ABUSE TRACKER

VATICAN CITY
National Catholic Reporter

By JOHN L. ALLEN JR.
Rome

A consistory, the event in which a pope creates new cardinals, is supposed to have a festive air. New cardinals bring family, friends and supporters to Rome, to see the sights and to enjoy one another’s company. The afternoon of the consistory is the only time the doors of the Apostolic Palace are flung open to the general public, giving the place the feel of a block party.

This week, however, it’ll be difficult to just let the good times roll, because the Vatican hosting the 22 new cardinals Benedict XVI will create on Saturday once again looks like the gang that can’t shoot straight.

Consider the headlines that have dominated the Italian press, with echoes around the world, in just the last 72 hours:

•“Plot against the Pope: Dead within 12 Months”
•“Pope is Isolated amid War in the Vatican”
•“Money Laundering, Priests Investigated: The Silence of the Vatican”
•“Gays, Scandals and Even Masonry: The Church Fears Deep Throat”

Not since a 2009 cause célèbre created by the pope’s decision to lift the excommunications of four traditionalist bishops, including a Holocaust denier, has the Vatican been gripped by such an intense wave of scandal – coupled with the inevitable finger-pointing, both public and private, about who’s to blame.

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

UNITED STATES
Time

By Tim Padgett | February 13, 2012

The Vatican’s timing was ironic. While Roman Catholic bishops in the U.S. were trying to revive their moral and political clout last week by battling President Obama over contraception coverage and religious liberty, a papally endorsed symposium was underway in Rome on how the Church has to change if it wants to prevent sexual abuse crises, the very tragedy that has shriveled the stature of Catholic prelates worldwide over the past decade, especially in the U.S. One monsignor at the Vatican gathering even suggested the hierarchy had been guilty of “omertà,” the Mafia code of silence, by protecting abusive priests.

The Roman forum was a reminder—and the birth control clash is turning out to be one as well — of just how much influence the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has lost in the 10 years since the abuse crisis erupted in America. It hopes that its protest of a new federal rule requiring religiously affiliated institutions like Catholic hospitals and universities to provide no-cost contraception in their health insurance coverage, even if church doctrine forbids birth control, will help restore the bishops’ relevance. They did win a partial victory last Friday when Obama, acknowledging the uproar, said those institutions would no longer have to pay for the contraception coverage themselves. But the President did not fully genuflect: The compromise will still oblige religious-based employers to offer the coverage, while their insurance providers foot the bill.

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

PLYMOUTH (MA)
Fox 25

[with video]

BRAINTREE (FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) – A pastor at a parish in Plymouth was placed on administrative leave on Sunday by the Archdiocese of Boston as a result of an allegation of sexual abuse of a child.

The Archdiocese notified law enforcement of the allegation after receiving word that Rev. James E. Braley, the Pastor of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Parish in Plymouth, had allegedly assaulted a child in the early 1980s.

The age and gender of the victim remain unclear, as well as when the alleged assault occurred.

An investigation into the allegation has been launched and Fr. Braley will remain on administrative leave pending the outcome of the preliminary investigation.

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

VATICAN CITY
Vatican Insider

Story of the American pedophile priest closed before the District Court of Wisconsin: the complaints against Ratzinger, Bertone and Sodano have been withdrawn

Andrea Tornielli
Vatican City

It was the most emblematic and painful case which made ​​the front page of The New York Times in March 2010, the annus horribilis of the pedophilia scandal: the case of Father Lawrence Murphy – a priest who from 1950 to 1974 worked in a school for deaf children of Milwaukee abusing hundreds of boys – ended Friday, February 10th before the District Court of Wisconsin. The complainants in the case «John Doe 16 v. Holy See» withdrew and did not want a final sentence of acquittal for the Pope and the Cardinals TarcisioBertone and Angelo Sodano, involved in the case for civil damages.

It is an important victory for the Holy See, represented by the lawyer Jeffrey Lena, and a defeat for Jeff Anderson, the owner of the legal firm who had tried, in this and other cases, to have the Vatican compensate victims of abuse. Anderson had tried to obtain jurisdiction over the Holy See and its hierarchies with a theory according to which the responsibility for the actions of an employee may fall not only on his employer (in this case, the diocese of Milwaukee), but also on the Holy See because the Pope can name -and thus, in theory, control – the bishops throughout the world. According to this theory, whoever controls the «employer» must also be responsible for the actions of the worker.

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

MOUNT CLEMENS (MI)
WXYZ

[with video]

MT. CLEMENS, Mich. (WXYZ) – An alleged sexual assault during a church pancake breakfast is sending shockwaves through the pews of St. Peter in Mt. Clemens. The Macomb County Sheriff says a 14-year-old girl claims a 19-year-old fellow parishioner sexually assaulted her in the church’s basement.

Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickersham says the two were involved in a relationship over the course of several months, but that it turned violent in December.

Wickersham says the alleged victim reported the incident to her school counselor, who then told the girl’s mother.

The fallout from the alleged sexual assault led the archdiocese to suspend the pastor of St. Peter. In a statement released Sunday night the archdiocese names the pastor – Father Michael Cooney. And while he is not suspected of any criminal wrongdoing, church officials are investigating whether he knew some type of sexual behavior was going on between the teens but didn’t report it.

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

MOUNT CLEMENS (MI)
Detroit Free Press

[statement from the Detroit archdiocese]

By Joe Rossiter
Free Press Staff Writer

The pastor of a Mt. Clemens church has been temporarily suspended after failing to promptly report allegations that a minor had been sexually assaulted on church property by a parishioner, according to a news release the Archdiocese of Detroit issued today.

A statement read to the parish by Bishop Michael Byrnes during weekend masses said the Rev. Michael Cooney, 63, is not involved in the allegations, but he is accused of failing to promptly report “what he knew to law enforcement authorities, and to provide a safe environment for children and young people on parish property,” according to the release.

According to the release, Cooney told the archdiocese in December that Macomb County authorities were conducting an investigation of alleged criminal sexual conduct on church property.

On Friday, Michael Lentini, 19, of Macomb Township was arraigned in 41-B District Court in Clinton Township on one charge of attempted criminal sexual conduct in the third degree, Macomb County Sheriff Tony Wickersham said Sunday night. Lentini was given a $20,000 personal bond and released Friday.

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

IRELAND
Irish Independent

By Fionnan Sheahan Political Editor

Monday February 13 2012

FINE Gael TDs were angered last night by revelations that the closure of the Vatican embassy was not originally proposed in a review of spending in Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore’s Department of Foreign Affairs.

The Holy See embassy controversy has developed into a major faultline between the coalition partners, with Fine Gael backbenchers opposed to the move by the Labour Party leader.

A Labour backbencher yesterday described the decision as a “pretty trivial matter”, but a Fine Gael TD said the latest developments showed “weakness” by his party’s ministers.

The shutting down of two other embassies was proposed in a spending report last summer which concluded the number of embassies was “modest, by comparable international standards” and “reflects the interests and needs of the State”.

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

IRELAND
Irish Independent

By Ralph Riegel

Monday February 13 2012

THE cleric at the centre of the Cloyne Report’s largest chapter has threatened to sue several people who he says have levelled abuse claims against him.

The cleric — only known by the pseudonym ‘Fr Ronat’ — has contacted gardai and has now threatened to take civil action over what he complained was a two-year campaign of personal abuse.

But one alleged victim has challenged the priest with the warning: “See you in court”.

The complainant — speaking to the Irish Independent — confirmed sending text messages to the priest, who was the focus of abuse complaints from 11 different youngsters, but has denied that these were threatening or intimidating in nature.

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

BUFFALO (NY)
WGRZ

[with video]

BUFFALO, NY — Two On Your Side had a chance to sit down with the leader of Buffalo’s Catholic flock to talk about some big issues the church is dealing with at the local and national level. Bishop Edward Kmiec gave us his thoughts on why the church is balking at a mandate forcing the church to offer birth control, as well as his comments on sex abuse allegations against a Buffalo priest.

As devout clergy, leaders and volunteers, gathered for a workshop for Catholic Charities Appeal 2012, Bishop Kmiec sat down with 2 On Your Side’s Melissa Holmes to discuss a couple of the issues on the minds of area Catholics. First, Father Secondo Casarotto.

Reporter: We haven’t heard from you yet so is there anything you would like to say to parishioners on this matter?

Bishop Kmiec: To all the people? Certainly we would ask prayers for Father Secondo. Certainly we want to very much apologize to any victim because apparently now there are two. We want to apologize to the victims for what has happened there.

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

MISSOURI
Berger’s Beat

The floodgates are opening at Chaminade, as eight men have contacted Clayton attorneys Ken Chackes and Nicole Gorovsky and six men have called SNAP, all reporting childhood abuse at the west St. Louis county Catholic school. “We spoke with one of the alum who was molested by a cleric who has never been publicly accused before,” said SNAP’s Barbara Dorris. The group plans to have an open public meeting for those concerned about abuse by the Marianists at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the Creve Coeur Community Center on New Ballas Road.

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

PLYMOUTH (MA)
Boston Globe

By Matt Rocheleau
| Globe Correspondent
February 13, 2012

The longtime pastor of a Roman Catholic parish in Plymouth has been placed on leave after church leaders said they received an allegation that he sexually abused a child in the early 1980s when he was assigned to a different position.

The Archdiocese of Boston announced today that 62-year-old Rev. James E. Braley, pastor of the Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Parish since 2001, will remain on leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation by the archdiocese, which immediately informed law enforcement after receiving the allegation.

Nearly all of Braley’s assignments over the last 37 years have been in Massachusetts, and include chaplin to Archbishop Williams High School in Braintree from 1981 to 1986 and a six-year stint as associate pastor at St. Peter Parish in Cambridge that ended in 1981, according to Kellyanne Dignan, a spokeswoman for the archdiocese.

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

IRELAND
Irish Examiner

By Juno McEnroe, Political Reporter

Monday, February 13, 2012

Proposals to filter emails sent to TDs and prevent “waste” from clogging up mailboxes are being considered following a recent avalanche of complaints.

