ABUSE TRACKER

VATICAN CITY
The Associated Press

December 17, 2018

The Latest on a U.S. archbishop’s request to address sexual misconduct allegations against former St. Paul and Minneapolis Archbishop John Nienstedt (all times local):

11:15 p.m.

Former St. Paul and Minneapolis Archbishop John Nienstedt says he would welcome an investigation into an allegation of sexual misconduct that he claims is untrue.

In a Monday email to The Associated Press, Nienstedt says it’s difficult to defend himself against the claims because it’s his word against the accusers’ and he doesn’t want to harm them.

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VATICAN CITY
Reuters

December 19, 2018

By Philip Pullella

Pope Francis accepted the resignation of a bishop in Los Angeles accused of sexually abusing a minor, the Vatican said on Wednesday, in the latest case of clergy misconduct to shake the U.S. Catholic Church.

A brief Vatican statement said Alexander Salazar, 69, an assistant bishop in Los Angeles, was stepping down. It also distributed a letter on the Salazar case written by the current Archbishop of Los Angeles, Jose Gomez.

The U.S. Catholic Church is still reeling from a U.S. grand jury report that found that 301 priests in the state of Pennsylvania had sexually abused minors over a 70-year period.

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BOSTON (MA)
Boston Magazine

December 17, 2018

By Lisa Weidenfeld

Pauley Perrette and Sasha Alexander decided to speak up in defense of the actor.

We’ve now reached one of the more tedious parts of the #MeToo news cycle: That Man Accused of Harassment Has Always Been Nice to ME. After the New York Times published a report indicating Watertown native Eliza Dushku won a $9.5 million settlement from CBS after Michael Weatherly harassed her on the set of the show Bull, some of his former NCIS co-stars took it upon themselves to speak up in the actor’s defense.

“This man…I love, respect, trust, and I KNOW,” tweeted Pauley Perrette alongside a picture of herself with Weatherly, a man who was filmed saying that “he would take Ms. Dushku to his ‘rape van,’” per the Times report.

But Perrette wasn’t the only actress to suddenly be inspired to speak up in defense of a man who called his coworker “Legs.” Rizzoli & Isles star Sasha Alexander was also struck by the need to defend Weatherly publicly. “I have been in trenches w/my friend @M_Weatherly. Always laughs, true friend and [heart emoji] as big as they come,” she tweeted above a picture of herself with Weatherly, who was politely confronted about making a threesome joke about his work colleague and then complained in a text message to the president of CBS Television Studios about her sense of humor, and then somehow for (allegedly) unrelated reasons she lost an opportunity for a series regular gig.

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AUSTRALIA
Australian Broadcasting Corporation

December 19, 2018

By Edith Bevin

A priest who worked at the Marist College in northern Tasmania in the 1960s has been sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to historical sex crimes.

He will serve a minimum non-parole period of two years.

Thomas Fulcher pleaded guilty in the Burnie Supreme Court earlier this month to three counts of indecent assault.

The court heard there were two complainants, both students at the school during the time Fulcher was the Marist College priest between 1960 and 1967.

Fulcher’s victims, now aged in their 60s, came forward and reported the abuse during the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

Fulcher, now aged 84, admitted he had made one boy perform a sex act in front of him and had also touched him on the genitals.

The priest then put on his confessional robes and took the boy’s confession about what had just happened.

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BRIGHTON (NY)
WROC TV

December 20, 2018

By Howard Thompson

A priest accused of having inappropriate conduct with another man won’t face charges, Brighton police announced Thursday.

Chief Mark Henderson says investigators received a report in September from a man who said he was subjected to unwanted contact by Father Erick Viloria in 2013, when the victim was 23.

Police investigated and say they found the alleged conduct was criminal, but — after consultation with the district attorney — they determined the accusations were outside the Statute of Limitations. As a result, the case against Viloria has been closed.

The chief says the victim initially reported the conduct to the Diocese of Rochester who directed the victim to police.

Viloria, who most recently served at a church in Geneva, was removed from the public ministry earlier this month along with another priest: Father Thomas Valenti.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests

December 19, 2018

Today, Illinois’ attorney general has released a preliminary report into clergy sex abuse and cover-ups in Illinois. The details within the report will no doubt be shocking to the public, but sadly, sound all too familiar to us.

According to AG Lisa Madigan’s report, dioceses in Illinois have, for decades, kept hundreds of names of abusive priests secret . Despite telling the public that there have been, in total, 185 priests “credibly” accused of abuse, the AG’s office concluded that there are many as 690. Making matters worse, when informed of allegations of abuse, the Illinois Dioceses have at best done token investigations and at worst outright ignored the accusations.

Ignoring allegations would be awful even if it only happened once, but AG Madigan’s report shows that Illinois Dioceses have ignored or minimized nearly ¾ of all allegations reported. And, when they do investigate, the AG makes the damning claim that “they frequently found reasons not to deem an allegation ‘credible.’”

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NEW YORK (NY)
New York Times

December 20, 2018

By Sharon Otterman

The Rev. Donald G. Timone, cloaked in the purple and gold robes of Advent, led the procession down the central aisle of St. Joseph’s Church here on the first Sunday of December.

Celebrating the 11:30 a.m. Mass, he preached of the need to open one’s heart to Jesus in these days before Christmas. “He understands we are not perfect,” he said, “but he will not give up on us.”

But Father Timone, by the Catholic Church’s own apparent standards, should not be presiding at the altar. Two settlements were paid by the Archdiocese of New York for substantiated allegations that Father Timone had sexually abused teenage boys he was counseling, one of whom committed suicide after what his widow said was decades of struggling with what had happened to him.

As the clergy abuse scandal continues to roil the Catholic Church, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, the archbishop of New York, has been under tremendous pressure to prove he has brought accountability to how his diocese, the second-largest in the country, handles the issue of child sexual abuse.

But the archdiocese is essentially allowing Father Timone to continue serving as a priest because of a bureaucratic technicality — a position that seems to fly in the face of the cardinal’s pledge to aggressively handle sexual abuse accusations.

The archdiocese maintains that Father Timone has been allowed to remain because the church itself did not rule on his fitness; that judgment was made by a separate, church-sponsored panel, the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program. The settlements were paid in 2017 through that program, which Cardinal Dolan established the previous year to provide closure and a measure of justice to victims of sexual abuse by priests.

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BALTIMORE (MD)
Baltimore Sun

December 20, 2018

I am writing to defend the reputation of the late Jesuit priest, Robert B. Cullen. According to a story in The Sun, Father Cullen is alleged to have abused a child during his tenure at Loyola Blakefield from 1952 to 2002 (“Maryland Jesuits release list of about 30 men ‘credibly accused’ of sexual abuse of children,” Dec. 17).

I have no knowledge of the alleged offense or offenses in this situation. No details were included in the story. But I am dismayed to see Father Cullen placed in the disgraceful category of child abuser because Jesuit officials have concluded there was a “reasonable possibility” that he committed the alleged offense.

This strikes me as an absurdly flimsy basis for such a terribly damaging blow to the reputation of a man whom my classmates and I respect for his integrity and dedication to his responsibilities as our guidance counselor.

Whenever any of us needed help through the tumult and confusion of adolescence, or through the stresses of a competitive academic environment, Father Cullen was there. He prodded us, encouraged us, challenged us to persevere, to have faith in ourselves and in each other, to honor the Jesuit motto: “Men for Others.” We will never forget him. That is why it is so painful to see his memory tarnished because of what appears to be a reckless, ill-advised effort to show a commitment to accountability.

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CHICAGO (IL)
WLS TV

December 19, 2018

By Chuck Goudie, Eric Horng and Barb Markoff and Ross Weidner

A stunning new report on sexual abuse by priests in Illinois has determined that Catholic Church officials knowingly withheld from the public the names of at least 500 clergymen accused of misconduct.

Preliminary findings of an ongoing investigation by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan released Wednesday are the most scathing assessment yet of how the state’s six Roman Catholic dioceses have handled sexual abuse allegations against priests and other clergy.

Madigan’s highly critical report states that the Church has “failed in its moral obligation to provide survivors, parishioners and the public a complete and accurate accounting of all sexually inappropriate behavior involving priests in Illinois.” The attorney general’s statement comes even as Catholic Church officials have touted their renewed transparency and freshly updated lists of priests credibly accused of sexual misconduct.

Madigan’s preliminary report found that Illinois’ six Roman Catholic dioceses “often disregarded allegations by not investigating the allegations, or finding reasons not to substantiate the allegations.” The Attorney General’s investigators wrote that the “dioceses also often found reasons to discredit survivors’ stories of abuse by focusing on the survivors’ personal lives” and that “based upon its review, the Office believes that additional allegations” of clergy sexual abuse “should be deemed ‘credible’ or ‘substantiated’ by the Illinois Dioceses.”

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Inquirer

December 20, 2018

By Julia Terruso and Angela Couloumbis

Last month, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia launched a compensation fund program that would, in the words of Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, begin to acknowledge the “evil done” to scores, if not hundreds, of victims who were abused as children by Catholic clergy.

The fund, and others like it statewide, were established in part as a preemptive measure in the wake of an unsuccessful but hotly contested legislative proposal to change the statute of limitations and let victims sue for decades-old abuse. Church officials and some advocates have hailed the new efforts to acknowledge and compensate victims.

Yet an entire class of victims is being shut out of Philadelphia’s program because their assailants belonged to independent Catholic religious orders, even in cases where the abuse occurred at diocesan parishes or schools. Nearly a fourth of the abuse claims submitted so far to the archdiocese have been rejected because they allege abuse by members of religious orders, such as the Franciscans, Augustinians, or Jesuits.

One woman who filed such a claim this fall said it was the first time she ever told anyone about the Spiritan order priest she said repeatedly pulled her from her first-grade class in the 1950s to grope her at Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament school in the city’s Fairmount section.

When she was told she was ineligible for compensation, she said, “I felt like I was being violated all over again.”

The Philadelphia Archdiocese was the first diocese statewide to launch its compensation fund, formally known as the Independent Reconciliation and Reparations Program (IRRP), and already has fielded 42 applications. The other dioceses are expected to have their funds up and running early next year.

Philadelphia’s program is open to any person who was a child victim of sexual abuse by a priest or deacon within its jurisdiction, which beyond the city includes Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties. Claims can be submitted through Sept. 30, 2019.

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CHICAGO (IL)
New York Times

By Laurie Goodstein and Monica Davey

December 19, 2018

The Catholic Church in Illinois withheld the names of at least 500 priests accused of sexual abuse of minors, the state’s attorney general said Wednesday in a scathing report that accused the church of failing victims by neglecting to investigate their allegations.

The preliminary report by Attorney General Lisa Madigan concludes that the Catholic dioceses in Illinois are incapable of investigating themselves and “will not resolve the clergy sexual abuse crisis on their own.”

The report said that 690 priests were accused of abuse, and only 185 names were made public by the dioceses as having been found credibly accused of abuse.

“The number of allegations above what was already public is shocking,” said Ms. Madigan in an interview.

The Illinois report is only the latest effort by state prosecutors to hold the Catholic Church accountable by scrutinizing the church’s own records. At least 16 state attorneys general have initiated investigations of varying scope since August, after a devastating grand jury report in Pennsylvania accused more than 300 priests of sexual abuse over 50 years, and accused bishops of covering up.

Unlike Pennsylvania’s voluminous grand jury report, the nine-page report in Illinois does not name accused priests or call out particular bishops for negligence.

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WASHINGTON COUNTY (PA)
Observer-Reporter

December 20, 2018

By Mike Jones

A former counselor who worked at Seton-LaSalle High School has been accused of sexually abusing a student at the South Hills school in the mid-1980s, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh said Wednesday.

The diocese said it recently received an allegation of abuse against Christian Brother David Trichtinger and sent letters to alumni who attended the Catholic school in Mt. Lebanon while Trichtinger was there from 1985 to 1987.

Similar letters were also sent alumni at Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh, where Trichtinger was academic assistant principal from 1991 to 1995. Trichtinger has not served in the Diocese of Pittsburgh since 1995, officials said.

Diocesan officials said they contacted the Allegheny County district attorney’s office upon learning of the allegations. They also informed the Brothers of the Christian Schools in the District of Eastern North America, where Trichtinger serves.

The diocese did not release details on the abuse or when officials learned of the allegations. No charges had been filed against Trichtinger as of Wednesday afternoon.

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SPOKANE (WA)
The Inlander

December 20, 2018

By Wilson Criscione

Situated on Gonzaga’s campus, between the university’s business school and the St. Aloysius Rectory, Cardinal Bea House played host to at least 20 Jesuit priests accused of sexual abuse.
Over the weekend, Reveal published an investigative report explaining how serial sexual predator Father James Poole and at least 20 other Jesuit priests accused of sexual misconduct were sent to a building on Gonzaga University’s campus to live out their remaining years.

