ABUSE TRACKER

VATICAN CITY
Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)

VATICAN CITY, April 22, 2014 (AFP) – A much-loved pope will be declared a saint on Sunday but not everyone in the Catholic Church agrees.

John Paul II also alienated many left-wing Catholics and has been blamed for hushing up child sex crimes.

“Not all the people of God agree about canonisation,” the International Movement We Are Church said in a statement ahead of the canonisation ceremony in St Peter’s for John Paul II and his Italian predecessor John XXIII.

The group accused the late pope of “spiritual authoritarianism” and of putting too much emphasis on “hierarchical control” — two traits it said left little room for victims and investigations of abuses.

“Pope John Paul II was a pope of great contradiction. His tragedy lies in the discrepancy between his commitment to reform and dialogue in the world and his return to authoritarianism,” it said.

The pontiff credited with helping to bring down Communism in Eastern Europe was accused of backing right-wing dictators in Latin America including Augusto Pinochet in Chile during the Cold War.

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MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

Article by: JEAN HOPFENSPERGER , Star Tribune Updated: April 21, 2014

Archbishop’s statements in abuse case to be made public by an attorney for alleged victim.

The contentious deposition of Archbishop John Nienstedt in a child sexual abuse suit will be made public Tuesday, attorneys for the alleged abuse victim said.

A judge ordered the deposition over the objection of attorneys for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Nienstedt testified under oath for four hours April 2 about the way church officials have responded to allegations of sexual abuse by priests. The archdiocese was strongly criticized last week by a church-appointed panel investigating those issues.

“We’re releasing these now because we believe it is important for the public to be able to read the archbishops’s testimony,” said attorney Mike Finnegan. “We believe all information on child sex abuse in the archdiocese should be made public.”

The archdiocese released a statement immediately after the deposition, stating that Nienstedt had explained that children’s safety was the archdiocese’s highest priority. The statement said he “expressed regret for mistakes that were made in the past,” and that he would follow recommendations by the panel reviewing how the archdiocese handled abuse complaints.

However, attorneys for the alleged abuse victim said Nienstedt had ended his testimony abruptly and “heatedly” when asked to give police investigators more church files about credibly accused priests.

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MINNESOTA
Faribault County Register

April 22, 2014
Associated Press

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Attorneys for an alleged sexual abuse victim plan Tuesday to release St. Paul and Minneapolis Archbishop John Nienstedt’s deposition.

Nienstedt testified under oath for four hours April 2 about the way church officials have responded to allegations of sexual abuse by priests.

Attorney Mike Finnegan, who represents a man who says he was sexually abused by a priest in the 1970s, tells the Star Tribune (http://strib.mn/1h8I4N4) it’s important for the public to be able to read the archbishop’s testimony.

Church lawyers tried for months to block the deposition on the grounds it is not relevant to the case. But a Ramsey County judge and the Minnesota Court of Appeals disagreed.

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CHICAGO (IL)
Patch

Posted by Lorraine Swanson (Editor) , April 22, 2014

Less than a week after he was reinstated to his position as pastor of a Chicago parish, another witness has stepped forward with a new allegation of child sex abuse against Rev. Michael W. O’Connell.

O’Connell returned to his post at St. Alphonsus Church on April 17, after taking a leave of absence from his current parish after he was accused in December 2013 of sexual misconduct with a minor while serving at Our Lady of the Woods in Orland Park, 20 years ago.

An investigation by the Cook County Sheriff’s office, working with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, was unable to find enough evidence to support the charges, Barbara Blaine said, president of SNAP, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.

Now, another former south suburban man has stepped forward, stating that he witnessed O’Connell abusing a young male teen at an Orland Park fitness center sometime in 1999 or 2000.

The witness, now 33 and living in Nevada, contacted SNAP in Chicago after learning that the Archdiocese had allowed O’Connell to return to ministry.

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MINNESOTA
Jeff Anderson & Associates

What: At a news conference Tuesday attorneys Jeff Anderson and Mike Finnegan will:

• Release video clips and the deposition transcript of Archbishop John Nienstedt taken on April 2, 2014 as part of a civil lawsuit.

WHEN: Tuesday, April 22, 2014 at 11:00 AM CDT

WHERE: Law Office of Jeff Anderson & Associates
366 Jackson Street Suite 100
St. Paul, MN 55101

Notes: All attendees will be provided with copies of the video testimony and deposition transcripts. Clips of the testimony and the transcript will be posted tomorrow morning on our website www.andersonadvocates.com.

Contact: Jeff Anderson: Cell: 612.817.8665 Office: 651.318.2650
Mike Finnegan: Cell: 612.205.5531 Office: 651.318.2650

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CHICAGO (IL)
CBS Chicago

(CBS) — Police are investigating a new allegation of sexual misconduct against a Chicago priest who was just re-instated at his north side parish.

Fr. Michael O’Connell returned to St. Alphonsus Church last week after a four-month investigation into an allegation that he sexually abused a minor in the 1990′s. Investigators couldn’t find enough evidence for criminal charges.

The new allegation also dates from the 1990′s, when O’Connell was pastor at Our Lady of the Woods in Orland Park. A witness says he saw Fr. O’Connell molest a teenager at a south suburban gym.

“He claims that he saw Fr. O’Connell bring a youngster to the gym and said he saw him touching him inappropriately and it caused him a great deal of concern,” said Barbara Blaine SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.

Cook County Sheriff’s police have interviewed the witness. They confirm they’ve re-opened their investigation into Fr. O’Connell.

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UNITED STATES
USA Today

Brett M. Decker
April 21, 2014

This Sunday, one week after Easter, Pope Francis is scheduled to canonize two of his predecessors, John Paul II and John XXIII. Few moves could so quickly undo his popular efforts to make the Roman Catholic Church more sensitive to the values of modern churchgoers.

Francis has concentrated much of his 13-month papacy on making symbolic gestures. To great news media fanfare, he wears black boots with his clerical robes instead of more formal, traditional slippers, and he sleeps in a hotel built for cardinals rather than the papal apartment in the Vatican palace.

Church knew

The impact of the Argentine pontiff raising two popes to sainthood after their failures to address the globe-spanning clergy sex abuse scandal would be far more than symbolic. The scandal damaged thousands of innocent lives and cost the church billions of dollars in legal damages as well as its moral standing.

John XXIII, pope from 1958 to 1963, and John Paul II, pope from 1978 to 2005, both held their positions after the widespread abuse, stretching back deep into the 20th century, was known to the Vatican.

The strict hierarchical structure of the Roman church means accountability goes straight to the top. The buck stops at the pope’s desk, for good or for ill.

Canonizing pontiffs from the era of abuse is not only tone deaf but also exposes a continuing, stubborn refusal to acknowledge the institutional coverup that occurred for decades and that those at the highest levels — including popes — didn’t do enough to prevent the crimes, enabling the crisis to continue.

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UNITED STATES
U.S. Catholic

By Scott Alessi

This story is starting to get almost comically repetitive: Yet another high ranking church official has caused a stir by opting for a lavish living arrangement instead of looking for more humble housing. This time it is Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the former Vatican secretary of state, who is moving in to a newly renovated 6,500-square-foot apartment, which was actually created for him by merging two smaller apartments. And Pope Francis, according to news reports, is not happy.

For those following the news, this has been a trend for bishops in recent months. Germany’s Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst will now forever be known as the “Bishop of Bling” for the $43 million in renovations to his residence, which included a $300,000 fish tank, $2.38 million for bronze window frames, and a $20,000 bath tub. The news earned him a meeting with Pope Francis about his extravagant lifestyle and Tebartz-van Elst ended up being replaced as bishop of his diocese.

Here in the United States, Newark, New Jersey Archbishop John Myers came under fire recently for a half-million dollar, 3,000-square-foot addition to the house which will serve as his retirement home. Then it was Atlanta’s Archbishop Wilton Gregory building himself a $2.2 million residence, although Gregory at least apologized after the fact and has decided not to live in the house after all. Meanwhile the pope is living in the simple Vatican guesthouse rather than the traditional–and more upscale–papal apartments.

I really don’t see the argument for bishops living in luxury housing. I understand they may need space to house guests or to have meetings, or that certain accommodations may be necessary in their older age. But it is hard for people to see their bishop as an example of Christ when he’s living a lifestyle that the vast majority of Catholics in his own diocese can’t afford.

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CHICAGO (IL)
WGN

by Sean Lewis
Anchor/Reporter

A Chicago priest, accused in December of sexual abuse, faces a new allegation today from a man who says he witnessed another incident of abuse 15 years ago.

Father Michael O’Connell stepped down as pastor at St Alphonsus Parish in Lakeview when the original allegations were made in December. And just last week, after an investigation, O’Connell was reinstated by the archdiocese when the Cook County Sheriff called the allegations unfounded.

But now the Cook County Sheriff’s Dept says it has now reopened their investigation.

Today new allegations came from a 33-year-old man who claims that he witnessed Father O’Connell sexually abuse a young teenage boy in the locker room of a south suburban gym in 1999. O’Connell, he says, had his hand down the front of the other boy’s pants.

At the time, O’Connell was priest at Our Lady of the Woods parish in Orland Park.

Priest accused of sexual misconduct cleared, resumes role at churchThe man now lives out of state but came forward because he say he believes Father O’Connell to be dangerous.

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CHICAGO (IL)
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

Second man accuses priest
Cleric was put back on the job just last week
Church officials didn’t believe first allegation
SNAP: “Suspend alleged predator immediately”
“Don’t keep endangering children,” support group says

WHAT
Holding signs and childhood photos at a sidewalk news conference, clergy sex abuse victims will disclose that

– a second accuser is reporting that he was assaulted by a just-reinstated priest, and
– he’s meeting today with police and archdiocesan officials.

They will also urge Chicago’s Cardinal Francis George to
– suspend the credibly accused child molesting cleric immediately,
– put him in a treatment center, and
– aggressively seek out others who saw, suspected or suffered the priests crimes or misdeeds and encourage them to call police or prosecutors, not Catholic officials.

WHEN
Monday, April 21 at 1:30 p.m.

WHERE
Outside the archdiocesan headquarters/chancery office, 835 N. Rush St (corner of Chestnut) Chicago, IL

WHO
Three-four victims of clergy sex crimes who belong to an international support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, including the organization’s long time president

WHY
Last week, Chicago’s Cardinal Francis George put an accused predator priest back on the job in a parish. Today, a second man who reports having been assaulted by Fr. Michael O’Connell will file a police report, meet with church officials and speak publicly about his experiences.

Last December, because of child sex abuse allegations, Fr. O’Connell stepped down from his post at St. Alphonsus Catholic parish (1429 W. Wellington Ave., 773 525 0709) in Lakeview. He was accused of molesting a boy when he worked at Our Lady of the Woods Parish (708 361 4754) in Orland Park (1997-2012).

But on April 15, archdiocesan officials announced that they consider the abuse allegations against Fr. O’Connell be “unfounded.”

Now a second man is reporting that he too was hurt by Fr. O’Connell, in a one-time incident in the 1990s at a gym. The man, who was an older teen at the time, has not disclosed this before to either secular or church authorities.

SNAP says in dozens of cases across the country, Catholic officials have reinstated an accused child molesting cleric only to later oust him permanently. Cardinal George has done that at least three times in the past few years regarding Fr Bennett, Fr McCormick and Fr. Klein.

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MINNESOTA
Minnesota Lawyer

By: Elizabeth Ahlin April 21, 2014

Attorneys for a man suing the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis plan to release a deposition transcript and video clips from the deposition of Archbishop Nienstedt Tuesday at 11 a.m. The plaintiff in the suit has alleged abuse at the hands of a priest in the 1970s.

After the four-hour deposition earlier this month, attorney Jeff Anderson accused Nienstedt of leaving early and refusing to cooperate fully. A spokesman for the archdiocese disputed that allegation.

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NEW YORK
The Legislative Gazette

By Tiffany Brooks
Staff Writer

April 21, 2014

Assemblywoman Margaret Markey is renewing her push for legislation that would give sexual assault victims more time to file criminal and civil complaints against their abusers.

Markey’s Child Victims Act (A.1771-a/ S.06367) would eliminate completely the statute of limitation on reporting criminal charges of sexual assault, erasing the current five year limitation on reporting an incident after a victim turns 18. The bill would also suspend the civil statute of limitations for one year in order to help expose older crimes and allow for possible identification of hidden abusers through the court discovery process.

“Research consistently shows that survivors of childhood sexual abuse do not come to terms with what happened to them until later in life, often not until middle age,” said Markey, D-Maspeth. “Providing more time for them to come forward not only provides justice for those who have been victimized, but will also expose pedophiles who remain hidden because of current law.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 percent of men and 18 percent of women have been sexually assaulted in their lifetime. Thirty-five percent of female victims were assaulted as minors and 28 percent of male victims were assaulted under the age of 10.

