ABUSE TRACKER

AUSTRALIA
Daily Telegraph

JOEL CRESSWELL AAP AUGUST 07, 2014

A MELBOURNE Catholic priest has been jailed for abusing an altar boy during a sexual education lesson more than 40 years ago.

PRIEST James Henry Scannell was asked by a long-time friend and member of his East Kew parish to discuss puberty with her nephew in the early 1970s.

Instead, Scannell, wearing only a dressing gown, led the boy into his bedroom, stripped him naked and sexually abused him.

Victorian County Court Judge David Parsons on Thursday jailed Scannell for two years, telling the 88-year-old he had abused his position of authority.

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AUSTRALIA
3AW

Posted by: Ashleigh Brown | 7 August, 2014

A former priest has been jailed for two years for the sexual abuse of a 12-year-old boy in Kew over 40 years ago.

88-year-old James Henry Scannell will spend at least 12 months behind bars before being eligible for parole.

The former Catholic priest was found guilty in July of sexually assaulting the altar boy, who had gone to the priest’s home in Kew between 1970 and 1972, to do odd jobs for pocket money.

After the abuse, Scannell made the 12-year-old confess his sins and ordered him not to speak of what happened, before the boy walked home crying.

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AUSTRALIA
ABC News

A disabled woman has begun a legal case against her former parish priest for sexually abusing her over a 14-year period.

Jennifer Herrick is seeking aggravated damages from Father Tom Knowles and three senior members of his Catholic Church order, the Blessed Sacrament Fathers.

Ms Herrick says Father Knowles repeatedly exploited her vulnerability as a disabled and sexually naive parishioner.

In June, Ms Herrick spoke exclusively to the ABC about how the church was using the controversial Ellis defence to fight her claim.

Today, she took the long train ride from her home on the NSW Central Coast to Sydney for the first day of her hearing in the Supreme Court.

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MISSOURI
The Kansas City Star

BY MARK MORRIS
THE KANSAS CITY STAR
08/06/2014

A Jackson County jury began deliberations late Wednesday afternoon on the question of whether the Rev. Stan Archie sexually exploited a church staffer by using his position as a pastoral counselor.

Archie, a former Kansas City police chaplain and pastor of Christian Fellowship Baptist Church, resigned as president of the Missouri State Board of Education in January 2013 after two women filed lawsuits accusing him of sexual misconduct.

Jurors got the case after an afternoon of closing arguments that were alternately emotional and dispassionately legal.

Noting that three other women had testified at trial that Archie had sexually abused them during church counseling sessions, lawyer Rebecca Randles asked jurors to find both Archie and the church liable of civil fraud for representing that he was a “safe and competent” counselor.

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MINNESOTA
TheMediaReport

David Pierre

For over a decade now, we at TheMediaReport.com have likely reviewed several thousand news articles, television episodes, radio interviews, and documentary films in our mission to encourage accuracy in the media’s coverage of the Catholic Church abuse story line.

However, we don’t believe we have seen a piece of media as grossly inaccurate and irresponsible as a recent multimedia special presentation produced by Minnesota Public Radio (MPR), “Betrayed by Silence,” which purports to chronicle the history of the Catholic Church abuse scandal as it relates to Minnesota.

MPR’s not-so-hidden agenda

MPR’s multimedia program is so loaded with flat-out falsehoods and misrepresentations that one hardly knows where to begin.

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VATICAN CITY
Chiesa

by Sandro Magister

VATICAN CITY, August 7, 2014 – There are those who maintain, and even say they are certain, that Pope Francis wants to reform the papacy to the point of “destructuring” the role of the Roman pontiff as it was developed in the second millennium of the Christian era, beginning with the Gregorian reform and continuing through the magisterium of the Council of Trent and of Vatican I.

This seems to be the gist of two significant declarations that have come in recent weeks.

The author of one of these is the lay monk Enzo Bianchi (in the photo), founder and prior of the monastery of Bose.

On July 23, after Pope Francis appointed him as a consultant for the pontifical council for the promotion of Christian unity, Bianchi released shattering statements to the website Vatican Insider.

The position that the prior of Bose received is not of great significance in itself. But it received enthusiastic coverage in the media, given the vast influence of Bianchi’s words in the Catholic world – and not only among progressives – and his regular contributions to the front pages of important Italian secular newspapers like “la Repubblica” and “La Stampa.”

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UNITED KINGDOM
Hull Daily Mail

A CHRISTIAN who vowed not to have sex before marriage raped a woman while she slept and while she was unconscious through drugs, a court heard.

Adam Burdall, 23, is accused of four counts of rape, which he denies.

Giving evidence in Mr Burdall’s trial at Hull Crown Court, Andrew Jefferson, who was projects director at Christ Church, Bridlington, said Mr Burdall told him he raped the woman when he visited the church in a “distressed” state around Christmas 2012.

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NORTH CAROLINA
WSOC

[with video]

By Mark Becker

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Police in Charlotte said the Methodist minister charged with assaulting two children may face more charges.

Orlando Caldera made his first court appearance Wednesday afternoon on charges that he fondled two girls, 6 and 10 years old, at Memorial United Methodist Church, where he was a pastor working with the church’s Hispanic members.

Police say they have identified other potential victims and are scheduling interviews for the children with counselors, and those interviews could lead to more charges.

Caldera did not say anything about the charges as he appeared on a video monitor from the jail.

The judge told Caldera through an interpreter that he would appoint an attorney to represent him on the charges.

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UNITED STATES
Slate

By Amanda Marcotte

Pastor Mark Driscoll of Seattle’s Mars Hill Church has gained national notoriety for his sex-obsessed, hypermasculinized take on Christianity that mostly serves to justify the desires of men who believe they are entitled to completely submissive wives. Good news: Some evangelical Christians are speaking out against him. Dozens of evangelicals camped out in front of Mars Hill on Sunday, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, in order to call Driscoll out for his ugly behavior and particularly his views on women, saying he’s gone too far and needs to “acknowledge his sins and repent”:

“Mark Driscoll has sort of become the face of Christianity in Seattle. It’s insane, some of it,” said Bruce Hanson, who goes to church elsewhere. Kay Willette chimed in, adding, “Mark Driscoll is the Rush Limbaugh of Christianity, a bombastic big-mouth.”

Two members of Mars Hill’s Board of Advisers and Accountability have resigned in the past week as criticisms of Driscoll escalate. The latest incident drawing alarm is the revelation that Driscoll has been using a pseudonym to post on message boards, where he laments that “We live in a pussified nation” and that it’s full of “sensitive emasculated men.” Former members of the church that were protesting Driscoll told the Post-Intelligencer that they disapprove of how the pastor portrays women as “accessories in marriage” who exist just “to please their husbands.”

The protests are just the latest in a series of high-profile stories involving Driscoll, including accusations of plagiarism that were reported on by Ruth Graham in Slate last year. But they are also the latest in a series of high-profile instances of evangelical Christians standing up against members of their own church.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Blackmore Vale

By DavidBol | Posted: August 06, 2014

A Dorset-born bishop has been questioned by police over allegations of historical sex abuse.

The Bishop of Gloucester, The Right Reverend Michael Perham, was quizzed over the claims, dating back more than 30 years.

Days after standing down for “personal reasons”, the Dorchester native was quizzed about allegations that he had abused a girl under 18 and a woman.

Speculation had been mounting since the Bishop resigned on Friday as the cathedral prepared for a series of First World War centenary services.

Now it has emerged that officers probing historic allegations of indecent assault had arranged to speak to the married father-of-four on a voluntary basis. The investigation is being run by the Metropolitan Police Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command.

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VATICAN CITY
Catholic News Service

By Francis X. Rocca
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis wants a “poor church for the poor,” but that “doesn’t necessarily mean a church with empty coffers,” said Cardinal George Pell, “and it certainly doesn’t mean a church that is sloppy or inefficient or open to being robbed.”

A month after unveiling a “new economic framework for the Holy See,” including a host of changes to the Vatican’s financial structures, the cardinal discussed the meaning of those reforms and the challenges to their implementation in an interview with Catholic News Service.

Cardinal Pell, a former archbishop of Sydney whom the pope named in February to the new office of prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, spoke to CNS about a range of issues, including Vatican financial scandals; the need for more transparency, “checks and balances” and oversight by laypeople; efforts to internationalize the Vatican bureaucracy while reducing its overall size; and the relative importance of his own role in the church’s central administration, the Roman Curia.

The cardinal, who sits on the nine-member Council of Cardinals advising Pope Francis on reform of the Curia and governance of the universal church, also spoke more generally about what the church can learn from, and teach to, organizations in the secular world

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CANADA
Windsor Star

Aug 06, 2014

A former Basilian priest and Windsor Catholic high school teacher found guilty of a lengthy history of abusing male students passed away last week in Toronto at the age of 92.

William Hodgson (Hod) Marshall, pleaded guilty in 2011 to 16 counts of indecent assault of minors and one count of sexual assault for incidents that occurred between 1952 and 1986.

The incidents occurred while Marshall taught at Assumption and Holy Names high schools in Windsor, plus other Catholic high schools in Toronto and Sudbury.

“I have been dealing with pain and suffering this person put on me for the last 60 years,” said Jerry Boyle, 74, a victim who suffered abuse starting at 14. “There is some relief. It is one more page in the book closed.

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TEXAS
Fox 14

[statement from the diocese]

By Crystal Price
EL PASO, Texas — On Wednesday, Victor Jerome Reza, 53, made his initial appearance in federal court as he faces on charges of possession and distribution of child exploitation material.

Officers with the Department of Homeland Security arrested Reza at his home on Sundance Avenue in far east El Paso yesterday.

See video of Reza being escorted by authorities.

Homeland Security Investigations officials said child porn videos and pictures were found in his home.

We have no word on the age of the children in the material or if they are local.

HSI officials said it is one of their main priorities to identify the victims.

The Diocese of El Paso’s Chancery Office confirmed late Wednesday that Reza is a member of the Diocesan School Board and has served since 2008.

According to that statement, Catholic school policies require that board members undergo a criminal background check and Safe Environment training for the diocese. The diocese added that Mr. Reza had completed those requirements.

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TEXAS
El Paso Times

[statement from the diocese]

By Aaron Martinez / El Paso Times
POSTED: 08/06/2014

A Catholic Diocese of El Paso school board member was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of distribution and possession of child pornography, federal officials said.

Victor Jerome Reza, 53, was arrested after an investigation by the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations department allegedly revealed he had downloaded child exploitation videos and photos on his home computer, HSI spokeswoman Leticia Zamarripa said.

Reza has been a board member of the El Paso Catholic Schools Diocesan School Board since 2008, diocese officials said in a statement. The board manages all activities related to Catholic schools in the Diocese of El Paso.

“Anytime we hear of an allegation of sexual misconduct or abuse of a minor we are very concerned,” diocese officials said in a statement. “Mr. Victor J. Reza is a member of our Diocesan School board and has served since 2008.”

Diocese officials said a criminal background check was performed on Reza, but declined to comment further.

“They (board members) are required to undergo a criminal background check and Safe Environment training for the Diocese,” diocese officials said. “Mr. Reza completed these requirements. The Diocese cannot comment on the details of this issue since it is an ongoing criminal investigation.”

Reza was escorted from El Paso County Jail on Wednesday to the federal courthouse for a preliminary hearing. A detention hearing was set for Aug. 11. As Reza was escorted from the county jail, he declined comment.

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TEXAS
KVIA

[with video]

[statement from the diocese]

Leonard Martinez
Darren Hunt
Aug 06, 2014

EL PASO, Texas –
Victor J. Reza, a member of the El Paso Catholic Schools Diocesan School Board, was arrested on Tuesday on a federal child porn charge.

According to jail records, Reza has been charged with in transit/receipt and distribution of child sexual exploitation material.

According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), child porn that was downloaded, not produced, was allegedly found on Reza’s home computer.

A somber looking Reza did not answer any questions from the media as he was walked from the county jail to a vehicle Wednesday morning, pausing only to give a brief “no comment” before being seatbelted into the vehicle.

The diocesean school board oversees matters pertaining to education for the elementary and secondary schools of the diocese.

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TEXAS
KVIA

[statement from the diocese]

EL PASO, Texas –

The Catholic Diocese of El Paso released the following statement in response to the arrest of Victor J. Reza.

