ABUSE TRACKER

UNITED STATES
Mennonite Central Committee

MCC is joining other faith-based organizations to break the silence about sexualized violence in our communities and congregations by raising awareness and providing resources for an effective response, prevention, and care.

This initiative will be participatory and begin with a listening process to gather baseline information from representative MCC constituents – churches, universities, and constituent organizations. Using this baseline information, MCC will provide open conversations, trainings for pastors and leaders, and written and web resources. Through this process, MCC hopes to build the capacity of our constituents to address sexualized violence within their own contexts by building awareness and providing tools for practical methods of prevention and care.

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

MISSOURI
KMBC

[with video]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —The Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph has begun a series of healing services for victims of sexual abuse at the hands of priests.

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann placed ads and sent letters to people inviting them to the search.

One of the people who received the letters, abuse survivor Michael Sandridge, said the letter contained an apology.

“I am so sorry for what happened to you, and I realize that no words are likely to heal your wounds,” the letter said. “As a small step toward reconciliation, I apologize on behalf of all the priests of this diocese and all the members of our Catholic church for the terrible hurt you have suffered at the hands of someone entrusted with your spiritual care.”

“The only thing the letter does is say, ‘You were right and I’m sorry,’” Sandridge said. “It’s too late. It’s too late, for me. Do I still believe in God, absolutely, but not so much the Catholic view of 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.

UNITED STATES
Bilgrimage

William D. Lindsey

A Resource to Recommend: Ruth Krall on How to Smell a Rape-Prone Campus

Here’s a very valuable resource I’d like to share with you, which Ruth Krall has just uploaded to the “Tools” section of her Enduring Space blog site: “How to Smell a Rape-Prone Campus” (pdf file). I’ll point out, too, that it’s timely, as a new semester begins for college students around the country.

In 24 succinct statements, Ruth describes the kind of campus on which rape is a serious problem, and where it’s highly likely to be covered up. These statements obviously draw on her own wide experience as a therapist and theologian working with victims of sexual violence, and with her activism monitoring institutions that cover up the sexual violence of pastors and professors.

Some of the points that leap out at me as I read through her extremely helpful description of rape-prone campuses:

(4) Men occupy all positions of real power where rape might logically be reported; campus ministries, student physician, student counseling services, and student personnel or student life staff. 


(12) More concern goes to protecting student men’s reputations than to women’s safety. This is particularly so if the men are athletic stars or student leaders on campus. 


(13) Students (and staff) are not urged to report rapes, attempted rapes or other forms of sexual harassment to the police. In fact they may be urged or told outright not to report. 


(14) Rape gets added to board meeting dockets as in the topic of how the campus is managing its rape policies in light of the federal guidelines. The board may or may not be given accurate information about numbers of rapes in any given year. The board does not insist on receiving a quarterly and annual update on the amounts of affinity violence reported. 


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 Australian

AUGUST 17, 2015

Rick Morton
Social Affairs Reporter
Sydney

Every religious leader in the country and their officers would be required to undergo working with children checks under proposed sweeping reforms to the system recommended by the child abuse royal commission.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse authored a report on state and territory working with children checks which was tabled in parliament today.

“A person must apply for a Working With Children Check (WWCC) in each state or territory in which they intend to engage in child-related work,” the report says.

“Organisations and people working across borders report substantial challenges in working with the varied schemes, including extra costs and difficulty understanding and complying with the various laws.

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

AUSTRALIA
news.com.au

AN inconsistent and complex approach by states and territories to running background checks on people wanting to work with children has failed those the schemes are supposed to protect, prompting the royal commission into child sexual abuse to call for sweeping changes.

THE Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse says that an over-reliance on the schemes – known as Working With Children Checks (WWCCs) – can actually be detrimental to children’s safety and it has delivered a scathing assessment of efforts by various governments to address the problem.

In a report tabled in the federal parliament on Monday, the commission has made a series of recommendations including that a national scheme for conducting background checks be introduced within 12 months, and that a centralised database, operated by CrimTrac, and which is readily accessible to all jurisdictions, be created.

The report has also recommended that all religious leaders and officers, or personnel of religious organisations, be required to undergo a background check.

The recommendations come after the commission found inconsistencies between states and territories regarding screening practices, as well as a lack of information-sharing across jurisdictions. This means the system is failing the children it was meant to protect.

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
Sydney Morning Herald

August 17, 2015

Rachel Browne
Social Affairs Reporter

The failure of state and territory governments to introduce a nationally consistent system to reduce the risk of paedophiles working with children has been described as “inexcusable” by a royal commission that has recommended sweeping changes to background checks.

State and territory governments will have one year to implement recommendations made on Monday by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

The recommendations include a call for a national system which would prevent child sex abusers applying for clearance to work with children in different jurisdictions and improve cross-border information sharing.

A national Working With Children Check scheme would help organisations and people working across borders by reducing complexity and duplication.

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
ABC News

By Danuta Kozaki and staff

Working with children checks should be strengthened and unified across all states and territories as a matter of urgency, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has recommended.

Currently in Australia, each state and territory has its own scheme for conducting background checks on people who want to work with children.

But the commission’s report into working with children checks found the eight different schemes were inconsistent, complex and gave a false sense of security to institutions and families.

The ABC has reported that some staff working in organisations with vulnerable children in Victoria have been working without valid police or working with children checks.

The commission’s report said problems with working with children checks have been recognised by governments for some time, but for too long they have favoured maintaining their own systems over working together.

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
Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse

The Royal Commission released its report on Working With Children Checks on 17 August 2015.

The recommendations in the report aim to strengthen the protection children receive through Working With Children Checks.

Download the full report

More information: Working With Children Checks Report and Executive summary

Roundtables

The Royal Commission has consulted widely on Working With Children Checks. In June 2014 Justice McClellan and Commissioner Fitzgerald hosted a roundtable in Canberra to discuss Working With Children Checks. Participants included state and territory government representatives, Children’s Commissioners, advocates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and non-government organisations.

Issues Papers

We received 80 submissions in response to Issues Paper 1 – Working With Children Check released in June 2013. These submissions helped us to identify the problems with the current schemes and approach.

In August 2013, we released Issues Paper 3 – Child-Safe Institutions. Many responses addressed Working With Children Checks by placing them in the broader context of child-safe organisations.

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 Chronicle

Owen Jacques | 17th Aug 2015

ALL religious leaders and staff in Australia would have to have “Working With Children Checks” if new recommendations from the Royal Commission into Child Sex Abuse are adopted.

It includes a national approach to how these checks, called a “Blue Card” in Queensland, are conducted.

The Royal Commission has today released its report into Working With Children Checks, which at the moment are approved at a state level.

These eight schemes, according to the report, “are inconsistent and complex”.

The Commission has taken aim at the inconsistencies this creates nationally, warning that those who may be banned from working with children in one state can “forum shop” to receive an approval somewhere else.

If someone is unfit to work with children but has no criminal history, the states have no way of sharing that information.

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

MICHIGAN
WOOD

[with video]

Marlee Ginter

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The most traumatic moment of Bill McAlary’s life happened in 1958. Nearly 60 years later, he’s still visibly shaken just talking about it.

McAlary says a Catholic priest molested him when he was a 12-year-old altar boy in Ionia.

“I woke up. He was molesting me sexually, on his knees next to my bed,” McAlary recalled. “That’s how I woke up.”

He said he immediately told his mother, but she didn’t do anything about it.

“I didn’t know what the right word was for a pedophile, but I knew what the word ‘queer’ meant. She said she didn’t know what it meant and didn’t do anything,” McAlary recalled.

He remembers going up to his room, where he stood and stared for 45 minutes. With no support, he continued Catholic school under the same priest.

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

NEW ZEALAND
The Dominion Post

A pastor at a Fijian fellowship church indecently touched two girls and tried to get one to have sex with him, a Wellington jury has been told.

Jone Draiva Conikeli, 42, from Stokes Valley, was a pastor at the Kingdom Ambassador International Fellowship church’s Wellington chapter.

He pleaded not guilty in Wellington District Court on Monday to two charges of assault with intent to commit sexual violation, two of doing an indecent act on a person under 16, and three of doing an indecent act on a child.

Crown prosecutor Ian Murray said Conikeli exploited opportunities to sexually abuse two girls he knew through family and friends.

Conikeli’s lawyer, Chris Nicholls, said the two girls had colluded to make up the allegations as retribution over a complicated family situation for which Conikeli had been blamed.

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)
Crain’s Chicago Business

SHIA KAPOS

Father Michael Garanzini, the chancellor of Loyola University and newly-named board member for the Chicago Board of Education, says it’s time Catholic priests be allowed to marry.

“I think it would be healthy. I used to say ‘well, it will change but probably not in my lifetime.’ And then Pope Francis came along, and what I see him doing is opening the avenues for discussion,” he told me.

Prior to our conversation, Garanzini spoke to some 40 members from Chicago’s business and social communities during a private gathering. Broadcaster Bill Kurtis moderated the Q&A event.

Garanzini says the issue is likely to come up during an October bishops’ conference in Rome.

“There’s been talk in various places in the church—especially in England, where there are several bishops who have said they intend to raise the question,” he said, referring to Catholic leaders in England, which has seen married Anglican priests cross over to serve in the Catholic Church. …

He says the discussion of priests marrying has come as a result, in part, of “the fallout of the priest sexual abuse problem.”

“Some good things” have evolved since then, he says, “and one is this question of openness to a priest’s physical and psychological health. The second is that the hierarchy, the leadership, that we have needs to be more open and transparent and admit problems and faults as they happen and that we’re not above the law. Those two things are a direct result of the 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.

KENTUCKY
Inquisitr

Louisville, Kentucky, priest Father Stephen A. Pohl was placed on leave by his archdiocese this week after reports surfaced that he has become the target of an FBI probe looking into the creation and distribution of child pornography. The investigation is reportedly being conducted by the Bureau’s task force on cyber crimes.

Pohl, who has been an ordained Catholic priest for 30 years and pastor of at St. Margaret Mary Parish in Louisville for the past seven, has not been arrested or formally accused of any criminal wrongdoing — but the Archdiocese of Louisville nonetheless issued a public statement stating why church officials have removed Pohl from his parish and put him on administrative leave.

The investigation is looking into “inappropriate photos of children that have been taken and collected by Father Pohl to determine if he has possessed or distributed child pornography,” the archdiocese said in the statement, adding that it has no further information or detail regarding the investigating targeting Pohl, according to a report in The Louisville Courier-Journal.

“We realize that this is a painful situation,” said Louisville Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, in a letter to Pohl’s parishioners on Friday. “As more information becomes available, we will be in touch about opportunities to address your concerns and questions.”

Jeff Koenig, a leader of Louisville’s chapter of the advocacy and support group SNAP — Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests — commended the local archdiocese for being “transparent” about the investigation into Pohl’s activities, adding that he hoped the “transparency” would continue.

A report on WLEX-TV in Lexington, Kentucky, said that Pohl conducted a weekly mass for grade school children at the parish’s elementary school but he taught no classes at the school.

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 News

A US cardinal archbishop has accused opponents of quoting out of context his 2007 statement to the Vatican that he was strengthening a diocese’s protection against litigation by child sexual abuse victims by putting most of its assets into a cemetery trust fund.

Cardinal Archbishop of New York Timothy Dolan told RTÉ’s This Week opponents are ignoring that state law required him to move the money beyond diocesan control.

The cardinal also praised this month’s offer of €21m by his former archdiocese of Milwaukee to over 300 clerical abuse victims, which has been dismissed by their lawyer as “harsh and hurtful”.

The offer ended four years of bankruptcy proceedings in the courts in the United States.

The former archbishop of the archdiocese of Milwaukee was leading a pilgrimage to Knock and other parts of the west of Ireland last week.

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.

MARYLAND
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore

August 13, 2015

Monsignor Joseph Davies died in 1992. On August 31, 1993, a man in his 50s contacted the Archdiocese to report that he had been sexually abused as a child by Davies in the 1950s. The Archdiocese reported the allegation in writing to the Maryland Attorney General’s Office on September 8, 1993 and offered the victim an apology and counseling assistance. Additional allegations against Msgr. Davies have been made in the ensuing years, all of which have been reported in writing to the appropriate civil authorities at the time they were received. In each case the victims were offered an apology and counseling assistance.

The Archdiocese has been forthcoming in naming all priests credibly accused in their lifetime and has done so consistently since 2002. At that time, Cardinal William H. Keeler, Archbishop of Baltimore from 1989-2007, stated that there were a number of priests about whom the Archdiocese received allegations of abuse after their death, with allegations dating back to the 1930s. He noted that the allegations were always reported to civil authorities and alleged victims were offered counseling assistance. He publicly explained the Archdiocese’s decision not to disclose those names since the Archdiocese could not question the accused. He stated: “They are no longer a danger to children, and the Lord is now judging them. We pray that any other victims will come forward so that we may apologize and offer help.”

