ABUSE TRACKER

CALIFORNIA
KGO

[with video]

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — There are charges of lurid sex and cover-ups at the landmark St Francis of Assisi Church in San Francisco’s North Beach. The accuser is a former worker who just filed a lawsuit against the Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco. It’s a story you’ll only see on ABC7 News.

Jhona Mathews is a single mother in her 30s with a 2-year-old child. She worked in the administration office of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi.

Mathews says church trustee Bill McLaughlin, who has since been fired, became her supervisor. Her lawsuit charges that he forced her to have sex and spanked her with a wooden paddle.

“Many of these sex acts and demands and the spankings occurred inside the shrine premises, in the sacristy of the shrine,” said the plaintiff’s attorney, Sandra Ribera.

Mathews says the paddle was given to McLaughlin by his close friend, Monsignor James Tarantino. He’s charged in the lawsuit with covering up the alleged wrongdoings.

“The inscription BNO, which stands for boys night out,” Ribera said. “And it says To Bill M. from Father T. The sexual acts that Bill McLaughlin was basically threatening my client to engage in otherwise she would lose her job.”

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CALIFORNIA
The Raw Story

By Arturo Garcia
Thursday, January 30, 2014

The head of a San Francisco church is accused of covering up one of his former trustees’ sexual abuse toward an employee, including paddlings and coerced sexual activities, KGO-TV reported on Thursday.

“Many of these sex acts and demands and the spankings occurred inside the shrine premises, in the sacristy of the shrine,” the alleged victim’s attorney, Sandra Ribera, told KGO.

Ribera’s client, Jhona Mathews, claims that the incidents took place over the course of her year working at St Francis of Assisi Church, saying her supervisor, trustee Bill McLaughlin, forced her to have sex under threat of termination. The suit also accuses McLaughlin of using a paddle given to McLaughlin by Monsignor James Tarantino. Tarantino is also accused of hiding McLaughlin’s alleged activities. McLaughlin is no longer a trustee at the church.

The paddle, Ribera told KGO, bears “the inscription ‘BNO,’ which stands for ‘boys night out.’ And it says, ‘To Bill M. from Father T.’”

According to Ribera, Mathews eventually told McLaughlin she would not comply with his demands, only to be fired. St. Francis of Assisi released a statement saying Mathews was fired “for financial improprieties that are the subject of an ongoing police investigation.” It also called her lawsuit “full of lurid accusations but devoid of the truth.”

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IRELAND
The New York Times

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD
JAN. 31, 2014

For years, the government of Ireland has denied liability for child sexual abuse by teachers in state-financed schools managed by the Roman Catholic Church. The European Court of Human Rights punctured this denial Tuesday with a finding that the Irish government, in financing and regulating the education of youngsters, had “an inherent obligation” to protect them, and owed compensation to a victim whose case was rejected as groundless by Ireland’s highest court.

The European court pointed to the obvious: The Irish government is responsible for failing to act against inhuman and degrading treatment of citizens that is specifically barred under Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The court ordered more than $150,000 in compensation and court costs for Louise O’Keeffe, who had been repeatedly abused 40 years ago as a 9-year-old at the national school at Dunderrow, County Cork.

The abuser was a lay teacher, Leo Hickey, who was not charged for 20 years, even though parents had complained about him to a school administrator in the early 1970s. The scandal finally broke into the open in the 1990s and the abuser was sentenced to three years in prison after being charged with 386 criminal offenses involving 21 youngsters.

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NEW YORK
WIVB

[with video]

By Posted by: Eli George
Updated: Thursday, January 30, 2014

More than a dozen people have now come forward with allegations of sexual abuse against a local pastor.

A grand jury will review Reverend Roy Harriger’s case. At least 15 people in three states have now signed affidavits claiming that Harriger molested them as children.

The case first came to light last Thanksgiving, when State Police announced Harriger’s arrest. The 70-year-old pastor of Community Fellowship Church in the Town of Hartland was charged with incest, sodomy, and course of sexual conduct.

He’s accused of molesting a boy and a girl about 12 years ago when he was pastor of the Wesleyan Church in Lyndonville.

Those who know him from church came out to support him.

Church member Donna Kidney said, “I know he did not do it. He’s innocent. I know in my spirit, he’s innocent.”

His own son, George Harriger, told News 4 he was molested as a boy but never realized there were others.

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CALIFORNIA
Wall Street Journal

By TOM CORRIGAN
Jan. 28, 2014

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Stockton, Calif., which is the 10th Catholic diocese in the U.S. to enter Chapter 11 protection as a result of increasing sexual-abuse claims, has received a judge’s approval of its initial bankruptcy requests.

The ruling by Judge Christopher M. Klein of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Sacramento, Calif., on Friday will allow the diocese to continue to pay its 37 salaried employees and seven hourly employees, according to court papers. Judge Klein is also overseeing the Chapter 9 bankruptcy case for the city of Stockton.

These so-called first-day motions ease the company’s transition into Chapter 11 protection, allowing it to pay some debts, arrange financing and maintain existing operations. The bankruptcy filing will allow the diocese to discharge liabilities stemming from sexual-abuse allegations and set up a trust for victims to receive compensation.

Earlier this month, Bishop Stephen E. Blaire announced the diocese’s plan to file for bankruptcy.

“Very simply, we are in this situation because of those priests in our diocese who perpetrated grave, evil acts of child sexual abuse,” he said.

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ILLINOIS
Southwest News Herald

[documents]

By DERMOT CONNOLLY • Friday, January 31, 2014

The Jan. 21 release by the Chicago Archdiocese of 6,000 pages of documents relating to sexual abuse by priests dating back decades, reminded some area residents of the local connections to the scandal that continues to have repercussions.

Members of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests maintain
that the information does not go far enough, and point out that the
documents were released to plaintiffs’ lawyers to comply with a settlement agreement, rather than willingly.

The documents include information about 30 of at least 65 priests for whom the archdiocese has substantiated claims of child abuse.

Those not included belong to religious orders, and church officials said members of religious orders, unlike diocesan priests, are not under the control of Cardinal Francis George.

Few people contacted wanted to comment by name, but words such as “disgusting,” “disgraceful” and “sinful” were used to describe the scandal, which was uncovered on a national and international
scale in the 1990s.

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CHICAGO (IL)
NBC Chicago

[with video]

By MaryAnn Ahern | Thursday, Jan 30, 2014

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago has settled a civil lawsuit filed in connection with the sexual abuse of a boy by a former priest.

The $3.1 million settlement Daniel McCormack and a 25-year-old man who was 13 at the time of the abuse.

The boy met McCormack at St. Agatha’s Church.

“He came from a difficult family and gravitated toward St. Agatha and Father McCormack because Father McCormack was his basketball coach, his friend, his priest, his mentor,” attorney William Martin said.

Attorneys say the abuse took place over a period of four years. The accused the archdiocese of failing to promptly remove Daniel McCormack after claims he abused children had emerged.

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MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

[with video]

Madeleine Baran St. Paul, Minn. Jan 30, 2014

Victims’ attorney Jeff Anderson sued the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Thursday then immediately slammed Ramsey County Attorney John Choi for what he called a “defective and deficient” response to allegations that top archdiocese leaders covered up clergy sex abuse.

Anderson, who was the first to expose the archdiocese’s failure to report sex crimes nearly three decades ago, said Choi’s handling of the abuse scandal is putting children at risk.

Anderson’s remarks came at a news conference held at his St. Paul office to announce the filing of a lawsuit on behalf of a victim of the Rev. Curtis Wehmeyer. The lawsuit accuses the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis of deceiving the public by saying it has made every effort to protect children and for failing to protect the young boy from Wehmeyer.

Anderson sharply criticized Choi’s decision Wednesday not to charge anyone at the archdiocese for failure to promptly report sexual abuse by the Rev. Curtis Wehmeyer in 2012.

“If I have to publicly shame John Choi for making the decision, that’s what I’ll do,” he said.

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MINNESOTA
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul

Date:Thursday, January 30, 2014

Source: Jim Accurso

In response to questions seeking clarity regarding the Weymeyer case, we affirm the finding of law enforcement that we complied with the requirements of mandated reporting. We have continuously made ourselves available to law enforcement to address any outstanding questions they may have on the matter and we know, based on the body of facts of the case, that the findings announced yesterday by civil authorities are accurate.

With respect to the timeline associated with our reporting in June 2012, the earliest that any representative of the archdiocese became aware of the specific allegations of sexual abuse of a minor by Wehmeyer was on the morning of June 19, 2012. However, that information was provided to a priest of the archdiocese in the context of a pastoral relationship, which is considered privileged communication under Minnesota law. The archdiocese sought the waiver of the privilege so that we could report the matter to the police. The privilege was waived by the mother of the victim, the only person who could waive the privilege, on the afternoon of June 20. This then allowed the archdiocese to make a formal report to police the same afternoon regarding the allegations shared within the pastoral relationship. Undeniably, the report was made immediately thereafter.

We have provided a detailed timeline to law enforcement with clear supporting documentation and stand ready to provide any additional information they may need.

With respect to the decree document that states the archdiocese received a complaint regarding Wehmeyer on June 18, the following information is important to know: first, the decree was written by the former Chancellor for Canonical Affairs and provided to Archbishop John Nienstedt to sign, and so reflects her perception of the timeline; second, the date reference is inaccurate, based on all of the detailed and substantial information and documentation we have provided to the police; and third, the decree, which is a canonical document, was filed with other documents submitted to the Holy See and not included in the priest file.

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MINNESOTA
KARE

Boua Xiong, KARE

ST. PAUL, Minn.–For three decades attorney Jeff Anderson has been filing clergy sex abuse lawsuits. This is the first time he’s publicly criticized law enforcement.

Anderson doesn’t believe Ramsey County attorney John Choi and St Paul Police Chief Tom Smith didn’t do their jobs.

“They didn’t seize one piece of evidence. They didn’t execute one search warrant,” Anderson said.

That’s why Anderson filed a new lawsuit against the Archdiocese. The suit alleges the Archdiocese destroyed evidence and failed to report abuse by Reverend Curtis Wehemeyer. Anderson says the evidence of cover-up is there, pointing to a document first obtained by MPR which showed church leaders knew about Wehemyer but delayed reporting.

The county attorney’s office and St. Paul Police are reviewing the document, which they did not have on Wednesday when they announced no criminal charges would be filed against the Archdiocese. Howie Padilla, with St. Paul Police, wrote in an email to KARE 11 they will not reopening the case at this time.

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MINNESOTA
Pioneer Press

[Documents via Jeff Anderson & Associates:

Complaint
Criminal Complaint 1
Criminal Complaint 2
Wehmeyer Timeline
Emails Between Archdiocese and SPPD June 20-21, 2012
Wehmeyer Docs – Highlighted
Photo of Nienstedt
Photo of Wehmeyer ]

By Emily Gurnon
egurnon@pioneerpress.com
POSTED: 01/30/2014

St. Paul attorney Jeff Anderson said officials of the Twin Cities archdiocese Thursday hid evidence and obstructed an investigation into child sexual abuse by the Rev. Curtis Wehmeyer.

Anderson also blasted Ramsey County Attorney John Choi for choosing not to prosecute church officials on charges of failure to report sexual abuse, obstruction of legal process or aiding an offender.

“Law enforcement and John Choi chose to give them a pass,” Anderson said. “They did not treat them nor have they treated them like ordinary suspects in a criminal enterprise.”

Anderson’s assertions about the archdiocese are “false, inflammatory and misleading,” archdiocese spokesman Jim Accurso said in a written statement Thursday. “We take particular exception to his unfounded assumptions regarding the intent and actions of Archbishop (John) Nienstedt, who has been resolute in his commitment to strictly adhering to both canon and civil laws.

“We wish to reassert that we have cooperated with civil authorities and will continue to do so,” the statement said.

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CHICAGO (IL)
WGN

[with video]

by Julie Unruh
Reporter

As the stories keep on surfacing, the settlements with the Chicago Archdiocese just keep on coming. On Thursday– another case accusing disgraced former Priest Daniel McCormack.

John Doe was abused between 2001 and 2005. He was in 8th grade when it started and the nightmare with McCormack did not end until he was a junior in high school.

On Thursday he walked away with over $3 million– but his nightmare is far from over. The healing process can take a lifetime.