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UNITED STATES
BishopAccountability.org

Summary of Case: Edmund J. Robinson was ordained a priest of the Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus in 1955. He spent the bulk of his career working at Indian missions across the province in Montana, Washington state and Idaho. Robinson was accused in 2011 of raping a 5-year-old Native American girl in 1963 in Arlee, Montana. In 2012 his name was included in a lawsuit as a perpetrator of past child sexual abuse in Hays, Montana. Robinson was known in 2012 to have been residing since 1993 in a Jesuit community in Spokane.

Ordained: 1955

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UNITED STATES
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

Two weeks ago, New Jersey’s attorney general honored our state director Mark Crawford for his tireless work and ceaseless compassion for sex abuse victims. Crawford received the Ronald W. Reagan Award, which is the first of its kind given by the attorney general’s office.

Earlier this month, the Harvard Divinity School honored our Midwest director Peter Isley for his never-ending work for clergy sex abuse victims. Isley received the Peter J. Gomes Memorial Honors, which was established last year to honor alumni whose “excellence in life, work and service pays homage to the mission and values of Harvard Divinity School.”

Next month our western regional director Joelle Castiex will receive the Susan Laufer Award for Outstanding Contribution to Support Group Awareness from SHARE! Joelle has contributed selflessly and tirelessly to help survivors of sexual abuse find help and healing.

We’re proud of our brave and dedicated leaders, who selflessly volunteer their time and energy to help victims all over the world. Without them we would not be able to do what we do. Countless victims have been helped and future abuses have been prevented because of what they do every day.

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CHILE
ADN radio

[Summary: Juan Carlos Cruz, who has said he was abused by priest Fernando Karadima, has complained to the United National Committee on Torture that Cardinals Francisco Javier Errazuriz and Ricardo Ezzati acted to cover-up abuse by Karadima.]

Juan Carlos Cruz, uno de los denunciantes de Fernando Karadima, se refirió en ADN al informe de la Comisión de Tortura de Organización de las Naciones Unidas (ONU), que critica la responsabilidad de los cardenales Francisco Javier Errázuriz y Ricardo Ezzati, por no actuar y encubrir los casos de abusos sexual por parte del exparróco de El Bosque.

“El vaticano tiene que comparecer, porque están cuestionando ciertas cosas, va a comparecer de nuevo en Ginebra en la Comisión Contra la Tortura. Lo más impresionante es que Chile está destacado, porque se nombra con nombre y apellido a Cardenales de la iglesia chilena y esto ha sido gracias a los medios de todo el mundo”, explicó.

Además destacó que en el primer informe que entregó la ONU, “no se alcanzó a incluir a Chile, y salió el informe que fue bastante duro contra el Vaticano, ahora ellos fueron llamados ante la Comisión de Tortura y se específica lo que ha pasado en otros países y ahí se nombra a los cardenales por la contradicción de que ocupen cargos importantes”.

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

For immediate release: Monday, April 21, 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 )

We are members of a support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org). Our mission is to heal the wounded and protect the vulnerable. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we help anyone who was hurt in any institutional setting.

We have two key concerns – what Archbishop Robert Carlson is saying about the Fr. Joseph Jiang case and what Archbishop Carlson is doing about the Fr. Jiang case.

What he’s SAYING about the case is deceptive, self-serving and cruel.

There are 52 publicly accused St. Louis child molesting Catholic clerics. Archbishop Robert Carlson has been involved in clergy sex cases since 1984. And Carlson is a smart man, surrounded by plenty of smart lawyers and smart public relations people.

So Carlson knows how to respond when allegations of clergy sex crimes surface. But when his close pal Fr. Joseph Jiang was arrested Friday on a second set of criminal child sex charges, Carlson chose to publicly cast doubt on and violate the privacy of the second alleged victim’s family. Shame on him and on every person on his staff who played a role in this callous, self-serving statement.

Carlson publicly cast doubt on this courageous family when, on Friday, he issued a statement claiming that the second victim’s family supposedly didn’t mention child sex abuse until this week.

[St. Louis archdiocese]

Everyone knows that the overwhelming majority of child sex abuse victims can’t understand and disclose their trauma until decades later. So delays in reporting child sex crimes are not unusual or relevant at all.

But by mentioning the alleged delay, Carlson is deliberately casting doubt on the victim’s family.

(What’s ironic here is that in many cases, Carlson and other Catholic officials question and criticize victims who step forward decades after their abuse. Now, a victim reports promptly, while he is still a child, and Carlson attacks him too for his timing. When exactly does Carlson feel it’s appropriate for those who are raped, sodomized or fondled by priests to speak up?)

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UNITED STATES
Esquire

By Charles P. Pierce on April 21, 2014

Holy Mother Church is making saints again, and what a fine hash it is, too.

On April 27, Papa Francis is going to canonize both John Paul II and John XXIII. This is a very shrewd move, because there are a lot of people — like me — who consider JP The Deuce as a world-historical figure who deserves more credit for ending the Cold War than does, say, Ronald Reagan, but who also consider him a terrible pope — a theological reactionary and bully who was tougher on theology professors than he ever was on clerical rapists. He got fast-tracked onto the calendar of saints so that Peggy Noonan would not cry bitter tears into her Grey Goose. And, of course, now, all kinds of embarrassing chickens are coming home to roost.

Letter from John Paul’s personal secretary, Monsignor Stanislaw Dziwisz, to the prefect of the Congregation for Religious, with the pope’s approval of the Legion’s constitutions, despite Vatican reservations that they include too many rules.

The process of John Paul’s canonization began before Francis’s watch began. But it was the latter’s decision to include John XXIII, good Pope John, in the festivities, thereby throwing bones — Not literally. This isn’t the Middle Ages — to both wings of the Church. (Alas for all concerned, Maciel was quite the perv going back decades, including the brief papacy of John XXIII.) The politics of it are deft. The theology of it, less so,

Pope Francis decided to waive John XXIII’s second miracle so he could canonize both popes together, which has caused speculation about just what Francis hopes to get out of the deal. “Pope Francis made a calculated political decision on canonizing the two popes, trying to bring some unity to a fractured church,” says Jason Berry, author of Render Unto Rome, who has written extensively on the Catholic Church.

What I am already worrying about is that Good Pope John is going to get buried under an avalanche of rightist nostalgia for John Paul II, during which the sexual abuse scandal is likely not to be mentioned. John is a figure of ancient history now. John Paul was a media superstar. This is the kind of thing I’m already dreading.

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FLORIDA
Tampa Bay Times

Anna M. Phillips, Times Staff Writer
Monday, April 21, 2014

TAMPA — Another teenage girl has come forward to accuse Brandon pastor Francisco Rios of sexually abusing her, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office officials said Monday.

Already facing three charges of lewd and lascivious molestation for incidents involving a 15-year-old and a 12-year-old in his congregation, Rios will now be charged a fourth time, officials said, for inappropriately touching another 15-year-old. Arrested in early April, Rios is the pastor of the Spanish-language evangelical church Casa de Amor.

A spokeswoman for the Sheriff’s Office said detectives had known about and tried to contact the girl, but in the year since the alleged incident she had left Florida and couldn’t be reached until recently.

At a court hearing Monday, sheriff’s Detective Chris Seaton said the girls told similar stories of being alone with Rios in his office at the church on Windhorst Road. The 12-year-old said there had been multiple times when Rios slapped her behind, kissed her and touched her inappropriately, Seaton said. The first 15-year-old to come forward told the detective that Rios began touching her several years ago, but in 2013, his actions escalated.

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UNITED STATES
Religion Dispatches

Post by JULIE INGERSOLL

As I reported last Fall, Doug Phillips resigned from Vision Forum Ministries in what seemed like a sudden confession of a lengthy inappropriate relationship with a woman but with whom he denied having sex. As details trickled out it became clear the woman was the family’s nanny, a member of the church where Phillips was a leading elder (but had resigned months earlier when the church learned of his misconduct), and an employee of Vision Forum.

The details from a lawsuit filed last week against Phillips by Lourdes Torres-Manteufel only underscore the reality that this and the recent sex scandal at Bill Gothard’s Institute in Biblical Life Principles (IBLP) are more than isolated events—they shine a light on a darker side to Protestant fundamentalism that facilitates abuse.

While distinctly different, these two “ministries” share elements that facilitated the abuse, and a growing number of “alumni” are raising concerns.

Gothard has staffed the headquarters of his $95 million nonprofit with young home school volunteers, some of whom (now adults) recently started sharing stories of his behavior toward them when they were teens, away from home serving the ministry on the website Recovering Grace. A groundswell developed and Gothard was forced to resign; he’s now under investigation and on April 18th he released a statement admitting to many of the accusations but insisting they were not sexual.

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SCOTLAND
Herald Scotland

Gerry Braiden
Senior reporter

Monday 21 April 2014

A PROMINENT Catholic cleric is being sued by Scotland’s largest local authority for almost £5 million after a church-run approved school closed with major pension liabilities.

Monsignor Peter Smith, currently a Vatican attache at the United Nations in New York, is being held personally responsible for the gaping hole left in the pension pot caused by the closure of Springboig St John’s School in Glasgow almost four years ago.

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UNITED STATES
Watch Keep

Step 1: Cover for an admitted child sex offender.

Step 2: Refuse to speak with police and prosecutors about private meetings with said admitted child sex offender, claiming priest-penitent privilege, forcing prosecutors to issue subpoenas to obtain said information.

Step 3: Exert political influence and put pressure on the admitted sex offender to take the plea deal so you don’t have to comply with the subpoena to testify at the trial about the information shared with you by said admitted child sex offender.

Step 4: Remain silent on sexual abuse.

Exhibit A: Greg Belser and Philip Gunn

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UNITED STATES
The Raw Story

By Scott Kaufman
Monday, April 21, 2014

As the Catholic Church prepares for the canonization of the late popes John Paul II and John XXIII in what is being called a “Popapalooza” on April 27, concern that it may be too soon to elevate John Paul II — given his role in the ongoing child sex abuse scandal — is growing.

On Monday, the Associated Press published excerpts from 212 Vatican documents exposed in the book The Will to Not Know. They mostly concern the Reverend Marcial Maciel, leader of the troubled Order of the Legion of Christ, who possessed “a certain moral lassitude” and lived a life that “wasn’t very pious and at the same time quite comfortable.”

According to the documents, the Vatican knew about Rev. Maciel’s weaknesses beginning in 1948, and was complicit in hiding his crimes from the general public. An October 20, 1976 letter from Rev. Juan Vaca described the “disgrace and moral torment” that began when Rev. Maciel abused him one night in 1949 and listed 20 other Legion of Christ seminarians that Rev. Maciel also sexually abused.

A December 24, 1978 affidavit from another priest, Felix Alarcon, backed Rev. Vaca’s story, and added that “the fact that the drug-related and homosexual activity of the founder could occur for such a long period of time without correction is only a signal of the deeper problem of the congregation itself. The congregation is a ‘cult’ of regimented and indoctrinated followers dependent slavishly on a central dependent-figure.”

As Jason Berry, author of Render Unto Rome, told The Daily Beast, what John Paul II “did to the Church internally is a sadder story, most strikingly in his failure on the abuse crisis. Sheltering Maciel was an act of blind hubris. By elevating [John Paul II] to the same status as ‘good Pope John,’ Francis will draw groans from both sides of the Catholic divide.”

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MICHIGAN
ClickOnDetroit

Author: The Associated Press

TROY, Mich. –
Federal authorities are accusing a Detroit-area priest of fraud in the purchase of a condominium in Florida.

The government filed a lawsuit in Detroit federal court Monday to seize the Rev. Edward Belczak’s condo in Wellington, Fla. The FBI says the $110,000 down payment came from a bank account belonging to St. Thomas More parish in Troy.

The Associated Press left a message seeking Belczak’s current contact information from the Archdiocese of Detroit.

Belczak was removed from the church last year. He hasn’t been changed with a crime, but the request to take control of property means there’s a criminal investigation.

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AUSTRALIA
Broken Rites

By a Broken Rites researcher (article updated 14 April 2014)

Research by Broken Rites has demonstrated how Catholic Church leaders kept quiet about a certain Australian priest, “Father F”, for THIRTY years until the matter was finally revealed by the media (not by the church) in 2012. Church leaders now need to explain why they remained silent for so long.

Father F spent his priestly career in New South Wales. The Catholic Church in New South Wales is divided into eleven dioceses, with each diocese being responsible for recruiting its priests and assigning them to various parishes or other postings. Father F belonged to the Armidale diocese (comprising two dozen parishes) in northern New South Wales, extending along the New England Highway to the Queensland border.

Father F’s first parish (from November 1981 to about April 1984) was the town of Moree (St Francis Xavier parish), where he assisted the Parish Priest, Monsignor Frank Ryan. Thus, Father F’s first full year in Moree was 1982 — and this is when the 30-year silence began.

