex abuse cases have filed a case in an effort to legally compel the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) to disclose its records from the past twenty-three years. The documents requested include correspondences with victims, witnesses, police officers, and lawyers. SNAP, a network of survivors of religious sexual abuse and their supporters, is neither a plaintiff nor a defendant in the case.

Feminist Majority Foundation President Eleanor Smeal adamantly spoke out against the outrageous attempts to intimidate SNAP and compel its records, stating, “The bishops are playing hardball with survivors of priest abuse and with women’s lives in fighting to limit access to contraception or abortion even in cases to save a woman’s life. But the bishops are not playing hardball with worldwide priest sexual abuse. The Conference of Catholic Bishops needs to focus on stopping cleric sexual abuse and the hierarchy’s cover-ups.”

In the past few months, David Clohessy, national director of SNAP, and SNAP have been subpoenaed five times and questioned extensively about SNAP’s operations by defense attorneys, despite the fact that SNAP is not a party in the litigation. Since SNAP refused to respond to all of the questions in the deposition or submit all of the subpoenaed documents in Kansas City, the attorneys on behalf of the Catholic bishops and priests have filed a motion, scheduled for April 20, in attempt to compel SNAP to comply. “The effort to gain SNAP’s records threatens not only survivors of priest pedophilia but also could set a dangerous precedent for victim advocates in domestic violence or other rape cases,” said Smeal. Ten victims’ advocacy groups filed a supporting amicus brief for SNAP saying the subpoena in unconstitutional since it violates the rights of association and would harm victims.

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UNITED STATES
another old woman

It’s time for anyone who considers themselves to be DECENT HUMAN BEINGS to LEAVE “The Most Holy roman Catholic Church” — this from the N.Y. Times – please follow link to original.

“Turning the tables” — another way of saying — “in an attempt to avoid prosecution for proven wrong doing”. The utter immorality of the Roman Catholic Church is stunning. These are the evil men who claim some “moral high-ground” when they attack the rights of women.

I’ve become quite certain they know they will NOT go to hell — they happen to know it does not exist. They also know they will not go to heaven — because I’m sure they no longer believe in that either. They do believe in POWER. They believe in supporting the RICH.

Tax The Church is NOT enough — break it up.

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IOWA
Waverly Newspapers

by Anelia K. Dimitrova, editorcft@gmail.com

Published:
Tuesday, March 13, 2012

A judge has ruled admissible statements a Grundy pastor made to law enforcement in connection with charges of third-degree sexual abuse and determined that, contrary to the defense lawyer’s assertions, the search warrant for Rev. Dennis Lee Brown’s home was properly issued.

Judge James Drew denied the defendant’s motion to suppress information obtained by two Waverly police officers during a July 7, 2007 interview with the pastor.

At a February hearing, Brown’s attorney, Kevin Engels, argued that Capt. Jason Leonard and Detective Troy Schneider used “knowingly false allegations” to elicit confession from his client.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Washington Post

Fired CFO of Philadelphia archdiocese charged in $900K theft; investigators recoup $150K

By Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA — A former financial executive of the Philadelphia archdiocese has been charged with stealing over $900,000 from the church.

City prosecutors say 42-year-old Anita Guzzardi surrendered Tuesday. She was fired in July, weeks after becoming chief financial officer.

Prosecutors say Guzzardi used hundreds of church checks to pay personal credit card bills from 2005 to 2011. The investigation began when American Express contacted authorities.

Guzzardi’s lawyer did not immediately return a message Tuesday.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Delaware County News Network

By Patti Mengers
pmengers@delcotimes.com

Because of concerns expressed about the suitability for ministry of the Rev. Louis C. Bier, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Springfield, he has been placed on administrative leave by Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput.

According to a statement released by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia on Monday, “these concerns are not connected to any complaint of inappropriate behavior with minors.”

“There are a variety of reasons why a priest could be found unsuitable for ministry. As Father Bier’s situation is currently under thorough examination and no determination has yet been reached, it is not possible to provide further information at this time,” archdiocesan officials said in a prepared statement.

A closed meeting concerning the removal of Rev. Bier was held for parish members at the church Monday night.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Daily Local News

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has removed a suburban priest from ministry, but officials say the case doesn’t involve misconduct with children.

Church officials say the Rev. Louis Bier is no longer pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Springfield, Delaware County.

They say Bier may not serve as a priest or wear clerical clothing while on leave. A church statement says Bier’s suitability for ministry is under review.

He’s been a priest in the Roman Catholic archdiocese since 1976.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Newsworks

By Shannon McDonald

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia hasn’t said much about why a Delaware County parish priest was put on leave, except that there are not concerns about the priest’s behavior with minors. Parishioners at St. Francis of Assisi in Springfield can expect a parochial administrator to take over Pastor Louis C. Bier’s duties, the Delco Times reports.

Bier has been found unsuitable for ministry and will not be permitted to act or identify himself as a priest while on leave.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Patch

By Leslie Truluck

Answering media requests, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia released a statement regarding the removal of Father Louis C. Bier, Pastor of Saint Francis of Assisi Parish.

Bier was pastor of Saint Patrick’s Church in Norristown from 1997 to 2002. He replaced Rev. Salvatore Riccio in Springfield less than a year ago when Riccio left the parish to become a senior priest at Our Lady of the Assumption in Strafford.

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia released the following statement:

Father Louis C. Bier, Pastor of Saint Francis of Assisi Parish in Springfield, Delaware County, has been placed on administrative leave by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput. O.F.M. Cap. in response to concerns regarding his suitability for ministry at this time.

These concerns are not connected to any complaint of inappropriate behavior with minors. An announcement regarding this situation was made at all Masses at the parish this weekend.