Reza is a member of the diocesan school board.

“Anytime we hear of an allegation of sexual misconduct or abuse of a minor we are very concerned. Mr. Victor J. Reza is a member of our Diocesan School Board and has served since 2008.

The School Board members advise the Diocesan Bishop on matters of Catholic School Policies. They are required to undergo a criminal background check and Safe Environment training for the Diocese.

Mr. Reza completed these requirements. The Diocese cannot comment on the details of this issue since it is an ongoing criminal investigation.

In the Catholic Diocese of El Paso, we have diligently worked to make our parishes and schools safe from predators and to educate our people on the scourge of sexual misconduct and abuse.

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AUSTRALIA
7 News

The Marist Brothers have apologised for “inaction and poor processes” in response to child sex abuse allegations, and say they are now reviewing past settlements to victims.

The Catholic order has been under scrutiny in recent months as the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse examined its handling of complaints against two pedophile brothers who abused children in NSW, Queensland and the ACT.

The order’s provincial head in Australia, Jeffrey Crowe, paid tribute on Thursday to those who had spoken out after suffering at the hands of John Chute and Gregory Sutton.

“It has been a difficult and challenging time for all involved, particularly the victims who have given evidence,” he said.

“This process has enabled us to honestly confront the crimes that have been committed, and our own failures as an institution in the past.

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INDIA
The Hindu

Two girl students studying in Classes VI and IX who went missing two months ago were traced by the police on Monday and entrusted to the custody of the Child Welfare Committee here on Tuesday.

It was alleged that the girls, aged 12 – 14 years, who fell into the vile influence of a gang were forced into the flesh trade. In this connection the police arrested five persons, including a priest, a layman and three women and remanded them in judicial custody on Wednesday.

Those arrested include priest Aruldas (60) of Vishistapuram, Kala (48) and Jameena of Vriddhachalam, Sathish Kumar of Vadalur and Dhanalakshmi of Thittakudi.

They were booked under various counts such as kidnapping, wrongful confinement and violation of the Prevention of Child Abuse Act, 2012.

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NEW YORK
New York Law Journal

Dennis J. Dozis, New York Law Journal
August 7, 2014

Religious freedom is a fundamental tenet of our jurisprudence.1 The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which is binding on the states through the Fourteenth Amendment, provides that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”2 The Establishment Clause “is a prohibition of government sponsorship of religion which requires that government neither aid nor formally establish a religion.”3 Said prohibition exists because there is a substantial danger that the government will become entangled in essentially religious controversies or intervene on behalf of groups espousing particular doctrines or beliefs.4

Although civil disputes involving religious parties may be adjudicated if neutral principles of secular law are exclusively involved, the Establishment Clause absolutely prohibits civil courts from deciding actions in which the nature of the issues raised are in any way religious.5 As the New York Court of Appeals has explained:

The United States Constitution protects the right of individuals to believe what they cannot prove. They may not be put to the proof of their religious doctrines or beliefs…If these doctrines are subject to trial before a jury charged with finding their truth or falsity, then the same can be done with the religious beliefs of any sect. When the triers of fact undertake that task, they enter a forbidden domain…[C]ivil courts are forbidden from interfering in or determining religious disputes. Such rulings violate the First Amendment because they simultaneously establish one religious belief as correct … while interfering with the free exercise of the opposing faction’s beliefs.6

As a result of the prohibition against secular entanglement in religious beliefs, the courts of this state have undertaken the arduous task of defining the Establishment Clause’s scope in sexual affair and abuse cases and identifying which individuals are protected thereunder. In so doing, the courts have published tense decisions and engendered precedent contracting and expanding the constitutional proscription.

For example, in Langford v. Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, a parishioner of a Queens church brought, inter alia, negligence and breach of fiduciary duty claims against a priest and a diocese in connection with an alleged sexual affair which developed during the course of spiritual counseling.7 The Supreme Court, Kings County, dismissed the claims upon motion practice, and plaintiff appealed. By a 3-1 decision, the Appellate Division, Second Department, affirmed and held that:

The cause of action alleging that [the priest] negligently handled the counseling relationship in fact stated a claim for malpractice. As such, it was properly dismissed because any attempt to define the duty of care owed by a member of the clergy to a parishioner fosters excessive entanglement with religion.8

In a partially dissenting opinion, Justice Sondra M. Miller sharply disagreed with the majority and opined that the plaintiff’s allegations fully supported recovery against the priest under a theory of breach of fiduciary duty. In her dissent, she stated:

I disagree most significantly with the majority’s holding that any attempt to define the duty of care owed by a member of the clergy to a parishioner fosters excessive entanglement with religion. That holding will establish appellate precedent shielding from civil judicial examination even the most flagrant clerical misconduct perpetrated upon vulnerable parishioners, children as well as adults. The injured will be deprived of any recourse short of criminal prosecution. The miscreant clergy, unsanctioned, will remain free to continue undeterred.…Moreover, the First Amendment to the United States Constitution was not intended to protect the misconduct of clergy where examination of their conduct does not require any inquiry into church doctrine. Clearly no examination of church doctrine is required in order for the plaintiff’s claims against her priest to be heard.9

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KENTUCKY
Messenger-Inquirer

By Steve Vied Messenger-Inquirer

The Rev. Louis Francis Piskula, a 74-year-old former priest who served at several local Catholic parishes, was sentenced to five years in prison Wednesday in Daviess Circuit Court after he earlier pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree sexual abuse of a minor under 12.

Piskula must undergo sexual abuse offender treatment while incarcerated and must also register as a sex offender for 20 years.

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MISSOURI
The Kansas City Star

BY MARY SANCHEZ
THE KANSAS CITY STAR
08/05/2014

The Rev. Stan Archie’s image shifts, depending on who is telling his story.

He’s an exemplary man who pulled himself from childhood abuse, a gang and drug dealing to become a pillar of the community, respected enough to head the Missouri State Board of Education.

But he might also be a deviant man who used his position with a church he co-founded to inappropriately counsel women, turning the sessions sexual, including an inappropriate relationship with a 15-year-old girl.

A jury will decide. Closing arguments are expected Wednesday in a civil suit against Archie. His former assistant at Christian Fellowship Baptist Church, 4509 Troost Ave., says Archie had an affair with her, then targeted her for harassment and defamation when she ended it.

The Rev. Stan Archie’s former assistant at Christian Fellowship Baptist Church, 4509 Troost Ave., says Archie had an affair with her, then targeted her for harassment and defamation when she ended it.
The Rev. Stan Archie’s former assistant at Christian Fellowship Baptist Church, 4509 Troost Ave., says Archie had an affair with her, then targeted her for harassment and defamation when she ended it. | File photo

A separate civil suit, one that attorneys said has been resolved, accused Archie of child sexual abuse, defamation and counseling malpractice in the case of the 15-year-old former church member. That now 24-year-old woman testified at the ongoing trial.

None of Archie’s accusers are named in the suits. It’s a complicated case, not only because the two suits entwine, but because the church is also named as a defendant. Allegations are that its leadership knew of tendencies by Archie to abuse his power and did not protect the former assistant, who attended the church with her husband.

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LOUISIANA
The Advertiser

By Claire Taylor
ctaylor@theadvertiser.com August 6, 2014

In December 2011, when the Diocese of Lake Charles received credible allegations that a former priest had sexually abused boys, church officials immediately reported it to police.

That’s what church leaders are supposed to do, according to the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People adopted in 2005 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

“The Diocese of Lake Charles immediately reports any allegations involving the abuse of minors to the local authorities,” the Rev. Nathan Long wrote on behalf of the Diocese in a statement to The Daily Advertiser this week.

But that wasn’t the case before church reforms that grew out of priest sex scandals across the nation, starting in the Diocese of Lafayette in the 1980s with the notorious former priest, Gilbert Gauthe.

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MASSACHUSETTS
WWLP

[with video]

By Laura Hutchinson, 22News I-Team Reporter
Published: August 6, 2014

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Next week the western Massachusetts Catholic community will officially welcome their new Bishop.

22News spoke with Bishop Mitchell Rozanski Wednesday about how he’s getting settled and what he plans to do here.

The announcement was made in June and he’s made sporadic appearances since then but, next week Bishop Mitchell Rozanski will officially be installed into the Diocese of Springfield to replace Timothy McDonnell who retired.

“I’m glad to be here, it’s wonderful to be settled in,” Rozanski said. …

Bishop Rozanski acknowledges the Catholic Church has had its challenges from sex abuse scandals and the cover-ups that followed although he says he’s never been a part of it.

“No, no when I was both a priest and Bishop in Baltimore, we had a very proactive archbishop, series of Archbishops in terms of abuse.”

He says he’s learned from some of the best and knows how he’d handle a crisis. Although right now, he’s focused on getting settled in and meeting his neighbors.

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MINNESOTA
City Pages

[with video]

By Aaron Rupar Mon., Aug. 4 2014

Last week, embattled Archbishop John Nienstedt did the media rounds, granting one-on-one interviews to most local outlets. (Our invitation must’ve gotten lost in the mail…)

Fox 9 reporter/anchor Tom Lyden’s interview with the archbishop was especially noteworthy. Lyden, who’s married to a man he’s been in a relationship with for more than two decades, grilled Nienstedt about his own sexuality and anti-gay views. The line of questioning culminated in the archbishop acknowledging that his beliefs about the sinfulness of same-sex sexual relations don’t seemingly make much sense at all.

Here’s a transcript of the portion of Lyden’s interview that came right after Nienstedt denied being homosexual or ever having partaken in homosexual relations, followed by the raw video:

Nienstedt: I’m not against gays. I look at all individuals [as] children of God and they deserve the respect and the dignity of their personhood.

Lyden: That’s not what you said about Brokeback Mountain the movie. You came out pretty strongly about that being an immoral movie.

N: I was critical of the movie, yes. I don’t know if I used the word ‘immoral.’

L: And yet that seems to contradict what you’re telling me now, your criticism of that movie.

N: The church makes a clear distinction between someone who would have an attraction that would be same sex and the behavior itself.

L: So when you say you have nothing against homosexuals, you have nothing against homosexuals as long as they’re not having sex.

N: We believe, correctly, that sexual relations take place within the context of a committed marriage relationship.

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MINNESOTA
The Raw Story

By Arturo Garcia
Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Minneapolis Archbishop John Nienstedt struggled to explain his views on homosexuality to a local gay reporter in raw footage from an interview conducted late last month, Minneapolis City Pages reported.

“Tell me, archbishop, why should I lead the life of a priest?” KMSP-TV reporter Tom Lyden asked Nienstedt in response to the archbishop’s statement that gay people needed to live “chaste” lives.

“Because it is of your nature to, um, express yourself sexually through a committed relationship,” Nienstedt replied.

“I am. I’ve been with the same partner and husband now for 21 years,” Lyden said.

KMSP posted the footage on Aug. 1, a day after airing Lyden’s report about Niendstedt’s efforts to reassure the Minneapolis-St. Paul community that his diocese would put “victims first” in regards to sexual assault allegations against local clergy, including a new policy mandating that the diocese notify police rather than conduct their own investigations.

“Why would we believe you today when you say, ‘victims first,’ when we’ve been hearing that for about 30 years?” Lyden asked.

“Well, because we’re saying it again, and we’re saying it with gusto,” Niendstedt replied. “And we’re saying it with meaning.”

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AUSTRALIA
Sky News

Thursday, 7 August 2014

The Marist Brothers will be back under the spotlight when the child sex abuse royal commission resumes public hearings in Sydney.

The Catholic order has apologised to its faithful, saying the failings of its leadership were to blame for the crimes of two pedophile brothers across three decades in NSW, Queensland and the ACT.

‘On behalf of all Marist Brothers I acknowledge and apologise to their victims for the abuse and very real damage done to young people by their criminal actions,’ the order’s provincial head in Australia Jeffrey Crowe said last month, in a letter he penned after listening to hearings of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

This phase of the inquiry, resuming on Thursday, is focused on the responses of the Marist Brothers and its schools to allegations of child sexual abuse levelled at Brother John Chute and former Brother Gregory Sutton.

It is also looking into the handling of compensation claims.