Poole’s sexual abuse of young girls in Alaska and his relocation to Gonzaga has been documented in the news before, including in a Spokesman-Review story on a victim of his abuse receiving a $1 million settlement in 2005. According to the Reveal story, the last priest accused of sexual misconduct lived at the Cardinal Bea House on Gonzaga’s campus in 2016.

But Thayne McCulloh, in a statement Monday responding to the story, says he did not know of Poole or his history in Alaska until the investigative report this week.

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ALBUQUERQUE (NM)
Associated Press

December 19, 2018

By Susan Montoya Bryan

Another lawsuit has been filed against the Catholic Church, alleging sexual abuse of a child by a now-deceased priest who once served at Our Lady of Health Parish in Las Cruces.

It’s the latest in a string of legal actions stemming from allegations of clergy sex abuse that span decades and have rocked parishes across the U.S.

New Mexico’s largest diocese — the Archdiocese of Santa Fe — has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in recent months on lawyers to fight claims of abuse and to prepare for a potentially lengthy battle in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. In neighboring Texas, church officials are preparing next month to release the names of priests who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse of a child.

Attorneys for a victim identified only as Jane Doe N filed a lawsuit Monday, naming the parish and the Diocese of El Paso, which used to oversee parts of Southern New Mexico before the Diocese of Las Cruces was created.

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BERGEN (NJ)
North Jersey Record

December 20, 2018

By Deena Yellin

For nearly 20 years, state Sen. Joseph Vitale, D-Middlesex, has been pushing a bill that would offer victims of sexual abuse more time to bring civil claims against their abusers and the institution that may have enabled the abuse.

His proposed measure, S-477, would amend the statute of limitations on filing charges against child sex abusers and would raise the age threshold for filing civil suits to 55, or a seven-year discovery rule, whichever is longer.

Current laws demand that civil action be filed within two years after a victim turns 18.

“For a lot of victims, it takes many years to come to terms with the abuse,” Vitale said. “My legislation would allow victims to file a claim regardless of when they were abused.”

The bill would also allow lawsuits that were dismissed because the statute of limitations had expired to be revived.

The legislation has previously stalled because of a lack of support and, Vitale said, protests from church lobbyists.

Now, in the aftermath of the explosive Pennsylvania grand jury report, his bill has gained enough traction to win approval in the Senate and Assembly, Vitale said.

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BUFFALO (NY)
WGRZ TV

December 20, 2018

An attorney representing 13 clergy sex abuse victims is calling on Bishop Richard Malone to release documents related to pedophile priests and those who tried to cover up the scandal — and then he wants Malone to resign.

Mitchell Garabedian will hold a news conference at 11:30 a.m. Thursday to talk about proposed settlement offers for his clients.

He said some of the victims find the offers acceptable. He called some other offers insulting and says they re-victimize abuse victims/survivors.

Garabedian said the victim compensation program isn’t transparent or consistent and added that some settlement offers don’t have an acceptable explanation.

Garabedian will be joined by three clergy sex abuse victims, two of whom are former priests in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

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LOS ANGELES (CA)
Associated Press

December 20, 2018

By John Antczak and NIicole Winfield

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of a Los Angeles auxiliary bishop, Monsignor Alexander Salazar, following an allegation of sexual misconduct with a child in the 1990s, officials said Wednesday.

The Vatican announced the resignation in a one-line statement. It was the latest in a string of misconduct allegations against bishops to come to light this year, following the scandal of ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington that exposed how bishops have largely avoided punishment for improper behavior.

Pasadena police recommended in 2002 that Salazar be charged with committing a lewd act on a child, but prosecutors declined to bring charges over a lack of evidence, Lt. Jesse Carrillo said. He had no further information.

The current archbishop of Los Angeles, the Most Rev. Jose Gomez, said the archdiocese learned of the claim in 2005. Gomez said the archdiocese forwarded the complaint to the Vatican office handling sex abuse cases.

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[Vatican orders Jesuits to open a “criminal administrative process” into priest accused of child abuse]

SANTIAGO (CHILE)
Emol

December 19, 2018

La Compañía de Jesús aseguró que el padre Leonel Ibacache “se encuentra impedido del ejercicio del ministerio sacerdotal”.

La Congregación para la Doctrina de la Fe encomendó al superior general de la Compañía de Jesús, Arturo Sosa, abrir un proceso administrativo penal al sacerdote Leonel Ibacache por las denuncias recibidas por abuso de menores. Lo anterior, “sobre la base de la investigación previa realizada en Santiago por el abogado Waldo Bown”, designado en abril de este año instructor a cargo de investigar las acusaciones recibidas contra el cura.

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[Experts analyze the fall of Catholicism in the CEP: “The abuses alone do not explain this”]

CHILE
Emol

December 18, 2018

By Consuelo Ferrer

A juicio de los analistas, se trataría de un proceso que viven las sociedades cuando “alcanzan ciertos niveles de desarrollo” y un mayor grado de educación. “Lo que hacen los escándalos de abusos sexuales es acelerar el proceso”, aseguran.

Es un antiguo dicho que viene de la tradición campestre chilena: “comulgar con ruedas de carreta”. Se trata, en simple, de la obligación de creer en algo inverosímil, contrastando de manera exagerada la figura de la hostia con la pieza del vehículo rural, que no podría caber en la boca. Eso es lo que dice Cristóbal Bellolio —doctor en Filosofía Política, académico de la Escuela de Gobierno de la U. Adolfo Ibáñez y autor del libro “Ateos fuera del clóset”— que ha pasado con la sociedad chilena: “Las personas ya no comulgan con ruedas de carreta”, asegura.

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[Santiago priest Sergio Cobo on diminished trust in Church: “They lack gestures of reparation with those who suffered”]

CHILE
La Tercera

December 19, 2018

By María José Blanco

En encuesta CEP. el ítem de “confianza” que se percibe ante la institucionalidad religiosa general bajó de 51% a 13% en un plazo de 20 años.

Sergio Cobo es uno de los principales sacerdotes denunciantes del expárroco de El Bosque Fernando Karadima. En junio de este año se reunió, junto a un grupo de presbíteros, con el Papa Francisco en el Vaticano.

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[Eight out of 10 people believe in God and only one in churches]

CHILE
La Tercera

December 18, 2018

By M. J. Blanco and M. J. Navarrete

Según la encuesta del Centro de Estudios Públicos (CEP), las personas que se reconocen como católicas han caído de un 73% en 1998 a un 55% en 2018.

Un 80% de las personas afirma “creer en Dios y que siempre ha creído”, pero solo un 13% dice tener confianza en las Iglesias y las organizaciones religiosas. Esa es una de las conclusiones que se pueden extraer de la encuesta sobre religión en Chile, que este martes dio a conocer el Centro de Estudios Públicos (CEP).

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BERGEN (NJ)
North Jersey Record

December 20, 2018

By Deena Yellin

For nearly 20 years, state Sen. Joseph Vitale, D-Middlesex, has been pushing a bill that would offer victims of sexual abuse more time to bring civil claims against their abusers and the institution that may have enabled the abuse.

His proposed measure, S-477, would amend the statute of limitations on filing charges against child sex abusersand would raise the age threshold for filing civil suits to 55, or a seven-year discovery rule, whichever is longer.

Current laws demand that civil action be filed within two years after a victim turns 18.

“For a lot of victims, it takes many years to come to terms with the abuse,” Vitale said. “My legislation would allow victims to file a claim regardless of when they were abused.”

The bill would also allow lawsuits that were dismissed because the statute of limitations had expired to be revived.

The legislation has previously stalled because of a lack of support and, Vitale said, protests from church lobbyists.

Now, in the aftermath of the explosive Pennsylvania grand jury report, his bill has gained enough traction to win approval in the Senate and Assembly, Vitale said.

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SAND POINT (ID)
Bonnor County Daily Bee

December 18, 2018

Here’s an idea. Gonzaga University could invite professional conservative martyr Ben Shapiro to reprise the topic of one of his recent Daily Wire podcasts: Has Catholic Church Sex Abuse Been Exaggerated?

Shapiro could conduct an interview much like that one – which he had Sunday with Bishop Robert Barron of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles – in which the bishop said, essentially, yes. The abuse and the widespread cover-ups were bad, the bishop said, they were awful and horrible and inexcusable and the church should pay. But, the bishop said, there’s some truth that the media, as Shapiro phrased it, “are basically picking on the Catholic Church” for a problem that is universal to all organizations and societies.

So, Shapiro could come to Gonzaga, put on that show, and afterward someone could walk him across campus and tell him the story of Cardinal Bea House.

Because – as shown in a great piece of reporting by Emily Schwing of the Northwest News Network – the story of the Bea House and its use as a final stop for at least 20 priests accused of sexual assault and abuse is another example of the ways in which the church’s sex abuse scandal was not at all like the sex abuse scandals of other organizations, but which flourished in the particular culture of Catholic clergy and which was forgiven and ignored and covered up by church leaders in such a way that the tendrils of the thing are still woven into the institutions.

Schwing’s reporting shows the Bea House, right in the middle of the campus, was used specifically, though not solely, as a place where abuser priests – even priests believed to be certain to reoffend – could be kept and monitored in secrecy.

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DUNEDIN (NEW ZEALAND)
Otago Daily Times

December 19, 2018

By Chris Morris

A Dunedin survivor of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church is heading to the Vatican in the hope of meeting the Pope, helped by the Catholic Bishop of Dunedin.

Darryl Smith yesterday told ODT Insight he would fly to Rome in February to spend six days at the Vatican, coinciding with a gathering of the leaders of bishops’ conferences from around the world.

The gathering had been called by Pope Francis to discuss the international sexual abuse crisis engulfing the church, and would run from February 21-24 next year.

Cardinal John Dew, of Wellington, would be New Zealand’s official representative at the gathering, but Mr Smith would also be there, joining other survivors from around the world at the Vatican.

Mr Smith said his trip had been partly funded by Dunedin Bishop the Most Rev Michael Dooley, who had offered ”several thousand” dollars towards his costs.

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Get Religion

December 19, 2018

By Julia Duin

This has not been a good week for the Jesuits, what with two U.S. Jesuit provinces releasing a list of 84 clergy credibly accused of sex abuse. Including those on another list released Dec. 7, that’s about 230 Jesuits credibly accused of abusing a child since the 1950s.

Where did some of these Jesuits go once they were accused? To a Catholic university in Spokane, we learned on Monday. A team of three reporters from Reveal, from The Center for Investigative Reporting tell us that Gonzaga University served as a retirement center for 20-some priests who were accused of sexual misconduct in Alaska or on Indian reservations.

This is a depressingly familiar pattern: Hide the erring priests in places attended by minorities or in the middle of nowhere. Tmatt wrote in November about how Hispanic parishes in the 1980s were increasingly on the receiving end for shady priests.

Alaska has been a dumping ground for predators for years. PBS had a huge story called “The Silence” on this back in 2011 by Mark Trahant, a Native American journalist. It talks about how 80 percent of the youth in one Alaska village were molested by someone in the church and has pretty amazing video of Natives talking about their abuse. Read the transcript here if you don’t have time for the 28-minute documentary.

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WATERBURY (CT)
WTNH News

December 18, 2018

By LaSalle Blanks

The Archdiocese of Hartford’s decision to name priests next month that it says are credibly accused of offenses is getting a lot of reaction in Connecticut and today, a support group that helps victims of abuse by clergy shared its reaction to News8. The women who run the group, called SNAP (short for “Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests”), were abused by priests outside of Connecticut when they were minors.

Beth McCabe tells News8 she was abused by a priest on Long Island, NY when she was 12 years old. Memories came flooding back while she looked at an old picture of herself at church at that age.

“I see a young girl, who despite this white robe, was in a lot of pain,” Beth said.

Her SNAP co-leader, Gail Howard, says when she was 17, she was sexually abused by a priest in Oak Park, Illinois, where she grew up.

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LOS ANGELES (CA)
Los Angeles Archdiocese

December 19, 2018

By Archbishop José H. Gomez

On December 19, 2018, the Holy See announced that Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop Alexander Salazar. Archbishop José H. Gomez issued the following letter to the faithful of Los Angeles.

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Today, the Holy Father Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Auxiliary Bishop Alexander Salazar, who most recently served as Vicar for the Office of Ethnic Ministries of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

I regret to inform you that in 2005, a year after he had been ordained a bishop, the Archdiocese was made aware of an allegation against Bishop Salazar of misconduct with a minor. Although the allegation was never directly reported to the Archdiocese, it was investigated by law enforcement in 2002 and the District Attorney did not prosecute.

The accusation against Bishop Salazar stemmed from alleged misconduct that was said to have occurred in the 1990s, before he was ordained a bishop, when he was serving as a parish priest. Since he was a bishop at the time the allegation was received, the Archdiocese referred the matter to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at the Holy See, which conducted an investigation and imposed certain precautionary measures on the ministry of Bishop Salazar.

Since the allegation was first brought forward, Bishop Salazar has consistently denied any wrongdoing. In the interest of due process, I requested and received permission from the Congregation for Bishops at the Holy See to submit the allegation to the Archdiocese’s independent Clergy Misconduct Oversight Board. The Board found the allegation to be credible and I submitted its findings and recommendations along with my own votum to the Holy See to make its final determination as to Bishop Salazar’s status.