While on leave, Father Bier will not exercise his public ministry, administer any of the Sacraments, wear clerical garb, or present himself publicly as a priest. Father Bier has not been living at the parish since prior to this weekend. A parochial administrator will be appointed by Archbishop Chaput as soon as possible.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Rittenhoused

By Tim Ronaldson

As if the Archdiocese of Philadelphia wasn’t getting enough bad press lately…

Already entrenched in what is sure to be an ugly sexual-abuse trial, and the death of former Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua, the Archdiocese will now have to deal with two new stories of corruption that rose to the surface today.

The first story, courtesy of the Associated Press, this morning revealed that the Archdiocese has removed a Delaware County priest from ministry, but not for “misconduct with children.”

This afternoon, the Inquirer reported that the Archdiocese plans to suspend a longtime priest that had sex with a 17-year-old girl…18 years ago.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Inquirer

By David O’Reilly
Inquirer Staff Writer

Citing concerns about his “suitability for ministry,” Archbishop Charles J. Chaput has removed the Rev. Louis C. Bier as pastor of St. Francis of Assisi parish in Springfield, Delaware County.

The archdiocese declined to identify the concerns about Bier, who has been a priest of the archdiocese since 1976, other than to say that these did not involve allegation of misconduct with minors.

“There are a variety of reasons why a priest could be found unsuitable for ministry,” it said in a statement. Bier’s “situation is currently under thorough examination, and determination has yet been reached.”

An announcement of his removal was made at Masses at the parish during the weekend, and a closed parish meeting was scheduled for Monday evening.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Inquirer

By John P. Martin
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia plans to suspend a longtime parish priest almost two decades after church officials first learned that he had sex with a 17-year-old girl, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The priest, Msgr. Richard T. Powers, is expected to be removed from his post as a senior priest at Epiphany of Our Lord in South Philadelphia and placed on administrative leave pending a review.

Powers, 76, who has served at parishes across the region since being ordained in 1963, could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.

Messages left at the Epiphany rectory weren’t returned. Donna Farrell, a spokeswoman for the archdiocese, declined to comment.

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UNITED STATES
National Survivor Advocates Coalition

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

The Roman Catholic Bishops of the United States have decided to take a “do as I say, not as I do” approach to the sexual abuse crisis as evidenced in the hard ball tactic of an dredging operation legal strategy against the Survivors Network for Those Abused by Priests (SNAP).

We call the attention of Catholics and all men and women of goodwill to the article in today’s New York Times.

The indictment of Kansas City/St. Joseph’s Bishop Robert Finn has certainly stepped up the fear factor on the Church’s part.

With an architecture of subpoenas and depositions built with the tools of heavy handed intimidation this strategy makes a mockery of Pope Benedict’s call to “do everything possible” to aid survivors if one assumes he meant it in a good way.

The Church’s only out is that its left hand doesn’t know what its right hand is doing. For such an organization, constituted to do good, not to introduce the left hand’s strategy to the right hand’s is a shocking failure.

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UNITED STATES
The New York Times

By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
Published: March 12, 2012

Turning the tables on an advocacy group that has long supported victims of pedophile priests, lawyers for the Roman Catholic Church and priests accused of sexual abuse in two Missouri cases have gone to court to compel the group to disclose more than two decades of e-mails that could include correspondence with victims, lawyers, whistle-blowers, witnesses, the police, prosecutors and journalists.

The group, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, known as SNAP, is neither a plaintiff nor a defendant in the litigation. But the group has been subpoenaed five times in recent months in Kansas City and St. Louis, and its national director, David Clohessy, was questioned by a battery of lawyers for more than six hours this year. A judge in Kansas City ruled that the network must comply because it “almost certainly” had information relevant to the case.

The network and its allies say the legal action is part of a campaign by the church to cripple an organization that has been the most visible defender of victims, and a relentless adversary, for more than two decades. “If there is one group that the higher-ups, the bishops, would like to see silenced,” said Marci A. Hamilton, a law professor at Yeshiva University and an advocate for victims of clergy sex crimes, “it definitely would be SNAP. And that’s what they’re going after. They’re trying to find a way to silence SNAP.”

Lawyers for the church and priests say they cannot comment because of a judge’s order. But William Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, a church advocacy group in New York, said targeting the network was justified because “SNAP is a menace to the Catholic Church.”

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UNITED KINGDOM
Bexhill-on-Sea Observer

FORMER high-ranking priest and chair of governors at a Bexhill school Gordon Rideout was one of two men arrested on suspicion of sexually abusing young people this week.

The 73-year-old (pictured) was arrested in a dawn raid on Tuesday morning at his home in Filching Close, Polegate, by detectives investigating allegations of sex abuse against young people in Sussex and London in the mid-1960s and early 1970s.

Also arrested on the same morning was former priest at St Philip’s Church in St Philip’s Avenue, Eastbourne, Robert Coles, who was led from his Upperton Road, Eastbourne, flat and taken into police custody to be questioned on suspicion of sexually assaulting young people in the late 1970s and mid-1980s.

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MILWAUKEE (WI)
SNAP Wisconsin

Sex offenders from Milwaukee archdiocese pose child safety concerns, say state and national experts

WHAT
Victim/survivors of clergy sexual abuse, holding childhood photos and signs, will reveal several current examples of clergy who have assaulted children in the Milwaukee archdiocese who are currently working in licensed or credentialed occupations that give them professional access to children and families. The examples are in response to comments made by Bankruptcy Judge Susan V. Kelley in court last week who suggested that clergy who have abused children from the archdiocese pose no public safety issue. According to 350 of 570 victim claims filed in court, along with previous archdiocesan records tabulated before the bankruptcy, at least 8,000 incidents of child sex assault and abuse were committed in the archdiocese over the past 50 years by at least 144 clergy, employees and volunteers. 100 of these individuals have yet to be identified by the archdiocese as abusers, 75 of them priests.

