ABUSE TRACKER

DENVER (CO)
Crux

November 25, 2018

By John L. Allen Jr.

On Friday, Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Mumbai, India, was among the prelates tapped by Pope Francis to organize his Feb. 21-24 summit of presidents of bishops’ conferences from around the world to tackle the clerical sexual abuse scandals that have rocked Catholicism for decades.

In comments to Crux later in the day (collected by our relentless Mumbai correspondent, Nirmala Carvalho), Gracias said he sees the organizing panel as a sign that Francis “is taking the protection of minors very seriously.”

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.

CHILE
Crux

November 24, 2018

By Inés San Martín

A retired Chilean bishop accused of not only cover-up but of sexually harassing seminarians testified to local authorities on Wednesday. He was interrogated for over seven hours, and even though the content of the questioning remains under seal, he spoke to media afterwards to defend his actions and deny having covered up abuse.

Bishop Gonzalo Duarte of Valparaiso is one of seven Chilean bishops currently being investigated by civil authorities, though others might soon be added to the list.

Duarte had his resignation accepted by Pope Francis earlier this year, on the same day as Bishop Juan Barros, long accused of covering up for the country’s most notorious pedophile.

Duarte said he was questioned for his actions on six cases of abusive priests in Valparaiso, telling reporters: “We didn’t destroy any files […] I did everything I was supposed to do, meaning investigate and not cover up.”

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.

GoErie.com
ERIE (PA)

November 25, 2018

By Ed Palattella

Erie Catholic Bishop Lawrence Persico is again turning to outside experts as he navigates the Diocese of Erie through the clergy sex-abuse crisis.

Persico in 2016 hired a law firm from Pittsburgh, K&L Gates, to launch a sweeping internal investigation that led the diocese in April to release an unprecedented list of clergy and laypeople credibly accused of child sexual abuse and other misconduct with minors since the 1940s.

Persico is now hiring another outside expert to administer the diocese’s victims’ compensation fund, a response to the August statewide grand jury report on clergy sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church in Pennsylvania.

The diocese, Persico said, will retain the Washington, D.C.-based law firm of Ken Feinberg, one of the nation’s most prominent authorities on compensation funds. Feinberg and co-administrator Camille Biros handled the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund, set up following the terrorist attacks, and compensation funds for theater shooting victims in Aurora, Colorado, and the victims of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil-spill disaster.

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.

PITTSBURGH (PA)
TribLive.com

November 24, 2018

By Michael DiVittorio

Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh officials placed a Prospect parish leader on administrative leave following an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor.

Father Joseph Feltz, 65, was accused of sexual abuse of a minor in the mid-1980s, officials said via news release Saturday.

The allegation was made in a recent lawsuit against the diocese.

Bishop David Zubik sent letters this weekend at all parishes where Feltz served, which most recently was St. Christopher Parish in Prospect.

Officials said Feltz denied the allegation, which has been reported to law enforcement.

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.

PITTSBURGH (PA)
WPXI-TV

Novemnber 23, 2018

[Video]

Since the grand jury’s report on clergy sex abuse in Pennsylvania Diocese, dozens of victims have come forward to share their stories of survival.

Now, one of them is taking it a step further to help others.

Jim VanSickle is in the process of creating a non-profit organization to help other survivors connect with services and speak of their experiences.

Since making his own story of abuse at the hands of a priest public last February, VanSickle said he’s spoken with other survivors across the country either by phone or in-person.

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.

WINONA (MN)
Catholic News Service via Crux

November 22, 2018

Bishop John M. Quinn of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, said the diocese planned to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection following the recommendation of several consultative groups.

The announcement from the diocese Nov. 20 said a legal path is the “most just and equitable way to hold the diocese accountable for past child sexual abuse by clergy.”

The bishop first told parishioners about the plan in a letter distributed in parish bulletins the weekend of Nov. 17-18.

The planned filing by the end of November was made with the cooperation of attorneys representing abuse survivors, Quinn said.

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

UNITED STATES
The Worthy Adversary

November 18, 2018

By Joelle Casteix

~Part three in a multi-part series~previous post

Settlement Class Actions Lawsuits are BAD for victims, BAD for justice, and a PUBLIC SAFETY HAZARD.

And the opt-out? It’s every bishop’s dream.

I talked about the opt-out a little in my last post. But in this post, I will talk about why settlement class action lawsuits in sex abuse cases are the enemy of SOL reform. The main reason (among many)? The evil opt-out.

What is the opt-out? It is an artificial deadline more pernicious than old statutes of limitations. When a class action is certified (that is, a judge says it’s cool to move forward), s/he will set an opt-out date. Usually six months after the certification (to allow for advertising), the opt-out date is the LAST day that a survivor can say in writing that they DO NOT want to be a part of the class.

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

AUSTRALIA
The Advertiser

November 23, 2018

By Ian Henschke

Royal Commissions have been in the news lately. And it’s been a sad and sorry time. Last month was the National Apology following the findings of the inquiry into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse.

That happened while the top end of town was reeling from revelations from the investigation into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry. Now we’ve got another starting in Adelaide looking into Aged Care Quality and Safety.

Royal commissions focus the minds of the public and the parliament. They also have repercussions. Look at the fallout from the one into banking and finance. The businesses involved have been hit with fines and remediation costs totalling more than a billion dollars. They have to give back money. Heads have rolled and there’s talk of criminal charges.

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

UNITED STATES
The Federalist

November 23, 2018

By John Daniel Davidson

Catholics leaving the church over the sex abuse crisis are giving into the false notion that the sacraments depend on blameless clerics.

Many Catholics were outraged last week when the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops failed to take action to address the clergy sex abuse crisis. Almost as soon as the bishops convened in Baltimore, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, the conference president, announced he’d received a letter from the Holy See instructing the conference not to vote on measures that would bring greater accountability to bishops. Instead, they were told to wait for a synod on the crisis that Pope Francis will host in Rome in February.

The news went down like a lead balloon. For some Catholics, it was more than they could bear. Melinda Henneberger, a columnist for USA Today and former Vatican correspondent for The New York Times, announced she was leaving the church. Addressing the bishops directly, she wrote: “After a lifetime of stubborn adherence on my part and criminal behavior on yours, your excellencies, you seem to have finally succeeded in driving me away.”

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.

PITTSBURGH (PA)
KDKA-TV (cbslocal.com)

November 24, 2018

A priest in the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh has been placed on administrative leave after being accused of sexually abusing a minor.

The Diocese announced Saturday afternoon that Bishop David Zubik has placed 65-year-old Father Joseph Feltz on leave.

Feltz most recently served as pastor of Saint Christopher Parish in Prospect, Butler County. The Diocese says he retired from Saint Christopher Parish in October, but he remained in active ministry.

The priest is accused of sexually abusing a minor in the mid-1980s.

Feltz is among four priests named in 12 new lawsuits filed this week on behalf of victims. Feltz was not named in the grand jury report released earlier this year.

Attorney Alan Perer is representing the victims.

“I think [the fact] that we have four new priests that were not named [in the grand jury report] there shows you that this was a broader and wider system of abuse,” Perer said. “When I talk to people like [the victim], there’s no doubt in my mind that what they tell me is true about the particular priest.”

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

PITTSBURGH (PA)
WPXI.com

November 25, 2018

[Video]

The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh has placed another priest on administrative leave after he was accused of sexual abuse of a minor.

The allegation made against the Rev. Joseph Feltz, 65, who most recently served as pastor of Saint Christopher Parish, dates back to the mid-1980s, the diocese said Saturday.

The allegation surfaced in a recent lawsuit filed against the diocese. Feltz has denied the allegation, the diocese said.

Placing Feltz on leave doesn’t imply he is guilty, the diocese said.

The allegation will be investigated by law enforcement and the diocese.

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

[Precht testifies in case of former Fach chaplain: “No investigation was done”]

CHILE
La Tercera

November 25, 2018

By Leyla Zapata Sánchez

El otrora sacerdote aseguró a la fiscalía que el exarzobispo de Santiago, cardenal Francisco Javier Errázuriz, supo de las denuncias contra Pedro Quiroz.

Ocurrió en septiembre pasado. En ese momento, el exsacerdote Cristián Precht Bañados interponía una serie de recursos judiciales contra la Iglesia de Santiago, argumentando varios eventuales vicios, mientras que en Europa el Vaticano sencillamente decidió expulsarlo del estado clerical, luego de que el Papa Francisco conociera los nuevos antecedentes por presuntos delitos sexuales que pesaban en su contra.

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 ambassador apologizes in Madrid for the Church’s “silences and passivities”]

MADRID (SPAIN)
El País

November 20, 2018

By Juan G. Bedoya

Enzo Fratini celebra una Eucaristía ante los obispos españoles en la Jornada Mundial de Oración por las Víctimas de Abusos

Los obispos españoles, reunidos en Madrid en asamblea plenaria, han escuchado este martes palabras muy severas en boca del nuncio (embajador) del Estado vaticano en Madrid, el arzobispo Enzo Fratini, que se han leído en clave de abusos y pederastia en el seno de lglesia. “Pedimos cada uno de nosotros perdón por nuestras infidelidades, nuestras omisiones, nuestros silencios y pasividades. El pecado es personal y cada uno tiene que llevar su responsabilidad en su conciencia. No es suficiente pedir perdón por los demás, por lo realizado irresponsablemente por quienes tenían un encargo pastoral y han dañado a la Iglesia”, les dijo en el sermón que pronunció en la Eucaristía concelebrada en la Casa de la Iglesia, en Madrid, como acto penitencial y de petición de perdón colectiva.

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.

[Silence as an accomplice and concealer of clergy abuse]

SPAIN
El País

November 20, 2018

By Juan José Tamayo

Hay que cambiar las imágenes patriarcales de Dios que con frecuencia están en la base de no pocos de los abusos sexuales

Cuando los obispos españoles recibían las informaciones sobre los crímenes de pederastia producidos en las Iglesias de otros países, no se daban por aludidos y guardaban silencio porque no iba con ellos. Algunos incluso presumían de no tener ni haber tenido en sus diócesis casos similares. La Iglesia española parecía un oasis en medio del desierto pederástico que se cernía por todo el cuerpo eclesial. ¡Qué espejismo o, peor, qué cinismo! Lo que era un secreto a voces a nivel del catolicismo mundial, para un sector importante de la jerarquía católica española eran o bien calumnias o bien deseos malévolos de desprestigiar a la Iglesia.

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.

DULUTH (MN)
Duluth News Tribune

November 21, 2018

By Lisa Lou Dunaiski, Duluth

I was baptized and confirmed at St.Michael’s Church in Lakeside. The bishop is alienating several of us in the Catholic church by blackballing Fr. William Graham (“Split verdict in Duluth priest’s suit against accuser,” Aug. 25).

Of late, I have been impressed by letters in the News Tribune in support of Fr. Graham, a real genuine man who has taught theology at the College of St. Scholastica. He earns his own money.