An overhaul of email systems for members was discussed behind closed doors in recent weeks by an Oireachtas committee charged with recommending changes and savings for Leinster House.

Several TDs told the Irish Examiner they have received hundreds of complaints by email, sometimes in one day, with proposed online copyright laws, septic tanks, the Vatican and Anglo Irish Bank among issues which have clogged up systems.

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

MICHIGAN
CBS Detroit

MACOMB COUNTY (WWJ) – A pastor at St. Peter Parish has been suspended after a 19-year-old and 14-year-old parishioner allegedly engaged in sex acts on church property.

The 19-year-old man was arrested Friday after the girl’s mother called the Macomb County Sheriff’s office.

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

MICHIGAN
The Macomb Daily

By Mitch Hotts
mitch.hotts@macombdaily.com; @mhotts

The longtime pastor of St. Peter Catholic Parish in Mount Clemens has been temporarily suspended from his priestly duties for failing to report an alleged sexual assault on a minor female on church property, according to the Archdiocese of Detroit.

The Rev. Michael Cooney’s suspension follows criminal charges being filed against a 19-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.

Bishop Michael Byrnes, the auxiliary bishop for the Northeast Region of the archdiocese announced the suspension at all four weekend Masses, the archdiocese said in a news release.

“There is no allegation of abuse against Fr. Cooney. None. But the archdioceses does hold him accountable,” Byrnes said in the statement.

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

MOUNT CLEMENS (MI)
San Antonio Express-News

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. (AP) — The Archdiocese of Detroit has temporarily suspended a priest from a Mount Clemens church where a 19-year-old parishioner is accused of criminal sexual conduct involving a young teenage girl, the archdiocese and law enforcement said Sunday.

The parishioner, Michael Lentini of Macomb Township, was arraigned Friday on third-degree criminal sexual conduct charges and freed on a $20,000 personal bond, Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickersham told The Macomb Daily.

The sheriff said Lentini is accused of having sexual contact with the girl at a social event in December at St. Peter Parish, where Rev. Michael Clooney was pastor. The girl told a counselor at her public school about the incident, and the counselor told the girl’s mother.

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

MOUNT CLEMENS (MI)
The Detroit News

Pastor suspended for failing to report alleged sex assault on church property

By Josh Katzenstein
The Detroit News

The Archdiocese of Detroit has suspended the pastor of a Mount Clemens church after he failed to report allegations of sexual abuse against a minor that occurred on church property.

Father Michael Cooney, 63, of St. Peter Church has been temporarily suspended from active ministry. He has been with the church since 1990, Archdiocese spokesman Ned McGrath said.

Bishop Michael Byrnes told the parish the news during mass Saturday and three masses on Sunday, and he will now serve as administrator for the church.

“The archdiocese has learned enough at this point to question why Fr. Cooney, having been informed of this alleged conduct, failed in his response to protect the victim, in promptly reporting what he knew to law enforcement authorities, and to provide a safe environment for children and young people on parish property,” read the statement Byrnes gave to the parishioners. “There is no allegation of abuse against Fr. Cooney. None. But, the archdiocese does hold him accountable.”

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

MICHIGAN
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit

Issued: February 12, 2012
Contact: Ned McGrath, Director of Communications
(work) 313-237-5943 / (home) 313-886-4114

download image of Fr. Michael Cooney

download biography of Fr. Michael Cooney

Following the arrest on Friday of an individual accused of sexual assaulting a minor on the property of St. Peter Parish in Mount Clemens, Bishop Michael Byrnes, auxiliary bishop for the Northeast Region of the Archdiocese of Detroit, read a statement at all four weekend Masses. Speaking on behalf of Archbishop Allen Vigneron, the bishop stated “the archdiocese is appalled this could happen.” He expressed regret— and an apology— to the young woman who brought this complaint forward and pledged that the archdiocese will reach out to her and her family to offer help and promote healing.

While there is no allegation of abuse— none— against the pastor, Fr. Michael Cooney, Bp. Byrnes said the archdiocese does hold him accountable for his response in this case and in providing a “safe environment for children and young people on parish property.” For these reasons, the bishop said, Fr. Cooney, 63, has been temporarily suspended from active ministry. Under this restriction, he is not to perform any public ministry, e.g., offering Masses, sacraments, etc., and is not to present himself publicly as a priest, i.e., wearing clerical garb.

An archdiocesan investigation will now commence. As part of that review, an exhaustive, on-site audit will be conducted of the parish’s adherence to the archdiocesan safe environment policies and practices, with a redoubled focus on building security and retraining of personnel.

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

MOUNT CLEMENS (MI)
13 ABC

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. (AP) – The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit says it has temporarily suspended a priest at a Mount Clemens church where a parishioner is accused of sexually assaulting a girl.

The archdiocese says it’s “appalled this could happen.” It says there are no allegations the Rev. Michael Cooney was involved in an assault but says he’s “accountable for his response.”

The archdiocese says the 63-year-old priest said in December authorities were investigating a reported sexual assault on the property of St. Peter Parish.

In a letter to parishioners Sunday, Bishop Michael Byrnes says the archdiocese questions why Cooney didn’t make a prompt police report.

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

PLYMOUTH (MA)
Patch

The Archdiocese of Boston today announced that it has placed Rev. James E. Braley on administrative leave as a result of receiving an allegation of sexual abuse of a child. Fr. Braley is the Pastor of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Parish in Plymouth. The allegation concerns conduct alleged to have occurred in the early 1980s.

The Archdiocese immediately notified law enforcement of the allegation and has initiated a preliminary investigation into the complaint. Fr. Braley will remain on administrative leave pending the outcome of the preliminary investigation. The decision to place Fr. Braley on administrative leave represents the Archdiocese’s commitment to the welfare of all parties and does not represent a determination of Fr. Braley’s guilt or innocence as it pertains to this allegation. The Archdiocese will work to resolve this case as expeditiously as possible and in a manner that is fair to all parties. Further, the Archdiocese is making arrangements for the ongoing pastoral care of the Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Parish community. Fr. William Williams, Pastor of St Peter’s Parish in Plymouth has been named administrator and will be assisted by Fr. Jack Schatzel, the Pastor Emeritus of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha.

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

PLYMOUTH (MA)
Enterprise

PLYMOUTH —

The Archdiocese of Boston has placed the pastor of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Parish on administrative leave after an allegation of sexual abuse of a child.

In a statement, the Archdiocese said the allegation against Rev. James E. Braley concerns conduct alleged to have occurred in the early 1980’s.

“The Archdiocese immediately notified law enforcement of the allegation and has initiated a preliminary investigation into the complaint,” the statement read. “Fr. Braley will remain on administrative leave pending the outcome of the preliminary investigation.”

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

PLYMOUTH (MA)
TheBostonChannel

BOSTON — The Archdiocese of Boston announced Sunday that it placed a Plymouth reverend on administrative leave as a result of receiving an allegation of sexual abuse of a child.

Rev. James E. Braley is the Pastor of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Parish, according to the Archdiocese. Officials said the alleged abuse was said to have occurred in the early 1980s.

The Archdiocese said they immediately notified law enforcement of the allegation and have initiated a preliminary investigation into the complaint.

As a result, the Archdiocese has placed Braley on administrative leave pending the outcome of the preliminary investigation.

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

PLYMOUTH (MA)
CBS Boston

BRAINTREE (CBS) – The Archdiocese of Boston has placed a Plymouth reverend on administrative leave due to new child sex abuse allegations.

Rev. James E. Braley, the Pastor of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Parish in Plymouth, is accused of sexually abusing a child in the early 1980′s.

“We remain committed to doing everything possible to ensure the safety and well-being of children and young people in our parishes and institutions,” said Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley.

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

PLYMOUTH (MA)
The Patriot Ledger

Posted Feb 12, 2012 @ 03:26 PM

BRAINTREE —
The Boston Archdiocese announced Sunday that it has placed the pastor of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Parish in Plymouth on administrative leave as a result of receiving an allegation of sexual abuse of a child.

The allegation against Rev. James E. Braley concerns conduct alleged to have occurred in the early 1980s.

The archdiocese said it immediately notified law enforcement of the allegation and has initiated a preliminary investigation.

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

WASHINGTON (DC)
The Washington Times

SCANDALS IN THE VATICAN

The Vatican’s new ambassador to the United States was at the center of explosive allegations about corruption at the Holy See just before Pope Benedict XVI sent him to Washington.

Ambassador Carlo Maria Vigano had pleaded with Benedict not to transfer him from his position as deputy-governor of the Vatican, where he had been exposing corruption in the awarding of contracts and mismanagement of millions of dollars in church investments.

The Italian media has been reporting breathlessly on internal investigations carried out by Archbishop Vigano and about private letters he wrote to the pope about the Vatican scandals. The archbishop himself has made no public comments about the sensational reporting, which some have described as tabloid-style journalism.

The expose began last month on a news show called “The Untouchables” on a private television network, La 7. Reporters produced several letters written last year by Archbishop Vigano, who was complaining about a backlash from critics of his investigation. He was aware of pressure on Benedict to transfer him from his position to shut down his probes.

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

UNITED STATES
Daily Kos

Kaili Joy Gray

Don’t you just love the smell of victory in the morning?

This week, the Obama administration announced that yes, it will be implementing the rule it announced last month requiring health insurance providers to cover birth control without co-pays. To allay the “moral” concerns of the criminal enterprise that has for decades been covering up the rape and molestation of children—aka, the Catholic Church—the administration revised the rule to include a further exemption for religious-affiliated organizations so that if the idea of their employees using contraception (as most of them do) gives them a sad, they can force insurance companies to pick up the cost, thereby protecting the “religious liberty” of the Church to be very, very sad that despite its teachings about the “intrinsically evil” practice of birth control, just about all sexually active Catholic women use it.

Although the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops initially responded to the revised rule by saying it was “a first step in the right direction,” later in the day—coincidentally, as news spread that “at least 8,000 kids were sexually abused by over 100 priests and other offenders in the Milwaukee Catholic Diocese”—the bishops issued a new statement, calling the decision cause for “grave moral concern,” and launched a campaign urging Catholics to write to Congress and demand passage of the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act (H.R. 1179, S. 1467). Pay no attention to the thousands of abused children! Make women stop using birth control, since they won’t listen to us when we tell them!