Victims will release a statement, issued Tuesday morning, from WCASA, the Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault, which represents 46 sexual assault agencies and crisis centers, disputing Judge Kelley’s observations. Also joining survivors will be the co-director of the Boston based BishopAccountabilty.org, the world’s largest and most extensive research organization and archive dedicated to the clergy sex abuse crisis.

WHERE
Outside of St. Mary’s Visitation Parish (where, for over a year, an accused cleric remains pastor), 1260 Church Street, Elm Grove.

WHEN
Tuesday, March 13th, 1:30 p.m.

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OHIO
Akron Beacon Journal

By Colette M. Jenkins
Beacon Journal religion writer

Published: March 13, 2012

The Catholic Diocese of Cleveland is still awaiting official word from the Vatican that the decision to close 13 parishes has been overturned.

On Monday, Bishop Richard G. Lennon issued the following statement: “The Diocese has not formally received from the Vatican any decrees from the Congregation of Clergy concerning parish appeals; subsequently, no response is available at this time.

“I am aware of the interest that these reports have raised within our community. I assure you, that as soon as I receive official notification, I will share that with the community. At that time, I will begin a review of the rulings with my advisers.”

The statement is in response to news reports last week that the Vatican had reversed Lennon’s decision to close 13 parishes, including St. John the Baptist and St. Mary’s in Akron.

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BELGIE
Knack

dinsdag 13 maart 2012 om 14u12

Brugge – “Wat doet Mieke Van Hecke, als verantwoordelijke van het Katholiek Onderwijs met de oud-kerkelijke leer die zegt dat vergiffenis pas mogelijk is als de dader vergiffenis vraagt, boete doet en de geleden schade, zoveel als nog mogelijk, herstelt?”, vraagt Rik Devillé van de Werkgroep Mensernrechten in de Kerk zich af.

Hij reageert daarmee op de uitspraak van het hoofd van het katholiek onderwijs afgelopen weekend. Volgens haar moet de samenleving mild zijn en vergiffenis schenken. Ook aan Roger Vangheluwe. Rik Devillé : “ Slachtoffers van seksueel misbruik in de kerk zitten al jaren te wachten op het moment dat ze vergiffenis kunnen schenken aan hun daders, maar daarvoor moet eerst die dader wel tot inzicht willen komen. Stel dat je Hitler vergiffenis zou schenken terwijl hij nog steeds zou blijven verkondigen dat het uitroeien van Joden maar als een spelletje bedoeld was”.

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MISSOURI
American Bar Association Journal

Posted Mar 13, 2012 By Debra Cassens Weiss

A group representing victims of clergy abuse is being targeted with subpoenas seeking two decades of emails, including possibly correspondence with lawyers.

The Roman Catholic Church has obtained five subpoenas in Kansas City and St. Louis for records held by the group, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, the New York Times reports. One subpoena seeks documents regarding the lawyer for four plaintiffs suing a priest based on recovered memories, as well as documents mentioning the priest and repressed memories. The aim is to learn whether the lawyer violated a gag order. The other subpoena also seeks repressed memory information.

Yeshiva law professor and victims advocate Marci Hamilton told the Times that the subpoenas are part of a campaign to silence SNAP. William Donahue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, viewed the action as part of a growing consensus by bishops “that they had better toughen up and go out and buy some good lawyers to get tough. We don’t need altar boys.”

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UNITED STATES/ROME
Catholic News Agency

By Father Rocky Hoffman *

I have a question regarding Cardinal Bernard Law, once residing in Boston and now in Rome. It seems evident from the notoriety of the sex abuse scandals in Boston that Cardinal Law was not only complicit but probably also instrumental in the moving around of priests (which many of us faithful and life-long Catholics call the Catholic Shell Game, i.e. under which shell is the real abuser).

In light of this assumption, and if this assumption is indeed valid, it is hard for those of us who try to faithfully to “follow the rules” to understand how his conduct seems to be ‘rewarded’ by his assignment to one of the major basilicas in Rome. Sackcloth and ashes in a remote monastery with perpetual prayer and penance would seem to be more appropriate!

Two of the major components of our beautiful Sacrament of Reconciliation are penance AND reparation. I see nothing that gives evidence to this in the life of Cardinal Law, nor does he have to return to the scene of his crime and see everyday the people who he has wounded and whose lives he has destroyed. I saw a suggestion in an article by Father James Martin, S.J. that to fulfill the reparational aspect of Reconciliation wouldn’t it be a beautiful and healing gesture by the bishops in this country to offer, every Friday, the Stations of the Cross in reparation for the victims who suffered abuse at the hands of priests.

I especially need help in understanding the gold ring that it appears Cardinal Law has grabbed as he rode the Vatican merry-go-round, and on the lack of public compassion for victims exhibited in my mind, by the church as a whole.

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We are currently experiencing internet service problems but the company is working to fix the problem. No, we were not hacked. Tracker posting will continue at full speed when service is restored but we will use a slow alternate method in the meantime.

Kathy

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MILWAUKEE (WI)
Fox 6

March 13, 2012, by Angelica Duria

MILWAUKEE — Local activists want the names of 100 alleged child abusers made public after a federal judge ruled that parents should not be concerned about sex abusers still working for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, otherwise called SNAP, is holding a news conference Tuesday to dispute the judge’s observations.

Last week, in Bankruptcy Court, federal judge Susan Kelly says she had not found evidence that people should be concerned about current employees of the Milwaukee Archdiocese. The judge made comments in court weeks after advocates for sex abuse victims said the Archdiocese faced a personal safety crisis.