The Archdiocese of Baltimore is committed to protecting children and helping to heal victims of abuse. We urge anyone who has any knowledge of any child sexual abuse to come forward, and to report it immediately to civil authorities. If clergy or other Church personnel are suspected of committing the abuse, we ask that you call the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Office of Child and Youth Protection Hotline at 1-866-417-7469.

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
Sydney Morning Herald

August 16, 2015

Simon Scott

Jacob was 11 years old when he was raped, in a Catholic school chapel, by two Brothers who threatened to do the same to his younger brother if he spoke out. It took 48 years to break his silence. He tells Simon Scott his story.

In late 1964, after his family moved to Japan from Australia, Jacob Bernstein* was enrolled at St Mary’s International School, a prestigious, private school in an upmarket Tokyo neighbourhood.

His father, Robert*, a diplomat, had been posted to the Australian embassy in the city.

Late in 1965, Jacob was searching for somewhere to eat lunch when he passed the school chapel. Being Jewish, the 11-year-old grade 6 student couldn’t eat the lunches served in the dining room. St Mary’s, a Catholic boys’ school run by the Brothers of Christian Instruction, or Mennaisians, was unable to prepare food that was kosher, so he had to bring lunch from home.

That day his mother had prepared his favourite, rollmops – pickled herring fillets held together with skewers – so he was eager to tuck in. “I saw the chapel door open and went in and started eating my lunch alone. I didn’t think it was not permitted,” says Bernstein.

Brother Lawrence Lambert in St Mary’s 1969 Yearbook. It shows that he was back teaching 6th Grade elementary students at the school by 1969, just four years after the sexual assault of Australian schoolboy ‘Jacob Bernstein’.

Brother Lawrence Lambert in St Mary’s 1969 Yearbook. It shows that he was back teaching 6th Grade elementary students at the school by 1969, just four years after the sexual assault of Australian schoolboy ‘Jacob Bernstein’.

Suddenly, Lawrence Lambert and another Catholic Brother entered, made the sign of the cross and then approached him. “Brother Lawrence said I was to be punished for eating in the chapel,” he recalls. “I was taken to a table near the door and made to face it and drop my pants and bend over. I thought I was to be spanked. One of them pulled my pants right off.” Then, he says,

“Brother Lawrence started to sodomise me. I had no idea of what he was doing, only that it hurt.”

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.

KENTUCKY
KFVS

By John Paxton

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) – The pastor at St. Margaret Mary Parish has been placed on leave after the archdiocese learned he was under investigation for alleged possession of child porn.

The Archdiocese of Louisville issued a release Saturday saying Fr. Stephen A. Pohl was being placed on an administrative leave of absence. Parishioners will be notified at weekend masses.

The release says he is under investigation for allegedly taking and collecting inappropriate photos of children.

Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, in a letter to parishioners dated August 14, wrote, “We realize this is a painful situation, and we want to support you during this time of uncertainty.”

David Clohessy, director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, issued a statement urging church members who may have information to come forward. He also called the timing of today’s release disingenuous, and criticized the Catholic church for its past handling of abuse allegations.

“We urge anyone – Catholic or not – to call law enforcement if they have any information that might help prove or disprove these troubling allegations,” Clohessy 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.

MIDDLE EAST
Al Arabiya

Yara al-Wazir

Just over a year ago, ISIS began their carefully calculated capture of the Yazidi people. Yazidi polytheism was the core reason that ISIS targeted them in August of 2014. After surrounding them on top of Mount Sinjar, they killed the men and captured the women. In the October issue of ISIS’s Dabiq journal, they admitted that it was planned and that their research found that the enslavement of Yazidi women was “justified.” This is consistent with research by Human Rights Watch., which agrees that the sex trade of minorities has been systematic and organized.

The fate of the Yazidi women hasn’t been the main topic of conversation, but a question remains: Could Muslim, Christian, and Jewish women be next?

We’re all in this together

The systematic enslavement and rape of Yazidi women is inhumane, and one of the most brutal acts that ISIS has committed in the region. Amnesty International’s report describes the escape of a small fraction of women as an “escape from hell.”

Although ISIS has systematically targeted Yazidi women in their organized slave labor camps, this is just the beginning. The future of their skewed interpretations of Islam cannot be predicted.

The brutality of ISIS increases exponentially as time passes

Thus, we must all realize that we’re all in this together. The brutality of ISIS increases exponentially as time passes – although it started off with showing mercy for foreign hostages and letting them go in exchange for ransoms, it has shown no mercy to anyone in recent months.

Despite initially justifying the enslavement of Yazidi women by the fact that they are not the ‘people of the book’ (Christians or Jewish – of an Abrahamic religion), a recently leaked document disputes that. The document, which details the trading price of women based on their age, refers to slaves as either “Christian or Yazidi.”

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.

MIDDLE EAST
The Guardian (UK)

One year on from the summit to end sexual violence in conflict, convened by Angelina Jolie and William Hague in London, the self-proclaimed Islamic State has developed a complex bureaucracy of sex slavery that makes a mockery of the summit’s goal to bring about an end to the use of rape and sexual violence in war.

The systematic use of sexual violence to terrorise, humiliate and subjugate communities during times of war has a dark history, with an estimated 250,000 to 500,000 women raped in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and 20,000 to 50,000 women raped during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

And Isis is not the only party in the Syrian civil war to use rape as a weapon – rape is endemic in detention centres run by the secular regime of Bashar al-Assad. But what makes Isis’s use of rape so horrifying is its attempt to justify, codify and institutionalise the practice using ostensibly religious justifications for this war crime.

In its online magazine, Dabiq, Isis says that, prior to its conquest of the Yazidi-dominated town of Sinjar, it tasked its “sharia students” to determine which “Islamic rulings” should apply to the Yazidi community. It concludes that Yazidi women could be enslaved under Islamic law and establishes that one-fifth of the women should be transferred to the Isis leadership and the remainder divided among the fighters who participated in the conquest of Sinjar. The article goes on to reassure its readership that: “Many well-known [Islamic legal] rulings are observed, including the prohibition of separating a mother from her young children.”

Based on its widely refuted interpretations of Islamic texts, Isis has gone about systematising rape, sexual assault and slavery by embedding the buying, selling and gifting of slaves into a system of rewards for its fighters. Of the estimated 3,500 Yazidi women held by Isis, survivors report being interrogated and in some cases stripped naked for sorting and categorising. They have been rated according to desirability, labelled and transported across Isis-held territory. They have been traded between fighters, and awarded by leadership as prizes.

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.

ARIZONA
Arizona Daily Star

By Gabriela Rico

Arizona properties 1

Arizona properties 2

More than two dozen residential and commercial properties in Arizona owned by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gallup, N.M., are going up for auction as part of the church’s bankruptcy reorganization.

One residential property on Tucson’s far east side is next to Paul McCartney’s ranch, said Hank Amos, president of Tucson Realty & Trust, which is offering the properties at auction along with Accelerated Marketing Group.

The 13.9-acre site up for auction near Redington Pass has an assessed value of $750,000. It is next door to the ranch bought by the McCartneys in 1979; the couple visited Tucson frequently until Linda McCartney’s death in 1998.

Other Southern Arizona properties to be featured in the Sept. 12 auction are in Tumacacori, Tubac, Hereford, Sierra Vista and Benson and various locations in Northern Arizona.

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.

SCOTLAND
Daily Record

THE probe at The Mallard, in Springburn, has been ordered amid concerns that previous police investigations were flawed.

DETECTIVES have been ordered to launch a fresh inquiry into ­allegations of historic child abuse at a church care home.

The probe at The Mallard in Springburn, Glasgow, has been ordered by the Crown amid ­concerns that three previous police investigations were flawed.

Prosecutors gave the order after an SNP minister raised concerns about the criminal investigations.

The allegations of sexual and physical abuse date back to the 90s and were first brought to police attention by a dad who removed his son from the Church of Scotland home in 1999.

Deputy First Minister John ­Swinney is the father’s MSP and contacted the Lord Advocate on his behalf.

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

MICHIGAN
WZZM

[with video]

Phil Dawson, WZZM

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WZZM) — Retired Grand Rapids Roman Catholic priest Father Charles Antekeier may no longer call himself a priest. After investigating allegations of sexual abuse, the Vatican says Antekeier, is officially removed from the ministry.

The Grand Rapids Diocese says the accusation dates back to the mid 1980’s.

But at least one Grand Rapids parent says he believes his son was molested by Father Antekeier years earlier in the 1970’s when he was an altar boy at St. James Parish.

“He had been assigned to an early mass so there is nobody around, nobody in the sacristy,” says his father, who we are not naming to conceal the identity of his son. “He was raped several times.”

His father says the sexual assault changed the boy.

“The experience overwhelmed him,” he explains. “He thought the priest was the line to God.”

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
Crux

By Inés San Martín
Vatican correspondent August 15, 2015

ROME — A conservative Latin American bishop fired by Pope Francis last September, who once claimed he was the victim of “ideological persecution” but later moved to reconcile with the pontiff, died Friday at the age of 69.

Bishop Rogelio Livieres Plano, a native Argentinian, died in Buenos Aires from complications related to diabetes. He had been the bishop of Ciudad del Estes in Paraguay before his removal on Sept. 25, 2014.

Before his death, Livieres reached out to the pope.

Last July, while meeting local bishops during his trip to Paraguay, Francis read a letter Livieres had written to the pontiff. In it, the bishop expressed his gratitude to the pope and his “full communion” with Rome.

According to a Vatican statement in September 2014, Francis removed Livieres from his post for unspecified “serious pastoral reasons” and “the greater good of preserving the unity of the local 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.

KENTUCKY
Lex 18

A Catholic priest in Kentucky is on leave after child porn allegations surfaced.

The Archdiocese of Louisville issued a statement saying Father Stephen Pohl was being placed on administrative leave. The statement says Father Pohl is under investigation for allegedly taking and collecting inappropriate photos of children.

Father Pohl has been with Saint Margaret Mary Parish in Louisville since 2008. He celebrated mass at the Saint Margaret Mary grade school every week, but did not teach any classes.

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.

KENTUCKY
Courier-Journal

Chris Kenning and Rob Gates, Louisville August 15, 2015

A Louisville priest has been placed on administrative leave amid an investigation into child pornography, according to a statement from the Archdiocese of Louisville.

Father Stephen A. Pohl, pastor of St. Margaret Mary Parish at 7813 Shelbyville Road, was put on leave after the Archdiocese said it learned of an investigation about “inappropriate photos of children that have been taken and collected by Father Pohl to determine if he has possessed or distributed child pornography.”

Parishioners are being notified this weekend. The Rev. J. Mark Spalding, Vicar General and pastor of Holy Trinity Parish, has been named as the temporary administrator of St. Margaret Mary Parish.

“We realize that this is a painful situation,” Archbishop of Louisville Joseph Kurtz wrote in a letter to parishioners dated Aug. 14. “As more information becomes available, we will be in touch about opportunities to address your concerns and questions.”

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.

KENTUCKY
WAVE

Aug 15, 2015
By John Paxton

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) – The pastor at St. Margaret Mary Parish has been placed on leave after the archdiocese learned he was under investigation for alleged possession of child porn.

The Archdiocese of Louisville issued a release Saturday saying Fr. Stephen A. Pohl was being placed on an administrative leave of absence. Parishioners will be notified at weekend masses.

The release says he is under investigation for allegedly taking and collecting inappropriate photos of children.

Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, in a letter to parishioners dated August 14, wrote, “We realize this is a painful situation, and we want to support you during this time of uncertainty.”

David Clohessy, director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, issued a statement urging church members who may have information to come forward. He also called the timing of today’s release disingenuous, and criticized the Catholic church for its past handling of abuse allegations.

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.

KENTUCKY
WHAS

August 15, 2015

LOUISVILLE, Ky (WHAS11) — Parishioners at St. Margaret Mary Parish that attend the Saturday and Sunday Masses this weekend will be notified of an ongoing situation involving Father Stephen A. Pohl while those that do not attend will be informed via a letter from Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz.

According to a just released press release from the Archdiocese of Louisville, an FBI Task Force investigation is underway about inappropriate photos of children that have been taken and collected by Father Pohl to determine if he has possessed or distributed child pornography. At this time, the Archdiocese has no other information about this investigation. When an allegation about possible child pornography is received, the following actions are taken in conformity with the Sexual Abuse Policies of the Archdiocese of Louisville:

The person who has been accused is placed on an administrative leave of absence.