Bill Martin is describing his 25-year old African American client– once a Lawndale teen abused for four years by Daniel McCormack– a priest, teacher and mentor he trusted from st. Agatha in Chicago. Bill Martin described how McCormack preyed on the boy during those years and violated the child’s trust.

Three lawyers alone have handled or are working through a minimum of 10 sexual abuse claims related to the disgraced priest. Thursday’s settlement of $3.15 million took five years to reach. Just last week, another group of lawyers unveiled 6,000 pages of documents revealing sexual misdeeds by 30 or so other priests. Those lawyers claim the archdiocese should have done more to protect children rather than their own reputation. These lawyers say Cardinal George specifically ignored the suggestions of the archdioceses’ review board to remove McCormack from proximity to children –yet he sent him back to St. Agatha again.

The archdiocese released a statement today that says in short:

“The abuse of any child is a crime and a sin. The Archdiocese encourages anyone who has been sexually abused by a priest, deacon, religious or lay employee, to come forward?

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UNITED STATES
USA Today

Tom Krattenmaker, USATODAY
January 30, 2014

It’s a scourge as old as the ages, yet sexual violence against women and children is fresh in the headlines as President Obama launches an initiative to address sexual assaults on college campuses, while the military tries to fix its own problem and newly released documents shed galling light on the Catholic Church’s pattern of abuse and coverup in the Chicago diocese.

As the priests’ crimes remind us, religious institutions, at their worst, have often proved complicit and sometimes out-and-out guilty when it comes to sexual advances against vulnerable people. As real as that problem is, however, there’s a counterstory emerging that could redeem religion’s role in this ugly dynamic:

Faith organizations are beginning to address sexual abuse with a new energy and earnestness — a welcome step toward the fulfillment of their enormous potential to do good on this front.

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MASSACHUSETTS
Telegram & Gazette

By Bronislaus B. Kush TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
bkush@telegram.com

LANCASTER — The Rev. Thomas Hultquist, the pastor of the former St. Joseph Parish in Barre, has been named the temporary administrator at Immaculate Conception Parish on Main Street.

He will fill in until a pastor is named to replace the Rev. Edward Lettic, who was relieved of his pastoral duties last weekend after an allegation of sexual misconduct was made against the longtime clergyman.

Rev. Hultquist, a native of Northbridge, was pastor at St. Joseph’s from 1992 until last year when that congregation was merged with St. Thomas-a-Becket Parish to form St. Francis of Asissi Parish.

Ordained in 1976, he has served as associate pastor at St. Joseph’s in North Brookfield, the former St. Camillus Parish in Fitchburg, St. Peter’s Parish in Worcester, and St. Cecelia’s Parish in Leominster.

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ESTADOS UNIDOS
Metro

WASHINGTON (AP) — Philomena Lee describió tristemente cómo perdió a su hijo cuando fue adoptado y cómo lo busco 50 años después, una historia retratada en la película nominada al Oscar, protagonizada por la actriz ganadora del Premio de la Academia Judi Dench.

Su experiencia es un argumento poderoso para que Irlanda abra los archivos de adopción para miles de madres más cuyos hijos terminaron en ciudades estadounidenses como San Luis, Filadelfia, Boston y Nueva York, dijo la senadora Claire McCaskill el jueves después de una reunión con Lee.

Las dos mujeres, acompañadas por la hija de Lee, Jane Libberton, hablaron ante reporteros en el Capitolio sobre el Proyecto Philomena y sus esfuerzos para reunir familias. La película ha puesto la atención en las adopciones, al igual que la conmovedora historia de Lee.

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UNITED STATES
Toronto Sun

IAN SIMPSON, REUTERS

FIRST POSTED: THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2014

WASHINGTON – The 80-year-old Irish woman who inspired the Oscar-nominated film “Philomena” took her campaign for access to adoption records to the U.S. Congress on Thursday, and a senator said lawmakers might urge Ireland to act on the issue.

Philomena Lee, who searched for 50 years for the son she was forced to give up as a teenager, launched a campaign last week calling on Dublin to pass laws for the release of more than 60,000 adoption files held by the state, private adoption agencies and the Catholic Church.

Like thousands of other children, Lee’s son was adopted by an American family, and she said she was overwhelmed by the support her story has generated in the United States. “Philomena” received four Academy Award nominations this month, including one for actress Judi Dench, who plays Lee.

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UNITED STATES
CBS St. Louis

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill today met with Philomena Lee to discuss Irish adoption laws and Philomena’s work to reunite American children separated from their Irish families through forced adoption. The story of Philomena’s decades-long search for the son who was forcibly adopted and raised by a family in St. Louis, Mo., is the subject of a recent book and Oscar-nominated film.

“Philomena’s story is heart-wrenching, and she has one of the most just causes you could possibly have—the simple premise that if a child is taken from a mother against her will, there should be an easy way to reconnect with that child,” McCaskill said. “Unfortunately in Ireland, for many years there was a repugnant practice of children taken from their young mothers, put in a home, and when the child got a certain age, shipped off to America to new parents. I have a blended family of seven children. All of my husband’s children from his first marriage are adopted, and we are fortunate in that his oldest son has reconnected with his birthmother—we know and socialize with her, and they have a wonderful relationship. So I know firsthand how important it is to keep those doors open and to allow the transparency and availability of adoption records so that children and parents can have the opportunity to reunite when it is their life’s wish.”

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UNITED STATES
KSDK

WASHINGTON (AP) – Philomena Lee wistfully described her search for her son 50 years after his adoption, a quest captured in an Oscar-nominated film.

Missouri Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill said Lee’s experience was an argument for adoption rights and an incentive for Ireland to open its records.

The two women met Thursday and spoke to reporters about the Philomena Project and efforts to reconcile families. They were joined by Lee’s daughter, Jane Libberton, who helped in the search.

The movie starring Judi Dench has drawn attention to Lee’s story and what transpired in Ireland for decades. Children were adopted by Americans, and their birth mothers were unable to find out what happened to them.

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UNITED STATES
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Nancy Cambria nancy.cambria@post-dispatch.com 314-340-82387

The Oscar-nominated movie “Philomena,” which highlights children adopted out of Irish convents against their birth mothers’ wishes, has inspired Sen. Claire McCaskill to press the Irish government to open its adoption records.

In a Washington press conference this morning with the namesake of the movie, Philomena Lee, McCaskill said the Irish government needs to immediately pass legislation to help these children and birth parents reconnect. Many of those records remain closed despite the thousands of adoptions that took place.

Lee spent nearly 10 years trying to find her son who was adopted out of a convent without her consent in the 1950s and given to an American couple from St. Louis. Lee was blocked by nuns at the convent from obtaining vital information to find him. She later learned her son, Michael Hess, had also been trying to find her and had made trips to the convent begging the nuns to give him information to find his birth mother.

Hess, who had risen through the ranks of the Republican party and was a chief legal adviser in the Reagan Administration, died of AIDS without ever finding Lee. His dying wish was to be buried at the convent.

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CANADA
APTN

APTN National News

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has been extended by a year.

The commission was expected to end this summer, but is now scheduled to come to a close June 30, 2015 after being extended Thursday.

It doesn’t come a surprise as the TRC had to fight the government twice to release documents it was withholding.

That includes thousands held at the Library of Archives Canada, and most recently documents involving a police investigation into the former St. Anne’s Residential School.

The TRC needs the documents before writing its final report.

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CANADA
Digital Journal

Canada NewsWire

OTTAWA, Jan. 30, 2014

Harper Government’s request to extend the operating period of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission is approved by the supervising court

OTTAWA, Jan. 30, 2014 /CNW/ – Further to the Statement on November 14, 2013, the Honourable Bernard Valcourt, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, announced that the British Columbia Supreme Court has approved, on consent of the parties to the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, Canada’s request that the operating period of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) be extended for a period of one year ending June 30, 2015.

This additional year will allow the Commission sufficient time to fulfill its mandate, including writing its final report and receiving those documents held at Library and Archives Canada that Canada provides during this period.

Quick Facts

On November 14, 2013, AANDC Minister Bernard Valcourt announced that the Government of Canada would work with the TRC and parties of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, as well as the British Columbia Supreme Court, to extend the operating period of the TRC until June 30, 2015.

All parties, including the Government of Canada, legal counsel for former students, legal counsel for the Churches, the Assembly of First Nations and the Inuit representatives, agreed to seek the court’s permission for the extension.

On January 30, 2014 the British Columbia Supreme Court approved the request to extend the mandate of the TRC, to June 30, 2015.

Quotes

“I am pleased that the supervising court has approved an Order that the operating period of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission be extended by one year. Our government remains committed to achieving a fair and lasting resolution to the legacy of Indian Residential Schools, which lies at the heart of reconciliation and the renewal of the relationship between Aboriginal people and all Canadians.”

Bernard Valcourt
Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development

“I commend the parties to the Settlement Agreement for requesting the extension to the mandate, and the court for granting their request. This additional year will enable the Commission to continue to receive the documents held at Library and Archives Canada and to write its final report. The Commission is glad of the opportunity to finish the work it was mandated to do under the Settlement Agreement.”

The Honourable Justice Murray Sinclair
Chair of Truth and Reconciliation Commission

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MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

[Documents via Jeff Anderson & Associates:

Complaint
Criminal Complaint 1
Criminal Complaint 2
Wehmeyer Timeline
Emails Between Archdiocese and SPPD June 20-21, 2012
Wehmeyer Docs – Highlighted
Photo of Nienstedt
Photo of Wehmeyer ]

Article by: ASSOCIATED PRESS

ST. PAUL, Minn. — A teenage boy who was molested by the Rev. Curtis Wehmeyer from 2008 through 2011 sued the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis on Thursday, alleging it conspired to protect the priest from criminal prosecution and conceal his history of sexual misconduct from the public.

The lawsuit comes one day after Ramsey County prosecutors said they wouldn’t charge members of the archdiocese for the way they handled allegations against Wehmeyer because there was insufficient evidence to prove anyone failed to immediately report the abuse. Wehmeyer pleaded guilty in 2012 and is serving a five-year prison sentence.

However, a document obtained Wednesday by Minnesota Public Radio News raised questions about when church leaders knew about the accusations against Wehmeyer and about the timing of the report to police. St. Paul police and prosecutors said Thursday they didn’t have that document in their initial investigation, but they are now reviewing it to see if it warrants reopening the case.

“At this point, we are not reopening anything,” said police spokesman Howie Padilla.

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NEW YORK
Jeff Anderson & Associates

News Release

January 30, 2014

Judge dismisses 32 sexual abuse claims based on the statute of limitations

(New York, NY) – Judge John G. Koeltl issued an order today dismissing a civil lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York on behalf of 32 former students of Yeshiva University High School in New York. The defendants named in the lawsuit were Yeshiva University, Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy-Yeshiva University High School for Boys, Rabbi Norman Lamm, Rabbi Robert Hirt and various members of the Board of Trustees for Yeshiva University.

“The dismissal of these cases is a serious set-back for the child protection movement,” said attorney Jeff Anderson of St. Paul, Minnesota-based law firm Jeff Anderson & Associates. “This is a sad reminder how the law in New York protects offenders and those institutions who protect offenders. We encourage the courts and lawmakers in New York to pay attention to these laws and to make the necessary changes. This is a sad day but it is not the end of the journey of help, hope and healing for these survivors and others hurt at Yeshiva University High School and in the state of New York.”

The complaint states that the 32 Plaintiffs were sexually abused while students at Yeshiva University High School by perpetrators including the school’s former Principal George Finkelstein, who targeted vulnerable students, used his power as an administrator to silence the victims and lowered their grades thus affecting their scholastic futures.

J. Michael Reck, from the New York office of Jeff Anderson & Associates, who was one of the attorneys handling the litigation on behalf of some of the Plaintiffs said, “We are saddened and disappointed that these survivors of institutional abuse were turned away from their day in court. However, our resolve is hardened and we will continue to advocate on their behalf.”

Soon after the lawsuit was brought, the defendants filed motions to dismiss alleging that the claims were too old to be adjudicated in the New York courts. The ruling is currently being analyzed and an appeal is being considered.

A copy of the complaint and order are available at: www.AndersonAdvocates.com.