“From my independent review, without an agenda, my review shows there is no public safety concern. None whatsoever,” Judge Susan Kelley said. Kelly claims that the comments made by SNAP are just a distraction.

Earlier this month, lawyers for victims of sexual abuse said there were 100 new sex offenders identified in more than 8,000 accounts of sexual abuse (in their claims). This number was well publicized.

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CANADA
CBC News

Cap-Pelé council voted on Monday night to remove former priest Camille Léger’s name from the local arena, less than a week after stories of sexual abuse became public.

Village residents learned last week they would be asked in a plebiscite on May 14 if they wanted to change the name of the local arena. That prompted several people to come forward with allegations that Léger abused them when he was a priest in the area between 1957 and 1980.

Archbishop André Richard attended two masses over the weekend in the small southeastern fishing village and apologized for the actions of Léger. Léger died 22 years ago.

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BELGIE
De Standaard

Het Hof van Cassatie heeft dinsdag het arrest in de zaak rond Operatie Kelk uitgesteld tot 4 april. De procedureslag rond de zaak sleept al aan sinds juni 2010.

In juni 2010 voerde de federale gerechtelijke politie huiszoekingen uit bij het aartsbisdom in Mechelen, in de kantoren en de privéwoning van kardinaal Danneels en in de Sint-Romboutskathedraal. Tegelijkertijd waren er huiszoekingen bij de Commissie Adriaenssens en bij het Rijksarchief in Brussel.

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UNITED STATES
News-Times

Jim Mellett

Published 05:05 p.m., Monday, March 12, 2012

So Cardinal Egan has retracted his apology for his callous inaction regarding clerical abuse in the Diocese of Bridgeport. Let us never forget that sexual abuse of children is a felony in every state, and not a matter that can be referred for a clerical referral. Incidents such as these should be reported to the police as soon as possible.

Recently, I visited my grandchildren in Chicago and ran geology lectures in their respective schools.

As I looked out over this sea of eager, innocent faces, it dawned on me that hundreds of thousands of children like these were fondled, caressed, abused, raped, and sodomized by Catholic clergy. Their lives were destroyed and the guilty priests got away with their crimes.

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UTAH
Daily Herald

Jim Dalrymple – Daily Herald | Posted: Monday, March 12, 2012

PROVO — LDS bishop Amado Rojas stood silently beside his attorney Monday morning, then walked out only minutes later with a newly minted deal resolving allegations that he failed to report sexual abuse at a church activity.

Rojas, 32, was charged in September with failure to report child abuse, a class B misdemeanor, but Monday accepted a plea in abeyance agreement with prosecutors. The agreement requires Rojas to obey all laws for six months, after which he can file a motion to have his charge dismissed.

Rojas’s charge stems from allegations that a man sexually abused a 13-year-old girl at a church party in August. After a water fight at the party, the girl testified during a preliminary hearing, the man grabbed and groped her.

According to a police report, the girl then told Rojas about the incident. As an ecclesiastical leader, Rojas is legally required to notify authorities if an alleged victim tells him about abuse. However, police reported that Rojas did not contact authorities. The man was only arrested after his accuser later told a school counselor about the incident.

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MISSOURI
Bilgrimage

William D. Lindsey

An update on the story of Bishop Robert Finn in Kansas City, who is under criminal indictment for shielding Father Shawn Ratigan, after child pornography was found on Ratigan’s computer and after Finn permitted Ratigan continued access to children: as Mark Morris reports in the Kansas City Star last Friday, prosecutors have petitioned the court for the criminal case to move forward. This is in response to a motion filed by Finn’s lawyers last month to have the charges against Finn dismissed without trial.

As these legal filings come before the court, the deposition that SNAP leader David Clohessy gave in January in response to court orders in Kansas City was made public by SNAP at the start of March, and Joshua McElwee reports on it at National Catholic Reporter, as does Nicholas Phillips at Riverfront Times (St. Louis)–both with links to the full deposition. Mark Serrano at SNAP has posted a rundown of what the courts in Missouri are asking of SNAP as they demand the disclosure of information SNAP leaders maintain is confidential. I’ve linked to this document in the past but want to remind readers of it again as David Clohessy’s deposition becomes public.

As Serrano’s statement notes, acting through their lawyers,

Catholic officials [in Kansas City and St. Louis] want private, personal records and e mails involving hundreds of individuals who have never even heard of or met the accused or the accusers in the two suits [in which SNAP depositions are being demanded]. This is a misuse of judicial processes designed to crush a support and advocacy group that protects the vulnerable and heals the wounded. It’s cleverly orchestrated to keep clergy sex crimes and cover ups concealed.

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MARYLAND
National Catholic Reporter

by Michael Sean Winters on Mar. 12, 2012

The Archdiocese of Washington suspended Fr. Marcel Guarnizo from ministry late last week, citing his intimidation of parishioners. Guarnizo landed on the archdiocese’s — and the nation’s — radar screen when he denied Communion to a lesbian at her mother’s funeral.

I have no inside information about why the archdiocese took the step it did, but I am betting that his decision to deny Communion led them to look more closely at the priest, and they found other instances of a troubling lack of judgment.

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CLEVELAND (OH)
National Catholic Reporter

Mar. 12, 2012
Brian Roewe

Joyful in their victory, parishioners of 13 Cleveland parishes who successfully appealed to the Vatican a diocesan decision to disband their communities and shutter their church doors now await the response of their bishop, the Most Rev. Richard G. Lennon.

As they wait, it’s unclear what sticking power Rome’s decision to reopen their parishes will have. Those close to the parishes view the decrees from the Vatican’s Congregation of the Clergy as a landmark decision, while others see it as a still murky scene where a possible appeal by Lennon could succeed.

