ABUSE TRACKER

RICHMOND (VA)
Richmond Times-Dispatch

October 24, 2018

By Patrick Wilson and Bridget Balch

Attorney General Mark Herring on Wednesday said his office and Virginia State Police are investigating sexual abuse within the two Catholic dioceses in Virginia, and whether people in authority covered up abuse.

Herring announced the ongoing investigation at a news conference at his office, saying his review began after a grand jury in Pennsylvania issued a report in August about sexual abuse and cover-ups in the Catholic Church there.

“Like so many Americans I read the grand jury report on child sexual abuse by clergy in Pennsylvania’s Catholic dioceses, and I felt sick. It broke my heart to see the extent of the damage done, the efforts to cover it up, and the complicity and enabling that went on by powerful people who should have known better and should have done more to protect children,” Herring said.

“If there has been abuse or cover-up in Virginia as there was in Pennsylvania, I want to know about it, I want to root it out, and I want survivors to get justice and get on to a path of healing.”

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

SAN FRANCISCO (CA)
KTVU

October 23, 2018

By: Lisa Fernandez, Cristina Rendon

As dioceses around the country are disclosing names of priests accused of misconduct, a law firm on Tuesday released a report containing the names of 212 Catholic Clergy members accused of sexual misconduct in the Bay Area.

The report, compiled by lawyers from Jeff Anderson and Associates based in St. Paul, Minn., accuses 135 offenders from the Archdiocese of San Francisco, 95 from the Diocese of Oakland and 33 from the Diocese of San Jose. A total of 111 of these priests are dead or thought to be dead.

It was initially reported that there were 263 names on the list but 51 of those names were duplicates, because some of the priests served in multiple 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.

WHEELING (WV)
Intelligencer

October 25, 2018

Roman Catholic church officials are doing the right thing in preparing to release a list of names of priests and deacons “credibly accused” of sexually abusing children in West Virginia. It is a good start toward repairing the church’s damaged relationship with its flock in the Mountain State.

It is unfortunate that the decision regarding West Virginia had to come after the release this past summer of a Pennsylvania grand jury report alleging that hundreds of “predator priests” victimized children in that state. Some may wonder whether that was the catalyst that convinced church officials to act in our state.

It also is troubling that the action came only after the former head of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, ex-Bishop Michael Bransfield, retired from his post. Church officials have said allegations that Bransfield sexually harassed adults are being investigated.

After Bransfield’s departure, the diocese was placed under the supervision of Archbishop William E. Lori, of Baltimore. It was he who made the announcement Wednesday. “The trust of the people has been badly damaged. Disclosing the names of all those credibly accused of abuse is a critical step toward repairing that broken trust,” Lori said.

According to the diocese, it will release the names of priests and deacons “credibly accused of child sexual abuse” since 1950, which is as far back as church records go. Diocese officials noted the list will not include the names of any priests currently in the ministry.

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

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

October 24, 2018

In 2010, a Vatican priest considered to be the ‘papal preacher’ made international headlines when he likened accusations of abuse and cover up against Catholic officials to “a collective violence suffered by the Jews.”

Now, the pope is sending this same prelate to meet with all US bishops. We call on Pope Francis to change his mind.

The Associated Press reported that Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa’s precise quote was the current “violent and concentric attacks” on the church and then Pope Benedict were “reminiscent of the most shameful aspects of anti-Semitism.”

According to the Irish Times, “the incident sparked off a series of indignant replies from Jews worldwide.” Ironically, just a day before Fr. Cantalamessa’s comments, another high ranking Vatican official said that the Catholic faithful will not be swayed by “petty gossip” about child sex-abuse allegations.

Given this pattern of downplaying the abuse suffered by survivors across the world, we believe that Pope Francis could do far better in sending a different official who hasn’t repeatedly demeaned victims and survivors (of both sexual abuse and the holocaust). If Pope Francis really wants to show that he is taking this crisis seriously, he should send someone else to the U.S. in January.

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.

SANTIAGO, CHILE
Reuters

October 24, 2018

By Natalia A. Ramos Miranda

Santiago’s Archbishop and three men who allege they were sexually abused by Chilean priest Fernando Karadima must appear at a mediation hearing called by Chile’s Court of Appeal.

In a statement posted on its website on Wednesday, the court instructed the two parties to meet with the possibility of an agreement between them. The hearing has been set for Nov. 20.

Claimants James Hamilton, Jose Andres Murillo and Juan Carlos Cruz filed an appeal for “moral damages” against the Church earlier this year, accusing it of covering up abuse crimes. The case was previously rejected by a lower court for lack of evidence.

They were invited to Rome earlier this year to tell the Pope about their alleged abuse. They have accused Karadima, who worked for the Santiago Archbishopric as a parish priest in a Santiago suburb, of abusing them and the Church of covering up that abuse.

A decision in favor of the men could pave the way for a flood of civil lawsuits seeking monetary damages from Chile’s Roman Catholic Church.

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

[In the Laplagne investigation, Hasbún’s testimony will be kept secret for now]

CHILE
El Mostrador

October 24, 2018

La medida busca que el resto de los imputados no sepan cuáles fueron los antecedentes que entregó Hasbún, lo que impediría futuras diligencias.

El fiscal Emiliano Arias decidió decretar, por 40 días, el secreto de la investigación por abusos sexuales contra Jorge Laplagne, luego que el sacerdote Raúl Hasbún declarara en calidad de imputado por encubrimiento y entregara al OS-9 de Carabineros antecedentes considerados valiosos por la Fiscalía.

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.

[Within Episcopal Conference, division over victims’ compensation is a ‘cross’ for the Catholic Church]

CHILE
El Mostrador

October 25, 2018

By Alejandra Carmona López

El tema se instaló con mayor fuerza desde la última visita del enviado papal a Chile, Charles Scicluna. Hay obispos que están empujando la idea de que la situación ya no da para más y que es necesario trazar un plan de reparaciones económicas para las víctimas, más allá del caso Karadima. El secretario general de la CECh, Fernando Ramos, también se une a las voces a favor de ese objetivo: “El principal interés de los obispos de Chile es que esta reparación sea integral”, afirmó.

Mientras la Corte de Apelaciones de Santiago resuelve la demanda presentada por las víctimas de Fernando Karadima, en el seno de la Conferencia Episcopal de Chile (CECh) se ha instalado una soterrada pugna interna, dos fuerzas que chocan entre los obispos sobre la forma en que deben enfrentar la necesaria reparación a los que sufrieron abusos sexuales de sacerdotes. “¿Se van a sentar a negociar con las personas que fueron abusadas?”, comentan –ya hastiados y con la cabeza agarrada a dos manos– importantes personajes del clero.

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.

[Victims of Karadima reject mediation with Archdiocese in abuse and cover-up case]

CHILE
BioBioChile

October 25, 2018

By Alberto González and Nicole Martínez

La Corte de Apelaciones citó a conciliación a las víctimas de Fernando Karadima y el Arzobispado de Santiago, en el marco de la demanda civil por encubrimiento. Los denunciantes le cerraron la puerta a la posibilidad y su abogado ingresó un recurso de reposición que pide dejar sin efecto la conciliación y fallar en breve plazo. Se trata de la cuarta vez que las partes son convocadas a una conciliación, y en donde todas han fracasado debido a que no ha habido acuerdo respecto al fondo, si existe o no encubrimiento.

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.

[Appeals courts sets mediation hearing in Karadima case for November 20]

SANTIAGO, CHILE
Emol

October 24, 2018

By Tamara Cerna

La Novena Sala no dio a lugar a la solicitud de exhorto realizada por el Arzobispado, ni consideró los antecedentes presentados por la defensa de los denunciantes del ex párroco, incluyendo la carta de Errázuriz.

En medio de las polémicas por la filtración de un supuesto fallo sobre la indemnización demandada por encubrimiento a los abusos cometidos por el ex párroco de El Bosque, Fernando Karadima, la Novela Sala de la Corte de Apelaciones llamó oficialmente a la conciliación.

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.

[Victims of Karadima lash out and ask to cancel mediation hearing]

SANTIAGO, CHILE
Emol

October 24, 2018

By Tomás Molina and Juan Peña

El abogado que los representa, Juan Pablo Hermosilla, presentó un recurso contra la resolución de la Corte de Apelaciones. “La única posibilidad de acuerdo se configuraría mediante el reconocimiento de la existencia de encubrimiento”, advirtió.

Las víctimas del ex sacerdote Fernando Karadima reaccionaron a la citación para una audiencia de conciliación que hizo la Corte de Apelaciones, en el marco de la demanda por encubrimiento que presentaron contra el Arzobispado de Santiago. El abogado Juan Pablo Hermosilla, quien representa a Juan Carlos Cruz, James Hamilton y José Andrés Murillo, presentó un recurso de reposición contra la resolución del tribunal de alzada.

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 prosecutor Jorge Abbott says “We hope to have genuine collaboration from the Church”]

CHILE
La Tercera

October 24, 2018

By S. Vedoya

El fiscal nacional hizo este llamado en su discurso, en que conmemoró los 19 años de la institución.

El fiscal nacional, Jorge Abbott, conmemoró ayer el 19° aniversario del Ministerio Público. En la actividad hizo un llamado a las autoridades de la Iglesia Católica, algunas de las cuales están siendo investigadas por presuntos encubrimientos de abusos sexuales por parte de religiosos contra menores de edad.

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)
CBS TV 2

October 24, 2018

By Audrina Bigos

A Northwest Indiana priest failed to adhere to (at least) one of the Catholic Church’s ’10 Commandments’–‘Thou Shalt Not Lie’–after accusations surfaced that he made up a story about being attacked at the altar in August.

Father Basil Hutsko of Saint Michael Byzantine, a Catholic church in Merrillville, has been placed on administrative leave following allegations that he lied about being the victim of a hate crime.

The parish discredited his claims that he was beaten while he was praying at the altar last summer.

Father Hutsko, who has since been accused of sexual abuse, claimed he was attacked on the same day Pope Francis issued a letter to Catholics around the world condemning priestly sexual abuse and cover-ups in response to a grand jury report that publicly named more than 300 “predator priests” who allegedly molested more than 1,000 children in six Pennsylvania dioceses.

Since news of his alleged abuse made headlines, an attorney representing the church says it has known since 2004 about allegations that Father Hutsko sexually abused a 35-year-old woman.

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

ROME (ITALY)
Crux

October 25, 2018

By Elise Harris

When it comes to Vatican scandals, a few names tend to surface every time a new crisis comes to light. At the top of most lists would be Italian Cardinal Angelo Sodano, easily among the most influential Vatican officials over the past three decades.