Ten years later, in 1993, the newly-established Broken Rites victim support group announced its Australia-wide telephone hotline. One of the first incoming calls was from a former altar boy of Father F at Moree, recalling certain things that allegedly happened in this parish in 1982-84. Soon, Broken Rites had similar phone chats with other Moree families.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
CBS St. Louis

ST. LOUIS (AP) – A 31-year-old St. Louis priest accused of sexually abusing a grade school student has been released on bail.

The Rev. Xiu Hui “Joseph” Jiang is charged with two counts of first-degree statutory sodomy involving a boy younger than 14. He’s accused of sexually abusing a male student at St. Louis Cathedral School. His lawyer has said Jiang denies the allegations.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports Jiang was released on bail Friday from the city jail. Bill Hannegan, a friend of Jiang’s, said another supporter posted the $150,000 bond but declined to identify the person who provided the bail money.

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ARGENTINA
Tiempo del San Juan

[Summary: When everything seemed to be on track to finally reach a trial of sexual abuse of his own step-daughter, former priest and former provincial deputy Juan Carlos Icazatti, 76, got a medical certificate citing health problems. He declined to go to the trial which is scheduled for April 22.]

Por Gustavo Martínez Puga

Cuando parecía estar todo encaminado para que finalmente le llegara la hora del juicio por el abuso sexual en contra de su propia hijastra, el ex sacerdote y ex diputado provincial Juan Carlos Icazatti (76) metió un certificado médico aduciendo problemas de salud y pidió no ir al debate.

Eso ocurrió una semana antes de la fecha del juicio, previsto para el próximo martes 22 de abril, a las 9 de la mañana.

Según fuentes de la Sala III de la Cámara Penal, el certificado médico que llevaron los abogados defensores a la Mesa de Entrada tiene una letra ilegible en la que sólo se alcanza a leer con precisión que “no puede movilizarse por sus propios medios”.

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ARGENTINA
Diario de Cuyo

08:55 | San Juan, 21 de abril.- La defensa de Juan Carlos Icazatti presentó un certificado médico asegurando que tiene problemas de salud y no podrá asistir al juicio en su contra que comienza mañana. El excura y exdiputado provincial que fue denunciado hace 7 años por abusar y someter a supuestas perversiones sexuales a la hija de su pareja.

Desde la Sala III de la Cámara Penal confirmaron a Diario de Cuyo Online que el escrito llegó al juzgado el pasado miércoles y el acusado ya fue revisado por el perito médico para constatar la veracidad del certificado. Se aguarda que el informe llegue hoy.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
Riverfront Times

By Lindsay Toler Mon., Apr. 21 2014

Rev. Xiuhui “Joseph” Jiang faces new charges of sexually abusing a Catholic school child five months after a judge dismissed a different case with similar allegations.

Jiang, 31, faces two counts of first-degree statutory sodomy for having sexual conduct with a boy younger than 14 at the St. Louis Cathedral School, in the 4400 block of Maryland Avenue. The boy told investigators Jiang abused him twice in a school bathroom between July 2011 and August 2012, according to court documents.

Jiang voluntarily surrendered to police Thursday, and the Archdiocese of St. Louis revoked his canonical privileges while he faces the charges.

The boy’s family reported the abuse through the Missouri Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline, according to the archdiocese. The family has claimed for the past year that their child was bullied by other students but only raised sexual abuse allegations against Jiang this week.

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NEDERLAND
kerknieuws

[Summary: The Catholic church is still not properly handling allegations of sexual abuse by priests and brothers according to three victims’ organizationS. They are outraged that the church has unilaterally terminated mediation and victim assistance.]

De Rooms-Katholieke Kerk werkt nog steeds niet mee aan een goede afhandeling van misbruik door priesters en broeders. Dat zeggen de drie slachtofferorganisaties.

Zij zijn woedend dat de kerk eenzijdig de drieluiksbemiddeling heeft opgezegd, waarbij kerk en slachtoffer met hulp van een bemiddelaar de zaak afhandelen. De kerk vindt de methode te duur, denken de slachtofferorganisaties. Respectloos van de kerk, zeggen ze, die zelfs tijdens hoorzittingen bewezen misbruik nog in twijfel trekt en weigert mee te werken aan genoegdoening en compensatie voor de slachtoffers.

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NEDERLAND
RTV Utrecht

[Summary: The reporting of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church will stop after July 1.]

UTRECHT – Het Meldpunt Seksueel Misbruik van de Katholieke Kerk stopt. Na 1 juli kunnen bij de organisatie in Utrecht geen meldingen meer worden gedaan.

De afgelopen tijd konden slachtoffers er terecht voor erkenning en compensatie voor zaken die verjaard zijn. Mensen die dat willen, kunnen na 1 juli nog wel hun verhaal doen, maar dan zonder vervolgstappen.

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UNITED STATES
Republic of Gilead

Bill Gothard, founder of the Basic Life Principles ministry and a supporter of Christian homeschooling, is embrolied in a sexual harassment scandal. Recovering Grace, a website dedicated to helping those who have been negatively impacted by Bill Gothard’s teachings, has posted statements from multiple women accusing Gothard of sexual harassment. Last month, Religion News Service reported that Gothard had resigned from the Institute of Basic Life Principles, a week after he had been placed on administrative leave.

Gothard’s ministry was popular among Quiverfull Christians and respected by the Duggar family, according to Religion News Service and No Longer Quivering. Radar Online reports that Megan Lind, one of the women who accused Gothard of sexual harassment, wrote an open letter to the Duggars urging them to reconsider their endorsement of Gothard’s ministry.

The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) expressed concern over allegations that Bob Jones University officials helped Bill Gothard cover up sexual harassment allegations against Gothard’s brother. In a March 27th statement, SNAP urged Bob Jones University to hire an outside firm to investigate these claims, arguing that “it’s best to err on the side of protecting the vulnerable and wounded, not the accused and the powerful.”

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MASSACHUSETTS
Attleboro Sun Chronicle

BY EMILY O’DONNELL SUN CHRONICLE STAFF

He cracks jokes. He rides the bus. He tweets.

With the election of Jorge Bergoglio as the 266th leader of the Roman Catholic Church, the College of Cardinals looked to the New World for the first time in choosing the 77-year-old former Jesuit cardinal from Buenos Aires, Argentina, but it’s paying off – certainly, in the Americas.

Pope Francis, whose papal name was taken from beloved Francis of Assisi (patron saint of the animals), is riding a wave of popularity barely a year after his ascension to the Throne of Saint Peter.
Thomas Boffa of Attleboro praised Francis for making the Catholic Church seem more welcoming. …

Members of the U.S.-based Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, criticized the pope and the Vatican for doing too little to punish priests who have sexually abused children.

In a speech earlier this month, Francis condemned the sexual abuse by Catholic clergy and said perpetrators will be punished. But, Barbara Dorris, SNAP’s outreach director, said the promise was “all talk.”

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INDIANA
Indianapolis Star

Will Higgins, will.higgins@indystar.com 10:12 p.m. EDT April 20, 2014

Norbert Krapf, Indiana’s poet laureate from 2008 to 2010, kept a secret for a half-century: As a boy in Jasper, in Southern Indiana, he had been molested by his parish priest, Monsignor Othmar Schroeder.

He told only his wife, Katherine, providing no details, and afterward the couple rarely spoke of it.

Krapf didn’t want the abuse to take over his life. “I wanted a career and a family, and for a long time I was able to put the abuse aside and focus on living,” he said. Norbert and Katherine Krapf (pronounced Cropf) have been married since 1970 and have two children. They spent their working lives in education in New York. She taught middle school English; he taught English at Long Island University and directed the C.W. Post Poetry Center.

He left teaching in 2004 and with his family moved back to his native Indiana to concentrate on his poetry.

Soon, for multiple reasons, childhood memories came flooding back. Indiana was the scene of the crimes, for one thing; and in 2006, Krapf read an Indianapolis newspaper account of a Catholic priest named Harry Monroe, who had abused boys throughout Indiana before being drummed out of the priesthood. Also, Krapf was aging — people often get reflective as they age. (Sting, 62, talked about this at the last TED conference; he said he recently overcame writer’s block by revisiting his old haunts.)

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VATICAN CITY
Journal Review

[note: The link cited in this story does not appear to be operational.]

Associated Press

Posted: Monday, April 21, 2014

The late Pope John Paul II and his top advisers failed to grasp the severity of the sexual abuse problem until late in his 26-year papacy, especially concerns about the troubled Legion of Christ order and its leader, the Rev. Marcial Maciel. But the Legion’s troubles were not news to the Vatican, according to a trove of 212 Vatican documents exposed in the 2012 book “The Will to Not Know” and placed online at www.lavoluntuddenosaber.com . Here’s a look at some of the more pointed criticism about Maciel from the archive, which also included plenty of letters from bishops and Vatican officials praising him and his order.
___

June 8, 1948:
—The Vatican’s envoy to Spain sends the Vatican’s Congregation for Religious an investigator’s report to determine if Maciel’s new association should be approved as a religious order. The investigator, the Jesuit Rev. Lucio Rodrigo, reports violations of the confessional seal, that Maciel falsified documents, demonstrates “a certain moral lassitude,” and lives a life that “wasn’t very pious and at the same time quite comfortable.”
___
May 28, 1962:
—The Congregation for Religious summarizes the mounting accusations against Maciel: Suspended as superior by the Vatican from 1956-1958, he was ordered to get medical help to cure his morphine “abuse.” Maciel also exhibits “dubious moral conduct,” makes personal use of “copious amounts of money” without identifying its origins, gives “dangerous” spiritual direction to others with regards to priests’ vow of chastity and demands priests in his order vow not to criticize their superiors.
That vow, which the Legion only officially removed in 2007, was key to Maciel’s success in preventing his priests from coming forward with allegations against him.

“Given the nature of the accusations … the moment has come to take definitive measures concerning Father Maciel, also to prevent great public scandal from arising,” the summary reads. The congregation recommends removing him as superior, naming a new superior and a Vatican investigator, or placing the Legion in the hands of the archbishop of Mexico City.
Nothing was done.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Hull Daily Mail

HUNDREDS of men who claim to have been abused at a notorious children’s home could have their compensation claims settled next year. A number of trials will be heard next year to determine how much compensation the men abused at the St William’s home in Market Weighton will receive.

More than 200 men are suing the Roman Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough and the De La Salle Brotherhood, who ran the home before in closed in 1992.

Judge Mark Gosnell has ruled that several lead cases will be heard next year at the High Court in Leeds, which should influence the amount of compensation most men will receive.

Christine Sands, head of personal injury at Jordans Solicitors, said: “The ruling is positive news for all of those affected by the abuse at St William’s.

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VATICAN CITY
eNCA

Monday 21 April 2014

VATICAN CITY – Pope John Paul II is rightly credited with having helped bring down communism, of inspiring a new generation of Catholics with a globe-trotting papacy and of explaining church teaching on a range of hot-button issues as Christianity entered its third millennium.

But the sexual abuse scandal that festered under his watch remains a stain on his legacy.

John Paul and his top advisers failed to grasp the severity of the abuse problem until very late in his 26-year papacy, even though U.S. bishops had been petitioning the Holy See since the late-1980s for a faster way to defrock pedophile priests.

The experience of John Paul in Poland under communist and Nazi rule, where innocent priests were often discredited by trumped-up accusations, is believed to have influenced his general defensiveness of the clergy. The exodus of clergy after the turbulent 1960s similarly made him want to hold onto the priests he still had.

Pope Francis has inherited John Paul’s most notorious failure on the sex abuse front – the Legion of Christ order that John Paul and his top advisers held up as a model. Francis, who will canonise John Paul on Sunday, must decide whether to sign off on the Vatican’s three-year reform project, imposed after the Legion admitted that its late founder sexually abused his seminarians and fathered three children.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

ST. LOUIS • The Roman Catholic Church was rocked by the clergy sex scandal in the United States more than a decade ago.

Church officials have been forced to acknowledge they moved known abusive priests from parish to parish, enabling them to claim even more victims. Tears have been shed and millions of dollars in settlements spent, along with vows that necessary reforms are in place to protect children.

And so over this Easter weekend in St. Louis, members of the region’s many Catholic parishes could be excused if they expressed both concern and fatigue as they faced news of the latest allegation of abuse by a young priest.

On Good Friday, criminal charges were brought against the Rev. Xiu Hui “Joseph” Jiang, 31, said to be a close friend of Archbishop Robert J. Carlson, over allegations that Jiang sexually abused a young boy. The molestation is alleged to have taken place on two separate occasions at St. Louis the King School, the elementary school at the St. Louis Cathedral Basilica.