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

IRELAND
Irish Central

By
PATRICK COUNIHAN,
IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Sunday, February 12, 2012

A bishop who has admitted having sex with a woman is now suing Irish state broadcaster RTE for libel – for claiming the woman he met on the Missions in Africa was a child at the time of their relationship.

Tipperary-born Richard Burke is reportedly taking legal action over the same television programme that accused Fr Kevin Reynolds of fathering a child through rape and abandoning the mother.

Former Archbishop Burke has instigated the action against Prime Time Investigates, the RTE programme which paid out record libel damages to Fr Reynolds when a paternity suit proved he wasn’t the child’s father.

Fr Burke was a missionary priest in Nigeria when he met the woman. He claims that the RTE programme falsely accused him of child abuse.

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

UNITED STATES
The Wall Street Journal

By ELLEN E. SCHULTZ

If your pension plan is underfunded, you could be at risk of losing some of your benefits. That isn’t news. But did you know that your pension can be at risk even if the plan is relatively healthy?

Something as seemingly innocuous as having a lump-sum payout provision, or even having a religious affiliation, could mean your benefits are vulnerable. Here are some red flags to look for, and some ways to protect yourself. …

Your employer gets religion.

Over the past decade, more than 100 employers—including hospitals, schools, nursing homes, universities, clinics and religious charities—have been claiming their pension plans are actually “church plans,” a largely unregulated pension category that generally covers clergy and lay employees of churches, synagogues, mosques and other houses of worship.

Church plans are exempt from federal pension rules, including those that require employers to fund the plans and insure them with the PBGC. This puts participants at tremendous risk.

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

UNITED STATES
Bilgrimage

William D. Lindsey

Several days ago, Dr. Rick Fitzgibbon logged into an article by John Allen at National Catholic Reporter about the Vatican abuse summit to write the following:

Contrary to Bemi’s and Neal’s opinion, the data in the John Jay reports strongly suggest that homosexual abuse of adolescent males is at the heart of the crisis.

Michael Bemi and Pat Neal are two American experts from the “Protecting God’s Children” leadership team who addressed those gathered at the Rome summit to discuss the abuse situation in the Catholic church.

And Dr. Rick Fitzgibbon? Why, this gentleman happens to be the psychological expert whom Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City-St. Joseph brought in to advise Finn about Father Shawn Ratigan.

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

ITALIA
Il Fatto Quotidiano

In alcune redazioni molto supponenti e poco sportive, quando un altro giornale trova una notizia in esclusiva (“scoop”), invece di riprenderla per farla conoscere ai propri lettori citando la fonte, si fa come la volpe con l’uva (voce del verbo “rosicare”). Si va a caccia di qualcuno che smentisca per dire: “La notizia è falsa. Del resto, se fosse vera, la sapremmo anche noi, anzi l’avremmo saputa per primi”. L’altra sera, appena Santoro e Ruotolo hanno preannunciato lo scoop di Marco Lillo, i rosiconi si sono messi subito all’opera. La loro speranza era che il documento pubblicato dal Fatto fosse falso. Purtroppo padre Lombardi ha confermato che è autentico, anche se contiene “farneticazioni che non vanno prese sul serio”. Ma allora perché far leggere al Papa farneticazioni da non prendere sul serio? Per fargli uno scherzo? Forse perché il mittente è un cardinale e riferisce le parole di un altro cardinale. Se ci sono cardinali farneticanti, forse è il caso di pensionarli. In ogni caso, per quel che riguarda il Fatto, una volta confermata l’autenticità del documento, nessun’altra “smentita” è possibile.

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

VATICAN CITY
Vatican Insider

Despite the clear signals being sent out from Rome, many bishops the world over still haven’t learned the lesson on how to tackle child abuse in the Church

Alessandro Speciale
Vatican City

During the recent symposium at the Pontifical Gregorian University entitled “Towards Healing and Renewal”, monsignor Charles Scicluna – the promoter of justice of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith – was very clear: “We need to be vigilant in choosing candidates for the important role of bishop and also … use the tools that canonical law and tradition give for accountability of bishops.”

Monsignor Scicluna spoke of those bishops who have not tackled – and still aren’t tackling today – cases of child abuse committed by priests, in line with Vatican laws which have become tougher in recent years, and do not follow the guidelines set down or those being finalised by their episcopal conferences: “It is not acceptable that when there are set standards, people do not follow the set standards”, he added.

In particular, during the press conference he held after his speech at the Gregorian University symposium, the archbishop from Malta seemed to refer to canon law 128 from the Code of Canon Law (“Whoever illegitimately inflicts damage upon someone by a juridic act or by any other act placed with malice or negligence is obliged to repair the damage inflicted”); but in more general terms he stressed how bishops, as members of the clergy, are subject to the same punishments and rules that apply to priests. “It’s not a question of changing laws, it’s a question of applying what we have,” said Scicluna.

However, even if clear signals have been sent out from Rome, especially in recent years – and most recently from this very conference organised at the Jesuit university, with a penitential mass to ask forgiveness from victims, presided over by Cardinal Marc Ouellet – today there are still bishops who don’t seem ready to take responsibility and follow the rules.

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

VATICAN CITY
Vatican Radio

Attorneys for the victim in a Wisconsin sex abuse case voluntarily withdrew a lawsuit against the Holy See on Friday, in which Pope Benedict XVI and Cardinals Tarcisio Bertone and Angelo Sodano, the Secretary of State and Secretary of State-emeritus, respectively, were named as defendants. The case was at the centre of media attention in 2010, when reporters inquired into the role of then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in the prosecution of a priest accused of abusing as many as 200 boys at Milwaukee-area school for the deaf between 1950 and 1974.

The following is a statement released on Saturday by California-based attorney Jeffrey Lena, who represents the Vatican in US litigation.

Statement of Jeffrey S. Lena Regarding John Doe 16 v. Holy See, et al.

(Case No. 2:10-cv-00346 RTR, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin)
On February 10, 2012, Jeffrey R. Anderson, Esq. of the law office of Jeff Anderson and Associates, working together with columnist Marci Hamilton, Esq., filed a voluntary notice of dismissal in the case of John Doe 16 v. Holy See.
The Notice of Voluntary Dismissal — which was filed by the Plaintiff’s lawyers to avoid their duty to submit to the Court a court-ordered response to the Holy See’s Motion to Dismiss — requested that the “Court take notice of this dismissal and remove this matter from its docket.”

With these ignominious words, the John Doe 16 case died silently on a Friday afternoon in what attorney Jeff Anderson has himself called “the crucible of the courtroom.”

Things were different at the beginning of this case. On April 22, 2010, counsel for Plaintiff orchestrated a press event replete with props and other trappings designed to induce a media feeding frenzy. During the frenzy, Plaintiff’s counsel dramatically announced that they held information demonstrating a “world-wide conspiracy” related to sexual abuse that was directed by the Holy See. That outworn and discredited claim was in fact the centerpiece of a planned sequence of media events that took a very serious matter — the sexual abuse of a child – and turned it into a tool to assert fallacious allegations of Holy See responsibility and liability for John Doe 16’s abuse.

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

ROME
Vatican Insider

In an exclusive interview with the “Promoter of Justice” at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

Gerard O’Connell
Rome

He works at the side of Pope Benedict XVI in dealing with the sexual abuse of minors by priests, evaluates the recent international symposium on this subject and emphasizes that “awareness needs to be translated into practice” in the Church, “and practice needs to be audited”

What is your evaluation of the symposium?

The symposium, organized by the Pontifical Gregorian University, was a truly Catholic experience. We had bishops from all parts of the world, and coming from different points in the experience of the sexual abuse of minors.

We had bishops from the USA and Canada who had already an experience with applying the law as it stands, through three steps: setting the norms and applying them, then doing child protection systems – guidelines and practice, and finally auditing the practices.

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

IRELAND
Irish Independent

Sunday February 12 2012

In his visceral denunciation of the Vatican in the aftermath of the Cloyne Report last year, Enda Kenny referred to the Holy See as riddled with what he said was “dysfunction, disconnection and elitism”.

The Taoiseach’s polemic served to release an anger, formed over generations, which had until then only seeped out in an unsatisfactory manner since officialdom began a difficult process to catalogue, investigate and prove the whispered horror of child sex abuse within the Church.

The release was necessary. It will not be the end of it. Nor should it be. There is more detail to be known, more lessons to be learned and more forgiveness to be sought — which needs to be given.

In that context, it seemed to matter little that Mr Kenny’s powerful and deeply personal statement in the Dail, to the nation and to the world, erred a little in fact, what we might call his failure to have due regard to the niceties of diplomacy. But err he did.

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

MAINE
WABI

by Meghan Hayward – February 11th 2012

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland has completed their initial investigation of a sexual abuse complaint against a retired priest.

The complaint against priest 68-year-old Antonin ” Tony” Caron was brought forward in November.

It claims the incidents happened between 1982 and 1986 while he was a priest at Our Lady of Ransom Parish in Mechanic Falls and St. Gregory in Gray.

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

IRELAND
Irish Independent

By Niamh Horan and Maeve Sheehan

Sunday February 12 2012

A SECOND cleric named in the Prime Time Investigates programme that libelled Fr Kevin Reynolds is suing RTE for defamation.

The former Archbishop Richard Burke, from Tipperary, claims Prime time’s A Mission to Prey falsely accused him of child abuse when he was a priest in Nigeria.

He has admitted having a sexual relationship with a woman, but claimed she was an adult at the time and that the relationship was consensual. The woman complained to the Vatican, triggering his resignation two years ago as Archbishop of Benin.

A Mission to Prey included the case of Fr Burke in its investigation of clerical abuse by missionary priests in Africa. The programme’s false accusations that Fr Kevin Reynolds raped a 14-year-old girl and fathered her child led to the biggest libel settlement in RTE’s history.