From the Chilean abuse crisis to the scandals surrounding Legionaries of Christ founder Father Marcial Maciel and even abuse allegations in Germany, Sodano’s name has emerged in each case, usually attached to accusations that he either defended the abuser or tried to cushion their fall.

When Italian Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, a former Vatican ambassador to the U.S., published a statement Aug. 25 making allegations against some 32 Vatican officials, including Pope Francis, Sodano’s name again emerged as a figure accused of covering up the sexual misconduct of ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick

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)
Sun Times

October 25, 2018

By Michael Sneed

Pope Francis has called it.

Watch for a weeklong spiritual retreat for U.S. Catholic bishops to be held at Mundelein Seminary in early January as the church hierarchy prepares for a plan to consider its role in the latest scandal involving the U.S. clergy sex abuse crisis.

“They better pray,” said Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke, interim head of the lay board chosen by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to address the priest pedophile scandal in 2004. She has been critical of the way the church hierarchy subsequently ignored their advice, and believes a lay board should conduct the investigation.

“They should have followed our charter in the first place,” said Burke, who chatted with Sneed via phone before her speech at Georgetown University on Wednesday addressing the church’s sexual abuse scandal.

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

ST. PAUL (MN)
Minnesota Public Radio

October 24, 2018

By Martin Moylan

St. Paul Attorney Jeff Anderson is suing the Vatican.

He says the suit — filed in federal court in California — targets the Vatican because it has been at the root of the widespread sexual abuse of children within the Catholic Church. He is seeking all records the Vatican has about abusive clergy.

“We are taking a direct shot at the Vatican for their decisions to continue a serious hazard and deploy the protocols of absolute secrecy,” Anderson said.

Anderson says the abuse of children has continued because the Vatican and the Pope keep the identifies of abusers secret and take no truly serious steps to protect children.

Anderson said he’s filed two prior lawsuits against the Vatican. They did not advance.

A Twin Cities abuse victim is a lead plaintiff in the latest lawsuit.

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

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
KYW Radio

October 18, 2018

By Steve Tawa

Word of the federal grand jury subpoenas issued to dioceses across Pennsylvania has spread quickly among those impacted by the Catholic clergy sex abuse scandal.

Michael McDonnell, a survivor of sex abuse by two priests in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, said up until now, victims and advocates have been blocked by “a systemic cover-up by the Roman Catholic Church.”

“It’s been extremely difficult to get them to accept responsibility and to be held accountable. It’s a monumental occurrence,” he said.

McDonnell alluded to the structure of the Catholic Church itself, wherein the upper hierarchy had served at one point of time or another in various dioceses across the commonwealth.

“No one knew more, and no one did less than these bishops, auxiliary bishops and archbishops,” he added.

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.

HARRISBURG (PA)
Associated Press

October 24, 2018

By Mark Scolforo

Survivors of child sexual abuse and others sought Wednesday to ramp up pressure on Pennsylvania’s Republican senators to vote on a bill that would give victims a two-year window to file lawsuits that would otherwise be outdated.

More than 100 people rallied at the state Capitol, nearly a week after the Senate’s GOP majority decided to leave Harrisburg without voting on the legislation.

Several speakers focused their frustration on the Senate’s top-ranking Republican, President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati of Jefferson County.

“The problem is that only one person has the power to pick up that phone and call them back,” said state victim advocate Jennifer Storm, referring to Scarnati. “It’s one vote, it’s one day.”

Scarnati issued a statement that said Democrats have been “touting this as a campaign commercial just as predicted.”

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.

DENVER (CO)
Crux

October 24, 2018

By Jeffrey Collins

A 76-year-old former Catholic priest who already has served jail time for molesting boys in Maryland was sentenced Tuesday to 20 years in prison in South Carolina for raping boys from a middle school four decades ago.

Wayland Yoder Brown wore his priest collar while attacking the boys, then prayed the rosary with them, Solicitor Duffie Stone said.

“He not only violated the trust of children, but violated their faith. He used the Catholic faith against them,” Stone said in a news conference after Brown’s guilty plea.

Brown already served five years of a 10-year sentence in Maryland for sexually abusing two other boys. Pope John Paul II dismissed him from the priesthood after that 2004 conviction.

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.

ALTOONA (PA)
Altoona Mirror

October 25, 2018

By Russ O’Reilly

Tommy Williams, 15, of Altoona, stood in front of a crowd on the steps of the Capitol Rotunda in Harrisburg. He was the youngest speaker by far at the rally Wednesday organized by Pennsylvania Victim Advocate Jennifer Storm.

About 80 people including survivors of sexual assault implored the Senate to return to session and vote on a bill that would create a two-year window to allow child sexual abuse victims to file civil suits despite the statue of limitations.

The person who abused Williams was not a Catholic priest. But Williams spoke for many now-adult victims who might have been too afraid to speak up as children when they were abused. Now time has gone by and they are prohibited as adults from suing their alleged abuser or the church that allegedly covered up the abuse.

In July, Attorney General Josh Shapiro released a grand jury report that outlined abuse of more than 1,000 children by hundreds of priests in six Pennsylvania dioceses since the 1950s. Separate investigations into the dioceses of Altoona-Johnstown and Philadelphia had been completed earlier.

Current state law allows a child sex abuse victim until they are 30 years old to file civil lawsuits or 50 years old to file 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.

ALBUQUERQUE (NM)
Albuquerque Journal

October 24, 2018

By Marjorie Crow

Thank you for the Journal’s continuing coverage of the sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests, most recently by Journal reporter Colleen Heild on (Oct. 14). Thank you also to Attorney General Hector Balderas and KOB TV reporter Chris Ramirez for their continuing investigations and coverage of this story.

The hypocrisy of the Catholic Church is appalling on this issue. The Church continues to press its onerous control of the sex lives of lay Catholics: no pre-marital sex, no birth control, no homosexual sex, no masturbation, no abortion, no anything other than sex within marriage to make children. While none of the forbidden behaviors are crimes outside of the Church, the rampant child sexual abuses inside the Church ARE crimes. Even the “punishments” of defrocking or excommunication are not in any way comparable to years in prison for lay child abusers.

The child abuse by priests issue has festered in this country and the world since its widespread exposure in the 1990s and is finally being addressed, although most of the abuse took place many years ago, they say. Why should anyone believe it is only in the past? There was a letter to the Journal a short time ago that argued that most priests are very good and holy people, and that the abusers are “a small minority.” Are 74 priests in New Mexico and 300 in Pennsylvania, multiplied by every state and every country in the world, a small minority? This was the position of most Catholics many years ago when it became a national and worldwide issue: that it’s only a few misguided people. Then the whole thing was swept under the rug.

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.

ALASKA
ABC News

October 24, 2018

By Pete Madden

The Alaska Department of Law will assist in an investigation of allegations of sexual misconduct reported to the Archdiocese of Anchorage, ABC News has learned.

On Wednesday, Archbishop Paul Etienne announced the formation of an independent commission comprised of former law enforcement officials “to review all personnel files of clerics and religious men and women” who have served the archdiocese since its formation in 1966.

The commission is expected to deliver a report on its findings, identifying individuals who have either had credible allegations made against them or have failed to report credible allegations made against others.

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.

RICHMOND (VIRGINIA)
Office of the Attorney General, Commonwealth of Virginia

October 24, 2018

~ Hotline will assist in an ongoing investigation into whether Virginia Catholic clergy may have engaged in criminal sexual abuse of children or efforts to cover up any such crimes ~

Attorney General Mark R. Herring today launched the Virginia Clergy Abuse Hotline and www.VirginiaClergyHotline.com as part of an ongoing investigation into whether criminal sexual abuse of children may have occurred in Virginia’s Catholic dioceses, and whether leadership in the dioceses may have covered up or abetted any such crimes. The hotline and online reporting form are being launched in the wake of the Pennsylvania grand jury report that documented decades of sexual abuse and cover-up by Catholic clergy in Pennsylvania.

“Like so many Americans, I read the grand jury report on clergy abuse in the Catholic dioceses in Pennsylvania, and I felt sick. It made me sick to see the extent of the damage done, the efforts to cover it up, and the complicity and enabling that went on by powerful people who should have known better and should have done more to protect vulnerable children,” said Attorney General Herring. “We shouldn’t assume the behavior and the problems are limited just to Pennsylvania or to one diocese. If there has been abuse or cover-up in Virginia like there was in Pennsylvania I want to know about it, I want to root it out, and I want to help survivors get justice and get on a path to healing.”

The Virginia Clergy Abuse Hotline and www.VirginiaClergyHotline.com will be available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week to receive reports of abuse by clergy or faith leaders. The toll-free hotline will allow for anonymous reporting and will be staffed by Virginia State Police investigators during regular business hours.

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
LifeSiteNews

October 24, 2018

By Maike Hickson

On October 19, prominent Catholic laywoman and lawyer Donna Bethell launched a petition asking the papal nuncio of the United States “not to support the appointment of Cardinal Tobin” as the next Archbishop of Washington, D.C. This petition, initiated by a single person, has already gained over 2,400 signatures since its inception.

As LifeSiteNews recently reported, Cardinal Joseph Tobin is “a front-runner among the candidates for appointment as the next Archbishop of Washington, D.C.,” according to rumors in Rome. Commenting on this matter, Sohrab Ahmari in a New York Post column called this possible Tobin nomination “a slap in the face, if that happens.”

Mrs. Donna Bethell – who was until a month ago the Chairman of Christendom College’s Board of Directors and who was the Under Secretary in the U.S. Department of Energy from 1988 to 1989 – responded in a similar fashion to the rumors about Cardinal Tobin, a close confidant of former Cardinal McCarrick. Tobin is currently the Archbishop of Newark, New Jersey, McCarrick’s See before he came to the nation’s capital.

According to the testimony of Archbishop Carlo Viganò, the former U.S. apostolic nuncio, McCarrick was directly involved with Tobin’s appointment to Newark (emphasis in original): “The appointments of Blase Cupich to Chicago and Joseph W. Tobin to Newark were orchestrated by [Cardinals] McCarrick, Maradiaga and Wuerl, united by a wicked pact of abuses by the first, and at least of coverup of abuses by the other two. Their names were not among those presented by the Nunciature for Chicago and Newark.”

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.

SANTIAGO (Chile)
Reuters

October 24, 2018

By Natalia A. Ramos Miranda

Santiago’s Archbishop and three men who allege they were sexually abused by Chilean priest Fernando Karadima must appear at a mediation hearing called by Chile’s Court of Appeal.

In a statement posted on its website on Wednesday, the court instructed the two parties to meet with the possibility of an agreement between them. The hearing has been set for Nov. 20.

Claimants James Hamilton, Jose Andres Murillo and Juan Carlos Cruz filed an appeal for “moral damages” against the Church earlier this year, accusing it of covering up abuse crimes. The case was previously rejected by a lower court for lack of evidence.