Police said the unnamed boy told detectives and a forensic interviewer that sometime between July 1, 2011, and August 1, 2012, Jiang molested him in the school’s bathroom. The archdiocese has suspended the priest from his duties while the case is investigated.

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VATICAN CITY
Telegraph (UK)

Former Vatican secretary of state is combining two apartments for a 6,500 square foot residence just as Francis urges clergy to adopt a more modest lifestyle

By Josephine McKenna, Rome 20 Apr 2014

The Vatican’s former secretary of state has reportedly angered Pope Francis with his plans to move into a luxury 6,500 square foot apartment as the pope urges clergy to adopt a more modest lifestyle.

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, 79, was secretary of state from 2006 to 2013 and briefly in charge of the Holy See and its administration when Pope Benedict XVI suddenly resigned last February.

After his election Pope Francis appointed Cardinal Pietro Parolin to replace him as secretary of state.

According to the Italian daily La Repubblica, Cardinal Bertone’s lavish restructure of an apartment in the San Carlo Palace inside the walls of the Vatican is causing unease.

The flat is located next door to St Martha’s Residence – the simple Vatican hotel where Francis has made his home after spurning the ostentatious Apostolic Palace where popes usually live on the other side of St.Peter’s Square.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
ABC 17

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A 31-year-old St. Louis priest accused of sexually abusing a grade school student has been released on bail.

The Rev. Xiu Hui “Joseph” Jiang is charged with two counts of first-degree statutory sodomy involving a boy younger than 14. He’s accused of sexually abusing a male student at St. Louis Cathedral School. His lawyer has said Jiang denies the allegations.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports Jiang was released on bail Friday from the city jail. Bill Hannegan, a friend of Jiang’s, said another supporter posted the $150,000 bond but declined to identify the person who provided the bail money.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
KMOV

by Adam McDonald, KMOV.com staff
Posted on April 20, 2014 at 8:04 PM

(KMOV) — A St. Louis priest accused of sexually abusing a grade school student is out of jail after a supporter posted bond.

The Reverend Xiu Hui “Joseph” Jiang is charged with two counts of first degree statutory sodomy involving a boy younger than 14 at the St. Louis Cathedral School.

The Archdiocese of St. Louis suspended Jiang from duties pending the case.

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VITTA DEL VATICANO
La Repubblica

di MARCO ANSALDO

CITTÀ DEL VATICANO – Papa Francesco abita a Casa Santa Marta in un bilocale di circa 70 metri quadrati. Il cardinale Tarcisio Bertone, da 6 mesi non più Segretario di Stato, inaugurerà presto il suo attico a Palazzo San Carlo, la cui ampiezza viene data di poco inferiore ai 700 metri quadrati. Circa 10 volte in più, comunque, di Sua Santità.

In Vaticano, entrando dalla Porta del Perugino, la Domus Sanctae Marthae e il Palazzo San Carlo sono edifici vicini. La prima di dimensioni ridotte, il secondo imponente. Quando Bergoglio, dopo aver osservato i complessi lavori di ristrutturazione nella struttura a fianco, è stato informato su chi sarebbe stato il suo vicino di casa, si è arrabbiato non poco. Ora non può certo cacciare di casa l’inquilino. Ma la sua ira su chi in Curia ancora resiste al suo titanico tentativo di cambiamento non è passata inosservata il Giovedì santo prima di Pasqua quando, davanti al clero riunito in San Pietro, si è scagliato contro i preti “untuosi, sontuosi e presuntuosi”, che devono avere invece “come sorella la povertà”.

La casa dove presto, prima dell’estate, il cardinale Bertone si trasferirà, ha dimensioni sontuose perché unisce due appartamenti: quello un tempo assegnato a Camillo Cibin, capo della Gendarmeria per tutto il pontificato di Karol Wojtyla, fra i 300 e i 400 metri, da cui è stata infine sloggiata la vedova; e quello di monsignor Bruno Bertagna, vicepresidente del Pontificio Consiglio per i Testi legislativi, deceduto alla fine del 2013, di metratura intorno ai 200. A questi metri interni vanno però aggiunti circa 100 di terrazzo

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VATICAN CITY
GlobalPost

An Italian cardinal is moving into a 600-square-metre (6,500 square foot) Vatican apartment in apparent contradiction with Pope Francis’s call for a “poor Church”, Italian daily La Repubblica reported on Sunday.

Tarcisio Bertone is the Vatican’s former Secretary of State, a role equivalent to prime minister, and the report said his luxury lodgings were stirring unease as Francis has pushed for clergymen to be more humble.

The flat also has a 100-square-metre roof terrace and is next to St Martha’s Residence — a Vatican hotel where Francis has taken up home, spurning the grander Apostolic Palace where popes usually live.

La Repubblica said that Bertone’s flat would be about 10 times bigger than the apartment where Francis is living and that he was planning to move in before the summer after extensive building work.

It said the house combined an apartment of up to 400 square metres formerly inhabited by the head of the gendarmerie under John Paul II and the roughly 200-square metre flat where a Vatican monsignor lived.

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UNITED STATES
Boston Globe

By John L. Allen Jr. | GLOBE STAFF APRIL 19, 2014

Every spring in Rome, the big production is normally the Easter Mass celebrated by the pope. This year Easter remains the spiritual linchpin, but in popular terms it’s more like a warm-up act for next Sunday’s double-play canonizations of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II.

This will be the first time two popes have been declared saints in the same ceremony, and although projections vary, well over a million people could turn out in Rome to watch history being made, with millions more following the event on TV or over the Internet.

Here are five things to know about the biggest Vatican happening of early 2014.

First, putting these two popes together amounts to a call for unity between the church’s liberal and conservative wings.

In the Catholic street, John XXIII is an icon of the left, remembered as the pope who launched the reforming Second Vatican Council and opened the Church to the modern world. John Paul II is a hero to the right, the pope who brought down Communism, who fought what he called a “culture of death” behind liberalizing currents on abortion and other life issues, and who insisted on strong Catholic identity vis-à-vis secular pressures to water down the faith.

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UNITED STATES
Questions from a Ewe

Next week’s double pope canonization extravaganza is creating a lot of sainthood “buzz” in the air right now. Therefore, I thought I’d offer some tips for sainthood.

First, Catholic dogma says the Communion of Saints includes official canonized and beatified saints, anybody in heaven, and all believers on earth. So, if you believe in Jesus, congratulations, you’re already a saint! You can stop reading now and go do something more productive.

However, this common, garden-variety sainthood does not land people on religious trading cards and rarely results in statues being erected in your honor, or churches, schools, and ritzy vacation spots being named after you. If you’re going for that high-profile, high-revenue type of sainthood, then keep reading.

I’ve been plowing through saint records and building a database to catalog demographic information for well over 10% of the canonized and beatified folks. If my calculations are correct, the sampling I’ve done so far yields statistics with a 3.5% margin of error for projections across the full canonized / beatified population. Good news, some of these statistics are so skewed, the 3.5% margin of error is kitten’s play.

My advice if you want to be an officially recognized saint:

1. Be male. Based on my sample set, 84% of canonized and beatified people were male. You might scratch your head in confusion since 80% of the church’s work is done by women, and women are over 50% of the world’s population. This might seem backwards to you. No, no…I beg of you; don’t let facts, equity and reality confuse you. If you insist on logic and equity, you probably should stop reading now before you injure your brain or sense of righteousness. That statistic simply reflects church hierarchical members’ value system and helps us quantify it. They see men as being over five times more virtuous and holy than women…end of story.

2. Be a priest, monk, or religious brother. About 60% of all official saints were ordained or religious males. If we look at only the male saints…that tiny 84% majority of all saints…the number jumps to around 70% who were ordained or religious. So if you’re going to be male, be a priest too, to up your odds.

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AUSTRALIA
The Australian

Prayers for ‘a way forward’

ROSIE LEWIS THE AUSTRALIAN APRIL 21, 2014

THE prospect of finding a path forward, personal transformation and a “better church for all” were the central themes of yesterday’s Easter Sunday service given by the Bishop of Parramatta Anthony Fisher.

Speaking after leading a packed morning mass, Bishop Fisher, who is considered among the frontrunners to replace Cardinal George Pell as Archbishop of Sydney, said he had been praying for “a way forward” in the wake of the child sex abuse inquiry.

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CANADA
Sylvia’s Site

A number of people have been asking me what happened at the trial at which I testified in Victoria, BC on 12 March of this year.

I didn’t have a clue. I was there for one day. There was no media coverage. I was in the dark.

Well, the following article appeared in yesterday’s Victoria Times Colonist:

15 April 2014: Blogger found guilty of violating judge’s publication ban

Gregory Hartnell has been found guilty of breaching the publication ban on the Father Phil Jacobs preliminary hearing. And, yes, the breach entailed comments he blogged on Sylvia’s Site. I thought there was more to the charges than that, but, as I found out when I arrived in Victoria to testify, the charges related solely to comments he posted on Sylvia’s Site.

The message to one and all is loud and clear: please please take care one and all on reporting what happens in court during preliminary hearings. There is virtually always a publication ban on all testimony at preliminary hearings. And there is generally always a publication ban on the identity of victims at both preliminary hearings and at trial.

As you see, there was also a publication ban on the Hartnell trial. I wasn’t aware of that until now. Thankfully, for a variety of reasons, I didn’t blog a word 🙂 What an absolute comedy of errors that would have been!

Anyway, the verdict for Gregory Hartnell is guilty. Sentencing is yet to come. But, as you see, Hartnell is first challenging the constitutionality of Section 539. (1) of the Criminal Code of Canada. If that section is struck down Hartnell will not be convicted. I would guess that this is a Charter challenge claiming right to freedom of speech?

Here is the wording of Section 539 (1) of the Criminal Code:

539. [1] Prior to commencement of the taking of evidence at a preliminary inquiry, the justice holding the inquiry

[a] may, if application therefor is made by the prosecutor, and
[b] shall, if application therefor is made by any of the accused,
make an order directing that the evidence taken at the inquiry shall not be published in any newspaper or broadcast before such time as, in respect of each of the accused,

[c] he is discharged; or
[d] if he is ordered to stand trial, the trial is ended.
I don’t know when the next court date is. I will do what I can next week to find out. I am certainly interested.

The judges’ Reasons for Judgement (for the guilty verdict) should be posted within the next week or so. Perhaps that will be put on hold pending the outcome of the challenge? if not I will post for the benefit of all. It is good for all of us to know.

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DEUTSCHLAND
Zeit

VON KAI BIERMANN

20. April 2014
Manche reisen nach dem Abitur in die Welt, manche suchen sich eine Lehrstelle, viele studieren. Klara geht ins Kloster. Es ist das Jahr 2003. Der Krieg im Irak hat gerade begonnen, in Österreich regiert zum zweiten Mal die FPÖ mit, Arnold Schwarzenegger wird Gouverneur in Kalifornien. Für Klara ist das alles fernes Rauschen. Viel lauter ist eine Stimme in ihr, die sagt, sie sei berufen. Klara ist neunzehn Jahre alt.

Sie ist in Süddeutschland aufgewachsen, mit sechs Geschwistern und der Überzeugung, dass die Kirche Halt und Trost gibt. “Seit ich sechzehn war, wollte ich Nonne werden”, sagt sie. Heute will sie davon erzählen, um andere zu warnen. Es war ein Wunsch, an dem sie fast zugrunde ging.

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DEUTSCHLAND
Focus

Horrende Baukosten haben den Limburger Bischof Franz-Peter Tebartz van Elst sein Amt gekostet, sein ausschweifender Stil ließ ihn als Protz-Bischof bekannt werden. Der ehemalige Augsburger Bischof Walter Mixa, selbst höchst umstritten, findet nun tröstende Worte.

Der ehe­ma­li­ge Augs­bur­ger Bi­schof Wal­ter Mixa (72) hält die ak­tu­el­le Si­tua­ti­on des Franz-Peter Te­bartz van Elst (54) aus Lim­burg mit der von Jesus für ver­gleich­bar: “Ich kann mir gut vor­stel­len, dass sich mein bi­schöf­li­cher Mit­bru­der ganz ak­tu­ell in einem Ge­müts­zu­stand gro­ßer Ver­las­sen­heit und Trau­rig­keit be­fin­det. Da hilft der Glau­be und das Wis­sen darum, dass Jesus Chris­tus selbst, der ohne Sünde ge­we­sen ist, den­noch un­ge­rech­tem Ur­teil und dem Spott der Menge aus­ge­setzt war,” sagte Mixa in einem In­ter­view mit “Bild am Sonntag”

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DEUTSCHLAND
Die Welt

[Summary: Former Augsburg Bishop Walter Mixa feels great compassion for his colleague Franz-Peter Tebartz van Elst. He said he can well imagine the former Limburg bishops is feeling desolation and sadness. Pope Francis accepted Tebartz van Elst’s resignation after a scandal where he spent more than 30 million euros on his official residence.]