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UNITED STATES
Christ or Chaos

THOMAS A. DROLESKEY

As promised when posting Jorge and Miguel: As Red As They Get very early this morning, I am hereby providing you with links to the legal files that provide complete documentation concerning the indisputably predatory homosexual behavior of Father Carlos Urrutigoity, who as of yet is still being defended by the Opus Dei “bishop” of the Diocese of Ciudad del Este, Paraguay, Rogelio Livieres, who says that the predator priest came recommended to him by none other than Joseph “Cardinal” Ratzinger just days before the latter’s big promotion to become the so-called “pope” of Tradition, the great Hegelian “restorer” of Modernism’s “evolution of doctrine” that he re-labeled as the “hermeneutic of continuity,” “Pope Benedict XVI.

(See Still No Excuses For Those Who Defend the Society of Saint John. See also A Special Report on the Society of Saint John (2000) and No Excuses For Those Who Indemnify the Society of Saint John

The legal files were provided to me by Mr. James Bendell, the courageous attorney who worked so long and so valiantly with the heroic founder of The Roman Catholic Faithful, Inc., Mr. Stephen G. Brady, in the effort to expose and shame the predatory priest named “Bishop” Daniel Leo Ryan of Springfield, Illinois (see Sick From Head to Toe and Seven Years Later, which was written fully two years before I came to recognize the true state of the Church Militant in this time of apostasy and betrayal), and who represented one client who had been the victim of the predatory homosexual behavior of Fathers Carlos Urrutigoity and Eric Ensey and another client.

Here, therefore, are the legal filings, the first and second of which contain graphic material that should not be read by those who seek to avoid such horrific details:

1. The largest file contains Mr. Bendell’s interrogation of one of the chief enablers and protectors of the Society of Saint John, “Bishop” James Clifford Timlin of the Diocese of Scranton, Pennsylvania, and other documents to support Mr. Bendell’s opposition to motion made by the attorney for the Diocese of Scranton to dismiss the lawsuit. Other supporting documents are contained in this large file: SJ Motion.

2. The second document is the letter that the Superior-General of the Society of Saint John, Bishop Bernard Fellay, sent to the aforement conciliar “bishop” of Scranton, James Clifford Timlin, to warn him abou Father Carlos Urrutigoity’s predatory ways: Bishop Fellay Letter to James Timlin.

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CANADA
Sylvia’s Site

Two convicted Basilian molesters are dead.

Convicted Basilian clerical molesters and confreres William Hodgson Marshall and Father Robert Whyte csb are dead.

Both taught at St. Michael’s College School in Toronto in the early 50s. Both were at Assumption College in Windsor Ontario in latter part of the same decade. Both have been living at the Cardinal Flahiff Basilian Centre in Toronto for years (Whyte since shortly after his 1990 conviction and subsequent incarceration, and Marshall since around 1998 following his return from St. Lucia.)

Marshall, who pled guilty June 2011 to 17 charges related to sex abuse of 17 victims was sentenced to two years in jail. Some time after his guilty plea he was laicized/defrocked. . He continued to live in the Basilian residence in Toronto after his laicization.

Whyte, who pled guilty in 1990 to 18 charges of sex abuse of boys aged 11 to 17, was sentenced to four years in prison.

The pair died six days apart.

Father Robert Whyte csb died 22 July 2014

William Hodgson Marshall died 28 July 2014.

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CANADA
CTV

A retired Windsor priest convicted of several sex offences has died.

CTV News has learned that Father William Hodgson Marshall has died, he was 92. Marshall pleaded guilty to 17 counts of indecent assault against former Windsor, Toronto, and Sudbury students.

Marshall also pleaded guilty in 2013 to sexually assaulting two Saskatoon boys in 1959 and 1961. He received a sentence of six months in the community, to be served at the Cardinal Flahiff Basilian Centre in Toronto.

Marshall admitted in June 2011 to sexually abusing 17 young people and sentenced to two years in prison. In October 2012, Marshall was qualified for statutory release, serving a total of 16 months in jail.

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PENNSYLVANIA
CBS Pittsburgh

Harold Hayes

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Homestead pastor Duane Youngblood waived charges of corrupting the morals of a minor to trial, but has yet to be arraigned on new charges including involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and indecent assault.

His lawyer, Milton Raiford says his client had a two-hour meeting with county detectives this week about the original case, and will talk with them about the new charges as well.

Raiford also publicly apologized to Leonard Robinson, the online reporter he accused two weeks ago of having a relationship with Youngblood.

Raiford said today he mistakenly thought Robinson was someone else. Robinson accepted Raiford’s apology.

Previously, a male congregation member, now 21, told police Youngblood sexually abused him over a two-and-a-half year period from 2009 to 2011 while Youngblood was supposed to be counseling him at the church.

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NEW JERSEY
Road to Recovery

MEDIA RELEASE – AUGUST 6, 2014

Lawsuit filed against Archdiocese of Newark, NJ, Sacred Heart Parish and School, Newark, NJ, and others because of sexual abuse of a child by the late Rev. Robert G. Gibney

Archdiocese of Newark and victim/survivor of clergy sexual abuse unable to mediate a settlement recently

Newark Archdiocese must do the right thing and allow clergy sexual abuse victim to heal by validating the clergy sexual abuse victim’s claim

What: A press conference announcing the filing of a lawsuit against the Newark Archdiocese, Sacred Heart Parish and School, Newark, NJ, and others because of the sexual abuse of a child by the late Rev. Robert G. Gibney of the Newark Archdiocese.

When: Thursday, August 7, 2014 at 11:00 AM.

Where: On the sidewalk across the street from the front entrance of the headquarters of the Archdiocese of Newark, 171 Clifton Avenue, Newark, NJ 07104

Who: Robert M. Hoatson, Ph.D., co-founder and President of Road to Recovery, Inc. and advocate for clergy sexual abuse victims worldwide; survivors of clergy sexual abuse, and supporters.

Why: A courageous clergy sexual abuse victim of the late Rev. Robert G. Gibney of the Archdiocese of Newark, NJ, recently appeared at a mediation in an attempt to settle his sexual abuse claim against the late Fr. Robert Gibney, the Archdiocese of Newark, Sacred Heart Parish and

School, Newark, NJ, and others with his attorneys, Mitchell Garabedian, of Boston, MA, and Gregory Gianforcaro of Phillipsburg, NJ. The victim/survivor is attempting to validate his claim in order to heal from the harm done to him approximately between 1961 and 1963 when Fr.

Robert Gibney was assigned to Sacred Heart Parish and School in the Vailsburg section of Newark, NJ. Representatives of the Archdiocese of Newark and attorneys for the victim/survivor were unable to reach a settlement agreement on the claim, so a lawsuit has been filed in New

Jersey State Superior Court in Essex County and the victim/survivor requests a jury trial on the matter of clergy sexual abuse by the late Fr. Robert Gibney. The late Fr. Robert Gibney, who was born in 1927 and died in 2012, served at: St. Cecilia Parish, Kearny; Immaculate Conception Seminary, Mahwah (Dean); Sacred Heart Parish, Newark; St. Mary Parish, Dumont; St. Catherine of Siena Parish, Cedar Grove (Pastor); Overlook Hospital, Summit (Chaplain); Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Ridgewood (Pastor); and as a military chaplain.

Contacts: Robert M. Hoatson, Ph.D., Road to Recovery, Inc. – 862-368-2800
Attorney Mitchell Garabedian, Boston, MA – 617-523-6250

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GUAM
Jungle Watch

Guam – A news conference comprised of various individuals who have assisted in the financial matters of the Catholic Cemeteries of Guam and the Cathedral-Basilica will be held to respond to, correct, and refute allegations of financial mismanagement made public by Archbishop Sablan Apuron.

These individuals have given of their time, professional acumen, and personal resources to assist Msgr. James Benavente in bringing to order the financial matters of these two entities prior to, during, and after the report by Deloitte and Touche and the allegation of financial mismanagement by Archbishop Apuron.

The news conference will be held at 10:00 a.m. today, August 6, 2014, on the front steps of the Cathedral-Basilica.

As this point, the following individuals have confirmed their attendance and participation:

Mr. Joseph Rivera, former Director of the Bureau of Budget & Management Research
Mr. Art Ilagan, Insurance & Banking Commissioner and former Director of the Department of Revenue & Taxation
Mr. Rick Duenas, Certified Public Accountant and son of former Chief Judge and Sir Knight Cristobal C. Duenas.
Mr. Richard Untalan, past chairman of the Archdiocesan Finance Council
Deacon Steve Martinez, former Finance Officer of the Archdiocese of Agaña.

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MASSACHUSETTS
MassLive

Springfield’s Bishop Mitchell Rozanski, loyal to Orioles, Church doctrine and being a listener

By Anne-Gerard Flynn | aflynn@repub.com
on August 06, 2014

The Most Rev. Mitchell T. Rozanski will be installed as the ninth bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield on Aug. 12 at 2 p.m. at St. Michael’s Cathedral. Rozanski, of Polish heritage, has been auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, where his duties included ministry to Hispanics, as well as to clergy and religious. Appointed auxiliary by Pope John Paul II, his ordination on Aug. 24, 2004, at the age of 46, made him the youngest bishop in the United States at the time.

On the day before his 56th birthday on Aug. 6, Rozanski gave one of his first area interviews, fielding questions in the diocesan chancery about his favorite baseball team (the Orioles), his mother’s advice to remember his working class roots, and his beliefs in Catholic education, a pastoral approach to Catholic doctrine and ongoing Church vigilance against any abuse of minors.

“The charter has been effective,” said Rozanski, who is involved with minor revisions to the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops’ seminal, Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, first issued to Church workers, in 2005. All 195 U.S. dioceses now have staff to assist victims of abuse, bishops are required to report allegations of abuse to law enforcement authorities, and most dioceses undergo annual review of compliance with the document’s 17 points. Billions of dollars in settlement money has been paid by the Church to victims of pedophile clergy, in the wake of victims coming forward and the release of court documents showing a pattern of suspected clergy being transferred to different assignments. “It has raised the consciousness of bishops, priests, deacons, religious, lay ecclesial ministers, catechists, anybody entrusted with youth that, when they feel something is wrong, that they step forward and say it.”

Rozanski stressed that ongoing awareness and adherence to the charter’s regulations is key, something Pope Francis underscored in his recent statement that “all bishops must carry out their pastoral ministry with the utmost care in order to help foster the protection of minors, and they will be held accountable.” The pope’s statement was seen as addressing criticisms that bishops transferred pedophile priests, rather than address allegations of abuse against them.

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UNITED STATES
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Wednesday, August 06, 2014

For more information: David Clohessy ( 314-566-9790, SNAPclohessy@aol.com )

Victims pass resolution for archbishop’s removal
They cite cover-up of abuse and “hidden evidence”
SNAP to all Minnesota bishops: Beg pope to fire archbishop

In response to a months-long clergy sex abuse and cover-up scandal in the Twin Cities, a support group for victims of sexual abuse is calling for the immediate removal of St. Paul’s archbishop.

More than 300 members of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org), voted to pass a one-page resolution calling for the removal of St. Paul & Minneapolis Archbishop John Nienstedt. SNAP is the nation’s largest support group for men and women sexually abused in religious and institutional settings.

Members adopted the resolution at the group’s 25th anniversary annual conference in Chicago this week

Nienstedt has been blasted by victims and Catholics for quietly moving predator clerics, hiding evidence of abuse and covering-up child sex crimes. Media outlets such as the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and the New York Times have also called for Nienstedt’s removal.

Nienstedt “has actively participated in the cover up and protection of clergy who have sexually abused children and adults,” the resolution says.

“Will this resolution convince Nienstedt to step down? Probably not,” said Frank Meuers of Plymouth, SNAP’s Twin Cities director. “But we must let our voices be heard. He must step down – or Pope Francis must act – if victims are to heal and children are to be kept safe.”

The group is also urging others who saw, suspected or suffered clergy sex crimes and cover ups in the St. Paul archdiocese to contact secular officials, not Catholic officials.

The group is also demanding complete transparency and accountability from St. Paul Catholic officials.

The resolution is below:

Resolution calling for the removal of Archbishop Nienstedt

Whereas, Archbishop John Nienstedt of the St. Paul/Minneapolis Archdiocese has actively participated in the cover up and protection of clergy who have sexually abused children and adults.

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AUSTRALIA
The Canberra Times

August 6, 2014

David Ellery
Reporter for The Canberra Times.