Contact: Attorney Mike Reck: Mobile 714.742.6593
Contact: Attorney Jeff Anderson: Office: 651.227.9990 Mobile 612.817.8665

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MINNESOTA
National Catholic Reporter

Brian Roewe | Jan. 30, 2014

Prosecutors in two Minnesota counties announced Wednesday that they will not pursue criminal charges against the St. Paul-Minneapolis archdiocese for failure to report clergy sex abuse allegations of two priests.

The investigations pertained to whether the archdiocese fulfilled its mandatory reporter duties in regard to two much-publicized cases: Fr. Curtis Wehmeyer and Fr. Jonathan Shelley. Details related to both men surfaced through documents and files provided to Minnesota Public Radio by former archdiocesan chancellor Jennifer Haselberger.

According to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Washington County Prosecutor Pete Orput said at a press conference he has closed the investigation into whether Shelley’s computer contained pornographic images of minors after determining that none of the files met the statutory definition of what constitutes “pornographic work involving a minor.” The investigation, which had previously closed in February 2013, reopened in October when the parishioner who originally reported the files to the archdiocese provided police an additional cache of photos.

It was Haselberger who had alerted police and who, in February 2012 and again that May, urged the archdiocese to report to police the files on Shelley’s computer that a private investigator in 2004 had determined “could be considered borderline illegal, because of the youthful male image.” The archdiocese has contended that the images in question were unsolicited pop-up ads that attached to the hard drive without permission.

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TENNESSEE
Courthouse News Service

By JEFF D. GORMAN

(CN) – A Tennessee priest was properly convicted of criminal sexual abuse and aggravated rape related to decades-old attacks, a state appeals court ruled.

An altar boy at St. Dominic’s Church in Kingsport testified that his pastor, William Casey, starting abusing him in 1975 when he was 10. The abuse included oral sex and anal penetration, according to the victim’s testimony.

The victim said he had been reluctant to speak out because his mother told him that she was in love with Casey, who was supposedly going to leave the priesthood to marry her. He also felt nobody would believe him and that he had been taught that priests were God’s representatives on Earth.

Casey meanwhile professed to love the boy, with whom he claimed to have a “special” relationship, the victim later testified. Casey gave him a medallion and 10 shares of Piedmont Airlines stock, he said.

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PUERTO RICO
El Nuevo Dia

[Summary: Archbishop Roberto Gonzalez Nieves of San Juan responded this afternoon to an offer of financial aid to a victim of sexual abuse and confirmed that his lawyer yesterday asked the victim to conclude the agreement. Gonzalez Nieves said the priest who sexually assaulted the victim was suspended in 2010.]

El arzobispo de San Juan monseñor Roberto González Nieves, reaccionó esta tarde al ofrecimiento de ayuda económica a una víctima de abuso sexual y confirmó que su abogada le pidió ayer a la víctima concluir con el acuerdo.

En un comunicado de prensa González Nieves señaló que el sacerdote que agredió sexualmente a la víctima entrevistada por El Nuevo Día está suspendido. Todavía el Vaticano no ha emitido un decreto de expulsión.

“En una investigación preliminar el sacerdote admitió el abuso al entonces menor. Fue suspendido, quedando relevado de sus funciones ministeriales el 7 de septiembre de 2010. El día 30 de diciembre de 2011 el Tribunal Metropolitano culminó la investigación preliminar y el 4 de enero de 2012, el Tribunal Metropolitano remitió el expediente de este asunto a la Congregación para la Doctrina de la Fe, dando cumplimiento al trámite requerido por el orden jurídico canónico”, aceptó González Nieves.

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NEW YORK
Jewish Daily Forward

By Paul Berger
Published January 30, 2014.

Citing New York State’s statute of limitations, a federal judge has dismissed a $380 million lawsuit brought by former students of Yeshiva University’s High School for Boys in Manhattan.

“Statutes of limitations strike a balance between providing a reasonable time for victims to bring their claims while assuring that defendants have a fair opportunity to defend themselves before evidence is lost or memories fade,” United States District Judge John G. Koeltl, wrote in a 52-page decision that was published January 30. “In this case, the statutes of limitations have expired decades ago, and no exceptions apply.”

Kevin Mulhearn, a lawyer for the students, vowed to appeal, calling the judge’s decision “a disgrace and an abomination.”

“My clients deserve far better than this,” Mulhearn said. “The court basically is congratulating Yeshiva University High School for succeeding in its multi-decade cover-up of sexual abuse.”

A Y.U. spokesman said the university is “gratified that the federal court recognized the validity of our arguments in dismissing the case against Yeshiva University, which has been an incredibly trying process for all involved.”

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NEW YORK
New York Daily News

BY DANIEL BEEKMAN / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2014

A federal judge Thursday tossed out the $680 million sexual abuse lawsuit brought by 34 former Yeshiva University prep school students against the Washington Heights institution.

Manhattan Federal Judge John Koeltl said the claims in the lawsuit are barred by statutes of limitation because the alleged incidents of abuse by Yeshiva University High School for Boys staff members occurred several decades ago.

“My clients are men who have been suffering for years,” fumed Kevin Mulhearn, lawyer for the plaintiffs. “They deserve justice, not this perversion of justice.”

Yeshiva University didn’t immediately return a request for comment Thursday.

Mulhearn said the plaintiffs will “prosecute a vigorous and effective appeal.”

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NEW YORK
New York Post

By Rich Calder
January 30, 2014

A federal judge on Thursday tossed a scathing $680 million lawsuit filed by 34 ex-students of Yeshiva University’s prestigious all-boys high school who allege honchos there covered up decades of sexual and physical abuse.

Manhattan federal Judge John Koeltl in his 52-page legal opinion said the victims — who range in age from late-30s to early-60s and reside as far as Israel – simply waited too long to speak up.

“Statutes of limitations strike a balance between providing a reasonable time for victims to bring their claims while assuring that defendants have a fair opportunity to defend themselves before evidence is lost or memories fade,” Koeltl said “In this case, the statutes of limitations have expired decades ago, and no exceptions apply.”

After the written decision, Kevin Mulhearn, the plaintiffs’ lawyer, called Koeltl’s decision an “abomination and a disgrace” and said he plans to appeal.

“The court has stood up and said to Yeshiva University, ‘Congratulations, you have succeeded in your cover-up of the sex abuse!” he said.

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IRELAND
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, Jan. 30

Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 314 862 7688 home, 314 503 0003 cell, SNAPdorris@gmail.com )

It was gracious for Enda Kenny to offer and Louise O’Keefe to accept his apology for her suffering.

[Kildare Nationalist]

That gesture, however, in a real sense, changes nothing. Irish Catholic and governmental officials have a moral and civic duty to take four simple, long-overdue steps.

First, they must aggressively seek out and help those who were hurt in institutions, especially those who have moved oversease.

Second, they must offer tangible and generous compensation to all who were injured and betrayed in these institutions.

Third, they must expose every wrong doer involved (living or dead, high level or low level, on the state payroll or the church payroll).

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RHODE ISLAND
Fox News

Published January 30, 2014

Associated Press

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A group that advocates for victims of clergy abuse wants authorities to investigate the Legion of Christ, a disgraced Roman Catholic order.

Two lawsuits in Rhode Island claim the Legion of Christ deceived elderly donors into giving it millions as its officials knew the church was investigating its founder for allegations including sex abuse. The order has said its actions were proper.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests says the suspected wrongdoing is so persistent that Rhode Island and Connecticut law enforcement should investigate.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
Business Insurance

Judy Greenwald

A Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co. unit is not obligated to pay for settlement of a wrongful death claim filed against the Archdiocese of St. Louis in connection with a man’s suicide allegedly caused by a priest’s sexual abuse because the archdiocese could not be held legally liable for the claim, says an appellate court.

Allen Klump, the father of Christopher Klump, filed a wrongful death suit against the Archdiocese of St. Louis in state court in June 2003, charging that a priest employed by the archdiocese had sexually molested his son, which eventually led to Christopher’s suicide, according to Wednesday’s ruling by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis in Chicago Insurance Co. v. Archdiocese of St. Louis; Robert J. Carlson, Archbishop, Father Michael S. McGrath.

According to a news report, Mr. Klump charged in his suit that his 30-year-old son killed himself as a direct result of the sexual abuse he had suffered as a preteen in the 1980s at the hands of a priest during outings billed as spiritual counseling. The report said the accused priest was suspended by the archdiocese in 1997.

The parties subsequently entered into a settlement for an undisclosed amount that released the archdiocese from any future liability associated with the alleged misconduct, according to the ruling. The archdiocese then sought indemnification for its loss.

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OSTERRICH
Die Presse

Franziskus: Expriester in die Kirche einbinden

Der Innsbrucker Bischof, Manfred Scheuer, zieht eine Bilanz des Ad-limina-Besuchs im Vatikan. Dem Papst, sagt Scheuer, gehe es nicht so sehr um Moral als um die Gottesfrage.

30.01.2014 | 18:21 | Von Paul Kreiner (Die Presse)

Vatikanstadt. Keine konkreten Rezepte, keine Ankündigung unmittelbar bevorstehender Reformen, aber die Gewissheit, dass Papst Franziskus „sehr offen für den Dialog“ ist und dass zukunftsträchtige Dialogprozesse auch tatsächlich angestoßen sind. Das ist es, was der Innsbrucker Bischof, Manfred Scheuer, vom fünftägigen Ad-limina-Besuch im Vatikan „erfreut und ermutigt“ mit nach Hause nimmt.

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CHICAGO (IL)
Post-Bulletin

Associated Press

When he turned 75, Cardinal Francis George did what the Roman Catholic Church expects of its bishops. He submitted his resignation so the pope could decide how much longer the cardinal would serve.

George said he hoped Pope Benedict XVI would keep him on as Chicago archbishop for two or three more years. “But, it’s up to him, finally,” George told WLS-TV in Chicago.

Two years and one surprise papal retirement later, the decision now belongs to Pope Francis. The pontiff’s choice will be closely watched as his first major appointment in the U.S., and the clearest indication yet of the direction he will steer American church leaders.

“Many signals for this relationship between the pontificate and the U.S. church will come from Chicago,” said Massimo Faggioli, a professor at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota who studies the Vatican and the papacy. “I think this is going to be the most important decision by Pope Francis for the U.S. church.”

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IRELAND
Kildare Nationalist

Abuse survivor Louise O’Keeffe has accepted the Taoiseach’s apology on behalf of the Irish State.

The Cork woman won a case earlier this week that she brought to the European Court of Human Rights over abuse she suffered at a school in the 1970s.

In a statement, she says she’s grateful for the speed of the Taoiseach’s apology and she graciously accepts it.

“I appreciate very much his apology and I suppose I appreciate the fact that he did it quickly,” she said.

“I would never have looked for an apology for myself.

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IRELAND
Laois Nationalist

The Taoiseach has issued an apology to abuse victim Louise O’Keeffe.

The Cork woman won a case earlier this week in the European Court of Human Rights over abuse she suffered at a school in the 1970s.

The European court overturned a ruling from the Supreme Court which found the State could not be liable as the teacher responsible, Leo Hickey, was not in its direct employment.

Enda Kenny said the judgement was exceptionally complex and would be studied by the Government.

However the Taoiseach said he apologised for the horrendous experience Ms O’Keeffe had to go through.

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IRELAND
National Catholic Reporter

Jennifer Collins Religion News Service | Jan. 29, 2014

DUBLIN — For years, many Irish parents sought to school their children outside the Roman Catholic Church, which dominates the country’s education system. Now a ruling could force the Irish government to do just that.

On Tuesday (Jan. 28), the European Court of Human Rights found the government was liable in a case in which a principal sexually abused a student, then 9 years old, when she attended a state-funded Catholic school in the 1970s. An Irish court had rejected her claims on the grounds that the school wasn’t public, but the European court decided the government had failed in its duty to protect children.

The ruling touched on an issue that has taken on greater urgency in recent years as sexual abuse scandals have rocked the church and more nonreligious people have immigrated to the staunchly Catholic country: Who should run Ireland’s schools?

The Catholic Church runs 90 percent of primary schools in Ireland. The rest are mainly Protestant, and about 4 percent are managed by the nonprofit Educate Together, which is nonsectarian.