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

UNITED STATES
Business Insurance

Employers have faced an increased number of charges filed by the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charging them with religious discrimination. Recent cases include:

THE EEOC ANNOUNCED LAST WEEK that the Los Angeles Fire Department will pay $494,000 to settle a lawsuit in which firefighter-engineer Anthony Almeida charged he was subject to sexual and religious harassment, which appeared linked to a lawsuit filed against the Catholic Church regarding sexual abuse he suffered by a priest. The fire department said in a statement that changes it has made since the 2006 events underlying Mr. Almeida’s complaint occurred include establishing an EEOC investigative unit.

IN JANUARY, the EEOC filed a lawsuit against Fayetteville, Ark.-based Ozarks Electric Cooperative Corp., charging that it fired an employee who is a Jehovah’s Witness after she asked for a day off to attend a religious convention. The company said it plans to vigorously defend the case.

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

UNITED STATES
SNAP Wisconsin

Catholic bishops and religious superiors from around the world descended upon Rome for the Vatican sponsored conference titled “Towards Healing and Renewal”. The four day symposium, which ran from February 6th -9th, at the Pontifical Gregorian University, was billed as a “global initiative on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults”.

Organizers of the conference stated that the purpose of the event was to help bishops create guidelines on how to handle reports of childhood sexual abuse. Instructing the bishops on how to best safeguard and protect children were their colleagues; cardinals, bishops, and church approved mental health experts. The very same “experts” and church officials who bear responsibility for the continued cover up of clergy child sex crimes “instructed” the world’s bishops on how to best protect children in their care.

The keynote address was provided by Cardinal William Levada, the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), the Vatican department responsible for collecting and examining evidence of child sex crimes from throughout the world.

Levada himself covered up criminal reports of child rape and sexual assault when he served as archbishop of San Francisco, California and Portland, Oregon. Levada had earlier addressed the worldwide explosion of clergy child sex assault reports by stating “So this is a crisis if you will that I think caught most of us by surprise”. Levada was fully briefed on the magnitude of the crisis in a 92 page report presented to him in 1985 by Fr. Thomas Doyle, a Vatican canon lawyer. Levada was not caught by surprise; in fact he was one of the first bishops to learn of the magnitude of sexual assault reports facing the church.

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

MAINE
Sun Journal

By Staff report

Published on Saturday, Feb 11, 2012

Bishop Richard Malone alerted parishioners in a letter over the weekend that the church is investigating a two-decades-old sexual abuse complaint against Father Antonin Caron, a Lewiston native.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland received the complaint in November concerning incidents between 1982 and 1986 at Our Lady of Ransom Parish in Mechanic Falls and St. Gregory Parish in Gray, according to a news release.

No further information about the investigation was made available.

Caron, 68, has served at a number of churches around the state, including St. Mary’s in Lewiston. In 1994, he was acquitted on a charge of sexually assaulting a teenage girl in Washington County. Six years later, Bishop Joseph Gerry temporarily suspended Caron for several months for his ties to a pornographic website. Caron hasn’t had a ministry since 2010.

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

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Reuters

By Dave Warner

PHILADELPHIA | Sat Feb 11, 2012

(Reuters) – A full autopsy for Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua, a key witness in a Catholic Church sex abuse trial who died last month, is unwarranted, the coroner examining the death said on Saturday.

Bevilacqua, the retired archbishop of Philadelphia, died at age 88 on January 31, the day after a judge ruled he was competent to testify in an upcoming sex abuse trial involving clerics and a schoolteacher.

Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman told reporters on Friday she had asked Coroner Walter Hofman to make a determination about the death, noting that it had come soon after the judge’s ruling.

Hofman told Reuters that he had spoken to Bevilacqua’s doctor the night of his death “and we felt very confident that this was not anything we need to look into further.”

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

ROME
Rome Reports

[with video]

February 10, 2012. (Romereports.com) The purpose of this website is to prevent cases of sexual abuse in the Church. It’s called the Center for Child Protection and it was launched after a four day Vatican conference, titled “Towards Healing and Renewal.” In fact, one of its main supporters is the Pope.

The online training site is meant to educate bishops, priests and employees who deal with issues of child protection in the Church. The site includes information on warning signs, intervention and also the laws and reporting requirements of different countries.

The website was launched after more than 130 bishops and religious heads from all over the world, gathered in Rome to discuss appropriate ways to prevent and handle cases of sexual abuse.

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

VATICAN CITY
Vatican Radio

From crisis to a coherent and firm initiative to improve child protection in the Church, in society, and in the world: that describes the outcome of the sex abuse symposium that took place over three and a half days at the Gregorian University of Rome, with the participation of delegates from over 100 episcopal conferences, various religious orders and numerous specialists in the field. Those in charge of the Vatican ministries involved in the main issues gave clear support to the event, which proceeded along the lines indicated by the Pope some time ago: listen to the victims, work for their healing and for the restoration of justice, formulate and put into practice effective measures for prevention. The goal: to make the Church a completely safe and welcoming environment for children and young people, a place where their human and spiritual growth will be encouraged. The Conference was an intense, and spiritual, ecclesial experience. The diverse origins of the participants demonstrated that the Church is on a journey to make a concrete contribution, profoundly rooted in its different local realities, to the great task of protecting children. The reality of the family, of educational institutions and of the new world of the internet, the spread of child pornography, the formation of priests and educators, are all dimensions that need to be considered in a comprehensive approach to the issues that have been raised.

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

MAINE
Kennebec Journal

PORTLAND — The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland is investigating a retired Maine priest for “reported incidents” of abuse between 1982 and 1986, according to a press release distributed by the church on Saturday.

The church doesn’t elaborate on the incidents, but retired Father Antonin “Tony” Caron has a history of disciplnary and legal troubles.

In March 2000, the church suspended Caron for several months for his involvement with a now-defunct website for gay clergymen.

In 1993, he was brought to trial and acquitted of sexually assaulting a woman.

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

MAINE
WMTW

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland is conducting an investigation into sexual abuse claims against retired priest Fr. Antonin (Tony) R. Caron. The initial complaint was made in November of 2011 and involves alleged incidents between 1982 and 1986 while Father Caron was at Our Lady of Ransom Parish in Mechanic Falls, and St. Gregory Parish in Gray.

Sue Bernard, spokesperson for the diocese, said the initial claims are serious enough that the diocese will conduct a through investigation.

Father Caron had retired due to medical reason prior to being acquitted of criminal sex abuse charges in 1994. Father Caron was suspended in March of 2000 by Bishop Joseph Gerry for Caron’s alleged involvement in a pornographic website. Caron was reinstated the following summer with limited ministry and since 2010, he has had no public ministry.

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

MAINE
Boston Globe

PORTLAND, Maine—The leader of Maine’s Catholic church says the diocese is investigating allegations of sex abuse against a retired priest.

Bishop Richard Malone said a complaint filed with the church in November alleges that the Rev. Antonin “Tony” Caron was involved in incidents from 1982 to 1986 while he was a priest at parishes in Mechanic Falls and Gray.

The 68-year-old Caron was acquitted in 1994 of sexual misconduct conduct charges involving a young woman. Six years later, the church suspended him for his involvement in a sexually explicit website.

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

MILWAUKEE (WI)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel

Feb. 11, 2012

A federal lawsuit against the Vatican, filed in Milwaukee by an abuse victim of the late Father Lawrence Murphy, has been withdrawn, as a result of a key ruling in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee bankruptcy on Thursday, according to an attorney involved in both.

Jeffrey Anderson, who represents the plaintiff in both cases, said his client “felt that his energies would be best spent working alongside fellow survivors toward justice and healing at the archdiocese level.”

Vatican attorney Jeffrey Lena called the case a publicity stunt that “rehashes old theories already rejected by the U.S. courts” when it was filed in April 2010. He did not immediately return messages seeking comment on Saturday.

Anderson withdrew the lawsuit late Friday in response to Thursday’s ruling by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Susan V. Kelley that let stand, at least for now, two claims filed by childhood sex abuse victims dating from the 1970s and ’80s. Kelley said the question of when the clock on the 6-year statute of limitations on the victims’ fraud allegations against the church should have started ticking must be answered at a trial.

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

VATICAN CITY
Catholic News Service

By Francis X. Rocca
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – A high-profile federal lawsuit accusing Pope Benedict XVI of covering up sexual abuse has been withdrawn.

Lawyers for the plaintiff in John Doe 16 v. Holy See filed a notice of voluntary dismissal Feb. 10, bringing the case effectively to an end.

The lawsuit was filed in April 2010 in the U.S. District Court in Milwaukee by an unnamed Illinois man who claimed he had been molested by Father Lawrence Murphy during the latter’s time on the staff of Milwaukee’s St. John’s School for the Deaf.

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

NEW YORK
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York

For Immediate Release: February 7, 2012

STATEMENT OF EDWARD CARDINAL EGAN, ARCHBISHOP-EMERITUS

“There needs to be a response to recently published statements about the abuse of minors by priests during my years as shepherd of two splendid communities of faith. In neither was there ever even one known case of the sexual abuse of a minor by a priest throughout my tenure. Nor was the payment to a victim in exchange for silence ever even proposed, just as there has never been any failure on my part to speak the whole and unvarnished truth in depositions of any kind whatever. For all of this I daily thank the Lord, just as I thank Him too for the virtuous and dedicated priests with whom I have had the privilege of working in the Diocese of Bridgeport and the Archdiocese of New York. The suffering and damage that the sexual abuse of minors causes to innocent children and their loved ones are horrendous beyond all expression. For a bishop and his priests there is nothing more important than seeing to it that no such incredibly painful and destructive offense against the law of God and man ever occurs in any parish, institution, or agency of the Church.”

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

NEW YORK
Danbury News Times

Days after former New York Cardinal Edward Egan drew harsh criticism over comments he made over his handling of the priest sexual abuse scandal, the former Bridgeport bishop is continuing to defend his actions.

In a statement published on the Archdiocese of New York’s website, Egan reaffirmed that while he was Bridgeport bishop and New York cardinal there was not “even one known case of the sexual abuse of a minor by a priest throughout my tenure.”