Canberra’s Anglican bishop is investigating “disgraceful and inappropriate” behaviour by clergy and church workers in the diocese.

“There are matters with which I am currently dealing that do involve instances of abuse [in the Canberra-Goulburn diocese],” Bishop Stuart Robinson said on Wednesday. “They do involve disgraceful and inappropriate actions by leaders within the churches. And, yes, lives have been destroyed.”

Bishop Robinson was explaining the decision to hold a diocese-wide “Lamentation Sunday” this weekend to address the issue of child sex abuse.

“The Lamentation Sunday and apology is not predicated on anything other than the pain we are feeling as a result of the pain we have inflicted either directly or indirectly [on the victims of child sexual abuse] over the past 30 or 40 years,” he said.

“People responding to media reports and the royal commission tell us that these things are affecting them, even up to 50 years later, and they want to deal with them.”

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OKLAHOMA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Wednesday, August 06, 2014

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

A teenaged missionary from Oklahoma, who last month was charged with sexually abusing several young children from an African orphanage, will remain in custody. Our hearts ache for the vulnerable children who, instead of receiving much needed aid, were sexually assaulted. We are glad he will be kept in custody and hope officials provide outreach for other children who may have been abused.

Matthew Durham has traveled several times to Kenya to work at a children’s home with an organization called Upendo. The allegations of abuse stem from his most recent trip. We are glad a judge is keeping him in prison pending an appeal. We believe he might flee the US if given the chance.

Durham admitted in writing and on video to a “lifelong attraction” to kids, outreach is even more critical. It is possible that there are more victims who have been suffering in silence and self blame from previous trips or in the Oklahoma community he lives in. Also because he blames “inner demon{s}” for his behavior he’s less apt to respond well to treatment & this should be considered in his sentencing.

Upendo and any other organization he is associated with should immediately provide the children he abused with access to rehabilitative services and reach out to anyone else who might be suffering in silence and self blame, in Kenya and the US.

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AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald

August 6, 2014

Henrietta Cook, Jane Lee

One of Australia’s leading philanthropists has demanded the Premier urgently implement all recommendations from the Victorian inquiry into institutional child sex abuse, warning further delays will lead to a “betrayal of trust”.

The Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry’s final report was tabled in November, but only three of its 15 recommendations have since been implemented, with legislation for a fourth recommendation before parliament.

Andrew Blode, chief executive of the Jack and Robert Smorgon Families Foundation, which helped establish the Australian Council for Children and Youth Organisations and has supported hundreds of charities, recently wrote to Premier Denis Napthine to express concerns about the delay.

“Clearly, if the Victorian government delay taking action any longer, these same institutions named in the inquiry, which receive in excess of $320 million from DHS to provide community services, would be viewed as a ‘betrayal of trust’.”

On the day the report was tabled, Premier Napthine said all the recommendations “will be considered as a matter of urgency by the Government.”

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AUSTRALIA
9 News

Former Catholic priest David Edwin Rapson has had his child sex abuse convictions quashed and been granted bail ahead of fresh trials.

Rapson, 61, was jailed for 13 years in 2013 for rape and sexual assault offences involving eight boys at two Victorian Catholic colleges between the 1970s and 1990.

But he was released on bail on Wednesday after the Victorian Court of Appeal quashed his convictions when the prosecution conceded the charges should not have been dealt with in the one trial.

He will now face fresh trials in the Victorian County Court.

The Office of Public Prosecutions (OPP) concedes the charges against Rapson should have been heard in separate trials, rather than just one.

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GUAM
Pacific Daily News

Written by
Gaynor Dumat-ol Daleno
Pacific Daily News

Monsignor James Benavente responded directly to Archbishop Anthony Apuron, in a letter sent today, on Apuron’s previous public statements of financial mismanagement and financial record-keeping problems under Benavente’s watch.

Some of the archbishop’s statements were “absolutely wrong,” Benavente wrote.

A group of Guam financial experts also held a press conference this morning, saying the archbishop’s statements weren’t factual.

On Apuron’s public statement that the Catholic Cemeteries of Guam used land that was not under its name, but was instead under the Archdiocese of Agana, as collateral for a loan, Benavente wrote:

“Regarding the recording of the land at the Catholic Cemeteries as an asset, the Deloitte & Touche (letter) acknowledges this correction in their letter of Jan. 8, 2014. It should be noted that before the Deloitte audit, the only persons who could have have known that the land was also recorded on the Archdiocese books was you, as archbishop, and Deacon Dominic Kim. Additionally, your letter is absolutely wrong in stating that the property was used to secure a loan…. This clarification was pointed out to Deacon Kim in 2012, and a copy of that letter was also given to you.”

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NORTHERN IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph

Kincora: As this murky episode recedes ever further into the past, time is running out to shine a light on it

BY LIAM CLARKE – 06 AUGUST 2014

Kincora is one of those scandals that just won’t go away. It has always been surrounded by rumours of high-level abuse rings, prostitution of boys from care homes and a cover-up by the intelligence services.

It is rather like the fantastic rumours that swirled around major public figures like Jimmy Savile and Cyril Smyth.

It is partly the fact these rumours turned out to be true that has reignited interest in Kincora. There is a growing belief that men like Savile and Smyth did not act alone, and that they were part of a network of abusers who were too well connected to be touched.

For years the official line has also been that Kincora was solved.

Three employees who systematically abused boys and youths in the east Belfast home were jailed in 1980.

Since then there have been two official inquiries, which turned up nothing out of the ordinary.

The first, headed by Sir George Terry, the Chief Constable of Sussex, concluded in 1983 that “there is no substance to the allegations that Army intelligence had knowledge of homosexual abuse at Kincora”.

The second inquiry, under Judge William Hughes, was set up just a year later.

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NORTHERN IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph

Kincora: How three men alerted MI5 officers to home’s dark secret… and still nothing was done to stop the child sex abuse

BY LIAM CLARKE – 06 AUGUST 2014

The Belfast Telegraph can name three people who gave information about child sex abuse in Kincora to British military intelligence only to see any investigation blocked for years by MI5.

Last night Brian Gemmell, a former captain in military intelligence, confirmed that he had passed on information from three men – James Miller, Roy Garland and Jim McCormick – to a senior MI5 officer named Ian Cameron. All three information sources were completely opposed to the abuse and wanted it ended.

Mr Gemmell, an officer in military intelligence at the time, was trying to gain an entrée to Tara, a secretive Protestant paramilitary group headed by William McGrath. Until late 1971 McGrath’s second-in-command in Tara was Mr Garland.

“I had been aware that McGrath was a child abuser since the 1940s,” Mr Garland said.

He first became aware of it when McGrath, a born-again Christian, was carrying out a mission in Faith House. The premises in Belfast’s Orpen Park has now been converted to an old people’s home and has no connection with its role in McGrath’s day.

A second source of information on McGrath was Mr Miller, an Englishman and former soldier who had settled in Northern Ireland.

He worked as a military intelligence and MI5 agent. In 1971 Mr Miller, who is now dead, was infiltrating Tara for the intelligence services and had reported his suspicions to his handlers.

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IRELAND
Irish Times

Jacky Jones

Wed, Aug 6, 2014

Following the recent revelations about mother-and-baby homes, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said: “It is about the kind of country Ireland was.” I wish he was right.

In 1933 George Bernard Shaw wrote: “It is amazing how the grossest abuses thrive on their reputation for being old, unhappy, far-off things in an age of imaginary progress.”

The concluding observations in Ireland’s fourth report to the United Nations Human Rights Committee show that Ireland is the kind of country that ignored women’s rights in the past and continues to do so in the present.

Sir Nigel Rodley, vice-chairman of the committee, referred to a litany of human rights abuses, including the practice of symphysiotomy, Magdalene laundries, and mother-and-baby homes as “quite a collection” and “there was nothing about accountability in anything we have heard”.

I beg to differ. Women were, and are, held accountable whereas men were, and are, not. Between 1922 and 1987, when the concept of illegitimacy was abolished, 145,073 illegitimate children were born in Ireland.

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GUAM
KUAM

by Jolene Toves

Guam – Today was moving day for Monsignor James Benavente who has been asked to leave his home of 20 years following his removal as rector of the Agana Cathedral.

This past Sunday’s cathedral bulletin – said it all a picture of a church divided and the quote “for the lesser road was chosen”. Today the controversy within the Catholic community continues as Monsignor Benavente was kicked out of the cathedral rectory – a place he called home for two decades.

His supporters and close friends like Jon Jr Calvo were in Hagatna today, helping him move out. He said, “For anybody to be uprooted after 20 years here at the Cathedral Basilica this is home for him it is home for many of the parishioners so to be abruptly removed at this time is very surprising so we wish him the best and we want to assure him that our prayers and support will always be there for him.”

It was two weeks ago Archbishop Anthony Apuron shocked the local Catholic community. He removed Monsignor Benavente from his position as the rector of the Archdiocese of Agana and as director of the Catholic Cemeteries. The archbishop took it another step further shutting down the Cathedral Museum, a project the monsignor oversaw religiously to fruition.

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GUAM
KUAM

by Ken Quintanilla

Guam – In Tumon, local blogger Tim Rohr spoke before island Rotarians. Rohr writes Jungle Watch, a blog that covers issues involving the island’s Catholic community. Even prior to the removal of Monsignor James Benavente Rohr has been highly critical of Archbishop Anthony Apuron for his controversial removal of Father Paul Gofigan last year from the Santa Barbara Church.

Rohr said, “My only hope is that the archbishop for his own health resigns ASAP.”

One Rotarian questioned, “There seems to be a lot of conviction on your part on the archbishop’s part – do you see any amicable meeting or meeting or meeting of the minds or compromise?”, to which Rohr replied, “Absolutely not.” He then reaffirmed his belief that the archbishop needs to resign.

Rohr said that a several Catholics participating in a press conference this morning on the steps of the Cathedral Basilica in Agana to respond to, correct and refute public allegations by the archbishop was just the beginning.

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GUAM
KUAM

[with video]

by Jolene Toves

Guam – “We felt compelled to speak out after the archbishop issued a statement accusing Monsignor James of financial practices that were grave and detrimental to the Archdiocese nothing is further from the truth,” explained Joe Rivera. He was one of several people who participated in a press conference this morning on the steps of the Cathedral Basilica in Agana.

It was held to respond to, correct and refute public allegations by Archbishop Anthony Apuron of financial mismanagement.

Two weeks ago the archbishop suddenly removed Monsignor James Benavente as the rector of the Archdiocese of Agana and the director of the Catholic Cemeteries. He accused him of financial mismanagement. The archbishop in a July 29th and July 31st press release cited a letter from auditors Deloitte & Touche sent in January that determined the accounting practices especially in the catholic cemeteries are “inappropriate”. The firm had been working on audit of the archdiocese finance for over a year.

Even before the January letter from the auditors, however Rivera, Art Ilagan, and Rick Duenas were asked by Monsignor James to help address and implement accounting recommendations by the firm. Rivera during the press conference provided a paper trail of correspondence outlining the corrective actions they’ve been implementing.

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GUAM
Pacific News Center

VIDEO: Former BBMR Director Rivera to Archbishop: It’s Never Too Late to Say “I’m Sorry”

Guam – Concerned about what they said are false allegations against Monsignor James Benavente, various community leaders with financial backgrounds held a news conference today to refute claims of financial mismanagement made by Archbishop Anthony Apuron against the Monsignor.

“We felt compelled to speak out after the archbishop released a statement accusing Msgr. James of financial practices that were grave and detrimental to the archdiocese. Nothing is further from the truth,” said former BBMR Director Joseph Rivera.

Various community leaders with strong financial backgrounds gathered in support of Monsignor James Benavente this morning at the steps of the Agana Cathedral to address allegations made by Archbishop Anthony Apuron against the monsignor. Rivera and Art Ilagan, the insurance and banking commissioner and former director of Rev and Tax spoke on the ousted rector’s behalf. They were responding to specific allegations made by the Archbishop in a July 31st statement.

“There were five allegations on there. Of those five allegations, if you’ll note, two of them were already completed and addressed by Deloitte and Touché in their Jan. 8, 201[4] letter that was already printed also. And another two were addressed in documents that were submitted to the archdiocese, to Deacon Dominic Kim by the cemeteries staff in May 21st. So that’s 2 months prior to this letter,” Rivera pointed out.