The Archdiocese submits a report to civil authorities, if not already contacted, and fully cooperates with civil authorities as the investigation proceeds.

The Archdiocese conducts an internal investigation of the accusation.

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.

PARAGUY
Vanguardia

[Bishop Rogelio Livieres Plano dies; bishop in Paraguay ousted by Pope Francis was 69]

ASUNCION, PARAGUAY.- El obispo Rogelio Livieres, destituido de la diócesis paraguaya Ciudad del Este hace un año por el papa Francisco, falleció ayer viernes en un hospital de la capital argentina debido a problemas relacionados con la diabetes.

“Días atrás visitamos al hermano Rogelio en el hospital Austral, en las afueras de Buenos Aires, en donde le manifestamos nuestra satisfacción porque volvió a la comunión de la iglesia”, dijo monseñor Edmundo Valenzuela, arzobispo de Asunción, en entrevista con la radioemisora católica Cáritas.

Agregó que “felizmente nos despedimos en vida del hermano Rogelio; el sábado será sepultado en el cementerio La Recoleta, de Buenos Aires, según nos dijeron en el Opus Dei, prelatura a la que él pertenecía”.

Livieres, de 69 años, había nacido en la ciudad argentina de Corrientes pero de niño se trasladó con su familia a Asunción.

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PARAGUAY
Pagina 12 (Argentina)

[Protector of Pedophiles. Former Bishop Rogelio Livieres Plano of the Ciudad del Este diocese in Paraguay died yesterday in an Argentine hospital.]

El ex obispo de Ciudad del Este, el argentino Rogelio Livieres Plano, falleció ayer en el Hospital Universitario Austral, de Buenos Aires, como consecuencia de una afección hepática. Internado en el lugar hace tiempo, no pudo ser sometido al trasplante de hígado recomendado por los médicos para su cuadro por una afección cardíaca. Hasta el mes pasado, Livieres seguía recibiendo visitas del clero, como la del actual obispo de Ciudad del Este, Guillermo Steckling. En septiembre del año pasado, el religioso fue relevado del cargo por el papa Francisco por haber dado refugio y un cargo como vicario para la juventud en su diócesis al cura argentino lefebvrista Carlos Urrutigoity, que había sido acusado por pedofilia en Estados Unidos. El Vaticano también había considerado, al momento de apartarlo del obispado, que en la diócesis de Livieres se registraban manejos financieros poco claros.

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MIDDLE EAST
Christian Science Monitor

By Ariel Zirulnick, Correspondent AUGUST 14, 2015

A wrenching look by The New York Times into the Islamic State’s enslavement and rape of women from the Yazidi minority group has shed light on one of the most disturbing aspects of its rule in Syria and Iraq.

The practice, according to reporter Rukmini Callimachi, was formalized a year ago, when IS announced it was bringing institutionalized slavery back. Since then an entire “infrastructure” – warehouses, buses, viewing rooms – has emerged to facilitate the trade of women and girls.

A total of 5,270 Yazidis were abducted last year, and at least 3,144 are still being held, according to community leaders. To handle them, the Islamic State has developed a detailed bureaucracy of sex slavery, including sales contracts notarized by the ISIS-run Islamic courts. And the practice has become an established recruiting tool to lure men from deeply conservative Muslim societies, where casual sex is taboo and dating is forbidden.

A growing body of internal policy memos and theological discussions has established guidelines for slavery, including a lengthy how-to manual issued by the Islamic State Research and Fatwa Department just last month. Repeatedly, the ISIS leadership has emphasized a narrow and selective reading of the Quran and other religious rulings to not only justify violence, but also to elevate and celebrate each sexual assault as spiritually beneficial, even virtuous.

Even if captives are released or manage to escape, the trauma doesn’t end, given the stigma that is associated with rape victims in conservative societies. So far, the Yazidi community has said all the right things. Baba Sheikh, a prominent religious leader, has at least twice reassured women they will be welcomed back to the community, according to a Human Rights Watch report in April.

Even if captives are released or manage to escape, the trauma doesn’t end, given the stigma that is associated with rape victims in conservative societies. So far, the Yazidi community has said all the right things. Baba Sheikh, a prominent religious leader, has at least twice reassured women they will be welcomed back to the community, according to a Human Rights Watch report in April.

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MIDDLE EAST
Wall Street Journal

By HALEH ESFANDIARI and KENDRA HEIDEMAN

Last August, Vian Dakhil pleaded with her colleagues in the Iraqi parliament, and for the outside world, to pay attention to the atrocities Islamic State was inflicting on Yazidi men and women. She told of Yazidi women and girls being kidnapped, separated from their families, taken from their homes, and enlisted into sexual slavery.

A year later, the world is well aware of ISIS’s brutality—yet the plight of Yazidi women has grown worse. Interviews with women who managed to escape ISIS slave camps and phone calls by women who were taken provide harrowing accounts of enslavement, abuse, and repeated rape; of human beings trafficked and sold to different partners. There are makeshift markets where men can choose their sex slaves. Zainab Bangura, the United Nations special representative on sexual violence in conflict, has reported that ISIS has sold abducted teenagers at slave markets “for as little as a pack of cigarettes.” Ms. Bangura cited an internal ISIS document that lists prices for female slaves—often the younger the girl, the higher the price.

ISIS has an elaborate, organized structure for its sexual slave trade, much like it developed an infrastructure for basic services in territories it has claimed. The New York Times reported this week that ISIS planned to establish a sex market before its attack on Iraqi Yazidis on Mount Sinjar last August. The report details how ISIS uses religion to justify rape and sexual slavery and to entice new recruits. A 12 year-old girl repeatedly raped by an ISIS fighter described her experience: The man would go down on his knees and pray before and after raping her, she said, viewing his violation of her as a means of “drawing closer to God.” ISIS considers the sexual use and abuse of Yazidi women as permitted under Islam because they are “infidels.” This distorted interpretation of Islam permits the rape of girls as young as 9.

Muslims and the international community need to do much more to end these barbaric practices. A number of Muslim theologians have challenged Islamic State’s misuse of passages in the Quran to rationalize its abuse of women, but many more need to speak out—and repeatedly. The world must hear much more from the teachers and thinkers at the great centers of Islamic learning such as al-Azhar in Egypt, Najaf in Iraq, and Qum in Iran. They can provide leadership and set a new tone.

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MIDDLE EAST
Irish Times

In the moments before he raped the 12-year-old girl, the Islamic State fighter took the time to explain that what he was about to do was not a sin. Because the pre-teen girl practised a religion other than Islam, the Koran not only gave him the right to rape her – it condoned and encouraged it, he insisted.

He bound her hands and gagged her. Then he knelt beside the bed and prostrated himself in prayer before getting on top of her. When it was over, he knelt to pray again, bookending the rape with acts of religious devotion. “I kept telling him it hurts – please stop,” said the girl, whose body is so small an adult could circle her waist with two hands.

“He told me that according to Islam he is allowed to rape an unbeliever. He said that by raping me, he is drawing closer to God,” she said in an interview alongside her family in a refugee camp in Qadiya, Iraq, to which she escaped after 11 months of captivity.

The systematic rape of women and girls from the Yazidi religious minority has become deeply enmeshed in the organisation and the radical theology of Islamic State in the year since the group announced it was reviving slavery as an institution. Interviews with 21 women and girls who recently escaped Islamic State, as well as an examination of the group’s official communications, illuminate how the practice has been enshrined in the group’s core tenets.

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IOWA
KCRG

By Associated Press August 14, 2015

INDIANOLA, Iowa (AP) — A 20-year-old counselor at a church youth camp in southern Iowa has been accused of sexually assaulting a colleague.

Warren County sheriff’s deputies have arrested Asa Bruss, of Cedar Falls, and were holding him Friday in the county jail. He faces four counts of sexual abuse. Online court records don’t list the name of an attorney who could be contacted to comment on Bruss’ behalf.

An 18-year-old counselor at Wesley Woods Camp and Retreat Center in Indianola told deputies that Bruss had sexually abused her at the camp last month.

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NEW MEXICO
Albuquerque Journal

By Olivier Uyttebrouck / Journal Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: Saturday, August 15, 2015

A second round of court-ordered mediation talks this week in the Diocese of Gallup Chapter 11 bankruptcy case ended in deadlock, again over the issue of money, attorneys said in a hearing Friday in Albuquerque.

With the second anniversary of the bankruptcy case looming in September, an attorney warned that “the limited resources of the diocese will quickly be consumed” if the case isn’t resolved soon.

“If I could manufacture money, I could get this case resolved tomorrow,” Susan Boswell, a Tucson attorney representing the diocese, told U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge David Thuma.

The Diocese of Gallup became the ninth Roman Catholic diocese to file for bankruptcy in 2013 in response to a growing number of lawsuits by people alleging that as children they had been sexually abused by clergy. Legal and professional costs in the case have mounted to more than $2.6 million through June 30.

The purpose of the bankruptcy case will have failed “if we end up with no money for the abuse survivors,” Thuma warned attorneys.

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MICHIGAN
WZZM

[with video]

Phil Dawson, WZZM August 15, 2015

Retired Grand Rapids Roman Catholic priest Father Charles Antekeier may no longer call himself a priest. After investigating allegations of sexual abuse, the Vatican says Antekeier, is officially removed from the ministry.

The Grand Rapids Diocese says the accusation dates back to the mid 1980’s.

But at least one Grand Rapids parent says he believes his son was molested by Father Antekeier years earlier in the 1970’s when he was an altar boy at St. James Parish.

“He had been assigned to an early mass so there is nobody around, nobody in the sacristy,” says his father, who we are not naming to conceal the identity of his son. “He was raped several times.”

His father says the sexual assault changed the boy.

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MICHIGAN
WWMT

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – A retired priest with the Grand Rapids Diocese was removed from the ministry over accusations of sexual abuse.

The Diocese issued a statement Friday saying it was approached by a victim regarding alleged incidents in the mid 1980’s with the Reverend Charles Antekeier at Saint James Parish in Grand Rapids.

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ROME
Money Morning

In 2013, Pope Francis publicly stated he’d get to the bottom of several scandals plaguing the Catholic Church.

Despite the pontiff’s investigation, one scandal remains shrouded in mystery: that of the Vatican Bank and Nazi gold.

You see, some bits of evidence suggest the Vatican collaborated with Nazi party members responsible for plundering Jewish citizens’ gold during World War II. But other evidence casts doubt on the extent of the Catholic Church’s direct participation in Nazi activities. The Holy See has long denied any sort of affiliation between the Church and the Third Reich ever existed. Still, limited independent research into a possible connection has been conducted by several agencies, including the U.S. Treasury.

“During and after World War II, was the Vatican bank a witting or unwitting accomplice of Nazi collaborators known as Ustashi who made their way from a seminary in Rome to safe havens in South America?” The National Catholic Review asked July 15. “Did the Vatican bank profit as a result of payments received from these Nazi collaborators who were known as the Ustashi? If we were to follow the Ustashi money, where would the trail lead?”

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CHICAGO (IL)
Chicago Tribune

By Clifford Ward
Chicago Tribune

Officials will continue to monitor restitution payments made by priest who stole, gambled away church money.

DuPage County prosecutors will maintain some legal leverage for another six months to make sure a priest continues to repay the almost $300,000 he embezzled from his Roselle parish.

The Rev. John Regan appeared in court Friday on the four-year anniversary of his sentencing on charges that he stole money from St. Walter Church, where he was pastor, to fund a gambling addiction.

Regan has met the conditions of his 48-month probation sentence — Judge John Kinsella called him “compliant in the extreme” — but he still owes about $280,000 in restitution, which prompted prosecutors to file a petition to revoke probation.

The petition gives prosecutors continued jurisdiction over Regan and is intended to ensure he continues making restitution payments, Assistant State’s Attorney Louisa Nuckolls said.

The judge set a February status date but otherwise released Regan from probation. That means he will no longer have to report to the county’s court services department and will not be required to continue working at a $9.75-per-hour factory job, attorney Jim Ryan said.

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UNITED STATES
Daily Mail (UK)

Islamic State ruler ‘kept 26-year-old American aid worker as his personal sex slave’ before she was killed in February

By Ashley Collman For Dailymail.com and Associated Press

Before her death earlier this year, 26-year-old Kayla Mueller was a sex slave for the top leader of the Islamic State, the American aid worker’s parents have revealed.

In a Friday interview with ABC on what would have been Kayla’s 27th birthday, her parents said that they were informed by government officials that their daughter was repeatedly raped by the caliph of the Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

ISIS announced Kayla’s death on February 10, claiming that the aid worker from Prescott, Arizona had been killed in an coalition airstrike.