Der ehemalige Augsburger katholische Bischof Walter Mixa, 72, empfindet großes Mitleid mit seinem Amtsbruder Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, 54. “Ich kann mir gut vorstellen, dass sich mein bischöflicher Mitbruder ganz aktuell in einem Gemütszustand großer Verlassenheit und Traurigkeit befindet”, sagte Mixa mit Blick auf den früheren Limburger Bischof in einem Interview der “Bild am Sonntag”.

Da helfe der Glaube und das Wissen darum, dass “Jesus Christus selbst, der ohne Sünde gewesen ist, dennoch ungerechtem Urteil und dem Spott der Menge ausgesetzt war”, sagte Mixa.

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AUSTRALIA
Broken Rites

By a Broken Rites researcher (article updated 16 April 2014)

The Melbourne Catholic Archdiocese knew that Father Wilfred James Baker was committing crimes against children but it allowed him to continue in the priesthood, thereby inflicting him on more victims. This cover-up was finally exposed by Broken Rites and Baker was jailed. After he finished this jail term, more of his earlier victims came forward. But, in February 2014, Baker he died before the courts could sentence him again.

Broken Rites first heard about Father Baker after Broken Rites launched its Australia-wide telephone hotline in late 1993. Broken Rites advised these callers that victims should contact the Victoria Police sexual offences and child abuse unit. As a result, detectives eventually charged Baker with child-sex crimes.

During Baker’s court proceedings in 1999, the court learned that one of Australia’s most prominent Catholic leaders, Archbishop Frank Little, had ignored complaints about Father Baker’s child-sex crimes.

In the Melbourne County Court on 8 June 1999, Father Wilfred James Baker (then aged 62) was sentenced to four years’ jail, with parole after two years. A Broken Rites researcher was present in court.

What the judge said

In a pre-sentence hearing on 7 June 1999, Judge Russell Lewis told the court that, at the Gladstone Park parish (in Melbourne’s north-west) in 1978, a family complained to the church that Father Billy Baker was misbehaving towards their young son. The judge said Melbourne’s Archbishop Frank Little was made aware of the complaint. Despite this (said the judge) Baker was then transferred from the Gladstone parish to Eltham (in Melbourne’s north-east).

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AUSTRALIA
Broken Rites

By a Broken Rites researcher

A Sydney woman (who will be referred to by Broken Rites as “Mandy”) has revealed that a Catholic priest (Father Kevin Cox) sexually abused her for six years from the age of eleven. Furthermore, the sexual abuse resulted in a pregnancy at age 17 — and then the priest paid for an abortion.

After these six years, Father Cox reluctantly apologised to the family for his sexual abuse of the girl. He also reluctantly admitted the sexual abuse to his bishop. However, the diocese granted him a transfer to another parish and allowed him to continue working as a priest for the next 15 years, until Mandy finally reported the sexual abuse to the police when she was nearly 32.

After the police charged Father Cox in court with his earliest sexual crimes against the child (at the age of 11 to 13), his supporters in the church sprang to his defence. After a jury convicted him of these crimes, church leaders and priests wrote “good-character” references for him, asking the court for a lenient sentence. A judge gave Cox a part-time jail sentence but church lawyers appealed to a higher court against the criminal conviction and won an acquittal for the priest.

Privately, a church leader apologised to Mandy’s mother, acknowledging that the priest had broken his priestly vows in doing what he did to Mandy.

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AUSTRALIA
Broken Rites

By a Broken Rites reseacher (article updated 18 April 2014)

Australians may soon learn more about how the Catholic Church protected the paedophile priest Terrence Pidoto for 25 years while he committed crimes against boys in his parishes. Pidoto, who is in jail, will be interviewed by police again in 2014 because more of his alleged victims have come forward. This Broken Rites article is the most comprehensive account available about the Pidoto cover-up.

In 2014 Pidoto is reaching the end of a seven-year jail sentence for crimes that he committed durng his priestly career in the Melbourne Catholic archdiocese.

On 17 April 2014, a Melbourne magistrate granted permission to detectives from the Victoria Police sex crime squad to interview Pidoto in jail for four hours about some new allegations.

The detectives are from a special unit, Taskforce Sano, which was established to investigate historical and new allegations that have emanated from the Victorian Parliamentary inquiry into child sex abuse.

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VATICAN CITY
Vatican Insider

A bishop in Scotland and another in the US have renounced lavish living in exchange for simpler lifestyles

ANDREA TORNIELLI
VATICAN CITY

Clerics have been changing their ways since the scandal involving the Bishop of Limburg, Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, who was forced to leave his German diocese after faithful protested against the exorbitant sum he spent on his new residence complex, a whopping thirty million Euros. In recent weeks, Atlanta’s archbishop, Wilton Gregory admitted that he authorized an excessively expensive restructuring project for his residence, a mansion that was donated to him. The project cost two million dollars. Now, the newly appointed bishop of Paisley, John Keenan, has announced he wants to live in a parsonage in a low-income housing estate.

The Francis effect is taking root it seems. The Pope has not asked any bishop to copy him: it is a well-known fact that Francis never lived in the apartment reserved for him as archbishop and cardinal, preferring instead to take a simple room in the Curia building. In the Vatican he chooses to reside at St. Martha’s House instead of the Apostolic Palace, “for psychological reasons”, because he likes having people around him. He has spoken about the poverty and sobriety of men of the Church on many occasions but his example is not becoming contagious.

In an interview with The Herald, the prelate said Francis and himself dreamt of a Church that went out into the street and got dirty instead of clinging onto safety. “When people see a church not just giving to the poor and the excluded but being among them and living with them joyfully, then they will really begin to believe there is a way out of the vicious cycle of living for yourself in your own little bubble.”

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IRELAND
The Association of Catholic Priests

Despite the fact that protests about criticism in the media of Catholic priests in Ireland can sometimes be self-serving and counter-productive, and despite the fact that cartoons of their nature tend to be edgy and provocative, the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) believes that the publication of the Martyn Turner cartoon in The Irish Times (April 16th, 2014) is gratuitously insulting to Irish Catholic priests, many of whom are readers of that paper.

The cartoon’s resonances of sectarianism and bigotry have no place in the pages of a newspaper which prides itself, as it does, on fairness and high standards in its coverage, not least its awareness of the bigger picture. It would be difficult to imagine a similar publication of such an offensive cartoon in regard to the clergy of any other denomination or faith.

On behalf of our 1000-plus members and other Catholic priests, the ACP protests in the strongest possible terms at this unacceptable slur on the Irish priesthood.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

By Tim O’Neil

The Rev. Xiu Hui “Joseph” Jiang, who is charged with sexually abusing a young male student at St. Louis Cathedral School, was released on bail Friday from the city jail, a friend said.

Bill Hannegan, a friend of Jiang’s, said another supporter posted the $150,000 bond set by a St. Louis circuit judge. Hannegan declined to identify the person who made bond for the Catholic priest.

Jiang, 31, of the 3400 block of Lafayette Avenue, was charged with two counts of first-degree statutory sodomy involving a boy younger than 14.

The charges allege he had sexual contact with the boy twice in a school bathroom between July 1, 2011, and Aug. 1, 2012.

The Archdiocese of St. Louis suspended him from duties pending the case. He previously had been accused in Lincoln County of contact with a teenage girl, but that case was dismissed.

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UNITED STATES
Religion News Service

Boz Tchividjian | Apr 18, 2014

This week I have found myself moved by how the sufferings of Jesus are tragically similar to the sufferings of so many who have been abused. These similarities are no coincidence and for some reason they have been a source of comfort to me during this important week in the Christian faith. Perhaps, you may find some comfort as well.

Failed promises: Survivors are frequently promised support from those who never follow through. In fact, it is often those same people who end up asking the hurting survivor, “Can’t you just move on?” Just hours before he denies even knowing Jesus, Peter promises Jesus, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” Jesus understands.

Betrayed: Over 90% of victims are abused by someone they know and trust. Someone who has spent a lot time with the victim and shared many life experiences. Someone who nobody expects would betray and abuse. Judas spent three years with Jesus and had shared some amazing moments with him and the other disciples. Nobody expected Judas to betray Jesus. Jesus understands.

Abandoned: Survivors are often abandoned when those they hope will walk alongside them fall asleep or flee. This leaves them alone and all too often in the hands of those who will inflict more pain. On the night that he was betrayed, Jesus asked three of his closest disciples to come with him to pray. Instead of praying, they fell asleep. When Jesus needed them most, they were focused on themselves. If that wasn’t bad enough, a few hours later they ran away from Jesus when Judas arrived with the soldiers. Jesus understands.

Abused and mocked by the Church: I have encountered too many survivors who have been dehumanized by a Church that mocks them and demands their silence. After being arrested, Jesus was immediately taken before Caiaphas the high priest. In the place where one might hope that the Son of God would be loved and served, Jesus was mocked, slapped, spit upon and silenced. Jesus understands.

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IRELAND
RTE News

The Irish Times has apologised for publishing a controversial cartoon by its contributor Martyn Turner, calling it “an editorial lapse”.

The cartoon, published on Wednesday, dealt with mandatory reporting requirements for priests on child abuse and portrayed a priest saying he “would do anything for children, but not that”.

An editorial in this morning’s newspaper said things sometimes “flew under the editorial radar”.

The editorial said the cartoon had taken an unfortunate and unjustified “sideswipe at all priests”, suggesting that none of them could be trusted by with children.

The cartoon had caused considerable offence, the paper said, and it regretted and apologised for the hurt.

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AUSTRALIA
Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse

The Royal Commission will hold a public hearing in Perth from Monday 28 April 2014. The hearing will look into the experiences of a number of men who were resident at Christian Brothers’ residences in Western Australia and the responses of the Christian Brothers and relevant Western Australian State authorities to allegations of child sexual abuse at the residences.

The public hearing will be held at:

Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission
111 St Georges Terrace
Perth WA 6000

All those attending the hearing must go through security which will include screening of bags. People attending the hearing are advised where possible, to minimise what they take with them.

The scope and purpose of the public hearing is to inquire into:
1. The experiences of a number of men who were resident at one or more of the residences operated by the Congregation of Christian Brothers (the Christian Brothers) in Western Australia: Castledare Junior Orphanage, St Vincent’s Orphanage Clontarf, St Mary’s Agricultural School Tardun and Bindoon Farm School (the Christian Brothers’ institutions).
2. The response of the former Christian Brothers’ Province of Western Australia and South Australia and the current Province of Oceania and relevant Western Australian State authorities to complaints made about any member of the Christian Brothers who was engaged in teaching or other activities at each of the Christian Brothers’ institutions.
3. The conduct of the claims made through Towards Healing, Redress WA, civil action and/or directly to the Christian Brothers for compensation or assistance by each of the residents and the experience of each in the relevant process
4. The evidence and findings of other inquiries relating to the Christian Brothers’ institutions.
Any other related matters.

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VATICAN CITY
Go Banking Rates

By Christina Lavingia

In recent years, the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR), often referred to as the Vatican Bank, has come under scrutiny for its lack of transparency and use of funds. With a history of accusations tying the Vatican Bank to everything from money-laundering to connections with the Mafia to, most recently, the funneling of tens of millions of dollars toward legal settlements surrounding priest sex-abuse scandals, many are calling for the Vatican Bank to be more upfront about where its money comes from — and goes.

Recent Years of Controversy for the Vatican Bank

According to CNBC, in 2010, the Italian government began investigating the Vatican Bank after the Bank of Italy notified the authorities about two transactions it made totaling $30 million, from Credito Artigianato to JPMorgan Chase and Banca del Fucino. The Vatican violated Italian law by not stating the origin of the money, but denied any wrongdoing; the matter was eventually dropped.

The Vatican Bank officially operates as a financial institution designed to support charitable work, meaning it can avoid typical banking governance. However, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI tried to get the Vatican on the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development’s “white list” in 2010, designated for countries that uphold international banking standards.

At the end of that year, Benedict created the Financial Information Authority as an independent agency to oversee the Vatican Bank and other Vatican-related institutions in regard to their financial activities.

However, the 2012 “Vatileaks” affair, in which Benedict’s former butler leaked documents disclosing transfers made to the American church to cover its more than $3 billion in sex-abuse settlements, made it clear that the Vatican Bank was still struggling with corruption.

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IRELAND
Irish Independent

Why protection of vulnerable children must always take precedence over the seal of the confessional

EILIS O’HANLON – PUBLISHED 20 APRIL 2014

HISTORY is full of pioneers who stood up bravely against unjust laws and brought about change. Martin Luther King. Rosa Parks. The abseiling lesbians who famously stormed the House of Lords and later broke into the studio live on air as Sue Lawley read the BBC News.