I agreed with the letter that said Graham’s accuser came forward in the last hours and that there had been no other complaints ever about Fr. Graham (Reader’s View: “Fr. Graham didn’t deserve bishop’s treatment,” Oct. 20). In the last hours was just in time to destroy a man’s parish and career.

Graham wasn’t even where the alleged abuse occurred, according to another priest and his Oct. 3 commentary, “‘Yes, I am angry!’: Alleged abuse did not happen.”

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

TORONTO (CANADA)
CBC News

November 22, 2018

By Amara McLaughlin

The principal and president of St. Michael’s College School have both resigned amid allegations of assault and sexual assault between students, according to a statement issued by the private, all-boys’ school Thursday afternoon.

Principal Greg Reeves and Father Jefferson Thompson, school president, stepped down to allow the Roman Catholic school to move “forward without distractions and allow it to focus on healing and change after the horrific events,” the board of directors of St. Michael’s said in the statement.

“Greg Reeves and Fr. Thompson have always put the welfare, education and formation of our students first — and they do so once again today,” board chair Michael Forsayeth said.

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

Warwick (RI)
Providence Journal

November 23, 2018

By Amanda Milkovits

David Silipigni says his life was ruined by what happened to him as a child at the St. Aloysius Home, an orphanage run by the Diocese of Providence. Now he’s fighing to give other victims the legal remedy that he’ll never have.

For nearly his entire life, David S. Silipigni has lived in a jail cell or a room the size of one.

He paces a room the way memories pace his mind, turning to what he says happened nearly 50 years ago, when he was a little boy in the care of a Catholic orphanage in Smithfield.

Silipigni says that he was sexually assaulted by a priest while living at St. Aloysius Home.

He says he remembers the weight of the man’s chin on his head while he was being raped in the basement.

He says he remembers when the same man shoved his hands down his pants in a room off the chapel.

For a long time, Silipigni didn’t tell anyone. Silence tortured him.

The 57-year-old man has been incarcerated. He’s been homeless. He’s been a thief. He’s been addicted to drugs. He was saved from suicide. It didn’t stop him from trying to kill himself slowly.

He’s been in and out of most mental-health treatment programs in Rhode Island and remains in the care of a psychologist and psychiatrist. He’s trapped by thoughts of shame and rage.

What Silipigni wants now is what the Rhode Island Supreme Court and state law won’t give him — the ability to sue the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence.

So, he’ll take his case to the State House. State Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee pre-filed legislation last week to extend Rhode Island’s statute of limitations from seven years to 35 to allow lawsuits against those who sexually abuse children and those who employ the perpetrators.

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.

National Catholic Reporter

November 22, 2018

By Phyllis Zagano

There’s been a lot of talk about women in church leadership. Any cynic will remind you not much has happened. Even so, the pope has made it clear he wants to have women where they can make a difference.

The members of the recent Synod of Bishops agreed: “An area of particular importance … is the presence of women in ecclesial bodies at all levels, even in positions of responsibility, and the participation of women in ecclesial decision-making processes, respecting the role of the ordained ministry.”

What to do?

How about putting women in charge of a few dioceses?

There are dioceses all over the world without bishops. There are many competent churchwomen — chancellors, former general superiors, Catholic Charities heads, for example — who could easily run a diocese while the Congregation for Bishops and the pope decide what’s best down the road. In the United States alone, there are seven or eight vacant sees. One already sets the example.

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

UNITED STATES
The Worthy Adversary

November 18, 2018

By Joelle Casteix

~Part two in a multi-part series~ see previous post

Settlement Class Actions Lawsuits are BAD for victims and BAD for transparency.

But they are mighty good for bishops.

Here is what we know about victims of child sexual abuse:

It can take decades for victims to come forward, because child sexual abuse is a crime of shame and secrecy
Victims of child sexual abuse should be able to come forward when THEY ARE READY
Statutes of limitation put artificial timelines on victims and let predators roam free. That is why SOL reform is so important.
And here is what we know about class action lawsuits when it comes to child sexual abuse:

In June 2005 in the Diocese of Covington, KY, church officials there settled a class action lawsuit with an undisclosed amount of victims (newspaper reports suggest approximately 200) for $120 million.

Let’s look at the terms.

1. No secret documents were released. No evidence of abuse or cover-up was disclosed.

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 D.C.
Washington Post

November 23, 2018

By Julie Zauzmer

When Theodore McCarrick resigned his title as a cardinal of the Catholic Church in July, the church made one promise as shock waves rippled through the pews: McCarrick would face a canonical trial, the Vatican’s version of a criminal inquiry, for the sexual misconduct he allegedly committed.

Four months later, McCarrick has moved from Washington, where he was once the archbishop and then a prominent diplomat, to a remote friary in Kansas. Vatican leaders have said no to American bishops’ request that the Vatican conduct an investigation here into the disgraced ex-cardinal’s behavior. When the U.S. bishops tried to vote last week on new rules regarding bishops, designed to prevent another McCarrick-type scandal, the Vatican issued a last-minute directive telling them to not even take a vote.

The question lingering on many Catholics’ minds remains: What’s going to happen to McCarrick?

The Vatican remains silent on the answer.

“What I hear from the people of God who I’ve been listening to … the Archbishop McCarrick case has particularly upset them,” Bishop Robert Deeley of Maine told his fellow bishops in an emotional remark last week at the U.S. bishops’ meeting in Baltimore, where numerous bishops raised demands for more investigation into McCarrick. “What the people don’t understand is, this behavior must have been known, because people are saying that it was known. And how did these promotions happen? I think that’s where the problem, a lack of trust, is. [Parishioners are asking] ‘Can we trust you?’ ”

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.

BOSTON (MA)
Boston Herald

November 24, 2018

By Jordan Graham

‘It is a clear vote of no confidence’

Pope Francis has named the members of an organizing committee for a February summit aimed at preventing abuse, but did not include Boston Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, who leads the Vatican advisory commission of the sex abuse of minors — an omission one church watcher called significant.

“His absence is very, very noteworthy,” said Peter Borre, founder of Boston’s Council of Parishes. “It is a clear vote of no confidence.”

The pope named four members of the committee that will prepare for the summit next year. The Rev. Hans Zollner is the point-person for the group, which includes Maltese Archbishop Charles Scicluna, for a decade the Vatican’s sex crimes prosecutor, Francis appointee Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich and Indian Cardinal Oswald Gracias, a member of Francis’ key cardinal adviser group.

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.

[Gonzalo Duarte before O’Higgins prosecutor: “I did everything I had to do, investigate and not cover up”]

CHILE
AgenciaUno via Soy Chile

November 21, 2018

El obispo emérito declaró como imputado por encubrimiento de abusos sexuales por el caso contra el ex capellán del Ejército, Pedro Quiroz. La diligencia se realizó luego de que el pasado 22 de octubre se aplazara la audiencia.

Este miércoles el obispo emérito de Valparaíso, Gonzalo Duarte, llegó a la Fiscalía Regional de Rancagua para declarar como imputado por encubrimiento de abusos sexuales al interior de la iglesia católica nacional, en particular por el caso contra el ex capellán del Ejército Pedro Quiroz.

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.

ST. PETERSBURG (FL)
WFLA-TV (Channel 8)

By Victoria Price

November 21, 2018

A former priest at St. Stephen Chuch in Riverview is under investigation by the Catholic Church for accusations he sexually abused minors.

The allegations against Father Michael Juran come from Buffalo, New York. Juran is a priest with the Diocese of Buffalo, but according to the Diocese of St. Petersburg, still lives here locally.

The Diocese of Buffalo announced October 31st that Juran was on administrative leave after receiving an abuse complaint. Parishioners at St. Stephen got a letter about a week and a half later, explaining Juran was accused twice of sexually abusing minors. It did not specify when. According to the letter, Juran is not allowed to publicly present himself as a priest while on leave.

The Diocese of St. Petersburg tells News Channel 8 Juran served as St, Stephen’s Parochial Vicar from 2006 to 2011, adding he still resides in the diocese but has not served as a priest since 2011. A spokesperson for the Diocese of St. Petersburg did not explain why Juran stayed in Florida while remaining under the purview of the Diocese of Buffalo once his assignment at St. Stephen was through.

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.

[Network of “priest moneylenders” investigated in Archdiocese of Puerto Montt]

CHILE
Soy Chile

November 21, 2018

Dos curas fueron denunciados ante el Ministerio Público por el administrador apostólico, Ricardo Morales.

La Iglesia Católica sigue en la palestra en Puerto Montt. A la reciente “autodenuncia” del administrador apostólico Ricardo Morales, luego que fuera sindicado anónimamente como encubridor de un presunto delito de abuso sexual, ahora se suma la denuncia que él mismo presentó al Ministerio Público, contra dos sacerdotes por presuntas irregularidades en la gestión del centro de salud familiar San Pablo, tutelado por el Arzobispado local.

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

UNITED STATES
The Open Tabernacle

By Betty Clermont

November 24, 2018

In August, a Pennsylvania grand jury disclosed credible allegations of sexual abuse by over 300 priests, with thousands of victims. A joint Boston Globe/Philadelphia Inquirer investigation, published Nov. 3, found more than 130 U.S. bishops – or nearly one-third of those still living – have been accused of failing to properly respond to sexual misconduct allegations.

The bishops’ response was much-anticipated. But, at their Nov. 12-14 meeting, they failed to adopt reforms addressing the sex abuse crisis

“Bottom line – Catholics have lost trust in their leaders,” declared Tom Gjelten, who covers religion, faith, and belief for NPR News, after the meeting.

“Too many are losing faith, losing trust, losing hope – we are, in so many ways, losing our religion,” wrote Deacon Greg Kandra.

“This loss of trust in the leadership of the Church makes this the most significant crisis confronting ting the church since the Reformation,” noted Madeline E. Lacovara in the magazine, America.

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.

KERALA (INDIA)
Al Jazeera English

November 20, 2018

by Raksha Kumar

Nuns are joined by crowds in Kerala to demand justice for those who allege sexual abuse by powerful church figures.

The Catholic Church in India is facing a trying time, with a growing protest movement in response to allegations of sexual assault by clergymen.

In June, police in the southern Indian state of Kerala registered a case against the bishop of Roman Catholic Diocese of Jalandhar, in the northern state of Punjab.

A nun had alleged that the bishop, Franko Mulakkal, had raped her repeatedly between 2014 and 2016 at a convent in Kerala.

The nun is a member of the Missionaries of Jesus congregation based in Jalandhar.

The bishop was arrested but then released from prison on October 15 on bail on the condition that he presents himself in the police station once every fortnight.

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 D.C.
Washington Post

November 23, 2018

By Elizabeth Bruenig

The only thing that can save the Roman Catholic Church in America is the truth, and the truth is going to hurt. This is the choice facing the ecclesial establishment, which must decide either to release its vast records related to clergy sexual abuse, or wait for state and federal investigations to deprive them of those documents by force of law. If the church awaits the latter, then the Pennsylvania grand jury report that sparked this summer’s blistering revisitation of the sex abuse crisis will only be the beginning.