However, ISIS was aware that the U.S. was working to rescue Kayla and the true circumstances of her death are not known.

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MIDDLE EAST
The New York Times

Written by RUKMINI CALLIMACHI; Photographs by MAURICIO LIMAAUG. 13, 2015

QADIYA, Iraq — In the moments before he raped the 12-year-old girl, the Islamic State fighter took the time to explain that what he was about to do was not a sin. Because the preteen girl practiced a religion other than Islam, the Quran not only gave him the right to rape her — it condoned and encouraged it, he insisted.

He bound her hands and gagged her. Then he knelt beside the bed and prostrated himself in prayer before getting on top of her.

When it was over, he knelt to pray again, bookending the rape with acts of religious devotion.

“I kept telling him it hurts — please stop,” said the girl, whose body is so small an adult could circle her waist with two hands. “He told me that according to Islam he is allowed to rape an unbeliever. He said that by raping me, he is drawing closer to God,” she said in an interview alongside her family in a refugee camp here, to which she escaped after 11 months of captivity.

The systematic rape of women and girls from the Yazidi religious minority has become deeply enmeshed in the organization and the radical theology of the Islamic State in the year since the group announced it was reviving slavery as an institution. Interviews with 21 women and girls who recently escaped the Islamic State, as well as an examination of the group’s official communications, illuminate how the practice has been enshrined in the group’s core tenets.

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UNITED STATES
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Jay Bookman

I’ve been reading as deeply as I can on the origins and characteristics of ISIS, trying to come to grips with its emergence and how it might be eradicated. But the truth is that each time we have tried a largely military approach to an Islamic extremist group, we’ve succeeded in mestastizing the cancer and ensuring its re-emergence in an even more virulent form. A military component will be essential, but it will not be sufficient.

At the very least, the existence of ISIS reminds us again that true evil does exist in the world. The ideology of the group is at least as demented and cruel as that of National Socialism under Adolph Hitler, and if given the backing of a powerful state military would be as equally dangerous. Of course, the paradox is that if it relied upon the backing of a powerful state military, it would also be a lot easier to defeat. Instead it lives as almost a virus in the info-sphere, capable of quickly evolving into new forms to match whatever new conditions it encounters.

If you haven’t read this story in today’s New York Times about the systemic use of rape as a recruiting tool and even religious rite by ISIS, I urge you to do so, with the caveat that it is deeply unsettling:

“The systematic rape of women and girls from the Yazidi religious minority has become deeply enmeshed in the organization and the radical theology of the Islamic State in the year since the group announced it was reviving slavery as an institution. Interviews with 21 women and girls who recently escaped the Islamic State, as well as an examination of the group’s official communications, illuminate how the practice has been enshrined in the group’s core tenets.

The trade in Yazidi women and girls has created a persistent infrastructure, with a network of warehouses where the victims are held, viewing rooms where they are inspected and marketed, and a dedicated fleet of buses used to transport them.

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MIDDLE EAST
Inquisitr

ISIS has grown from a mere militant group to a body of believers waging a war against any non-ISIS group, creating caliphates in as many territories as possible. Their infamous videos are gruesome and violent and never ending. ISIS’ growth has been the demise of peace in the territories it controls. The littlest victims have been the most affected either indirectly through the death of their parents or directly through kidnapping, forced into fighting and sexual assaults, which are now on the rise as ISIS believes that rape of women and children “brings them closer to God.”

Based on a tapered analysis of the Quran, ISIS sees rape as a sacrament and an encouraged act of worship, according to the New York Times in a report recounting the rape of a 12-year-old girl by an ISIS soldier.

“He said that by raping me, he is drawing closer to God.”

The girl’s story went on to detail how the ISIS fighter opened and closed his “act of worship” with prayer. Another girl’s story chronicled how the ISIS soldier who repeatedly raped her defended his actions, telling her raping her was “his prayer to God.”

“He kept telling me this is ibadah (worship).”

ISIS is well organized in its enslavement of women for sex. Their methods include notarized contracts, policy guidelines, and updates in an online magazine that frames the dividing of sex slaves as “spoils.”

While ISIS has created a solid infrastructure, they have created no boundaries, subsequently allowing the rape of children. An internal pamphlet defines child rape as “permissible.” The pamphlet also cites it is permissible to “beat them and trade them in.”

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UNITED STATES
Slate

By Joshua Keating

An important and horrifying feature by Rukmini Callimachi published today in the New York Times details ISIS’s “theology of rape,” the group’s deliberate and systematic practice of sexually enslaving women and girls from the Yazidi religious minority as it has expanded its territory in Iraq and Syria.

Based on interviews with 21 survivors, the article details how rape “has become deeply enmeshed in the organization and the radical theology of the Islamic State” since the group overran Yazidi territory in 2014. ISIS has created “a network of warehouses where the victims are held, viewing rooms where they are inspected and marketed, and a dedicated fleet of buses used to transport them,” and issued a 34-page how-to manual with guidelines for rape. Its leaders have celebrated sexual assault as “spiritually beneficial, even virtuous.” A 12-year-old escapee, now living with her family in an Iraqi refugee camp, describes how an ISIS fighter would pray before and after raping her and explain that the Quran gave him the right to do so.

The deliberateness of ISIS’s system of sex slavery is unusually horrendous, but unfortunately ISIS is not the only armed group in the world today systematically using rape in warfare. It’s not even the only one in Syria: The rape of female prisoners is believed to be widespread in Bashar al-Assad’s prisons. Widespread, systemic rape has been a brutal part of modern conflicts in Africa, Europe, Latin America, and Asia and has been carried out by state and nonstate actors of every nationality and ideology.

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UNITED STATES
NBC News

by LEXI RUDOLPH and JON SCHUPPE

Kayla Mueller, the American aid worker who died while being held captive by ISIS, was repeatedly raped by the terror group’s leader in Syria, her family confirmed Friday.

U.S. officials told the family was told in June of the assaults by ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, a representative of Mueller’s family told NBC News.

The sexual assaults are the latest outrage by ISIS, which has published graphic videos showing the beheading of captives, among other atrocities. Mueller, a 26-year-old from Prescott, Arizona, was captured by the terror group in Syria in August 2013 and in February the U.S. confirmed she died in ISIS captivity.

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NEW MEXICO
Las Cruces Sun-News

By The Associated Press

POSTED: 08/14/2015

ALBUQUERQUE >> A judge is considering requests to let three civil cases move forward against the Diocese of Gallup, which has been in bankruptcy proceedings since 2013.

The Albuquerque Journal reports court records show the Diocese of Gallup has “virtually non-existent” assets and was either uninsured or underinsured when many of the 57 claims of clergy sex abuse were made.

Los Angeles attorney James Stang says allowing the three trials to go forward would set valuations for the abuse cases to ensure the claimants are offered reasonable payments.

But diocese attorneys are urging U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge David T. Thuma to stop the cases, saying that Stang is seeking the trials as a way of “gaining tactical advantage” should mediation talks resume.

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The New York Times

Kidnapping and Sex Slavery: Covering ISIS’ Religious Justification for Rape

By ERIKA ALLEN
AUG. 14, 2015

Rukimini Callimachi has told the stories of those held as prisoners of the Islamic State before. This week, her front page article detailed the kidnapping, enslaving and ISIS-sanctioned rape of women and girls from the Yazidi religious minority.

Ms. Callimachi talked to Times Insider about the reporting process that lead to devastating first-person accounts from girls as young as 12-years-old who were separated from their families and sold as sex slaves to ISIS fighters.

Q: How did you discover this situation of the Islamic State enslaving and raping the Yazidi women and girls?

A: Soon after August 3 of last year, when ISIS attacked Sinjar Mountain [in Iraq], we started seeing reports of Yazidi women saying they had been raped. At first, we didn’t know what to make of the reports. They seemed exaggerated, and it seemed hard to believe they had enslaved large numbers of women.

Then in October of last year, the turning point for me was when ISIS published a feature article in their flagship magazine, Dabiq, entitled the “The Revival of Slavery Before the Hour.” To my horror, they laid out the fact that they had enslaved these women and explained in granular detail the theological justification for taking the Yazidis on the grounds that they are infidels and nonbelievers. They were citing Quranic passages and Islamic scholars who believe the principle that they could be enslaved.

That was the minute I became interested in this. I was busy with a lot of other things and couldn’t really come until July of this year. That was the beginning of it.

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PARAGUAY
Star Tribune

By PEDRO SERVIN Associated Press AUGUST 14, 2015

ASUNCION, Paraguay — Rogelio Livieres Plano, a former bishop in Paraguay who was revered by some for building a successful seminary but who was ousted by Pope Francis amid several controversies, has died. He was 69.

Livieres Plano died on Friday in a hospital in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from complications related to diabetes, Asuncion Archbishop Edmundo Valenzuela told The Associated Press.

Valenzuela said a group of Paraguayan clergy recently visited Livieres Plano in Buenos Aires.

“Happily we were able to say goodbye to our brother Rogelio” before he died, said Valenzuela.

Livieres Plano was a member of the conservative Opus Dei movement and spent 10 years overseeing the diocese of Ciudad del Este, a sprawling city in eastern Paraguay that borders Brazil.

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MICHIGAN
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Friday, Aug. 14

Statement by SNAP leader Bill McAlary (616-514-0654, bllmack1@gmail.com), who was abused as a child by Fr. Stanislaus A. Bur, who worked in parishes in Grand Rapids, Beal City, Hastings, Traverse City, Muskegon, Ionia, Maple City, Beal City, Kinde, Pinnebog and Beaver).

Grand Rapids Catholic officials apparently kept silent about child sex abuse reports against a priest. They apparently kept silent when while supposedly “investigating” those reports. They apparently kept silent when they deemed those reports credible. They apparently kept silent when they quietly sent the case to the Vatican. And only now, likely years later, are Grand Rapids Catholic officials finally disclosing that he’s a child molester, while providing virtually no helpful information that might protect other vulnerable kids Shame on them.

[Grand Rapids diocese]

Fr. Charles Antekeier is a priest. But now he can’t act like one in public. This is a belated, tiny step forward. Much remains to be done.

Despite a national church abuse policy that supposedly mandates “openness and transparency,” Bishop David J. Walkowiak refuses to

–say where Fr. Antekeier is now,
–say when the abuse report was made,
–say whether Fr. Antekeier is being supervised,
— say whether he molested boys or girls,
–say whether Fr. Antekeier admitted the crimes, or
–say whether they’ve given police and prosecutors.

This is reckless, callous and deceptive. Parents, parishioners, police, prosecutors and the public deserve more information so they can protect other innocent kids.

We beg every single person who saw, suspected or suffered clergy sex crimes and cover ups in Grand Rapids – by Fr. Antekeier or other clerics – to call police right away. All adults must protect kids, expose predators and stop cover ups, even if it may seek hard or risky.

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UNITED STATES
Washington Post

Activists urge Pope Francis to address sex abuse by clergy during U.S. visit

By Michelle Boorstein August 13

PHILADELPHIA — John Salveson didn’t give up his obsession with the Catholic Church easily. There were polite letters in the early 1980s, asking that the priest who molested him when he was a teenager be removed.

His bishop wrote back, but the priest remained, transferring parishes through the late ’80s, according to a grand jury report. “Sincerely yours in Christ,” the bishop closed his letters.

Later, Salveson led a group that advocated for church reform. But by the mid-2000s, he had grown discouraged and shifted his focus to pushing for stronger laws and enforcement.

Prompted by Pope Francis’s trip to Philadelphia this fall, Salveson has renewed his activism toward the church, calling for the pontiff and other participants in a global Catholic meeting on family issues to discuss child sex abuse by clergy members and wear black ribbons to represent “the darkness that infects the souls of survivors,” he said.

The official itinerary for Francis’s U.S. trip includes no mention of the topic, although some experts think the pontiff will address it in an impromptu way, as Pope Benedict did during his last trip to the United States, in 2008.

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FLORIDA
Click on Orlando

Author: Daniel Dahm, Managing Editor of ClickOrlando.com, ddahm@clickorlando.com

ST. CLOUD, Fla. –
A 22-year-old man described by police as a St. Cloud police as a church youth leader was arrested Thursday on allegations of molesting a boy at a sleep over.

Raymond Francisco Caraballo was arrested on charges of lewd and lascivious molestation and child abuse.

According to St. Cloud police, Caraballo hosted a church sleep over on July 30 at his house when the incident occurred.

Although police and the victim described Caraballo as a youth leader at City of Life Church in Kissimmee, the church said he was an usher, not a youth leader.