To that illustrious list can now be added a new name, that of Fr Gearoid O Donnchu, who last week told Newstalk that he wouldn’t co-operate with new laws on the reporting of child abuse. Truly, the spirit of principled civil disobedience fostered by Mahatma Gandhi lives on.

Meanwhile, back in the real world …

Fr O Donnchu was responding to the publication of the Children First Bill, which makes it mandatory for certain professions and holders of official posts to report their suspicions of child abuse to the Child and Family Agency. This includes doctors, nurses, teachers, guards, social workers, psychologists, childcare workers, as well as priests. But of course, it’s the clergy who’ve been hogging the headlines with their concerns about the new system and its impact on the sanctity of the confessional.

Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast, retired parish priest O Donnchu practically painted himself as a martyr to the cause, telling Chris O’Donoghue: “The seal of confession takes precedence over everything – even my own safety.” In his own mind, no doubt he was the heir to Montgomery Clift in Hitchcock’s I Confess, who was willing to stand trial for a murder he didn’t commit rather than tell the police that the real killer had admitted all in the confession box. To the rest of us, he just came across as a man who needs to rethink his priorities.

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UNITED STATES
POPE FRANCIS the CON-Christ.

Paris Arrow

Updated April 19, 2014

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil i.e. the Vatican Mammon Beast – – is for (enough) good men and good women – to do and say (write and draw) nothing.

The mission of the singing Irish priests cartoon by Martyn Turner is ‘for the pen is mightier than the sword’ to sever the Octopus Dei Beast. It’s similar to the non-violence method of Gandhi in India that brought down the mighty British Empire from the rising to the setting of the sun that rose in the east and set in the west covering the globe which the Vatican Mammon Beast now occupies. Read the Vatican Mammon Beast a.k.a. Opus Dei Beast http://pope-francis-con-christ.blogspot.ca/2014/02/mark-of-vatican-mammon-beast-aka-opus.html

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

For immediate release: Friday, April 18

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

Our deepest sympathies go out to both families whose children have been sexually violated by Fr. Joseph Jiang.

Because of the first criminal charges against him, Fr. Jiang was suspended from his parish in June 2012. Carlson assured his flock that Fr. Jiang would be kept away from kids. Evidently, Carlson didn’t honor his promise, because Fr. Jiang is now charged with molesting a different child just two months later (in August 2012).

We especially feel sorry for these brave families because Archbishop Robert Carlson continues to play mean-spirited legal hardball to protect his close pal, Fr. Jiang.

Today, through one of his public relations staff, Carlson released a statement impugning the honesty and motives of the family of the second child who has reportedly been sexually assaulted by Fr. Jiang.

[St. Louis archdiocese]

Neither Carlson, his lawyers nor his professional public relations people are stupid. They desperately want to prevent embarrassing lawsuits. They know that it helps to quickly scare others who saw, suspected or suffered Fr. Jiang’s crimes into keeping silent. And they know that one good way to ensure silence is to quickly and publicly question the honesty of those who speak up. We believe that’s why Carlson claims that this victim’s family 1) supposedly raised concerns about bullying in their parochial school and 2) supposedly didn’t mention child sex abuse until this week.

Shame on Carlson, his lawyers and his PR team. Neither of those allegations – even if they are true – have any bearing whatsoever on whether these new criminal charges are valid.

Both of those claims might well discourage others with information about predator priests from stepping forward. We believe that’s Carlson’s motive here. What other reason could there be for Carlson to publicly make these allegations – or any allegations – about a victim or his or her family?

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UNITED STATES
The Wartburg Watch

We live in a hurried world and constantly search for time savers. Today, TWW presents a time saver for pastoral search committees all over the world. We know how much time and effort goes into reading resumes of pastoral candidates. This is followed by phone conversations and visits to the candidate’s current church. Then there is the candidate visit in which people quiz him in order to figure out if he is a good fit. The process can take months. Here is one way to save time in that exhaustive search if you have a candidate who is a recent graduate of SBTS.

This week, Al Mohler announced big changes in faculty retention at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, the flagship seminary of the SBC. Some might view the changes in a negative light. However, time saving experts should hail the changes. Al Mohler has clarified, front and center, the carefully honed belief structure of the seminary and the internalized gospel © playbook will be part and parcel of the graduates of this seminary.

In a post written for Southern News (a publication of SBTS so they should have gotten this right) Southern Seminary Trustees Update Faculty Hiring Policies, ‘Unify’ Faculty, we are told what is in the future of SBTS.

For the sake of brevity, I will focus on a few items. We urge you to read the full article.

* In order to continue to “attract and retain a first-class academic faculty,
* All actions of the board were unanimous.
* Under new employment policies, all elected faculty will serve under a “simple academic instructional contract” rather than a tenure-based contract.
* we have returned to making the election of faculty by the board of trustees the most important issue,
* (Tenure) no longer ensures academic quality, but actually is a major impediment to it.”
* Tenure is a “ticking fiscal time-bomb”

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IRELAND
Irish Central

Patrick Counihan @irishcentral April 19, 2014

The Catholic Archbishop of Dublin has accused the Vatican of delaying church reform in Ireland in the wake of clerical sex abuse scandals.

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has told the Irish Times that delegation sent by Rome in the wake of Murphy and Ryan reports on abuse effectively held up reform of the church in Ireland.

The delegation which included leading Irish American prelates Cardinal Sean O’Malley and Cardinal Timothy Dolan were sent to Ireland by the Vatican following the publication of the reports in 2009 to establish what went wrong in the Irish church.

Dr Martin believes the apostolic visitation delayed real reform.

He said: “The visits froze the Irish church at a particular moment and actually, in some ways, delayed reforms in the Irish church.

“My comments are not a criticism of those who carried out the visitation, but maybe a criticism of those who planned it.”

He added: “The visitation from Rome set expectations it was never going to realise and I think there are lessons to be learned for future events of that kind.

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GEORGIA
Mercury News

The Associated Press
POSTED: 04/18/2014

ATLANTA (AP) — Residents are objecting to the Archdiocese of Atlanta’s plans to renovate a house in the city’s upscale Buckhead neighborhood so it can be a home for a group of priests in the latest dust-up involving the home.

The dispute involves Atlanta Catholic Archbishop Wilton Gregory’s former residence, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported (http://bit.ly/19h2mCB ). Earlier this month, Gregory said he would sell a $2.2 million mansion after parishioners complained it wasn’t in line with the tone of austerity Pope Francis has set. Gregory still lives in the mansion but plans to move.

Attorney Hakim Hilliard, who represents some residents near the house, said the planned renovation would create a dormitory for a half-dozen priests in a historic neighborhood zoned for single-family homes. Hilliard said the parish is trying to create a church annex in a neighborhood where such structures are not allowed, and that it should have obtained a special-use permit but did not.

Plans for the project include a chapel, bar, exercise room and other amenities, and the initial estimate for the improvements is $292,000, the Atlanta newspaper reported.

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GEORGIA
WABE

[with audio]

By MICHELL ELOY

There’s a new controversy involving the Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta and housing, after some Buckhead residents say they oppose a plan to move some priests into a house previously inhabited by Archbishop Wilton Gregory.

Christ the King Catholic Church spokesperson Dave Fitzgerald said the church is taking a second look at its plans to move six of its priests into the home, but said the church still intends to move forward.

“We’re convinced that everything we plan to do to the property is in accordance with all city codes,” Fitzgerald said,” adding later that new attention to the issue prompted the church to “revisit” its plans.

But some area residents disagree.

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ITALIA
Primo Numero

[Summary: The case of former priest Don Marino Genova, who is accused of pedophilia, has been sent to the Holy Office at the Vatican following a canonical trial held in Pescara.]

Dopo il processo canonico che si è svolto a Pescara ora la parola passa alla Congregazione per la dottrina della Fede, istituzione interna al Vaticano, che dovrà pronunciarsi sulla richiesta della riduzione allo stato laicale del sacerdote accusato di presunti abusi sessuali. Francesco Zanardi, presidente della Rete dell’Abuso che segue le sorti e le vicende della presunta vittima Giada Vitale, esprime un velo di preoccupazione: «Non si parla di tempi, anche perché il processo canonico non ha alcuna attinenza con quello civile. Al momento non vi è certezza neppure del fatto che Giada ottenga giustizia dalla chiesa».

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IRELAND
The Irish Times

[Commission of Investigation Report into the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin (Murphy Report) via BishopAccountability.org.]

Archbishop says not enough was done to help priests after the report’s publication

Patsy McGarry

Sat, Apr 19, 2014

Not enough was done to help priests after the Murphy report into the handling of allegations of clerical child sex abuse was published in 2009, Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has said.

In an interview to mark 10 years since he became archbishop in April 2004, he said it was “a fair criticism” to say that not enough had been done to deal with “the trauma of priests” after the publication of the Murphy report, but add- ed that the atmosphere “became so difficult that it wouldn’t have been easy to do that”.

A lot of priests were “genuinely traumatised” and “a polarisation came out of that”.

Soon meetings “were not about the Murphy report”. Instead, much of the reaction “was about church personalities, not about the children”.

‘No denial’

He noted that now there was “a certain revisionism of the Murphy report abroad”, which he rejected. “The pope himself has said that he wants to take/assume a responsibility within the church for what happened. There can be no denial of that and there can be no denial that the church in which that happened had got it severely wrong,” he said.

What upset Martin most after the publication of the Murphy report was “the sort of bland apologies. It just wasn’t, to me, the sort of reaction that should be coming from a situation within the church of Jesus Christ in which you had the sort of thing said to me, ‘I studied law and in all my course there was never mention of paedophilia’.”

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IRELAND
The Irish Times

Sat, Apr 19, 2014

At The Irish Times the default position has been and will remain that the views expressed, often robustly, by our columnists and contributors such as cartoonist Martyn Turner, are largely sacrosanct. We’re in the business of providing a platform for civilised debate between articulators of a wide range of views from left to right, social conservative to liberal, to whatever you’re having yourself, and whose presence in these pages has never implied our endorsement .

That aspiration is very much in the spirit of the obligations placed on the paper’s editors by the Irish Times Trust’s principles which require the paper to ensure that “comment and opinion shall be informed and responsible … and special consideration shall be given to the reasonable representation of minority interests and divergent views” and to uphold “the promotion of peace and tolerance and opposition to all forms of violence and hatred, so that each man may live in harmony with his neighbour, considerate for his cultural, material and spiritual needs.”

That means, however, that there is no carte blanche , and that there are ground rules which we try to adhere to, mostly with no argument from those contributors. Civilised debate, we accept, requires the eschewing of ad hominem argument, playing the ball, not the man, and avoiding crude stereotyping.

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IRELAND
The Journal

THE IRISH TIMES has apologised for a controversial Martyn Turner cartoon, calling its publication an “editorial lapse”.

In an apology published today, the paper said that Turner “took an unfortunate and unjustified side-swipe at all priests, suggesting that none of them can be trusted with children”.

The cartoon, which was removed from the paper’s website, depicted three priests standing next to each other; the priest in the centre was holding a paper with ‘Children’s First Bill’ and ‘mandatory reporting’ written on it.

The Bill will make it mandatory for certain professions and post-holders to report incidents of harm and the risk of harm

The Irish Times’ apology today said the paper ‘regrets and apologies for the hurt caused’.

“This has, unsurprisingly, caused considerable offence and we regret and apologise for the hurt caused by the cartoon whose use in that form, we acknowledge, reflected a regretable [sic] editorial lapse.”

The apology notes that the views of columnists and contributors are “largely sacrosanct”, but that under obligations placed on the paper by the Irish Times Trust, “there are ground rules”.

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RELAND
The Irish Times

[Vatican delegation delayed church reform, says Martin]

Full interview with head of Dublin diocese by Patsy McGarry

Sat, Apr 19, 2014

The Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin will be 10 years in that role on Saturday next, April 26th. He reflects on the past decade in an interview with Religious Affairs Correspondent Patsy McGarry.

What was the high point of the past 10 years where you are concerned?

“It was the way in which the peoples in our parishes rallied after the Murphy report (it investigated the handling of clerical child sex abuse allegations in the Dublin archdiocese and was published in November 2009) and the establishment of robust child protection facilities. It was very impressive to see how people took responsibility to address a problem and a challenge which they didn’t cause. The 2012 Eucharistic Congress was an important event. Will it go down in the corporate memory of Ireland as did the 1932 Eucharistic Congress? The answer is no.”

And the low point?

“The Murphy report. The most traumatic experience was the gathering and acquainting myself with the information involved with the report, as well as listening to victims, which is still going on. Listening to the trauma brought on them, families, spouses and children…The Murphy Commission couldn’t have worked if we hadn’t co-operated. Some say gardaí and HSE got off light. We provided information and I haven’t the slightest remorse about having done that. I believe it was absolutely important that it come out. Looking back, the most frightening for me is that we had, at the same time, 10 serial (clerical) paedophiles active in the archdiocese of Dublin (in 1970s). There’s no way you can say that was system’s failure. That was a terrible thing. It’s very hard to explain it.”