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CHICAGO (IL)
Chicago Tribune

By Deanese Williams-Harris
Tribune reporter
1:30 p.m. CST, January 30, 2014

A $3.15 million settlement has been reached in a sexual abuse claim of a victim who said he was abused by the then-Rev. Daniel McCormack, who pleaded guilty in 2007 to multiple counts of criminal sexual assault.

The victim filed the lawsuit in 2010 against the Archdiocese of Chicago and Cardinal Francis George alleging that both failed to remove McCormack and allowed him access to children despite complaints that he had sexually abused minors, according to a news release from the victim’s attorneys.

McCormack, who has since been defrocked, was arrested and charged with multiple counts of criminal sexual abuse in 2006 and later pleaded guilty to the crimes. McCormick was sentenced to five years in prison, and remains confined while a petition to keep him committed to state custody under the Sexually Violent Persons Commitment Act is considered by a Cook County judge.

The victim in the suit said McCormack abused him while he was in eighth grade in 2002 at Our Lady of the West Side Catholic School. The abuse continued while he was in a junior and senior playing in a basketball league for McCormack, who pastor at St. Agatha’s Parish and also a basketball coach, according to the complaint, according to the lawsuit.

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CHICAGO (IL)
CBS Chicago

CHICAGO (CBS) — A nearly $3.2 million settlement has been reached with the Archdiocese of Chicago in a lawsuit alleging sexual abuse with a minor by former priest Daniel McCormack, attorneys in the case said Thursday.

The identity of the plaintiff was not released, but the abuse was alleged to have occurred while the victim was between eighth and 11th grades, according to the plaintiff’s attorneys.

The victim sued the archdiocese and Cardinal Francis George in 2010 alleging they failed to remove McCormack from access to children although they had knowledge that he had sexually abused minors.

“We are pleased to have reached this settlement because it marks one more step toward bringing justice to the victim and his family,” plaintiff attorney Willliam F. Martin said in a statement.

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MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

Madeleine Baran St. Paul, Minn. Jan 30, 2014

Attorney Jeff Anderson has filed a lawsuit against the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis today on behalf of a victim of the Rev. Curtis Wehmeyer. He claims in the suit that the archdiocese was negligent in allowing Wehmeyer access to children.

The victim he’s representing is one of the boys that Wehmeyer pleaded guilty to abusing, he said. Wehmeyer is serving a five-year prison sentence for sexually abusing two boys, ages 12 and 14, and possessing child pornography. Some of the abuse took place in a camper that the priest parked outside his church.

The lawsuit comes one day after Ramsey County Attorney John Choi declined to file charges against anyone at the archdiocese for failure to promptly report child sexual abuse. The law requires a priest to report suspected child abuse within 24 hours unless he learned the information as part of confession.

Soon after Choi announced his decision not to file charges, MPR News reported that Archbishop John Nienstedt signed a church document in June 2012 that said the archdiocese knew of the sexual abuse claims for two days before contacting police.

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MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

Article by: JEAN HOPFENSPERGER , Star Tribune Updated: January 30, 2014

Hours after clearing Archdiocese, Ramsey County officials received a document that is prompting the review.

The Ramsey County Attorney’s office said Thursday it is reviewing documents that appear to indicate that the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis failed to report an allegation of child sex abuse within the time frame required by law.

County Attorney John Choi Wednesday announced his office would not file charges against the archdiocese, because it could not prove beyond reasonable doubt that it hadn’t responded in a timely way to abuse allegations against the Rev. Curtis Wehmeyer, a former St. Paul priest now in prison.

Within hours of that announcement, however, authorities received an archdiocese document that called into question whether the archdiocese acted “immediately.” The document made public by Minnesota Public Radio is a statement by Archbishop John Nienstedt describing a complaint against Wehmeyer days before church officials reported it to police.

“We’re reviewing the documents we received from police,” said Dennis Gerhardstein, spokesman for the county attorney’s office. “It’s new information.”

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NEBRASKA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, Jan. 30 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 )

An accused predator priest who worked in Nebraska has been suspended from ministry in New Mexico because of credible allegations of child sex crimes.

[ABQ Journal]

He is Fr. Timothy Conlon.

We hope every single person who may have seen, suspected or suffered crimes by Conlon – or cover ups by his church colleagues or supervisors – will call police, expose wrongdoing, and protect kids.

We hope every single current or former Catholic employee – in Nebraska, New Mexico or North Dakota – will do everything they can to seek out and help anyone who was hurt by Fr. Conlon. We hope every single Catholic parishioner does likewise.

Of course, Fr. Conlon was given access to Nebraska kids because one or more Nebraska bishops let him work in his diocese. So these bishops have a clear choice. They can split hairs, make excuses and do nothing (acting like cold-hearted CEOs). Or they can step up, show compassion and aggressively seek out others Fr. Conlon may have hurt. We hope they choose the responsible course.

Specifically, we hope they use their diocesan websites and parish bulletins and pulpit announcements to beg anyone who may have seen, suspected or suffered Fr. Conlon’s crimes to call police and prosecutors.

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VATICAN CITY
Boston.com

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Dozens and perhaps hundreds of widows and Vatican pensioners recently came in for a rude surprise: The Vatican bank told them they had to close their accounts or risk losing access to their money — all in the name of Pope Francis’ reform efforts, The Associated Press has learned.

The bank now says it was all a ‘‘technical error’’ and that the widows and pensioners are being kept on as clients, amid the bank’s highly-publicized plan to close so-called ‘‘lay accounts’’ as it tries to mend relations with Italian authorities who have suspected that Italians were using the bank as a tax haven.

It’s all come as a big embarrassment for an institution that is trying to fend off accusations of mismanagement and corruption.

‘‘In some cases old ladies got nasty letters,’’ Max Hohenberg, spokesman for the Institute for Religious Works — or IOR — told The AP. ‘‘The fact that a few dozen people were categorized in the wrong way and hence got a letter which was incorrect is a mistake which we have apologized for.’’

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AUSTRALIA
lewisblayse.net

SPECIAL NOTE: The Australian Broadcasting Corporation television (ABC 2 / Ch. 24 digital) will be re-screening the “Four Corners” program from 2003, detailing abuses by the Salvation Army at its Children’s Homes – titled “The Homies”.

The program will run at 8 p.m. (daylight Saving time – 7.p.m. Queensland time) on this coming Saturday night – 1st February, 2014. The author and one of the men who gave evidence this week, Wally McLeod, were interviewed in the program by top ABC investigative journalist, Quentin McDermott, along with a few other men and women.

The program was ground-breaking at a time when there was little public awareness of the issues. Now that the royal commission is revisiting four Salvation Army Boys’ Homes, Alkira, Bexley, Gill, and Riverview, it again becomes particularly relevant. People will soon realize just how far ahead of its time this program was.

Special thanks are also due to prominent ABC radio journalist, Emily Bourke, for her efforts in getting the ABC to agree to re-run the program. Emily does the AM, PM, Radio National and World Today programs, and has helped the author cope with the disappointment of not being given permission by chief commissioner, Peter McClellan, to appear before the commission.

Readers are strongly urged to watch the program, and to tell as many other people as possible about it.

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MINNESOTA
Bring Me The News

January 30, 2014 By Liz O’Connell

A day after the Ramsey County attorney announced there was insufficient evidence to file criminal charges against the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in the sex abuse case involving Rev. Curtis Wehmeyer, the archdiocese is now facing a civil lawsuit related to the former St. Paul priest.

The Pioneer Press reports the suit naming both the archdiocese and Wehmeyer was filed on behalf of an unidentified youth, “Doe 31.” The lawsuit claims the archdiocese knew the priest posed a risk to children yet failed to protect Doe.

Wehmeyer is currently serving a five-year prison sentence for molesting two boys in a St. Paul church parking lot in 2010 and also possessing child pornography.

St. Paul police and the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office had been investigating whether the archdiocese failed to report the abuse to authorities within 24 hours of learning about it. Ramsey County Attorney John Choi announced Wednesday that there is not enough evidence to show that the archdiocese violated the state’s mandatory reporting law.

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CHICAGO (IL)
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, Jan. 30 2014

Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 314 862 7688 home, 314 503 0003 cell, SNAPdorris@gmail.com )

Another clergy sex abuse and cover up lawsuit against the Chicago archdiocese has settled.

We applaud the brave victim of Fr. Daniel McCormack who sought justice through our court system. He was smart to get independent help – from an attorney – instead of begging for crumbs from Catholic officials. We are grateful that he persisted through legal delays and that he chose to announce this resolution. Every time Fr. McCormack’s name appears in the public limelight, kids are safer because parents are reminded of how reckless, callous and deceitful Catholic officials can be.

We hope, however, that at least one of the McCormack lawsuits goes to trial. If that happens, we predict many will be shocked to learn that top archdiocesan officials acted even worse than is commonly believed in this horrific case.

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MISSOURI
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, Jan. 30 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 in SNAP are grateful for Rev. Brenda Jones’ strength and courage. She has wisely realized that our courts are the best place to expose sexual predators and protect vulnerable congregations. We applaud her for her bravery.

[SNAP]

But this is about more than a sexual predator. It’s also about a very unhealthy, self-serving church hierarchy that rallies around the accused, attacks the accuser, and deters victims, witnesses and whistleblowers from speaking up. Bishop Kirkland and other AME officials should be deeply ashamed of how they misused their power and position to scare others with information about clergy sex crimes and cover up into staying silent.

The AME church has an inspiring history. AME church officials and members played key roles in the civil rights movement. The Selma to Montgomery voting rights march started an AME church. Rosa Parks’ memorial service was held at an AME church. In fact, the AME church grew out of an anti-segregation protest in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1787.

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VATICAN CITY
Vatican Information Service

Vatican City, 30 January 2014 (VIS) – The Holy Father:

– accepted the resignation presented by Bishop Michele Russo, M.C.C.I. from the pastoral government of the diocese of Doba, Chad, in conformity with canon 401 paragraph 2 of the CIC, and has named Bishop Miguel Angel Sebastian Martinez, M.C.C.I., as apostolic administrator “sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis” of that same diocese.

– accepted the request presented by Cardinal Attilio Nicora to step down as president of the Financial Intelligence Authority of the Holy See and Vatican City State (AIF), and has named Bishop Giorgio Corbellini as interim president of that office. Bishop Corbellini will maintain his positions at the Labour Office of the Apostolic See and the Disciplinary Commission of the Roman Curia.

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VATICAN CITY
Reuters

* Break with past financial establishment almost complete
* Pope replaced cardinals on bank supervisory commission mid-Jan
* Vatican reforms expected to intensify in coming months

By Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY, Jan 30 (Reuters) – Pope Francis on Thursday replaced a cardinal who played a senior role in Vatican finances for more than a decade, in his latest move to clear out the old financial guard associated with his predecessor.

The Vatican said the pope had accepted the resignation of Cardinal Atillio Nicora as president of the Vatican’s Financial Information Authority (AIF), its internal regulatory watchdog.

Nicora, 76, held high-level roles in Vatican finances since 2002. He was replaced by Bishop Giorgio Corbellini, 66, who has a track record of reform within the Vatican bureaucracy.

The move, which follows the replacement of four cardinals connected to the Vatican bank on Jan. 15, came as Francis is approaching the first anniversary of a pontificate marked by austerity and sobriety.

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CHICAGO (IL)
WLS

A nearly $3.2 million settlement has been reached with the Archdiocese of Chicago in a lawsuit alleging sexual abuse with a minor by former priest Daniel McCormack, attorneys in the case said Thursday.

The identify of the plaintiff was not released, but the abuse was alleged to have occurred while the victim was between eighth and 11th grades, according to the plaintiff’s attorneys.

The victim sued the archdiocese and Cardinal Francis George in 2010 alleging they failed to remove McCormack from access to children although they had knowledge that he had sexually abused minors.

“We are pleased to have reached this settlement because it marks one more step toward bringing justice to the victim and his family,” plaintiff attorney Willliam F. Martin said in a statement.

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CHICAGO (IL)
WLS

January 30, 2014 (CHICAGO) (WLS) — The Chicago Archdiocese settled a claim of sexual abuse against a boy by former priest Daniel McCormack for $3.15 million.