Rivera noted that the last item was in the process of being corrected and that Archbishop Apuron had even acknowledged this.

“In fact the archbishop himself in a letter dated June 26, 2014, addressed to Msgr. James–a mere 6 weeks ago–that much corrective action had been accomplished. In that letter, the archbishop, based on the recommendtaions of Deloitte & Touche instructed Msgr. James to have the financial statemetns ending June 30, 2014 ready to be submitted by Aug. 15,” he said.

The news conference follows a sequence of startling events since Monsignor Benavente was fired as rector and director of the Catholic Cemeteries. A prayer service was held last week attended by hundreds in support of the monsignor. On Monday the Cathedral Museum that Monsignor Benavente pioneered was closed indefinitely and yesterday he was seen moving out of the rectory.

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AUSTRALIA
SBS

Source AAP 6 AUG 2014

Former Catholic priest David Edwin Rapson has had his child sex abuse convictions quashed and been granted bail ahead of fresh trials.

Rapson, 61, was jailed for 13 years in 2013 for rape and sexual assault offences involving eight boys at two Victorian Catholic colleges between the 1970s and 1990.

But he was released on bail on Wednesday after the Victorian Court of Appeal quashed his convictions when the prosecution conceded the charges should not have been dealt with in the one trial.

He will now face fresh trials in the Victorian County Court.

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CANADA
The Telegram

Father Richard Salas is still listed as parish administrator for St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Parish in Gander, but he is no longer ministering to the congregation.

The bishop for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Falls, Most Rev. Robert Anthony Daniels, confirmed for TC Media that Salas is under investigation by the RCMP in Gander.

Daniels said Salas was withdrawn from the public ministry several weeks ago. He declined to comment further on the matter under investigation, directing the media to the RCMP for information.

Sgt. Phil Matthews of the Gander RCMP said he is unable to fully discuss the matter at this time, but confirmed Salas has been under investigation following the RCMP receiving a complaint more than a month ago.

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GUAM
Pacific News Center

VIDEO: Monsignor James Benevente Moves Out of Hagatna Cathedral; Reassigned to St. Anthony’s in Tamuning

Guam – Monsignor James Benevente has moved out of the Agana Cathedral and reassigned to the St. Anthony’s Parish in Tamuning. The Monsignor was recently removed as the Director of Guam’s Catholic Cemeteries and Rector of the Hagatna Cathedral Basilica.

After Archbishop Anthony Apuron removed Monsignor James Benevente as the director of Guam’s Catholic cemeteries and Rector of the Agana Parish for what he called “Significant accounting deficiencies in the Catholic cemeteries” Monsignor James has now been physically moved out of the Cathedrals pastoral center.

This morning the Monsignor and some close friends were seen moving boxes and furniture out of the pastoral center. The Monsignor only had this to say: “I just want to thank the people of the archdiocese of Agana and the parishioners of the Cathedral Basilica for their continued support and that’s really the only comment I’d like to say. That’s all I have to say thank you very much. Thank you for your prayers thank you.”

This is the latest in a string of controversial events happening as a result of what some are saying is in fighting within Guam’s Catholic church. Just a few days ago the cathedral’s museum was shut down and Monsignor James was instrumental in establishing the museum

Jon Junior Calvo spoke briefly on behalf of Monsignor James. “I’m here on my personal time and my willingness. Monsignor has been a close family friend of ours and we’re here to support him in this transition time,” said Calvo.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. 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
NewsOK

by Matt Dinger Published: August 5, 2014

A 19-year-old Edmond man accused of committing sex crimes against children while volunteering in Kenya will remain in federal custody for now, a judge ruled Tuesday.

Matthew Lane Durham was charged last month in Oklahoma City federal court with four counts of traveling to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

Tuesday, Durham was charged with additional counts of traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places and aggravated sexual abuse.

He was scheduled to be released on $10,000 bail Tuesday afternoon by a judge, but prosecutors appealed the decision.

A second judge issued an order Tuesday halting Durham’s release until the appeal can be heard.

Prosecutors argue that Durham confessed to committing the acts both in writing and on video. He has also repeatedly threatened to burn down the house of a witness, according to the appeal.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. 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
ABC News

OKLAHOMA CITY — Aug 5, 2014

By TIM TALLEY Associated Press

A 19-year-old man is accused of traveling from Oklahoma City to Kenya so he could sexually abuse children at an orphanage there, according to charges in a three-count indictment handed down by a federal grand jury Tuesday.

Prosecutors have alleged that Matthew Lane Durham of Edmond engaged in sex acts with as many as 10 children aged 4 to 10 while volunteering at the Upendo Children’s Home near Nairobi from April to June 2014. He faces up to life in prison if convicted of engaging in illegal sexual conduct in foreign places, aggravated sexual abuse with children and other charges.

The indictment alleges that Durham traveled from Oklahoma City to Kenya in order to engage in illicit sexual conduct with children at Upendo, which specializes in assisting neglected Kenyan children by providing them with food, housing, clothes and academic and religious instruction.

The indictment also accuses Durham of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with minors under 18 years of age and aggravated sexual abuse of a child under 12.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Bob Troester, said Durham could be asked to enter a plea to the charges as early as Wednesday. Durham’s attorney, Stephen Jones, did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment.

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

NEW YORK
The Journal News

A New Square educator accused of sexually abusing a young boy over five years has rejected the prosecution’s offer of state prison time in exchange for a guilty plea.

Moshe Taubenfeld plans to challenge before a jury the felony charge that he sexually abused a New Square boy from age 8 in 2001 until he turned 13 in 2006. Taubenfeld, 55, the father of 20 children, pleaded not guilty July 8 to the charge of second-degree course of sexual conduct against a child.

“Our client has indicated he did nothing of that nature,” defense attorney Gerard Damiani said Wednesday.

Damiani said Taubenfeld denied the accusations when the young man asked him about the alleged abuse during a telephone conversation monitored by Ramapo police and the Rockland District Attorney’s Office.

“Apparently there was an effort to get a statement from him some time ago which proved fruitless,” Damiani said. “It resulted in denials.”

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. 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
J-Wire

August 6, 2014 by J-Wire Staff

Rabbi Mordechai Gutnick has been elected president of the Rabbinical Council of Victoria. Social worker Vivien Resofsky has sent him an open letter.

On hearing of your appointment as President of the Rabbincial Council of Victoria I would like to ask the following:

Dear Rabbi Gutnick,

That the RCV implement the same reforms of child sexual abuse prevention as its counterpart the Rabbinical Council of America.

The Rabbinical Council of America’s resolution of July 2013 to reform child abuse prevention and its implementation by US Yeshiva University’s (YU) Centre for the Jewish Future, is a paradigm shift in child sexual abuse prevention in Orthodox Jewish America that puts our top Rabbi’s new pledge of reform behind and at odds with world leaders and its USA counterpart.

In 2010 the Rabbinical Council of Victoria (RCV) followed the Rabbinical Council of America’s direction. Its resolution, Condemning and Combating Child Abuse was identical to its American counterpart. However in the wake of the child sexual abuse crisis at Yeshiva institutions in Melbourne the RCV took a different direction.

The latest American reform that incorporates, “bringing in professionals with experience in this area to train staff and educate the community about preventing sexual abuse,” wrestles control from Rabbis and challenges the way Ultra-Orthodox communities normally operate.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. 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
Winona Daily News

Leslie Hittner

Of all the columns that I have written, those that engender the most response and encouragement are the columns that have taken the Catholic Church to task for the hierarchy’s un-Christian acts of self-preservation when it comes to the sexual abuse scandal.

It has been about 13 years since the scandal broke in Boston, and the hierarchy still has not figured out that what everybody is upset about is not the fact that there have been sexual predator priests — which is bad enough in itself — but rather that the Church leadership has repeatedly tried to cover this fact up.

We are upset that predator priests were not reported to legal authorities. We are upset that predator priests were shifted through multiple parishes in multiple dioceses, and that the parishioners in those churches were not made aware of the nature of the “father” who was giving absolution to their children. Lastly, we are upset that the Catholic Church has chosen not to hold accountable those bishops and cardinals who perpetrated this cover-up.

That lack of accountability remains even today. Selfish acts of self-preservation in the leadership of our Catholic Diocese of Winona and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis continues with petty lawsuits being argued in Ramsey County. Similar legal fights are taking place in Catholic dioceses elsewhere. Current bishops who may or may not have participated in the sexual abuse cover-up nevertheless continue to fight the bad fight begun by their forerunners.
Even proposed changes to canon law appear to continue to deal with the church’s image and don’t address civil legal issues or establish measures of accountability for bishops and cardinals who chose to skirt the law — or continue to play that silly game.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. 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
St. Cloud Times

ST. PAUL – Plaintiffs’ attorney Jeffrey Anderson released the names of eight priests from the Diocese of New Ulm who had been “credibly accused” of sexually abusing minors.

Six of the names had been made public previously through lawsuits, but two — the Rev. John L. Gleason and the Rev. John M. Murphy — had not. Both are deceased.

The other priests are David A. Roney, Francis Markey, Vincent Fitzgerald, William J. Marks, Michael G. Skoblik and Douglas L. Schleisman. Schleisman is the only one believed still alive.

Anderson obtained the names through a deposition taken by his co-counsel, Michael Finnegan, of the Rev. Francis J. Garvey, as part of two lawsuits. Garvey served on the priest personnel board of the diocese and was privy to information about offending priests.

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

PENNSYLVANIA
Tribune-Review

By Bill Zlatos
Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2014

The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh is sending letters to all the parishes where a Beaver County priest worked, informing them of an allegation of sexual abuse against him.

“The pastor will make the decision whether he wishes to read the letter at Mass and publish the letter in the parish bulletin. Our recommendation is that he does both,” said the Rev. Ronald Lengwin, spokesman for the diocese, on Tuesday.

One person made an allegation of sexual abuse dating to the late 1990s against the Rev. John “Jack” Fitzgerald, 66, pastor of Our Lady of Peace Parish in Conway. The diocese placed him on administrative leave while authorities investigate.

Bishop David Zubik wrote a letter about the allegation that was read last weekend at all Masses at Our Lady of Peace. Fitzgerald worked as parochial vicar at seven parishes between the 1970s and 1991. He was assigned to St. Anthony in Bessemer in Lawrence County from 1991 to 1995 and worked as a part-time priest at St. John Neumann in Franklin Park. He also was chaplain of the Air National Guard’s 171st Air Refueling Wing in Moon from 1986 to 2010.

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

AUSTRALIA
Herald Sun

Alleged paedophile David Edwin Rapson to be freed after prosecution bungle

SHANNON DEERY NEWS LIMITED AUGUST 06, 2014

A PRIEST accused of being one of the state’s worst paedophiles could be freed from prison today after serving just 11 months of a 13-year sentence because of a bungle by state prosecutors.

The move is believed to have devastated many of David Edwin Rapson’s alleged victims who fought for more than 25 to bring him to justice.

The former priest was jailed last year after a County Court jury found him guilty of eight counts of indecent assault and five counts of rape of young boys.

But the convictions were today quashed by the Court of Appeal after a concession by the Office of Public Prosecutions that Rapson, 61, should have faced several trials.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. 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
WA Today

August 6, 2014

Adam Cooper
Court reporter for The Age

Former priest David Rapson is to be freed from jail and has had convictions for sexually abusing eight boys at a Catholic boarding school quashed, in a ruling that has devastated men who gave evidence in court against him.

The Office of Public Prosecutions on Wednesday conceded the 13 charges Rapson faced in the County Court last year should not have been heard in the one trial because of differences in the offending that was alleged.

The Court of Appeal said the concession was proper and quashed Rapson’s convictions on five counts of rape and eight of indecent assault, that he be released from custody on bail and that he face a new trial in the County Court.

Rapson, 61, was last year jailed for a minimum 10 years after he was found guilty by a jury of the 13 charges related to the abuse of eight boys at the school between the mid 1970s and 1990.

The latest ruling was a major blow for the eight men who testified in Rapson’s trial, and who might now have to return to the witness stand to have their allegations tested again in court.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. 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 KINGDOM
Western Daily Press

The Bishop of Gloucester, The Right Reverend Michael Perham was questioned today over allegations of sex abuse dating back more than 30 years.