Critics of the Murphy report have been busy of late. What’s your view of them?

“There’s a certain revisionism of the Murphy report abroad. I have no mandate to defend Judge Murphy but there was a reality there. If people don’t say that shouldn’t have happened then I don’t know what world they belong in. The Pope himself has said that he wants to take/assume a responsibility within the Church for what happened. There can be no denial of that and there can be no denial that the Church in which that happened had got it severely wrong.

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IRELAND
The Irish Times

[with video]

[Archbishop Diarmuid Martin reflects on past decade]

Visitation from Rome in wake of Murphy report and Ryan report ‘froze the Irish church’

Patsy McGarry

Sat, Apr 19, 2014

A delegation sent by Rome following the publication of the Murphy and Ryan reports effectively held up reform of the church in Ireland and “set expectations it was never going to realise”, Catholic Archbishop Dr Diarmuid Martin of Dublin has said.

They were dispatched by the Vatican following the publication of the reports in 2009 to establish what went wrong in the Irish church.

The apostolic visitation, which comprised seven high-powered teams, “froze the Irish church at a particular moment” and “actually, in some ways, delayed reforms in the Irish church”, Archbishop Martin said.

In a veiled criticism of the Vatican, he said his comments were not a criticism of those who carried out the visitation, but “maybe a criticism of those who planned it”.

The Murphy report examined the handling of allegations of clerical child sex abuse in the Dublin archdiocese and was published in November 2009. The Ryan report on abuse in residential institutions for children was published in May of the same year.

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MINNESOTA
National Catholic Reporter

Brian Roewe | Apr. 18, 2014

Too much power in too few hands. Inadequate oversight. Broken communication channels and compartmentalized information. An outdated record-keeping system, and no meaningful program to audit and monitor compliance.

Those “serious shortcomings” emerged from a lay task force’s six-month independent review of the policies and organizational structures within the St. Paul-Minneapolis archdiocese related to the prevention of clergy sexual abuse of minors.

“The work of the Task Force revealed that, despite Archdiocesan policies and procedures designed to protect against clergy sexual abuse of minors, a flawed organizational structure with little oversight and accountability created opportunities for some priests to harm children,” the seven-member Safe Environment and Ministerial Standards Task Force said in its 53-page report, released Monday.

Formed in October in response to accusations of mishandled abuse allegations by the archdiocese, the task force said that too much decision-making power regarding abuse allegations rested in one or two individuals who were not subject to monitoring themselves. The task force found communication “inadequate and, at times, non-existent” among the archdiocese, lay Catholics, the media and victims.

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IRELAND
The Times (UK)

Frances Gibb Legal Editor

April 19 2014

Hundreds of women who were forced to work in appalling conditions without pay are about to receive compensation after a marathon legal battle.

The settlement, from the Irish government is the climax of a 12-year fight by London lawyers to obtain justice for the women, who worked in what were known as the Magdalene Laundries.

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HAWAII
West Hawaii Today

By TOM CALLIS

Stephens Media Hawaii
A support group for victims of sexual abuse is asking the state Department of Human Services and Catholic Charities to explain how children were continually placed in the care of Jay Ram, accused in a lawsuit of abusing boys he fostered and adopted.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, which helped five men previously under Ram’s care file the lawsuit against him, said Thursday it is requesting Human Services and the charity do an independent investigation of the processes that allowed dozens of boys to be placed with the former Big Island resident.

“It is time for action,” Joelle Casteix, SNAP western regional director, said in a press release. …

The men are allowed to file the lawsuit because of a two-year window the state granted victims of abuse for cases outside the statute of limitations. That window, which doesn’t apply to criminal charges, will close Thursday.

The Legislature is considering two bills to extend that timeframe.

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INDIA
Daiji World

Bangalore, April 19: An Irish woman registered a complaint of sexual abuse by a 61-year-old Christian pastor while she was taking a nap in the air-conditioned resting room at the Bangalore railway station on Friday April 18. The foreigner was on a tour in India.

The police had arrested Kashinath (61) of Davangere immediately after the compliant was registered.

The 31-year-old tourist travelled from Hampi to Bangalore on Thursday and had booked another
train ticket to reach Ernakulam, Kerala. Since the train was scheduled at 5.30 pm, she decided to stay back and rest at the railway station.

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NEBRASKA
Catholic Sentinel

Catholic News Service

OMAHA, Neb. — From its founding 125 years ago by six Midwestern bishops looking to obtain reasonably priced insurance on their churches, Omaha-based Catholic Mutual Group has grown to become the primary provider of property and casualty coverage for the Catholic Church in North America.

And this year, the not-for-profit organization, owned by the Catholic Church, is celebrating its anniversary by honoring founding and current members and employees, and by building on accomplishments that began when the first coverage was written Feb. 1, 1889.

“Our success is predicated on the support we get from our member dioceses and religious orders,” said Michael Intrieri, president and CEO. “Without them, we wouldn’t have the success we have today.” …

Helping the church respond to clergy and other sexual abuse claims, Catholic Mutual also has provided financial support through its liability coverage and helped develop and implement training and policies to prevent sexual misconduct through its risk management services.

Intrieri said Catholic Mutual’s growth stems from the vision of the six bishops who founded the benevolent relief society as the Catholic Mutual Relief Society: Bishop James O’Connor of the then-Diocese of Omaha; Bishop Richard Scannell of the Diocese of Concordia, Kan. (now Salina), who succeeded Bishop O’Connor in Omaha; Bishop Martin Marty of the Diocese of Sioux Falls, S.D.; Bishop Louis Fink of the Diocese of Leavenworth, Kan. (now the Archdiocese of Kansas City); Bishop John J. Hennessy of the Diocese of Wichita, Kan.; and Bishop Thomas Bonacum of the Diocese of Lincoln.

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AUSTRALIA
Perth Now

EXCLUSIVE
APRIL 19, 2014

CHILD safety officers would be appointed in parishes across Perth under a proposal to eradicate sex abuse in the Catholic Church.

Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe recently outlined to senior church personnel a draft policy to appoint child safeguarding officers with specialist training.

Common in the UK, the officers take a key role in responding to allegations of abuse and advise parishes on child protection policies.

A spokesman for Archbishop Costelloe said he was “keen to act as swiftly as possible” to strengthen the protective measures already in place.

In his Easter Sunday message, Archbishop Costelloe will today reflect on the “terrible history of abuse perpetrated by some of our diocesan clergy”.

The sermon comes days after Perth priest Patrick Holmes admitted sexually abusing two young girls more than 30 years ago.

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UNITED STATES
Toledo Blade

Pope Francis recently begged the countless victims of clerical abuse to forgive him for the “evil” committed by Catholic clergy.

It was the first time any pope has personally taken responsibility for the worldwide rape and molestation of children perpetrated for decades by priests. It was the first time any pope asked pardon for the sex crimes of revered clerics — and the bishops who looked the other way.

But is it enough for this pope to go beyond the apologies and denunciations of his predecessors in addressing the stunning scope of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church? Do the many young victims, who grew up wounded because a trusted priest molested them, feel Pope Francis has their back?

No, says Toledo native Barbara Blaine, a victim of clerical abuse as a child. More than 25 years ago, she founded what is now a nationwide support and advocacy group for victims called Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP).

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OREGON
Statesman Journal

An Albany man who formerly was a priest in Corvallis has been arrested on multiple charges of encouraging child sexual abuse.

Albany Police, assisted by the state Department of Justice, executed a search warrant in the 2400 block of SE 8th Avenue in Albany at 11:30 a.m. Thursday.

Stanley Brittain, 39, was arrested and lodged in the Linn County jail on 25 counts of first-degree encouraging child sexual abuse and another 25 counts of second-degree encouraging child sexual abuse.

Brittain worked as a priest under the name Father Isidore until last week with the St. Anne Orthodox Church in Corvallis.

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IRELAND
Irish Times

Breda O’Brien

The apology published by The Irish Times today is an important acknowledgment that Martyn Turner’s cartoon last Wednesday crossed a line. The cartoon caused immense upset, not on Twitter, or even in mainstream media, but among those who abhor seeing innocent people demonised.

The cartoon features three priests, one of whom is emerging from a confessional carrying a Bible. Another priest holds up the headline: Children First Bill – Mandatory Reporting. The three priests sing together: “I’d do anything for children (but I won’t do that).”

Had that been all, it would not be a daring or original cartoon, but it could be argued that it remained – just about – within the bounds of acceptable commentary. You might argue it was somewhat tasteless to mock a Catholic sacrament during Holy Week. You might even wince a bit at the satire of “singing priests”, given the best-known singing priests are humble men who raise phenomenal amounts of money for charity. However, on the right of the cartoon in small print it states: “But there is little else you can do for them [children] except stay away from them, of course.”

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SCOTLAND
Scottish Express

By: Dean Herbert
Published: Sat, April 19, 2014

Maltese Bishop Charles Scicluna is probing sexual misconduct claims surrounding O’Brien.

O’Brien, 76, stepped down as Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh last year after three priests and a former priest made allegations of inappropriate behaviour against him.

He admitted at the time that his conduct had “fallen beneath the standards” expected of him.

Bishop Scicluna has been credited with reforming the Vatican’s attitude to sexual abuse over the past decade.

It is understood he began interviewing priests and other Roman Catholic figures last week as he compiles a report on O’Brien.

Sources said that Bishop Scicluna’s investigation had seen “lots of people” questioned.

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OREGON
KOIN

CORVALLIS, Ore. (KOIN 6) – A priest who up until last week served at a Corvallis church was arrested on child porn charges Thursday, the Albany Police Department confirms.

Stanley Brittain, 39, was taken into custody Thursday and booked into the Linn County Jail on 25 counts of encouraging child sexual abuse in the first degree and 25 counts of encouraging child sexual abuse in the second degree following the execution of a search warrant.

Investigators were tipped off to Brittain’s alleged activity by the Oregon Department of Justice Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.

The Albany resident, also known as “Father Isidore,” was associated as a priest for St. Anne Orthodox Church, though Father Stephen Soot said he was removed from the clergy about a week ago and was not an employee of the church.

Soot said he and the church staff were surprised by the accusations and “are doing the best they can.”

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

St. Louis priest charged with having sexual contact with boy at school

By Susan Weich sweich@post-dispatch.com 636-493-967449

ST. LOUIS • A priest was charged Friday with sexually abusing a boy at a St. Louis Catholic school.

The same priest was previously accused of having improper contact with a teenage girl from Lincoln County, though those charges were later dismissed.

In the new case, prosecutors on Friday charged the Rev. Xiu Hui “Joseph” Jiang, 31, of the 3400 block of Lafayette Avenue in St. Louis, with two felony counts of first-degree statutory sodomy involving a boy younger than 14.

Jiang had sexual contact with a student at the St. Louis Cathedral School in the 4400 block of Maryland Avenue, police said in court documents. The boy told detectives and a forensic interviewer that Jiang had sexual contact with the boy two different times in a school bathroom between July 1, 2011, and Aug. 1, 2012.

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AUSTRALIA
Eureka Street

Frank Brennan | 21 April 2014

I write to defend Cardinal Pell in the wake of Elizabeth Farrelly’s claim in the Fairfax press that Pell, when appearing before Justice McClellan at the Royal Commission, proposed a ‘priestly child abuse insurance scheme’ and that ‘if you wanted to maximize the damage already done to countless children, you’d be hard put to find a surer way or crueler’.

I am a Catholic priest, a Jesuit, but I have never been on Cardinal Pell’s Christmas Card list. It got to the stage a couple of years ago that he gratuitously published the observations that ‘part of the key to understanding Brennan is that he’s really not well educated in the Catholic tradition — in Catholic theology’ and that for the Jesuits, Jesus ‘has been almost displaced by (their) enthusiasm for social justice’.

He is not one of my fans, and neither am I one of his. But I think Farrelly has unfairly kicked him when he is down. More importantly she has muddied the waters about what is a critical issue for the victims of child sexual abuse suffered within institutions, including the Catholic Church.

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MONTANA
CT Post

HAVRE, Mont. (AP) — A former Havre priest has denied federal charges that allege he took nearly $65,000 from St. Jude Thaddeus Church.

Dale Yurkovic pleaded not guilty to wire fraud and money laundering during an April 8 hearing before U.S. Magistrate Keith Strong in Great Falls. Yurkovic’s trial is set for June 18, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Yurkovic served as pastor at the Havre parish from July 2009 to late 2011 and lives in Las Vegas, the Havre Daily News reported (http://bit.ly/1gQFAmx ).

The indictment alleges that in December 2009, Yurkovic deposited a $50,000 donation to the church into a credit union account he opened without the church’s knowledge, then transferred the money to his personal account. Prosecutors allege he also transferred just over $14,500 from a church account to his account in February 2010.