“This decision was made on procedural, not substantive or pastoral, grounds,” said Jesuit Fr. Tom Reese, a senior fellow at Georgetown University’s Woodstock Theological Center, adding that if Lennon redoes the process under proper procedure, the closings will likely stand.

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CALIFORNIA
Jeff Anderson & Associates

By: Jeff Anderson
3/12/12

This week, former Orange County priest Denis Lyons is heading to trial on four criminal counts of lewd acts on a child under 14. According to press reports, the trial has been delayed for more than two years—despite the objections of the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, which has been eager to try the case and get justice for victims. The alleged crimes took place at Costa Mesa’s St. John the Baptist Parish, which also houses an elementary school.

These criminal charges are only the latest in Lyons’ long history of suspicious and predatory behavior. Secret internal church files showed that Orange Diocese officials knew the Irish-born priest had allegations of abuse dating back to the 1970s, but instead of calling the police and helping victims, they sent Lyons to a church-run treatment center for child molesting clerics.

Despite mounting evidence, Lyons remained an active pastor with complete access to children. He was later transferred to St. Edward’s Parish in Dana Point, where he worked with John Lenihan, another former Orange County priest arrested for molesting minors. The Orange County Register called the parish “scandal-laden,” with at least four former priests arrested for sexually abusing children.

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VATICAN CITY
Fox News

VATICAN CITY – The personal data of journalists at Vatican radio was leaked online and the Vatican’s website hacked for the second time in several days — both attacks believed to be the work of the amorphous Internet activist group Anonymous.

The group last week claimed to have taken down the Vatican website to protest everything from Catholic doctrine to the sexual abuse of children.

The site, www.vatican.va, has been inaccessible for parts of Monday afternoon.

A statement posted online at Pastebin explains that the group blames signals from Vatican Radio radio for causing high cancer rates — a reference to a 2010 report by the National Cancer Institute into deaths near Vatican Radio transmitters. The group published the personal information to pressure the station into action.

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KANSAS CITY (MO)
KMBC

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jackson County’s prosecutor wants a jury to decide whether a Kansas City bishop was required by Missouri law to tell police about suspected child pornography found on a priest’s laptop computer.

Bishop Robert Finn and the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph were charged in October with failing to report suspicions of child abuse against the Rev. Shawn Ratigan after a diocese computer technician found disturbing photos on the priest’s computer, including a series of a young girl with her genitals showing, prosecutors said.

Ratigan is facing state and federal child pornography charges. He has pleaded not guilty to all of them.

The Kansas City Star reported Finn’s lawyers were seeking to have the misdemeanor charges against Finn dismissed because the bishop isn’t the diocese’s designated reporter of child abuse, thus had no legal duty to report suspicions to state authorities.

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VATICAN CITY
AGI (Italy)

(AGI) Rome- The Holy See is being targeted by hackers from the gang Anonymous once again. Just days after a first attack which generated several problems for the official website, the hackers are back on the rampage. “It pains us to tell you that your systems are less safe than you would like to believe because, while the media furore focused on the vatican.va blackout, we took the liberty of penetrating your system a little”. The main target of the new strike is Vatican Radio: “it is now a renowned fact that you use equipment whose transmission strength exceeds legal limits by far, and the correlation between exposure to high-intensity electromagnetic emissions and serious illnesses such as leukemia, cancer and others is also a sad and proven fact.

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VATICAN CITY
CTV (Canada)

The Associated Press

Date: Monday Mar. 12, 2012

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican website has been hacked for the second time in several days, an attack believed to be the work of the amorphous Internet activist group Anonymous.

The group last week claimed to have taken down the Vatican website to protest everything from Catholic doctrine to the sexual abuse of children.

The site, www.vatican.va, has been inaccessible for parts of Monday afternoon.

Vatican officials declined to discuss the breach while the attack was still underway.

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UNITED STATES
Vatican Insider

The Archdiocese of Washington has placed a priest on administrative leave for engaging in intimidating behaviour. According to the U.S. bishops’ agency, the woman was actually a Buddhist

Mauro Pianta
Rome

Suspended. Or as the cold prose of ecclesiastical bureaucratese reads: “he has been placed on administrative leave until an inquiry into the priest’s actions is complete and the confusion in the parish, caused by his “intimidating behaviour”, dies down.

The future of Fr. Marcel Guarnizo – the parish priest of St. John Neumann (Gaithersbur, in Maryland) who refused to give communion to a lesbian during her mother’s funeral last 25 February – is hanging on these few sentences written by Fr. Marcel Guarnizo.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Michael Divinney

Do not let them intimidate you. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed and nothing hidden that will not become known. MT 10:26

What is Hidden is a novel that enters the storm of the clerical sex abuse scandal in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and moves through the betrayal, confusion, denial, secrets and harm generated by the sexual abuse of a nine year old boy at the hands of his priest.

The story is set in 1997 when Tyler Kelvey, a new resident at a shelter for homeless men, visits his former eighth grade teacher and discloses for the first time that he was sexually molested by a parish priest when he was a altar boy at Sacred Heart parish. His life was shredded by the three years of sexual assault he endured at the hands of Father Mervin Kominsky and his family ties are all but severed. Estranged from his now divorced parents, Tyler still has sporadic contact with his sister Chloe. There is a bond between them but Chloe, who works in one of the offices of the Archdiocese, is afraid to hope that her brother can recover from his addictions. She is reluctant to get too close.

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UNITED STATES
Thy Child’s Face

Timothy M. Dolan — archbishop of New York, newly appointed to the College of Cardinals, and Prince of the Church — represents the next generation of accomplices protecting sexual predators employed by the Roman Catholic Church in the United States.