Police said Caraballo confessed to the allegations and was arrested. He’s being held on no bond.

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UNITED STATES
The Worthy Adversary

Posted by Joelle Casteix on August 14, 2015

Here’s a hypothetical:

Your boss borrows your car and runs over your beloved dog Rover in the company’s parking garage. When your boss returns the car, you ask him about your dead dog and the blood stains all over the bumper. He denies all knowledge.

When confronted with video surveillance footage, your boss finally admits that he did run over your dog, but claims that “he thought he did the right thing for you and Rover.” He is not fired. In fact, he is backed up by the company and remains in his job for three more years, where he supervises your work and is your “go-between” to higher management.

You can’t quit because you are under contract. After those three years, your boss resigns. But he keeps his paycheck and gets to go on all of the company golf outings free of charge.

Soon after the resignation and well-publicized golf outings, your company invites you to come to a “healing meeting” where you are invited to heal from the pain of losing your dog. Your boss is invited, too.

The company will be collecting donations for the “coffee fund” at the meeting, so attendees are asked to bring their checkbooks. Your company also invites the press. When the press calls you about the meeting, you tell them that you aren’t going.

You are portrayed in the media as angry and ungrateful for not participating. Ridiculous? You bet it is.

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

MICHIGAN
MLIVE

By John Tunison | jtunison@mlive.com

on August 14, 2015

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — A 79-year-old retired priest with the Grand Rapids Diocese has been removed from the ministry amid sex abuse allegations stemming from the mid-1980s.
antekeier.jpg

The Rev. Charles Antekeier no longer may present himself as a priest or wear the collar.

Father Charles Antekeier is named in a Friday, Aug. 14 statement from the Diocese.

In the statement, Bishop David J. Walkowiak expresses his “deepest apologies” to any children and their families who “have been abused by members of the clergy in the Diocese of Grand Rapids.”

Antekeier was ordained in 1962 and served at the following churches during the specified years:

1962: St. Charles, Cheboygan
1966: St. Patrick, Grand Haven
1966: St. Mary, Grand Rapids
1972: Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Belmont
1977: St. James, Grand Rapids
1987: St. Francis Xavier, Grand Rapids
2000: Senior priest status (Retired)

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MICHIGAN
Up North Live

A priest who served at St. Charles Church in Cheboygan in 1966 is being removed from the ministry by the Vatican after sex abuse allegations.

The Diocese of Grand Rapids was notified by the Vatican that father Charles Antekeier can no longer present himself as a priest.

The 79-year-old last served at a church in Grand Rapids and has been retired for 15 years

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UNITED STATES
Catholic League

Bill Donohue comments on a front-page story in today’s Washington Post about the visit by Pope Francis to the U.S. next month:

Whenever there is a papal visit to the U.S., those with their own political agenda surface, aided and abetted by members of the mainstream media. Want proof? Read today’s piece by Michelle Boorstein (click here) in the Washington Post. It reads more like an op-ed than a news story.

Though there is no institution in the nation—secular or sectarian—that has a better record of combating the sexual abuse of minors than the Catholic Church, one would never know this by reading Boorstein’s article. She drums up one case from Long Island about a guy who says he was abused by a priest decades ago.

What is remarkable about Boorstein is her incurious attitude. She writes of this alleged victim that “the relationship [with the priest] continued until [the accuser] was 20 and broke things off with the priest.” (My italic.) I didn’t know that victims of sexual molestation had “relationships” with their victimizers. Similarly, never does Boorstein question why the alleged victim stayed in his relationship until he was 20-years-old!

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MICHIGAN
Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids

August 14, 2015

The Diocese of Grand Rapids has received notice from the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith that Father Charles Antekeier, a retired priest of the Diocese of Grand Rapids, has been permanently removed from ministry in accord with the provisions of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People and the Essential Norms for Diocesan/Eparchial Policies Dealing with Allegations of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Priests or Deacons. Father Antekeier, age 79, is further obligated to lead a life of prayer and penance, and cannot publicly present himself as a priest.

The Diocese was approached by a victim regarding incidents that occurred in 1984-1985 while Father Antekeier was serving as pastor of Saint James Parish in Grand Rapids. The Diocesan Review Board examined the case and made its recommendations to Most Reverend David J. Walkowiak, bishop of the Diocese of Grand Rapids, who then forwarded it to the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith where the decision was confirmed.

“I want to express my deepest apologies to any children, young people and their families who have been abused by members of the clergy in the Diocese of Grand Rapids,” said Bishop Walkowiak. “While there are no words that can heal such wounds, I humbly ask for forgiveness for the pain and injury you and your families have suffered.”

The Charter provides that “for even a single instance of sexual abuse of a minor – whenever it occurred – which is admitted or established… the offending priest is to be permanently removed from the ministry (Article 5).” In addition, dioceses are to be open and transparent in communicating with the public. The Diocese of Grand Rapids has also reported the information to the appropriate civil authorities.

The diocese encourages anyone who has been sexually abused as a minor by a priest, deacon or church employee, or who has knowledge of any such offense against a minor, to contact the appropriate civil authority or the Diocesan Victim Assistance Coordinator at 616-243-0491.

Father Charles Antekeier Biographical Information:
Ordained: 1962
1962: St. Charles, Cheboygan
1966: St. Patrick, Grand Haven
1966: St. Mary, Grand Rapids
1972: Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Belmont
1977: St. James, Grand Rapids
1987: St. Francis Xavier, Grand Rapids
2000: Senior priest status (Retired)

Contact:
Carl Apple, diocesan director of communications
Phone: 616-826-9808 | Email: capple@dioceseofgrandrapids.org

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MICHIGAN
WOOD

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) – A retired priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids has been permanently removed from the ministry following allegations of sexual abuse of a minor, according to a release posted Friday on the diocese’s website.

The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith sent notice to the diocese that it has cut ties with Father Charles Antekeier, 79, who retired in 2000 and served in several different West Michigan churches.

He is no longer allowed to “publically present himself as a priest,” the release said.

The alleged victim notified the diocese about incidents that allegedly happened between 1984 and 1985 while Antekeier served at Saint James Parish in Grand Rapids, according to the diocese.

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UNITED STATES
Religion News Service – Rhymes with Religion

Boz Tchividjian | Aug 14, 2015

He’s come forward after learning that there actually is a voice for the victims in this matter.

– Attorney representing 19 victims who have alleged being sexually abused as children by a mentor who was part of a United Airlines sponsored afterschool program at an inner-city elementary school in Chicago.
_____________________________________________________________________________

The tragic reality is all too often victims of sexual abuse remain silent about the horrors they have endured. Many live their entire lives in silence. Studies have found that approximately sixty-three percent of adult sexual assaults and eighty-eight percent of child sexual abuse is never reported.

Why do so many victims remain silent? In over twenty years of confronting this evil, I have learned that there are many reasons that silence takes over the life of survivors. Like everyone else, abuse survivors are individuals with a unique life story and their own reasons for not telling anyone about the abuse. During the past twenty years, I have grieved as I have listened to some of the darkest chapters in the life stories of many amazing abuse survivors. Oftentimes, the gloomiest chapter is the silence.

A silence that holds victims hostage with little hope for release.
A silence that deceives victims day after day that they suffer alone.
A silence that extinguishes all remaining hopes and dreams.
A silence that is no different than a prison cell.

Though the reasons for silence may differ with each survivor, there are two that I have encountered time and time again when listening to survivors. I share them hoping that a greater understanding and empathy will propel us to do whatever we can to help survivors escape the cell of silence.

Disbelief. I cannot recount how often abuse survivors have shared with me that their silence was fueled by an incapacitating fear of not being believed. So often this fear is legitimized when survivors see how other victims are disbelieved and marginalized when they take the brave step forward out of their cell of silence. Case in point, how many women had to come forward before many people even began to acknowledge that Bill Cosby is a rapist? To date, almost 50 victims have stepped forward and there are still some that disbelieve their claims and have the audacity to label these courageous women as “opportunistic”. Please don’t think that the refusal to believe a sexual abuse victim is a rarity in 2015. Tragically, it happens every day to so many brave victims, old and young, who take a step out of their cell of silence. Oftentimes, these survivors are disbelieved by the very people they had hoped would believe and support them such as family members, friends, pastors, church members, teachers, and even police officers. The list goes on and on. Disbelief pushes many survivors back into their cells of silence. Disbelief also alerts other watching victims who are considering ending their silence that it may be safer to suffer in silence. What a tragedy.

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AUSTRALIA
news.com.au

THE Jehovah’s Witnesses will only compensate survivors of sex abuse if God tells them to, a royal commission has been told.

SENIOR church figure Geoffrey Jackson told the sex abuse royal commission that any changes the Jehovah’s Witnesses made to their rules and doctrine had to be informed by God.

Mr Jackson said God’s word is accessed through the Bible and the church’s first-century interpretation of it.

Chief Commissioner Peter McClellan asked him on Friday if the church would be willing to take part in a joint scheme with other institutions to provide financial redress to abuse survivors.

Mr Jackson told him the church would need to see that “nothing was scripturally against us doing that”, but it was something that was not totally out of the “option pool”.

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AUSTRALIA
9 News

AAP

Those who highlight child sex abuse in the Jehovah’s Witness church may be non-believers telling lies, a church senior says.

In one of many interesting exchanges at a royal commission into child sex abuse on Friday, a member of the group’s governing body was asked if he disagreed with those who say efforts to highlight and deal with abuse within the church are engaged in “apostate lies”.

Geoffrey Jackson, a member of the church’s powerful seven-member governing body in New York, said the question is a broad one because sometimes people making those accusations make many others as well.

“But let me assure you, the person making the accusation is not the main thing,” Mr Jackson said.

“The main thing is, is there some basis to the accusation.”

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AUSTRALIA
Washington Post

Jehovah’s Witnesses face child sex abuse investigation in Australia

By A. Odysseus Patrick August 14

Sydney — The abuse was meticulously catalogued. From 1950 to 2014, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society amassed some 5,000 files detailing sexual abuse of Australian children by 1,006 of its members, who believe only they — the Jehovah’s Witnesses — proclaim the truth about God.

Young girls were assaulted by neighbors. Teenagers were raped by their fathers. Victims were forced to pray with their abusers.

When the children reached out for help, the church’s obsession with secrecy and hostility to outsiders kicked in. Victims, ordered to keep quiet, were forced to confront their abusers in person. All complaints — which averaged one a month for six and half decades — were carefully recorded in sealed files, along with the church’s by-the-Bible responses.

One hundred and twenty-seven church officials were demoted. No one was reported to the authorities. Child abuse was recorded and hidden away.

Now, sordid details from the closed world of Jehovah’s Witnesses are being exposed that could severely tarnish the image of a powerful organization that has 8.2 million members around the world and has mostly avoided scrutiny.

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MICHIGAN
Detroit Free Press

[Kuppe Complaint – via Click on Detroit]

By Katrease Stafford, Detroit Free Press August 13, 2015

A 21-year-old former employee of the Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield was charged today in federal court on several child pornography charges, after he allegedly abused multiple children at a day camp.

Matthew David Kuppe, of West Bloomfield was charged with production, distribution, receipt and possession of child pornography and is in federal custody until a detention hearing on Tuesday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Kuppe was arrested after the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations uncovered dozens of nude photographs of young boys, presumably at the camp. West Bloomfield Police assisted, according to Deputy Chief Curt Lawson.

Lawson declined to say how many victims there are but said some have already been identified. Lawson said the Jewish Community Center has been “fully cooperative in this investigation.” According to the center’s website, children between the ages of 2 1/2 and 15 attend the camps.

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MICHIGAN
Patch

By JOE VINCE (Patch Staff)

A West Bloomfield man faces child pornography charges after he was accused of taking nude photos of boys attending the day camp he used to work at, according to a Detroit Free Press report.

Matthew David Kupee, 21, was charged Thursday in federal court with production, distribution, receipt and possession of child pornography, the report stated. He will remain in federal custody until his detention hearing Tuesday, the report added.

Investigators from the Department of Homeland Security, along with West Bloomfield police, arrested Kuppe on Wednesday when they discovered a collection of photos of naked boys in his possession, the report stated. Earlier this month, Homeland Security’s Detroit bureau was tipped off that Kuppe’s photos had been posted on a foreign image-sharing website, the report added.

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MICHIGAN
The Detroit News

Robert Snell, The Detroit News August 13, 2015

A counselor at a Jewish day camp was charged in federal court Thursday with producing child pornography after investigators said he filmed prepubescent boys in a locker room.

Jewish Community Center counselor Matthew David Kuppe, 21, of West Bloomfield faces up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted of three child pornography charges, including production and possession.