On a certain level, the church seems to know that disclosure is not only what its members desire but also the only way ahead. Even Cardinal Donald Wuerl, who resigned as archbishop of Washington after revelations that he protected sexually abusive priests while a bishop in Pittsburgh from 1988 to 2006, seemed to intuit as much. One of Wuerl’s last official acts was to release a list of 31 clergy credibly accused of sexual assault over the past several decades. The move, Wuerl wrote, represented “a necessary step toward full transparency and accountability and the process of healing.”

Wuerl’s diagnosis was correct. But the list left survivors and parishioners unsettled, with lingering doubts about the archdiocese’s honesty.

The list included Peter Michael McCutcheon, a Maryland priest who pleaded guilty in 1986 to sexually molesting three boys over several years. The archdiocese document asserted that McCutcheon’s conduct had come to its attention only in 1986, the year he was arrested and convicted. But those familiar with McCutcheon’s brief career found themselves questioning the archdiocese’s claim.

“When the list stated they knew in 1986, I thought: They are continuing to give the impression of innocence on their part,” said McCutcheon’s sister-in-law, Diana McCutcheon, the mother of two of the priest’s victims. “And how will anyone believe what they have to say going forward?”

Diana McCutcheon’s doubts are not unfounded. Court documents and interviews with parishioners familiar with Peter McCutcheon’s behavior suggest that church officials had ample indications of his disturbing conduct several years before his arrest. But instead of dealing with it, they appear to have moved him from parish to parish while the abuse continued.

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.

CHICAGO (IL)
CBSLocal.com

November 23, 2018

Pope Francis has chosen Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich as a member of the organizing committee for a Vatican summit on the sex abuse crisis that has embroiled the Catholic church.

According to Vatican News, the goal of the committee “will help to put together the analysis, the awareness, the shame, the repentance, prayer, and discernment regarding actions to be undertaken and decisions to be made in justice and in truth.”

The Catholic church has been embroiled in controversy for years involving sex abuse incidents by its clergy.

Earlier this month the Vatican told the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to delay voting on any measures that would hold bishiops accountable for failing to protect children from sexual abuse.

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

ROME (ITALY)
Associated Press

November 24, 2018

By Nicole Winfield

The Catholic Church’s global organization of nuns has denounced the “culture of silence and secrecy” surrounding sexual abuse in the church and is urging sisters who have been abused to report the crimes to police and their superiors.

The International Union of Superiors General, which represents more than 500,000 sisters worldwide, vowed to help nuns who have been abused to find the courage to report it, and pledged to help victims heal and seek justice.

The statement, issued on the eve of the U.N.-designated International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, was the first from the Rome-based UISG since the abuse scandal erupted anew this year and as the sexual abuse of adult nuns by clergymen has also come to light. The Associated Press reported earlier this year that the Vatican has known for decades about the problem of priests and bishops preying on nuns, but has done next to nothing to stop it.

In the statement Friday, the UISG didn’t specify clergy as the aggressors. While such abuse is well known in parts of Africa, and an Indian case of the alleged rape of a nun by a bishop is currently making headlines, there have also been cases of sexual abuse committed by women against other women within congregations.

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UNITED STATES
USA Today

November 23, 2018

By Tim Roemer

Disappointed and angered once again by the Catholic Church, we lay people must act to protect our faith.

I have done a lifetime of public speaking, in the chambers of Congress in Washington and in a foreign country as a diplomat. But that was not enough to keep my knees from shaking when I stood up during Mass after the priest’s homily in August at St. Thomas à Becket and called out loudly: “Justice in the name of Christ. Justice for our children.”

It was righteous anger for our innocents — the hundreds of children recently revealed in a Pennsylvania grand jury report as victims of both sexual abuse and a cover-up by high-level Catholic clergy.

The Catholic Church has repeatedly tried to explain away its history of sexual abuse as a lamentable but distant part of its past. Yes, that was wrong, officials say, but it was a different time and we have changed.

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OAKLAND (CA)
Mercury News

November 23, 2018

By Matthias Gafni

The Oakland diocese has announced it will delay releasing the list of all priests credibly accused of sexually abusing minors until next year.

On Oct. 8, the Catholic diocese announced it would release the list in about 45 days, with the 45th day falling on the Friday after Thanksgiving. But on its website, the diocese said it needed more time and moved the new date to “after Jan. 1, 2019.”

“The primary reasons for this are two-fold,” the diocese said in a statement. “First, we have decided it is essential we contact survivors in advance of a public announcement, and this will require a sensitivity to their unique situations. Secondly, it is important we spend more time verifying the information we have on priests from religious orders and from other dioceses who served in the Oakland Diocese.”

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[Jesuit Mertes accuses Cardinal Müller of “clerical conceit”]

GERMANY
New Ruhr Word

November 23, 2018

Jesuitenpater Klaus Mertes hat Kardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller ungewöhnlich scharf kritisiert und ihm „klerikale Dünkel“ vorgeworfen.

[Jesuit Father Klaus Mertes has criticized Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller with unusual harshness and accused him of “clerical arrogance”.]

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[Sexual abuse in the diocese of Hildesheim: Former altar boy abused by bishop and priest]

HILDESHEIM (GERMANY)
Studio 9

November 24, 2018

By Sebastian Engelbrecht

Eine Studie enthüllte, dass auch im Bistum Hildesheim Minderjährige sexuell missbraucht wurden, ohne die Täter zu nennen. Doch hier besteht der Verdacht, dass eine Gruppe von Klerikern systematisch Missbrauch betrieb – darunter der langjährige Bischof von Hildesheim.

[A study revealed, without naming the perpetrators, that even in the Diocese of Hildesheim minors were sexually abused. But here there is a suspicion that a group of clerics systematically abuse – including the longstanding Bishop of Hildesheim.

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BUFFALO
Buffalo News

November 22, 2018

By David Kibler

It is good to see there is pressure on and exposure of the abuse that has been experienced by the young boys and girls at the hands of priests in the Catholic Church for so many years.

The call for the Buffalo Diocese to open up the books, be transparent about what has happened and name those abusers is important.

It is not only a way to curtail future abuse, but also an important step in helping victims to heal.

I know this because I was a victim.

Abusers may be stripped of their priesthood and possibly their freedom, and the church might compensate victims. That retribution may help for a while, but once the headlines and sensationalizing stop, the unyielding weight, the pain and loss of control from the abuse will still be felt.

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BOSTON (MA)
Boston Globe

November 23, 2018

By Michael Levenson

Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley said Friday he looks forward to attending a high-stakes summit on child abuse prevention at the Vatican in February, even though Pope Francis conspicuously omitted his name from the committee that is organizing the event.

O’Malley’s absence from the four-member planning committee was striking because he is often considered one of Francis’ closest American advisers and is head of a Vatican advisory panel on the prevention of clergy sexual abuse.

When the list of names was released Friday, some church observers debated whether O’Malley’s absence was a sign that he has lost his stature in Rome.

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PARIS (FRANCE)
Associated Press

November 22, 2018

A French priest has been sentenced to two years in prison for sexual abusing multiple children while his former bishop was convicted for failing to report the crimes.

A court in the city of Orleans handed down the verdict Thursday against priest Pierre de Castelet and retired Orleans bishop Andre Fort.

A court official said the ruling forbids De Castelet from working as a priest or meeting with minors, puts him on a national list of sex offenders and orders him to receive psychiatric treatment.

Fort was given an eight-month suspended sentence. Three victims were awarded 16,000 euros ($18,245) each in damages.

Predominantly Catholic France has seen priests accused of sexual abuse but has not faced a national scandal or reckoning like that seen in some other countries.

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PARIS (FRANCE)
Associated Press

November 23, 2018

A French priest has been handed preliminary charges of raping minors in the latest blow to the Catholic Church in France.

The regional prosecutor’s office said the Rev. Robert Bonan was arrested Tuesday in the town of Lautenbach near the German border. The charges were based on multiple complaints, some dating to the 1980s.

His archbishop, Monsignor Luc Ravel, called it a “disaster for humanity.” In a diocese statement Friday, he praised those “who came forward, in great suffering.” He promised the church would help seek justice for these “terrifying crimes” and urged other victims of priest abuse to step forward.

Another French priest was sentenced to two years in prison this week for sexual abusing multiple children while his former bishop was convicted for failing to report the crimes.

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OAKLAND (CA)
Associated Press

November 23, 2018

A Northern California diocese that had pledged to release the names of priests credibly accused of sex abuse says it needs more time.

The Diocese of Oakland announced in early October that it would publish names within 45 days, but now says publication won’t be until after Jan. 1, 2019 for two reasons.

The diocese says it has decided to contact survivors in advance of a public announcement and that it needs more time to verify information on priests from other orders and dioceses who served in Oakland.

A law firm suing California bishops has compiled a report of clergy in the San Francisco Bay Area it says are accused of misconduct. Attorney Jeff Anderson says the report lists nearly 100 accused in the Diocese of Oakland.

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CARSON CITY (MI)
Fox 17 TV

November 22, 2018

More former members of the Church of Carson City are coming forward and sharing their stories of alleged abuse and torment.

Claims of how the church allegedly hid accusations of child sexual abuse for decades first aired on FOX 17 on Tuesday. Those claims came to light after a woman was arrested for vandalizing the church last month.

More people are coming forward adding to the long list of those who have left what’s commonly called the ‘Shermanite Church’ by locals. Their stories give more insight into what life was allegedly like as a Shermanite.

Peter Michelsen and his two sisters shared their stories of alleged sexual abuse and torment with the Church of Carson City on Tuesday. Now, three more people are sharing their stories with FOX 17.

“There was a lot of tongues and prophecy that goes on,” said former member Dan Newhall.

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VATICAN CITY
Associated Press via the Boston Globe

November 23, 2018

By Nicole Winfield

Pope Francis named the Vatican’s top sex abuse investigator and a close U.S. ally to an organizing committee for a February abuse prevention summit that has grown even more high stakes after the Holy See blocked U.S. bishops from taking action to address the scandal.

Abuse survivors and women working at the Vatican will also contribute to the preparatory committee. Notably absent from the lineup announced Friday was Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley, who heads the pope’s sex abuse advisory commission, though one of his members, the Rev. Hans Zollner, is the point-person for the group.

In addition to Zollner, the committee includes Maltese Archbishop Charles Scicluna, for a decade the Vatican’s sex crimes prosecutor, Francis appointee Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich and Indian Cardinal Oswald Gracias, a member of Francis’ key cardinal adviser group.

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UNITED STATES
The Washington Post

November 22, 2018

By Tom Jackman, Michelle Boorstein and Julie Zauzmer

The explosive report about sexual abuse by Catholic priests unveiled by a Pennsylvania grand jury in August has set off an unprecedented wave of investigations over the last several months, with attorneys general in 14 states and the District of Columbia announcing probes and demanding documents from Catholic officials. Those efforts have been joined by a federal investigation out of Philadelphia that may become national in scope.

The swift and sweeping response by civil authorities contrasts sharply with the Vatican’s comparatively glacial pace. While some U.S. dioceses have published lists of priests they say have been credibly accused of sexual abuse and two cardinals have been ousted, the Vatican this month put on hold a vote by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on measures to hold bishops more accountable until after a global synod in early 2019. In the meantime, Rome has done little to address the crisis.