That comment is contrary to church documents obtained by the Connecticut Post that show Egan was made aware of specific allegations of abuse by priests when he became Bridgeport bishop in 1988. Documents also showed not only did Egan not report the abuse claims to police, but he covered up the allegations, moving offending priests around the diocese.

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

VATICAN CITY
National Catholic Reporter

by John L Allen Jr on Feb. 11, 2012 NCR Today

ROME — A Wisconsin sex abuse lawsuit against the Vatican, which helped trigger a global firestorm in early 2010, was withdrawn late Friday. It marks the formal end of a case that seemed to cast doubt on Pope Benedict XVI’s role in the abuse crisis, and shifted focus from local bishops to an alleged cover-up in Rome.

Lawyers for the victim filed a notice of voluntary dismissal on Friday, effectively abandoning the lawsuit. It had named not only the Vatican but also Pope Benedict XVI and two senior Vatican officials, Cardinals Tarcisio Bertone and Angelo Sodano, as defendants. The suit had been filed by Minnesota-based attorney Jeffrey Anderson, who has frequently represented sex abuse victims against the church.

Anderson said at the time the case was filed that he hoped to take formal depositions from Benedict XVI, Bertone and Sodano, concerning the Vatican’s role in the sex abuse crisis. Bertone is the current Secretary of State, the top official in the Vatican after the pope, a position formerly held by Sodano.

——————————————————
See also: Vatican lawyer’s statement on end of sex abuse case
——————————————————

Anderson told NCR on Saturday that the decision to withdraw the case was “pragmatic and practical,” based largely on the fact that as a result of proceedings related to the bankruptcy of the Milwaukee archdiocese, he had already obtained most of the files regarding the Vatican’s involvement he could have gotten through a separate lawsuit. Those documents are presently under seal, he said, but he said they paint an “ugly picture” of the Vatican’s role.

“We have not in any way abandoned our effort to hold the Vatican legally and fully accountable,” Anderson said.

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

VATICAN CITY
National Catholic Reporter

by John L Allen Jr on Feb. 11, 2012 NCR Today

ROME — On Friday, lawyers for the victim in a Wisconsin sex abuse case voluntarily withdrew a lawsuit against the Vatican, which had also named Pope Benedict XVI and Cardinals Tarcisio Bertone, the Secretary of State, and Angelo Sodano, his predecessor, as defendants. The case helped ignite a media firestorm in 2010 about the role of Pope Benedict XVI in the sex abuse scandals, suggesting that while he was still a Vatican official he had delayed action against the late Fr. Lawrence Murphy, accused of molesting some 200 boys at a Milwaukee-area school for the deaf between 1950 and 1974.

See also: Explosive sex abuse lawsuit against Vatican dropped

The following is a statement released on Saturday by California-based attorney Jeffrey Lena, who represents the Vatican in American litigation.

* * *
Statement of Jeffrey S. Lena Regarding John Doe 16 v. Holy See, et al.
(Case No. 2:10-cv-00346 RTR, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin)

On February 10, 2012, Jeffrey R. Anderson, Esq. of the law office of Jeff Anderson and Associates, working together with columnist Marci Hamilton, Esq., filed a voluntary notice of dismissal in the case of John Doe 16 v. Holy See.

The Notice of Voluntary Dismissal — which was filed by the Plaintiff’s lawyers to avoid their duty to submit to the Court a court-ordered response to the Holy See’s Motion to Dismiss — requested that the “Court take notice of this dismissal and remove this matter from its docket.”

With these ignominious words, the John Doe 16 case died silently on a Friday afternoon in what attorney Jeff Anderson has himself called “the crucible of the courtroom.”

Things were different at the beginning of this case. On April 22, 2010, counsel for Plaintiff orchestrated a press event replete with props and other trappings designed to induce a media feeding frenzy. During the frenzy, Plaintiff’s counsel dramatically announced that they held information demonstrating a “world-wide conspiracy” related to sexual abuse that was directed by the Holy See. That outworn and discredited claim was in fact the centerpiece of a planned sequence of media events that took a very serious matter — the sexual abuse of a child – and turned it into a tool to assert fallacious allegations of Holy See responsibility and liability for John Doe 16’s abuse.

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

VATICAN CITY
Washington Post

By Alessandro Speciale| Religion News Service

VATICAN CITY — Catholic leaders on Thursday (Feb. 9) launched an online distance-learning center to help educate church leaders on the prevention of child sex abuse.

Unveiled on the final day of a “Towards Healing and Renewal” conference sponsored by the Vatican, the new online forum will provide training and certificate programs in four languages.

The center will cost 1.2 million euros ($1.92 million) for the first three years, partly funded by the U.S.-based Papal Foundation charity. The Rev. Hans Zollner, one of the conference organizers, stressed that all the foundation’s expenditures are expressly approved by Pope Benedict XVI.

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

PENNSYLVANIA
Philadelphia Inquirer

By John P. Martin
Inquirer Staff Writer

Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman asked the county coroner to examine the body of Cardinal Anthony J. Bevilacqua last week because the timing of the 88-year-old prelate’s death struck her as “peculiar,” she said Friday.

Ferman acknowledged that she enlisted county Coroner Walter I. Hofman because the cardinal died one day after a Philadelphia judge said Bevilacqua could be called to testify at the child sex-abuse and endangerment trial of three current and former priests.

“I had the same reaction that many people had and that many people communicated with me,” Ferman told reporters at a news conference in Norristown. “It struck many of us as odd, as peculiar, that the cardinal passed away so suddenly after the court ruling. . . . I just thought that someone should make sure that nothing happened that was inappropriate.”

Ferman said she had no information to suggest that the cardinal was the victim of foul play or an unnatural death. She said her office had not opened an investigation.

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

PENNSYLVANIA
Montgomery Media

By Keith Phucas
kphucas@journaleregister.com

When Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua was found dead a day after he was found competent to testify in an upcoming child endangerment case, Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman wondered why county officials were not notified and prompted her to ask for a post-mortem examination.

“When that notification did not come, that piqued my interest,” Ferman said at a news conference Friday.

The DA said she learned of the cardinal’s death on the morning news on Jan. 31 and not through law enforcement or other official sources, so she asked a county detective to look into the matter.

“The situation struck me as peculiar, somewhat odd that in that close proximity of time where the Philadelphia court had made that determination about this witness, he all of a sudden was found deceased,” she said.

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

UNITED STATES
The Christian Post

By Stoyan Zaimov , Christian Post Reporter

February 11, 2012

Warren Jeffs, the polygamist leader convicted of sexual assault in Aug. 2011, is reportedly still commanding his breakaway Mormon sect from behind bars in Texas and is preparing them for the end of the world.

The 55-year-old spiritual leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) was convicted of aggravated child sexual assault for sexual misconduct with girls aged 12 and 14, and is serving life in prison.

During the trial, Jeffs cited freedom of religion and tried to defend what he insisted was his right to practice plural marriage. He also called himself a living prophet of God and warned that those who opposed him would be humbled by sickness and death.

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

UTAH
Los Angeles Times

The onetime spokesman for Warren Jeffs has filed a $100-million lawsuit against the polygamous sect leader, saying Jeffs asked him to falsify church records and arranged a break-in at his excavating business when he refused.

The lawsuit offers a window into the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and the reportedly vicious politics of Jeffs, who was recently sentenced to life in prison in Texas for sexually assaulting two young girls whom he said were his spiritual brides.

Former sect spokesman Willie Jessop said in court papers that Jeffs asked him last year to put a letter containing false information in church records, which the sect considers sacred, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. The letter was intended to cast doubt on allegations that Jeffs had married two different underage girls in Texas.

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

UTAH
The Salt Lake Tribune

Lindsay Whitehurst

The 18-page complaint seeking $100 million to compensate for damage to Willie Jessop’s excavating business is really a fascinating read, with more detail from him on what caused his break with/expulsion from the church and on the nighttime break-in at his business.

(Read the part where Lyle Jeffs allegedly threatens to publicly accuse Willie of adultery, then Willie claims that he knows that Lyle Jeffs and another church leader fathered children with wives who had been reassigned to them — after the women were supposed to have been back with their original husbands. Drama.)

It’ll be interesting to see how this suit goes down. Think we’ll see a legal response from the other side?

Read the lawsuit here.

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

TEXAS
Time

By Hilary Hylton / Austin

Six months ago Warren Jeffs, the imprisoned leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS), was hospitalized in critical condition, prompting speculation both inside and outside the breakaway Mormon sect about his survival and his successor. Now, thanks to the care he received during a medically induced coma, Jeffs has returned to health and to his cell inside a Palestine, Texas, prison where he appears to be in full command of his flock, issuing a barrage of revelations and edicts. Among them are orders to take away children’s bicycles and to build a massive, amphitheater-like structure on the sect’s West Texas ranch, all in preparation for doomsday.

Convicted of sexual assault in early August, 2011, Jeffs fasted and spent extended time on his knees praying during his trial, leading to his physical collapse 20 days after the verdict. His official Texas-prison mug shot shows an emaciated, hollow-cheeked man with close-cropped hair and piercing eyes. Gone was the tall, lanky, wavy-haired man seen kissing his teenage bride draped in his lap, as depicted in a photograph submitted during his West Texas trial. But while his criminal trials and his self-imposed afflictions have savaged his appearance, they appear not to have diminished his sense of purpose.

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

TEXAS
Daily Mail (United Kingdom)

What are they plotting? Mysterious stadium at Warren Jeffs’ Church compound sparks fears that paedophile Mormon’s followers are planning ‘Jim Jones-style’ mass suicide

Photos of a stadium being built on the site of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – led by convicted paedophile Warren Jeffs – have emerged, raising concerns about its purpose.

The pictures, taken by a local resident in Eldorado, Texas, have sparked fears that the concrete building could be used for a mass suicide, like that led by Jim Jones of the Peoples Temple in 1978.

Another theory is that the concrete building – measuring 30 feet high and 289 feet across – will house a large statue of polygamist leader Jeffs, who is serving a life sentence for raping two underage girls.