They were invited to Rome earlier this year to tell the Pope about their alleged abuse. They have accused Karadima, who worked for the Santiago Archbishopric as a parish priest in a Santiago suburb, of abusing them and the Church of covering up that abuse.

A decision in favour of the men could pave the way for a flood of civil lawsuits seeking monetary damages from Chile’s Roman Catholic Church.

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

WASHINGTON (DC)
American Conservative

October 23, 2018

By Rod Drehrer

Without a doubt the most searing document on the Catholic sex abuse scandal I’ve ever read — much more agonizing than this past summer’s Pennsylvania grand jury report, for example — is Leon Podles’s 2008 book Sacrilege, which is out of print and very hard to find now. Here’s a link to Lee’s web page for Sacrilege. Lee is a Catholic, an abuse victim, and a professional investigator who put his skills to work to try to get to the bottom of what happened in the Catholic Church.

I started reading the book in galley form, and couldn’t get past the first couple of chapters. It’s not that it was a bad book — not at all! It’s that the stone-cold realities Lee wrote about — based on police reports, documents, and interviews — were overwhelming to me. Admittedly, I was at a very weak place, having just left the Catholic Church over the scandal. Still, the book was raw. Because Lee is a friend, I knew how much work he had put into it, and how he suffered while writing it.

But it was true, and important.

Now, in Touchstone, S.M. Hutchens talks about how Lee Podles has been vindicated by this year’s terrible revelations of abuse and sexual corruption in the Catholic Church. Hutchens recalls a 2008 post from a Catholic site called “Fringe Watcher” that dismisses Podles as a crazy ranter who was aiding and abetting anti-Catholics. In a First Things item in that same year, Richard John Neuhaus said:

Very different is Leon Podles’ Sacrilege: Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church (Crossland). It is a rambling essay of more than five hundred pages on a potpourri of items picked up from the public media and the blogosphere, including, along with the kitchen sink, stomach-turning details of abuse, mainly with boys, and a scathing, if familiar, indictment from a conservative perspective of liberal depredations that brought things to this sorry pass. Regrettably, the tone is shrill, and even righteous anger does not justify the author’s suspension of caution and charity in attributing motives. Among the repercussions of the crisis is a publishing stream that goes on and on, which is inevitable.

Ah, Neuhaus. He never could bring himself to see clearly what was right in front of his face.

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.

HARRISBURG –(PA)
Johnstown Tribune Democrat

October 24, 2018

By John Finnerty

About 50 childhood sex abuse victims and their supporters came to the Capitol on Wednesday to call on the state Senate to return and vote on legislation that would allow for civil lawsuits in cases in which the statute of limitations has expired.

“Where are they?” asked Jennifer Storm, the Pennsylvania’s victim advocate. “They’re at home campaigning for your vote and we’re here.”

The General Assembly ended its fall voting session last week without the Senate taking up a version of Senate Bill 261 that had been amended in the House to include a two-year window for lawsuits against child molesters and institutions, like the Catholic Church, that had covered-up their crimes.

The issue emerged as the dominant political issue at the Capitol after a statewide grand jury report found that 300 predator priests had molested at least 1,000 victims over decades. That report included a number of recommendations for legislative change, including the move to open a two-year window.

Senate Republicans, led by Senate President Pro Tem Joe Scarnati, have opposed the move to open that lawsuit window, saying it would be unconstitutional.

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

NEW YORK (NY)
WIBV TV

October 24, 2018

By Jenn Schanz

News 4 has learned that at least 54 local clergy sex abuse victims are still waiting on a substantive response from the Buffalo Diocese regarding their claims for compensation through the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program, or IRCP.

The program was announced several months ago, after the Buffalo Diocese released the names of 42 priests accused of child sexual abuse.

The list was published after a South Buffalo man, Michael Whalen, went public with his story of alleged abuse as a child at the hands of Fr. Norbert F. Orsolits.

Since then, several other victims have come forward and News 4 has reported on at least a dozen additional priests being put on administrative leave following accusations of abuse.

The Diocese has said a new, updated list will be released in the near future, but has not said when exactly it will be released, or how many names will be on it.

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

MALIBU (CA)
Pepperdine Univerity Graphic

October 24, 2018

By Madison Nichols

The Lord’s prayer asks Christians to forgive those who trespass against them. Though, when a congregation applauds for a pastor who confesses to sexually assaulting a teen in his youth ministry, many question whether there are limits to Christian forgiveness.

Highpoint Church Teaching Pastor Andy Savage of Memphis told his congregation during a service Jan. 7 that he was involved in what he called a “sexual incident” with the then 17-year-old and member of Savage’s youth group Jules Woodson 20 years ago.

In a personal interview March 18, Woodson said she wants the church to recognize that sexual abuse within the church is a real issue.

“The reason I am coming forward is to gain healing and closure for myself because this is something I have carried around for 20 years,” Woodson said. “No. 2, I want other victims to know that they are not alone. And No. 3, I want to create change.”

Savage’s public confession was in response to a blog post on Wartburg Watch Dog that Woodson posted Jan. 5, which exploded on social media.

“I was, and remain, very remorseful for the incident and deeply regret the pain I caused her and her family,” Savage said in a live broadcast that aired on the Highpoint Church’s Facebook page, which can now only be seen on the New York Times.

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
National Catholic Reporter

October 22, 2018

by Junno Arocho Esteves, Catholic News Service

Survivors of abuse in Chile believed they had won a major victory when they heard a Chilean court recognized that the Archdiocese of Santiago prevented a thorough investigation into sexual abuses committed by a former priest, Fernando Karadima.

The lawsuit brought by survivors Juan Carlos Cruz, James Hamilton and José Andrés Murillo was first dismissed five years ago.

A report by the Chilean newspaper La Tercera said the Chilean court of appeals overturned the lawsuit’s dismissal Oct.18 after new evidence obtained from raids conducted on the archdiocesan chancery proved that Cardinal Francisco Javier Errázuriz, the retired archbishop of Santiago, closed an investigation into Karadima. The court was said to have awarded 450 million pesos ($661,000) in compensation for damages to Karadima’s victims.

After a verdict was reported, Cruz, Hamilton and Murillo released a statement saying that although the path to the verdict was long and full of difficulties, “it was worth it.”

“The strategies of the Chilean church, especially Cardinals (Riccardo) Ezzati and Errazuriz in covering up abuses, protecting abusers and silencing victims has received a strong response from Chilean courts,” the survivors said.

However, in an Oct. 22 interview with Chilean news site El Mercurio, Miguel Vázquez, president of the court of appeals, said the entire matter was still under study, no verdict had been reached and the archdiocese had not been fined.

Vázquez did not explain why the court waited four days to deny La Tercera’s report about the survivors winning the lawsuit.

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.

[Abuses in the Church: Prosecutor Moya says that precedents would not allow Ezzati to be dismissed, labels moves “obstructionist”]

SANTIAGO, CHILE
Emol

October 23, 2018

By Tamara Cerna

El persecutor de O’Higgins criticó al Obispado de Valparaíso, tildando el recurso que tuvo la causa paralizada durante 20 días como “una medida obstruccionista”, y señaló que la “agenda de indagaciones está bastante copada”.

Una dura crítica al Obispado de Valparaíso realizó esta tarde el fiscal jefe de la unidad de Alta Complejidad de O’Higgins, Sergio Moya, luego que la Corte de Apelaciones de Rancagua dejara sin efecto la orden que mantuvo estancada por casi 20 días la causa por abusos y encubrimientos ligados 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.

[Ivo Scapolo on cover-up accusations: “There are people who make judgments without knowing how things have been”]

CHILE
El Mostrador

October 23, 2018

El religioso sostuvo además que es “una situación de mejorar siempre más su trabajo, siempre en una actitud de conversión, purificación, santificación. Esa es la actitud que todos los cristianos tienen que tener siempre”.

El nuncio apostólico Ivo Scapolo habló sobre las acusaciones que pesan en su contra por encubrimiento de abusos sexuales en la Iglesia Católica. Al respecto, señaló que “hay personas que emiten juicios” sin saber qué pasó. Sus declaraciones se dieron luego de participar como público en un Congreso Social organizado por la Universidad Católica (UC), informó Cooperativa.

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.

[Appeals Court gives green light to investigate abuses and cover-up in Valparaíso church]

CHILE
El Mostrador

October 23, 2018

La Corte de Apelaciones de Rancagua rechazó el recurso de protección presentado por el Obispado y levantó la orden de no innovar que tenía paralizadas algunas diligencias. Fiscal Sergio Moya acusó que la jugada judicial de la iglesia “no fue más que una medida obstruccionista con el fin de estorbar”.

Vía libre al Ministerio Público para continuar con la investigación por delitos sexuales y encubrimiento al interior de la Iglesia Católica, dio la Corte de Apelaciones de Rancagua al rechazar el recurso de protección presentado por el Obispado de Valparaíso.

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.

[Karadima case: Juan Carlos Cruz criticizes Cardinal Errázuriz for not taking responsibility in abuse cases]

CHILE
El Mostrador

October 24, 2018

El cardenal Errázuriz envió una carta al director para insistir en su versión de los hechos asegurando que fue él quien inició la investigación contra Karadima y lo hizo para “proteger” a los sacerdotes diocesanos formados por el religioso. En respuesta, Cruz dijo que “el delincuente cardenal Errázuriz es como esas moscas (…) que se queda pegada, volando sin parar de molestar”.

Me sorprende que los denunciantes pretendan acusarme de encubridor”. Estas palabras del ex arzobispo de Santiago, cardenal Francisco Javier Errázuriz, plasmadas en una carta al director en “El Mercurio” definitivamente irritaron a las víctimas de Fernando Karadima.

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.

[“They wanted to turn me into a prostitute:” shocking letter from young Colombian who committed suicide denouncing clergy abuse]

COLOMBIA
Publimetro

October 23, 2018

By Nathaly Lepe

Un año y medio después de su suicidio, su madre encontró la carta en que el joven confesaba las razones por las que se quitó la vida.

“Me querían convertir en una prostituta”, escribió Daniel Osorio, el joven colombiano que se suicidó tras ser violado por los curas de su colegio. Los motivos de su muerte no se habían conocido hasta ahora, que su madre encontró una carta en la que confesaba porqué había tomado tan drástica decisión.

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.

[Priest Hasbún would have delivered relevant evidence in child abuse cover-up case]

CHILE
BioBioChile

October 23, 2018

By Alberto González and Nicole Martínez

El sacerdote Raúl Hasbún habría entregado pruebas relevantes en la documentación que entregó esta semana a la Fiscalía, días después de su declaración como imputado por eventual encubrimiento. Por otro lado, el Ministerio Público desestimó que existan antecedentes para un sobreseimiento definitivo del cardenal Ricardo Ezzati y celebró el rechazo del recurso de protección del Obispado de Valparaíso.