“The Catholic Church has proven that it cannot police itself,” said Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan (D), whose state is among those investigating. “And civil authorities can’t let the church hide child sexual abuse allegations as personnel matters. They’re crimes. We need a full accounting of the church.”

The new investigations are taking place in a very different climate than existed in 2002, when the Boston Globe exposed decades of abuse and coverups in that city. Many lay Catholics have lost faith in the church’s ability to right itself and are pushing for civil authorities to hold high-ranking church officials accountable. There’s also a greater willingness by law enforcement to do battle with a church that has become a far less formidable local presence. And the graphic grand jury report has spurred widespread public outrage.

However, hope for action won’t be satisfied quickly. Following an initial flurry of news conferences and calls to hotlines set up for the public to report abuse, there is likely to be an extended period of silence while prosecutors gather evidence.

State and federal prosecutors have three tools at their disposal: criminal charges against allegedly guilty priests or even the bishops believed to have abetted their abuse, civil suits against individuals or larger church entities, and public reports that expose the names and deeds of accused abusers without formal action.

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[“Abused childhood:” to break code of silence around pedophilia]

FRANCE
Le Monde

November 20, 2018

By Antoine Flandrin

Des victimes d’abus sexuels ont accepté de revenir, face caméra, sur les agressions qu’elles ont subies dans leur enfance.

Corinne Bouchoux, ancienne sénatrice du Maine-et-Loire, sous la bannière Europe Ecologie-Les Verts, le dit sans détour : la lutte contre la pédophilie en France est un sujet politique impopulaire. Elle qui, à l’âge de 8 ans, est tombée sous les griffes d’un prêtre « aux mains baladeuses », a demandé à maintes reprises, entre 2011 et 2017, qu’une commission d’enquête soit mise sur pied pour faire le point sur les agressions sexuelles dans l’Eglise, le système éducatif et les colonies de vacances. « Je n’ai pas réussi à lancer une dynamique politique, regrette-elle. Il y avait toujours plus grave et plus urgent. »

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[Former Orléans priest Pierre de Castelet sentenced to two years in prison for sexually abusing minors]

FRANCE
Le Monde

November 22, 2018

L’ancien prêtre Pierre de Castelet a été jugé coupable d’atteintes sexuelles sur mineurs de moins de 15 ans et condamné à trois ans de prison, dont deux ferme, jeudi 22 novembre à Orléans. Le tribunal correctionnel a également prononcé une peine de huit mois de prison avec sursis pour celui qui était son supérieur hiérarchique, l’ancien évêque Mgr André Fort, coupable de n’avoir pas dénoncé ces faits dont il avait été informé par une victime.

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[Parish priest condemned for abuses transferred, serving on ecclesiastical tribunal]

MADRID, SPAIN
El País

November 20, 2018

By Íñigo Domínguez

Un párroco de Ciudad Rodrigo, con una pena de cárcel de 1998 que se ocultó, fue trasladado a otro pueblo y hoy forma parte de la vicaría judicial del obispado salmantino

El párroco de Espeja, un pueblo de poco más de 200 vecinos de Salamanca, fue condenado a un año de cárcel en 1998 por abusos sexuales sobre una niña de diez años, según han reconocido la diócesis de Ciudad Rodrigo, y el obispo de la época, Julián López, que hoy está en León. No llegó a entrar en prisión por no tener antecedentes. Sin embargo, la sentencia no trascendió públicamente y este cura, Joaquín Galán Pino, siguió de párroco en Serradilla del Arroyo, a 40 kilómetros. Al menos desde 2002, según testimonios recogidos en este pueblo, hasta la actualidad. Es más, a día de hoy forma parte, como notario, de la vicaría judicial de la diócesis de Ciudad Rodrigo, como consta en su página web. Es el tribunal eclesiástico que se encarga de juzgar precisamente las denuncias por abuso de menores.

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FRANCE
RTE

November 22, 2018

A French priest from the town of Orleans was handed a two-year jail term today and a bishop was convicted for failing to report him in rare prosecutions that have shaken the French Catholic church.

Pierre de Castelet, 69, was sentenced to two years in prison, with another year suspended, after abusing children during a summer camp in 1993 where he touched them while pretending to carry out medical examinations.

His superior, the former bishop of Orleans Andre Fort, 83, was given a suspended prison sentence of eight months for failing to notify French police when he was made aware of the abuse allegations in 2008.

Both men are expected to avoid serving time behind bars, however, under French law that allows a convict to apply for a non-custodial punishment in cases involving short jail sentences.

Prosecutions of bishops are extremely rare in France, with the last case dating back to 2001 when a bishop in the town of Bayeux-Lisieux was given a three-month suspended jail term for failing to report abuse.

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[Schoenstatt order weighs returning Cox to Chile]

CHILE
La Discusión

November 14, 2018

By Cristóbal Vaccaro and Nicole Contreras

La congregación de Schoenstatt confirmó que ya realizó exámenes médicos para determinar si el exobispo de Chillán y excura, Francisco José Cox, deberá ser devuelto a Chile. Patricio Moore, vocero de la orden en Chile, dijo a Radio La Discusión que los resultados de las pericias realizadas al exreligioso, acusado de abuso sexual en Chillán y otras ciudades del país, podrían conocerse durante los próximos días.

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[Deacon removed from the ministry after abuse accusation asks prosecutor to investigate him]

CHILE
BioBioChile

November 21, 2018

By Emilio Lara

El diácono permanente de la Capilla de la Virgen del Carmen de Linares, Óscar Villagra, se autodenunció ante la Fiscalía durante la jornada del martes para que la policía civil investigue una denuncia de abuso en su contra. A principios de noviembre, el religioso fue apartado de sus funciones y conminado a residir dentro de la diócesis, luego que el Obispado de Linares acogiera una acusación producto de la agresión que habría sufrido un menor hace 25 años.

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[Juan Carlos Cruz reiterates cover-up accusation against Cardinal Errázuriz after failed conciliation]

CHILE
La Tercera

November 20, 2018

By Pablo Retamal Navarro

El abogado de los denunciantes, Juan Pablo Hermosilla, señaló hoy, tras la citada audiencia, que “se reconoce una serie de errores que, en mi opinión, constituyen encubrimiento, pero no están dispuestos a decir que hubo encubrimiento”.

Esta tarde, Juan Carlos Cruz, una de las víctimas de abuso del sacerdote Fernando Karadima, reiteró su acusación al cardenal Errázuriz por encubrimiento. Esto, tras la fallida cuarta audiencia de conciliación entre la Iglesia y los denunciantes del expárroco de El Bosque.

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[No reconciliation between Santiago Archdiocese and victims of Karadima]

CHILE
La Tercera

November 20, 2018

By Leyla Zapata and Angélica Baeza

El presidente de la Novena Sala anticipó que el fallo sobre la demanda se conocerá antes de fin de año.

La propuesta del Arzobispado de Santiago a las víctimas de Fernando Karadima, en la demanda por encubrimiento interpuesta contra la entidad eclesial, incluía “reconocer todos los errores y omisiones que se cometieron durante la investigación de los abusos que sufrieron los demandantes, y también la reparación de los daños sufridos”, señaló el abogado del Arzobispado, Nicolás Luco, antes de ingresar a la audiencia de conciliación que se realizó este martes.

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HOUSTON (TX)
Catholic News Agency

November 21, 2018

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, has denied that he allowed two priests to remain in active ministry despite credible allegations of sexual abuse against them.

CBS News aired a report Nov. 20, citing accusations against two Houston priests, Fr. Terence Brinkman and Fr. John Keller, who are presently in active ministry within the archdiocese.

During the meeting of the U.S. bishops’ conference held in Baltimore last week, CBS asked DiNardo if he was aware that “you have two priests with credible sexual abuse allegations currently in active ministry in your diocese?”

DiNardo, who serves as president of the U.S. bishops’ conference, asked which priests were being referenced. On hearing the names of Brinkman and Keller, he immediately responded that neither was a credible allegation.

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ROME
National Catholic Register

November 16, 2018

By Msgr. Charles Pope

This is no time to be dismissive. This is a time to work together for reform and a new springtime of faith in the Church and in the world.

The annual Fall Meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), which took place in Baltimore earlier this week, was a disappointment on many levels. Yet there were also moments of light and strength coming from a good number of bishops. They spoke with clarity, acknowledging the seriousness of the crisis both in terms of the need to bring some semblance of justice to the victims and of the faltering credibility of the Church. Some even made the forbidden connection of the crisis to active homosexuals in the priesthood. Still others lamented the collective silence on sexual morality, wondering how many bishops and clergy do not believe what the Church teaches. (The interventions of these courageous bishops were reported in detail in the National Catholic Register here and here.)

Lamentably, the vote to encourage the Holy See to release all documents related to former Cardinal McCarrick’s alleged misconduct did not pass. The debate seemed to center on canonical issues and even wordsmithing. Nonetheless, the fact that more than 80 bishops were willing to issue even a mild-mannered insistence to Rome shows that many are finding a voice that is willing to confront when and where necessary.

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UNITED STATES
America Magazine

By Lea Karen Kivi

November 16, 2018

Much attention has been paid in recent years to the horrific sexual abuse of minors in the church, and rightly so. But many men and women who experienced sexual abuse by members of the clergy in adulthood have yet to receive compassionate acknowledgment of the harm they have suffered. Regardless of the age at which sexual abuse by clergy was experienced, churches of all denominations have a long distance to travel in setting up healing ministries for and with survivors.

I have great respect for the many Catholic priests who have blessed my journey of faith. I am grateful to my parish pastors, and to the Paulist, Franciscan, Jesuit and Basilian priests who have fed my faith and inspired me by their sacrificial service. Accepting a call to the priesthood at this point in history may be especially challenging, and I hope those currently in the priesthood or considering a call will persevere despite the revelations of wrongdoing in the church. This wrongdoing has always existed. The good news is that we now know about it, are talking about it and therefore can work to eliminate it. We must consider how to prevent abuse of women in the church, and how to make it easier for women (and men) to come forward should they themselves experience abuse by clergy in adulthood.

I use the term abuse to describe any situation in which a priest attempts to use his position of power over or proximity to someone to sexualize the relationship. The example of inappropriate clergy behavior that I share here is not the only incident I have experienced, and it is far from being the most serious. My complaint was handled within the church. I have chosen not to name the priest or his religious community.

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TORONTO (ONTARIO)
Catholic News Service via America Magazine

November 21, 2018

An iconic Canadian Catholic high school is reeling following the arrest of six students who are charged with assault and sexual assault following an alleged incident in a locker room.

The accused are 14- and 15-year-old students of St. Michael’s College School in midtown Toronto. Five of the accused turned themselves into police early Nov. 19 and a sixth was arrested on his way to school.

Their names and ages are protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Police announced the charges at a news conference. The accused are facing charges of assault, gang sexual assault and sexual assault with a weapon, said Inspector Dominic Sinopoli, who heads the Toronto police’s sex crimes unit. They appeared in court Nov. 19 and were released into the custody of their parents. They are scheduled to make their next court appearance Dec. 19.