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

ROME
NPR

[with audio]

by Sylvia Poggioli

A decade after the clerical sex abuse scandal erupted in the United Sates, Catholic religious officials from all over the world met in Rome this week to tackle the painful topic.

The Vatican endorsed the symposium — called “Toward Healing and Renewal” — the aim of which was changing the culture of how the church deals with cases of pedophile priests.

One of the highlights was a late-afternoon penitential mass on Feb. 7 — apparently the first time a senior Vatican official conducted a service to ask the forgiveness of abuse victims.

In his homily, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, who runs the Vatican’s congregation for bishops, called the crisis “a source of great shame and enormous scandal.”

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

ROME
Catholic News Service

By Carol Glatz
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The take-away message from a Vatican-backed symposium on clerical sex abuse was clear: Victims, truth and justice come first. And the church can no longer wait for a crisis to erupt before it begins to address the scandal of abuse.

“We do not need to wait for a bomb to explode. Preventing it from exploding is the best response,” said Philippine Archbishop Luis Tagle.

The archbishop of Manila was one of more than 200 bishops, cardinals, priests, religious and laypeople who attended a landmark symposium Feb. 6-9 in Rome.

The conference aimed to inspire and educate bishops’ conferences around the world as they seek to comply with a Vatican mandate to establish anti-abuse guidelines by May.

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

ROME
RKnieuws

ROME (RKnieuws.net) – Het vierdaagse internationaal colloquium dat de Gregoriaanse universiteit in Rome organiseerde om de strijd tegen seksueel misbruik in de Kerk te coördineren zit erop. Het heeft zijn doel niet gemist.

Jezuïet Federico Lombardi, woordvoerder van het Vaticaan, ontkende de geruchten dat de H. Stoel het initiatief maar matig steunde. De belangrijkste discasteriëen en paus Benedictus XVI zelf engageerden zich volkomen voor dit initiatief. De paus liet 1,2 miljoen euro uittrekken voor het Kenniscentrum voor de bescherming van het kind’, aldus Lombardi. Hij wijst ook op de grote inbreng van de Romeinse Curie in het colloquium, met name de toespraken van kardinaal Levada en van mgr. Sicluna en de vraag om vergeving aan de slachtoffers van seksueel misbruik door kardinaal Ouellet.

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

ITALIA
Il Giornale

di Maurizio Caverzan – 11 febbraio 2012

Lettere, documenti anonimi, complotti omicidi, guerre per la successione. Le stanze vaticane sembrano divenute lo scenario ideale per una spy story fitta di misteri.

Ne sanno qualcosa Dan Brown e i suoi epigoni. Purtroppo, però, qui non siamo al cinema. Ma nel cuore della cristianità, al cospetto di Papa Benedetto XVI, vicario di Cristo sulla terra. E i segnali di profonda preoccupazione per le sorti del popolo di Dio attraversano le gerarchie ecclesiastiche. La Chiesa appare insidiata dall’esterno, scossa al suo interno dagli scandali della pedofilia (su cui si è riflettuto proprio in questi giorni a Roma), minacciata nella serenità dell’attività pastorale. Qualcosa del genere aveva previsto un giornalista e studioso autorevole come Antonio Socci in «Il quarto segreto di Fatima» (Rizzoli). Per la Chiesa sarebbero arrivati tempi difficili, giorni drammatici. Previsioni secondo le quali il contenuto del Terzo segreto affidato dalla Madonna ai pastorelli non sarebbe stato integralmente rivelato nel maggio del 2000 dall’allora segretario di Stato, cardinal Sodano, e successivamente commentato dal prefetto dell’ex Sant’Uffizio, cardinal Ratzinger.

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

CITTA DEL VATICANO
La Stampa

Giacomo Galeazzi

Un presunto complotto contro Benedetto XVI, la possibilità di un suo decesso «entro 12 mesi» e l’ascesa al Soglio di Pietro del cardinale di Milano, Angelo Scola. «Farneticazioni che non vanno prese sul serio», taglia corto il portavoce vaticano, padre Federico Lombardi in risposta al documento in lingua tedesca consegnato dal cardinale colombiano di Curia, Dario Castrillon Hoyos alla segreteria di Stato e al segretario del Papa don Georg Gaenswein all’inizio di gennaio (datato 30 dicembre 2011) e pubblicato ieri dal «Fatto quotidiano». L’appunto lascia intendere che ci potrebbe essere un attentato «delittuoso» alla vita del Pontefice(«avrebbe soltanto altri 12 mesi da vivere»), riporta dichiarazioni «esposte da persona probabilmente informata» e si riferiscono al viaggio di tre giorni compiuto in Cina a novembre dall’arcivescovo di Palermo, Paolo Romeo, ex diplomatico vicino al decano del Sacro Collegio, Angelo Sodano. Il cardinale che proprio ieri ha festeggiato i cinque anni sulla cattedra palermitana ammette «un viaggio privato in Cina», ma assicura che quanto gli viene attribuito é «del tutto privo di ogni fondamento e appare tanto fuori dalla realtà da non dovere essere preso in alcuna considerazione».

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

ITALIA
Zazoom

Vado a presentarvi il documento ufficiale rilasciato da ‘il fatto quotidiano’ come promesso, che riporta informazioni sulla successione del Papa Benedetto XVI che dovrebbe avvenire tra 12 mesi

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

VATICAN CITY
The Associated Press

By NICOLE WINFIELD, Associated Press

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Money laundering at the Vatican bank. Corruption in the awarding of Vatican contracts. Even a purported plot to kill Pope Benedict XVI.

The Vatican is being besieged by near-daily leaks of confidential documents and tabloid-style reports of alleged financial mismanagement, political infighting and gossip about who might be the next pope — all coming out at an exceedingly delicate time for the Holy See and Benedict himself.

The frescoed halls of the Apostolic Palace have been buzzing about the leaks, which have emerged as the pontiff prepares for the ceremony next week to crown 22 new cardinals — the princes of the church who will elect his successor.

Such ceremonies always breed unseemly speculation about a future pontiff since they provide a rare chance for cardinals new and old to size one another up. But the Feb. 18 consistory has taken on greater gravitas since the 84-year-old Benedict is showing signs of slowing down.

Conspiracy theorists reading the Italian media of late might also point to another looming date as reason for why the Vatican’s dirty laundry is being aired now: In June, a European commission will decide whether the Holy See has abided by tough international anti-money laundering and anti-terror finance laws.

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

CANADA
Edmonton Journal

By Dave Hall, Windsor Star; Postmedia News
February 11, 2012

Four more sexual assault victims of convicted pedophile Rev. William Hodgson Marshall, who preyed on his victims over a 30-year period, have launched separate $3-mil-lion lawsuits against the Basilian priest.

The civil suits by Greg McCullough, David D’Agnillo, Thomas Haberer and an unnamed plaintiff also name the Basilian Fathers of Toronto, Catholic Bishop Ronald Fabbro and the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board, alleging none did anything to prevent Marshall from abusing children.

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

HOLYOKE (MA)
Daily Hampshire Gazette

By SUZANNE WILSON
Staff Writer

HOLYOKE – On Thursday, at 3 p.m., Jane Pokora, 80, and her brother, Chester Kos, 83, arrived at Mater Dolorosa Catholic Church in Holyoke for their two-hour shift.

Bundled in coats against the cold, the pair, both residents of Chicopee, settled into two side-by-side chairs in the vestibule where space heaters have been set up.

They don’t go into the church itself, where the heat is kept low. “It’s too cold,” Pokora said.

Pokora and Kos are members of the former Mater Dolorosa parish. Now they come here once a week as part of a vigil that began last June to protest the decision by the Springfield Diocese to close the church.

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

ROME
Chiesa

She was abused by a priest at the age of thirteen. She is the first victim to have given testimony about her tragedy at an official congress of the Church. Inaugurated in Munich, an international center for the protection of children

by Sandro Magister

ROMA, February 11, 2012 – For the first time at an official assembly of the Catholic Church, a victim of the scandal has spoken, Marie Collins of Ireland, sexually abused by a priest when she was thirteen years old.

An even more significant “first” in that it is connected to what has become for the Church the absolute priority in the fight against this scandal: closeness to the victims.

Marie Collins recounted her life, marked by that wound, on February 6, the opening day of an international symposium entitled “Toward healing and renewal” organized by the Pontifical Gregorian University, with the participation of other Vatican authorities and representatives of 110 episcopal conferences and more than 30 religious orders.

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

ROME
HLN (Belgie)

Het vierdaagse symposium in Rome met het oog om de strijd tegen seksueel misbruik in de Kerk op te voeren, is vandaag van start gegaan met de getuigenis van een Iers slachtoffer. Ook verklaarde een psychologisch expert van de Kerk dat er zes fouten gemaakt zijn in de aanpak van de dossiers.

Marie Colins getuigde voor een honderdtal vertegenwoordigers van het wereldepiscopaat, de belangrijkste verantwoordelijken van de Romeinse Curie en een dertigtal verantwoordelijken van de belangrijkste ordes en congregaties. Zij werd vijftig jaar geleden op 13-jarige leeftijd verkracht door de aalmoezenier van het Iers ziekenhuis waar zij verpleegd werd.

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

NEDERLAND
Trouw

Bisschoppen hebben het onderzoek naar seksueel misbruik in de rooms-katholieke kerk niet tegengewerkt. Dat stelt aartsbisschop Eijk vandaag in een ingezonden brief in het AD. Eerdere berichtgeving van die krant stoelt volgens Eijk op verkeerde informatie.

In het AD meldden slachtoffergroepen vorige week dat bisschoppen de onderzoeken stelselmatig frustreren.

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

ROME
Kerknieuws

De Rooms-Katholieke Kerk moet verantwoording afleggen voor de pijn en de verwoesting van de levens van slachtoffers van seksueel misbruik en hun families. Ook moet de kerk erkennen dat de misdaden in het verleden vaak doelbewust werden toegedekt en dat kerkleiders doorgaans weinig of niets ondernamen tegen de daders.