The sex abuse victim, who has not been identified, filed the lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Chicago and Cardinal Francis George in 2010. He alleged the archdiocese failed to remove McCormack from access to children although they knew they had knowledge of past abuse.

McCormack was arrested in 2006 on multiple counts of criminal sexual abuse to which he pleaded guilty in 2007.

The victim in this case was sexually abused between eighth and 11th grades.

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MINNESOTA
Pioneer Press

A day after Ramsey County announced it wouldn’t charge anyone in the Twin Cities archdiocese for failing to report to police the case of a convicted child molesting priest, one of the priest’s victims has filed a civil lawsuit.

The suit, filed on behalf of a youth identified as Doe 31, names the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the priest, the Rev. Curtis Wehmeyer, who served at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in St. Paul.

The lawsuit alleges the archdiocese knew Wehmeyer posed a risk to children and failed to protect Doe 31, said sexual abuse attorney Jeff Anderson.

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ISRAEL
The Jewish Press

By: Yori Yanover Published: January 29th, 2014

The Apostolic Nunciature in Israel announced Monday that Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Archbishop Elias Chacour, Archbishop of the Greek Melkite Archeparchy of Akko, Haifa, Nazareth and the Galilee, ICN reported.

The Catholic news service added that archbishop, a “native Palestinian, whose family and entire village were evicted when the State of Israel was formed,” was the first Israeli citizen to be appointed a Catholic bishop. In this role, “he has devoted his life to advocating non-violence and reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians and has twice been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.”

But, according to CNS, last October, the well-known archbishop was called in for police questioning for suspected sexual harassment of a woman who works in the community. The allegations concerned an incident that allegedly took place five years ago. Following several hours of questioning, the archbishop was released on bail under restricting conditions.

The woman’s complaint was filed two years ago, but the investigation needed special permission to proceed because of the archbishop’s high standing (what with the Nobel nominations and whatnot).

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ISRAEL
Catholic Free Press

By Judith Sudilovsky
Catholic News Service

JERUSALEM (CNS) — Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Melkite Archbishop Elias Chacour of Haifa.

Canon 210 of the Eastern Code of Canon Law allows for resignation for health reasons or at the age of 75. Archbishop Chacour is 74.

Last October, the well-known archbishop was called in for questioning for suspected sexual harassment of a woman who works in the community; the allegations concerned an incident that allegedly took place five years ago. Following several hours of questioning, the archbishop was released on bail under restricting conditions.

The complaint was filed two years ago, but the investigation needed special permission to proceed because of the archbishop’s standing. Archbishop Chacour was reported to have been cooperative but denied the allegations against him.

A source familiar with the church in Galilee noted that the archbishop tendered his resignation after speaking with church officials, who suggested it would be best if he resigned.

Ill health and the sexual harassment charges against him appear to be among the several reasons he resigned, said the source.

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

VATICAN CITY
Catholic Culture

The director of the Holy See Press Office criticized the negative portrayal of Pope Benedict in a recent Rolling Stone cover story on Pope Francis.

“Unfortunately, the article disqualifies itself, falling in the usual mistake of a superficial journalism, which in order to highlight the positive aspects of Pope Francis, thinks it should describe in a negative way the pontificate of Pope Benedict, and does so with a surprising crudeness,” said Father Federico Lombardi, according to a Zenit report.

“What a shame,” Father Lombardi added. “This is not the way to do a good service even to Pope Francis, who knows very well what the Church owes to his predecessor.”

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MINNESOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, Jan. 30 2014

Statement by Megan Peterson, Twin Cities SNAP leader, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 218-689-9049 cell, survivor19@live.com )

We are deeply disappointed in Twin Cities law enforcement officials.

[Minnesota Public Radio]

Given what’s happening in the Twin Cities – now and over the past five months – it is very tough for us to understand why subpoenas and search warrants haven’t been used yet.

Police and prosecutors beg victims, witnesses and whistleblowers to step forward, as they should. But police and prosecutors need to respect our pain by doing some real homework on the long-standing, widely-documented and on-going pattern of persistent deceit by Catholic officials – in Minnesota and across the world – in clergy sex abuse and cover up cases.

It speaks volumes that

–- the veteran archdiocesan abuse “handler,” Fr. Kevin McDonough, refuses to be questioned by police, and
–- the archbishop refuses to order McDonough to sit for questioning.

Those two simple and alarming facts scream “cover up” to anyone who’s listening.

We could cite many examples, even recent ones (like Bishop Robert Finn in Kansas City), in which high ranking Catholic officials have hidden evidence from law enforcement officials. But look at the case of Fr. Gerald Robinson in Toledo, who is now in prison for brutally murdering a nun.

Police investigators arrested him and asked diocesan staff for Fr. Robinson’s personnel file. They were given three pages.

Police then executed two “no knock” search warrants on the diocese. They recovered hundreds and hundreds of pages of more records, records that had never been turned over to the police. Those records led to Fr. Robinson’s conviction.

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POLAND
Sunday Catholic Weekly

Włodzimierz Rędzioch talks with Fr. Fortunato Di Noto – a Sicilian priest dealing with a fight with pedophilia

Numbers are terrifying! All over the world 140 million girls and 75 million boys fell victims to sexual abuses; 600 thousand children are abused in the business of children’s pornography, which reaches 14 milliard euro. The average age of pedophiles’ victims is 11-14 years, although there are also cases of abusing babies! Most sexually abused children are in the countries like: Kenia, Indie, Philippines, the Republic of Southern Africa, Thailand, Cambodia, but, certainly, it is difficult to find Polish journalists there who are worried by the fate of the underage- they prefer to write mendacious texts from Modlnica, from the family house of Fr. Wojciech Gil. Most media are engaged with searching for single cases of alleged sexual abuses among priests towards children. The example of this type of extremely biased actions is just the witch-hunt against the Polish priest. It is also possible to notice the inconceivable phenomenon – many powerful groups are undertaking an attempt of normalization of pedophilia, acknowledge it as one of many sexual orientations. What is interesting, in domineering media nobody alarms because nobody is outraged by it.

I talk with a Sicilian priest Fortunato Di Noto about these worrying matters, who founded an organization named ‘Meter Onlus’. I have been engaged in this fight with pedophilia, mainly on Internet.

(W.R.)

WŁODZIMIERZ RĘDZIOCH: – Priest has been engaged with the fight with pedophilia for years. How did Priest react to the decision of pope Francis about establishing a special commission in order to protect the underage?

FR. FORTUNATO DI NOTO: – The commission established by pope Francis in order to protect the underage is a cry of innocent children, a particular engagement for the sake of those suffering and restoring hope among those in despair. The association ‘Meter Onlus’ suggested organizing the central commission long time ago, which could help episcopates in their work for the sake of children. We also suggested establishing a new pastoral function – a bishop’s vicar for children, who could guard the work of various communities of pastoral dioceses. The Church must always defend the little, weak, poor and abused. And it cannot be silent or hide the evil. The papal commission will be able to coordinate preventive and informative actions well, as well as protection and help to victims.
As it concerns ‘Meter Onlus’, I would like to say that it is 18 years when we have celebrated the Day of Children – Victims of Violence; we meet with bishops, priests and laymen in order to make them sensitive to pastoral ministry and formation of children against abuse; we have participated in 2600 congresses about abuse towards the underage; we have given help to 1200 victims of violence, we have reported about a million of pedophilic websites to suitable authorities (internet police); in 1997, thanks to our efforts the Italian parliament was the first one to submit an application against pedophilia. I think that our biggest merit is protecting many children from abuses and creating a new social consciousness about this phenomenon, also in such far-away countries as China, Japan or Brazil.

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MINNESOTA
KSTP

By: Jennie Olson

A church document suggests the St. Paul-Minneapolis archdiocese waited two days to tell police of sexual abuse allegations against a priest.

The document obtained by Minnesota Public Radio is a decree signed by Archbishop John Nienstedt in 2012. MPR says it shows the Archdiocese knew about allegations against the Rev. Curtis Wehmeyer on June 18. But police reports show the archdiocese didn’t report the claims to police until two days later. The law generally requires a priest to report suspected child abuse within 24 hours.

The revelation came after Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said he would not file any charges for failure to report Wehmeyer’s abuse to police. Choi now says he’s taking another look.

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NORTHERN IRELAND
BBC News

A witness has told the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry that he was sexually abused by older boys at a children’s home in Londonderry.

He also told the inquiry that the home, Termonbacca, was “run on starvation”.

The children’s home and another in Derry, Nazareth House, were run by the Sisters of Nazareth.

The Historical Abuse Inquiry is investigating abuse claims against children’s residential institutions from 1922 to 1995.

The witness lived in Termonbacca in the 1950s and 1960s after being given to a priest by his mother.

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NORTHERN IRELAND
Irish Times

Dan Keenan

A boy looked after by Sisters of Nazareth nuns at a home in Derry used to faint regularly during morning Mass because of hunger.

The Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry heard the boy, who has been giving testimony in person, was woken some time after 6am daily to serve at morning Mass. But he often passed out because he said he was always hungry.

The inquiry, which is investigating treatment of children at care homes across Northern Ireland before 1995, heard the witness confirm that while some nuns were pleasant, another was “a hateful bitch”.
She had “a built-in anger and hatred,” the witness told inquiry chairman Sir Anthony Hart.

“You could have no relationship whatsoever with her. You could say she was under pressure, but she really didn’t have to be because the boys were doing a good job in running the place and she should have had the life of Riley.”

He confirmed his statement, given earlier to the inquiry team, in which he referred to this nun as “a bully and very contolling”.

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MINNESOTA
Greenwich Time

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A church document suggests the St. Paul-Minneapolis archdiocese waited two days to tell police of sexual abuse allegations against a priest.

The document obtained by Minnesota Public Radio (http://bit.ly/1fzIb0Q ) is a decree signed by Archbishop John Nienstedt in 2012. MPR says it shows the Archdiocese knew about allegations against the Rev. Curtis Wehmeyer on June 18. But police reports show the archdiocese didn’t report the claims to police until two days later. The law generally requires a priest to report suspected child abuse within 24 hours.

The revelation came after Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said he would not file any charges for failure to report Wehmeyer’s abuse to police. Choi now says he’s taking another look.

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

CALIFORNIA
Orange County Weekly

By Matt Coker Thu., Jan. 30 2014

A history teacher at the all-boys Catholic Servite High School who’d also taught or coached baseball at Irvine’s Beckman and Mission Viejo’s Capistrano Valley high schools pleaded guilty Wednesday to setting up a fake woman’s Facebook profile to trick dozens of teen boys into sending him sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves.

Zachary Joshua Reeder, a married father, was immediately sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Between June 1, 2010, and Jan. 14, 2013, Reeder created and used a Facebook account to pose as a female high school student by using the image of a blond-haired girl. He established inappropriate online relationships with at least 106 underage boys between the ages of 13 and 17 from Servite, Beckman, Northwood, and Canyon High Schools–boys he knew through teaching or coaching, prosecutors said when the Orange resident was arrested last February. Many boys came forward due to the publicity from the arrest.

Without the guilty plea, Reeder was facing up to 44 years in prison if convicted.

Besides the prison time, the 31-year-old must register as a sex offender for life after pleading guilty to four felony counts of distributing pornography to a minor, two felony counts of lewd acts upon a child under 14, two felony counts of contacting a child with the intent to commit a lewd act, one felony count each of using a minor for sex acts, lewd act upon a child, possession and control of child pornography, and distribution of child pornography.

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CALIFORNIA
Patch

Posted by Penny Arévalo (Editor) , January 29, 2014

A former Orange County high school teacher and baseball coach, who used a fake woman’s Facebook profile to trick 106 underage teenage boys into sending him sexually explicit photos and videos, admitted guilt today and was immediately sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Zachary Joshua Reeder, 31, of Orange, pleaded guilty to four counts of distributing pornography to a minor, two counts each of lewd acts on a child younger than 14 and contacting a child with the intent to commit a lewd act, and one count each of using a minor for sex acts, committing a lewd act on a child, possession and control of child pornography and distribution of child pornography — all felonies.

Reeder was a history teacher at Servite High School, an all-boys campus in Anaheim, and also taught history and was a volunteer assistant baseball coach for four seasons at Arnold O. Beckman High School in Irvine. He briefly served as a history teacher and baseball coach at Capistrano Valley Christian School in San Juan Capistrano.