A video that circulated on social media appeared to show teens pinning a student whose pants had been pulled down, while two others allegedly assaulted him with the handle of a broomstick. The alleged attackers, as well as the youth who allegedly recorded the incident, have all been charged.

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UNITED STATES
“Inside the Vatican,” America Magazine

November 21, 2018

By Colleen Dulle

[AUDIO]

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry and I look into some new developments in the stories surrounding the U.S. bishops’ delay of the vote on new sex abuse protocols. We also discuss the history of resistance to papal initiatives in the last 30 years. Is the current climate different from what happened during recent pontificates?

We’ll also look at Pope Francis’ recent initiatives to make “invisible people visible.” From creating shower and laundry facilities for the homeless in the Vatican to recent comments at the World Day of the Poor, Pope Francis is making it clear that giving to the poor is not just a fad under this pontificate, it’s what Christians are called to do.

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BROOKLYN (NY)
National Catholic Reporter

November 20, 2018

by Peter Feuerherd

When Bishop George Pallipparambil was named in 2005 to lead the newly formed Diocese of Miao, India, he knew he was to lead a church of the laity. There was no other alternative.

As a Salesian priest, he had ministered in the region since a church was first formed there in 1979 with the baptisms of 900 people. It now boasts some 90,000 Catholics, led by 156 lay catechist leaders, with 96 diocesan and religious priests, as well as 165 religious sisters.

“It was planted, watered and nourished by laypeople and it continues,” Pallipparambil said Oct. 16 in an interview conducted at the offices of the U.S. chapter of Aid to the Church in Need, a group that supports impoverished dioceses such as Miao. Pallipparambil was in the U.S. on a tour seeking support.

As the bishop of a small, impoverished diocese, Pallipparambil is on the frontlines of a post-Vatican II church which seeks out the gifts of laity. At the same time, as a church leader in sometimes hostile territory, Pallipparambil is convinced that the church’s enemies are responsible for sensational national headlines implicating a fellow bishop.

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UNITED STATES
LifeSiteNews

October 25, 2018

When my translation of St. Peter Damian’s Book of Gomorrah was first published, I sent a copy to Pope Francis. The book was dedicated to him as pope and to all of his successors, “that they might heed the counsel of St. Peter Damian and fulfill their solemn duty to protect and preserve the moral and doctrinal integrity of the clergy and laity.” I received a form letter thanking me for the gift.

I doubt that Francis ever saw my translation and if he did, I’m even more doubtful that he read any of it – he’s not fond of English. However, I know that he knows about St. Peter Damian’s crusade against homosexual sodomy in the clergy, because he once gave a talk for EWTN and quoted from the Book of Gomorrah.

As is customary with Pope Francis, then-Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio sought to use Damian’s work to promote his theme of tolerance towards those living immoral lives, claiming that Damian was emphasizing “indulgence and kindness” towards sinners, when in fact the Book of Gomorrah’s main focus is the permanent defrocking of priests and monks who commit acts of sodomy.

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MIAMI (FL)
Crux

November 14, 2018

Though Catholics in America continue to have an overall favorable opinion of Pope Francis, according to the director of the Pew Research Center, the Argentine pontiff has tripled his negative ratings for his handling of clerical sexual abuse in the most recent survey and today is ranked below Pope emeritus Benedict XVI at his worst.

Speaking with the Crux of the Matter, which airs every Monday on the Catholic Channel, Alan Cooperman said the drop in the pope’s favorability is directly related to his handling of the clerical sexual abuse crisis.

The share of Catholics who think the pope is doing a “poor job” has tripled from what it was in 2015, according to the Pew findings, reaching 36 percent of American Catholics.

“Back in 2014, 54 percent of American Catholics thought he was doing a good or excellent job [handling the abuse crisis],” Cooperman said. “Today it’s down to just 3 in 10, 30 percent of U.S. Catholics giving him a good or excellent, dropping 24 points in four years, 14 points just from the beginning of 2018.”

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UNITED STATES
La Croix International

November 21, 2018

By Massimo Faggioli

There is a gap between the cultural myths of Catholicism and the historical reality of the Church

The clergy sex abuse crisis has become an integral part of the current narrative of Catholicism. But we are still trying to find precedents in history to make sense of this moment. There are two major hypotheses on the similarities between today’s situation and other periods of turmoil.

The first hypothesis was articulated recently by Cardinal Walter Brandmüller, a well-regarded Church historian who was one of the four cardinals who signed the dubia against Pope Francis.

The German cardinal sees a precedent for today’s crisis in the 11th-12th centuries. It was during this period that St. Peter Damiani, in 1049, urged Pope Leo IX to take strong action against concubinage and homosexuality among the clergy.

Around the same time the laity of Milan rose up and called for similar reforms in what was known as the Pataria or Patarine movement (which has some similarities with the current dynamic between Rome and U.S. Catholics).

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HOUSTON (TX)
ABC13-TV

November 21, 2018

By Jessica Willey

ABC13’s Jessica Willey speaks to a Spring woman whose son accused a priest of abuse | Despite a list outing priests, she’s not too hopeful her son’s priest will be on it.

Ahead of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston publishing a list of all clergy “credibly accused’ of sexual abuse, a mother of one alleged victim isn’t hopeful the priest her son says abused him will be on it.

Carol LaBonte, of Spring, has been frustrated with the church she loves for years.

“It has been covered up and covered up and covered up,” she said. “I’ve had it.”

When her now-adult son, John LaBonte, who does not live in Texas anymore, was 16, she says he was sexually abused by a priest who sent him an incriminating letter.

“I know you were upset by what happened and I don’t want you to be and I really love you,” she recalled elements of the letter.

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NEW JERSEY
North Jersey Record

November 21, 2018

By Hannan Adely

From #metoo, to sex crimes against young gymnasts, to Catholic Church abuse scandals, stories about sexual violence have gripped this nation. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in four girls and one in six boys are sexually abused before the age of 18.

It’s a frightening statistic, but parents don’t have to feel helpless. There are concrete steps parents can take today to prevent sexual violence, said Elizabeth L. Jeglic and Cynthia Calkins, clinical psychologists who published a book on the topic earlier this year.

“Knowledge is power,” said Calkins. “There are lot of misconceptions about sexual abuse and sexual violence, so we wanted parents to be informed about what that abuse looks like, who perpetuates it, where it happens and what the circumstances around abuse are.”

As professors at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Jeglic and Calkins have researched sexual violence for more than a decade. Together, they’ve published articles in academic journals, written a book and spoken to peers at conferences about their findings on sexual violence prevention.

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JACKSON (MS)
Mississippi Clarion Ledger

November 12, 2018

By Jimmie E. Gates and Sarah Fowler

The Office of Homeland Security raided the Catholic Diocese of Jackson office investigating accusations a Starkville priest obtained money by lying about having cancer when in fact he was HIV positive and was sent to a Canadian sexual addiction facility for priests.

An affidavit by Homeland Security Special Agent William Childers was filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Jackson. The search of the Jackson Diocese apparently took place Nov. 7.

The affidavit says Homeland Security Investigations have developed probable cause to believe the Rev. Lenin Vargas-Gutierrez, pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Starkville, knowingly devised schemes of obtaining money by means of false and fraudulent pretense, through the use of wire communications.

The affidavit refers to Lenin Vargas-Gutierrez as Father Vargas after the initial introduction. A native of Mexico, he was ordained a priest in the Jackson diocese in 2006.

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NEW ORLEANS (LA)
WVUE

November 20, 2018

By Rob Masson

A long-time church sex abuse attorney said more clients are coming forward now that the New Orleans archdiocese has released a list of clergy members credibly accused of abuse.

“I have several new people who have come forward,” said attorney Roger Stetter.

Stetter said he’s got 20 clients, more than a dozen of whom claim that former deacon George Brignac sexually abused them. Stetter said Brignac is responsible for more than a half-million dollars in payouts from the archdiocese.

“I think we have 13 Brignac victims, and seven from other places – Edward the Confessor and Eymard, which doesn’t exist anymore,” said Stetter.

Stetter said a man contacted him claiming that former Jesuit High School brother Claude Ory abused him. Ory’s name doesn’t show up on the archdiocese list of 57 credibly accused clergy members.

Jesuit put out a statement saying Ory’s wasn’t on the list because he was a religious brother in the Society of Jesus. The Advocate newspaper reported that Jesuit settled abuse claims involving Ory, who appears to be living in Maryland.

“They have their own system for addressing these issues,” Stetter said.

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HARRISBURG (PA)
WHTM

November 20, 2018

By Dennis Owens

A woman from Enola spoke with us and doesn’t want her face seen, or her name identified, but she does want her voice heard.

“I can’t stress enough how much a part of my identity being Catholic was as I grew up,” she said. “[I’m] sad, disturbed, embarrassed at some level even to identify as a Catholic, and there’s a real feeling of betrayal.”

She is not alone, but are fewer faithful filling pews and collection baskets in the Harrisburg Diocese?

“Generally not, the faithful are still coming and they’re still committed to the church,” said Matt Haverstick, an attorney for the diocese.

Haverstick would not reveal the exact numbers on attendance or contributions since the scandal. He’s a little more forthcoming on the number of clergy abuse victims out there.

“A little over a hundred,” he said.

And how much money a newly created fund will need to help them.

“It is going to be real. It’s not a token effort or a phantom effort. This is going to be in a quantum of millions,” he said.

Haverstick insists collection plate money will not be used.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Catholic News Service

November 20, 2018

By Father Kenneth Doyle

Q. The news reports of settlements made in the millions of dollars to victims of clergy sex abuse trouble me. Were there secret assets from wills and estates on reserve for that purpose? Where did all that money come from? (Metuchen, New Jersey)

A. National Public Radio reported in August 2018 that dioceses and religious orders in the United States had thus far paid settlements totaling more than $3 billion to victims of clergy sexual abuse. The settlements have come, not from any “secret assets,” but from a combination of cash, proceeds from the sale of land and buildings, and from insurance payments.

What must be said first, though, is that no financial amount is sufficient to compensate victims for their suffering. As Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis said in May 2018 when announcing a settlement of $210 million in restitution to several hundred survivors, “I recognize that the abuse stole so much from you — your childhood, your innocence, your safety, your ability to trust and, in many cases, your faith. … The church let you down, and I’m very sorry.”

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ARLINGTON (VA)
ABC7

November 19, 2018

By Victoria Sanchez

Some Northern Virginia religious bookstores are feeling the effects of the Catholic sexual abuse scandal in their bottom lines three months after the release of the scathing Pennsylvania grand jury report.

Meg Rydzewski opened the doors to Joyful Spirit Gifts in 2014. The Catholic store and church supply in Arlington provides things like candles to come local parishes and religious milestone items like baptismal and first communion clothing to families. In August, Rydzewski noticed a drop in customers and purchases.