Days after standing down for “personal reasons”, he was quizzed about allegations he abused a girl under 18 and a woman.

Speculation has been mounting since the Bishop resigned on Friday as the cathedral prepared for a series of First World War centenary services.

Now it has emerged that officers probing historic allegations of indecent assault had arranged to speak to the married, father-of-four on a voluntary basis.

The investigation is being run by the Metropolitan Police Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command.

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

ILLINOIS
NWI Times

Sarah Reese sarah.reese@nwi.com, (219) 933-3351

HAMMOND | A former pastor of First Baptist Church of Hammond on Friday asked a federal judge to at least allow his attorney to present evidence showing his 12-year sentence should be overturned.

An attorney for Jack Schaap, 56, persisted in claims that Schaap’s defense attorneys provided ineffective counsel and that U.S. District Judge Rudy Lozano should have considered his teenage victim’s “sexual aggressiveness” at sentencing, federal court records show.

Florida attorney Charles Murray, representing Schaap, also brushed off prosecutors’ claims that Schaap’s sentence did not outweigh the gravity of his offense.

Prosecutors said Schaap’s conduct was “egregious” and done under the guise of providing religious counseling to the girl. Schaap’s attorney wrote such a characterization is an oversimplification of evidence in the case.

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

MINNESOTA
Mankato Free Press

By Dan Nienaber
dnienaber@mankatofreepress.com

NEW ULM — A statement issued by the Diocese of New Ulm Tuesday repeated the organization’s regrets for the “devastating effects of sexual misconduct on the part of clergy” but said nothing about why it is the only diocese in the state refusing to release a list of priests accused of molesting children.

The statement was a response to a list of eight priests released Monday by the Jeff Anderson & Associates law firm. The firm has been filing lawsuits throughout the state, including Brown County District Court in New Ulm, to have the priest lists made public. They were created for a 2004 bishop study to determine the scope of child sexual abuse by priests in the United States. Every other diocese and Catholic organization that created lists has made them public either voluntarily or in response to a court order.

An attorney with the Anderson firm, Michael Finnegan, said former Diocese of New Ulm Bishop John Nienstedt has publicly stated the New Ulm list has 12 priests on it. Finnegan doesn’t know if the list of eight priests released Monday, which was created based on a deposition of a former diocese official, includes all or some of the names on the diocese’s list. Nienstedt left the diocese to become archbishop of the St. Paul-Minneapolis Archdiocese.

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

PARAGUAY
Religion News Service

By David Gibson | Religion News Service August 5

A showdown between Pope Francis and a conservative bishop in Paraguay is heating up as the bishop rejected charges that he sheltered a priest accused of sexual misconduct, and claimed that Pope Benedict XVI himself vouched for the suspect cleric just days before his election as pope in 2005.

The conflict between the Vatican and Bishop Rogelio Livieres Plano of the Diocese of Ciudad del Este was sparked by revelations in March that the bishop had promoted a Catholic priest who had been barred from ministry in Pennsylvania after church officials there said he molested several boys.

Last month, Rome dispatched a cardinal and an archbishop to Paraguay to investigate, and on July 30 the Vatican said it was removing the priest, the Rev. Carlos Urrutigoity, from his job as the diocese’s No. 2 official. It also took the unusual step of barring Livieres from ordaining any men to the priesthood.

In a detailed and sharply worded 12-point rebuttal to Rome, the Paraguayan diocese said Urrutigoity has been the subject of “a long and harsh defamation campaign in the U.S.” and said he came “recommended by some cardinals with roles in the Vatican.”

One of those cardinals, it said, was Joseph Ratzinger, who “was elected pope Benedict XVI a few days later,” in April 2005.

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MASSACHUSETTS
Boston Catholic Insider

The stories about St. Francis of Cabrini continuing to protest their closing and occupy the church ten years after it was ordered closed and comments by Communications Secretary Terry Donilon merit a response. In particular, the deception by Donilon about how the Archdiocese of Boston uses parish funds just cannot sit uncontested. Donilon said a fund of resources of parishes cannot be tapped by the archdiocese for any purpose the archdiocese chooses. Maybe that is true. But if so, then how exactly does Donilon explain how closed Brighton parish properties were recently transferred from the archdiocese to another related entity to help pay off sexual abuse claims? Later in this post, we also show how little progress the Boston Archdiocese has made with these church squatters.

First, regarding the Scituate situation, here is an excerpt from one article with the Donilon quote:

Canon law consultant Peter Borre of the Council of Parishes, who’s been helping diehard parishioners of deconsecrated Mount Carmel Church in East Boston stave off a wrecking ball, told several dozen supporters — some openly weeping — “the whole rationale for turning this church into condos” is contradicted by the Archdiocese of Boston’s latest public annual report, which he said shows the nonprofit reaped $41 million in surplus revenues in Fiscal Year 2013.

Archdiocese spokesman Terrence Donilon responded, “Mr. Borre is misleading people. The $41 million is mostly money raised by parishes for the parishes. So even though it shows up on the combined statements of the archdiocese’s books, it can not be tapped by the archdiocese for any purpose it chooses (i.e., their suggestion to reopen St. Frances). These are the resources of the parishes.

BCI agrees that Borre is misleading people–the Boston Archdiocese has no operating surplus. And we are not supporters of him or the Scituate squatters. But Terry Donilon is also apparently misleading people. Terry, if what you said is really the case, then how do you explain the recent transfer of the closed Our Lady of Presentation and St Gabriel parish properties in Brighton to St. John’s Seminary to pay off $3.9M worth of a promissory note to the seminary–a note which is repaying money the Boston Archdiocese got from selling off St. John’s Seminary property in order to pay sexual abuse claims?

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

LOUISIANA
Opposing Views

By Michael Allen, Tue, August 05, 2014

Father Gilbert Dutel, of the St. Edmond Catholic Church in Lafayette, La., denied recent reports that he sexually abused a 9-year-old boy in the 1970s.

Minnesota Public Radio reported in July about court papers that had been sealed by a judge since 1995 that were part of a “massive insurance lawsuit” in 1992 against some Louisiana Catholic priests:

Another Catholic attorney who had represented victims, Anthony Fontana, was frustrated in his efforts to get the bishop’s attention. “There’s another problem you need to know about,” he told (Archbishop Harry) Flynn. A Lafayette priest named Gilbert Dutel had been accused of coercing young adult men into having sex. Flynn offered a calm reply. He explained that Dutel was cured and that, regardless, he needed to keep him in ministry because of the priest shortage.

The alleged victim claimed in a 1992 affidavit that Father Dutel was working at St. Theresa Church in Abbeville, La., when the alleged molestation happened from 1975 to 1977 in the church rectory.

RawStory.com notes that the alleged victim stated in the affidavit about Father Dutel: “Well, he would just put his arms around me and he was I guess trying to be consoling, kind of gentle and then he just started playing with me and he unzipped my pants. He performed oral sex on me.”

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

LOUISIANA
Tri-Parish Times

By THE REV. WILMER L. TODD Guest Columnist

An interesting Court Case that reached the Louisiana Supreme Court involved the seal of confession.

A 14-year-old female said she told her confessor, the Rev. Jeff Bayhi, in 2008 she had been sexually abused. Bayhi was the pastor of St. John the Baptist Church in Zachary, Louisiana, and its mission, Our Lady of the Assumption.

Now 20, the female plaintiff sought to have to court compel testimony from Bayhi as to whether or not she had confessed and, if so, to detail the contents of the confessions.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge issued the following statement: “The case in question does not involve any charges against any clergy, religious or a paid staff member of the diocese. The Church has great compassion for those who have experienced such egregious misconduct.

“The issue before the District Court, the First Circuit Court of Appeals and the Louisiana Supreme Court assaults the heart of a fundamental doctrine of the Catholic faith as relating to the absolute seal of sacred communications (Confession/Sacrament of Reconciliation).

“The Court of Appeals for the First Circuit ruled that the seal of confession preempted the Civil Court from ordering the priest to testify about whether or not there was a confession and, if so, what was the content. The Court of Appeals for the First Circuit dismissed the case against both Fr. Bayhi and the Catholic Church of the Diocese of Baton Rouge.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. 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 KINGDOM
London Evening Standard

ALEXANDRA RUCKI

Published: 05 August 2014

A senior Church of England bishop has been questioned by police on suspicion of indecently assaulting a woman and child while he was working in south London.

The Rt Rev Michael Perham, 66, was interviewed under caution by detectives over the incidents alleged to have taken place in the 1980s.

It comes days after Bishop Perham suddenly left his post as the Bishop of Gloucester before he was due to retire aged 67 in November.

The diocese of Gloucester announced Bishop Perham had “stepped back” from his position due to personal reasons.

A spokesman for Scotland Yard confirmed a 66-year-old man was interviewed under caution but was not arrested.

He said: “Police can confirm a 66-year-old man today attended a police building in Gloucestershire by appointment where he was interviewed under caution on suspicion of indecent assault on a child aged under 18 years, and indecent assault on a second female, aged over 18 years.

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

UNITED KINGDOM
BBC News

The Bishop of Gloucester has been interviewed by police investigating two allegations of indecent assault.

The Rt Rev Michael Perham announced on Friday he would “step-back” from his duties with immediate effect.

Police confirmed only that a 66-year-old man attended a police station in Gloucester on Tuesday but was not arrested.

The Diocese of Gloucester said it was a police matter and it would not be making any further comment.

The alleged offences, dating back to the early 1980s, relate to a child under the age of 18 and a woman over that age.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. 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 KINGDOM
Gazette

Bishop of Gloucester quizzed by police over historic indecent assault claims against a woman and girl

THE Bishop of Gloucester Right Rev Michael Perham has been interviewed by police today, Tuesday, on suspicion of indecently assaulting a woman and a girl more than thirty years ago.

Bishop Michael, 66, attended a police station in Gloucestershire today to be interviewed about the allegations which date back to 1980 and 1981.

The investigation is being run by the Metropolitan Police Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “A-66-year-old man today attended a police station in Gloucestershire by appointment and was interviewed on suspicion of indecent assault of a child aged under 18 and indecent assault of a second female aged over 18.

“He was not arrested and enquiries continue.”

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UNITED KINGDOM
The Guardian

Steven Morris and Ruth Gledhill
The Guardian, Tuesday 5 August 2014

A senior Church of England bishop has been interviewed under caution by detectives on suspicion of indecently assaulting a girl more than 30 years ago.

The bishop of Gloucester, Michael Perham, 66, was questioned on Tuesday by officers from the Metropolitan police’s sexual offences, exploitation and child abuse command about the historical alleged offence.

Perham, who left his post suddenly ahead of weekend services, was also questioned about an alleged indecent assault on a woman at around the same time. Both alleged incidents date back to the early 1980s, when Perham was working as a curate in south London.

Mystery had surrounded Perham’s sudden departure just a few months before he was due to retire at the age of 67, following 10 years as bishop of Gloucester. The diocese of Gloucester initially said only that Perham, a married father of four grown-up daughters, had “stepped back” from his ministry due to personal reasons.

The Met on Tuesday afternoon confirmed a 66-year-old man “attended a police building in Gloucestershire by appointment where he was interviewed under caution on suspicion of indecent assault on a child aged under 18 years; and indecent assault on a second female, aged over 18 years.”

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

UNITED KINGDOM
Gloucestershire Echo

The Bishop of Gloucester has announced he will stand down from his role with immediate effect.

The Rt Revd Michael Perham has cited “personal reasons” prompting the fast-forwarding of his exit from the Church of England – he was due to retire in November after 10 years of service.

He was due to retire to Wells and announced earlier this year that he would also step down from his position in the House of Lords.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Gazette

By Daniel Chipperfield

THE Bishop of Gloucester has announced that he is to step down after more than ten years in the role.

The Right Reverend Michael Perham previously announced that he would retire in November after undertaking a pilgrimage across his diocese.

However a statement from the Diocese confirmed he plans to step back from the church earlier due to personal reasons.

The deadline for applicants to replace the Bishop closed on Monday, July 7 and the announcement of a new Bishop will be in Spring 2015.

On his retirement in February, Bishop Michael said: “By the time I retire in November I shall have completed more than ten years as Bishop of Gloucester.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Gloucestershire Citizen

MYSTERY continues to surround the ‘stepping back’ of Bishop of Gloucester Michael Perham from his role.