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.

[Diocese of Calama gives prosecutor information on alleged sexual abuse of minors]

CHILE
BioBioChile

October 24, 2018

By Ariela Muñoz with information from Agence France-Presse

Este martes, la diócesis de Calama entregó antecedentes a la Fiscalía sobre los supuestos abusos sexuales a un menor, cometidos por un presbítero, en un nuevo escándalo que golpea a la Iglesia Católica. En julio pasado, la diócesis de Calama inició una investigación sobre las denuncias en contra del sacerdote Jordi Jorba Navarro, quien habría abusado de un menor en 2003, cuando tenía a su cargo la Parroquia Asunción de la Virgen de esa ciudad, según indicó un comunicado de 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.

AUSTRALIA
Decider TV

October 22, 2018

By Sarah Ferguson

The ABC has commissioned the team behind award winning documentary’s The Killing Season and Hitting Home to produce a compelling new documentary series focused on the Catholic Church.

The three-part documentary series Revelation will see 4 Corners host Sarah Ferguson investigate the forces behind child abuse inside the Catholic Church and the extraordinary cover-up that took place.

After years of resistance, The Royal Commission finally broke the silence of the Catholic Church and unveiled the legacy of abuse of those in its care. In Revelation, Sarah Ferguson will piece together the forces at play in one of the most profound stories in Australia’s history and the extraordinary drama that brought it to light.

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.

[Court seeks reconciliation in case of Karadima’s victims and the archdiocese, dismissed latest records]

CHILE
BioBioChile

October 24, 2018

By María José Villarroel and Nicole Martínez

Los magistrados de la Corte de Apelaciones de Santiago tomaron una determinación sobre la causa civil que están llevando adelante los denunciantes del exsacerdote Fernando Karadima: Juan Carlos Cruz, Juan Andrés Murillo y James Hamilton en la Corte de Apelaciones. La decisión que tomó la justicia con respecto a la apelación que fue presentada por las víctimas de Karadima, es que se llame a conciliación de las partes.

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 New Daily

October 22, 2018

By Lucie Morris-Marr

Her harrowing family story made Prime Minister Scott Morrison cry live on TV across the nation. But for leading child abuse advocate Chrissie Foster, tears are not enough. It’s not over yet.

Mr Morrison was visibly upset as he told how Mrs Foster’s family was torn apart by abuse as he made the most important speech of his career so far.

He spoke compassionately during the National Apology in Parliament to thousands of Australians whose childhoods were ruined and destroyed in institutions by perpetrators including priests, teachers and carers.

Referencing Mrs Foster in particular he said; “As a father of two daughters I can’t comprehend what she has faced,” he 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.

[Errázuriz says he is surprised that victims of Karadima accuse him of cover-up]

CHILE
La Tercera

October 24, 2018

By Angélica Baeza

El cardenal asegura que su intención era proteger a sacerdotes ordenados por el ex párroco de El Bosque.

En una carta al director enviada a El Mercurio, el ex arzobispo de Santiago Francisco Javier Errázuriz, manifestó estar sorprendido de que las víctimas de Fernando Karadima lo acusen de encubridor y además aseguró que su intención además era proteger a los sacerdotes ordenados por el ex párroco de El Bosque.

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
Ballarat Courier

October 21, 2018

By Peter Gogarty

ON Monday we get another apology – this one from our newest Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

By “we” I mean the tens of thousands of Australians who were sexually abused in hundreds of trusted institutions over the past 70 years while other people looked on. They looked on because they looked after themselves rather than the vulnerable children in their care.

“We” also means the family and friends of those survivors. It means the hundreds of thousands of people in the community who were lured into providing these (mostly religious) institutions with tax exemptions and extraordinary influence over our lives.

Much of this apparently disgusting, appalling and often criminal behaviour was carried out in the name of Jesus Christ and the various forms of his church.

Monday’s apology in our federal parliament building, after more than five years of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, is a bit different to others we have seen over recent years. This time our national parliament is saying sorry for not doing enough to keep the institutions which pledged to care for children, often on behalf of governments, safe, transparent and accountable.

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

[On the way with the man who wants to unite Europe’s rights]

GERMANY
Spiegel

October 19, 2018

By Christoph Scheuermann

Exklusiv für Abonnenten

Stephen Bannon, einst Chefstratege von Donald Trump, galt als Vordenker der Rechten. Jetzt versucht er sein Glück in Europa.

Früh am Morgen, ehe er seine drei Mobiltelefone zur Hand nimmt, setzt sich Stephen Bannon in seinem Schlafzimmer auf einen Sessel aus braunem Leder, um zu meditieren. 20 Minuten Stille, dann eine Betrachtung des bevorstehenden Tages, gefolgt von Erbauungslektüre. Im Moment studiert er die Geschichte der katholischen Kirche. Er sagt, die Übung helfe ihm dabei, nicht komplett durchzudrehen. “Ohne Meditation wäre ich noch irrer als jetzt.”

Er sinkt in den Ledersessel neben dem Bett wie ein müder Gorilla. Graue Bartstoppeln, strähnige Haare, rote Nase, weite Poren. Man könnte denken, er habe abends zu viel Rioja getrunken, aber es waren nur ein paar Leute aus dem Weißen Haus zu Gast bei ihm, bis in die Nacht. Zwei, drei Stunden hat er geschlafen, dann riss ihn eine Idee, eine Nachricht, ein Gedanke aus dem Bett, wie so oft. Bannon trinkt keinen Alkohol, nur Wasser, Kaffee und Red Bull.

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.

[Appeals court suspends agreement, sets new date for victims of Karadima]

CHILE
La Tercera

October 24, 2018

By Angelica Baeza

En tanto, la carta del cardenal Errázuriz que presentó la defensa de las víctimas, en la que queda de manifiesto el cierre de la investigación contra Karadima sin diligencias, no se incorpora a la causa.

Para el 20 de noviembre a las 13.00 quedó fijada la audiencia de comparendo entre las partes – víctimas de Fernando Karadima y Arzobispado- en la Corte de Apelaciones de Santiago, suspendiendo así un posible acuerdo.

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.

[Burger: “How can we still continue as a church?”]

GERMANY
Kath.net

October 22, 2018

Freiburger Erzbischof Stephan Burger wirft seinen Vorgängern Versagen bei Missbrauch vor – Er sagt: Es wurde vertuscht, der Schutz der Institution Kirche wurde über den Schutz der Betroffenen gestellt, es wurde keine Verantwortung übernommen

Oberharmersbach / Freiburg (kath.net/pef) Erzbischof Stephan Burger hat sich in Oberharmersbach für „das Verhalten seiner Vorgänger und der Verantwortlichen in der Bistumsleitung“ im Umgang mit Missbrauch in der katholischen Kirche entschuldigt und Missbrauchsopfern ein persönliches Gespräch angeboten. Bei der Feier des Patroziniums in St. Gallus, Oberharmersbach, bekannte er am Sonntag (21.10.): „Hier, an diesem Ort und an vielen weiteren kirchlichen Orten“ seien in den vergangenen Jahrzehnten Kinder und Jugendliche durch Kleriker missbraucht worden: „Mitbrüder haben die Botschaft Jesu durch ihre Vergehen an Kindern und Jugendlichen pervertiert und verunstaltet.“ Sie hätten damit die Botschaft Jesu bei den Betroffenen und deren Angehörigen verdunkelt und Glaube und Vertrauen zerstört. „Das, was hier angerichtet wurde, kann nicht wieder gut gemacht werden. Missbrauch pervertiert die Botschaft Christi!“

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.

[Commentary on the Catholic Church Only pressure helps to “fidelity to tradition”]

GERMANY
Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger

October 22, 2018

By Joachim Frank

Weiter so! Das hat die katholische Kirche seit Jahrhunderten eingeübt. Um nichts verändern zu müssen, bemüht sie die „Treue zur Tradition“ oder – noch steiler – den „Gehorsam gegenüber dem göttlichen Gesetz“. Kirchenreformer geraten so notorisch in den Ruch destruktiver Störenfriede.

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.

[Abuse of abuse in the Vatican]

GERMANY
HPD

October 23, 2018

By Wolfgang Klosterhalfen

Während etlichen Kardinälen, Erzbischöfen und Bischöfen der römisch-katholischen Kirche öffentlich sexuelle Missbrauchshandlungen vorgeworfen worden sind, und zum Teil kirchliche und/oder gesetzliche Strafen verhängt wurden, ist derartiges in Hinblick auf die letzten drei Päpste nicht bekannt geworden. Alle drei “Stellvertreter Jesu” werden aber stark dadurch belastet, dass sie sich in Hinblick auf Missbrauchsfälle nicht um betroffene und um zukünftig gefährdete Kinder und Jugendliche, sondern in erster Linie um das Ansehen ihrer Kirche und um die klerikalen Täter gesorgt haben.

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.

[Priests and witness found dead in the case of the rape of a nun]

NEW DELHI (INDIA)
CNA Deutsch/EWTN News

October 23, 2018

Ein Priester, der Hauptzeuge im Vergewaltigungsfall gegen Bischof Franco Mulakkal von Jullundur (Indien) gewesen war, ist tot. Die Umstände seines Todes sind nun Gegenstand polizeilicher Ermittlungen.

Pfarrer Kuriakose Kattuthara wurde am gestrigen 22. Oktober in seinem Zimmer in der St Mary’s Church in Dasuya in Punjab, Indien, bewusstlos aufgefunden. Er wies keine sichtbaren Anzeichen von Verletzungen auf.

Der 62 Jahre alte Priester wurde für tot erklärt, nachdem er in ein örtliches Krankenhaus gebracht worden war.

Kattutaras Bruder, José Kurian, äußerte Zweifel an Polizei-Aussagen, dass der Priester plötzlich einem Herzstillstand erlegen sein könnte.

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

[Child abuse and gambling of millions of church money: Bishop laments lack of reform will the church]

GERMANY
Epoch Times

October 23, 2018

Der Bischof von Eichstätt hat in den Skandalen seiner Diözese eigene Fehler eingeräumt und zugleich Reformgegner im Apparat der katholischen Kirche kritisiert.

In der Affäre um Millionenverluste von Kirchengeld durch Finanzspekulationen hat der Bischof von Eichstätt eigene Fehler eingeräumt und zugleich Reformgegner im Apparat der katholischen Kirche kritisiert.

Gregor Maria Hanke, seit 2006 Bischof der Diözese, sagte der „Süddeutschen Zeitung“ (Dienstagsausgabe) und dem WDR, dass er mit der Aufsicht über das Finanzgebaren schlicht überfordert gewesen sei: „Wenn Sie als Mönch in ein solches System geschickt werden, haben Sie nicht die erforderlichen Möglichkeiten, dieses Dickicht zu durchdringen. Ich jedenfalls hatte sie nicht.“

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.