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 (ITALY)
Associated Press

December 19, 2018

By Nicole Winfield

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of a Los Angeles auxiliary bishop, Monsignor Alexander Salazar, following allegations of misconduct with a minor in the 1990s, officials said Wednesday.

The Vatican announced the resignation in a one-line statement. It was the latest in a string of cases of alleged misconduct against bishops to come to light this year, following the scandal of ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick that exposed how bishops have largely avoided sanction for improper behavior.

The current archbishop of Los Angeles, Most Rev. Jose Gomez, said the archdiocese was made aware of the claim in 2005. Gomez said prosecutors declined to bring charges, but that the archdiocese forwarded the complaint to the Vatican office that handles sex abuse cases.

Gomez said that office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, imposed precautionary measures against Salazar and that a further investigation by the archdiocese’s independent review board found the allegation to be credible.

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BALTIMORE (MD)
The Greyhound News

December 19, 2018

Posted by Rodlyn-Mae Banting

Seven former Loyola-affiliated Jesuits named with credible allegations of child sexual abuse
On Dec. 17, the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus released a complete list of Jesuits with credible allegations of child sexual abuse since 1950. Seven of the Jesuits included on the list were previously affiliated with the university or Loyola’s Jesuit Community. This list includes John F. X. Bellwoar, Louis A. Bonacci, Francis C. Bourbon, H. Cornell Bradley, Arthur J. Long, Garrett D. Orr, and Claude L. Ory.

According to a letter that prefaced the list, the Maryland Province asserts a “strict zero-tolerance policy regarding sexual abuse and reports to civil authorities accusations of sexual abuse involving a minor” and views this disclosure of their “shameful history as part of [their] commitment now to preventing abuse.” This policy has only been enforced by the Province since 2002.

As a Jesuit institution, the resurgence of the Catholic Church in the child sexual abuse limelight has caused much pain and change-oriented action within the Loyola community. In mid-October, Campus Ministry, the Center for Community Service and Justice (CCSJ), and the Women’s Center hosted a day of prayer for survivors of sexual abuse. The day culminated in a vigil that allowed for the community to gather and confront their feelings of anger, sadness, and frustration towards the issue.

“Not only was the vigil an important part of the healing process for those directly involved in the sexual assault crisis in the Catholic church, but it was also insightful for those who may not know about the recent allegations,” Kaitlyn Quigley ‘22 said. Quigley attended the vigil and also serves as a writer for The Greyhound. “Holding the vigil was an important step for Loyola to take and I’m glad they did.”

Additionally, earlier this month, professors Dr. Frederick Bauerschmidt and Dr. Angela Russell Christman of the theology department hosted a panel discussion in the Alumni Chapel entitled “The Sex Abuse Catastrophe in the Catholic Church: Seeking a Way Forward.”

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SPOKANE (WA)
Fox 28 News

December 18, 2018

One day after Gonzaga University President Dr. Thayne McCulloh issued a statement apologizing for the University’s role in hosting priests accused of sex crimes, KHQ has interviewed one of those priest’s victims.

Elsie Boudreau says she was sexually abused by Father James Poole in the 1970s. Poole lived out his remaining years in Spokane, retiring to a home called the Cardinal Bea House right in the middle of Gonzaga University’s campus.

Despite the Catholic Church settling with Boudreau, Father Poole never faced any criminal charges.

Boudreau says as she went through the process of speaking up and making her allegations “it became very clear that the Catholic church didn’t care about what happened to me. It was clear they were more concerned with the church and their reputation.” She says that’s ultimately what prompted her to file a lawsuit.

Father Poole left the Cardinal Bea House in 2005, but he’s just one of at least 20 priests accused of sex abuse that have lived in the home, as recently as 2016.

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 (NY)
National Review

December 18, 2018

By Mairead McArcle

A committee of Catholic Church leaders and sexual-abuse experts has chastised Catholic bishops worldwide to take responsibility for the Church’s sex-abuse crisis and to speak personally to victims in their areas — or risk losing the Church’s credibility.

“Absent a comprehensive and communal response, not only will we fail to bring healing to victim survivors, but the very credibility of the Church to carry on the mission of Christ will be in jeopardy throughout the world,” wrote the steering committee of the Vatican’s upcoming February conference on the Church’s sex-abuse epidemic, in a letter to attendees.

The committee is comprised of cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago, cardinal Oswald Gracias of Mumbai, archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta, the Vatican’s top sex-abuse investigator, and father Hans Zollner, an abuse expert in Rome.

“But each of us needs to own this challenge, coming together in solidarity, humility, and penitence to repair the damage done, sharing a common commitment to transparency, and holding everyone in the Church accountable,” they wrote.

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SEATTLE (WA)
Associated Press

December 17, 2018

By Chad Sokol

Jesuit leaders promised Tuesday they will never again send a priest to live at Gonzaga University if they are aware of any “credible allegation” that the priest has sexually abused a minor.

The announcement from the Jesuits West Province followed a request for assurance by Gonzaga President Thayne McCulloh in the wake of a story about predator priests being sent to a retirement home on the school’s campus near downtown Spokane.

The last known abusive priest was moved out of Cardinal Bea House in 2016, Jesuit records show.

“Jesuits West guarantees that no Jesuit with a credible allegation of sexual abuse of a minor is currently or will ever be knowingly assigned to Gonzaga University or the Jesuit community on its campus, nor to any Jesuit work of the Province,” the province said in a statement Tuesday.

Jesuits with credible allegations are on “safety plans” and “reside at the province’s senior health care facility, Sacred Heart Jesuit Center, in Los Gatos, California,” the province said, adding the 250-acre facility is on a hill three-quarters of a mile above the city’s downtown area.

“It is supervised 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” the province said.

A “safety plan” is a series of restrictions the Jesuits impose on priests accused of sexual abuse. Such plans generally include restrictions on travel, public ministry and contact with minors, as well as mandatory monthly compliance meetings with a “delegate” or former parole officer, the province said.

According to a story published over the weekend by the Northwest News Network and the Center for Investigative Reporting, the Jesuits sent at least 20 such priests to live out their lives at Cardinal Bea House on Gonzaga’s campus.

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HUNTSVILLE (AL)
WHNT TV

December 18, 2018

The Catholic Diocese of Birmingham released a startling list last Friday, naming six priests accused of sexually abusing minors.

While the release did include the dates they were removed from the ministry, it did not include where the priests served or what exactly they are accused of.

We have repeatedly asked the Diocese of Birmingham to provide that information, and they acknowledged our request on Friday.

By Monday, a spokesman told us they would get it to us “ASAP,” but as of Tuesday, WHNT News 19 still hadn’t received the information.

WHNT News 19 has called a handful of local Catholic churches to confirm whether or not any of the accused priests served locally, but we’ve been unable to confirm that information at this time.

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BERGEN (NJ)
North Jersey Record

December 19, 2018

By Deena Yellin

Four Jesuit priests who have served in New Jersey institutions were named by the religious order Monday on a roster of leaders who have been credibly accused of sexually abusing minors.

The Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus — which encompasses eight states plus southern New Jersey — released a list of 29 priests who have been accused of abusing minors since 1950 while serving in schools, churches and colleges.

It was the third Jesuit province to release such a list.

“With all that is going on in the church today, we want to be transparent with something that has caused so much pain,” spokesman Mike Gabriel of the Maryland Province said in an interview Tuesday.

Most of the incidents occurred many years ago, and the majority of the people on the list are deceased, Gabriel said, adding that the living Jesuits who were accused are not serving in active ministry and must live in supervised housing.

This publication follows the summer release of the explosive Pennsylvania grand jury report that detailed decades of child sexual abuse by hundreds of Catholic priests.

Jesuits are a Roman Catholic order of priests comprising about 16,000 men internationally who take three vows: poverty, chastity and obedience. They are not part of a 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.

LEXINGTON (KY)
Lexington Herald Leader

December 19, 2018

By Mike Stunson

A pair of attorneys will review priest personnel files and reports of sexual abuse of minors in the Catholic Diocese of Lexington since it was formed in 1988, according to Bishop John Stowe.

The attorneys — Allison Connelly and Andrew Sparks — will be free to report findings to civil authorities while they compile a comprehensive report for the diocese, according to an announcement in the diocese newsletter.

“Because of the history of abuse in the Church, there is not much trust in what the bishops self report; I hope that having independent attorneys conduct a review for the diocese can help with the credibility of such a report,” Stowe said Monday. “If these attorneys find that we in the Catholic Diocese of Lexington have been deficient in our reporting or response to allegations of abuse, I want to be able to correct that.”

Stowe added the the church is “striving for greater transparency to assure people that accusations of abuse are taken with utmost seriousness.” The diocese serves 50 counties in Central and Eastern Kentucky.

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 LONDON (CT)
The Day

December 18. 2018

By Joe Wojtas

Following the Hartford Archdiocese’s Dec. 8 announcement that it will publish the names of priests credibly accused of sexual abuse and report how much it has spent to settle lawsuits prompted by their actions, Diocese of Norwich spokesman Wayne Gignac said Tuesday he has no information about whether the diocese here would take the same steps.

“Parishioners will be informed directly, if and when such a decision is made,” Gignac said.

This weekend, Hartford Archbishop the Most Rev. Leonard Blair announced that in January the archdiocese would publish the names of its clergy members who have been involved in lawsuits and legal settlements or otherwise “credibly accused” along with the names of priests from other religious orders and dioceses who had been credibly accused of an offense that took place in the archdiocese.

He said the archdiocese will also contract for an independent review of all clergy files to identify any additional names dating back to 1953 when the archdiocese was formed. The list of names would be updated as any new information becomes available.

“Finally, the archdiocese will be publishing the financial outlay that has been made as a result of the abuse of minors by clergy and the sources of these funds,” Blair wrote.

Gail Howard, one of the leaders of the Connecticut chapter of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said she had to give credit to Blair for publishing such a list.

“But every diocese should have done this 10 years ago,” she said, adding that she questions whether the names of all accused priests will appear on the list.

She said there are examples across the country in which people who have made complaints against priests say the names of those priests were not contained in similar lists released by their diocese.

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PITTSBURGH (PA)
KDKA TV

December 19, 2018

By Andy Sheehan

It’s a diocese racked with scandal, and, at the same time, undergoing a radical reorganization. You’d expect to see a drop off in attendance, and there has been, but not as much as you might expect.

“People may be upset, repulsed if you will, with the actions of some priests, but their faith is in something deeper,” said Fr. Nick Vaskov.

Mass attendance varies from parish to parish. In some, it’s down sharply; in others, not much at all. But, on average, the diocese says participation is down nine percent.

Given the lurid details of clergy sex abuse, and reduction in the number of masses as part of the “On Mission for the Church Alive” reorganization, the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese is relieved the numbers aren’t far worse.
While parishioners are struggling, the vast majority have not voted with their feet.

“I have conversations with people very often who say that, ‘I need to continue to struggle with what has happened, and what we can do about it, but my faith is in Jesus Christ, and that’s something deeper and I cannot leave that,’” said Fr. Vaskov.

Donations are also down, but the diocese says it can offer no figures on just how much. But, KDKA has heard from some parishioners who still attend mass but are withholding their donations.

While many parishes depend upon an uptick in Christmas and year-end donations to make ends meet, Bishop David Zubik took pains to assure parishioners that they’re contribution would not be going to a newly-established compensation funds for victims of clergy sex abuse.

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DENVER (CO)
December 19, 2018

By Christopher White

In a recent interview with Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, archbishop of Galveston-Houston and president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), DiNardo was asked about a pledge that all dioceses in Texas would release the names of priests credibly accused of sexual abuse.

“‘Credibly accused’ is being worked out in terms of our lawyers even now as we speak,” DiNardo said, adding that independent auditors were also reviewing archdiocesan files.

As the U.S. Catholic Church has attempted to reckon with a mounting crisis of clerical sexual abuse, dioceses throughout the country have begun to release the names of accused priests.

While the first lists of accused priests were published in 2002, the release of a Pennsylvania grand jury report in August has spurred an immediate surge of other dioceses beginning to follow suit – with more than 70 dioceses and numerous religious orders throughout the country having done so.

Yet despite the increasing trend to release names – an initiative widely demanded by sex abuse survivors and praised by watchdog organizations – the practice also raises new questions, most notably being what “credibly accused” actually means and who gets to decide.

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 (ITALY)
Catholic News Service

December 19, 2018

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of 69-year-old Auxiliary Bishop Alexander Salazar of Los Angeles after the archdiocese’s independent Clergy Misconduct Oversight Board recommended he not be allowed to minister because of an allegation of sexual misconduct with a minor in the 1990s.

The Vatican announced Dec. 19 that Pope Francis had accepted his resignation, although the Vatican did not explain the reason for his stepping down.