The release of the Pennsylvania grand jury report uncovered decades of sexual abuse in the church involving roughly 300 priests. The news rattled the national Catholic community and Rydzewski’s small business 250 miles away.

“It was certainly unexpected for me and it was hard for me to understand that that’s what might be happening but as we moved through summer into September and into October, with the softer sales continuing, I kind of had to connect the dots,” she said.

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WINONA (MN)
Catholic News Agency

November 21, 2018

By Christine Rousselle

The Diocese of Winona-Rochester will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, it was announced Sunday. Bishop John Quinn wrote a letter explaining the decision, which was distributed in bulletins throughout the diocese.

In a recorded video statement posted on the diocesan website, Quinn said he was sorry, and that on behalf of his brother priests, he “offer(s) an apology to these survivors and acknowledge their pain and suffering,” and pledged to “remain vigilant” to prevent abuse in the future. He also said it was important to create an “environment of healing” for both abuse survivors and their families.

Quinn explained that due to the 121 claims of child sexual abuse by priests within the diocese, and after praying for guidance as to how to best heal the pain of these survivors, the diocese would file for bankruptcy. A total of 17 priests in the diocese have been accused of sexual abuse.

This move is the “most just and equitable way to hold ourselves accountable, to bring healing and justice to the survivors, and to find a path forward for our diocesan community,” said Quinn.

“By proactively taking this step, we will begin to bring healing and justice to survivors, holding ourselves accountable for the abuse that occurred in the past,” said the bishop. The diocese will continue to work with survivors and their legal counsel.

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UNITED STATES
CBS NEWS

November 20, 2018

By Nikki Battiste

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo is president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, making him one of the most powerful Catholic officials in the country. He has also been one of the most vocal critics of the church’s handling of its sex abuse scandal.

But this summer, Rev. Manuel La Rosa-Lopez, a priest whom DiNardo had promoted, was arrested for allegedly molesting two children. DiNardo, the archbishop of Galveston-Houston since 2006, has vowed to release by January a list of all the priests in Houston who have been, in the church’s judgment, “credibly accused” of sexually abusing a child.

Now, a CBS News investigation has uncovered a lack of action by DiNardo in handling sex abuse allegations in his own archdiocese.

John LaBonte said Rev. John Keller molested him when he was 16 years old. He said DiNardo has allowed Keller to continue presiding over one of the largest Catholic churches in Houston.

“I shrank. I was like, I’m not here. I left my body. They say there’s the flight and fright. Well, I was frozen,” LaBonte said.

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UNITED STATES
CBS News Videos

November 21, 2018

A CBS News investigation has uncovered an alleged lack of action by one of the most powerful Catholic church leaders in handling sex abuse claims. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo has been the archbishop of Galveston-Houston since 2006 and is president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Last week he presided over around 300 bishops in Baltimore to address the church’s sex abuse crisis. Nikki Battiste reports.

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JACKSON (MS)
Mississippi Clarion Ledger

November 21, 2018

By Sarah Fowler

A priest currently visiting the Jackson diocese has faced past accusations of sexual harassment.

The Rev. Maurice Nutt was in attendance and helped lead Mass Sunday at St. Peter’s Catholic Cathedral in downtown Jackson to open the cause for canonization of Sister Thea Bowman of Canton, the first African-American member of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. The Catholic Diocese of Jackson posted photos from the Mass on its Facebook page. Nutt prepared the gifts for consecration alongside Bishop Joseph Kopacz.

Nutt, a Redemptorist priest, is “back and forth” between Jackson and New Orleans while he works as a consultant on the cause for canonization, according to Maureen Smith, spokeswoman for the diocese. Smith said the diocese was aware of the allegations against Nutt.

Nutt has previously denied any wrongdoing. He has not been charged with a crime. He is a priest in “good standing,” Smith said, and “has the full confidence of his religious community.”

In March 2001, a police officer began working as a “neighborhood facilitator” for a community board on which Nutt served in Missouri. Nutt’s parish, St. Alphonsus “Rock” Catholic Church, was within the officer’s assigned area. In a lawsuit filed in 2002, the officer alleged Nutt “made unwelcome sexual advances” on three separate occasions.

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PROVIDENCE (RI)
Providence Journal

November 20, 2018

By Patrick Anderson

But at hearing Tuesday, defense lawyer attacks commission, saying it oversteps its authority

Rhode Island Supreme Court Justice Francis X. Flaherty’s defense against an ethics complaint accuses the State Ethics Commission of overstepping its legal authority and its chairman of displaying an “obvious negative predisposition” toward the Catholic Church in his criticism of child sexual abuse scandals.

In a tense hearing Tuesday, the Ethics Commission refused to throw out a complaint that Flaherty should have disclosed his position as president of the St. Thomas More Society of Rhode Island when he ruled on an appeal of a priest sexual abuse lawsuit against the Roman Catholic bishop of Providence. The St. Thomas More Society of Rhode Island is a nonprofit organization promoting Catholic legal work.

Representing Flaherty, lawyer Marc DeSisto questioned whether the non-lawyer members of the commission could rule on his motions in the short time span since they were filed and asked them whether they had read the case law.

It got more contentious from there.

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HAYWARD (WI)
Sawyer County Record

November 20, 2018

By Terrell Boettcher

Story update on Nov. 20: Sawyer County Sheriff Douglas Mrotek stated that Ericksen was taken into custody at his residence in coordination with the Minneapolis Department without further incident, and is awaiting extradition proceedings to be transported to the Sawyer County Jail.

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EAST LANSING (MI)
NPR

November 20, 2018

By Vanessa Romo

Former President of Michigan State University Lou Anna Simon was charged with two felony and two misdemeanor counts on Tuesday for allegedly lying to police during their investigation into how the school handled sexual abuse allegations against Larry Nassar, the doctor convicted of abusing scores of young women while employed by the university and USA Gymnastics.

According to the warrant, Simon purposefully concealed that she knew that the university’s Title IX office and police department had launched an investigation into a sexual assault complaint filed against Nassar in 2014, ESPN reported.

Nassar was eventually cleared of wrongdoing by the school but when asked by investigators about the case, Simon allegedly told police that she did not know the name of the sports medicine doctor involved.

“In fact she knew it was Larry Nassar who was the subject,” investigators said according to ESPN.

Nassar pleaded guilty earlier this year to federal child pornography charges and 10 counts of criminal sexual conduct in Michigan state courts.

Simon, who has denied any criminal wrongdoing, could face up to four years in prison, according to the Associated Press. The 71-year-old is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday in Eaton County, Mich.

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EAST LANSING (MI)
Legal Reader

November 21, 2018

By Ryan J. Farrick

Michigan State University’s former and long-time president, Lou Anna Simon, has been charged with two felony and misdemeanor counts of allegedly lying to law enforcement officials investigating Larry Nassar.

Nassar, a USA Gymnastics physician convicted of molesting scores of patients, has already been sentenced to serve up to 125 years in prison.

Simon, reports NPR, repeatedly told officials that she didn’t know Michigan State’s Title IX office and police department had opened an investigation into Nassar following a 2014 complaint. While Nassar was eventually cleared by the university, Simon later said hadn’t been told the sports medicine practitioner’s name.

“In fact she knew it was Larry Nassar who was the subject,” investigators claim.

Nassar pled guilty in early 2018 to federal child pornography charges and 10 counts of criminal sexual misconduct in Michigan.

If Simon’s found guilty of the charges filed against her, she too could face time behind bars—up to four years, according to the Associated Press.

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PENNSYLVANIA
Legal Reader

November 21, 2018

By Sara E. Teller

A former altar boy is the latest to come forward, filing a lawsuit claiming he was sexually abused by a former Pennsylvania priest. The priest already admitted to abusing another boy several years ago and was previously cleared to work with kids by a New Mexico clinic for troubled clergy.

Bruno Tucci, 76, allegedly abused the altar boy who is identified only as a 29-year-old “John Doe” for several years between 1999 and 2001 at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish in Nesquehoning, a small town outside of Allentown, Pennsylvania. Tucci allegedly told the boy to “put his arms out like Jesus on the cross” while he fondled him.

“He is a broken young man,” the client’s chief attorney, Gerald Williams, said. “He veers from anger to despair to depression.” He was motivated to come forward after Tucci was identified by a Pennsylvania grand jury report in August as one of 301 “predator priests” who preyed on thousands of children in parishes across six dioceses.

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DES MOINES (IA)
The Associated Press

November 20, 2018

By Ryan J. Foley

A longtime Catholic priest in Iowa has been removed from the ministry indefinitely after a girl complained a year ago that he improperly touched her, a diocese has confirmed.

The fourth-grader alleged that the Rev. Brian Danner of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Humboldt rubbed the top of her leg while taking her confession, the Diocese of Sioux City told the Associated Press. The girl’s parents were “extremely upset” and complained to church officials, recalled diocese lawyer Michael Ellwanger.

The diocese reported the incident to the county attorney last December and has revoked Danner’s ability to function as a priest indefinitely. Its review found that Danner’s actions were inappropriate but didn’t constitute sexual abuse, Ellwanger said.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
The Tribune

November 20, 2018

By Mark Scolforo

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia said Tuesday it is putting aside $25 million to start paying claims to people who say its clergy sexually abused them as children.

The archdiocese said it expects to need more money than it has on hand, so it will have to borrow and liquidate assets. A spokesman calls initial funding of $25 million to $30 million, from existing liquid assets, “a floor and not a ceiling.”

The archdiocese announced last week it was beginning a claims process and had mailed out a few hundred informational packets to people who had previously reported credible abuse claims.

Most of the state’s dioceses are setting up compensation funds.

A proposal to retroactively allow child sexual abuse lawsuits that are otherwise too old to pursue passed the state House by a wide margin but was blocked by state Senate Republicans.

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SAN FRANCISCO (CA)
Bay Area News Group

November 21, 2018

By Tracey Kaplan

The ongoing scandal over sexual abuse by Catholic clergy has led to two new high-profile lawsuits, both aimed at forcing American bishops to divulge secret lists of offenders dating back more than six decades.

But one of the legal attacks goes even further by pinning the blame on Vatican officials for misconduct in the United States, relying in part on a legal doctrine more commonly used to take down drug dealers and Mafia members. And the other relies on nuisance laws, alleging that the church has created a public hazard.

The lawsuits, both of which include victims from California and were filed in federal court this month, represent a far more sweeping approach than suing individual priests or a diocese as a way to expose clergy abuse and its alleged cover-up.

This is not “Father so-and-so” abusing one child, said Mitchell A. Toups, of Texas, one of the lawyers in the suit that names the church government in the Vatican, known as the Holy See. “This is a much broader attack.”

Judy Keane, a spokeswoman for the conference of bishops, said the group does not comment on pending litigation.

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ALBANY (NEW YORK)
New York Daily News

November 20, 2018

By Kenneth Lovett

Gov. Cuomo said Tuesday he wants to see a bill making it easier for victims of child sex abuse to seek justice as adults pass next year—but not in a way that would bankrupt the Catholic Church.

“Obviously nobody wants to see a dioceses or the Catholic Church bankrupt, so how it is done is very important,” Cuomo told reporters during a pre-Thanksgiving trip to Buffalo to pass out turkeys.