In the autumn of 2008, Dolan travelled from Milwaukee, Wisc., where he was the sitting archbishop, to St. Louis, Mo. He came home to visit an uncle hospitalized with a serious illness.

There he saw a priest who criticized him in a face-to face meeting about his handling of the clergy child molestation scandal in St. Louis and Milwaukee.

Dolan and the Wolf Pack: A Priest Tells the Truth about Clergy Sex Abuse

In particular, this priest was concerned about Dolan’s unwillingness to break with those who protect predator priests. Dolan responded with a derisive stare for this bold rebuke, offended that a lowly priest would accost
someone of his stature.

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SUISSE
Arcinfo

Le Conseil national a refusé mercredi de lever un coin du voile du secret professionnel des ecclésiastiques en excluant les abus sexuels de son champ d’application. Il a enterré une initiative parlementaire par 121 voix contre 47.

L’auteur du texte, Carlo Sommaruga (PS/GE), et une minorité de gauche ont estimé en vain que seule la pression politique pourra pousser l’Eglise à révéler les délits sexuels commis en son sein. Mais pour la majorité, il est problématique de limiter une telle règle à une seule profession et à une seule catégorie d’infraction.

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COLOMBIA
Radio Santa Fe

El Juez Penal 22 del Circuito de Cali condenó a una pena de 33 años de cárcel al sacerdote William Mazo por el delito de acceso carnal abusivo con menor de 14 años. El fallo condenatorio se logró luego de que la Fiscalía demostrara que el parroco abusó de cuatro menores que pernoctaron en 2009 en la casa cural de la iglesia Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria, en el barrio Alfonso Bonilla Aragón, de Cali.

De acuerdo con diferentes versiones recogidas durante el juicio contra el pederasta, los niños, de edades entre los 10 y los 14 años, fueron engañados por el cura, haciendoles pensar que harían parte del coro de la parroquia, situación que el pervertido aprovechó para someterlos sexualmente.

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COLOMBIA
El Tiempo

Fue condenado a 33 años de cárcel por abusar de cuatro menores de entre 10 y 12 años.

El sacerdote William Mazo fue condenado “a la pena principal de 33 años de prisión” por ser responsable “del delito de acceso carnal abusivo con menor de 14 años”, según la sentencia leída por el juez penal 22 de Cali, Luis Hernando Castillo.

Este sacerdote, de la ciudad de Cali, abusó de cuatro menores, tres de los cuales eran hermanos, informó una autoridad judicial.

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COLOMBIE
Le Figaro (France)

Un prêtre de la ville de Cali, à 500 km au sud-ouest de Bogota, a été condamné vendredi à 33 ans de prison pour abus sexuel contre quatre mineurs de 10 à 12 ans, dont trois frères. Le prêtre William Mazo a été condamné “à la peine de 33 ans de prison” pour “le délit d’abus sexuel sur mineur de 14 ans”, a indiqué le juge de Cali, Luis Hernando Castillo.

Selon la sentence, Mazo, âgé de 59 ans, arrêté en juillet 2009 alors qu’il était curé de l’église de Nuestra Senora de la Candelaria, a abusé des quatre mineurs dans le presbytère où il les avaient invité à rester dormir après une répétition de la chorale qu’il dirigeait. Le prêtre avait offert de l’argent et des cadeaux aux enfants pour qu’ils ne le dénoncent pas.

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CANADA
CBC News

People in the small southeastern New Brunswick village of Cap-Pelé say they’re pleased with Archbishop André Richard’s apology for the actions of a former priest.

Richard celebrated mass in the fishing village on the weekend and he addressed a controversy that has erupted in the community in recent days.

The community is going to hold a plebiscite on May 14 on whether to remove Father Camille Léger’s name from the local arena.

Several people came forward last week to talk for the first time about the abuse they experienced by Léger, who died 22 years ago.

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CALIFORNIA
Patch

By Paige Austin

Nearly two decades after he allegedly molested a child in his church’s rectory, retired priest Denis Lyons is scheduled to stand trial today.

The trial of the Seal Beach priest was delayed three times last year despite objections by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. It’s possible that the start of the trial could get pushed back again as Lyons’ attorney wraps up another jury trial this week, but prosecutors are planning to get the trial under way this month.

Susan Kang Schroeder, spokeswoman for the Orange County District Attorney’s Office explained the prosecutor’s desire to get the trial under way following a previous continuance. “We want to try this case as soon as possible. We believe justice has been delayed long enough.”

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IRELAND
Irish Independent

By Eimear Ni Bhraonain

Monday March 12 2012

THE new Papal Nuncio to Ireland drove on the ‘wrong side’ of the road — for him — when he travelled to a Eucharistic Congress at the weekend.

Pope Benedict XVI’s representative here, Archbishop Charles Brown (53) from the US, who is used to driving on the right, drove himself to the Kildare and Leighlin Diocesan Eucharistic Congress in Carlow town, Co Carlow, on Saturday.

He had no entourage and made a low-key entrance to the Cathedral of the Assumption, where he attended prayer services, workshops, and concelebrated Mass.

He did not leave until late on Saturday evening and spent the day meeting Catholics from the diocese.

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CANADA
VOCM

Victims of sexual abuse at the hands of the Christian Brothers have until August 1st to file a claim. It’s because the Christian Brothers, who ran the Mount Cashel orphanage in St. John’s, are filing for bankruptcy. A recent published ad shows the Christian Brothers Insitute and the Christian Brothers of Ireland Inc have filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection in the United States. The Mount Cashel scandal in Newfoundland was one of the first major sex abuse scandals involving the clergy and the Roman Catholic Church to be revealed in North America.