Dat zei Marie Collins, een 64-jarige Ierse activiste die als tiener werd misbruikt door een priester, dinsdag tijdens een conferentie in de Gregoriana Universiteit in Rome.

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

VATICAN CITY
euronews via YouTube

http://www.euronews.net/ The Vatican has dismissed an Italian newspaper report that the Pope is being targeted by assassins and would be dead within 12 months.

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

VATICAN CITY
National Post (Canada)

By Jean-Louis de la Vaissiere

VATICAN CITY • A “plot” to kill Pope Benedict XVI disclosed Friday is only the latest in a series of rumours, leaks and corruption allegations in what experts believe is a bitter power struggle in the Vatican.

The Holy See’s press office has been forced into overdrive in recent days against multiple reports in Italian media centred mainly on the activities of the Vatican bank and Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican Secretary of State.

On Friday, the Vatican dismissed as “delirious” the writings of a cardinal who said he had heard of an unspecified assassination threat on the Pope and also described increasingly confrontational ties between the Pope and Cardinal Bertone.

The document — allegedly written by a Colombian cardinal and quoting declarations reportedly made by Italian cardinal Paolo Romeo, Archbishop of Palermo, during a visit to China — was also dismissed by Cardinal Romeo himself as “absolutely without basis.”

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

AUGUSTA (GA)
WRDW

Reporter: Hope Jensen
Email Address: hope.jensen@wrdw.com

AUGUSTA, Ga — An Augusta church is raising some eyebrows both locally and nationally because of a spiritual retreat. It’s not the subject matter that has some upset, but instead the sex offender here to lead it.

The Episcopal Convent of Saint Helena is hosting a guest speaker, Reverend Lynn Bauman. A little over a decade ago, Bauman plead guilty to sexual contact with a young boy, also on a church retreat.

The brochure for the event features a photo and list accomplishment after accomplishment of Bauman. It lists him as a teacher, an author, a retreat master and many more. But it does not mention his criminal history.

In 1999 Bauman plead guilty to indecency with a child by contact and inducing a sexual performance by a child. His victim was 8 years old.

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

ROME
The StarPhoenix (Canada)

Agence France-Presse
February 11, 2012

Catholic leaders voiced hope on Thursday that the Vatican’s first-ever summit on clerical child abuse will mark a radical turnaround for the church after decades of cover-ups.

The four-day meeting had opened with a message from Pope Benedict XVI, who has faced thousands of abuse scandals in Europe and the United States since becoming pontiff, calling for “profound renewal of the church at every level.”

Bishops, cardinals and heads of religious orders held frank discussions that stressed the importance of applying the church’s experience in Western countries in recent years to other parts of the world.

Vatican prosecutor Charles Scicluna said he had received over 4,000 reports of abuse over the past decade including 1,000 in the last two years, and he warned bishops would be held to account if they ignored new anti-abuse rules.

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

WISCONSIN
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

Posted by David Clohessy on February 09, 2012

A Chicago serial predator priest is trying to win his freedom from a Wisconsin prison. For the safety of kids, we hope he stays behind bars.

Fr. Norbert Maday was convicted in 1994 and given a 20 year sentence for sexually assaulting two boys. We strongly suspect there were many more victims.

The question that must be asked in these cases is this: “Why take the risk of more kids getting hurt?” Knowing Maday’s history and the harm he’s caused, why jeopardize more innocent children?

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

CONNECTICUT
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

Posted by David Clohessy on February 10, 2012

We are grateful to this victim who was brave enough to step forward and wise enough to take legal action.

No amount of money can restore a stolen childhood, shattered trust or devastated faith. Still, these unbiased jurors sent a powerful message – if you ignore and conceal and enable heinous crimes against kids, a day of reckoning will come.

We hope this verdict will help others who’ve been sexually assaulted as kids to speak up, get help, call police, expose wrongdoing and protect kids. There are countless men, women, teens and kids who have been molested and are suffering in shame, silence, and self-blame. We hope they’ll find the courage to get help and start healing.

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

CONNECTICUT
The Hour

WATERBURY (AP) — A jury determined Friday that the Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford should pay $1 million in damages to a former altar boy who was sexually abused by a priest decades ago, ruling that the church was reckless and negligent in allowing a known pedophile to have access to children.

The decision, reported by the Hartford Courant followed about three and half hours of deliberations by the Superior Court jury in Waterbury.

The victim, identified in his lawsuit as Jacob Doe, was abused by Father Ivan Ferguson in the early 1980s.

During the weeklong trial, he presented evidence that church officials had allowed Ferguson to have contact with children despite admitting earlier that he had sexually abused other boys.

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

AUBURN (NY)
The Post-Standard

By Charles Ellis / The Post-Standard

Auburn, N.Y. — Allegations of sexual abuse by a priest who served for five years in Auburn have been found to be “credible and true” by Rochester’s Diocesan Review Board.

Now, that priest could be defrocked.

The Rev. Dennis Shaw is alleged to have abused two boys under the age of 16 when he was serving at St. Francis of Assisi parish in Rochester in the late 1970s and 1980s. One of the men alleges that the abuse occurred multiple times over a period of several years.

When the initial announcement of an investigation into the charges was made in December 2010, he was placed on administrative leave and not allowed to function as a priest or exercise any public ministry. The Vatican will review the case, the diocese announced from the pulpit at its Masses last weekend.

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

CHARLOTTE (NC)
WCNC

by RAD BERKY / NewsChannel 36

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Lawyers for the Catholic Diocese of Charlotte argued in court Friday that a victim of alleged sexual abuse by a priest waited too long to file a lawsuit against the diocese.

The church attorney told the judge the suit should have been filed years ago in a case involving former priest Richard Farwell.

Farwell was a priest at St. Ann Catholic Church in Charlotte in 1984 when the plaintiff, called “John Doe” in the suit, said Farwell molested him in the church rectory.

Lawyers for the plaintiff countered by saying it was not until recently that the full extent of an alleged cover-up by the diocese was discovered.

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

BELGIUM
GMA News (Philippines)

TOM HENEGHAN, Reuters February 11, 2012

Belgian Catholics have petitioned their bishops for reforms including ordaining women and married men and allowing laymen to lead church services as ways to counter their growing shortage of priests.

The petition, handed over on Thursday, represented yet another challenge to the Belgian Church, deeply shaken by revelations of clerical sexual abuse that prompted police to raid its offices across the country for evidence of crimes last month.

The 8,235 signatories in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking half of the bilingual country, included politicians and intellectuals as well as about a 10th of all Flemish priests, deacons and lay Church workers. Their reform call echoes similar initiatives in Austria, Germany and Ireland.

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

CANADA
The Windsor Star

By Dave Hall, The Windsor Star February 10, 2012

A London lawyer representing sexual assault victims of convicted pedophile Rev. William Hodgson Marshall is calling for a criminal investigation into the “institutional enabling and coverup” which allowed the Basilian priest to prey on his victims for more than 30 years.

Robert Talach, a partner at London law firm Ledroit Beckett, which is representing many of the victims, said “quite frankly, we are getting fed up with the number of cases we’re seeing and it’s time for our criminal justice system to step up and launch an investigation into how these crimes were covered up over time.

“Any institution involved in such crimes should be investigated by the secular authorities and, just like other corporate crimes, face substantial penalties,” he said.

“Instead it seems as if the justice system is leaving it up to individuals to deal with this issue,” said Talach.

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

VATICAN CITY
Inside Bay Area

The Associated Press
Posted: 02/11/2012

VATICAN CITY—Lawyers for a man who was sexually abused decades ago by a priest at a Wisconsin school for the deaf have asked a court to dismiss their lawsuit naming Pope Benedict XVI and other top Vatican officials as defendants.

Attorney Jeff Anderson had filed the lawsuit at the peak of a European explosion of the sex abuse scandal in 2010, alleging that the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and his deputies knew about allegations of sexual abuse at St. John’s School for the Deaf and prevented internal punishment of the accused priest, the late Rev. Lawrence Murphy.

The Vatican rejected the lawsuit then as a publicity stunt.

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

UNITED STATES
Booman Tribune

by BooMan
Fri Feb 10th, 2012

What I can’t get over is that people like Patrick Lee can say that taking the Pill is “gravely morally wrong” and keep a straight face. When 99% of women use contraception at some point in their lives, it appears obvious that only the truly deranged think there is something gravely morally wrong with using birth control. Yes, I know that the Vatican holds that position but the Pope also wears a funny hat. If Catholics don’t take him even remotely seriously, then why should I? Why should everyone else?

This is a theological problem for the Church and its followers, but it’s only a political problem if the Republicans want to get their asses kicked like they’ve never been kicked before.

Let me make something clear. The priesthood, Bishops, and Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church have got to spend less time lecturing the rest of us about their outdated views on sexual morality, and discover some modern sexual morality:

An attorney says at least 8,000 kids were sexually abused by over 100 priests and other offenders in the Milwaukee Catholic Diocese. Jeffrey Anderson made the assertion yesterday at a court hearing on the first compensation claims filed by abuse victims as part of church’s bankruptcy proceedings. Anderson told Judge Susan Kelley that sealed bankruptcy documents outlined the extent of the abuse. He said the offenders include 75 priests who have not been previously named by the archdiocese. Anderson represents over half of the 570 victims who filed for compensation.

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

CALIFORNIA
Google

Each pin represents a city or neighborhood where a Catholic priest or priests suspected of abuse are living, according to an attorney who represents hundreds of plaintiffs who sued the LA Archdiocese for molestation they say was inflicted on them by priests and clergy of the church.

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

CALIFORNIA
NBC Southern California

By Frank Snepp

Friday, Feb 10, 2012

Some 200 Catholic priests suspected of sexual abuse are living undetected in communities across California, according to an attorney who represents hundreds of plaintiffs who sued the LA Archdiocese for molestation they say was inflicted on them by priests and clergy of the church.

Ray Boucher has mapped sixty locations where suspect priests live, in cities and towns from northern to southern California, and provided those locations to NBC4 exclusively.

“Many if not all these priests have admitted to sexual abuse,” Boucher said. “They live within a mile of 1,500 playgrounds, schools and daycare centers.”