In a letter to the people of the archdiocese, Archbishop Jose H. Gomez said, “I regret to inform you that in 2005, a year after he had been ordained a bishop, the archdiocese was made aware of an allegation against Bishop Salazar of misconduct with a minor.”

The allegation “was never directly reported to the archdiocese,” he said, but “it was investigated by law enforcement in 2002 and the district attorney did not prosecute.”

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)
Catholic News Agency

December 17, 2018

By Ed Condon

Following the conviction of Cardinal George Pell in the Australian state of Victoria last week, new details have emerged about the nature of the crimes for which he has been found guilty.

Pell was found guilty Dec. 11 on five charges of sexual abuse of minors, following accusations that he sexually assaulted two former members of the Melbourne cathedral choir.

A sweeping court injunction prevents the nature of the accusations, the progress of the case, or the even the result of the trial from being discussed by the media in Australia.

Despite the gag order, CNA has spoken to several individuals who attended Pell’s trial in person, as well as others present for pre-trial hearings in early 2018.

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)
WSOC TV

December 18, 2018

We’ve learned some names of former priests with the Charlotte diocese, who have been accused of abuse.

The Roman Catholic Jesuit Province that is over the east coast released a list of 13 priests, and one served in our area.

H. Cornwell Bradley worked at the Jesuit Community of Saint Theresa in Mooresville in 1988 and 1989.

He worked at Saint Elizabeth of the Hill Country Church in Boone from 1989 to 1993.

There were several allegations against him in the 1970s and 1980s when he worked in the Washington, D.C. area.

He was removed from ministry in 2006.

The Charlotte diocese said Tuesday that this is the first they heard about the allegations.

Another priest is accused of abuse while working in the Asheville area.

The allegations stem from 1982.

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MILWAUKEE (WI)
Urban Milwaukee

December 18, 2018

By Peter Isely .

This week the Midwest Province of the Jesuit order released a list of names of known clerical child sex offenders, including those who were working in Wisconsin.

The release of names comes after months of revelations throughout the United States related to the ongoing crisis of clergy sex abuse and cover up by the hierarchy of the Catholic Church – including its religious orders – who have remained for too long the hidden dimension of this still unfolding story.

This is only a list of names. Those names were compiled by the organization that was responsible for both the abuse and the cover up of child sex crimes. This list does not supply even the most basic information such as the assignment history of the offender or the date the allegation was received.

With every new “name dump” that has been occurring throughout the United States, there has been evidence from justice officials and victims’ organizations that these lists are not complete. Now that this latest list has been released, the attorney general in each state where Jesuits have had offenders should vet these lists for the public. In states where attorneys general have already begun such investigations, such as Illinois, dozens of names have been determined to have been left off lists released by church officials.

More importantly, each name of an offender priest should be accompanied by its church file, which will reveal how that case was handled by church officials. Those names — the names of religious order provincials and bishops who covered up these crimes — are as essential to a full accounting of these crimes as is the name of the offender.

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KANSAS CITY (MO)
KCTV TV

December 7, 2018

By Chris Oberholtz

A Roman Catholic Jesuit province that covers 13 Midwestern and Southern states, Puerto Rico and Belize said Friday that it has found “credible allegations” of sexual abuse involving 42 priests and other ministry leaders dating back to 1955.

The Jesuits U.S. Central and Southern Province, which is based in St. Louis, also released the men’s names. Most are deceased and others are no longer Jesuits. A spokeswoman said four are still members of the province but are not active in ministry and live in supervised housing.

The list names mostly priests, but it also names some brothers, who serve some ministry functions but who are not ordained, and “scholastics,” which are men training to become priests.

Six priests on the list had pastoral connections at some point to either Rockhurst High School or Rockhurst University. Click here for the full list.

Rockhurst High School President David Laughlin sent the following statement to the entire Rockhurst community:

On December 7, 2018 the United States Central and Southern Province of the Society of Jesus released the names of Jesuits who ever belonged to the Province or served in any ministry within the Province against whom “credible claims of sexual abuse of a minor have been made”. Five of these Jesuits were assigned to Rockhurst High School at some point in their ministry. The last year in which any of these five individuals served at Rockhurst was 1984.

All three reports of alleged misconduct related to any Jesuit’s time at Rockhurst were immediately reported to the Province. No Jesuit with a credible accusation currently serves in public ministry.

Rockhurst High School prays for all victims of sexual abuse and their families.

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PITTSBURGH (PA)
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

December 17, 2018

By Peter Smith

A man who said he was sexually abused by a priest in the early 1980s in Monroeville is suing the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh and its two most recent bishops, alleging they covered up for the abuser and failed to report him to authorities.

The lawsuit by Richard Bieranowski alleges fraud, conspiracy and constructive conspiracy on the part of the diocese, current Bishop David Zubik and his predecessor, now-Cardinal Donald Wuerl.

It said former priest William Yockey sexually abused him in 1981 and 1982 while he was assigned to St. Bernadette Parish in Monroeville. It said then-Father Yockey exploited the boy’s trust in him as a mentor and sexually abused him in settings including the church rectory.

The lawsuit said Mr. Bieranowski only learned of the extent of the diocese’s alleged cover-up with the August release of a Pennsylvania grand jury report on seven decades of abuse and coverup within Pittsburgh’s and five other dioceses.

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INDIANAPOLIS (IN)
Indianapolis Star

December 17, 2018

By Andrew Clark

Three Jesuits formerly missioned at Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School in Indianapolis have been accused of sexually abusing minors during their time at the school.

On Monday, the Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus released the names of Jesuits against whom there has been at least one “established allegation” of sexual abuse of a minor since 1955. The organization defines an “established allegation” as a case in which “there is a reasonable certainty that the sexual abuse of a minor occurred.”

“The Midwest Jesuits take this step in the spirit of transparency and reconciliation,” the Rev. Brian G. Paulson, S.J., said in a letter on the organization’s website. “As we look back at our history, the failures of the Society of Jesus and the Church to protect those entrusted to its care fill our hearts with outrage, sorrow and shame. On behalf of the Midwest Jesuits, I apologize to victim-survivors and their families for the harm and suffering you have endured.”

Five of the priests on the list had ties to Indiana, three of whom were once missioned at Brebeuf.

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NEW YORK (NY)
Patheos blog

December 18, 2018

By Fr. Matthew P. Schneider

Too often, the modus operandi in the Church continues to be ignoring problems priests have. So often we look at them and assume as long as they aren’t minors or major PR disasters, we can ignore them. This silence is a disaster! When we ignore serious misconduct in other spheres, we keep these priests from getting help and we open up to ignoring bigger problems.

I want to go through two anonymous examples of priests I’ve spoken with who feel obliged to remain silent regarding other priests’ immoral acts. Also, between the two I ill quote two prominent priests who’ve written about the reasons that priests don’t talk about his.

Anonymous Priest on Homosexuality
A few months back, a priest contacted me with a tale of actively homosexual priests and further sexual misconduct by priests. He hoped I could get his words published but since he wanted no names or even dioceses included, what he said would remain rumors. I won’t publish such rumors. I will, however, post his options regarding this silence, remembering they are only opinions.

This Anonymous Testimony
This priest feels silence on this topic is his only option. He said, “I am not permitted to discuss the homosexual nature of these incidents.” And, he followed up, “I don’t know how I can get beyond this until clergy homosexuality is accepted as a legitimate topic for deliberation and effective resolution.”

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THE BALKANS
BIRN

December 17, 2018

By Maja Zivanovic

The Serbian Orthodox Church, which wields considerable influence in the Balkan state, has long been accused of covering up sexual abuse within its ranks.

A London-based lawyer says he is preparing to file a lawsuit in the UK against the Serbian Orthodox Church, seeking damages on behalf of six claimants over alleged sexual abuse by its priests.

Mladen Kesar told BIRN the alleged abuse occurred in Serbia and ethnic Serb areas of Bosnia and Croatia, but that due to strong ties between the state and the Serbian Orthodox Church the claimants were unlikely to find justice in local courts.

“We are in the process of finalising this claim, which we are hoping to file within the next few days, subject to counsel’s advice and availability,” Kesar told BIRN on December 12.

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VATICAN CITY
Reuters

December 18, 2018

By Philip Pullella

The Roman Catholic Church’s leading experts on sexual abuse told bishops on Tuesday finally to take responsibility for a global clerical abuse scandal and go and speak personally to victims, or risk seeing the Church lose its credibility worldwide.

Pope Francis has summoned the heads of some 110 national Catholic bishops’ conferences and dozens of experts and leaders of religious orders to the Vatican on Feb. 21-24 for an extraordinary gathering dedicated to the sexual abuse crisis.

Victims of clergy sexual abuse are hoping that the meeting will finally come up with a clear policy to make bishops themselves accountable for the mishandling of abuse cases.

“Absent a comprehensive and communal response, not only will we fail to bring healing to victim survivors, but the very credibility of the Church to carry on the mission of Christ will be in jeopardy throughout the world,” the conference’s steering committee said in a letter to all participants.

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COLORADO
Lion’s Roar

December 10, 2018

The Sheriff’s Department in Larimer County, Colorado, has confirmed that it is investigating possible criminal activity alleged to have taken place at Shambhala Mountain Center in Red Feather Lakes, Colorado.

David Moore, a spokesman for the department, told Lion’s Roar, “The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office received information involving possible criminal activity involving Shambhala Mountain Center. Investigators are currently sorting through to see where that information leads.”

This follows a report today published by ThinkProgress that says Colorado police have opened a criminal investigation into allegations of sexual assault against Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, leader of Shambhala International, and other members of the organization.

Author Joshua Eaton says that the investigation by the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office has been confirmed by four sources who have spoken to investigators, as well as emails that ThinkProgress has seen.

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COLORADO
Religion News Service

December 10, 2018

By Aysha Khan

Colorado police have opened a criminal probe into sexual assault allegations against the leader of Shambhala International, one of the largest Buddhist organizations in the West, according to a news report.

The progressive news website ThinkProgress reported Dec. 9 that the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office had launched the investigation, attributing the story to four sources who have spoken to investigators and to emails it had obtained.

Shambhala International denied the probe in a statement to ThinkProgress. “At this time, it is our understanding that there is no open criminal investigation in Larimer County,” the organization said.

The reported investigation follows mounting sexual assault allegations against religious leader Mipham Rinpoche, known as the Sakyong or the “king.” Since July, Mipham has temporarily stepped down from his duties after bombshell reports by Buddhist Project Sunshine, a survivors’ support group. Shambhala’s entire governing council resigned the same day.

Buddhist Project Sunshine, which describes itself as “a grassroots independent healing initiative,” was founded by second-generation Shambhala member Andrea Winn. It has published three reports over the past year detailing its unofficial investigation into Shambhala’s sexual abuse crisis. The reports included incidents as recent as 2011 and claimed extensive sexual violence in the Shambhala community, accusing Mipham of sexual assault, rape and sex abuse against minors, and and alleging serious cover-ups by Shambhala officials.

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BRAZIL
Meredith Videos

December 17, 2018

An internationally famous Brazilian “spiritual healer” has turned himself into authorities after being accused by hundreds of women of sexual abuse last week, police said.

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ALASKA
The Associated Press

December 17, 2018

By Aaron Sankin, Emily Schwing and Michael Corey

An investigation has found that, for more than three decades, Cardinal Bea House on the Spokane campus served as a retirement repository for at least 20 Jesuit priests accused of sexual misconduct, most of which took place in Alaska Native villages and on Indian reservations across the Northwest.

On the surface, Father James Poole seemed like the cool priest in Nome, Alaska. He founded a Catholic mission radio station that broadcast his Jesuit sermons alongside contemporary pop hits. A 1978 story in People magazine called Poole “Western Alaska’s Hippest DJ . Comin’ at Ya with Rock’n’Roll ‘n’ Religion.”

Behind the radio station’s closed doors, Poole was a serial sexual predator. He abused at least 20 women and girls, according to court documents. At least one was 6 years old. One Alaska Native woman says he impregnated her when she was 16, then forced her to get an abortion and blame her father for raping her. Her father went to prison.

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PITTSBURGH (PA)
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

December 17, 2018

By Peter Smith

Four priests who served in Pittsburgh, including the founding headmaster of the former Bishop’s Latin School, are among Jesuits accused of past sexual abuse whose names were listed Monday by the Maryland Province of their order.

The province is the latest of numerous Catholic jurisdictions around the country to list the names of accused priests in the wake of the Aug. 14 release of a Pennsylvania grand jury report into sexual abuse here.

Those listed include two Bishop’s Latin staff members from the 1960s and two others who served at Pittsburgh parishes into the 1990s, one of whom also served earlier at Bishop’s Latin.

The province listed 13 Jesuits, including current, former and deceased members, against whom credible or established accusations were made.

It listed another eight Jesuits who were subjects of accusations considered to have a semblance of truth. Four other Jesuits who served in different provinces and were accused there also served at some point in the Maryland Province.