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FLORIDA
The Northwestern

By Michael Laforgia, The Palm Beach Post

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (WTW) — By bedtime it already was too late for the boy. The lights blinked out and the camp counselor, a predator, lay down at his feet. Curled up in the dark, he was ready to attack.

Getting here was all too easy for James Roy Melton Jr. When the convicted child molester volunteered at this Palm City church summer camp, nobody stood in his way.

Not the church. It welcomed the tall, rangy 34-year-old as its newest youth chaperone without screening his background.

And not the state of Florida. For 30 years, lawmakers have passed measures to protect kids in child-care centers while ignoring harm at the hands of summer camp workers.

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NORTHERN IRELAND
The Irish Times

PATSY McGARRY

The Northern Ireland Survivors and Victims of Institutional Abuse (Savia) group is to meet Catholic primate Cardinal Seán Brady this morning to seek guarantees of his total co-operation with the forthcoming abuse inquiry in Northern Ireland.

They will also seek, through him, “the unconditional co-operation from the orders who ran institutions where children were placed”. They expect the meeting will be attended by officials of the religious congregation which managed the institutions against whom claims of physical, sexual and psychological abuse and neglect were made.

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UNITED STATES
Patheos

Posted on March 11, 2012 by Christian Piatt

From time to time I revisit the question: why are young adults walking away from religion? Although the answer(s) vary from person to person, there are some general trends that I think apply in most cases.

In the list below, when I refer to “we,” “I” or “me,” I’m referring to younger adults in general, and not necessarily myself.

We’ve Been Hurt: I can actually include myself in this one personally. Sometimes the hurtful act is specific, like when my youth leader threw a Bible at me for asking the wrong questions. Sometimes it’s rhetorical, either from the pulpit, in a small group study or over a meal. Sometimes it’s physical, taking the form of sexual abuse or the like. But millions claim a wound they can trace back to church that has never healed. Why? In part, because the church rarely seeks forgiveness.

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CANADA
VOCM

Monday, March 12 2012

The clock is ticking for victims of the Mount Cashel sex abuse scandal who have not yet come forward to make a claim for compensation. The Christian Brothers are seeking Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States and that affects claimants in this province and elsewhere.

The Mount Cashel Orphanage scandal hit the province in the late ’80’s and early 90’s as young men started to come forward about sexual abuse at the hands of the Irish Christian Brothers. It was one of the first scandals involving sexual abuse within the Catholic Church in North America, and sparked an intense investigation and inquiry that rocked both the Church and the province’s criminal justice system. Lawyer Geoff Budden represents 46 men who were abused as children. He says the bankruptcy is something his firm has been preparing for. Budden says those seeking compensation will have to do so before August 1st. After that time he says it’s unlikely there will be any further prospects for compensation.

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NORTHERN IRELAND
UTV

Published Monday, 12 March 2012

Victims of clerical and institutional abuse are meeting with the head of the Catholic Church in Ireland in Armagh.

It is the first time that Cardinal Sean Brady has met the group.

Officials from the religious congregations which ran institutions at the centre of the claims of physical, sexual and psychological abuse and neglect are also in attendance.

The group Survivors and Victims of Institutional Abuse (SAVIA) want guarantees from the Primate that the Church will co-operate fully with the Northern Ireland Executive’s statutory inquiry.

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CALIFORNIA
Chicago Enterprise-Record

By RYAN OLSON – Staff Writerchicoer.com

OROVILLE — An arrest warrant has been issued for a former associate pastor of a Chico church charged with misdemeanor child molestation.

Jesse Daniel Ruhl, formerly of Pleasant Valley Baptist Church, is being sought after he missed a Jan. 18 arraignment hearing in Butte County Superior Court for an alleged relationship with a 16-year-old girl that was first reported in February 2011.

The church is also being sued in local court for a 2002 incident where then-teacher and associate pastor David Joseph Jorgensen committed lewd acts on a female student when she was 14.

Reached for comment Friday, Ruhl’s father, senior pastor Tim Ruhl, said he was unaware of the pending case against his son and did not want to comment further without knowing more.

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PARK RAPIDS (MN)
Fox 9

PARK RAPIDS, Minn. – The former pastor of a small Lutheran church in northern Minnesota has charged with sexually abusing a teenage girl.

Rev. Darwin Frederick Schauer was being held in the Hubbard County jail on conditional bail of $750,000. The 70-year-old led Trinity Lutheran Church of Lake George from 1998 until about 2006.

Schauer was charged in Hubbard County District Court last week with 15 counts of felony criminal sexual conduct with a minor. The criminal complaint says the girl told police Schauer had sex with her twice a week from the spring of 2009 until late last month. She told investigators that she was afraid he’d hurt her if she didn’t comply.

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ILLINOIS
The State Journal-Register

By STEVEN SPEARIE
The State Journal-Register

Posted Mar 11, 2012

Erin Sanchez has helped out as a volunteer for her son’s kindergarten parties and book fairs at Little Flower School in Springfield.

Like potentially thousands of volunteers throughout the Springfield Catholic Diocese, Sanchez will now be required to attend a child-safety program and undergo a criminal-background check as the diocese tightens rules designed to prevent sexual abuse of minors by chto urch personnel.

The new rules go into effect July 1.

“If it’s to safeguard the children, I see no problem with it,” said Sanchez, a Little Flower parishioner and a former teacher with the Springfield public schools.

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MARYLAND
Washington Blade

By Lou Chibbaro Jr. on March 11, 2012

A priest who refused to serve communion to a lesbian at her mother’s funeral service last month at a Catholic church in Gaithersburg, Md., has been removed from the church and placed on administrative leave pending an investigation, according to a letter from the Archdiocese of Washington to all of its priests.