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CHICAGO (IL)
Voice from the Desert

Robert Mayer

Thomas Doyle
January 20, 2014

The leadership of the Archdiocese of Chicago has a mediocre to poor track record in responding to reports of clergy sexual abuse and their honesty with the public. Cardinal George’s recent statement to the archdiocese (January 12, 2014 in The Catholic New World) does nothing to change this pattern. This statement was issued to prepare the archdiocese for the release of the files of thirty priests confirmed as sexual abusers. His statement is defensive, misleading and insulting in addition to the fact that it does not reflect the reality of the key issues. A significant part of the statement is devoted to the defense of his mishandling of the Dan McCormack case. The McCormack files are not among those released!

In 1982 the parents of a minor boy reported that former Fr. Bob Mayer had sexually abused their teenaged son. This was under Cardinal Cody’s watch. They reported the abuse to the archdiocese and in return were intimidated and even threatened with excommunication by the chancellor at the time, Fr. J. Richard Keating, who later became the bishop of Arlington VA. In 1988 they finally settled for a measly $10,000.00 that didn’t even cover their legal costs. The boy’s mother was not about to succumb to the scare tactics nor was she buying any of the dishonest mumbo-jumbo served up as excuses for their deliberate neglect. She went on to found the Linkup which quickly became one of the two most influential victim support organizations in the world.

Knowing about Mayer’s track record Cardinal Bernardin who had by then succeeded Cardinal Cody, gave him two more assignments as a parish associate and in 1990 made him pastor of a parish in Berwyn IL. During this period the archdiocese received other allegations and ordered Mayer not to be alone with anyone under 21. The infinite wisdom of the archdiocese in imposing this restriction was apparently not infinite enough.

In 1991 Mayer was charged with sexual abuse of a minor girl. When confronted by the angry parishioners, the auxiliary bishop dispatched to deal with the incident lied to them about Mayer’s background. In 1992 Mayer was sentenced to three years in prison. He has since been laicized.

Cardinal Bernardin died in 1996 and Cardinal George replaced him in April 1997. He was ordained bishop in 1990 and served first as bishop of Yakima WA and then as archbishop of Portland OR. Both Portland and Yakima had their share of sexual abuse problems during George’s time. Equally important, he was a member of the U.S. bishops Conference during the years they started to at least talk about clerical sexual abuse. During those years George and his fellow bishops received numerous documents from the conference headquarters that provided detailed information about clergy sexual abuse and the serious risks it posed the Church. He was also present, at least presumably, when a variety of outside experts addressed the assembled bishops on the very serious nature of sexual abuse of children. These included Fr. Canice Connors, at the time President of St. Luke Institute; Dr. Fred Berlin, Johns Hopkins University, on diagnostic concepts, treatment and ethical considerations; Dr. Frank Valcour, psychiatrist at St. Luke Institute on expectations of treatment; Bishop Harry Flynn on care of victims; Jesuit psychiatrist James Gill on priests, sex and power and Fr. Steve Rossetti on the parish as victim. During this period Pope John Paul II addressed his first public communication of clergy sex abuse to the U.S. bishops and that same year, 1993, the bishops established their first committee to deal with the problem. The claim voiced by the Cardinal and his auxiliary, Francis Kane, that “had they known then what they know now they would have handled the allegations differently,”has become a mantra for bishops when they are confronted with their disastrous actions. It’s also so worn out that one would think the conference spin-doctors would come up with a fresh excuse.

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

Minister abused & harassed woman, new suit says
Clergyman has now started a new church in Hazelwood
From pulpit, AME official said victim is “the devil” and “going to hell”
Church process “was degrading and humiliating,” lawsuit charges
Suit: “Officials want to harass and deter victims of sexual assault from reporting”
SNAP deplores church figures for not calling police & retaliating against woman

WHAT
Holding signs and childhood photos at a sidewalk news conference, clergy sex abuse victims and their supporters will
– disclose a new civil lawsuit charging that an African American minister sexually harassed and assaulted a female staffer and church member,
– urge officials with the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church to aggressively reach out to others who “saw, suspected or suffered” the ministers crimes, and
– prod anyone with information or suspicions of crimes or misdeeds by the minister to “come forward, get help, expose wrongdoers, protect others and start healing.

WHEN
Thursday, Jan. 30 at 1:15 p.m.

WHERE
Outside Wayman AME Church (314-361-4123), 5010 Cabanne Ave. at Kingshighway in north St. Louis

WHY
A new civil lawsuit charges that Rev. Brenda Jones was sexually harassed and assaulted by Rev. Frederick McCullough and that AME officials treated her horribly when she reported the crimes.

According to the suit: “In 2011, Jones became a preacher and a member of Wayman Church, the same year that Rev. Frederick McCullough was assigned there. The next year, McCullough made escalating sexually inappropriate comments to her and forcing her to see a photo of McCullough’s penis. A month later, in his office, he grabbed her, tried to kiss her, forced her to bend over his desk, pulled up her skirt, tried to pull her undergarments down but she escaped. In December of 2012, McCullough again assaulted her in the church.”

Church officials knew, the suit says, that McCullough had sexually harassed other women he supervised or pastored to in AME churches (including in Georgia and Nebraska) before assaulting Jones but did not tell her or others “of McCullough’s propensity to sexually harass and assault women.” In 2004, for instance, AME officials “were aware that McCullough had engaged in “inappropriate sexual behavior” with a girl” and in 2010, they knew that McCullough “made inappropriate sexual comments to a female pastor.”

Church officials refused to report the allegations against McCullough “to law enforcement authorities, prospective parishioners, current parishioners, their families, victims, or the public,” the suit says. AME officials refused to investigate “until Jones filed a formal written complaint, and then subjected her to a three-month internal quasi-judicial process while letting McCullough stay in his position and disparage Jones from the pulpit.”

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VATICAN CITY
National Catholic Reporter

John L. Allen Jr. | Jan. 30, 2014 NCR Today

ROME
In his latest move to clean up the financial scandals that have plagued the Vatican in recent years, Pope Francis has replaced a cardinal who headed the financial watchdog agency launched under Pope Benedict XVI with a bishop associated with an earlier effort to foster reform.

The Vatican announced Thursday that 76-year-old Italian Cardinal Attilio Nicora has stepped down as president of the Vatican’s Financial Information Authority, the anti-money-laundering agency launched under Benedict XVI in 2011.

In his place, Francis has named 66-year-old Italian Bishop Giorgio Corbellini, who will also keep his job as head of the Vatican’s labor office and head of the disciplinary commission of the Roman Curia. The appointment to the Financial Information Authority was made ad interim, meaning Corbellini has no fixed term.

From 1993 to 2011, Corbellini was a senior official of the Government of the Vatican City State, where he worked under Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, the current papal ambassador in the United States and the former No. 2 official at the City State.

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CANADA
MIssissauga.com

By Catherine Thompson

A retired Anglican priest from Cambridge faces at least four years in federal prison for sex offences dating back almost 30 years.

On Tuesday, Rev. George Ferris, 66, was sentenced to four years in prison for two counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual exploitation in connection with offences that took place in Brant County between 1983 and 1989, when he served at St. James’ Anglican Church in Paris, Ont.

A sentencing hearing was held Wednesday for Ferris on two other charges of sexual assault against two separate complainants. He was convicted in November of those offences.

At Ferris’ trial in October on those charges, Chris Morrison, 42, of Paris, Ont., testified he was molested by Ferris, who was his priest, as a teenager over several years, in a situation that escalated from embraces to oral sex and two instances of actual and attempted anal sex. The court was also told the witness asked Ferris for “hush” money in 2006 and received $5,000 deposited in his bank account.

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FLORIDA
Orlando Sentinel

By Amy Pavuk, Orlando Sentinel
5:18 p.m. EST, January 28, 2014

A former missionary for the Sanford-based New Tribes Mission was sentenced to 58 years in federal prison Tuesday for sexually abusing girls who were part of an indigenous tribe in the Amazon and filming the acts.

Authorities said Warren Scott Kennell befriended and abused girls over a several-year period, while he was establishing a church with the Katookeena tribe.

Homeland Security Investigations agents began investigating the 45-year-old after receiving a tip that he posted pictures on a website used by people who trade child pornography.

When Kennell traveled from Brazil to Orlando in May, agents stopped and searched him at the airport.

Agents found several thumb drives and an external hard drive, and investigators located child pornography on the devices.

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FLORIDA
WFTV

[with video]

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A former missionary was sentenced to 58 years in prison on child pornography charges Tuesday.

Warren Scott Kennell was arrested in June after Homeland Security investigators found he uploaded child pornography online.

Kennell then admitted to producing child pornography with young girls from the Brazilian tribes he worked with.

About 17 people filed up several rows in the courtroom to support Kennel Tuesday.

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FLORIDA
Daily Mail (UK)

Ex-Christian missionary is jailed for 58 years after he sexually abused indigenous girls for child porn while setting up a church in the Amazon

By HELEN POW

A Florida-based former Christian missionary was today sentenced to 58 years in federal prison for sexually abusing girls who were part of an indigenous tribe in the Amazon and filming the acts.

While he was establishing a church with the Katukina tribe, Warren Scott Kennell, 45, a missionary with the Sanford-based New Tribes Mission, befriended the girls and abused them over several years, prosecutors said.

He was arrested in Orlando in May and investigators found more than 940 images of child pornography on his hard drive.

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FLORIDA
The Raw Story

By Travis Gettys
Wednesday, January 29, 2014

A judge sentenced a former Florida missionary to 58 years in prison Tuesday for recording himself as he sexually abused girls from an indigenous tribe in the Amazon.

Warren Kennell admitted to befriending and abusing the girls over several years while he was establishing a church for the Sanford-based New Tribes mission, reported the Orlando Sentinel.

“We are heartsick,” said a spokeswoman for the ministry. “Children are to be protected, not hurt. We are grateful to the authorities for the prosecution of this individual despite international legal obstacles.”

Homeland Security agents began investigating the 45-year-old after they were tipped off that Kennell was posting photos on a child pornography website.

Agents searched Kennell in May after stopping him upon arrival in Orlando from Brazil, and investigators said they found several digital storage devices containing sexually explicit images involving children.

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MINNESOTA
Jeff Anderson & Associates

Media Advisory

January 30, 2014

Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Father Curtis Wehmeyer Named in Civil Lawsuit
Claims include deception, concealment, false representations, nuisance and destruction of evidence

What: At a news conference today sexual abuse attorney Jeff Anderson will:

· Announce the filing of a civil lawsuit on behalf a youth, Doe 31, who was abused by Father Curtis Wehmeyer at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in St. Paul. The lawsuit names the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and Wehmeyer. The lawsuit alleges the Archdiocese had knowledge that Wehmeyer posed a risk to children and failed to protect Doe 31.

· Examine the failure to report Wehmeyer’s repeated, inappropriate sexual behavior which the top Archdiocesan officials, including Fr. Kevin McDonough, learned about as early as 2004 when Wehmeyer reportedly solicited sex from two young men at a Barnes & Noble. Wehmeyer was sent to Saint Luke Institute in Maryland, a treatment facility for known offenders, for evaluation. Upon return to Minnesota, church officials placed him back into ministry and required Wehmeyer to attend sexaholic’s anonymous meetings. In 2006, Wehmeyer was assigned to Blessed Sacrament where he later abused Doe 31.

· Discuss the Ramsey County Attorney’s decision not to file charges against top church officials for their role in Wehmeyer’s criminal case.

· Encourage other survivors of sexual abuse to come forward, including those abused by Fr. Wehmeyer, and report their abuse to law enforcement.

· Call upon law enforcement agencies and prosecuting authorities to examine the record that demonstrates concealment of crimes and obstruction of justice by top officials of the Archdiocese.

WHEN: Thursday January 30, 2014 at 1:00 PM CST

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

WHO: Attorneys Jeff Anderson and Sarah Odegaard.

Notes: The complaint and other documents will be posted to our website at www.andersonadvocates.com.

Contact: Jeff Anderson: Cell: 612.817.8665 Office: 651.227.9990
Sarah Odegaard: Cell: 612.616.4218 Office: 651.227.9990

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AUSTRALIA
The Guardian (UK)

Australian Associated Press
theguardian.com, Wednesday 29 January 2014

A boy who told a Salvation Army officer he had been sexually abused by another boy was later raped by the officer, an inquiry has been told.