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SALT LAKE CITY (UT)
KSTU

December 17, 2018

The Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City has published a list of all priests who have faced credible allegations of sexual abuse involving minors dating back to 1950.

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WHEELING (WV)
WTRF

December 17, 2018

By Sam Coniglio

The Maryland Province of the Jesuits has released the names of Jesuits who have faced “credible or established” accusations of sexual abuse of minors. Three of the names on the list are priests who have served in the Ohio Valley, specifically at Wheeling Jesuit University.

The report states that most cases date back decades and the most recent incident occurred in 2002. None of the allegations stem from their time in the Ohio Valley.

“Although this list is exhaustive and comprehensive as it relates to the Charter at this time and in its present form, the Diocese reserves the right to update the list should more information become available as time goes on,” said the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston in a statement.

The three names in question, their allegations, and the years in which they were in the Ohio Valley:

Louis A. Bonacci (Wheeling Jesuit, 1999-2003) – “Multiple accusations of unwanted touching under and over clothes.”

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BOSTON (MA)
Boston Magazine

December 18, 2018

By Spencer Buell

She’s accused of inappropriate conduct behind the scenes of her Boston-set TV show.

Frankie Shaw, creator and star of the Boston-set Showtime drama SMILF, is under the microscope this week after reports of alleged inappropriate behavior on set.

Shaw’s conduct, according to the Hollywood Reporter, was the subject of an investigation by Disney’s ABC Signature Studios and a star has quit, citing a breach of contract over sex scenes. Sources told the Reporter that actress Samara Weaving will not return to the show, and described her distress at being pressured by Shaw to film scenes in the nude despite a no-nudity clause in her contract. It also detailed apparent violations of what is known in the industry as a “closed set”—in which actors’ exposure to other crew members is limited—while sex scenes were shot. Employees on set have also complained about a hostile environment, and that “writers of color were put in different rooms from Caucasian writers and felt that their ideas were exploited without pay or credit.”

Variety reports that the investigation is over, and that ABC Studios has “concluded that there had been no wrongdoing on Shaw’s part.”

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[Cardinal convicted of abuse – but the media can not report it]

AUSTRALIA
hpd Video

December 17, 2018

By Daniela Wakonigg

Stellen Sie sich vor, einer der ranghöchsten Kardinäle des Vatikan wird von einem weltlichen Gericht des Kindesmissbrauchs für schuldig befunden und die Medien dürfen nicht darüber berichten. Was sich nach dem reißerischen Plot eines Krimis anhört, ist vergangene Woche in Australien tatsächlich geschehen.

Kardinal George Pell hat eine beachtliche Karriere in der katholischen Kirche vorzuweisen. Lange war der heute 77-Jährige der ranghöchste katholische Würdenträger Australiens. Von 1996 bis 2001 war er Erzbischof von Melbourne, von 2001 bis 2014 Erzbischof von Sydney. 2014 wurde er Präfekt des vatikanischen Wirtschaftssekretariats und damit Nummer drei in der inoffiziellen vatikanischen Kirchenhierarchie. Außerdem machte Papst Franziskus Pell zum Mitglied des neunköpfigen Kardinalsrates, eines 2013 neu geschaffenen päpstlichen Beratergremiums.

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[zero tolerance line in case of abuse]

GERMANY
Dom Radio

December 17, 2018

Kölner Erzbistum übergibt Akten an Staatsanwaltschaften

Es ist der nächste Schritt der Aufarbeitung von sexuellem Missbrauch im Erzbistum Köln: Den Staatsanwaltschaften wurden nun Originalakten übergeben. Eine Rechtsanwaltskanzlei wurde zudem mit der unabhängigen Untersuchung beauftragt.

Das Erzbistum Köln arbeitet aktiv mit den zuständigen Staatsanwaltschaften bei der Aufarbeitung von Verdachtsfällen sexuellen Missbrauchs zusammen. Die Staatsanwaltschaft Köln hatte dem Erzbistum in einem Gespräch ihren Bedarf an Aktenmaterial im Zusammenhang mit der MHG-Studie aufgezeigt.

Am Montag wurden die entsprechenden Originalakten übergeben. Bereits am Freitag sind auch den zuständigen Staatsanwaltschaften in Düsseldorf und Bonn Originalakten zugestellt worden. “Damit sind nun komplett alle bekannten Fälle aus der Vergangenheit zur Prüfung und weiteren Ermittlung übergeben”, erklärte der Interventionsbeauftragte des Erzbistums Oliver Vogt.

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[Priests should have sent Messdienern inappropriate SMS]

GERMANY
RP Online

December 17, 2018

By Peter Janssen

Gemeinde in Bedburg-Hau

Bedburg-Hau Ein Pfarrer aus Bedburg-Hau ist von seinem Amt entpflichtet worden. Grund für seine Freistellung sollen zahlreiche SMS-Nachrichten sein, die er unter anderem auch an einen Minderjährigen verschickt haben soll. Der Mann soll die Taten eingeräumt haben.

Die katholische Kirchengemeinde Heiliger Johannes der Täufer in Bedburg-Hau ist eine Vorzeigepfarrei. Ein Seelsorgeteam mit einer Pastoralreferentin und vier Pastoren, bemerkenswerte 257 Messdiener, stets genug Freiwillige, um die Gremien zu besetzen und sieben schöne Gotteshäuser. Bis vergangene Woche. Am Sonntag, 9\. Dezember, las ein Pfarrer noch die Messe. Einen Tag später war er nicht mehr da. Der Bischof von Münster, Felix Genn, hatte den Geistlichen von allen priesterlichen Ämtern freigestellt.

Die Nachricht traf die Gläubigen wie aus heiterem Himmel. Kurzfristig wurde am selben Tag eine Sitzung des Pfarreirats und des Kirchenvorstands einberufen. An der nahmen überraschend auch der Xantener Weihbischof Rolf Lohmann und der Generalvikar des Bistums, Klaus Winterkamp, teil. Den Gremien wurde vage mitgeteilt, warum der ehemalige Pfarrer freigestellt wurde. Details wollte das Bistum nicht preisgeben, da es sich um ein laufendes Verfahren handle. Um 10 Uhr war der Pfarrer entpflichtet worden, um 11 Uhr hatte er seine Sachen gepackt und die Kirchengemeinde verlassen. Bis heute ist von der Diözese nichts offiziell zu dem Vorfall veröffentlicht worden.

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[Archbishopric reports to pastors for fraud]

GERMANY
WDR

December 16, 2018

– Ex-Pfarrer arbeitete im Rheinland
– Mann wegen Missbrauch entlassen
– Falsche Dokumente vorgelegt

Ein wegen sexuellen Missbrauchs aus dem Klerikerstand entlassener Pfarrer aus Kamerun hat unter falschen Angaben als Seelsorger in katholischen Gemeinden des Erzbistums Köln gearbeitet. Gegen den 2013 in seinem Heimatland in den Laienstand versetzten Pfarrer sei Strafanzeige wegen Betrugs erstattet worden, teilte das Erzbistum am Sonntag (16.12.2018) in Köln mit.

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[Abuse in the diocese of Osnabrück: Who is Hermann H. and what did the church know?]

GERMANY
Neue OZ

December 16, 2018

By Stefanie Witte

SEXUELLE ÜBERGRIFFE IN MERZEN

Merzen. Beliebt, geachtet, verehrt – der Pfarrer Hermann H. galt vielen als Musterbeispiel des guten Hirten. Jetzt stoßen drei Männer den Priester vom Sockel. Sie werfen ihm vor, sie sexuell missbraucht zu haben.

Es ist der dritte Adventssonntag, kurz nach dem Familiengottesdienst. Gerade hat es aufgehört zu schneien. Im Pfarrheim von Merzen ist es totenstill. Keine Kaffetasse wird angerührt. „Es geht um sexuelle Vergehen Ihres ehemaligen Pfarrers Hermann H. an Kindern und Jugendlichen Ihrer Gemeinde“, liest der Personalchef des Bistums, Ulrich Beckwermert mit fester Stimme. Rund 150 Gemeindemitglieder hören den Brief von Bischof Franz-Josef Bode.

Gerüchte gab es immer. Aber der Pfarrer galt als ehrbarer Mann. Ehrenpräses der örtlichen Kolpingsfamilie. Einer, der Zeltlager organisierte, mit Jugendlichen durch den Landkreis fuhr. Zur Geburtstagsfeier des Ruheständlers reisten Gläubige aus Merzen eigens mit einem Bus an. Der Bischof sandte ein Grußwort. Nun verdichten sich Hinweise darauf, dass Pfarrer H. Kinder sexuell missbraucht hat. Drei Opfer haben sich beim Bistum gemeldet. Öffentlich auftreten wollen die Männer nicht. Aber das Bild des guten Hirten wollen sie auch nicht länger ertragen. Auf Basis ihrer Aussagen zieht das Bistum nun Konsequenzen.

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[List of 18 Spanish clergy members accused of child abuse who were sent abroad]

MADRID (SPAIN)
El País

December 9, 2018

By Julio Núñez and Iñigo Domínguez

Esta es la lista de religiosos españoles acusados de abusos sexuales que residen en el extranjero que EL PAÍS ha podido confirmar. Varios de ellos han sido incriminados o detenidos en su país de residencia; otros han sido acusados o condenados en España y después han sido trasladados o han huido. Algunos casos tuvieron repercusión mediática en su día, pero luego se ignoraba el paradero de los acusados y que habían salido del país. Otros, que han sido noticia en otros países, han tenido escasa o nula difusión en España. Y, por último, otros son inéditos, descubiertos y contados por EL PAÍS.

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PITTSBURGH (PA)
Tribune Review

December 18, 2018

By Rich Cholodofsky

A second lawsuit has been filed against the Greensburg Catholic Diocese alleging it was aware of ongoing and repeated sexual conduct of its priests and failed to protect a teenage boy who claimed he was a victim of that abuse.

Identified in the lawsuit only as John Doe 2, the now 55-year-old Allegheny County man said he was repeatedly subjected to sexual contact from the Rev. John Tamilowski while attending St. Hyacinth Church in Monessen during the late 1970s.

According to the lawsuit filed Tuesday in Westmoreland County, the man claims he served as an alter boy at the church from the age of 14 to 18 when Tamilowski plied him with gifts, took him out for expensive dinners, gave him alcohol and traveled together on several overnight trips.

Tamilowski engaged him in sexually explicit conversations and later had improper sexual contact with the teenager “at least 25 times,” according to the lawsuit.

The court action filed by Pittsburgh lawyer Alan Perer also described sexual incidents in a Pittsburgh park and another at a “European” health spa.

The Greensburg diocese has not yet responded to a request for comment about the allegations raised in the new lawsuit.

Tamilowski served as a priest in several parishes for more than 40 years before he died in 1994.

He was named in a grand jury report released last summer in which Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro identified more than 300 predator priests suspected of having sexual contact with children.

That statewide investigation found that the Greensburg diocese knew of similar complaints against Tamilowski dating back to the 1960s but continued to allow him to serve as a priest and have contact with children.

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WASHINGTON (DC)
Think Progress

December 18, 2018

By Joshua Eaton

At least four Catholic priests the church believes are guilty of child sex abuse are living at a home for retired clergy in Baltimore, Maryland, ThinkProgress has learned.

The Maryland Province Jesuits, a Catholic religious order, declined to say where the men now live after it published their names Monday in a list of five current priests with “credible or established” accusations of child sex abuse. It said only that they are “in a restricted environment on a safety plan.”

But a database of public records shows that four of the five priests live at the Colombiere Jesuit Community, a home for retired priests in Baltimore’s North Roland Park neighborhood. Information compiled by a victims group also places the fifth priest at Colombiere.

A number of schools are within about a mile radius of Colombiere: Boys’ Latin School of Maryland, Friends School of Baltimore, The Bryn Mawr School, Gilman School, West Towson Elementary, Roland Park, and Redeemer Parish Day School.

“Jesuit officials at Colombiere owe the community and the public an explanation of their safety protocols and practices,” Zach Hiner, executive director of the victim rights group SNAP, told ThinkProgress by email. “They should also confirm that the accused priests are not being permitted to perform any priestly functions that may bring them closer to children or vulnerable adults. To do any less is to do a disservice to the community.”

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[CEP survey finds confidence in the Church suffers significant fall from 51% to 13% in 20 years]

CHILE
La Tercera

December 18, 2018

By Claudia Soto

La confianza en las instituciones religiosas disminuyeron de manera considerable, acercándose a niveles de otras entidades que tienen una baja evaluación, como la industria, el sistema judicial y el Congreso.

Durante esta jornada el Centro de Estudios Públicos (CEP) reveló su encuesta sobre religiones donde se indica que la cantidad de católicos bajó de manera considerable en los últimos diez años. Pero además, se señala que de manera conjunta, la confianza en las instituciones religiosas también sufrieron una importante caída.