The March 9 letter, written by Bishop Barry C. Knestout, chief of staff to Cardinal Donald Wuerl, who heads the Archdiocese, said the action taken against Father Marcel Guarnizo was based on allegations that he engaged in “intimidating behavior” against members of the staff and “others” at St. John Neumann Catholic Church, where he served as a parish priest.

The letter, a copy of which was obtained by the Washington Blade, makes no mention of the allegation by D.C. resident Barbara Johnson that Guarnizo “humiliated” her at her mother’s funeral Mass at the church on March 25 when he reportedly refused to allow her to receive communion as she and others approached the church altar, saying she was living in sin.

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MARYLAND
Washington Post

By Michelle Boorstein

A Gaithersburg Catholic priest who triggered national debate late last month when he denied Communion to a lesbian at her mother’s funeral Mass has been placed on administrative leave from ministry in the Washington archdiocese.

Specific details about why the Rev. Marcel Guarnizo was barred from ministry – a severe penalty – were not immediately available. The Post learned of the suspension from a letter dated March 9 that is written to other archdiocesan priests.

The letter from the Rev. Barry Knestout, a top administrator in the archdiocese, which covers Washington and the Maryland suburbs, says the suspension was for “engaging in intimidating behavior toward parish staff and others that is incompatible with proper priestly ministry.” …

According to Johnson, this weekend’s homily from St. John Neumann’s pastor, the Rev. Thomas LaHood, repeated that the suspension was unrelated to her case. Some local Catholic bloggers have reacted angrily, though, calling for a boycott of donations to the archdiocese.

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ROME
Voice from the Desert

Occupy the Vatican

Rome:
Survivors of church terror and their allies are taking direct action against the world’s oldest and most ruthless criminal, starting Palm Sunday, April 1.

Occupy the Vatican and survivor’s groups in eight countries will launch church occupations, teach-ins, protests, and even “public defrockings” that day that will include the issuing of a New Reformation Charter, containing a ten point program to abolish the power of the Vatican as a criminal body.

The April 1 campaign will include actions by a new group within the churches called Not in Our Name, comprising Catholic and Protestant clergy who support the legal disestablishment of criminal church corporations like the Vatican and the Church of England, and a return to an egalitarian, congregational system of Christianity devoid of the genocidal legacy of Christendom.

Joining this Occupy movement will be traditional indigenous elders in Canada from the Mohawk, Squamish and Ojibway nations who survived Catholic and Protestant “Indian residential schools”, and who will be issuing new banishment orders to evict these churches from their lands.

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AUSTRALIA
Waverley Leader

12 Mar 12 @ 06:00am by Tim Michell

AN OAKLEIGH couple devastated by church sexual abuses hope they can finally get closure from a State Government investigation.

Chrissie and Anthony Foster have been fighting for justice for their two daughters after they were abused by a Monash primary school priest.

But they feel as if they’re closer than ever to an inquiry into the reporting of sexual abuses after the Cummins’ report last week.

The report recommended an investigation into the reporting of sexual abuses in religious organisations, including victims’ evidence.

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CANADA
CBC News

The archbishop of Moncton has told parishioners at Ste Therese d’Avila, in the small village of Cap Pelé, that he believes the men who have come forward alleging that a deceased priest abused them.

Archbishop André Richard spoke during Sunday mass. He went on to praise the men for speaking out about the abuse, which they say happened when Father Camille Léger was a priest in the village, from 1957 to 1980.

Léger died in 1990 and was never charged – his accusers came forward after his death.

Archbishop Richard went further, apologizing for what happened to the men, personally and on behalf of the church.

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UNITED STATES
Minnesota SNAP

By Vinnie Nauheimer

Speaking at a diocesan convocation on public policy last week freshly minted cardinal; Timothy Dolan made his New York debut as a comedian. The critics all agree that the funniest line of the night was, “If you want an authoritative voice, go to the bishops. They’re the ones that speak for the truths of the faith.” The line was uttered with such solemnity that one almost forgot it was a comedy sketch. It immediately brought the house down and left them rolling in the aisles from belly laughter. Which bishop should we go to for the truth Timothy Dolan? Should we go to Bishop Keith Symons or Bishop Anthony J O’Connell both of who resigned because they themselves were sexual abusers? How about Bishop Raymond Lahey who was caught bringing child pornography into Canada on his computer? What about Bishop Patrick Ziemann who was caught, in his car, getting oral sex from a priest forced to wear a pager so he could be summoned when the bishop had an urge. Perhaps we should consult Bishop Roger Vangheluwe who sexually abused two of his nephews. Okay, enough with the bishops, this could turn into a litany.

Maybe Dolan meant that we go to a higher level of authoritative voice, like that of a cardinal. Edward Cardinal Egan appointed a known abuser in 2002 to St. Benedict’s, a parish with an elementary school, the priest was subsequently defrocked. According to the Bronx Press Review, a parishioner, called Cardinal Egan insane, did Egan speak for truth? In Chicago we have Cardinal George whose faux pas’ are legendary. The most recent involved Fr. McCormack, a known abuser from his days in the seminary, but Cardinal George refused to remove him. This despite Cardinal George being a signatory and to the Charter for Protection of Children produced in Dallas in 2002. I’m sure he speaks for the truth. Cardinal Mahoney of Los Angeles is another stellar truth teller who spent untold dollars fighting survivors with his adamant refusal to release records of sexually abusing priests. Who would look to anyone but him for the truth? Maybe we should ask for the truth from Philadelphia’s recently deceased Cardinal Anthony J. Bevilacqua who ordered aides to shred a 1994 memo that identified 35 Archdiocese of Philadelphia priests suspected of sexually abusing children? Now there was an authoritative voice that speaks the truths of the faith!

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