Since none of the priests has actually been convicted of sex abuse, none can be identified under Megan’s Law, or their whereabouts revealed in related public databases.

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

HAWAII
Honolulu Civil Beat

Former Hawaii homeless coordinator Marc Alexander has a new job: as director of development for the state’s oldest and largest homeless shelter, The Institute for Human Services.

IHS sent around a press release a few minutes ago making the announcement. He’ll be reaching out to other organizations in the community to help IHS end homelessness, the press release says.

Alexander has been much in the news for the past month. In January, he resigned as the state’s homeless coordinator amid allegations of sexual misconduct as a priest. While those questions continue to be raised by critics of the Catholic Church and others, other questions are being asked about whether Gov. Neil Abercrombie knew of the concerns. Read Civil Beat’s story on that here.

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

HAWAII
Star-Advertiser

Marc Alexander, who resigned last month as state coordinator for homelessness initiatives, has been hired as director of development for the Institute for Human Services, the Iwilei-based homeless service provider announced today.

“We’re very excited to have Marc on board with us in this new role. He brings a wealth of knowledge about the non-profit sector and will be a real asset to IHS,” IHS Executive Director Connie Mitchell said in a news release.

Alexander said, “IHS is a top-notch agency who follows best practices in helping both the homeless and those who are at-risk. I had the opportunity to work closely with them during my time with the State and was impressed with their outcome reporting and service delivery. I’m very happy to be joining their team.”

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

CONNECTICUT
The Hartford Courant

By EDMUND H. MAHONY, emahony@courant.com
The Hartford Courant

7:36 p.m. EST, February 10, 2012
WATERBURY —
A former altar boy who was sexually abused by a priest 30 years ago won a $1 million damage award Friday after a jury found that the Archdiocese of Hartford was reckless and negligent when it appointed the priest, who had a history of child abuse, as principal of the boy’s parochial grammar school.

“This is validation that things that occurred in the past were not my fault or the fault of any of the victims,” said the former altar boy, now an adult businessman and father of two. “This is the most important part of my healing process. This predator was placed in a position where he could hurt me. I’m hoping that other victims can begin their healing process and the church does the right thing going forward.”

An emotional, civil jury of four women and two men delivered the verdict at mid- morning Friday after barely four hours of deliberation. The finding for the victim, identified in court papers as Jacob Doe, followed what is believed to be the first public trial of a sexual abuse claim against the archdiocese.

Some jurors were still trying to compose themselves as they left the courthouse.

“We were trying so hard to do what was right by everybody, and I don’t think I can talk right now,” said forewoman Mary Pat Noonan. “We were working very hard together to be fair … and we are very proud of the job we did.”

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

CANADA
The Sault Star

By Brian Kelly

Elizabeth McKenna will never get the apology she always wanted.

Rev. Francis Reed, the Catholic priest who allegedly sexually abused her for a decade, died Jan. 31 in Newcastle, England.

Reed was ordained in 1964. He was assigned to Blessed Sacrament parish on Cathcart Street where he met a 17-year-old McKenna that same year.

“I had always held out a miniscule hope that before he left this Earth he would fully acknowledge what he did and perhaps apologize to me,” said McKenna.

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

IRELAND
The Irish Times

BREDA O’BRIEN

MARIE COLLINS made news all around the world this past week. Her passionate and graphic description of what it is like to be abused by a priest, and then to find religious authorities dismissive and obstructive when she revealed the crime, seems to have stunned some bishops into finally understanding the depth of harm caused by sexual abuse.

She spoke at the “Towards Healing And Renewal” conference at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, and says that she found it a “huge changing point” for her, because she could see real commitment to reform and accountability.

I don’t think there is a person in the country who doesn’t fervently wish that the conference will mark a huge changing point, not just for Marie Collins, but for the church in general.

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

PHILIPPINES
Inquirer

By Jerome Aning, Leila B. Salaverria
Philippine Daily Inquirer
5:23 am | Saturday, February 11th, 2012

MANILA, Philippines—A party-list lawmaker on Friday said the usual reaction of victims of sexual abuse by members of the Philippine clergy was to keep silent, either in deference to the Church or for fear of scandal.

In at least one case, the clergy sought to protect its own by simply moving the priest to another parish, Gabriela Representative Luz Ilagan told the Inquirer.

“In our culture, where there is a long history of control by the Catholic Church, there is deference to them. And then the victims feel shame. Their emotions get all mixed up, so they are afraid to report what happened,” Ilagan said. “Who will believe you? You are complaining against someone who has moral ascendancy.”

Victims also keep the abuse to themselves because they don’t want the stigma associated with it and because they feel they would be dishonored if they revealed what happened, she said.

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

NEW YORK
The Citizen

Justin Murphy The Citizen | Posted: Friday, February 10

Former Holy Family Pastor Dennis Shaw has been fired from his part-time job at the Auburn YMCA, the latest fallout from allegations that he sexually abused two boys while serving at a Rochester area church in the late 1970s.

Shaw, who was pastor at Holy Family from 2005 until his dismissal in December 2010, had worked mornings behind the front desk at the YMCA for about 25 hours a week since last summer.

An investigation by the Roman Catholic Church Diocese of Rochester determined that he sexually abused two boys under the age of 16 in the late 1970s and early 1980s when he was pastor at the now-closed St. Francis of Assisi Church in Rochester.

Last week, a diocesan review board confirmed the investigation’s findings and forwarded the matter to the Vatican for final resolution.

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

VATICAN CITY
Prensa Latina (Cuba)

Rome, February 10 (Prensa Latina) The Vatican underestimated on Friday a report released by an Italian newspaper about an alleged plot to assassinate Pope Benedict XVI in November, but did not denied the article.

“I have not denied the existence of this document, but it is clear that this is something that can not be taken seriously,” Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi told a television channel.

The newspaper Il Fatto Cuotidiano reported on Friday that Cardinal Dario Castrillon took to the Vatican Secretary of State, a text, written in German, on a conversation of the Archbishop of Palermo, Paolo Romeo, during his trip to China last November.

Bishop Romeo expected with certainty concern the Pope’s death in November 2012, said the newspaper that quoted the document.

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

TEXAS
Houston Chroncile

By Susan Carroll

The CEO/president of Catholic Charities Galveston-Houston has announced plans to resign after more than six years at the helm of the nonprofit organization.

The organization confirmed the departure of Bonna Kol in a statement but did not respond to questions about whether her resignation was connected to the fallout from a sexual abuse scandal at St. Michael’s Home for Children. …

Kol’s resignation comes about four months after the organization found itself at the center of a major scandal for attempting to cover up the sexual abuse of an 8-year-old boy at one of its shelters for immigrant children.

The federal Office of Refugee Resettlement issued a scathing report that found the group’s senior management “deliberately misled” federal officials about a July 1 sexual assault at one of the shelters run through its St. Michael’s Home for Children.

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

NEW YORK
WSYR

Auburn (WSYR-TV) – A former priest has been fired from the Auburn YMCA after a report found sex abuse allegations against him are credible.

Dennis Shaw worked at the YMCA’s front desk from last summer, up until this week.

That’s when the Rochester Diocese released its findings claiming Shaw abused two boys under 16 years old.

They say sexual abuse started in the late 1970s at the St. Francis Assisi Church in Rochester and one of the victims claims it happened over a period of several years

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

CANADA
CBC

A former Catholic priest has been sentenced to three years in prison for sexually assaulting more than a dozen boys who were in his care in the 1970s and 1980s, when he was in charge of a school dormitory in the Quebec City region.

Raymond-Marie Lavoie, 71, pleaded guilty last year to assaulting 13 boys.

The crown prosecutor had recommended he be given an eight-year sentence, but the judge in the case decided that was too long.

The three-year sentence is a disappointment to Frank Tremblay, one of Lavoie’s victims who was just 13 years old when he was first assaulted by the former priest.

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

UNITED STATES
Irish Central

Cahir O’Doherty

Let’s pause in the middle of this clearly manufactured ‘controversy’ between the White House and some Catholic leaders over the new rule on providing contraception to consider the following.

Yesterday attorney Jeffrey Anderson revealed at least 8,000 children were sexually abused by over 100 priests and other offenders in the Milwaukee Catholic Diocese.

Anderson told Judge Susan Kelley that sealed bankruptcy documents gave the true picture of the massive extent of the abuse there. He added that the offenders included 75 priests who have not been previously named by the archdiocese.

I bring this up because the disconnect between the church’s concern for life at conception as apposed to life-in-process has always been very striking. I’m not the first to have noticed this, of course, but I’m amazed that it continues without censure in the media.

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

VATICAN CITY
Irish Independent

By Nick Squires, Rome

Friday February 10 2012

THE Pope will die within the next 12 months, a senior Vatican figure has reportedly claimed amid fears of an assassination plot.

The sensational prediction was allegedly made by Cardinal Paolo Romeo, the archbishop of Palermo in Sicily, on a recent visit to China.

Cardinal Romeo reportedly made the startling prediction of the Pope’s death during a trip to China in November 2011.

He seemed so sure of the fact that the people he spoke with, including Italian businessmen and Chinese representatives of the Catholic Church, were convinced that he was talking about an assassination attempt.

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

VATICAN CITY
ADN (Italy)

Vatican City, (AKI) – The Vatican is reportedly investigating an Italian cardinal’s prophesy that Pope Benedict XVI will die in November.

Cardinal Paolo Romeo, the archbishop of Sicily’s largest city Palermo, in November during a trip in China envisioned Benedict’s death., according to a report by the Il Fatto Quotidiano newspaper.

Those privy to Romeo’s prediction believed that it could involve the assassination of the pontiff, according to the report. Dario Castrillon Hoyos, a senior Colombian cardinal, in early January delivered an anonymously written memo regarding the vision to Vatican secretary of state Tarcisio Bertone, the Church’s second-in-command.

Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi didn’t deny the existence of the memo but referred to the memo as “ramblings that aren’t taken seriously.”

The memo was circulated in German, probably to reduce the danger that it could be understood and leaked.

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