[The second French priest commits suicide]

GERMANY
Kath.net

October 23, 2018

Nachdem der Verdacht auf sexuellen Missbrauch aufgekommen war, beendeten zwei Priester ihr Leben.

Paris (kath.net) Ein 38-jähriger Pfarrer beging tragischerweise am Samstag in seinem Pfarrhaus in Gien, Loiret (Bistum Orléans), Selbstmord. Gegen den Geistlichen war zuvor wegen unangemessenem Verhaltens gegenüber Teenagern Anklage erhoben worden. Das berichteten der „Figaro“ und weitere französische Medien. Nach Darstellung des „Figaro“ habe sich der Priester möglicherweise einem Mädchen unangemessen genähert, das zur Tatzeit 13 oder 14 Jahre alt gewesen war. Er habe sie mehrmals umarmt. Gegenüber dem Bischof von Orléans, Jacques Blaquart, hatte der Priester zugesichert, sich künftig zurückzuhalten und eine Weile von seiner Pfarrei fernzubleiben. Mit Zustimmung des Bischofs kehrte er nach wenigen Wochen wieder in die Pfarrei zurück, nahm aber seine Tätigkeit noch nicht wieder auf. Am 15. September wurde der Priester von der Staatsanwaltschaft wegen Verdachts auf sexuelle Übergriffe auf Minderjährige unter 15 Jahren verhört.

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.

BALLARAT (AUSTRALIA)
ABC Ballarat

October 21, 2018

By Charlotte King

Survivors of institutional child sexual abuse in Ballarat have dismissed the Prime Minister’s national apology in Canberra on Monday as “hollow” in the face of inconsistent reporting laws.

It took 536 pages for lawyers working for the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse to summarise the extent of child abuse committed within Catholic institutions across the Ballarat diocese.

It was the first time the inquiry had focused on an entire community, and what they found was a “catastrophic failure of leadership” that put the reputation of the church before children, and caused irreparable harm for the entire community.

“I want people to be serious,” said Paul Tatchell, a 59-year-old city councillor who was assaulted by the former Christian Brother, Edward Dowlan, as a teenager.

“I stood up, I paid a price for it, and I need someone out there to do the same.”

Mr Tatchell was one of the first child abuse victims to successfully pursue Dowlan’s criminal prosecution in the 1990s.

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.

CHARLESTON (WV)
WHSV TV

Oct 24, 2018

By John Raby

A Roman Catholic archdiocese in West Virginia announced Wednesday it plans to release the names of all priests and deacons who have been “credibly accused” of child sexual abuse since 1950.

None of the individuals who will be listed are in active ministry, Archbishop William Lori of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston said in a news release.

No timetable was given on when the list would be released. Lori said the list will include the accused priests’ assignments in the diocese, whose records only go back to 1950.

“The trust of the people has been badly damaged,” Lori said. “Disclosing the names of all those credibly accused of abuse is a critical step toward repairing that broken trust. I pray this will lead toward healing and demonstrate the Diocese’s firm commitment to transparency and accountability.”

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

October 24, 2018

Virginia’s top law enforcement official has announced that he is opening an investigation into clergy sex abuse and cover-ups in Virginia.

We are thrilled to hear that the Virginia Attorney General’s office has launched a statewide criminal investigation regarding sexual abuse by priests. We know that institutions cannot police themselves, so fully independent investigations like these are the best way to get to the truth when it comes to clergy sex abuse and cover-ups. We applaud A.G. Mark Herring for this move.

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

NEW YORK (NY)
Commonweal

By Paul Moses

October 24, 2018

As the Justice Department launches an investigation of clergy sexual abuse of minors in Pennsylvania’s Catholic dioceses, it is worth noting that victims have called for such a probe for at least fifteen years. Leaders of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, told Attorney General John Ashcroft in a November 2003 letter that the Justice Department was in a “unique position” to plumb the secrets within the church’s organizational structure.

“We believe that senior management within the Church…have not been held institutionally accountable for these practices, and as a non-profit corporation continue to selectively circumvent our Nation’s laws,” their letter said.

SNAP and the Center for Constitutional Rights renewed the long-ignored call for a federal probe in a letter to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein dated August 15, one day after the release of the state grand-jury report alleging a long-term coverup of credible abuse allegations in Pennsylvania. The letter calls for criminal or civil charges, “where appropriate,” against the Catholic hierarchy.

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

VATICAN CITY
National Caatholic Reporter

October 24, 2018
By David Gibson

The Catholic bishops of the U.S. announced Oct. 23 that at the behest of Pope Francis they will meet for a weeklong retreat in Chicago in January.

The unprecedented move reflects the depth of the crisis they are facing with the sexual abuse scandal and the long-standing divisions within their ranks over the broader direction of American Catholicism.

The pope is even sending an elderly and revered Franciscan priest, the Rev. Raniero Cantalamessa, who holds the title of Preacher of the Papal Household, to lead the retreat — just as he does each year at Lent for the pontiff and the Roman Curia.

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, archbishop of Galveston-Houston and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, issued a statement thanking Francis for sending Cantalamessa, who is 84 and rarely travels abroad, “to serve as the retreat director as we come together to pray on the intense matters before us.”

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

PENNSYLVANIA
Pennsylvania Cable Network

October 24, 2018

Victims’ rights advocate Jennifer Storm was disappointed with the outcome in the Pennsylvania Senate on October 17. At stake was the elimination of the statute of limitations for future child victims of sexual abuse. A divisive component of the bill involved opening a two-year window for past victims to sue their abusers. The Senate decided to not vote on the bill. Ms. Storm wants to bring the Senate back to the capitol to get closure on behalf of abuse victims statewide.

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.

HARRISBURG )PA)
Patriot News

October 24, 2018

By John L. Micek

With at least a half-dozen seats in play in the Nov. 6 elections, the Pennsylvania Senate Democrats’ re-election wing is out with a new ad hitting the GOP majority over last week’s breakdown of a bill that would have handed some relief to the survivors of sexual abuse.

The new ad, “Window,” put out by the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee, will air in the Philadelphia-area, where Democrats are contending for several GOP Republican seats. The GOP currently has a 33-16 majority, with one vacancy, in the 50-member chamber.

The bill makes note that the legislation, which would have opened a narrow, two-year retroactive window for civil lawsuits, overwhelmingly passed the state House. But it was never called for a vote in the Senate, where President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson, offered an alternative proposal that would have allowed survivors to sue individual perpetrators, but not the institutions that enabled or covered up abuse.

That was widely viewed as a move to inoculate Pennsylvania’s Roman Catholic diocese against any costly civil litigation. It outraged survivors, who accused the GOP of putting the interests of the church above theirs.

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.

CHILLICOTHE (IL)
Chillicothe Times Bulletin

October 23, 2018

By Bill Knight

Fortunately, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke are initiating actions to disclose facts about sexual abuse of children apparently covered up by high officials in the Catholic Church. Madigan has demanded that the Church must open its “secret files” for independent review, and Burke – who served on the investigative board of laypeople appointed by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops – is calling for its renewal.

The latest: four people on Oct. 18 filed suit in Chicago against all six Catholic dioceses in Illinois, months after a Pennsylvania grand jury said more than 1,000 child victims were abused by about 300 priests over 70 years in six dioceses, which concealed the truth there. Also on Oct. 18, the U.S. Justice Department launched an investigation on whether clergy committed federal crimes.

This column is no defense of pedophilia, abuse of authority or institutional coverup, of course. But it’s difficult to weigh in on such wickedness without being so accused.

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

NEW ZEALAND
Radio New Zealand

October 14, 2018

A lawsuit filed on Guam has accused another Catholic priest of child sex abuse in the 1970s.

The 5-million dollar lawsuit alleges that Father George Maddock abused the 9-year-old altar boy while swimming.

This is the first lawsuit against Father Maddock, who died recently in New York.

But several other priests on Guam – including former Archbishop Anothony Apuron – face nearly 200 lawsuits alleging abuse and a subsequent cover-up.

The latest lawsuit says the church hierarchy knew of Father Maddock’s abuse but did nothing.

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.

KHASI (INDIA)
India Today

October 24, 2018

Manogya Loiwal

A woman from the Khasi community has accused two Christian priests of sexually abusing her decades ago, when she was a minor. The woman, who is 44, made the allegations in a social media post, and a Catholic group has said it will begin an internal probe.

The woman accused one of the clergymen of showing her his penis — and asking her to touch it — when she was five years old. When she told a family member, she said, she was slapped and told “never to make up such stories”.

The abuse continued, she said, but she gathered the courage to refuse to meet with or talk to the priest when she reached childbearing age, partly because she “was terrified of getting pregnant”. The man is now in West Bengal, she said.

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

WASHINGTON (DC)
The Federalist

October 23, 2018

By Casey Chalk

In my almost ten years of experience of ecumenical dialogue that began as a dyed-in-the-wool Calvinist seminarian and resulted in a conversion to Catholicism several years later, I periodically read some theological reflection that both provokes and puzzles. Sometimes that leads to a deeper understanding of some theological idea, or perhaps even a change in my opinion.

Other times, despite my best attempts at a charitable reading, I have to conclude that the author has misunderstood things so badly it causes confusion and detracts from the ecumenical project. The latter, unfortunately, is my reading of Korey Maas’s reflection in The Federalist on frustrated Catholics choosing to remain Catholic despite the many recent scandals rocking the church.

Maas reads the writings of several Catholics who have written in the wake of the latest clerical sex scandal–namely, George Weigel, Robert George, and Matthew Petrusek–and argues that “what each of these authors suggests, without stating it explicitly, is that the essential teaching and belief of the Roman Catholic Church is no different from that of any other Christian Church.” Maas comes to this conclusion because each of these authors urges his fellow Catholics to keep their eyes on faith in Christ, in whom they should place their ultimate trust.

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.

MARIN COUNTY (CA)
Marin County Independent

October 23, 2018

By Matthias Gafni, Julia Prodis Sulek, John Woolfolk and David Debolt

As Bay Area Catholic leaders are increasingly under pressure to name priests accused of abusing children, a Minnesota law firm published a report Tuesday identifying 212 priests in the San Jose, Oakland and San Francisco dioceses accused of sexual misconduct involving kids.

The report names 135 accused offenders in the Archdiocese of San Francisco, 95 in the Oakland diocese and 33 in the San Jose diocese, though 51 names are duplicates because some of the priests worked in more than one Bay Area diocese. Earlier this month, the San Jose diocese released its own list of credibly accused priests that had only 15 names, which this report calls “deficient.”