A man, identified as ES, said he ran away several times from a Salvation Army Training Farm at Riverview in Queensland when he was a teenager but was always brought back, either by the farm manager, Captain Victor Bennett, or police.

Bennett who has since died, is one of five officers against whom the royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse has heard numerous allegations.

The commission is holding a public hearing in Sydney into what happened at four homes run by the Salvos in NSW and Queensland in the 1960s and 1970s.

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AUSTRALIA
The Australian

DAN BOX THE AUSTRALIAN JANUARY 30, 2014

BOYS living at a Salvation Army children’s home in Sydney were sent to stay with adults and forced to have sex, or were sexually abused by unknown men who broke into their dormitories at night, an inquiry has been told.

In a written statement read to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse today, one such victim described how this abuse took place at the Bexley boys’ home run by Salvation Army officer Captain Lawrence Wilson.

“He physically raped me in his office within a few months of being there and it happened several more times,” the man, who cannot be named, alleged in his statement.

“You would be sent out to stay with other people and they would do it to you or there were the prowlers, men who allegedly broke into the place at night and tampered with the boys.

“Even now I still can’t sleep. There you would get visited in the night, so you were scared, you couldn’t fall asleep.

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AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald

January 30, 2014

Paul Bibby
Court Reporter

Dozens of alleged rapes and indecent assaults against boys at a Salvation Army home in southern Sydney that were reported to police years later never came to court because of the victims’ fading memories and investigators’ reluctance to “fish for victims”, the royal commission into child abuse has heard.

The revelations came as the commission’s investigation into Salvation Army boys’ homes in NSW and Queensland focuses on the Bexley Boys’ Home, operated from 1915 to 1979.

The commission has heard a series of alarming allegations of abuse at the home, much of it involving Captain Lawrence Wilson, who was accused not only of raping and assaulting the boys, but of sending them to the homes of other Salvation Army officers to be raped and assaulted.

One boy, referred to as FV, was allegedly sent by Captain Wilson to the home of a Salvation Army couple. The woman forced him to have sex with her and then the man indecently assaulted him.

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AUSTRALIA
The Guardian

Australian Associated Press
theguardian.com, Thursday 30 January 2014

A New South Wales police strike force investigated whether a Salvation Army officer was running a paedophile ring and renting out boys, a royal commission has heard.

However, it did not find enough evidence to pursue the case.

Strike Force Cori, which was set up after the Wood royal commission to investigate allegations of paedophilia against a district court judge, also looked at whether Captain Lawrence Wilson, who managed the Salvation Army’s home for boys at Bexley in south Sydney, organised a paedophile ring.

Wilson had been acquitted on multiple charges of buggery and indecent assault in 1997.

The Salvation Army has since paid out more than $1.2m in compensation – some of it to victims of Wilson.

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AUSTRALIA
ABC News

By Thomas Oriti

Children at a Salvation Army boys’ home in Sydney were “rented out” to strangers who sexually abused them, the royal commission into child sexual abuse has heard.

The Bexley Boys Home in Sydney’s south is one of four homes being examined by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

Until now, former residents of two homes in Queensland have given evidence about being beaten and sexually abused.

Today the inquiry turned its focus to the Bexley home, and a police investigation launched in the 1990s after several men came forward.

Detective Inspector Rick Cunningham investigated the allegations of abuse at the home.

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AUSTRALIA
Telegraph

JANET FIFE-YEOMANS NEWS LIMITED JANUARY 30, 2014

* Victim, 52, breaks down as he tells story of time at Bexley
* Wilson, who died in 2008, went on to have numerous jobs related to children
* He also ‘sent boys out from the home to have sex with couples and women’

The worst sex fiend in the Salvation Army was dismissed not for raping young boys – but because he had slept with his fiance.

The hypocrisy of the Salvos has been exposed at the royal commission into child sex abuse when, despite leaving a trail of abused young boys in the 50s, 60s and 70s at four Salvation Army homes, Captain Lawrence Wilson was recommended for promotion to major in 1982.

One of Wilson’s victims at Bexley Boys’ Home in Sydney, now aged 52, broke down in the witness box yesterday, unable to read his statement.

“My life was not too bad until I met Captain Wilson,” the man, a miner, had written.

“The sexual attacks on myself are still the hardest thing to deal with. One day you are a boy, then the next you are a shell walking around.

“I have been back to Bexley Boys’ Home looking for what I lost, but where do you start?”

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AUSTRALIA
SBS

AAP

A royal commission has heard how one man turned a Salvation Army boys’ home in Sydney into a hell that has left an indelible mark on a generation of men.

A man, now a miner, was so distraught by memories of what had happened to him at a Salvation Army boys home in Sydney that he could not read his evidence at a royal commission inquiry.

When he took the stand at a public hearing into child sexual abuse on Thursday, the man identified as FV, faltered as he told about hearing his younger brother was raped.

They had been sent to the Bexley Boys Home in Sydney south in 1974 when Captain Lawrence Wilson was in charge and placed in different dormitories.

In evidence read on his behalf by Simeon Beckett counsel assisting the commission, FV said he was raped by Cpt Wilson and a few weeks later was collected by a man and woman and taken to a house in Punchbowl, Sydney.

The couple were in Salvation Army uniforms and the big woman “had short blond hair and looked to be in her 30s”.

At Punchbowl the couple tried to force him to have sex. He ran away and got a train back to Bexley where Captain Wilson was waiting and gave him 18 stripes with a cane and told him “they were good people I sent you to”.

Twice more during his time at Bexley he was sent to people’s homes, once to a property in Blacktown, and another time to the house of two women.

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AUSTRALIA
ABC News

[with audio]

The Royal Commission into child sexual abuse has been told that boys at the Salvation Army’s Bexley home in Sydney’s south were ‘rented out’ to strangers who sexually abused them and that a ‘network of pedophiles’ had access boys in their dormitory. The inquiry has also heard that police efforts to bring the matter to court in the 1990s came to nothing.

Transcript

MARK COLVIN: As if the harrowing accounts of routine sexual and extreme physical abuse at the Salvation Army boys homes weren’t bad enough, the Royal Commission into child sexual abuse today heard that boys at the Bexley home in Sydney’s south were ‘rented out’ to strangers who sexually abused them.

Today, the public hearing heard serious allegations that a ‘network of paedophiles’, including women, were able to get to boys in their dormitory and take boys to their private homes in the 1970s.

The inquiry has also heard that police investigations in the 1990s came to nothing – and that one alleged offender, who was a Salvation Army captain, is still alive.

Emily Bourke has the story – and a warning that some of the material in this report is distressing.

EMILY BOURKE: The Salvation Army’s home for boys at Bexley in Sydney’s south operated from 1915 to 1979. It took in boys who were abandoned or relinquished by their families, but care and comfort were rare.

Today, the Royal Commission was told that the perpetrators of child sexual abuse were inside and outside the home at Bexley.

The manager of the Bexley home in the early 70s was captain Lawrence Wilson. He’s been described as the Salvation Army’s ‘most serious offender’.

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AUSTRALIA
Telegraph (UK)

Salvation Army ‘rented out’ boys at Sydney children’s home in Sydney to paedophiles

By Jonathan Pearlman, Sydney 30 Jan 2014

Boys at a Salvation Army children’s home in Australia were “rented out” to paedophiles who entered their dormitories at night, a royal commission into child sexual abuse has heard.

One boy was sent by a superintendent, Captain Lawrence Wilson, to the home of a husband and wife, who sexually abused him. The couple were in Salvation Army uniforms and the woman “had short blond hair and looked to be in her 30s,” the alleged victim told the commission. He said he returned to the home and revealed what had happened to Captain Wilson, who said the couple were “good people” and caned the boy 18 times.

“The sexual attacks on myself are the hardest things to deal with, one day you are a boy the next you are a shell walking around,” he said.

Another man told the commission that the boys, who lived at a Salvation Army home in Sydney, would sometimes be sexually abused by men who broke into their rooms at night.

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AUSTRALIA
NEWS.com.au

A MAN, now a miner, was so distraught by memories of what had happened to him at a Salvation Army boys home in Sydney that he could not read his evidence at a royal commission inquiry.

When he took the stand at a public hearing into child sexual abuse on Thursday, the man identified as FV, faltered as he told about hearing his younger brother was raped.

They had been sent to the Bexley Boys Home in Sydney south in 1974 when Captain Lawrence Wilson was in charge and placed in different dormitories.

In evidence read on his behalf by Simeon Beckett counsel assisting the commission, FV said he was raped by Cpt Wilson and a few weeks later was collected by a man and woman and taken to a house in Punchbowl, Sydney.

The couple were in Salvation Army uniforms and the big woman “had short blond hair and looked to be in her 30s”.

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AUSTRALIA
ABC News

By Thomas Oriti

The Salvation Army has suspended an officer being investigated by the royal commission into child sexual abuse.

John McIver is one of five men who are the focus of the inquiry’s hearings into the sexual and physical abuse of children at four boys’ homes run by the Christian church.

But when the hearing began this week it emerged that he was the only alleged perpetrator who was still a current Salvation Army member.

His suspension comes on the same day as the inquiry heard boys at a Salvation Army home in Sydney were “rented out” to strangers who sexually abused them.

This afternoon the Salvation Army issued a statement.

“In light of evidence tendered to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, the Salvation Army has suspended retired Salvation Army officer John McIver pending further investigations in regards to the matters raised,” the statement said.

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AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald

January 31, 2014

Paul Bibby
Court Reporter

NSW Police had evidence an alleged paedophile network may have been operated by a Salvation Army officer from a southern Sydney boys home in the 1960s but never questioned the alleged ring leader or other officers, the Royal Commission has heard.

As the ongoing investigation into Salvation Amy boys homes in NSW and Queensland focused on the Home for Boys at North Bexley, the commission heard that in the late 1990s a former resident told police he had been sent to three properties 30 years earlier where he was raped and abused.

The man who organised the trips, the commission heard, was Captain Lawrence Wilson.

”I had been called to Wilson’s office [and] when I arrived there was a man and a woman in the office with Wilson,” the former resident said in a statement, which was read to the commission as its author sat fighting back tears.

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AUSTRALIA
Yahoo! News

Australia’s Royal Commission investigates into institutional child sexual abuse and hears allegations that a paedophile ring operated within the Salvation Army in Sydney.

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MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

[with audio]

Madeleine Baran · St. Paul, Minn. · Jan 29, 2014

Archbishop John Nienstedt did not immediately report to police allegations that the Rev. Curtis Wehmeyer sexually abused a child, according to a document obtained Wednesday by MPR News that the archbishop signed in 2012.

The document — a formal decree signed by Nienstedt to comply with church law — says the archdiocese knew of the allegations on June 18. Yet police reports show the archdiocese didn’t report the claims to police until two days later.

The revelation came hours after Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said in a news conference that he was declining to file any charges for failure to report Wehmeyer’s abuse to police, and after St. Paul Police Chief Thomas Smith said that officers lacked probable cause for a subpoena or search warrant that would force the archdiocese to turn over all of its files. The law requires a priest to report suspected child abuse within 24 hours unless he learned the information as part of confession.

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MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

[with video]

Eric Ringham, Tom Scheck · St. Paul, Minn. · Jan 29, 2014

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi announced Wednesday that authorities would file no further charges in the case of the Rev. Curtis Wehmeyer, now serving a prison sentence on charges of child sex abuse.

Choi said authorities had investigated whether officials of the Twin Cities archdiocese had failed to report suspicions of abuse in a timely way. He said that while he continued to be troubled by the church’s communication practices, he had found no evidence that might persuade a jury.

“We expect all mandated reporters to report instances of child sex abuse as required by law, but more importantly to err on the side of victims,” Choi said. “The law is the lowest common denominator of acceptable behavior. Mandated reporters should never, ever make conclusions [about the law] … or make determinations about the credibility of victims. That is the job of law enforcement, prosecution, and our courts, not private parties.”