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INDIA
The Assam Tribune

Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, April 18 – Coming down heavily on the Congress party, senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy today alleged that Sonia Gandhi has secret accounts in foreign banks.

Speaking to reporters here, Swamy said that Gandhi has three accounts with a total worth of Rs 1.5 lakh crore in foreign banks and added that the Congress president withdrew $10 billion from a Vatican bank recently, said Swamy.

Gandhi withdrew the amount from the Vatican-based bank after Pope Francis recently declared that all accounts in banks based in the city state disclose the name of the account holder.

According to Swamy, Gandhi allegedly has accounts in one bank in Vatican, besides two Swiss banks – Sarasin in Basel and Pictet Bank in Zurich.

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OREGON
Oregonian

By John Killen | jkillen@oregonian.com
on April 18, 2014

A man who had until recently served as a priest at a Greek Orthodox church in Corvallis has been arrested and accused of numerous counts related to sex abuse of children.

Stanley Brittain, also known as Father Isidore, was arrested about 11:30 a.m. Thursday by detectives with the Albany Police Department at his residence in the 2400 block of Southeast Eighth Avenue in Albany.

Brittain, 39, was then placed in the Linn County Jail on accusations that include 25 counts of encouraging child sexual abuse in the first degree and 25 counts of encouraging child sexual abuse in the second degree. Brittain was serving at St. Anne’s Greek Orthodox Church until last week, authorities said.

Brittain was arrested after a search warrant was executed at his residence. The search revealed evidence supporting the charges, Albany Police said. The investigation began after police received a tip from the Oregon Department of Justice Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

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MINNESOTA
Fox 9

[with video]

by Tom Lyden

He’s the focus of a nationwide manhunt, but there are still many questions about Victor Barnard. One stands out more than any other: What makes a man like that, and why would so many people follow him?

To begin to understand Victor Barnard, it’s important to know who he followed. When he was just 19, Barnard met a charismatic religious leader who had tens of thousands of followers in 35 countries — but even those who knew him back then tell Fox 9 News that something happened before Barnard went rogue with the Bible.

According to friends from that time, Barnard was a party animal back in 1979, which is when he graduated from the prestigious Breck School. In fact, they were surprised to hear he’d found God the following year in Ohio after he met the man who would become his mentor — Dr. Victor Wierwille, the founder of a religious sect called The Way International.

Karl Kahler took theology classes with Barnard, and wrote a book on The Way International titled “The Cult that Snapped,” and he told Fox 9 News that Barnard had charismatic qualities but did not stand out as unusual in Way Corps training in Kansas and Ohio in the 1980s.

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MINNESOTA/WASHINGTON
Spokesman-Review

Jenna Ross Minneapolis Star Tribune

Officers in Minnesota and Washington are chasing down dozens of leads in their search for Victor A. Barnard – a minister charged with sexually assaulting girls he called his “maidens” in an isolated religious sect near Finlayson, Minn.

Since charges were filed against Barnard, 52, the Pine County, Minn., Sheriff’s Office has been “absolutely inundated” with tips from across the country, Sheriff Robin Cole said Thursday. “It is nonstop.”

Washington officers and the U.S. Marshals Service are scouring the area around Spokane, Barnard’s last known residence, said Lt. Shane Nelson of the Washington State Patrol. They are canvassing previous residences and “contacting known associates that he’s talked to,” Nelson said. In the last few days, “we’ve acted on 20, 30 tips.”

The charismatic leader of the River Road Fellowship, Barnard faces 59 counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with two girls who told investigators that they were 12 and 13 years old when the sexual abuse began.

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OREGON
KXL

Written by Steve Leader on April 18, 2014

Albany police don’t yet know if Stanley Brittain, 39, had any illegal sexual contact with children at Saint Anne Orthodox church in Corvallis where, until last week, he served as a priest known as Father Isadore.

According to Albany Police captain Eric Carter, a tip involving Brittain was received earlier this week from the Oregon Department of Justice Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. That led to execution of a search warrant Thursday at Brittain’s home on the 2800 block of Southeast 8th Avenue in Albany.

Carter says Brittain was arrested after the search revealed evidence that supports charges of Encouraging Child Sexual Abuse. (child pornography)

Anyone with information on Stanley Brittain/Father Isadore is asked to call Albany Police detectives at 541-917-7680.

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OREGON
New York Daily News

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Friday, April 18, 2014

An Oregon priest has been jailed after a raid at his home uncovered child pornography on his computer, according to police.

Stanley Brittain, aka Father Isidore of Albany, was arrested Thursday morning on charges of encouraging child sex abuse after authorities said they were tipped off to his extremely disturbing material.

Up until last week police said the 39-year-old had served as a priest at St. Anne’s Greek Orthodox Church in Corvallis.

Reasoning for his leave was not provided by Albany police Cpt. Eric Carter.

“As of last week he has left the church so at this point in time, at the time of his arrest, he was still technically a priest with the Orthodox Church but not affiliated or associated with the church in Corvallis,” Carter told the Daily News.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
KMOV

(KMOV.com) – Authorities have issued first-degree statutory sodomy charges against Rev. Xiu Hui “Joseph” Jiang, 31, on Friday.

Father Joseph Jiang was arrested Thursday night and, according to police, the incidents took place on the grounds of the Cathedral Basilica, where Jiang served as an associate priest.

Jiang is accused of having deviate sexual intercourse with a male victim under 14 between July 2011 and August 2012.

A statement posted on the website for the Archdiocese of St. Louis says that the allegation against Jiang “was reported through the Missouri Child Abuse and Neglect Hot line by a family who over the past year has been pursuing a claim against the archdiocese related to their child being bullied by other students”.

The statement also says that, “the family had never claimed that their child was abused by a priest until this week”.

According to the statement, Jiang’s canonical privileges have been revoked while the investigation continues.

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OREGON
KATU

ALBANY, Ore. — Albany police on Thursday arrested a Corvallis priest on child pornography charges.

Stanley Brittain, 39, who is also known as Father Isidore, was associated with the St. Anne Orthodox Church in Corvallis until last week, police said.

Detectives searched Brittain’s Albany home Thursday morning and said they found evidence to charge him with 25 counts of encouraging child sex abuse in the first degree and 25 counts of encouraging child sex abuse in the second degree.

Albany Police said their investigation started with a tip from the Oregon Department of Justice’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Detectives worked with the state to serve a search warrant at around 11:30 a.m. Thursday.

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UNITED STATES
BishopAccountability.org

Summary of Case: Rev. Brad Reynolds, s.j. was ordained a Jesuit of the Oregon Province in 1977. He rose to prominence as a photographer and writer, work that took him from Toksook Bay, Alaska to Colombia, South America. Reynolds was affiliated with Seattle and Gonzaga Universities, and worked as Assistant Formation Director for the Province. He was also a close advisor to the Provincial. In August 2008 Reynolds was accused by two “John Does” of having sexually abused them when they were minors in Toksook Bay. He was placed on leave and sent to live under supervision in a Portland Jesuit community. The Gonzaga University website in April 2014 shows Reynolds to be working at Gonzaga as Assistant Director of Campus Ministry.

Ordained: 1977

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
The Republic

By ALAN SCHER ZAGIER Associated Press
April 18, 2014

ST. LOUIS — A St. Louis priest previously accused of felony child endangerment and witness tampering in Lincoln County has been charged with first-degree sodomy involving another child.

St. Louis prosecutors on Friday filed two felony counts of having deviate sexual intercourse against 31-year-old Rev. Xiu Hui “Joseph” Jiang. He is accused of twice forcing oral sex in a Catholic school bathroom on a male victim under 14 between July 2011 and August 2012.

In a statement on its website, the Archdiocese of St. Louis said it has revoked the priest’s canonical privileges and that the abuse reported to a child safety hotline came from the family of a child who had previously complained of being bullied by classmates. The statement also said that over the past year, the family “has been pursuing a claim against the archdiocese related to their child being bullied by other students.”

“The family had never claimed that their child was abused by a priest until this this week,” the statement said.

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VATIKANSTADT
kathweb

Vatikanstadt, 15.04.2014 (KAP) Der Vatikan legt im Mai erstmals einen Bericht über Anti-Folter-Maßnahmen für sein Staatsgebiet vor. Dabei handele es sich um ein “reguläres Verfahren”, das für alle Unterzeichnerstaaten der UN-Anti-Folter-Konvention gelte, erklärte Vatikansprecher Federico Lombardi am Dienstag. Das Übereinkommen von 1984 verpflichtet alle Vertragsstaaten, Personen vor Angriffen auf ihre seelische und körperliche Identität zu schützen. Zudem müssen sie Maßnahmen treffen, um Folter zu verhindern und rechtlich zu ahnden. Der Vatikan trat der Konvention im Jahr 2002 bei. Der erste Bericht über ihre Verwirklichung wäre laut Vertragstext ein Jahr nach Inkrafttreten des Beitritts fällig gewesen.

Lombardi stellte klar, dass der Heilige Stuhl der Konvention nicht als Leitungsorgan der katholischen Kirche, sondern stellvertretend für den Staat der Vatikanstadt beigetreten sei. Zudem versicherte er, dass der Vatikan seinen Verpflichtungen auch weiter nachkommen und in regelmäßigen Abständen die vorgeschriebenen weiteren Berichte einreichen werde.

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DEUTSCHLAND
epd

[Summary: Abuse victims will hold a vigil in front of Essen Cathedral on April 27 to protest the canonization of Pope John Paul II which will happen that day in Rome. The canonization mocks the victims of sexual violence, according to Wilfried Fesselmann, who is with the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests.]

Mit einer Mahnwache vor dem Essener Dom wollen Missbrauchsopfer am 27. April gegen die Heiligsprechung von Papst Johannes Paul II. am gleichen Tag in Rom protestieren. “Die Heiligsprechung verhöhnt die Opfer sexualisierter Gewalt”, erklärte Wilfried Fesselmann vom Opfernetzwerk SNAP am Donnerstag. Johannes Paul II. (1920-2005) sei tief in die Vertuschung der Missbrauchsfälle involviert gewesen und tauge nicht als christliches Vorbild.

Der Opferverband fordert eine unabhängige staatliche Untersuchung der kirchlichen Missbrauchsfälle. Die von der katholischen Deutschen Bischofskonferenz beauftragte Aufarbeitung könne nicht objektiv sein. Die internationale Organisation SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests – Netzwerk der Überlebenden von Missbrauch durch Priester) versteht sich als Selbsthilfegruppe für Missbrauchsopfer.

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DEUTSCHLAND
Kolner Stadt Anzeiger

[Summary: After the abuse scandal in the Catholic Church, prevention is very important and Pastor Philipp Cuck is responsible for implementation of guidelines. He said the situation has radically changed. The scandal has brought upheaval in the church which have been unthinkable years ago, he said. Many believers have left the church as a result, he added.]

Nach dem Missbrauchsskandal wird Prävention in der katholischen Kirche großgeschrieben. Pfarrer Philipp Cuck ist für die Umsetzung der Richtlinien verantwortlich. Mit ihm sprach Franz Albert Heinen über Fehler und Neuerungen. Von F.A. Heinen

„Es hat sich radikal viel verändert. So viel, dass ich ans Japsen gerate!“ Philipp Cuck ist als Pfarrer vor Ort für die Umsetzung des neuen Gesamtpakets zur Missbrauchs-Prävention zuständig. Es hat Umbrüche in der Kirche gebracht, die vor Jahren noch undenkbar gewesen wären. Nach Bekanntwerden der diversen Missbrauchs-Skandale hatten viele Gläubige die Kirche verlassen.

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VATIKAN
Frankfurter Allgemeine

[Summary: Speaking about sexual abuse by clergy, Cardinal Mueller said the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was never responsible only for faith and morals but also for punishment of offenses in the area of life and ministry leadership of clergy. He discusses the work on the CDF.]

Kurienkardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller ist Präfekt der vatikanischen Kongregation für die Glaubenslehre. Im ersten Teil seines Gesprächs mit der Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung sprach er über Widerstände gegen seine Aufnahme ins Kardinalskollegium, die Pius-Brüderschaft, die Befreiungstheologie und die Entweltlichung der Kirche.

Im zweiten Teil des Gesprächs warnte der frühere Bischof von Regensburg vor einer Entwicklung, in der die Unauflöslichkeit der Ehe zu einer abstrakten Theorie würde, die in der Praxis keine Rolle mehr spielt. Zugleich sah er sich eins mit Papst Franziskus in der Absicht, wiederverheiratet Geschiedenen „seelsorgerlich zu helfen“.

Im dritten Teil spricht er nun über die Entschlossenheit des Vatikans, sexuelle Gewalt im Raum der Kirche nach Recht und Gesetz zu ahnden sowie über die Katholische Kirche in Deutschland.

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