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)
Crux

October 24, 2018

By Christopher White

When Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, a former papal envoy to the U.S., accused Pope Francis of mishandling sexual abuse, one of the few conservative Catholic leaders to rally to the pope’s defense was Jim Towey.

Towey, president of Ave Maria University (AMU) in Florida, lamented the “rift” between conservative members of the U.S. hierarchy and Francis, arguing that in this moment, fidelity toward the pope and the Church is needed more than ever. Towey’s stance drew a sharp rebuke from a group of AMU alumni, who accused him of not taking the clergy sexual abuse crisis seriously.

Towey, whose career has spanned from working inside the White House under President George W. Bush as the Director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, to nearly two decades in academia, recently announced he would be departing AMU at the end of next academic year.

Now, two months after speaking out on the pope’s behalf, as a further step in what he believes is a crucial time for the Church to finally grasp the scourge of the sexual abuse crisis, he’s telling his own story for the first time.

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.

HARRISBURG (PA)
Post Gazette

October 23, 2018

By Angela Couloumbis

The emotionally charged debate in the state capital over a bill to help victims of alleged clergy sex abuse has officially become a campaign issue.

Democrats on Wednesday will begin airing the first television ad knocking moderate Republican senators from the Philadelphia suburbs — several facing tough reelection battles — for the GOP-controlled chamber’s failure last week to vote on a measure endorsed by Gov. Wolf, top law enforcement officials, the House of Representatives, and victims’ advocates.

Among other changes, the legislation would have temporarily allowed older victims of clergy abuse to sue their alleged abusers and the institutions that may have covered up the crimes.

“They call it a window to justice,” a woman’s voice intones on the ad, paid for by the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee, the election arm of Senate Democrats. “But Republicans in the Senate? They just walked away. No vote. No debate. No justice..

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.

MARIN COUNTY (CA)
Bohemian

October 23, 2018

By Tom Gogola

A report released this week by the law firm Jeff Anderson & Associates has identified 17 members of the Roman Catholic clergy assigned to serve the church in Marin County who had demonstrable child sexual-abuse histories that in some cases dated back to the 1960’s.

The findings from the law firm lists more than 200 clergy members who served in either the Oakland, San Francisco or San Jose Catholic dioceses and who have been alleged to have committed sexual offenses against minors.

A review of the law firm’s thumbnail sketches of the clergymen gives insight into what Spotlight highlighted—that for decades, the Catholic Church dealt with its pedophilia problems by shuffling sex-abusing clergy from one diocese to another. And it indicates that numerous California Catholic clergy sex abusers got away with their crimes because of a 2003 Supreme Court ruling that rejected a California attempt to retroactively eliminate statutes of limitations for certain sex crimes, including those perpetrated against minors.

Here are the 17 clergy members of the Roman Catholic church who at one time or another were assigned to schools and churches in Marin County, and who are alleged to have committed sexual assault against children, according to Anderson & Associates, which specializes in clergy sex crimes:

• Msgr. Peter Gomez Armstrong, according to the law firm’s report, has been accused of sexually abusing at least one child. He worked at the St. Vincent School for Boys in San Rafael between 1975-79 and died in 2009.

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.

QUEZON CITY (PHILIPPINES)
ABS-CBN News

October 24 2018

The Roman Catholic Church continues to grapple against allegations of widespread sexual abuse on children in several dioceses in the United States.

The latest to have emerged is a report published by law firm Jeff Anderson & Associates, which revealed 263 Catholic clergy in San Francisco Bay Area accused of sexual misconduct.

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.

PARMA (OH)
Catholic News Agency

October 23, 2018

By CNA/EWTN News

The Ruthenian Eparchy of Parma has announced that a priest who was reportedly attacked in August has been placed on administrative leave due to a credible accusation of sexual misconduct with a minor.

Fr. Basil Hutsko is accused of misconduct alleged to have occurred 35 years ago (or in 1983), the eparchy stated.

“Though Father Basil Hutsko denies the accusation, Bishop Milan Lach, SJ, having heard from the priest, the Review Board, and the Promotor [sic] of Justice, has found the accusation to be credible,” the eparchy said. “A finding that the accusation is credible is not a finding of guilt,” it added.

In August, Hutsko had been reported to have been attacked at his parish. The eparchy’s statement said that attack did not take take place.

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.

PARMA (OH)
Byzantine Catholic Church

October 23, 2018

Father Basil Hutsko, a priest of the Eparchy of Parma, has been placed on administrative leave in response to a credible accusation of sexual misconduct involving a minor that allegedly occurred 35 years ago. Though Father Basil Hutsko denies the accusation, Bishop Milan Lach, SJ, having heard from the priest, the Review Board, and the Promotor of Justice, has found the accusation to be credible. A finding that the accusation is credible is not a finding of guilt. Father Basil Hutsko has been placed on administrative leave. While on administrative leave, Father Basil Hutsko is unable to function in any capacity as a priest anywhere.

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.

ALTOONA (PA)
Altoona Mirror

October 23, 2018

By Dave Sutor

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown has been subpoenaed as part of a recently launched U.S. Department of Justice investigation into alleged child sexual abuse and coverups carried out by the Catholic Church in Pennsylvania.

The diocese confirmed the subpoena on Tuesday.

“In recent days, the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown received inquiries about a federal grand jury subpoena that has been acknowledged by the other dioceses of Pennsylvania,” according to a statement emailed by Tony DeGol, Altoona-Johnstown’s secretary for communications.

“Normally, the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown does not respond to inquiries about litigation. At this time, we can confirm that the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown has received the same subpoena. The Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown will cooperate with the federal grand jury investigation. No other comments will be made at this time.”

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 Age

October 22, 2018

By Jacqueline Maley

A survey of our recent prime ministers’ whereabouts on Monday: Kevin Rudd, in Canberra, promoting his new memoir by dripping out criticisms of his former colleagues. Malcolm Turnbull, in transit from his exile in New York, blamed for the Liberals’ trouncing in Wentworth. Tony Abbott, on the backbench of the House of Representatives, his expression blank, but his leg jiggling madly as Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten addressed the victims of institutional child sex abuse.

Then there was Julia Gillard, who came back to Parliament House, where she was dealt (and doled out) some brutal treatment during her prime ministership, to be there for the national apology.

Gillard’s last act as prime minister was to order a Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse, and its political culmination was on Monday.

She was not the politician doing the apologising, but she was the only one the survivors really wanted.

There was applause for her on the floor of the House of Representatives and in the public galleries when Morrison acknowledged her. She was sitting in the seats for distinguished guests on the floor of the House, with the revered campaigners Chrissie Foster and Hetty Johnston .

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.

SAN FRANCISCO (CA)
Bay Area News Group

October 23, 2018

By Matthias Gafni, Julia Rodis Sulek and John Woolfolk

As Bay Area Catholic leaders release or promise to release lists of priests credibly accused of abusing children, a Minnesota law firm published a report Tuesday naming 263 priests in the San Jose, Oakland and San Francisco dioceses accused of sexual misconduct involving kids.

The report names 135 accused offenders in the Archdiocese of San Francisco, 95 in the Oakland diocese and 33 in the San Jose diocese. Earlier this month, the San Jose diocese released its own list of credibly accused priests that had only 15 names, which this report calls “deficient.”

Jeff Anderson & Associates, a law firm that has represented a number of Catholic priest abuse victims in California and elsewhere, compiled the 66-page report which included the mugshots of priests, their parish work history and a short synopsis of their alleged abuse. Some names are duplicates because some of the priests worked in more than one diocese.

“The data reveals the scandalous scale of hundreds of priests assaulting thousands of minors from early history to the present in these Dioceses,” the report concludes. “The data collected suggests the patterns and practices of Church officials, including the orchestration of an institutional cover-up of an enormous magnitude.”

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.

ALBANY (NY)
The Media Project/WAMC

October 23, 2018

By Clemente Lisi

This is the time of year when Catholic children who go to public schools also have to attend classes on Sundays.

What most Christians call “Sunday school,” Catholics refer to as “religious formation.” It is required of all Catholics — baptized children and adults who have converted or returned to the faith — in order to prepare for the receiving of sacraments such as Holy Communion and Confirmation.

Many Catholic parents have been concerned, obviously, after the revelations of this past summer involving ex-cardinal Theodore McCarrick and the hundreds of Pennsylvania priests accused of molesting children and teens dating back decades made public in a grand jury report. The abuse of minors and sexual harassment of adults in the church has triggered plenty of doubt among the faithful regarding the church’s hierarchy.

This can impact church life in many ways. Here is one Sunday-morning angle that reporters need to think about.

The conversations in the pews and outside churches in the past few weeks have revolved around their child’s safety, revealing a crisis of faith that is very real. Should their son or daughter attend religious formation this year? Can they trust a priest or church volunteer to be alone with their child? Have any safety procedures been put into place?

There are 17,156 local parishes in the United States with an estimated 70 million Catholics. A much smaller number, however, remains active in the church. For example, only 42 percent of families send their children to religious formation, according to research in 2015 (click here for .pdf) by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University.

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.

SAN FRANCISCO (CA)
ABC 7 News

October 23, 2018

A scathing new report just released the names of 263 Catholic clergy accused of sexual misconduct in the Bay Area.

It includes 135 accused offenders in the Archdiocese of San Francisco, 95 in the Diocese of Oakland and 33 in the Diocese of San Jose.

On Tuesday, an abuse survivor is expected to speak publicly about a lawsuit filed against all California bishops.

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.

SAN FRANCISCO (CA)
KTVU Fox 2

October 23, 2018

As dioceses around the country are disclosing names of priests accused of misconduct, a law firm on Tuesday released a report containing the names of 263 Catholic Clergy members accused of sexual misconduct in the Bay Area.

The report, compiled by lawyers from Jeff Anderson and Associates based in St. Paul, Minn., accuses 135 offenders from the Archdiocese of San Francisco, 95 from the Diocese of Oakland and 33 from the Diocese of San Jose.

The lawyers are seeking to compel Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, Bishop Patrick McGrath and Bishop Michael Barber to release the names of all clergy accused of sexual misconduct in all three dioceses and request the federal court to release files that show the participation and complicity of top church officials in the handling of clergy sexual abuse cases.

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

October 23, 2018

By Nicole Winfield

As the Vatican copes with the growing clergy sex abuse scandal and declining number of priests worldwide, it is laying the groundwork to open formal debate on an issue that has long been taboo: opening up the priesthood to married men in parts of the world where clergy are scarce.

Pope Francis has convened a meeting of South American bishops next year focusing on the plight of the church in the Amazon, a vast territory served by far too few priests. During that synod, the question of ordaining married men of proven virtue — so-called “viri probati” — is expected to figure on the agenda.