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[Felipe Berríos and the Catholic survey downturn: “People require a more mature religion, not based on the threat of hell”]

CHILE
La Tercera

December 18, 2018

By Sebastián Minay

“No nos imaginamos el tamaño de los abusos” cometidos por religiosos, dice sacerdote jesuita, quien recalca que eso dañó hasta las confianzas de los sacerdotes, y con mayor razón de la gente. Para él, la caída en quienes se declaran católicos y en la confianza en las iglesias -según el sondeo conocido hoy- era al menos de esperar.

“La religión debería ser un camino para encontrarse con el Evangelio. Pero hasta ahora ha sido un estorbo para llegar al Evangelio”, es una de las conclusiones que el sacerdote jesuita Felipe Berríos saca a los pocos minutos de conocer algunos números de la encuesta sobre religión que mostró esta mañana el Centro de Estudios Públicos (CEP). La caída en quienes se declaran católicos y en quienes confían en las iglesias son para él, en parte, consecuencia del descrédito ganado tras tantos abusos sexuales cometidos por religiosos, pero también de la relación entre la institución y los creyentes.

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[Cardinal Ezzati’s defense: “There is no record of cover-up”]

CHILE
La Tercera

December 17, 2018

By Sergio Rodríguez

El 30 de enero, en el 13° Juzgado de Garantía de Santiago, se discutirá posible sobreseimiento.

“No existe antecedente alguno que permita imputar al señor cardenal la calidad de encubridor de abuso sexual, siendo ésta la razón por la cual le aconsejé ejercer su derecho a guardar silencio, máxime si se iba a discutir el sobreseimiento definitivo en dos días más”.

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SEATTLE (WA)
Seattle Times

December 18, 2018

By Asia Fields

Gonzaga University President Thayne McCulloh has denied knowing that priests who had retired on campus had histories of sexual abuse, calling the revelations in an investigation published Monday “deeply disturbing.”

The investigation by Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting and Northwest News Network found that at least 20 priests had been sent to retire at the Cardinal Bea House on Gonzaga’s campus, despite supervisors knowing they had sexually abused children. While the house is on the campus, it’s owned and operated by the Jesuit order of the Catholic Church.

In a statement some alumni received Tuesday around 2 a.m., McCulloh said the school was not notified of the priests’ past abuse. McCulloh said he learned that some priests living in the Cardinal Bea House were under “supervised safety plans” following the 2011 Oregon Province bankruptcy, but said he did not know any were Jesuits until 2016.

“I had relied upon the Province to inform us of any Jesuit whose history might pose a threat to our students or campus community,” he said. “I deeply regret that I was not informed of the presence of Fr. Poole, nor any other Jesuit who might pose such a danger, at Cardinal Bea House.”

Reveal and Northwest News Network’s investigation identified Father James Poole as a serial sexual predator whose abuse of young, mostly Alaska Native girls was known to his supervisors. He lived at the Bea House from 2003 to 2015. The former head of the Oregon Province who sent him there, Father John Whitney, told reporters it was the only facility in the province where abusive priests could be monitored.

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SPOKANE (WA)
Spokesman-Review

December 18, 2018

By Chad Sokol

In a statement Monday, Gonzaga University President Thayne McCulloh said the school “has zero tolerance for sexual misconduct of any form” and encouraged victims to file confidential reports at gonzaga.edu/report.

“It is university policy to cooperate fully with any and all investigations of abuse and to take swift action when warranted,” McCulloh wrote.

He said students might also find help at Gonzaga’s Center for Cura Personalis, Health and Counseling Services and Office of Mission and Ministry, while school employees can try the confidential Employee Assistance Program.

McCulloh wrote that “anyone who has been victimized by a Jesuit” should contact law enforcement, child protective services and Mary Pat Panighetti, the advocacy coordinator for Jesuits West, at (408) 893-8398 or mppanighetti@jesuits.org.

Gonzaga University’s president responded late Monday to an investigative report detailing how Jesuit priests accused of sexually abusing children were sent to live in a retirement home on the school’s campus near downtown Spokane.

In a forcefully worded statement, President Thayne McCulloh said he was disturbed by accounts published over the weekend by the Northwest News Network and the Emeryville, California-based Center for Investigative Reporting. He said no priests accused of sexual abuse are currently living in Jesuit retirement homes on or near campus, and he demanded guarantees that no such priests would be assigned there again.

The news story, which appeared in print and on the center’s popular podcast “Reveal,” covers many aspects of the Catholic abuse scandal previously reported by The Spokesman-Review. But it adds new details to the story of the Rev. James Poole, a priest who admitted under oath that he molested indigenous women and girls during his time with a radio station in Nome, Alaska.

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SAN DIEGO (CA)
Union Tribune

December 18, 2018

By Peter Rowe Encinitas

At least three women say the former associate pastor of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Encinitas tried to seduce them.

The allegations rocked the congregation Sunday, Dec. 16, when parishioners opened the church bulletin to find an apology from Bishop Robert McElroy “to all who were subjected to this terrible mistreatment…

“There is no room in the Church or the priesthood for this reprehensible type of misconduct,” McElroy wrote.

This message was a startling departure from the usual church bulletin fare, such as the Christmas Mass schedule and a notice about an upcoming marriage encounter retreat. McElroy, who this fall held a series of “listening sessions” for churchgoers disturbed by an ongoing clergy sexual abuse crisis, has preached the need to be more open about these scandals.

The Rev. Ben Vincent Awongo, 55, left St. John’s on Sept. 1 after the diocese received the second allegation. The first was anonymous and its author could not be found. The second came in August, and led to Awongo’s dismissal.

A member of the Missionary Order of the Apostles of Jesus, a group composed primarily of African priests, Awongo was born in Uganda. He had been working in the San Diego diocese since December 2014.

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INDIANAPOLIS (IN)
CBS 4 News

December 18, 2018

Five priests with ties to Indiana, including three formerly with Indianapolis’ Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School, face allegations of sexual abuse.

The Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus released their names this week. The group said those appearing on the list have had at least one “established allegation” of sexual abuse of a minor since 1955. The organization defined an “established allegation” as a case in which there is “a reasonable certainty that the sexual abuse of a minor occurred.”

Here’s the list of priests with ties to Indiana:

Michael E. Dorrier had at least one incident with a minor while at Brebeuf in 1990. He has been permanently removed from public ministry.

Benard P. Knoth had at least one incident with a minor while at Brebeuf, where he was missioned from 1986 to 1988. He was dismissed and laicized in August 2009. The Archdiocese of Indianapolis said in October that Knoth was accused of abuse in 1978.

Donald O’Shaughnessy faces at least one allegation of sexual abuse. He was at Brebeuf in the 1960s and Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois, in the 1970s. He died in 2013. The Archdiocese of Indianapolis said O’Shaughnessy was accused of sexually abusing two minors in 1965.

Thomas Gannon is accused of multiple abuse cases in Gary as well as Cleveland and Chicago. He died in 2001.

Charles Sullivan faces a single abuse allegation at Our Lady of the Springs Church in French Lick that happened between 1958 and 1959. He died in 1996.

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ROME (ITALY)
Associated Press

December 18, 2018

By Nicole Wiinfield

Organizers of an upcoming Vatican summit on sex abuse prevention are warning that the credibility of the Catholic Church is in jeopardy over the abuse scandal and are urging participants to meet with victims personally before coming to Rome.

In a letter sent Tuesday to the presidents of bishops’ conferences worldwide, organizers said the church must develop a “comprehensive and communal response” to the crisis, and that the first step is “acknowledging the truth of what has happened.”

Pope Francis invited the church leaders to the Feb. 21-24 summit to respond to what has become the gravest threat to his papacy, as the sex abuse and cover-up scandal erupted in the U.S., Chile and elsewhere this year.

In revealing the first details of the preparations for the meeting, the Vatican said the summit would focus on three main areas: responsibility, accountability and transparency.

“Absent a comprehensive and communal response, not only will we fail to bring healing to victim survivors, but the very credibility of the Church to carry on the mission of Christ will be in jeopardy throughout the world,” the organizers wrote.

“Each of us needs to own this challenge, coming together in solidarity, humility, and penitence to repair the damage done, sharing a common commitment to transparency, and holding everyone in the church accountable,” they said.

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MILWAUKEE (WI)
Wisconsin Public Radio

December 18, 2018

By Ximena Conde

At least eight Wisconsin priests and one brother are among more than 60 alleged abusers named Monday on a list by the USA Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus.

The list is not a legal judgment but bears the names of people where the province deemed there was “reasonable certainty” abuse of a minor had taken place.

The Midwest Province is the fourth in the country to release such a list of names. The names are for investigations run by the province that have ended across Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

A person can see by each name if there were single or multiple allegations against the priest and when the alleged abuse occurred.

Places where Wisconsin priests were accused include Campion Jesuit High School in Prairie du Chien, Marquette University High School in Milwaukee and St. Eugene Parish in Fox Point.

The Rev. Glenn Chun helped publish the information, which was put together from “established allegations” submitted to the province. He said the hope in publishing the names is to help past victims in the healing process.

“As well as to help those (who) may have not reported abuse, to help them to be ready to report what has occurred to them,” Chun said, adding that the plan is to keep the list up to date as ongoing investigations close.

Chun said the province has heard the public’s demands to release assignment records of these priests suspected of abuse, and officials are working on compiling those records with a plan to make them public.

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NORWALK (OH)
Norwalk Reflector

December 18, 2018

By Cory Shaffer

The Midwestern region of the Jesuit church on Monday released the names of priests who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors in two regions, including one covering Northeast Ohio.

The list includes 10 former Jesuits who were accused while either serving in or visiting Northeast Ohio at the time the sexual abuse occurred, according to the Midwest U.S. Jesuit Provinces.

The majority of the abuse occurred between the 1950s and 1970s, and many of the accused priests are now dead.

The release comes after similar releases by Catholic Dioceses across the country. The Cleveland Diocese has published a list of credibly accused priests since a sweeping grand jury inquiry in the early 2000s. The grand jury results have been kept under wraps in keeping with grand jury secrecy laws in Ohio.

“As we look back at our history, the failures of the Society of Jesus and the Church to protect those entrusted to its care fill our hearts with outrage, sorrow and shame,” the Rev. Brian Paulson, provincial of the Midwest Jesuits, wrote in a letter coinciding with the release. “On behalf of the Midwest Jesuits, I apologize to victim-survivors and their families for the harm and suffering you have endured. Many of you have suffered in silence for decades.”

The church also hired an investigative service out of Chicago to conduct an independent review of the church’s records in 2019 and will update the list if the service turns up credible allegations against any other priests.

The Rev. Henry A. Brockman faced multiple allegations during the 1950s and 1960s while he served at St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland. Brockman died in 1973.

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WHEELING (WV)
The Intelligencer

December 18, 2018

Three priests who once served in the Northern Panhandle are on a list of those who face “credible or established” accusations of sexual abuse of minors that a Roman Catholic Jesuit province released Monday.

Among the names released by the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus are Robert B. Cullen, who served at Central Catholic High School from 1982-1983 and Wheeling Jesuit College (now Wheeling Jesuit University) from 1983-1990; Louis A. Bonacci, who served at WJU from 1999-2003; and Francis C. Bourbon, who served at WJU from 1992-1993 and 1996-2003 as well as St. Paul’s Church in Weirton from 1993-1994.

None of the allegations occurred when the priests served here.

Bourbon’s occurred in Virginia, while both Cullen and Bonacci’s occurred in Maryland. Cullen and Bourbon have died. Bonacci, who is the only one of the three that also appears on a similar list released Nov. 29 by the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, was removed from active ministry in 2011. He then left the Jesuits in 2014.

Tim Bishop, spokesman for the Wheeling diocese, said Monday night he could not speak to the method used by the Jesuits to determine what constituted a credible allegation. He said the province could have had additional information about its priests that the diocese did not have.

“They would have access to the files for their priests,” he said.

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ROME (ITALY)
Associated Press

December 18, 2018

Former St. Paul and Minneapolis Archbishop John Nienstedt says he would welcome an investigation into an allegation of sexual misconduct that he claims is untrue.

In a Monday email to The Associated Press, Nienstedt says it’s difficult to defend himself against the claims because it’s his word against the accusers’ and he doesn’t want to harm them.

Nienstedt was responding to a letter his successor, Archbishop Bernard Hebda, sent to the faithful on Friday in which he said Nienstedt was accused of inviting two minors to a hotel room in 2005 at a Vatican-organized youth rally in Germany to change out of wet clothes. Hebda said he forwarded that allegation to a Vatican official in 2016, after Nienstedt resigned.

Hebda said the allegation needs to be fully addressed before Nienstedt’s suitability for ministry can be determined and that Nienstedt won’t serve in public ministry in the archdiocese.

Nienstedt resigned as archbishop in 2015 after Minnesota prosecutors charged the archdiocese with having failed to protect children from a predator priest who was later convicted of molesting two boys.

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WASHINGTON (DC)
USA Today

December 17, 2018

By Kevin Johnson

Law enforcement officials from up to 45 states have sought assistance from Pennsylvania authorities in pursuit of alleged misconduct by Catholic priests and related efforts to conceal that abuse by the church, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said.