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MINNESOTA
MinnPost

By Brian Lambert

Not so fast on that “all clear” from the Ramsey County attorney Wednesday. MPR, which is obviously well-sourced on the procedures and paperwork of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, has Madeleine Baran saying: “Archbishop John Nienstedt did not immediately report to police allegations that the Rev. Curtis Wehmeyer sexually abused a child, according to a document the archbishop signed in 2012 and MPR News obtained on Wednesday. … The revelation came hours after Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said in a news conference that he declined to file any charges for failure to report abuse by Wehmeyer to police.”

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CANADA
The Tyee

[with copy of the lawsuit]

By Bob Mackin, 28 Jan 2014, TheTyee.ca

Journalist Laura Robinson is countersuing John Furlong and the marketing agency that represents the former CEO of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics for defamation.

Robinson’s Jan. 27-filed statement of claim (which is included at the end of this story) seeks an unspecified dollar amount for damages from Furlong and TwentyTen Group and an injunction to stop them from maligning her. Robinson immediately set March 30, 2015 to begin a British Columbia Supreme Court trial against Furlong and the company.

Robinson declined to do an interview, but in a news release, she said she filed the lawsuit after suffering from “the unrelenting attack by Mr. Furlong and his media advisors over the last 14 months.” She accused the defendants of “mistruths and malice.” Furlong and TwentyTen Group have 21 days to file a statement of defence.

Robinson wrote the Sept. 27, 2012 Georgia Straight-published expose, titled “John Furlong biography omits secret past in Burns Lake.” In the story, she quoted former Immaculata Catholic elementary school students who swore affidavits that accused Furlong of physically abusing them in 1969 and 1970. Robinson’s story also pointed out inconsistencies in Furlong’s Patriot Hearts memoir.

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CANADA
CTV

James Keller, The Canadian Press
Published Tuesday, January 28, 2014

VANCOUVER — The freelance journalist who wrote an article containing allegations that John Furlong abused students while teaching in northern British Columbia is now suing the former Vancouver Olympic CEO for defamation.

Laura Robinson has filed a notice of claim, alleging Furlong defamed her in a series of comments to the media in the past year and a half, in which he cast himself as the target of a vindictive activist.

Furlong responded with a written statement that said he looked forward to confronting Robinson in court.

Robinson’s article, which was published in the Georgia Straight newspaper in September 2012, quoted several people who claimed they were physically and verbally abused while Furlong was a teacher in northern British Columbia in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

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CANADA
Huffington Post

UPDATE: 1:20 p.m. — John Furlong responded to Laura Robinson’s lawsuit with the following statement on Tuesday: “I will continue to defend my reputation and hold Laura Robinson to account for her irresponsible reporting that has deeply hurt me and my family. I welcome the opportunity to meet Laura Robinson in the courtroom to address her irresponsible reporting, which instigated this entire matter.” Andrea J. Shaw, founder and managing partner of co-defendant the TwentyTen Group, declined comment under advice of lawyers.

Former Vancouver Olympic CEO John Furlong is being countersued by a journalist who alleges that he carried out a smear campaign against her.

Laura Robinson filed a defamation lawsuit against Furlong in B.C. Supreme Court on Monday alleging that he and marketing company, the TwentyTen Group, have repeatedly maligned her reputation over the course of 14 months.

Robinson alleges that the first defamation occurred on Sept. 27, 2012, when Furlong held a press conference to respond to an article that the journalist wrote for the Georgia Straight newspaper.

The story detailed an alleged pattern of physical and verbal abuse against students at a school in Burns Lake, where Furlong was employed as a physical education teacher in the ’70s.

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CANADA
Straight

by CHARLIE SMITH on JAN 29, 2014

REELANCE WRITER LAURA Robinson has filed a defamation suit against former Vanoc CEO John Furlong, alleging that he libelled her in six public statements.

Central to her claim is that Furlong wasn’t truthful when he repeatedly alleged she had filed a complaint with the RCMP that he had sexually assaulted a former student—a claim that Robinson has adamantly denied.

In a 25-page notice of civil claim filed in B.C. Supreme Court on January 27, Robinson also named TwentyTen Group Strategic Marketing Communications Inc. and TwentyTen Group Holdings Inc. as defendants. Robinson alleged that these firms, doing business as the TwentyTen Group, have been “the exclusive media communications representative for Furlong”.

Robinson alleged that Furlong’s public response to an article she wrote about him in the Georgia Straight in September 2012 has “caused and continues to cause injury, loss and damage to the plaintiff, and was deliberately calculated by the defendants to expose the plaintiff to contempt, ridicule and hatred, and to cause other persons to shun or avoid the plaintiff, and to lower the plaintiff’s reputation in the eyes of right-thinking members of the community, all of which has in fact occurred”.

She is seeking an interim and permanent injunction to stop the defendants from continuing to libel her, as well as general damages, special damages, aggravated damages, punitive damages, and special costs.

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CANADA
Global News

By Justin McElroy Global News

Laura Robinson, the journalist who alleged former VANOC boss John Furlong verbally and physically abused students while he was a teacher over 40 years ago, is countersuing John Furlong for defamation.

Robinson is seeking general, aggravated and punitive damages against the former 2010 Olympic boss, and is suing both him and TwentyTen Group, the marketing group that represents him.

“Mr. Furlong and TwentyTen Group have turned a very serious issue – allegations of physical and racial abuse of children made by courageous and vulnerable First Nations people – into a disturbingly vitriolic and untrue campaign against a journalist,” said Robinson in a press release. Robinson set March 30, 2015 as the date to begin a B.C. Supreme Court trial.

Robinson’s article, published in September 2012, quoted several people who claimed to have been verbally and physically abused while Furlong taught physical education at schools in Burns Lake, B.C., and Prince George, B.C., in the late 1960s and early ’70s.

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CANADA
Courthouse News Service

By DARRYL GREER

VANCOUVER, B.C. (CN) – Journalist Laura Robinson has launched a legal counter-attack against John Furlong, former head of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Winter Olympics, in a defamation lawsuit against Furlong and his media handlers.

Robinson faces a defamation lawsuit for a scathing article that claimed Furlong was abusive to students when he was a teacher at a residential Catholic school 1960s and 1970s.

In her new lawsuit in British Columbia Supreme Court, Robinson claims that Furlong went on a media blitz with the help of Twentyten Group Strategic Marketing Communications to discredit her after the article was published in the alt-weekly Georgia Straight newspaper in September 2012.

Robinson claims the defendants published news releases and made statements in media interviews that defamed her by calling her an unethical activist with an ax to grind against male authority figures in sports.

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CHICAGO (IL)
TheMediaReport

JANUARY 29, 2014 BY THEMEDIAREPORT.COM

If there were still any doubt that the Church-suing sex abuse industry is on a steep decline, one need look no further than the latest tactic of contingency lawyers.

Contingency lawyers have recently been demanding as a condition to settle claims that dioceses first empty out their file cabinets of every unrelated accusation of abuse by any priest stretching back 50 or 60 years. The lawyers then hold a dramatic press conference in front of blow-up photos of the accused priests to announce the document release in front of a compliant media.

No other organization other than the Catholic Church has ever, of course, agreed to release decades of unrelated and embarrassing internal documents in order to encourage more people to file lawsuits against it. But for all the trouble, the Church naturally gets no credit. The media narrative is invariably that the heroic contingency lawyers had to bravely fight the documents out of the secretive Catholic Church for years – never mentioning that the delay is caused by the protracted legal proceedings necessary before releasing thousands of pages of legally protected personnel files into the public domain.

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MEXICO
La Jornada

[Summary: Llamas Carlos Gomez still remembers with fear and indignation when coming up to the altar where he served as an altar boy at a church in Saltillo, Coahuila. He was 14. The priest approached with an erect penis and he knew that after Mass he would be touched and fondled. The trauma has haunted him all this time.]

Sanjuana Martínez
Especial para La Jornada
Periódico La Jornada
Domingo 26 de enero de 2014, p. 13

Carlos Llamas Gómez aún recuerda con miedo e indignación el momento en que subía al altar cuando servía como monaguillo en una iglesia de Saltillo, Coahuila, a la edad de 14 años: Lo ayudaba a ponerse la sotana. Se me acercaba, y veía su pene erecto. Eso significaba que después de la misa iba a tocarme, a manosearme. Es un trauma que me ha atormentado todo este tiempo.

Ha esperado 15 años para romper el silencio. El domingo pasado escuchó al obispo Raúl Vera decir que en los 14 años que lleva al frente de su diócesis, solamente ha habido dos casos de sacerdotes que cometieron abusos sexuales contra menores: Es mentira. No son dos, yo conozco a cinco, otros hablan de nueve sacerdotes aún en funciones. Son más de 100 casos en los que se abusó de menores, dice en entrevista, luego de prestar declaración ante la Procuraduría General de Justicia de Coahuila.

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NORTHERN IRELAND/IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph

30 JANUARY 2014

The High Court in Dublin has reserved judgment after a Catholic bishop applied to have three cases against him by victims of paedophile priest Fr Brendan Smyth dismissed.

The Bishop of Kilmore, Dr Leo O’Reilly, has asked the court to stop Mario Cafolla suing him, in his role as Bishop of Kilmore, over alleged failures by the diocese and Catholic Church. Mr Cafolla insists he is entitled to sue Bishop O’Reilly, as well as Archbishop of Armagh Cardinal Sean Brady.

He has alleged that that a previous Bishop of Kilmore, Dr Francis McKiernan, was made aware in 1975 that Brendan Smyth was abusing children but failed to report that to the Garda or Mr Cafolla’s parents.

It is alleged that a young boy had told the then Fr Sean Brady that Smyth was abusing children in 1975. That boy was asked to sign a document stating he would not tell anyone else about the abuse, Liam Reidy SC, for Mr Cafolla, said.

While that boy had reported that Mario Cafolla was among the children being abused by Smyth, no steps were taken to either inform the Garda or his parents, counsel added.

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AUSTRALIA
Queensland Times

Jessica Grewal 30th Jan 2014

THE royal commission is expected find that Anglican Diocese of Grafton failed in its handling of child abuse claims at Lismore’s North Coast Children’s Home and withheld information from the police.

In a damning report released on Thursday night, Counsel Assisting the Commissioner Simeon Beckett recommends that two Northern NSW priests – Reverend Morgan and Reverend Brown – be referred to the Anglican Church’s Professional Standards Committee to determine whether disciplinary proceedings should be initiated against them.

Final submissions arising from the November inquiry into abuse at the home closed on January 24.

Mr Beckett submitted there were 59 findings available to the commission – including that the Grafton Diocese put the interests of the Anglican Church ahead of providing financial support to victims.

He found former Grafton Diocese registrar Pat Comben was aware former Lismore Priest Allan Kitchingman had been convicted of sexual offences against a child but failed to commence disciplinary proceedings against him.

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NORTHERN IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph

BY MICHAEL MCHUGH – 30 JANUARY 2014

Witnesses at the inquiry into institutional abuse have described how the sadistic and brutal treatment they suffered at the hand of the nuns supposed to care for them had destroyed their later relationships with women.

One former St Joseph’s resident testified that he ran away from Termonbacca but was recovered time after time.

One of the Sisters of Nazareth smirked and said: “Welcome back, your majesty”, the witness said.

“Then the beatings would start.”

He never married, and attributed this “life sentence” of loneliness to women in his childhood who brutalised him.

Another victim said his Christmas presents “disappeared”.

“You had no real personal possessions, none.”

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MINNESOTA
Pioneer Press

By Ruben Rosario
rrosario@pioneerpress.com
POSTED: 01/29/2014

But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Matthew 18:6.

I made a New Year’s resolution not to write too often this year about the church — my church — that has forgotten Jesus and his admonition when it comes to protecting and doing right by child sex-abuse victims over the years.

It almost at times feels like piling on, so much has been and continues to be documented about clergy sex abuse and impropriety scandals. I’m sick already of this stuff, for it continues to stain the great majority of the good people of faith.

But like my supposed diet, I’m breaking it right here and now.

It has a little something to do with Wednesday’s announcement that local law enforcement officials declined to file criminal charges against church higher-ups in one priest child-abuse case and another one involving alleged possession of child pornography.

It has more to do with garage parking lights.

Now the little bit of news that has prompted my rant comes from an excellent story by Minnesota Public Radio last week about secret accounts the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis set up to pay off problem priests and child sex-abuse victims and their families.

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