This week, a two-hour documentary on Italian television is likely to contribute to the conversation. “The Choice: Priests and Love” profiles more than a dozen men in four European countries who are either living clandestinely with women, have created their own unsanctioned church communities where married priests preside at Mass, or left the Catholic priesthood altogether to marry.

The documentary, to be aired Wednesday on Discovery Italia and previewed to The Associated Press, makes the case that many of these men would gladly return to the priesthood and offer their pastoral services.

Their plight has found a sympathetic ear in Francis, who has long expressed a willingness to consider “viri probati” to address pastoral needs in the Amazon. He has also expressed sympathy for priests who have made the anguished choice to leave.

Vocatio, an Italian association of these “married priests,” wrote Francis earlier this month pledging their solidarity as he copes with the global fallout of the sex abuse scandal, and once again offering their services in ministry.

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

KANSAS CITY (MO)
National Catholic Reporter

October 23, 2018

by Peter Feuerherd

It was a clear mimicking of the Protestant reformer’s 1517 posting of 95 theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. The Erie document is addressed to Pope Francis and written on behalf of the Catholic laity.

The style of the author is more literary than dogmatic.

The first thesis states a quote often attributed to playwright Oscar Wilde: “Everything in the world is about sex, except sex is about power.”

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

IRELAND
RTE

October 23, 2018

The Government has approved the forensic excavation of the site of the former mother-and-baby home in Tuam, Co Galway.

Significant quantities of human remains were discovered at the site last year.

The Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation began test excavations at the site of the children’s burial ground at the Dublin Road housing estate in Tuam in October 2016.

The commission was established following allegations about the deaths of 800 babies in Tuam over a number of decades and the manner in which they were buried.

The commission said significant quantities of human remains were discovered in at least 17 of 20 underground chambers that were examined last year.

The mother-and-baby home operated from 1925 to 1961.

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

WASHINGTON (DC)
Daily Caller

October 23, 2018

By Joshua Gill

A French priest killed himself after authorities questioned him about allegations of child sexual abuse, becoming the second priest in a month to do so.

Catholic officials said that Father Pierre-Yves Fumery hanged himself in his presbytery in the French town of Gien after authorities questioned but did not charge him concerning allegations that he sexually assaulted a child under the age of 15. Fumery, 38, joined the ranks of fellow Priest Jean-Baptiste Sebe, also 38, who committed suicide on Sept. 19 after a mother accused him of committing “indecent behavior and sexual assault” against her daughter.

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

October 22, 2018

Last week, an Australian Parliament struck down an archaic legal defense that presented a major barrier to survivors seeking accountability and justice.

The New South Wales Parliament formally abolished the “Ellis Defence,” a legal stance that allowed the catholic church to hide behind an archaic and arcane designation of “non-entity.” In practice, this meant that survivors could not formally sue Catholic dioceses in court, regardless of the legitimacy of the claims, helping to ensure that cover-ups stayed covered-up and that accountability would be out of reach.

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.

[Jorge Laplagne reiterates his innocence in a statement to the prosecutor for sex abuse]

CHILE
El Mostrador

October 22, 2018

Al salir de la Fiscalía, Laplagne dijo estar “tranquilo” y afirmó que se trata de un proceso “doloroso para la Iglesia”. Además enfatizó que “cuando esto termine (la investigación) yo voy a dar mi declaración”.

Este lunes, el sacerdote Jorge Laplagne declaró por cuatro horas en el Ministerio Público de O’Higgins en calidad de imputado por el caso de abuso sexual en contra de un menor de edad, oportunidad en la que reiteró su inocencia.

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.

[Reconciliation in “Karadima case:” possible scenario after confusion over compensation ruling]

CHILE
El Mostrador

October 23, 2018

By Alejandra Carmona López

Desde ayer se instaló un abierto temor entre quienes respaldan la entrega de una indemnización de la Iglesia católica a las víctimas de abusos sexuales, les preocupa que el lobby y las presiones en torno a los jueces tengan efectos negativos en la Corte y vaya en contra de lo que habría sido la decisión inicial del tribunal de alzada en esta causa. Dicha preocupación se sustenta en el hecho de que, si bien la ministra Dobra Lusic señaló que no había fallo, lo cierto es que, según la descripción de la tabla de dicho tribunal sobre la causa, esta no se halla en estudio –como dijo el juez Vázquez– sino “en acuerdo”.

“Un medio de comunicación afirmó ayer que la Corte de Apelaciones había condenado a la Iglesia por negligencia en el caso Karadima. Hoy otro medio dice que aún no ha fallado. No sabemos lo que está ocurriendo, pero con lo que está en juego y los poderes que involucra, nada nos sorprende a estas alturas. Esperamos que la Corte resuelva pronto. Entonces, con esa certeza podremos hablar”, escribió ayer –en su cuenta de Twitter– Carlos Cruz, una de las víctimas del otrora poderoso párroco de El Bosque, Fernando Karadima.

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

October 22, 2018

The Diocese of San Jose today released a statement regarding the news that one of the men on their list of “credibly accused” clergy was in jail on new charges.

In the statement Bishop Patrick McGrath said, “Prior to the Dallas Charter … these cases were handled differently based on the clinical psychological standards at the time of their convictions.” We believe it is disingenuous for the Bishop to claim that the Church did not understand the danger of returning men who abuse children to ministry.

As early as the mid-1950s, Father Gerald Fitzgerald, founder of the Servants of the Paracletes, an order established to deal with problem priests, wrote regularly to Bishops in the United States and to Vatican officials that clergy who abused children should be laicized immediately. Father Thomas Doyle and attorney Ray Mouton warned the Bishops again in 1985.

Bishops who now claim they just “didn’t understand” child sex abuse prior to 2002 are just making excuses for decades of cover-ups. Does anyone really believe that these well-educated men honestly thought that prayer would cure pedophilia?

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

October 22, 2018

Today, the U.S. Attorney’s office for Washington D.C. has announced that they are opening an hotline and email address that survivors of clergy sex abuse and those that have knowledge of abuse can use to report their experiences.

The opening of this line of communication – directly between survivors of sexual abuse and criminal investigators – is an excellent step taken by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu. Creating this confidential avenue for survivors to report what they may have seen, suspected or suffered in Washington D.C. area gives survivors a new chance to come forward with their experiences and may potentially lead to the justice that is so often elusive for survivors of institutional sexual abuse. Given how important holding perpetrators accountable can be, both for survivors’ healing and the prevention of future cases, we hope that today’s announcement is the first step towards an independent investigation into the Archdiocese of Washington D.C.

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)
Crux

Oct 23, 2018

Bishop Frank Caggiano of Bridgeport, Connecticut, has become one of the most closely watched American prelates at a time when the Church in the United States is in full crisis mode, making it perhaps unsurprising that he was the first bishop to raise the issue of clerical sex abuse during this month’s Vatican summit on young people.

His name is now often rumored as a potential replacement for Cardinal Donald Wuerl in Washington, D.C. or for Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia when he reaches retirement age next year.

Even so, Caggiano brushes off such rumors, insisting that he’s focused solely on his diocese and, particularly, building on the energy and ideas coming out of the Synod of Bishops on “Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment,” where he has joined nearly 300 bishops around the world for his first go at a synod.

Among the topics he discussed in an interview with Crux last week are:

The upcoming meeting of U.S. bishops next month where he insists that the issue of accountability of bishops must be settled.

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.

[Court has not yet settled suit against the Church, victims of Karadima continue to wait]

CHILE
BioBioChile

October 23, 2018

By Alberto González and Erik López (Agence France-Presse)

La justicia informó este lunes que aún no ha ordenado el pago de una millonaria indemnización que la Iglesia tendría que pagar a tres víctimas del exsacerdote Fernando Karadima, tal como publicó el diario La Tercera y que fue confirmado por los beneficiados. Según publicó el matutino, el tribunal había revocado una sentencia anterior y decidió otorgarle una indemnización de 450 millones de pesos a Juan Carlos Cruz, José Andrés Murillo y James Hamilton, quienes demandaron a la Iglesia Católica por su negligencia y por haber encubierto las denuncias de abuso sexual sufridas a manos de Karadima.

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.

[Ex-bishop refuses to testify in court but acknowledges Church concealment]

CHILE
BioBioChile

October 23, 2018

By Alejandra Soto

En la región de O’Higgins fue citado a declarar el exobispo porteño, Gonzalo Duarte, en calidad de imputado por el delito de encubrimiento. “Hice todo lo que tenía que hacer” aseguró Duarte en el marco de las investigaciones por abusos sexuales a menores. Según El Mercurio de Valparaíso, la comparecencia del obispo emérito estuvo relacionada por una pesquisa que involucra al excapellán de la Fuerza Aérea de Chile (FACh) en Iquique, Pedro Quiroz Fernández.

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.

[Victims of Karadima urge Court to quickly resolve claim against Archdiocese]

SANTIAGO, CHILE
Emol

October 22, 2018

By Juan Peña

Juan Carlos Cruz, James Hamilton y José Andrés Murillo salieron a enfrentar las versiones encontradas que surgieron en los últimos días sobre la acción judicial que busca una millonaria indemnización por presunto encubrimiento.

“Con lo que está en juego y poderes que involucra, nada nos sorprende”. Esta es una de las frases del breve comunicado que las víctimas de Fernando Karadima salieron al paso de las versiones encontradas que surgieron sobre el fallo de la Corte de Apelaciones por la demanda que presentaron contra el Arzobispado de Santiago.

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.

[Eugenio de la Fuente, priest and victim of Karadima: “Errázuriz should take a step to the side”]

CHILE
La Tercera

October 22, 2018

By María José Navarrete

El sacerdote de la Iglesia de Santiago y exsacristán de El Bosque, Eugenio de la Fuente, sufrió durante años abusos de conciencia por parte de Fernando Karadima.

El sacerdote de la Iglesia de Santiago y exsacristán de El Bosque, Eugenio de la Fuente, sufrió durante años abusos de conciencia por parte de Fernando Karadima. En junio de este año viajó con el segundo grupo de víctimas que se reunió con el Papa Francisco en el Vaticano y, tras conocerse el fallo de la Corte de Apelaciones de Santiago ayer, conversó con La Tercera al respecto.

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.

[Appeals Court says “There is no ruling” on compensation for Karadima victims]

CHILE
La Tercera

October 22, 2018

By Leslie Ayala C.

En el portal del Poder Judicial la causa aparece en “estado de acuerdo”.

Cuando aún no terminaba el pleno semanal de la Corte de Apelaciones de Santiago, la presidenta del tribunal, Dobra Lusic, salió hoy a enfrentar el trascendido respecto de la decisión de la Novena Sala de revocar el fallo de primera instancia y acoger la demanda indemnizatoria presentada por las víctimas del sacerdote Fernando Karadima en contra del Arzobispado de Santiago.