Kuppe’s arrest left federal agents, prosecutors and West Bloomfield police trying to determine if there are more possible victims.

Kuppe, who worked at the West Bloomfield camp for at least two years, including a stint supervising special-needs campers, made an emotional appearance Thursday in federal court. He was arraigned in front of his parents, who minutes earlier read a copy of a graphic, seven-page criminal complaint listing the allegations against their son.

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MICHIGAN
JTA

(JTA) — A counselor at a JCC day camp in suburban Detroit was charged with producing child pornography after allegedly filming prepubescent boys in the JCC locker room and sharing the photos online.

Matthew David Kuppe, 21, of West Bloomfield, Michigan, was arraigned in federal court Thursday and charged with production, distribution, receipt and possession of child pornography, the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press reported.

If convicted, the rising senior at Michigan State University faces up to 20 years in federal prison. He is being held without bond pending a hearing Tuesday in federal court. Prosecutors are trying to determine if there are additional victims.

“This defendant had access to a large number of children, and we would like to conduct interviews and look at evidence,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Woodward said Thursday, according to the Detroit News.

Kuppe, who used the handle “jcclockerroom” to post several photos of the naked boys on a foreign website, worked at the JCC of Metropolitan Detroit’s day camp for two years and at one point supervised its special-needs campers. Under questioning, he allegedly admitted to posting nude photos of the boys on the website and using the jcclockerroom email account, which contained several emails with child pornography.

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MINNESOTA
BishopAccountability.org

Summary of Case: Allan P. Speiser was ordained for the St. Cloud diocese in 1948. He assisted in many parishes, pastored a few, and had two separate year-long stints assisting at a parish outside of the diocese, in St. Paul. He also taught for many years at St. Cloud’s Cathedral High School. Speiser retired in 1992 and died October 5, 2001. Speiser’s name was included among 33 released by the St. Cloud diocese January 3, 2014 of clergy involved in incidents of likely claims of sexual abuse of minors.

Born: February 18, 1923
Ordained: June 6, 1948
Retired: 1992
Died: October 5, 2001

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MARYLAND
The Catholic Review

August 13, 2015

By Erik Zygmont
ezygmont@CatholicReview.org

TOWSON – Two graduates of Calvert Hall College High School held a press conference Aug. 13 at the Baltimore County Courts Building to release documents pertaining to an allegation of abuse against Monsignor Joseph A. Davies, a priest of the Archdiocese of Baltimore who died in 1992.

Frank Dingle of the Calvert Hall class of 1959, and Fran Bacon, of the class of 1952, say they want Monsignor Davies’ name removed from a scholarship offered by the Towson all-boys high school.

Materials distributed by Dingle include a two photocopied photographs of Monsignor Davies, in which he is labeled “chaplain.” The photos, according to the documents, were taken from the 1958 and 1959 Calvert Hall yearbooks.

Dingle, who is affiliated with the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, and Bacon, who said he was present in support of SNAP, said they also want the archdiocese to release names of deceased priests who have been accused of abuse.

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AUSTRALIA
The Australian

Sex abuse Royal Commission: Church elder reveals seven men control Jehovah’s Witness teachings

AUSTRALIA has been given a rare insight into the workings of the Jehovah’s Witness Church, which believes only 144,000 people will get to heaven and they are top of the list.

A member of the secretive church’s New York-based governing body Geoffrey Jackson is giving evidence at a child sex abuse royal commission hearing in Sydney.

On Friday Mr Jackson, quoting the Bible, including from the gospel of Matthew, Deuteronomy, and the Book Of Revelations, explained that the church believes the world is now in its “last days” and seven reputable men were anointed by the Holy Spirit to be the equivalent of Jesus’s disciples.

Mr Jackson is on the seven-member body which interprets scriptures for their congregations around the world.

The commission has raised concerns that the church’s scriptural interpretations applied as doctrine mean its handling of child sex abuse allegations traumatises abuse victims and is not safe or effective.

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AUSTRALIA
The Chronicle

Tara Miko | 14th Aug 2015

ONE of the seven global leaders of the Jehovah’s Witness church gave evidence at a royal commission into child abuse.

Geoffrey Jackson is one of the most senior members of the church.

Mr Jackson was believed to have been staying in Toowoomba for the past week, and flew to Sydney yesterday afternoon.

He was the last witness to testify in a series of hearings into how the organisation handled cases of sexual abuse within the church.

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AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald

Senior Jehovah’s Witness Geoffrey Jackson says church might offer compensation to alleged abuse victims

August 14, 2015

Rachel Browne
Social Affairs Reporter

One of the most senior members of the Jehovah’s Witness Church worldwide said compensation could be made to people allegedly sexually abused within its ranks if there was a Biblical basis for a redress scheme.

Geoffrey Jackson is one of seven men on the church’s New York-based Governing Body, which oversees decisions regarding the organisation’s 8.2 million members internationally.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse issued a summons for Mr Jackson, who was in Queensland visiting his sick father.

Appearing via video link from Toowoomba on Friday, Mr Jackson told the royal commission that the church would join a co-ordinated redress schemes for victims of institutional sexual abuse, provided “that nothing was scripturally against us doing that”.

In evidence, Mr Jackson said an apology to alleged sex abuse victims was “perceivable”.

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ILLINOIS
Canton Daily Ledger

Hannah Schrodt
Daily Ledger reporter

Posted Aug. 13, 2015

LEWISTOWN
A former pastor convicted of sexual criminal abuse who is now accused of violating sex offender registry terms will be pleading not guilty to the felony charges against him.

In Fulton County Court Wednesday, Jason Phillips, 41, of Glasford, waived his right to a preliminary hearing and said he plans on pleading not guilty to four counts of being present on the property of a child care facility. The charges are Class 4 felonies.

Phillips is requesting a trial by jury, which is scheduled to begin Oct. 19. He has hired legal counsel.

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NEW MEXICO
Albuquerque Journal

By Olivier Uyttebrouck / Journal Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: Friday, August 14, 2015

The Diocese of Gallup’s assets are “virtually non-existent” and insurance coverage is “extremely limited” for settling the diocese’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy case, an attorney for an insurance company said in court records.

At least 17 of the 57 sexual abuse claims filed in the case predate 1965, when the Diocese of Gallup had no insurance coverage, attorneys said in motions.

The company that insured the diocese from 1965 to 1977, Home Insurance Co., is insolvent and went into liquidation proceedings in 2003.

The 25 sexual abuse claims that date to that period are now covered by New Mexico Property and Casualty Guaranty Association, which was created by New Mexico state law in 1978 to cover insurance policies issued by defunct companies.

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SCOTLAND
Press and Journal

12 August 2015 by Ben Hendry

A child safety campaigner is seeking an urgent meeting with Police Scotland Chief Constable Sir Stephen House as part of an inquiry into allegations of sex abuse at a Moray monastery.

Andi Lavery claims he was treated dismby a call handler when he attempted to report the accusations of two men who claim they were assaulted at Pluscarden Abbey.

Police last night insisted they would “listen and investigate” whenever allegations of child abuse were brought to their attention.

However, Mr Lavery, who heads the White Flowers Alba support group, said the response he received could deter others from reporting abuse.

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CHICAGO (IL)
WLS

(CHICAGO) Two new lawsuits were filed Thursday alleging sexual abuse by convicted child molester and defrocked priest Daniel McCormack and the Archdiocese of Chicago.

The plaintiffs — two men identified only as John J.M. Doe and John K. Doe — filed the suits Thursday in Cook County Circuit Court against the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Both plaintiffs claim in their separate suits that McCormack groomed them and engaged the boys in sexual and abusive relationships from 2000 to 2003 while the priest was a pastor at St. Agatha’s Parish on the West Side.

McCormack was removed from the priesthood in November 2007 and pleaded guilty that year to abusing five other children at St. Agatha’s.

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UNITED STATES
Pope Crimes & Vatican Evils

Paris Arrow

REBUTTAL to the title: First of all, “Criminalizing the Bible” – means the Bible has committed a crime and the Bible is charged with crime in secular civil court of justice — and the blame is on the ancient book, an inanimate object. It’s tantamount to saying “criminalizing the gun”. Or “criminalizing the knife”. It’s blaming the gun or the knife – instead of the murderer and the violent person who used these tools in his crime.

The fact of the matter is, in this case – it is Swiss Bishop Huonder that is charged with having committed a crime – by using the Bible – as the tool of his crime –– when he cited a specific verse from the Bible that instruct people to kill homosexuals. It was in his 50 minutes speech at a conference on marriage in Germany that he incited murder against homosexuals. Swiss Bishop Huonder is the person being criminalized, not the Bible. The Swiss Bishop is inciting murder by using the words of the Bible as his specific command, instruction and justification for murder of gays.

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AUSTRALIA
Tzedek

Posted on 14 August 2015

Statement Regarding Tzedek bringing Dr. Goldwasser to Australia by Josh Bornstein, President of Tzedek:

“Tzedek’s mission statement is to support and advocate for victims of sexual abuse in the Jewish community. Several months ago, a decision was made by Tzedek to invite Dr Goldwasser to speak at the Jewish Community Education Forum in Melbourne on 6 September. The decision was made because of his considerable experience dealing with the dynamics of sexual abuse in the Jewish community.

More recently, we have become aware of other matters and controversies relating to Dr Goldwasser. Amongst other things, we have taken on board concerns raised by the LGBTI community. As a result we have reviewed the matter and decided that it is no longer appropriate for Dr Goldwasser to speak at the forum.

We wish to make clear that Tzedek does not in any way endorse or condone what has been described as “reparative therapy”. Such “therapy” has been completely discredited.

Our forum will proceed on September 6th and we encourage all members of the community to attend. ”

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ISRAEL
JTA

August 13, 2015

JERUSALEM (JTA) — The wife of a Safed rabbi charged with sex crimes said she knew about his sex acts with two women.

Rabbi Ezra Sheinberg’s wife told Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, the chief rabbi of Safed, that she knew her husband had sex with two women, she is heard saying in a recording of the conversation played on Israel Channel 2. The sex, she said, was part of their therapy.

The wife, whose name was not given, refers to the acts as “relaxation message,” a euphemism for sex.

Sheinberg, 46, was charged last month in Nazareth District Court, on 13 counts of rape, indecent assault, sexual harassment, fraud and obstructing an investigation.

His wife said her husband only told her about two women; 13 have come forward to accuse him. The women had come to the rabbi with religious questions.

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MINNESOTA
Canonical Consultation

08/13/2015

Jennifer Haselberger

Since his resignation in June of 2015, there has been a great deal of speculation about the whereabouts of Archbishop John Nienstedt. In a July 19, 2015, interview with the StarTribune, Nienstedt said that since his resignation he has been ‘spending time with friends and family’, while other journalists have tracked his appearance at significant events such as the recent Napa Institute. If recent rumors are true, however, the former Archbishop’s whereabouts are really no mystery at all. He lives where he has always lived- in the Residence connected to the Chancery on Summit Avenue in Saint Paul.

While at first glance the idea seems outrageous, once you consider the options it is really not surprising at all. The Apostolic Administrator, Archbishop Hebda, is not often in residence because of his responsibilities out east. Bishop Piche, who resigned along with Archbishop Nienstedt, is said to be living in the territory of the Diocese of Saint Cloud. The Archbishop’s apartments on the campus of the University of Saint Thomas are already occupied by an Emeritus Archbishop, and given Nienstedt’s frosty relationship with UST I can’t see them giving him a home even if the institution had one to provide. Bishop Cozzens, a member of the Companions of Christ, has the obligation of community life and therefore is likely to live at the Companion’s home in Saint Paul. There is always the Byrne residence, which has long provided sanctuary to disgraced clergy, but its proximity to the seminary is problematic and besides, most priests would rather celebrate three weddings each Saturday than take up residence at the Catholic Services Appeal-funded home for retired priests (hence the exceedingly high vacancy rates).

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ILLINOIS
Chicago Tribune

By Clifford Ward
Chicago Tribune

Priest who gambled parish money is transitioning back to ministry.
A Catholic priest who gambled away almost $300,000 that he stole from his Roselle parish could conclude his court-ordered probation this week as he continues to transition back to ministry following the disgrace of pleading guilty to felony theft.

The Rev. John Regan is scheduled to appear Friday in DuPage County Court, four years after he was sentenced to jail time and 48 months of probation and ordered to make restitution for money he stole to St. Walter’s Parish, where he was pastor.

Regan, 51, has completed the jail and work-release requirements that were imposed as part of his sentence, but he still owes more than $250,000 in restitution, according to court records.