Shapiro, in an interview with USA TODAY, said the surge of outside inquiries has come just in the past four months since a landmark state grand jury investigation found that more than 300 “predator” priests had abused at least 1,000 victims across six decades.

Since August, the attorney general said, Pennsylvania authorities have joined forces with their counterparts across the country, helping them craft search warrant applications and grand jury subpoenas.

Fourteen state attorneys general so far have publicly acknowledged that they have launched separate clergy abuse inquiries, while the U.S. Justice Department is in the midst of a broader review disclosed in October by church officials who had received demands for documents.

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SCRANTON (PA)
Citizens Voice

December 18, 2018

By Kathleen Bolus and David Singleton

A Jesuit organization released a list Monday detailing allegations of sexual abuse within the order that includes a priest with local ties who was previously not reported.

The Rev. Francis C. Bourbon, S.J., who was not identified in the state grand jury report or by the Diocese of Scranton, served at Scranton Prep from 1969-77 and 1978-81. Bourbon appeared Monday — alongside five other priests who at one point served locally — on a list of Jesuits Credibly Accused of Sexual Abuse of a Minor. The information dates back to 1950 and was released by the Maryland Province Jesuits, a Catholic religious order with priests serving across eight states including Pennsylvania.

Bourbon was accused of a “single allegation of unwanted kiss” in Buckingham, Virginia, around 1985, according the list. His last assignment was at the Wheeling Jesuit University in Wheeling, West Virginia, from 1996-2003. He died in 2007.

“We are deeply sorry for the harm we have caused to victims and their families,” a release on the providence’s website states. “We hope that this disclosure of names will contribute to reconciliation and healing.”

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ROME (ITALY)
Associated Press

December 18, 2018

Pope Francis announced Tuesday a shakeup of the Vatican’s communications operations, replacing the longtime editor of the Holy See newspaper and naming a prominent Italian journalist to coordinate the editorial line of all Vatican media.

Andrea Tornielli, Vatican reporter for Turin daily La Stampa, was named to the new position of editorial director for the Dicastery of Communications, responsible for coordinating the Vatican’s editorial operations.

In addition, the Vatican named an Italian writer and professor, Andrea Monda, to become editor of L’Osservatore Romano newspaper. He replaces Giovanni Maria Vian, a church historian and journalist who has headed the daily since 2007.

The Vatican’s media operations have been undergoing a problematic reform process aimed at reducing redundancies and improving coordination. Among its victims was Vatican Radio and its vast multilingual broadcasts.

The first head of the revamped umbrella communications office, which gathered all Vatican media under one department, was forced to resign earlier this year after he misrepresented a letter from retired Pope Benedict XVI and released a doctored photo of it.

Francis named Paolo Ruffini, who had led the broadcaster of the Italian bishops’ conference, to replace him — the first time a layman had been named to head a Holy See department. In a statement Tuesday, Ruffini said both Tornielli and Monda were bridge-builders who know how to speak to various generations and develop new means of communications.

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DETROIT (MI)
Channel 4 News

December 17, 2018

By Rod Meloni

Archbishop Allen Vigneron shocked some Catholics when he addressed the priest sex abuse scandal and disagreed with the Vatican.

Vigneron’s Advent letter to parishioners expressed his concerns about the sex abuse scandal. It’s highly unusual to see this type of public rift between Rome and its bishops, and the controversy is deeply upsetting to some Catholics.

“I am tempted to discouragement in the face of the ongoing abuse crisis,” Vigneron said in the letter.

He was discouraged by Pope Francis after he gave an order to American bishops at a recent Baltimore meeting.

“I was among many who were surprised and concerned that the Holy See instructed the bishops not to vote on any of our abuse-related proposals,” Vigneron said in the letter.

He further elaborated on the radio.

“I think, unfortunately, we weren’t able to vote, but again, in God’s providence I can see he can bring good out of that,” Vigneron said.

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ROME (ITALY)
Associated Press

December 18, 2018

A prominent US archbishop is asking the Vatican for answers about the status of an investigation into alleged sexual misconduct by his predecessor, who was forced to resign in 2015.

St. Paul and Minneapolis Archbishop Bernard Hebda wrote a remarkable letter to his flock on Friday in which he revealed he sent the Vatican in 2016 a new allegation of improprieties with minors against retired Archbishop John Nienstedt.

County prosecutors informed Hebda of the allegation, he said. It accused Nienstedt of inviting two minors to his hotel room in 2005 at a Vatican-organised youth rally in Germany to change out of wet clothes, the archbishop wrote.

Hebda said Nienstedt “then proceeded to undress in front of them and invited them to do the same”. He noted that Nienstedt denied the allegation.

Nienstedt was forced to resign as archbishop after Minnesota prosecutors charged the Twin Cities archdiocese with failing to protect children from a predator priest who was later convicted of molesting two boys.

Nienstedt was one of the first US bishops known to have been forced from office for botching sex abuse investigations. He also faced allegations of engaging in inappropriate sexual behavior with adults. He denied misconduct, and the archdiocese hired two law firms to investigate, but the results were never made public.

Hebda said as far as he knew, the Vatican suspended the 2014 investigation when Nienstedt resigned in June 2015. He called for a resolution to that probe, and for information about the alleged World Youth Day incident.

“My opinion is this allegation needs to be fully addressed before a definitive resolution of Archbishop Nienstedt’s suitability for ministry can be made,” Hebda wrote.

The Vatican didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.

Nienstedt, who was bishop of New Ulm at the time of the alleged incident in Germany, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But he denied it in an email to the Minneapolis Star Tribune and welcomed an investigation.

“I do deny the veracity of this allegation,” he said. “That being said, I don’t want to speak poorly of the men making these accusations. I welcome an impartial look at the facts and the opportunity to defend myself.”

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WASHINGTON (DC)
Religion News Service

December 17, 2018

By Jack Jenkins

All U.S.-based provinces of the Society of Jesus are releasing the names of clerics they say are credibly accused of child sex abuse, joining other Catholic institutions that are embracing increased transparency as they rush to respond to the resurgence of the Catholic sex abuse crisis.

The revelations are seen as an important step by the Society of Jesus, the Catholic church’s largest male religious order of priests, commonly referred to as Jesuits, which claims more than 16,000 members worldwide, including the pope. Although it does not represent the whole of Catholicism, the group is deeply influential both inside and outside the church: Jesuits operate or are affiliated with several U.S. colleges and universities, including Boston College, Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and Santa Clara University in Northern California.

On Monday, the society’s Midwest province in the U.S. published the names of 65 priests it says have an “established allegation” of sexual abuse of children since 1955.

The accused priests were broken down into three categories: 37 accused of sexual abuse of a minor who were investigated while the Jesuit was living or against whom multiple established allegations were received after his death; 18 with a single established allegation received after his death; and 10 whose names have already been published in another place.

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WASHINGTON (DC)
Catholic News Service

December 18, 2018

Survivors of sexual abuse by clergy, lay employees or lay volunteers in the Diocese of Erie will be eligible to file financial claims with a new compensation fund.

The Survivors’ Reparation Fund will launch in February and was described as an option for abuse survivors who are prevented from seeking compensation through the courts under Pennsylvania’s statute of limitations regarding sexual assault.

Erie Bishop Lawrence T. Persico announced the establishment of the fund Dec. 14 in a news release, saying it would be independently administered by a leading expert who has overseen other compensation funds established in response to high-profile cases.

“It is my sincere hope that the establishment of the Diocese of Erie’s Survivors’ Reparation Fund will provide some measure of justice, closure and validation for the terrible acts that victims endured,” Persico said.

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NEW YORK (NY)
Patheos blog

December 17, 2018

By Rick Snedeker.

There’s good news and bad regarding the Catholic Church’s continuing clergy sex-abuse scandal.

The good news is that American bishops are beginning, independent of papal direction, to publicly release lists of priests “credibly accused” of sexual abuse crimes, particularly against children.

The bad news is that it’s not as simple as it sounds.

As the Catholic Church faces a wave of federal and state attorney general investigations into its handling of sex abuse, bishops around the country have struggled with how to react. Some have locked down defensively. Others are waiting on guidance from the Vatican, which instructed American bishops last month to wait on taking any collective action until the new year.

But dozens of bishops have decided to take action by releasing lists of the priests in their dioceses who were credibly accused of abuse. And they are being released at an unprecedented pace.

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KANSAS CITY (MO)
National Catholic Reporter

December 17, 2018

By Tom Roberts

In the Catholic universe, time doesn’t provide any barriers from the ongoing fallout from the sex abuse scandal. Perhaps time will eventually bring healing, but in this moment the crisis slides from the year gone by to the next, seemingly gaining momentum by the month as bishops finally open the files and provide lists of abusers. It’s only taken 33 years. The moves are not a sign that the episcopacy suddenly became aware of how utterly corrupt its culture had become. They are more a measure of how great the pressure from the outside has become..

Most of it is old stuff, true, but old stuff newly revealed and the scope of the crime and the cover-up overwhelms. Some, like Fr. David Knight of Memphis, in responding to Melinda Henneberger, who’s had enough and has left, say sin has always been a part of the deal, so “hang in there.” But systemic (and increasingly global) cover-up of child rape and molestation by the leadership of the church?

Between those polls, some newly outraged have decided to stay and fight and one of the high-profile Catholics in that endeavor is Timothy Roemer, who served as a Democrat in Congress from Indiana’s 3rd District (1991-2003) and as ambassador to India (2009-2011).

Recently he had a column published in USA Today which he begins by describing the scene in August where, after a homily he heard at St. Thomas à Becket Catholic Church in Reston, Virginia, he shouted, “Justice in the name of Christ. Justice for our children.”

That justice, he believes, demands action of the people in the pews who should “suspend institutional giving” and send funds instead to such groups as Catholic Charities, Catholic Relief Services and other local agencies serving the poor and marginalized.

Laity should also demand that bishops send all records relating to sex abuse to state attorneys general, he said, and be involved in clergy assignments where the safety of children is in question.

“What pushed me to write the piece was my faith in God colliding with the inaction and the negligence of the church,” he told me in a recent phone conversation. “I’ve never seen in my lifetime the amount of percolating anger and frustration from practicing Catholics every Sunday going to church now feeling as though they have been gutted.”

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
Riverfront Times

December 17, 2018

By Doyle Murphy

Former Dojo Pizza owner Loren Copp is scheduled to learn his fate the day after Christmas.

The 49-year-old is facing nine felony charges, including producing, attempting to produce and possessing child porn. The alleged victims included underage girls who stayed with him while their parents struggled with poverty and addiction.

He was the subject of an RFT cover story in December 2015.

An ex-pastor, Copp ran a karate studio, community center, rooming house and pizza restaurant out of a converted church in the Bevo Mill neighborhood. He represented himself in April during a bench trial in federal court, personally cross-examining girls who claim he took illicit photos and sexually abused them.

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COLUMBIA (MO)
Columbia Missourian

December 17, 2018

By Emily Johnson

Two names were added to the list of priests and religious leaders accused of abuse and released by the Diocese of Jefferson City over the weekend.

The original list, released on Nov. 8 by Bishop W. Shawn McKnight, contained 33 names. The two additions brought the total to 35.

The two names added are Don Greene and Mel Lahr, and the status of Robert Duesdieker was changed. Greene is no longer living. Lahr was removed from the ministry along with Duesdieker. Lahr’s removal was due to a “credible allegation of violation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,” the diocese said via a statement on its website. Duesdieker was also removed for a violation of the charter.

Duesdieker’s status was changed, as Bishop W. Shawn McKnight believed the standards for the Charter for The Protection of Children and Young People were now applicable. Previously, Duesdieker was “unsuitable for ministry out of concern for the safety of our youth,” according to the diocese’s website.

On December 5, the Diocesan Review Board recommended the two names be added and one status be changed, which Bishop W. Shawn McKnight approved.

Helen Osman, director of diocesan communications, said the two additional allegations were reviewed after the release of the initial list on Nov. 8, thus delaying their additions to the list of accused.

The diocese has said the last case of abuse occurred in 1997. After that, the diocese said it received two credible allegations of violations of the U.S. Bishops’ Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. One of the violations was inappropriate use of social media, and the other involved internet pornography depicting minors.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), a support group for individuals harmed by religious authorities, has been critical of the diocese’s efforts at transparency about abuse within the church.

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CHICAGO (IL)
Sun Times

December 17, 2018

A report released Monday by the Midwest Province of Jesuits shows that 18 Jesuit priests assigned to schools and churches in the Chicago area were accused of engaging in sexual abuse between 1944 and 2005.

In all, 65 Jesuit priests and brothers were named in the order’s report. The Midwest Province of Jesuits — a subsection of the religious order within the Catholic Church — operates in 12 states from as far east as Ohio to as far west as Wyoming. The full list of accused Jesuits can be found here.