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.

[Accusations against Korean priest in Chile may point to two bishops]

CHILE
La Tercera

October 22, 2018

By L. Zapata and P. Moreno

La fiscalía presentó antecedentes a la Corte de Rancagua para justificar el allanamiento al Obispado de Valparaíso. Hoy, en tanto, declaró obispo emérito Gonzalo Duarte.

Fue durante los allanamientos al Arzobispado de Santiago, en junio y agosto pasado, cuando el fiscal regional de O’Higgins, Emiliano Arias, incautó una carpeta con denuncias de eventuales abusos sexuales que involucran al sacerdote coreano Pablo Park, de la orden de los San Columbanos. Estos antecedentes fueron los que el persecutor puso a disposición de la Corte de Apelaciones de esa ciudad para justificar el allanamiento al Obispado de Valparaíso, efectuado el 13 de septiembre, con miras a los alegatos de este martes, donde se analizará el recurso de protección interpuesto por esa diócesis, reclamando por la legalidad de la diligencia.

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

WASHINGTON (DC)
Washington Post

October 23, 2018

By Peter Jamison and Michelle Boorstein

District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine said Tuesday that his office has launched an investigation into sexual abuse by Catholic clergy in the Archdiocese of Washington, the latest in a string of state-level law enforcement officials now probing the Catholic Church’s handling of abuse complaints.

The investigation, announced by Racine at a regularly scheduled breakfast among Washington’s elected officials, will bring scrutiny to Catholic leaders who have come under intense criticism in recent months.

Washington’s archbishop, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, resigned this month amid uproar over a Pennsylvania grand jury report that depicted systemic abuse across the state’s Catholic Church, including in Pittsburgh, where he had previously been a bishop.

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.

KOCHI (INDIA)
Catholic News Agency

October 23, 2018

A priest who had been a key witness in the charge of rape against Bishop Franco Mulakkal of Jullundur died Monday, prompting a police investigation into his death.

Father Kuriakose Kattuthara, 62, was found unconscious in his room on Oct. 22 at St Mary’s Church in Dasuya in Punjab, India. He had no visible signs of injury.

He was declared dead after being transported to a local hospital.

Kattuthara’s brother, Jose Kurian, expressed doubt about police reports that the priest might have succumbed to cardiac arrest.

“My brother had talked to me a week before the death. He had expressed fear that something may happen to him. We can’t believe the Punjab Police version that my brother had died due to cardiac arrest. He had no history of heart ailments,” Kurian told Firstpost.

The priest’s family petitioned for an autopsy and investigation. It was filed with the Alappuzha district superintendent of police, who forwarded it to Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister.

The priest had testified against Bishop Mulakkal, who was been arrested on Sept. 21 for allegedly raping a nun for over a course of two years. The nun, who is a member of the Missionaries of Jesus, brought the accusation forward in June.

The priest provided testimony to police about the case several weeks ago. Local Catholics say that others who have testified against the bishop have faced threats of retaliation.

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.

KANSAS CITY (MO)
Kansas City Star

October 22, 2018

We have known for some time that sex abuse wrecks lives, and families. The damage done doesn’t dissipate over time, either, but stretches across generations.

So it’s a bigger deal than it should be that Catholic Bishop Steven Biegler of the Diocese of Cheyenne is trying something new: He’s forced both a police and Vatican reexamination of credible abuse allegations against one of his predecessors, 87-year-old Bishop Joseph Hart, who is from Kansas City and worked in several parishes and the chancery here. Unfortunately, this is unheard of.

Over the years, the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph settled 10 such claims against Hart. Now, the retired bishop stands accused of multiple acts of sexual abuse deemed credible by both the Missouri and Wyoming dioceses where he spent his career.

If you’re wondering what good could possibly come of investigating an old man, plenty of good already has come of it, as The Star detailed in a story.

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)
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

October 22, 2018

By Peter Smith

More than two months after a landmark state grand jury report told a devastating history of sexual abuse by priests, more than 200 Catholics gathered at Greensburg’s cathedral to report back.

In short, they were angry at the reports of sexual abuse by priests and the cover-ups that followed.

At the first of a series of listening sessions being held throughout the Diocese of Greensburg in the coming weeks, Bishop Edward Malesic paced the center aisle of Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Greensburg, listening as the microphone passed from one person to another, each angered over the reports of abuse, but often for different reasons.

“When we look at our history as a family and (wonder) how could that happen, I know there are feelings of confusion and anger and disappointment,” Bishop Malesic said. “So I wanted to have a gathering as family so we could dialogue.”

Beyond the revulsion expressed toward the sexual abuse, described in gruesome detail in the grand jury report, there was no common thread in the comments, which several people read from notes that shook in their hands.

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)
Tribune Review

October 22, 2018

By Jeff Himler

Monday evening’s listening session inside Greensburg’s Blessed Sacrament Cathedral was a start in the Greensburg Catholic diocese’s attempt to move forward in the wake of accusations of sexual abuse by diocese priests in a state grand jury report released in August.

Referring to one parishioner’s call for a culture change in the diocese and its leadership, Tom Severin of Connellsville said after the session, “That’s really the direction we have to go as far as dealing with the pedophile scandal. It’s not just making rules — it’s actually changing.”

The first of seven planned two-hour listening sessions drew more than 260 people to the Greensburg church to ask questions of and make suggestions to Bishop Edward C. Malesic and a Safe Environment Advisory Council of Catholic and non-Catholic members, formed to advise the church on how best to protect children.

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

HARRISBURG (PA)
Patriot News

October 23, 2018

By David Clohessy

Backers of the much-debated civil window for abuse and cover up lawsuits just won’t compromise.

So says Pennsylvania state Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati.

But, Scarnati, R-Jefferson, couldn’t be more wrong.

Here’s what he apparently doesn’t understand: Thousands of Pennsylvania citizens including hundreds in his own district, are already leading severely compromised lives because of horrific child sex crimes that are, even now, mostly being concealed by other allegedly “responsible” adults.

Thousands who were sexually abused as kids, have compromised sexualities and severely compromised self-confidence. They are the extremely common after-effects of having been used and abused by adults who purportedly love or value us.

Thousands more have compromised careers, having dropped out of school early or avoided college or gravitated toward jobs where frail self-esteems are less challenged.

Thousands have compromised relationships with family and friends, by whom we feel betrayed or unsupported or who we just can’t bring ourselves to trust others because our perpetrators so stunningly violated our trust at young and vulnerable ages.

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health estimate that we “spend an average $9.3 billion per year in the U.S. due to the victimization-related costs associated with health care, child welfare, violence and crime, and a number of other expenditures, as well as productivity losses.”

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.

PHOENIX (AZ)
Phoenix New Times

October 23, 2018

By Lynn Trimble

Recently, news broke that the federal government is investigating allegations of sexual abuse by several Catholic priests in Pennsylvania. It’s the latest development in a story that spans several decades and countries, including Ireland.

That’s where Pope Francis addressed the issue in August. And it’s where Trina McKillen, a California-based artist with Irish roots, found inspiration for her “Confess” exhibition, which continues through Thursday, October 25, at Lisa Sette Gallery.

The exhibition calls the Catholic Church to account for its sins, while elevating the innocence of the children who fell prey to pedophile priests. It comprises three components, including a life-size confessional, with roles reversed so priests are the confessors.

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.

KENT (OH)
Statehouse News Bureau

October 23, 2018

By Karen Kasler

The attorney general is the state’s top cop, protecting Ohioans against shady business practices and against crime on the streets. And the new AG will be among the five new statewide executive officeholders who will take over in January.

The Attorney General candidates:
Republican Dave Yost and Democrat Steve Dettelbach are both attorneys. And they both have a way with words – peppering their comments with colorful statements like:

“I don’t think that dog hunts.”

“It just doesn’t hold water.”

“Well, that’s just horsefeathers.”

“Malarkey.”

The Republican state auditor and the Democratic former US Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio disagree strongly on several issues – most notably, on what Yost could have done involving the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow.

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.

ERIE (PA)
GoErie.com

October 21, 2018

The head honcho of the Pennsylvania Senate cast it as a matter of constitutional principle.

Until it wasn’t.

Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati had maintained that giving victims of predator Catholic priests a path to some semblance of justice — via a two-year window to sue in civil court outside the statute of limitations — doesn’t pass muster with the Pennsylvania constitution. That was the rationale in 2016 when he oversaw the death of that measure in the Senate, though it had passed overwhelmingly in the house.

It wasn’t the lobbying by the Catholic Church and the insurance industry. It was the constitution. And absent some revolt in the ranks, Scarnati’s judgment rules because he controls the flow of legislation to the Senate floor.

Scarnati’s holding action got tougher in August with the release of the grand jury report that documented the abuse of more than 1,000 children by 301 predator priests over decades and how it was systematically enabled and covered up by the church hierarchy. Now the push to give victims a long-denied day in open court became a moral imperative given voice by the grand jurors.

In addition to the horror stories it exposed, the grand jury delivered four recommendations for reform. They included a two-year window for abuse survivors to sue retroactively in civil court.

The House in September again passed the provision, this time by a 173-21 vote. All of the members of the Erie-area House delegation supported it.

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

WASHINGTON (DC)
Get Religion

October 22, 2018

By Terry Mattingly

For millions of Roman Catholics, the world began changing in the 1980s — with waves of headlines about clergy sexual abuse cases that eventually led to reporter Jason Berry’s cathartic 1992 book “Lead Us Not Into Temptation: Catholic Priests and the Sexual Abuse of Children.”

The National Catholic Reporter wrote article after article about the scandals. A crucial moment came in 1985, when The New York Times published a brutal article about the Rev. Gilbert Gauthe, who admitted that he abused dozens of children in parishes in rural, southwest Louisiana. HBO eventually made a movie — “Judgement” — about the Gauthe case.

Mainstream news reporters, including me, covered stories linked to the emerging scandal all through the 1980s, as the U.S. Catholic bishops met behind closed doors to discuss how to solve this hellish puzzle.

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.

ALLENTOWN (PA)
The Morning Call

October 22, 2018

By Bill White

To paraphrase journalist and social critic H.L. Mencken, no one ever went broke underestimating the cowardice, dysfunction and bad priorities of our state Legislature.

So I can’t say I was shocked to see our state Senate head home last week without taking action on a bill that would reform statutes of limitations for victims of child sex abuse.

In fact, the Senate leader who played the biggest role in blocking Senate Bill 261 from a vote, Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson, claimed he was doing the responsible thing by trying to remove the piece of the bill most important to many survivors of abuse and that has been called for in grand jury findings on child sex abuse in various Pennsylvania dioceses.

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.