Regan, through his attorney, declined a request for an interview this week.

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NEW MEXICO
Gallup Independent

Published in the Gallup Independent, Gallup, N.M., August 11, 2015

By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Independent correspondent
religion@gallupindependent.com

ALBUQUERQUE — The Diocese of Gallup racked up nearly $500,000 more in legal fees and expenses over a recent three-month period in its bankruptcy case.

The diocese’s legal costs now top more than $2.7 million, according to quarterly billing statements submitted to U.S. Bankruptcy Court by more than a half-dozen law firms, accountants, insurance researchers and real estate appraisers.

The total legal costs, as of June 30, are now $2,704,865.31. At the end of March, the legal costs were $2,258,084.14.

The Gallup Diocese owes more than $1.5 million to Quarles & Brady LLP, its lead bankruptcy law firm. It owes more than $600,000 to the law firm that provides legal counsel to the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors, which represents the interests of clergy sex abuse claimants. In addition, the diocese owes more than $360,000 to its accounting firm.

The professionals listed below have submitted the following quarterly and total billing figures. Most of these bankruptcy fees and expenses will not be paid until the Gallup Diocese has an approved plan of reorganization.

Quarles & Brady LLP: The Tucson law firm submitted the year’s second quarterly statement for legal fees and expenses of $252,944.33. The firm’s total post-petition bill is now $1,597,610.38.

Keegan, Linscott & Kenon, P.C: The Tucson accounting firm submitted a second quarterly statement for fees and expenses of $52,475.16. The firm’s total post-petition bill is now at $367,291.60. This firm continues to run the Diocese of Gallup’s finance office because the diocese hasn’t been able to hire a new chief financial officer since the previous one resigned just months before the Chapter 11 filing.

Stelzner, Winter, Warburton, Flores, Sanchez & Dawes, P.A: The diocese’s special counsel law firm from Albuquerque billed $1,149.06 for the second quarter. The firm’s total post-petition bill is now at $11,899.82.

Insurance Archaeology Group: This insurance research company did not submit a second quarterly billing statement. The company has previously billed the Gallup Diocese $47,929 and has been paid that amount.

Estate Valuation Consultants Inc.: This real estate appraisal company submitted a second quarterly statement for $9,900 in fees. The company’s total bill of $22,100 has been paid by the diocese.

Michael P. Murphy: Murphy is the “unknown claims representative” hired to represent any new clergy sex abuse victims who might come forward in the future. Murphy has not submitted any fees or expenses yet, but his flat fee of $50,000 will be due and payable upon the effective date of any plan of reorganization.

Walker & Associates P.C.: The diocese’s Albuquerque bankruptcy law firm has not submitted a billing statement in 2015. To date, the firm has billed $18,062.40 in post-petition fees and expenses.

Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP: This law firm is the legal counsel for the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors, representing sexual abuse claimants. The firm submitted a second quarterly statement for fees and expenses of $180,312.62. The firm’s total post-petition bill is now $639,972.11.

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
Our Stories Untold

By CAMERON ALTARAS on Aug 13, 2015

Representing the Anabaptist Mennonite Chapter of SNAP, Dr. Cameron Altaras delivered the following speech at the Annual SNAP conference in Alexandria, Virginia on August 2, 2015. More than 300 survivors of sexual abuse in faith communities and their loved ones gathered to hear speakers from around the world who educated and inspired us to “protect the vulnerable and expose the truth” about sexual abuses of power in our own denominations. BG

(Note: Although a male pronoun for the pastor and female pronoun for the victim is used here, victims and perpetrators can be any gender.)

A woman went to her pastor for advice.

Not for sex.

She never imagined her pastor would do something so egregious as to manipulate her into having sex with him.

The worst part was that because they were both adults, the woman blamed herself for having an “affair” with her pastor and then hid silently in her shame.

But it was not an affair.

It was an abuse of power.

Sex between two parties where there is a power differential is not and can never be labeled “an affair.”

Sex between persons with unequal power is not even about sex. It’s about power and control over someone with less power.

If approached by a stranger at a party, the sexual advances would have been obvious to the woman. But when her pastor became amorous, the woman was caught completely off guard. She thought she was making more out of the situation than her pastor intended. She ignored her screaming intuition, warning her that something was terribly wrong. It was not easy to rebuff her pastor, whom she held in the high esteem afforded by his position. She didn’t want to offend her pastor by refusing his pastoral hug the first time and it became increasingly awkward to refuse to hug him each time after that.

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

CALIFORNIA
Toronto Sun

BY BILL HARRIS, POSTMEDIA NETWORK

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – Jay Leno wonders why we believe men who say they were raped by priests decades ago, but we don’t tend to believe women who say they were sexually assaulted by Bill Cosby decades ago.

“Well, 50 women come forward and people call them liars,” said Leno, the former host of The Tonight Show, at the Television Critics Association tour on Thursday. “And they go, ‘Oh, you waited 40 years.’ You know, men waited 50 years to say, ‘A priest touched me.’ And they got 7 million dollars.

“How come we believe them and we don’t believe the women? You know, it does seem awful sexist to me. A woman says, ‘Oh, this happened to me, but I was too ashamed to say anything.’ Oh, you’re lying. But a man says it? ‘Oh, when I was 12 a priest raped me,’ or whatever it might be, then we have sympathy. It does seem terribly sexist that way. It does seem very unfair, and I’m surprised no one has ever made that analogy.

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
9 News

Annette Blackwell
August 14, 2015

A member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ governing body will give evidence at a royal commission hearing into child sex abuse on Friday.

Geoffrey Jackson, who started his ministry in Tasmania in the 1970s, is on the powerful seven-member governing body of the controversial church. The body helps shape the bible-based doctrine by which Jehovah’s Witnesses around the world live.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has been inquiring into how the church and its legal entity in Australia – the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society – handle abuse allegations.

Mr Jackson is in Queensland for “private, compassionate” reasons but chief commissioner Peter McClellan requested he take the witness stand.

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.

GERMANY
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, Aug. 13

Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, davidgclohessy@gmail.com, SNAPclohessy@aol.com)

German Catholics, who were deceived and exploited by a selfish bishop, are apparently being rebuffed by Pope Francis in their effort to seek justice. It’s the same old pattern: corrupt Catholic officials are given “mercy” while their victims are given nothing.

[Deutsche Welle]

Bild reports that Germany’s “bling bishop” – Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst – may get off without paying damages to his diocese for his excessive spending on his 31.3 million-euro home and misleading parishioners and the public about it. We’re saddened but not surprised.

Pope Francis can keep gradually changing church finances, governance and morale. But until he finds the courage to harshly discipline reckless, selfish and deceptive bishops, he won’t change the damaging clerical culture of the church. And clergy crimes and misdeeds – financial and sexual – will continue.

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.

OKLAHOMA
News-Star

Posted Aug. 13, 2015

A former Shawnee youth pastor who was arrested in late July on complaints involving sex crimes is now formally charged with four felony counts.

Brian K. Burchfield, 42, of Edmond, is charged in Pottawatomie County District Court with four counts of soliciting sexual conduct or communications with a minor by use of technology.

Those charges stem from an investigation by Shawnee police that reportedly involved text messages between Burchfield and several teenagers from the area.

At the time of his arrest, Burchfield’s online LinkedIn page listed him as being the young adult pastor at Quail Springs Baptist Church in Edmond, but he was the former youth pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church in Shawnee from June 2006 to April 2014.

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
Sydney Morning Herald

August 13, 2015

Kate Aubusson
Journalist

A US clinical psychologist who practised therapies aimed at curing homosexuality has been billed as a star speaker at an Australian event hosted by a Jewish advocacy group for child sexual abuse victims.

Dr Norman Goldwasser, who applied conversion or reparative therapies to treat same-sex attraction, is the keynote speaker at Tzedek Australia’s Melbourne education forum in September.

Several survivors of child sexual abuse in the Jewish community have condemned Dr Goldwasser’s involvement, including the founder and former chief executive of Tzedek.

Several Tzedek board members have threatened to resign if the clinical psychologist attends the event.

Dr Goldwasser has recently disassociated himself from conversion therapy and the US-based group JONAH, which claimed it could cure homosexuality.

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.

ISRAEL
Arutz Sheva

By Nir Har Zahav

The wife of Ezra Sheinberg, the disgraced former head of Orot Ha’ari Yeshiva in Tzfat, said he told her about two cases in which he performed indecent acts with women he was supposedly treating.

The wife is heard saying this in a conversation with Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, Rabbi of Tzfat, a recording of which reached Channel 2.

“I knew,” she said in the recorded conversation. “It is not something that ‘went out of the house’ without my knowledge. I knew about all of the ‘relaxation massage,’ I knew, I knew he did it.”

The Hebrew word she used, “harpaya,” which is best translated as “relaxation massage,” is also a euphemism for certain sexual acts.

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

UNITED STATES
Bilgrimage

William D. Lindsey

And speaking of the upcoming papal visit to the U.S. (I just did so in my previous posting, didn’t I?), SNAP has published a very valuable Q and A written by David Clohessy, on Pope Francis and the abuse/cover up crisis. I highly recommend this document to you. It does an outstanding job of arguing that the so-called “Francis effect,” in collusion with an adulatory media, give many of us the impression that Pope Francis has done something substantive to address the issue of child abuse by clerics in the Catholic church.

When he has not done so . . . . Not yet, at least.

Here’s an excerpt from the Q and A’s conclusion, in response to the question, What would you like to see Francis do?:

Turn over every document about clerics who commit and conceal child sex crimes to law enforcement. Insist that bishops lobby for, not against, secular legislative reforms to protect kids. And quickly, publicly and harshly fire dozens of complicit bishops.

(Note: on 3/7/13, we listed 20 steps Pope Francis should take in this crisis.

Put the phrase “Francis should” – in quotes – in our website search box and find 28 statements outlining what we’d like to see him do.)

With lightning speed, Francis ousted a German bishop who mismanaged church money. But with glacial speed, Francis ignores bishops who endanger children and protect predators.

He’s making major strides in improving church finances, governance, and morale. But he’s posturing on abuse and cover ups. He’s making nearly no meaningful strides to actually prevent abuse and cover ups.

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.

SWITZERLAND
swissinfo

Vitus Huonder, the Catholic bishop of Chur, has apologised if anyone felt hurt when he quoted a Bible verse calling for homosexuals to be put to death, but he says he stands by his literal reading of the Bible.

In his 50-minute address on marriage at a forum in Germany on August 2, Huonder quoted two verses from the book of Leviticus, including Leviticus 20:13: “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.”

In response to applause, he continued: “Both of these passages alone suffice to clarify unambiguously the church’s position on homosexuality”.

This triggered a public outcry and a criminal complaint from a private individual in St Gallen and Pink Cross, the umbrella association for Swiss gay groups, which accused 73-year-old Huonder of “inciting people to crime or violence”.

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.

MINNESOTA
BishopAccountability.org

Summary of Case: Leonard P. Cowley was ordained for the St. Paul archdiocese in 1938. He was longtime assistant at a St. Paul parish before being assigned in 1949 as pastor of another, in Minneapolis. Cowley held numerous chancery positions. He was elevated to Auxiliary Bishop of St. Paul in January 1958. From 1963 until his death in August 1973, Cowley was pastor of St. Mary’s Co-Cathedral in Minneapolis.

Cowley’s name was among 17 made public February 11, 2015 of clergy with accusations against them of sexual abuse or misconduct with a minor in the archdiocese. A man is reported to have filed a claim that Cowley sexually abused him during a trip to northern Minnesota in 1968, when the man was a 15-year-old boy.

Ordained: June 4, 1938
Ordained Bishop: January 29, 1958
Died: August 18, 1973

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.

TOWSON (MD)
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

Victims expose another Catholic predator
Group releases nine pages of records about him
Archdiocese admits “a number of allegations” against priest
Yet two archbishops refuse to tell public or parents about him
SNAP also urges Catholic officials to drop legal case against a victim
Man who was molested at Calvert Hall now faces trespassing charges

WHAT:
A month before Pope Francis comes to DC, holding signs and childhood photos at a sidewalk news conference, clergy sex abuse victims will release nine pages of previously-secret records about a never-before-publicly accused predator priest who apparently had several victims. They will also urge Baltimore Catholic officials to

–“come clean,” for the sake of public safety, about other predator priests and
–post their names on church websites (like Baltimore’s previous archbishop did).

And they’ll beg anyone who “saw, suspected or suffered” clergy sex crimes or cover ups at Calvert Hall and in the Baltimore area “to step forward, get help, call police, expose wrongdoers, protect kids and start healing.”

WHEN
Thursday, August 13th at 1:00 p.m.