Police yesterday confirmed there is no investigation on their part but Gloucester Diocese has continued to refuse to answer any questions, other than saying it is down to ‘personal reasons’.

The Right Reverend Michael Perham was due to retire in November.

Members of the clergy and local vicars have been told not to discuss his move.

There has been speculation on social media on what could have happened to cause the Bishop to suddenly stand down on the weekend of the First World War centenary services.

He was due to play a part in the service of remembrance at Gloucester Cathedral on Sunday, but others stepped in.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. 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 KINGDOM
Gloucestershire Echo

The Diocese of Gloucester has issued the following statement this evening.

It said: “The process is under way to enable the Bishop of Tewkesbury, the Rt. Revd. Martyn Snow, to take up the duties of the Bishop of Gloucester in his absence.

“It follows standard procedure set out in church legislation and is a process used on other occasions.

“It is expected to be formally ratified in the near future.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. 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 KINGDOM
Gloucestershire Echo

The Diocese of Gloucester is remaining tight-lipped over Bishop Michael Perham’s sudden decision to step down.

On Saturday the Diocese announced that the Bishop of Gloucester, who was due to retire in November, would “step back” from his duties with immediate effect.

The Diocese cited “personal reasons”, but would not elaborate further.

The Echo has contacted the Diocese again today to ask for clarification on what the personal reasons are, but it has refused to answer.

There has been speculation on social media on what could have happened to cause the Bishop to suddenly stand down on the weekend of the First World War centenary services.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Gloucester Citizen

By Maryam_Qaiser | Posted: August 05, 2014

The process is under way to enable the Bishop of Tewkesbury, the Rt. Revd. Martyn Snow, to take up the duties of the Bishop of Gloucester in his absence.

It follows standard procedure set out in church legislation and is a process used on other occasions.

It is expected to be formally ratified in the near future.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. 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 KINGDOM
Stroud News and Journal

THE Diocese of Gloucester has just announced that the process is under way to enable the Bishop of Tewkesbury, the Rt Rev Martyn Snow, to take up the duties of the Bishop of Gloucester in his absence.

The move is, the diocese says, standard procedure set out in church legislation and is a process used on other occasions.

It is expected to be formally ratified in the near future.

The position of Bishop of Tewkesbury has traditionally been regarded as that of deputy to the Bishop of Gloucester.

The diocese made a surprise announcement on Friday that the current Bishop of Gloucester, the Rt Rev Michael Perham, who had previously said he would retire in November, has stepped back from his role “for personal reasons”.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. 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 KINGDOM
Gloucestershire Echo

The Bishop of Gloucester Michael Perham has been questioned by the Metropolitan Police over historic sex abuse allegations against a child in the 1980s.

Although Mr Perham, 66, has not been arrested, it is understood he was invited by Scotland Yard to help detectives with their inquiries over an alleged indecent assault on a child between 1980 and 1981.

The former bishop stepped down from his role as head of the Diocese in Gloucester this week, months ahead of his planned retirement in November. He is married to Dr Alison Grove, who is a palliative care consultant. They have four grown up daughters.

At the time of the announcement, ‘personal reasons’ were cited as being behind his early retirement.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police, said: “We can confirm a 66-year-old man on Tuesday, August 5, attended a police building in Gloucestershire by appointment where he was interviewed under caution on suspicion of indecent assault on a child aged under 18 years; and indecent assault on a second female, aged over 18 years.

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

UNITED KINGDOM
Telegraph

By Edward Malnick, and Keith Perry 05 Aug 2014

A senior bishop has been questioned by police on suspicion of indecently assaulting a woman and a girl – days after suddenly stepping down from his post.

The Rt Rev Michael Perham, 66, was due to retire in November after almost a decade as Bishop of Gloucester but withdrew from his role last weekend citing “personal reasons”.

On Tuesday Scotland Yard confirmed that Bishop Perham attended a police station in Gloucestershire to be interviewed over allegations dating from 1980 and 1981.

The investigation is into an alleged indecent assault of a child aged under 18 and indecent assault of a second female aged over 18.

A police spokesman said: “A 66-year-old man today attended a police station in Gloucestershire by appointment and was interviewed on suspicion of indecent assault of a child aged under 18 and indecent assault of a second female aged over 18.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Heart

5th August 2014, 17:27

The former Bishop of Gloucester has been questioned by the Metropolitan Police on suspicion of indecent assault on a child and a second female, who was over 18.

The alleged incidents are said to have occurred between 1980 and 1981.

66 year old Michael Perham, who wasn’t arrested, stepped down from his role as head of the Diocese in Gloucester earlier this week, months ahead of his planned retirement in November.

He is married with four grown up daughters.

The Metropolitan Police have issued the following statement:

‘We can confirm a 66-year-old man today, Tuesday 5 August, attended a police building in Gloucestershire by appointment where he was interviewed under caution on suspicion of indecent assault on a child aged under 18 years; and indecent assault on a second female, aged over 18 years.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Express

By: Jane Mathews
Published: Tue, August 5, 2014

The Right Reverend Michael Perham, 66, was due to retire in November after almost a decade as Bishop of Gloucester but stepped down last weekend blaming “personal reasons”.

Scotland Yard yesterday confirmed that he attended a police station in Gloucestershire to be interviewed over allegations dating from 1980 and 1981.

The investigation is into an alleged indecent assault of a child aged under 18 and an alleged indecent assault of a second female aged over 18.

A spokesman for the Diocese of Gloucester said: “This is a police matter. We have no further comment to make.”

A police spokesman said: “A 66-year-old man today attended a police station in Gloucestershire by appointment and was interviewed on suspicion of indecent assault of a child aged under 18 and indecent assault of a second female aged over 18.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Daily Mail

By PRESS ASSOCIATION

A senior bishop has been questioned by police on suspicion of indecently assaulting a girl and a woman.

The Right Rev Michael Perham, who stepped down as Bishop of Gloucester over the weekend after more than 10 years in the role, was not arrested but interviewed under caution.

He was due to retire in November but withdrew from his role citing “personal reasons”.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “We can confirm a 66-year-old man today attended a police building in Gloucestershire by appointment where he was interviewed under caution on suspicion of indecent assault on a child aged under 18 years; and indecent assault on a second female, aged over 18 years.

“He was not arrested.

“The alleged incidents are said to have occurred between 1980 and 1981 and are being investigated by officers from the Metropolitan Police Service’s Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command. Inquiries continue.”

A spokesman for the Diocese of Gloucester said: “This is a police matter. We have no further comment to make.”

In a statement on Saturday, the Diocese of Gloucester confirmed Bishop Perham had “stepped back” from his ministry due to “personal reasons”.

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UNITED KINGDOM
The Independent

Church of England embroiled in another alleged child abuse scandal after Bishop of Gloucester’s shock resignation

PAUL PEACHEY Author Biography CRIME CORRESPONDENT Tuesday 05 August 2014

The Church of England faces fresh scrutiny over its handling of historic child abuse after the outgoing Bishop of Gloucester was placed at the centre of a police inquiry over allegations of indecent assault on a child more than 30 years ago.

The Rt Rev Michael Perham, 66, suddenly quit after nearly a decade as bishop on Friday citing “personal reasons” but it can be revealed that a police inquiry was launched centred on the parish in south London where the senior cleric started his career in the Church as an assistant curate in 1976.

The force confirmed today that officers from its sexual offences, exploitation and child abuse command are investigating “allegations of indecent assault on a child said to have occurred between 1980 and 1981”. Nobody has been arrested during the course of the continuing inquiry, the force said in a statement.

The Metropolitan Police said that a 66-year-old attended a police building where he was interviewed under caution on suspicion of indecent assault on a child aged under 18 and a woman aged over 18. They did not name the bishop.

The diocese has declined to comment further on the reasons for the bishop’s departure but it is understood that senior Church officials have been in contact with a group representing victims of abuse after it was alerted about the allegation four weeks ago. The Diocese of Gloucester said: “This is a police matter. We have no further comment to make.”

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LOUISIANA
The Raw Story

By David Edwards
Tuesday, August 5, 2014

A Louisiana priest received a standing ovation from his church over the weekend following new details about sexual abuse of a 9-year-old boy in the 1970s.

A report released by Minnesota Public Radio last month included a never-before-published affidavit, which had been sealed by a federal judge in 1995. The document indicated that Father Gilbert Dutel “had been accused of coercing young adult men into having sex.”

“Well, he would just put his arms around me and he was I guess trying to be consoling, kind of gentle and then he just started playing with me and he unzipped my pants,” the victim recalled, according to the affidavit. “He performed oral sex on me.”

The victim said that he had around eight sexual encounters with Dutel in total. Two other priests were also mentioned in the affidavit, but this was the first time that Dutel’s name had been made public.

According to Minnesota Public Radio, Bishop Harry Flynn later told lawyers that Dutel had been “cured,” and that the diocese needed to keep him due to a shortage of priests.

The Daily Advertiser reported that on Sunday Dutel read a statement during Mass at St. Edmond’s Catholic Church, insisting that he was innocent. Church members gave him a standing ovation in response.

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LOUISIANA
The Advertiser

CORRECTION: In an earlier version of this story published Monday about the Rev. Gilbert Dutel’s church homily at St. Edmond Roman Catholic Church, The Daily Advertiser misquoted Dutel and incorrectly stated that he was referring to an alleged victim of sexual abuse. A review of the text of Dutel’s homily showed he said, “I regret deeply the embarrassment and heart-ache that all of this may have caused.”

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LOUISIANA
The IND

A correction was issued Tuesday by The Daily Advertiser saying its reporter misquoted the Rev. Gilbert Dutel during a weekend homily in which he addresses resurrected allegations that he molested a young altar boy in the mid- to late-1970s.

The correction reads:

In an earlier version of this story published Monday about the Rev. Gilbert Dutel’s church homily at St. Edmond Roman Catholic Church, The Daily Advertiser misquoted Dutel and incorrectly stated that he was referring to an alleged victim of sexual abuse. A review of the text of Dutel’s homily showed he said, ‘I regret deeply the embarrassment and heart-ache that all this may have caused.’

The original quote printed in Monday’s paper, incorrectly had Dutel saying he “deeply” regretted the “embarrassment and the heart-ache this man has caused,” making it seem as if the priest was blaming the victim for the negative energy caused by the return of old allegations, the result of unsealed court records and a recent investigative series by Minnesota Public Radio.

St. Edmond’s responded to Monday’s misquote with a link on its web site to the exact statement read by Dutel during his weekend homily.

In addition to Tuesday’s correction, the local paper followed up with a story looking at Bishop Michael Jarrell’s appearance over the weekend at St. Edmond’s, where he joined his troubled priest in addressing the renewed controversy that erupted last week.

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VATICAN CITY/ARGENTINA
Catholic World News

Vatican City, Aug 5, 2014 / 05:50 am (CNA/EWTN News).- This Friday Pope Francis will give a live interview on an Argentine radio station that he helped raise the money to found while Archbishop of Buenos Aires.

Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., confirmed the event, telling CNA Aug. 4 that although he doesn’t know exactly how it will be done, most likely “the Pope will make a telephone call to the local radio, and this will be aired on the radio itself.”

Fr. Joaquín Giangreco, the parish priest for the village of Campo Gallo in the Diocese of Santiago del Estero, is set to conduct the interview with the Roman Pontiff.

“About two years ago the parish was building its radio for the existing communication need, taking into account the work of the church of Campo Gallo, covering more than (1,900 square miles),” the priest told Spanish newspaper “Nuevo Diario” in an article published Aug. 3.

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CHILE
El Dinamo

Sor María Graciela Soto, una monja de 93 años, ha declarado como imputada en un caso sobre presuntas sustracciones de bebés en hospitales públicos y clínicas privadas durante la dictadura.

Según reveló hoy el diario digital Emol citando al abogado querellante, Cristián Letelier, la declaración de la religiosa tuvo lugar el pasado viernes en su domicilio ante el juez Mario Carroza, quien está cargo de la investigación.

El testimonio, que duró poco más de una hora, fue recogido después de que peritos del Servicio Médico Legal comprobaran que la anciana monja estaba en plena posesión de sus facultades mentales y no padecía demencia senil.

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CHILE
Purasnoticia

Hasta la “casa de reposo” ubicada en la comuna de San Bernardo, donde cuidan a Sor María Graciela Soto, arribó el pasado viernes el juez Mario Carroza.