“On behalf of the Midwest Jesuits, I apologize to victim-survivors and their families for the harm and suffering you have endured,” the Rev. Brian G. Paulson, SJ Provincial of the Midwest Jesuits said in a statement. “We recognize that our feelings on this day are nothing compared to the depth of suffering endured by those who have been abused, especially by one as trusted as a priest or vowed religious.”

Loyola Academy, the North Shore high school operated by the Jesuits, saw six priests accused of sexual abuse between 1964 and 1988.

Among that half dozen was the now deceased Donald McGuire, the defrocked former priest who was convicted by a Wisconsin jury in 2006 of molesting two Loyola Academy students while on a retreat near Lake Geneva in the 1960s.

In 2008, he was convicted in Chicago on federal charges that he brought a minor across state lines to engage in sex.

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SALT LAKE CITY (UT)
Salt Lake City Tribune

December 17, 2018

By Jessica Miller

In its most detailed account to date, the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City released the names Monday of every priest in Utah who has faced “credible allegations” of sexual misconduct with minors since 1950.

The diocese, which oversees Utah’s 300,000-plus Catholics, also announced the retirement of one priest who had been on leave after allegations surfaced earlier this year.

The diocese received three complaints this year about the Rev. David R. Gaeta, who was serving as pastor at St. Peter Parish in American Fork.

A report from June accused Gaeta of being in bed with a minor in 1982, according to the diocese. Another report was received in August that the priest had offered alcohol to four minors in 1982 and suggested they undress. A third report came in July alleging Gaeta touched a child’s buttocks while pushing a swing sometime this year.

The Division of Child and Family Services investigated this most recent allegation, according to the diocese, but no criminal charges were filed

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ATLANTA (GA)
CNN

December 17, 2018

By Daniel Burke

Two Jesuit provinces in the United States released lists of 84 clergy credibly accused of sexually abusing minors, the latest revelations in the Catholic Church’s long-running and morally damaging sexual abuse crisis.

The two lists, released separately on Monday by the provinces of Maryland and the Midwest, follow two lists released December 7 by the Jesuits’ West and Central/Southern provinces. A fifth North American province, the Northeast, plans to release its list of accused clergy on January 15, according to a spokesman.

Combining the four public lists, more than 230 Jesuits have been credibly accused of sexually abusing a minor in the United States since the 1950s, according to the provinces. Most of the alleged abuse occurred decades ago, before many parts of the Catholic Church in the United States instituted new safeguards after the last major sexual abuse scandal in 2002-2003.

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BUFFALO (NY)
Buffalo News

December 17, 2018

During the past few months, I have heard it argued that there is no connection between celibacy and the sexual abuse crisis that has engulfed the Catholic Church.

Declarations that “celibacy doesn’t cause pedophilia” may be true, but don’t mean that there is no connection.

In my opinion, the celibacy requirement has contributed to the severe shortage of priests.

This, I believe, has not only caused the church to be less than selective when accepting candidates for the priesthood, but is also the reason that predatory priests have been moved from place to place, hidden, and has persuaded church officials to ignore their moral and civic duties.

In the distant past, when parochial schools flourished, the church had fertile grounds from which to recruit both boys and girls to religious vocations. Children often went directly from the eighth grade to the seminary or convent.

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PITTSBURGH (PA)
Tribune Review

December 17, 2018

By Jamie Martines

Jesuits who served in Pittsburgh were among the 24 priests accused of sexual abuse since 1950 named by the order’s Maryland Province on Monday.

No reports of abuse originated in Pittsburgh, according to the province, but four of the Jesuits on the list served in Pittsburgh, including William J. Walsh, the first headmaster of the former Bishop’s Latin School, and two others who worked at the school in the 1960s.

After opening in Homewood in 1961, the school moved to East Liberty and finally the South Side before closing in 1973. It has served as the pre-seminary high school of the diocese, according to the school’s alumni page.

The Society of Jesus is the largest male religious order in the Roman Catholic church with about 17,000 members. The Maryland Province oversees Jesuits assigned throughout the District of Columbia, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.

Priests who are members of religious orders are typically not considered diocesan personnel.

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BALTIMORE (MD)
Agence-France Presse

December 17, 2018

Burlington Bishop Christopher Coyne (L) and Indiana Bishop Timothy Doherty, chair of the committee for the Protection of Children and Young People, at November’s US Conference of Catholic Bishops which took place amid fallout from pedophile priests scandal
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Jesuit authorities for 20 US states on Monday released the names of 89 priests with credible allegations of child sexual abuse dating as far back as 1950.

The disclosures by the Jesuit provinces of Maryland and USA Midwest are the latest chapter in the ongoing sexual abuse scandal roiling the Catholic Church and come after 153 Jesuits were publicly identified by two other provinces earlier this month.

Maryland released 24 names with allegations dating back to 1950 and USA Midwest released 65 names dating back to 1955. Many of the individuals are deceased, and some were previously publicly known to be accused of sexual assault.

“On behalf of the Midwest Jesuits, I apologize to victim-survivors and their families for the harm and suffering you have endured. Many of you have suffered in silence for decades,” Brian Paulson, head of the province headquartered in Chicago, said in an open letter.

Jesuits are the largest male religious order in the Catholic Church, with some 16,000 members worldwide. They operate 30 colleges and 81 schools in the United States and Canada.

The names made public Monday included dozens of priests with multiple allegations of abuse who served in educational institutions.

The priest with the most recent allegations was Donald McGuire who died in federal prison in 2017 while serving a 25-year sentence. His was among the names that had been previously publicized.

Numerous men have accused McGuire of molesting them when they were boys. The first allegations dated to the 1950s, when he worked at a Jesuit private high school in Chicago, and went as late as 2005.

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SALT LAKE CITY (UT)
Fox 13 News

December 17, 2018

By Mark Green

The Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City has released a list of all priests who have faced credible allegations of sexual abuse involving minors since 1950.

The diocese posted the complete list on their website Monday.

Bishop Oscar A. Solis first approved the release of the list in August, but the diocese conferred with legal counsel prior to making the list public.

“The list of credible allegations is one step toward providing the transparency that will help repair at least some of the wounds left by the wrongful actions of priests who abused their sacred trust,” Bishop Solis stated. “We continue to pray for the victims and their families and ask their forgiveness for our failure to protect them.”

The list reflects all “credible allegations” made since 1950, which the diocese defined as allegations in which the accuser and accused were in the same area around the same time of the reported abuse.

The dioceses states that credible allegations do not necessarily mean there was a final determination of guilt.

In addition to allegations from years past, the dioceses states a more recent investigation means Fr. David Gaeta will retire from active ministry with no faculties for further public ministry. That retirement will be effective January 1.

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CHICAGO (IL)
WLS TV

December 17, 2018

By Ross Weidner

The Chicago-based Roman Catholic Jesuit Midwest Province released the names of 65 accused Jesuits who they say have had an “established allegation of sexual abuse of a minor” since 1955. Forty-three of the names on the list are dead.

Since 1955, Jesuit officials say approximately 4000 Jesuits have served the province which is comprised of most of northern and eastern Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Kentucky, and Ohio. The Midwest Province currently has 510 Jesuit members.

Fr. M. Lawrence Reuter is the only named priest listed as being from Chicago who is still alive. Reuter was President of Loyola Academy in Wilmette from 1975 to 1990. The Midwest Jesuit Province’s list says that Reuter’s “established allegations of sexual abuse of a minor” took place from 1986-1988. He also worked at Loyola University until 2002 and Loyola University Medical Center until 2010 when he was removed from active ministry.

Fr. Brian G. Paulson, SJ released a letter with the list today writing that he is “confident that God’s Spirit is leading us forward into the light.”

“As we look back at our history, the failures of the Society of Jesus and the Church to protect those entrusted to its care fill our hearts with outrage, sorrow and shame,” Fr. Paulson wrote.

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JEFFERSON CITY (MO)
KOMU 8 TV

December 15, 2018

By: Nikki Ogle and Spencer Humphrey

The Jefferson City Diocese confirmed Saturday three people were added to its list of clergy accused of abuse.

In a bulletin passed out at the end of its Saturday mass, the diocese included a statement adding the names of Robert Duesdieker, Don Greene and Mel Lahr to its list of clergy accused and/or removed from ministry in the Diocese of Jefferson City.

According to the statement, Duesdieker and Lahr were removed from ministry and Greene is deceased. It did not specify what year Duesdieker and Lahr were removed from ministry or when Greene died.

It also did not indicate when any suspected abuse took place, nor how many victims they may have had.

Saturday’s release comes more than a month after the diocese first released a list containing 33 names of clergy accused of abuse.

In the statement from the Jefferson City diocese, Bishop Shawn McKnight wrote, “This update is a result of information we received after our November 8 release and recent action by the Diocesan Review Board.”

James Offutt, a Centralia priest who recently retired, said the names on the list seem to be only of those accused of abusive acts. He said the diocese’s transparency should be “full and entire,” and include names of those who cover up abuse.

“It seems to me if you’re going to be people that are going to present the idea of transparency, compassion and integrity and honor, you ought to go all the way. Not just those who commit the immediate things, but those who cover them up, facilitate them, do whatever,” he said.

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BUFFALO (NY)
WKBW

December 14, 2018

By Anthony Reyes and Charlie Specht

Maryanski, Wolski remain barred from ministry

The Diocese of Buffalo has cleared two priests of sexual misconduct allegations and found two others guilty of the allegations after an internal review.

Allegations of child sexual abuse against the Revs. Fabian J. Maryanski and Mark J. Wolski have been substantiated and they will remain on administrative leave, the diocese said Friday in a written statement.

But allegations against the Rev. Roy Herberger and Msgr. Frederick R. Leising “have not been substantiated,” the diocese said, and the two priests have been returned to active ministry, diocesan officials said, although Leising is retired.

The decisions follow an internal diocese investigation and a review by the Diocesan Review Board, which reviews cases involving sexual abuse and misconduct against clergymen and religious sisters.

The results of the diocesan investigation continue to be reviewed by the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith at the Vatican in Rome, which will make the final determination, the diocese said.

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DES MOINES (IA)
Des Moines Register

December 17, 2018

By Shelby Fleig

Up to 45 states, including Iowa, have sought assistance from Pennsylvania authorities regarding alleged misconduct by Catholic priests in the months since a bombshell grand jury report was made public.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, in an interview with USA TODAY, said there’s been a surge of inquiries since the August report found that at least 300 priests are accused of abusing more than 1,000 children since the 1940s.

The result of a two-year grand jury investigation, the report is one of the most comprehensive looks into such abuse by the Catholic church in history.

Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller “considers this an important issue, and we want to learn from Pennsylvania and other states,” said Lynn Hicks, the attorney general’s communications director.

The Iowa attorney general’s office has participated in “several” briefings, hosted by Shapiro, to ask questions regarding the investigation in that state, Hicks said in an email.

He said he was unsure whether other Iowa law enforcement agencies have contacted Pennsylvania authorities.

Shapiro ordered the grand jury investigation that led to the historic report, which also accuses the church of a “systematic cover-up’’ by moving abusive priests from one parish to another.

More than a dozen attorneys general have since publicly acknowledged that they have launched separate clergy abuse inquiries. The U.S. Justice Department is also conducting a wide-ranging review, disclosed in October by church officials who said they received demand for documents.

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MANASSAS (VA)
Catholic Culture

December 17, 2018

Catholic By Phil Lawler

Through bitter experience over the years, I have learned never to proclaim that some trusted figure couldn’t possibly be guilty of sexual abuse. I have learned to wait, to weigh the evidence, and if a court finds the man guilty, to accept that finding.

Since I don’t know the facts, I cannot guarantee that Cardinal George Pell is innocent of the offenses of which he has been convicted in a secret trial. But I can say that a grave injustice has been done, for several reasons.

First, because in a proper legal system, not only is justice done, but justice is seen to be done. The trial of Cardinal Pell, conducted under a court-ordered media blackout, has prevented the world from knowing what evidence was presented against him, what defense was offered. We have only leaked reports: hearsay evidence. If the court had its way, we wouldn’t know that the cardinal had been convicted. To this day we don’t even know what charges were brought against him.

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WASHINGTON D.C.
The Washington Post

December 17, 2018

By Julie Zauzmer

The Maryland Province Jesuits, a Catholic religious order with priests serving throughout the Washington area and across eight states, released a list Monday of priests in the order who have been credibly accused of abusing children since the 1950s.

The list includes five living Jesuits, three who left the order, and five who have died.

“We are deeply sorry for the harm we have caused to victims and their families. We also apologize for participating in the harm that abuse has done to our Church, a Church that we love and that preaches God’s care for all, especially the most vulnerable among us,” the Rev. Robert M. Hussey, leader of the Maryland Province Jesuits, wrote in a letter accompanying the detailed list of names and accusations. “The People of God have suffered, and they rightly demand transparency and accountability. We hope that this disclosure of names will contribute to reconciliation and healing.”

The men accused of abusing minors served in high schools, including Gonzaga College High School in the District; in colleges, including St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania, Wake Forest University in North Carolina and several more; at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital; at churches in the District and Baltimore; and other institutions.

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