WHERE
On the sidewalk outside in front of the Baltimore County Circuit Courts Building, 401 Bosley Avenue, Towson, MD (410-887-2139, circuitcourt@baltimorecountymd.gov)

WHO
Two-three members of a support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests and supporters http://www.snapnetwork.org/

WHY
SNAP is releasing nine pages of never-before disclosed emails and letters between two current archdiocesan headquarters staffers, a prosecutor and a victim.

They show that 1) Msgr. Joseph A. Davies has been repeatedly accused of molesting children and 2) at least one church official believes he’s guilty. But Baltimore Archbishop William Lori and his staff refuse to disclose these facts to parents, parishioners or the public.

One letter, to a victim from a high-ranking church official, Msgr. Richard Woy (410-464-4000, RWoy@archbalt.org) says “I want to apologize for the abuse you suffered at the hands of Msgr. Davies.” Another letter by Msgr. Woy admits that the archdiocese “has received a number of child sex abuse allegations” against Msgr. Daviess.

The emails are to/from Alison J. D’Alessandro (410-547-5348, adalessandro@archbalt.org) who deals with abuse victims for the archdiocese).

SNAP wants Archbishop Lori to “come clean” about Msgr. Daviess and “all other admitted, proven or credibly accused child molesting clerics.” (Msgr. Daviess is deceased.)

SNAP also wants Lori and Calvert Hall officials to drop trespassing charges against an abuse victim who goes on trial today.

In 2014, Kurt Gladsky was charged with trespassing at Calvert Hall High School for what he describes as civil disobedience designed to warn others about clerics who commit or conceal child sex crimes. Saying “Kurt has suffered enough,” SNAP wants church and school staff to ask prosecutors to drop the case.

In 1968, Gladsky was molested by Brother Xavier B. Langdon at the school. In 2012, Gladsky was paid a six figure settlement by the school administration.

In 2004, Calvert Hall officials responded to public criticism by re-naming a golf tournament and an education program it had honored Br. Langton. They also took down his photo.

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.

AUSTRALIEN
Bruderinfo

Zum Beispiel Max Horley, ein Ältester der Zeugen Jehovas, bei seiner Zeugenaussage zum Thema Kindesmissbrauch in Australien vor der Kommission.

Der folgende Artikel wurde von einem NICHT-ausgeschlossenen Leser von JWSURVEY.ORG geschrieben.

Wie bereits in vielen Zeitungen und Medien auf der ganzen Welt berichtet wurde, geht die australische ROYAL COMMISSION den Hinweisen nach, dass Zeugen Jehovas in Australien 1006 Missbrauchsfälle an Kindern NICHT der Polizei gemeldet haben. 100 dieser Fälle seien angeblich Wiederholungstätern zuzuschreiben.

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.

DEUTSCHLAND/VATIKAN
Tagesspiegel

Der Vatikan hat einen Bericht der “Bild” zurückgewiesen, wonach Papst Franziskus Schadenersatzforderungen gegen den Limburger Ex-Bischof Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst abgelehnt hat.

Die “Bild” hatte berichtet, dass der emeritierte Bischof Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst wegen der überhöhten Kosten für die Limburger Bischofsresidenz keinen Schadenersatz zahlen muss. Wie das Blatt am Donnerstag unter Berufung auf Insider im Vatikan berichtet, habe Papst Franziskus diese Entscheidung schon im Juli getroffen.

Die deutsche Abteilung im päpstlichen Staatssekretariat sei darüber bereits informiert worden. Die Entscheidung solle dem Administrator des Bistums Limburg, Manfred Grothe, in der ersten September-Woche im Vatikan von Mitarbeitern des Papstes erläutert werden.

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.

GERMANY/VATICAN CITY
Deutsche Welle

Germany’s “bling bishop” might get off without paying damages to his diocese if a report in the mass-circulation “Bild” is to be believed. Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst had lived large in a 31.3 million-euro residence.

On Thursday, the mass-circulation newspaper “Bild” reported that the disgraced bishop would not have to pay damages for going about 25 million euros ($28 million) over budget. Quoting a Vatican insider, the Thursday edition of the newspaper, Germany’s biggest by circulation, reported that Pope Francis had made the decision back in July.

The professed papal confidant reportedly told the newspaper that Francis made the decision “out of sympathy and not out of a sense of justice.”

According to the newspaper, German officials of the Catholic Church have already been informed. Limburg Diocese administrator Manfred Grothe is expected to formally announce the decision in December, “Bild” reported.

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
Herald Sun

Rabbi Meir Shlomo Kluwgant forced to stand down over intimidating child sex abuse victims returns to teaching

SHANNON DEERY NEWS LIMITED AUGUST 13, 2015

A DISGRACED rabbi forced to step down from a string of posts after he was caught intimidating and vilifying victims of child sexual abuse is now teaching Jewish Studies at an orthodox ladies college.

Meir Shlomo Kluwgant was forced to resign as Australia’s top rabbi amid a humiliating scandal in the wake of the child abuse royal commission’s probe into Yeshivah College.

But in a move that has outraged victims of abuse Rabbi Kluwgant is now teaching religious studies at Beth Rivkah Ladies College — operated by the Yeshivah Centre who has backed the move.

He has been teaching at the school for several months on a volunteer basis, but is remunerated by the Yeshivah Centre for performing other duties.

The move has outraged victims of child sexual abuse who say it is evidence the centre is not serious about tackling the scourge of abuse.

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

ROME
The Guardian (UK)

Paul Vallely
Thursday 13 August 2015

At 6.30 on the morning of 28 June 2013 – just three months into the reign of Pope Francis – officials of the Guardia di Finanza, the Italian law enforcement agency for financial crime, pulled up in front of a rectory in Palidoro, a quiet seaside town west of Rome. When they rang the bell, the cleric who came sleepily to the door was informed that he was under arrest. A few hours later, wearing a well-cut grey suit, Monsignor Nunzio Scarano was shown into a cell in the Regina Coeli, Rome’s most overcrowded prison.

Scarano, a suave, handsome priest known for his extravagant lifestyle (his nickname among other priests was Monsignor Cinquecento, My Lord Five Hundred, because of his habit of carrying only €500 banknotes), was head of accounting at the Amministrazione del Patrimonio della Sede Apostolica (APSA) – the body that then managed the Vatican’s property holdings and controlled its purchasing and personnel departments. His arrest made front-page news. He was accused of trying to smuggle €20m on a private plane across the border from Switzerland in a money-laundering conspiracy involving the Vatican bank, an agent of Italy’s secret services and an Italian broker under suspicion for running a Ponzi scheme.

Doubts about Scarano had first been aroused six months earlier, when he had reported a burglary at his apartment in the city of Salerno, south of Naples. Paintings from his art collection had been stolen, he claimed. When the police arrived at the 17-room apartment on Via Romualdo Guarna, in one of the city’s wealthiest neighbourhoods, they were startled by its opulence. It was furnished with valuable antiques, and a spectacular display of art lined the walls in hallways divided by Romanesque columns. Scarano’s collection included a painting attributed to Chagall. Police reports estimated the missing artworks were worth €6m.

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)
KSHB

[with video]

Brendaliss Gonzalez
Aug 12, 2015

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Instead of offering an apology to all victims, the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph offered a healing service on Wednesday for anyone who has been abused by someone in the church.

The diocese sent letters to victims of abuse who filed lawsuits against the church on Tuesday, inviting them to several services specifically aimed toward spiritual healing for victims of abuse.

Michael Sandridge received one of the letters.

“What is the purpose now?” he said. “This healing means it’s closed. It’s not closed. There are still so many people that have been damaged.”

Sandridge says he was abused by his priest when he was 11.

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

MISSOURI
Fox 4

[with video]

AUGUST 12, 2015, BY ABBY EDEN

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The reaction from priest sex abuse victims following the Kansas City-St. Joseph diocese announcement of a series of healing prayer services, was it’s all a publicity stunt dodging the real issues, which comes too little, too late.

The church says it’s just one thing they’re doing to change the way sex abuse allegations are handled.

Pope Francis asked Catholics worldwide to make the next year, a year of mercy.

And the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph says that’s part of the reason they wanted to start these healing prayer services.

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

MISSOURI
KCTV

By Laura McCallister, Multimedia Producer
By Jeanene Kiesling, Reporter

KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) –
The Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph is apologizing to victims of sexual abuse while also trying to begin the healing process in the first in a series of prayer and healing services.

The first is held Wednesday at St. Thomas More Catholic Church. Those attending will receive a brochure. It reads “Hope” on the front, but at least one victim doubts the church’s sincerity.

“It’s a publicity stunt. I think it’s too little too late,” said Michael Sandridge

Sandridge was sexually abused on a field trip when he was 11. His abuser was his priest at St. Elizabeth.

Sandridge was a plaintiff in a 2014 settlement against the diocese. He said coming forward and seeking justice was hell.

“We were painted as liars and money grubbing. That was not the case. Originally we didn’t even want the money, just to get rid of the people,” said Sandridge.

Now he says the same church that called them liars is apologizing and trying to fix what was kept a secret for so long.

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 JERSEY
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, July 30

Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, davidgclohessy@gmail.com, SNAPclohessy@aol.com)’

A priest who fled the US after raping a teenager in New Jersey later quietly taught at a Maryland school. Catholic bishops in both states should aggressively seek out his victims and warn the public about him.

[NJ.com]

Fr. Manuel Gallo Espinoza fled back to South America from the Newark archdiocese after a victim reported having been raped by the priest. (Catholic officials admit the report was “credible” and law enforcement sought to interview Fr. Espinoza.) A few years later, however, Fr. Espinoza quietly returned to the US and began teaching at a Prince George’s County, Md. School. He abruptly left in February.

We call on bishops in both Maryland and New Jersey to use their vast resources – parish bulletins, church websites and pulpit announcements – to warn police, prosecutors, parents, parishioners and the public about Fr. Espinoza. They should turn over every shred of paperwork they have about this priest to law enforcement. Bishops should personally visit parishes in the areas Fr. Espinoza worked, begging victims, witnesses and whistleblowers to step forward.

Catholic officials recruited, educated, ordained, hired, supervised, trained and sheltered Fr. Espinoza, then tipped him off as police were about to question him. So aggressive outreach is the bare minimum they should do at this point.

We hope law enforcement will also consider criminal charges against those who ignored or concealed Fr. Espinoza’s crimes.

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)
Chackes, Carlson & Gorovsky

August 11, 2015 – St. Louis, MO

Chackes, Carlson & Gorovsky, LLP, seek dismissal of Fr. Joseph Jiang’s lawsuit against the mother of the young boy who accused Jiang of sexual abuse.

The victim’s mother is speaking out publicly for the first time:

“As a parent I selected and paid for Catholic school because I thought the Archdiocese would protect my child and educate him in the ways of God and man. Instead, I am horrified about the criminal abuse that happened to my child under their care. I chose to entrust the Archdiocese with my son, and they grossly failed to protect him. In addition, I am being sued for believing my child. I am also appalled that I am being accused of being a racist. I am further being accused of discriminating against Catholics. This is ridiculous. God has not given me a spirit of fear. As a mother I will do everything within my power to protect my child and to see those who perpetrated and allowed these heinous crimes to take place brought to justice. May God have mercy on their souls.”

A copy of the Motion to Dismiss is attached. In it, the mother’s attorneys state:
“In what appears to be a brazen attempt to frighten other potential victims of his from coming forward, on June 25, 2015, Plaintiff Xiu Hui “Joseph” Jiang filed a Complaint frivolously accusing the mother of a child who he sexually abused of violating his rights. Plaintiff Jiang’s Complaint reads like a 32 page self-serving press release which was filed without regard to the law or common sense. Despite alleging that he was falsely accused, Plaintiff includes serious unfounded allegations in his Complaint and labels them “upon information and belief.”

“Of course, N.M. has the ultimate defense to all claims in this case in that the allegations of sexual abuse against Plaintiff are TRUE, but this case should never get that far. Plaintiff has not even come close to making a sufficient claim against N.M. in this case. His facts about N.M. are startlingly sparse. The lack of facts here is so striking, in fact, that it appears that this entire case reeks of a publicity stunt designed to harass N.M. and her family and to prevent other victims of childhood sexual abuse from coming forward. This lawsuit is malicious, frivolous and harassing. The lawsuit lacks merit and is strongly against the public policy that encourages people to come forward when they are victims of childhood sexual abuse. With regard to N.M., it is purely harassing.”

The mother is being represented by Attorneys Ken Chackes (880-4465), Nicole Gorovsky (880-4469), and Scott Rosenblum (862-4332).

Motion to Dismiss

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.