En el lugar, le tomó las declaraciones a la religiosa que tiene 93 años de edad y que identificada por los querellantes como nexo en las adopciones irregulares que se habrían registrado en el Hospital Barros Luco, desde fines de los 70 hasta 1986.

Sor María Graciela reconoció al ministro en visita que no era la primera vez que era interrogada, ya en 2003 había prestado testimonio ante el 18° Juzgado del Crimen de Santiago, por similares acusaciones.

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CHILE
Latin American Herald Tribune

SANTIAGO DE CHILE – A 93-year-old Chilean nun, Sister Maria Graciela Soto, has been questioned regarding the alleged abduction of babies in public and private hospitals in Chile during the military dictatorship (1973-90).

The nun was interrogated by Judge Mario Carroza last Friday in her home, online daily Emol reported, citing prosecuting lawyer Cristian letelier.

According to some plaintiffs, Sor Maria Graciela Soto was involved in the illegal handover of babies in the Barros Luco hospital of the Chilean capital during the 1970’s and 1980’s.

On April 15, the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts suspended priest Gerardo Joannon, currently under investigation for the irregular adoption of newborns who were pronounced dead shortly after their birth.

The decision was taken following a report by the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIPER), which cited the cases of several girls of single mothers who had been declared dead.

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PENNSYLVANIA
WKBN

By Jonathan Stroshine
Published: August 5, 2014

LAWRENCE CO., Pa. (WKBN) – A spokesperson for the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese confirmed Tuesday that Priest John Fitzgerald has been placed on administrative leave following an allegation that he sexually abused a minor in the late 1990s.

The church turned the case over to law enforcement right away, according to Father Ron Lengwin, saying that one event involved in the allegation happened in Allegheny Co. and another in Lawrence Co.

The diocese has asked both the Lawrence County and Allegheny County Distrcit Attorneys to investigate, according to KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh.

Lengwin said he was not sure why the allegation is being brought to light now, but that it is not uncommon for sexual abuse allegations to come out after the fact.

The Diocese will gather a group of experts including lawyers, therapists and more to decide if Fitzgerald can serve as a priest when the time is right, according to Lengwin.

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UNITED STATES
U.S. Catholic

By Nicholas Cafardi

In an interview with L’Osservatore Romano last month, Cardinal Francecso Coccopalmerio, president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, said that his council was working on a revision of Book Six of the Code of Canon Law, “On Sanctions.” The proposed changes would hopefully make the canonical penal process more accessible for bishops who wanted to bring canonical charges against priests who had sexually abused youngsters.

Although it generated some news at the time, the cardinal’s announcement really wasn’t anything new. Canonists have known that the Council for Legislative Texts has been working on a redraft of Book Six of the code since 2008. Not just Book Six, but the entire canonical penal or criminal process—which also covers parts of Book Seven, “On Processes”—needs a redraft.

To begin with, the canonical penal process as presented in the code is bulky and unwieldy, stretching as it does across two books of the code with its application requiring the canonist to jump back and forth between books. The canons are not even presented in chronological order in the sense that the canons that tell you what to do first would come before the canons that tell you what to do next. Rather, the process starts with Canon 1717, the accusation and preliminary investigation in Book Seven, and ends with Canon 1361, in Book Six, on the remission of penalties!

There is definitely work to be done in disentangling the canonical penal process so that it is more user-friendly. Indeed, back when the child sex abuse crisis first exploded, one of the reasons that the bishops gave for their failure to address the crisis properly was that the canonical penal process was too complicated to be useful against priest sex abusers. I am not sure how much weight that excuse actually carried, since the process was not tried and found wanting in those years—it simply was not tried. But the difficulty of the penal process was an excuse we heard a lot from the bishops in the late 1980s and 1990s.

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UNITED STATES
Catholic League

Bill Donohue comments on a cnn.com article, “The Lavish Homes of American Archbishops”:

CNN, playing its Pope Francis card, is stunned to learn that “10 of the country’s top church leaders defy the Pope’s example and live in residences worth more than $1 million.”

Rebel #1 is New York Archbishop Timothy Cardinal Dolan. He is living in a house that is attached to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, was built more than a hundred years ago, and cannot be sold separately because of its landmark status; it also houses offices, living quarters for other priests, guest rooms, a dining area, etc. What is inexcusable are Dolan’s red carpets—CNN claims they are “thick.” I can attest that the accusation is accurate.

Other rebels include Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, San Antonio Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller, and Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski. George is guilty of having “an unobstructed view of nearby Lincoln Park,” Garcia-Siller’s crime is having a “wet bar,” and Wenski is accused of having a “tiki hut.” Those are problems that can be quickly fixed.

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MINNESOTA
Catholic League

Bill Donohue comments on the latest failed attack on St. Paul and Minneapolis Archbishop John Nienstedt:

Once again, the foes of Archbishop Nienstedt have come up empty: the names of eight priests in the Diocese of New Ulm who were credibly accused of molesting minors were released yesterday (some of the names were previously disclosed), and only one, Father David A. Roney, was there when Nienstedt took office in 2001. Roney was placed on administrative leave without faculties in 2002; in 2003, he was named in two lawsuits.

It took Nienstedt to do what his predecessor, Bishop Raymond Lucker, failed to do. Lucker was Bishop of New Ulm from 1976 to 2000.

Accusations against Roney took place between 1967 and 1980. Father Francis Markey allegedly groped three brothers at their home in New Ulm in 1982. Father Vincent Fitzgerald allegedly abused a boy from a New Ulm parish in the late 1970s. Father William Marks was involved in alleged abuse between 1954 and 1962. Legal proceedings for claims of sexual abuse began in 1993 against Father Michael Skoblik. Father John Gleason died in 1998 (not much public information is available about him). Father Douglas Schleisman was the subject of accusations dating to 1993. Father John Murphy retired in 1991 and volunteered in ministry between 1996 and 2000; he died in 2001.
In most of these cases, the alleged sexual molestation took place under Bishop Lucker, yet he has escaped criticism from the very same people who are now taking aim at Nienstedt. Why? Because Lucker was a man of the left: He said the Catholic Church needed to consider changing its teachings on homosexuality. By contrast, those out to get Nienstedt hate him because he defends the Church’s teachings on sexuality.

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LOUISIANA
KATC

St. Edmond Catholic Church has posted a video detailing the Rev. Gilbert Dutel’s response to sexual abuse allegations.

Dutel responded to the allegations during church service at St. Edmond on Sunday, when his congregation gave him a standing ovation.

“I maintained my innocence then, and I maintain my innocence now,” he says.

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AUSTRALIA
Newcastle Herald

By JOANNE McCARTHY Aug. 5, 2014

A SEVEN-member panel headed by a retired NSW Supreme Court judge will decide the future ministry of senior Hunter Catholic priests Bill Burston and Alan Hart.

Maitland-Newcastle Bishop Bill Wright has called for submissions to the panel, which is considering whether the clergymen should remain parish priests after adverse findings by NSW Special Commission of Inquiry head Margaret Cunneen, SC, in May.

The priests were ‘‘inconsistent’’ and ‘‘unsatisfactory’’ witnesses who knew of the crimes committed by child sex offender priests Denis McAlinden and James Fletcher, but failed to notify police, Ms Cunneen found.

Retired NSW Court of Appeals judge and prominent Sydney Anglican Church member Kenneth Handley, QC, will head the panel which includes senior Parramatta Catholic educator Patricia Crennan, University of Newcastle theology and ethics Professor Terry Lovat, and Parramatta Vicar-General Chris de Souza.

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MINNESOTA
Minnesota Lawyer

By: Elizabeth Ahlin August 5, 2014

A St. Paul attorney has released the names of eight Catholic priests identified in a deposition as having been accused of sexual misconduct while serving in the New Ulm Diocese.

The announcement by attorney Jeff Anderson puts pressure on the diocese to release the names of all priests credibly accused of sexual abuse while at New Ulm. The eight names released were identified by priest Francis Garvey in a deposition taken in January.

Six of the eight priests, all of whom served from the 1960s to the 1980s, have been named in past lawsuits. All but one of the eight priests has died.

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AUSTRALIA
The Canberra Times

August 5, 2014

David Ellery
Reporter for The Canberra Times.

The Anglican Bishop of Canberra and Goulburn has released a public apology for “any abuse and mistreatment” that may have been experienced by individuals as “a result of their engagement with our church”.

The text of the apology, to be read out by Bishop Stuart Robinson at a “Lamentation Sunday” service this weekend, was made public on Tuesday afternoon and is targeted at childhood victims of sexual abuse.

Lamentation Sunday fulfils a pledge made by the bishop during his charge to the Diocesan Synod in Goulburn last September when he led the synod in a confession for past failures by the diocese to respond appropriately to child sex abuse.

While no specific instances of abuse were given on that occasion, a report released by the Anglican Church in 2009 cited 191 cases of child sexual abuse in 17 Anglican dioceses across Australia between 1990 and 2008.

According to the Study of Reported Child Sexual Abuse in the Anglican Church, three-quarters of the complainants were male and usually aged between 10 and 15 at the time of the alleged abuse.

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UNITED STATES
National Catholic Reporter

Thomas C. Fox | Aug. 5, 2014

ANALYSIS

U.S. women religious leaders face an uncertain future as they gather Aug. 12-16 in Nashville, Tenn., for their annual assembly.

More than 800 elected congregational leaders will discuss how they plan to react to continued charges of infidelity leveled by the church’s top enforcer of orthodoxy, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, as well as to the congregation’s plans to take over the organization after the assembly.

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious, which represents nearly all the women religious congregations in America, has been under attack by the congregation since 2012. The Nashville gathering will be the third consecutive LCWR assembly in which church infighting overshadows the business of the leadership conference.

The issues are multilayered, involving disputes over the role of religious life, the relationship between religious and bishops, questions of obedience, and differing visions of church priorities and mission.

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UNITED STATES
The Christian Century

The case of John Howard Yoder

Aug 04, 2014 by David Cramer, Jenny Howell, Paul Martens, and Jonathan Tran

Thirty years after John Howard Yoder was first accused of sexual misconduct and almost two decades after his death in 1997, the story of his abusive behavior remains painfully unresolved in the Mennonite communities in which he was for decades regarded as the foremost theologian and chief representative of Anabaptist thought.

During his lifetime Yoder faced two separate disciplinary proceedings. The first led to his 1984 resignation from the Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminaries (now Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary) in Elkhart, Indiana, after which he became a full-time professor at the University of Notre Dame, where he taught until his death. The second was conducted by the Mennonite Church from 1992 to 1996.

Last year a third discernment process was launched, spurred by women who believe that the church has repeatedly failed to uncover and acknowledge the truth.

In 2013, Ruth Krall, professor emeritus at Goshen College, a Mennonite school in Indiana, published The Elephants in God’s Living Room, which used the church’s response to Yoder’s actions as a case study on how sexual abuse is often mishandled in the church. That same year, Barbra Graber, a retired professor at Eastern Mennonite University in Virginia, wrote a pair of online essays about Yoder’s case. Soon after Graber’s essays appeared, AMBS president Sara Wenger Shenk announced that the seminary had committed itself to “new transparency in the truth telling that must happen.” Last summer the Mennonite Church USA formed a committee to “fairly and accurately document the scope of Yoder’s sexual abuse and the church’s response to it after a careful review of the evidence.”

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GUAM
Pacific Daily News

Written by
Gaynor Dumat-ol Daleno
Pacific Daily News

Archbishop Martin Krebs, the pope’s New Zealand-based delegate to Guam and other parts of the Pacific, has responded to letters sent by some of Guam’s Catholics who are calling for the Vatican to intervene in the local church community’s leadership turmoil.

Krebs responded to a letter that church choir member Franklin “Frankie” Gutierrez Jr. wrote. Other parishioners have also received responses from Krebs.

The Aug. 1 letter from Krebs states:

“Dear Franklin,
I have received your important message and have taken due note of it.
I have also noted the copy of your message sent to the Secretariat of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples.”

Guam parishioners last week began a letter-writing campaign and sent their letters to Krebs and to the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, an office in the Vatican.

The letter-writing campaign was launched at a rally attended by hundreds of Catholics at the steps of the Cathedral-Basilica on Tuesday last week.

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