But Cuomo quickly added that “nor do I think you should say, ‘well this may cost the Church money, so we shouldn’t do it.’ There’s a long step between acknowledgment and justice and financial catastrophe, so I do believe there should be a recognition and justice should be done for the victims.”

Buffalo has been contending with a widespread priest abuse scandal.

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DETROIT (MI)
Detroit Free Press

November 20, 2018

By Tresa Baldas

In a major blow to the federal government, a judge in Detroit has declared America’s female genital mutilation law unconstitutional, thereby dismissing the key charges against two Michigan doctors and six others accused of subjecting at least nine minor girls to the cutting procedure in the nation’s first FGM case.

The historic case involves minor girls from Michigan, Illinois and Minnesota, including some who cried, screamed and bled during the procedure and one who was given Valium ground in liquid Tylenol to keep her calm, court records show.

The judge’s ruling also dismissed charges against three mothers, including two Minnesota women whom prosecutors said tricked their 7 -year-old daughters into thinking they were coming to metro Detroit for a girls’ weekend, but instead had their genitals cut at a Livonia clinic as part of a religious procedure.

U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman concluded that “as despicable as this practice may be,” Congress did not have the authority to pass the 22-year-old federal law that criminalizes female genital mutilation, and that FGM is for the states to regulate. FGM is banned worldwide and has been outlawed in more than 30 countries, though the U.S. statute had never been tested before this case.

“As laudable as the prohibition of a particular type of abuse of girls may be … federalism concerns deprive Congress of the power to enact this statute,” Friedman wrote in his 28-page opinion, noting: “Congress overstepped its bounds by legislating to prohibit FGM … FGM is a ‘local criminal activity’ which, in keeping with long-standing tradition and our federal system of government, is for the states to regulate, not Congress.”

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UNITED STATES
Yahoo Lifestyle

November 20, 2018

By Beth Greenfield

Now that the #MeToo movement, Kavanaugh hearings, Betsy DeVos’s proposed campus rape rules and protests like the Google walkouts have put sexual assault right up there with movies, pets, weather and politics as very possible topics of family dinner discussions, heading into the holidays can feel more fraught than ever. That’s especially true if you’re a sexual assault survivor. And it’s why being thrust into such a conversation without being mentally prepared could leave you rattled.

“I left feeling jarred and jangled and with a feeling disequilibrium,” says Fran (not her real name), a 48-year-old California woman, regarding a recent visit with her parents during which they raised the topic of her childhood assault at the hands of a family member. She believes they brought up the incident, after many years of avoidance, because the national conversation had provided them with a new way of understanding it all. “I wasn’t mad, but I left feeling unmoored,” she tells Yahoo Lifestyle, “because it didn’t feel like it was about me and my well-being and my resolution, but more about theirs.”

Her advice to others heading into a similar setup, particularly for people with traumas that have yet to be disclosed? “Imagine the topic is going to come up in some form, and know who you’re talking to and where they’re coming from … and know that no one’s going to be thinking about you,” she says, “so you think about you. What would be meaningful for you? What would help move you forward and not just the conversation?”

Experts agree that it’s a great guidepost and offer more guidance on how to be ready for sensitive, triggering discussions about sexual assault and harassment — particularly those that leave you wanting to disclose your own history in order to make a heat-of-the-moment point to your clueless relative. “It’s a very pivotal moment when you are able to share your trauma,” psychologist Kathleen carterMartinez, author of Permission Granted: The Journey From Trauma to Healing From Rape, Sexual Assault and Emotional Abuse, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. And you want to do it in a way that feels like healing, rather than self-harm.

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LOS ANGELES (CA)
Los Angeles Times

November 19, 2018

By Richard Winton and Maya Lau

A Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy assigned to handle sensitive sex abuse crimes, often involving vulnerable minors, has been arrested on suspicion of raping a 14-year-old girl in a case he was investigating.

Neil Kimball was taken into custody Friday evening after a monthlong inquiry into the allegations by the sheriff’s criminal internal investigation bureau. He was booked on suspicion of rape by force and preventing or dissuading a victim from testifying.

The 45-year-old investigator with the special victims unit met the girl during the “scope of his work,” a department spokeswoman said Monday.

Kimball, a 20-year department veteran, has investigated dozens of child molestation cases in Los Angeles County as a member of the elite specialized unit since 2013.

“The investigation and arrest resulted from information provided to the department by a member of the public,” the Sheriff’s Department said in a statement. It did not announce the arrest Friday and provided the statement after an inquiry by The Times.

Kimball was investigated previously, after a woman told the Sheriff’s Department in February 2009 that Kimball had grabbed her hand several months earlier and tried to make her touch his genitals, according to a memo from the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. Prosecutors ultimately declined to charge Kimball in the case.

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PENNSYLVANIA
jimmyhinton.org

November 20, 2018

By Jimmy Hinton

Pedophile abusers are not intimidated by church policies or accountability partners and will not refrain from abusing kids simply because a handful of people are “keeping an eye” on them. When they are in the church, they are primed for abuse and will strike again. Churches have made a fatal theological mistake by not calling wolves by the proper name and this, in my opinion, is a leading reason why churches continue to be one of the most dangerous places for our youth. Churches mistakenly accept wolves as if they were sheep and give them exactly what they seek to devour. The Bible rightly distinguishes wolves from sheep because wolves are inherently intent on feasting on their prey. A wolf does not get better–he or she gets smarter. Wolves do not convert into sheep. They are, by nature, predators and predators blend in to the flock of prey exceptionally well.

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NEW JERSEY
For NJ.com

November 18, 2018

By Joe Brandt

A church youth minister who was convicted in the 1990s for sexual assault was convicted again on Friday of having inappropriate sexual contact with a teenage girl.

A jury found Shawn Butler, of Hillsborough, guilty of criminal sexual contact and endangering the welfare of a child, Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew Carey announced.

Butler, 52, worked as a youth minister at Eternal Life Christian Center in Franklin Township and served on the church’s executive board.

At trial, Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Carver made the case that Butler improperly touched a 15-year-old girl in South Brunswick and at his home in Hillsborough several times between March and June 2014.

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VATICAN
Get Religion

November 19, 2018

By Terry Mattingly

When I was breaking into the mainstream religion-news biz — soon after the cooling of the earth’s crust — the words “church press” basically meant one thing.

It meant working for the news office in a denomination’s headquarters or, perhaps, in the outreach office of a religious non-profit. In other words, it was one step from the world of public relations.

As the old saying goes: It’s hard to cover a war when a general is signing your paycheck.

However, the Internet has — year after year — been blurring many of these lines. The denominational press is still out there, but so are lots of non-profit publications that offer an often dizzying mix of commentary and factual news.

This is especially true for reporters covering Catholic news. As my colleague Clemente Lisi noted the other day, referring to developments on scandals surrounding ex-cardinal Theodore McCarrick:

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SIOUX CITY (IA)
Associated Press

November 20, 2018

By Ryan Foley

A longtime Roman Catholic priest in Northwest Iowa has been removed from the ministry indefinitely after a girl complained a year ago that he improperly touched her, the Diocese of Sioux City has confirmed.

The fourth-grader at St. Mary’s school in Humboldt alleged that the Rev. Brian Danner of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Humboldt rubbed the top of her leg while taking her confession, the diocese told The Associated Press. The girl’s parents were “extremely upset” and complained to church officials, recalled diocese lawyer Michael Ellwanger.

The diocese reported the incident to the county attorney last December and has revoked Danner’s ability to function as a priest indefinitely. Its review found that Danner’s actions were inappropriate but didn’t constitute sexual abuse, Ellwanger said.

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PHILAdELPHIA (PA)
Patheos

November 20, 2018

By Teresa Messineo

I live in the eye of the storm that is the Pennsylvania clergy sex abuse scandal. The diocese named, the schools, parishes, bishops and sex abuse survivors are all with me here, at ground zero. Photographs of people crying, or staring stoically ahead, or holding on to each other as our attorney general finally read the findings of the two-year grand jury investigation – those people aren’t just human interest stories, or a way to sell more papers, or images to lead off internet articles. They are my high school classmates. My teammates. My friends.

And the priests named in that report – the men who wrote us demerit slips for chewing gum or rolling down our dress socks, while they raped and tortured children – I know them, too. They were our class advisors, our religion teachers; they heard our confessions and doled out penances for our petty sins while they exonerated themselves from all wrong-doing.

The Catholic Church stands at a crossroads, globally. But nowhere is that more apparent than here, in Pennsylvania. Every fourth person in our state is Catholic. I’ve gone to mass in Pittsburgh, where there were three Catholic churches in one square block. Older Philadelphians still give directions by parish. So, the uncertainty facing the future of our church is – to a large extent – a shared uncertainty about our own future, the two are so closely enmeshed.

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JACKSON (MS)
Associated Press

November 20, 2018

A Mississippi priest says he was an informant for the federal fraud investigation of another priest.

The Clarion Ledger reported The Rev. John Bohn told the weekend services at St. Richard Catholic Church in Jackson that he was an informant in the case involving a priest in Starkville.

Bohn previously served in Starkville.

A federal affidavit says there were four informants as they investigated the priest, whom The Associated Press is not naming because he has not been charged.

The affidavit says the Starkville priest announced from the pulpit numerous times that he had cancer and was going to Canada for treatment. He received donations from parishioners.

The affidavit says the priest actually had been diagnosed with HIV. The diocese said it could not talk about the priest’s medical condition.

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JEFFERSON CITY (MO)
Jefferson City Press Tribune

November 20, 2018

By Joe Gamm

Bishop W. Shawn McKnight of the Diocese of Jefferson City — one of the youngest and newest of those attending the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops — was among the first and loudest to respond when the Vatican asked the conference to delay action on the sexual abuse crisis facing the church.

Many were surprised. Maybe none more so than McKnight.

“I made the promise to myself that I would not speak at my first major general assembly out of deference. You’re the new guy, and you need to learn how this crisis works,” McKnight said Monday. “But, when this crisis blew up and the November assembly was focused primarily on addressing it. The way this was happening, I could not keep silent, no matter how young I am.”

The U.S. bishops meet annually to promote the greater good the church can do for humankind, according to the conference website, and fits programs to circumstances as required. The agenda going into this year’s conference in Baltimore was to create a strategy to deal with the growing clergy sexual abuse crisis across the country.

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DENVER (CO)
Colorado Public Radio

November 20, 2018

By Allison Sherry

Stephen Szutenbach didn’t have anywhere to turn when his priest and mentor came on to him sexually when he was 18 years old.

Szutenbach aspired to be a priest himself. He had never even kissed anyone before.

He first met Rev. Kent Drotar, a leader at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary, at a youth retreat in 1999. It was the summer before he started his senior year at Conifer High School.

Szutenbach was having trouble with his parents and confided in Drotar. The priest gave him advice and counsel and supported him personally and spiritually throughout his last year in high school. He attended his swim meets and graduation, where Szutenbach delivered the valedictorian speech in 2000. Drotar gave Szutenbach a laptop computer after graduation.

“I saw him as a friend and a mentor,” Szutenbach said. “And as a father figure.”

That summer, Szutenbach was slated to start seminary and got a job working on the grounds at Denver’s St. John Vianney Seminary. Drotar often had him over for lunch in his apartment.

“Slowly but surely as the summer went on, we would be sitting on the couch eating lunch, he would put his arm around me, he would put his hand on my leg and try to cuddle with me,” Szutenbach said. “It made me uncomfortable.”

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RIVERVIEW (FL)
Bradenton Patch

November 20, 2018

By Paul Scicchitano

A Florida Catholic church has informed its parishioners that a well-known former priest who once worked as a stunt car performer in an automotive thrill show, has been accused of two cases of sexual misconduct with children. The allegations involve the Rev. Michael P. Juran, who was most recently assigned to the Diocese of Buffalo in upstate New York though still living in Florida.

“On Monday, Nov. 5, 2018 we received information from the Diocese of St. Petersburg regarding allegations involving Rev. Michael P. Juran, a former parochial vicar of St. Stephen Catholic Church from 2006 to 2011,” wrote Father Dermot Dunne in a Nov. 8 letter to parishioners of his western Florida parish.

In 2008, Juran appeared in a video in which he described his work with the thrill show, even allowing himself to be strapped to the hood of a stunt car at 60 mph as he crashed through a flaming firewall on the track.

“The faster you go the better and then it doesn’t hurt as much,” Juran told an interviewer. “Right through the firewall and then you come back and you take your bow.”

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EAST BRUNSWICK (NJ)
CentralNewJersey.com

November 20, 2018

By Vashti Harris

Striving to address recent sexual abuse revelations within the Catholic church, St. Bartholomew Church served as a host to a listening session for patrons to voice their concerns.

“The church decided to have a listening session for all Catholics of our parish and surrounding parishes in order to hear about how they are feeling about the sexual abuse crisis and ask for their opinions for what actions the church can take going forward,” parishioner MaryEllen Firestone said.

More than 30 patrons attended the session that was facilitated by Sister Margaret Conlon of Sister of Charity of Saint Elizabeth on Oct. 22 at St. Bart’s in East Brunswick.

Conlon has ministered to high school students and families, as a teacher and counselor, in Jersey City for more than 20 years. For the last 27 years, she has ministered as a licensed clinical alcohol and drug counselor at Emmaus House, a holistic center for women religious, in Ocean Grove. Conlon has facilitated programs for suicide prevention for youth as well as groups and retreats for adult women in recovery, according to a prepared statement from the St. Bartholomew Church.

The session began with parishioner JoLynn Krempecki talking about the history of the crisis and the church’s response.

“Today we are in a terrible state in the Catholic church. The sins of some clergy that have been committed in the dark were brought to light in 2002. These were sins of sexual abuse against children,” Krempecki said. “Sadly, not all of the abusers were named [and] some abused children were afraid to come forward.”

In 2002, the Boston Globe’s Spotlight team published an investigative article exposing systemic sexual abuse against children in the Boston area by numerous priests.

“When the Spotlight was shown the [United States Conference of Catholic Bishops] scattered to make decisions that was suppose to ensure that such things would never happen again,” Krempecki said. “They put guidelines and provisions into place and since then all who work with children must go through criminal background checks and also must have training that teaches people where the boundary lines are. This is a national policy and this is a policy in this diocese and every parish and every Catholic institution are checked regularly for compliance.”

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NEW YORK (NY)
Commonweal

November 20, 2018

By Dorothy Fortenberry

It was somewhere in the process of explaining transubstantiation to my skeptical seven-year-old that I taught her the phrase “Go big or go home.”

I hadn’t intended to bring up transubstantiation, or religion, or anything at all—we were just trying to make it through a rare sit-down post-church brunch (we usually do more of a perching coffee and pastries), helping the two-year-old balance scrambled eggs on her spoon, when my older kid asked, pretty much out of nowhere, “The cracker and the wine…they’re not really the body and the blood of Jesus, right?”

Even though my husband attended Catholic school for five years and has sat through more theology classes than I have, I’m the actual Catholic, so I was fielding this one.

I grabbed the moment as best I could to explain that yes, well, actually, the craziness of that idea was the point. The whole idea that something could literally transform before our eyes. That we could, daily if we wanted to, eat the body and drink the blood of a two-thousand-year-old man, alongside a billion other people across the globe. She raised her magnificent eyebrows. “Okaaaaaay.”

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NEW YORK (NY)
Commonweal

November 20, 2018

By Helene Stapinski

In 1992, I quit my job at my local newspaper and moved to Nome, Alaska, to join the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. I was only twenty-seven but felt jaded and hopeless in the face of the problems I wrote about in my hometown of Jersey City—AIDS, toxic waste, political corruption. I never seemed to make a dent.

The motto of the JVC is “Ruined for Life”—the idea being that once you join, you’re fundamentally changed, eager from then on to make a difference in the world. I had been raised Catholic but felt estranged from the church because of its positions on the gay community, birth control, women’s roles—the usual liberal lament. But I knew the Jesuits had a reputation for being forward-thinking, and I thought a year spent at a radio mission might just renew my faith. I thought I could bring some change by working with the 3,000-person community of Nome, where alcoholism, domestic abuse, and suicide were common problems.

On my flight in, an older man sitting in front of me turned around and asked, over the seat, “Where you headed, honey?”

Honey? “I’m one of the new KNOM volunteers,” I said. KNOM was the voice of western Alaska, the glue that held Alaska Native villages together. The man only gave me a wooden stare. “You know,” I said. “KNOM? The radio station?”

“I’m familiar with KNOM,” he answered. He paused again. He reached a hand out to shake mine. “I’m Father Jim Poole.”

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LAFAYETTE (LA)
Daily Advertiser

November 20, 2018

By Cal Thomas

One doesn’t have to be Roman Catholic or even Christian to recognize the great good the Catholic Church has done. America would be worse off were it not its pro-life stance and numerous acts of charity.

But good works are sometimes diluted or even overwhelmed by evil works, and it is the evil works of pedophile priests that threaten to sully the good the church has done.

But what should trouble not only Catholics but non-Catholics too is the latest statement from the Vatican regarding the sexual abuse scandal, a scandal that has prompted many Catholics to leave the church and the faith altogether.

In a letter to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops meeting in Baltimore, the Vatican, as reported by U.S. News & World Report, requested that U.S. bishops “wait until after the Vatican-convened global meeting on sex abuse takes place in February” to take action on the sexual abuse issue plaguing the church. “The conference of bishops had expected to focus … on measures to combat abuse, including establishing a new code of conduct.”

Is it just a question of timing, or yet another attempt to avoid dealing with the crisis?

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DENVER (CO)
Colorado Public Radio

November 20, 2018

By Allison Sherry

Stephen Szutenbach didn’t have anywhere to turn when his priest and mentor came on to him sexually when he was 18 years old.

Szutenbach aspired to be a priest himself. He had never even kissed anyone before.

He first met Rev. Kent Drotar, a leader at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary, at a youth retreat in 1999. It was the summer before he started his senior year at Conifer High School.

Szutenbach was having trouble with his parents and confided in Drotar. The priest gave him advice and counsel and supported him personally and spiritually throughout his last year in high school. He attended his swim meets and graduation, where Szutenbach delivered the valedictorian speech in 2000. Drotar gave Szutenbach a laptop computer after graduation.

“I saw him as a friend and a mentor,” Szutenbach said. “And as a father figure.”

That summer, Szutenbach was slated to start seminary and got a job working on the grounds at Denver’s St. John Vianney Seminary. Drotar often had him over for lunch in his apartment.

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.

JEFFERSON CITY (MO)
Catholic News Service

November 19, 2018

Laypeople need to help the U.S. bishops get out from under the clerical sex abuse scandal that is plaguing the Church, said Bishop W. Shawn McKnight of Jefferson City in a message to Catholics of his diocese posted Nov. 16 on the diocesan website.

Beyond just the abuse crisis, laity need to be involved “at all levels of the church,” McKnight said.

“Why can’t we have well-qualified, nationally known and trusted lay experts named to the special task force announced by the president of the USCCB (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops)?” he asked. “The Second Vatican Council gave us not only the freedom but the obligation to utilize and engage the gifts and talents of the laity in the life and mission of the Church.”

After the substantiated abuse allegation that prompted retired Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick’s resignation in July from the College of Cardinals, “an internal investigation of the McCarrick scandal without the use of competent and qualified lay investigators will hardly be considered transparent and credible,” McKnight said.

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NEW HAVEN (CT)
WFSB

November 18, 2018

By Rebecca Cashman and Jennifer Lee

Saint Mary’s Parish in New Haven held a vigil in the wake of sexual abuse scandals around the country involving clergy on Sunday night.

Members of the church and the Knights of Columbus allowed parishioners to view and pay their respects to a relic of the world famous, French Saint Jean Vianney who Catholics believe symbolizes love, courage, and commitment.

The relic is the 159-year-old heart of Saint Vianney and is on display after Sunday’s mass from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

A pastor from France led the vigil that followed mass and reflected on personal holiness.

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TEXAS
Baptist Standard

November 19, 2018

By Scott Floyd

The church has the incredibly important task of creating a safe atmosphere for children. The previous article in this series considered a brief theology of care of children and then pivoted to practical steps the church can take to provide effective protection for the safety of children.

Now, think about what no one wants to think about. Consider the role of ministry personnel as mandated reporters when abuse occurs. Here, we will explore what must happen and how the church can assist child victims and families after abuse takes place.

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ROCHESTER (NY)
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

November 19, 2018

By Sarah Taddeo

A group of U.S. lawyers is publicizing its services to survivors of childhood sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, in anticipation of the potential passage of the Child Victim’s Act in the New York state legislature.

Versions of the bill have made their way around the legislature for more than a decade, and while a version passed the Assembly in June 2017, it has yet to pass the Senate.

The bill would extend the age at which individuals can seek criminal charges for sexual abuse from 23 to 28, and the age at which they can seek civil penalties against their abusers from 18 to 50.

State Democrats, who now control both houses of the legislature, have indicated that this issue is a priority for the upcoming session, which starts in January.

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DETROIT (MI)
Click on Detroit

November 19, 2018

By Sandra Ali and Kayla Clarke

Allegations rocked Catholic Church

Sexual abuse revelations have rocked the Catholic Church.

The Roman Catholic bishops of the United States traveled to Baltimore last week for their first time meeting since an explosive grand jury report by the Pennsylvania attorney general that detailed decades of sexual abuse involving hundreds of priests.

The bishops left the meeting without taking any action. They were asked by the Vatican to stand down and wait until Pope Francis meets with church leaders from all over the world to discuss the abuse crisis.

A Detroit priest opened up to Local 4 about the scandal. The Rev. Stephen Pullis is the director of evangelization of catechesis and schools for the Archdiocese of Detroit.

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette said he would start investigation allegations of sexual abuse and assault by Catholic priests dating back to the 1950s.

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