ABUSE TRACKER

MINNESOTA
Albert Lea Tribune

Two priests who served in Albert Lea, plus one in both New Richland and Wells, were identified on the Roman Catholic Diocese of Winona’s list of priests accused of sexually abusing minors.

The southeastern Minnesota diocese filed the list in Ramsey County District Court on Monday. That’s a day before the deadline set by a Ramsey County judge.

All four of the priests served in the 1950s and ’60s. They are the following:

• Thomas Adamson, now 80, who served a stint at St. Theodore Catholic Church in Albert Lea in the 1960s who faces a civil lawsuit in Ramsey County over allegations of sexual abuse. He was also released on the list released last week of accused priests by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Adamson served in the St. Theodore Catholic Church parish in 1967 and 1968, at which time he was also chaplain of Lea College, an institution of higher learning on the west side of Albert Lea that shut down in 1973. He was removed from the ministry in 1985 and lives in Rochester.

• William D. Curtis was assigned to the St. Theodore parish in August 1968, where he served until receiving a new assignment at St. Teresa in Mapleton in January 1976.

His ministerial privileges were suspended in July 1990 and died in April 2001.

• Ferdinand L. Kaiser, who served in the All Saints parish in New Richland starting Dec. 3, 1952, until he received a new assignment in April 1967 in Iosco.

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MINNESOTA
Austin Daily Herald

The Diocese of Winona released on Monday a list of 14 priests accused of sexually abusing minors, including two former Austin priests.

The list also includes two priests who served in Albert Lea, one who served in Brownsdale, one in Hayfield, and one in both New Richland and Wells.

The southeastern Minnesota diocese filed the list in Ramsey County District Court on Monday, a day before the deadline set by a Ramsey County judge.

Some of the priests who served in the area include:

— Louis G Cook, who was ordained in 1958, served at Austin’s Queen of Angels Catholic Church in 1970, and Austin’s St. Augustine Church in 2000, according to the diocese. He died in November 2004 at 80 years old.

— Jack L. Krough, 64, was ordained in 1976 and began serving at Austin’s St. Augustine Church and Pacelli Catholic Schools in June 1976. He also served at St. Edward’s Catholic Church in Austin and Brownsdale’s Our Lady of Loretto in 1996. His ministerial privileges were suspended in June of 2002 indefinitely; laicization, or the process of permanently removing his ministerial privileges, is pending. Krough lives in Barron, Wis.

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AUSTRALIA
lewisblayse.net

The Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse today continued its hearings concerning the Catholic Church’s scheme for dealings with victims, the “Towards Healing” process. It is concentrating on four victims, in two dioceses (Brisbane in Queensland Sate and Lismore in New South Wales State), and two religious orders.

[The enquiry has heard from the current bishop of Lismore, Geoffrey Hilton Jarrett. Some media reports referred to him as Geoffrey Hilton. Fr. Geoffrey Hilton was a Catholic Priest in the U.K., who recently had child sexual abuse claims against him dropped. Fr. Hilton had attracted attention because he had been a chaplain to the British Olympic Team at the London Olympics.]

Bishop Jarrett is more than a year past the mandatory retirement age of 75 imposed by the Catholic Church. Maybe, no one wants to take over the mess that is the Lismore diocese.

Jarrett told the enquiry that he had, in 2011, referred one of his priests to the Vatican because the priest had been “telling people he knew of a place in Thailand where under age people were available to foreign visitors.” (See previous postings on S.E.Asian “orphanages”) He had not yet heard back from the Vatican, but said this was to be expected since the Vatican was being swamped with such complaints.

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UNITED STATES
Religion Newswriters Association

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Dec. 16, 2013

Columbia (MO): The selection of a reform-minded Argentinian as the new leader of the world’s largest religious institution was voted the Top Religion Story of the Year by the nation’s religion journalists.

Members of Religion Newswriters Association chose as the No. 1 Religion Story of the Year the election of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who took the name Pope Francis. Pope Francis’ predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, was in the No. 2 spot because of his historic resignation.

Pope Francis also was named Religion Newsmaker of the Year, beating out Pope Benedict XVI and Billy Graham, who turned 95 this year.

The online ballot was conducted Friday, Dec. 12 through Sunday, Dec. 15. Only RNA members were eligible to vote.

The ballot items are listed here, in order. All 20 news items on the ballot are ranked.

1. Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina is a surprise choice to succeed Benedict, becoming the first Latin American and first Jesuit pope, and the first to take the name of Francis. He immediately launches a series of stunning and generally popular forays—meeting with the poor in Brazil, embracing the ill, issuing conciliatory words toward gays and calling for a poorer and more pastoral church.

2. Pope Benedict XVI, citing age and strength issues, becomes first pope to resign in almost 600 years.

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MINNESOTA
Digital Journal

By Brett Wilkins
Dec 16, 2013

Winona – The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Winona, Minnesota has released the names of 14 priests suspected of raping or sexually abusing children.

CBS Minnesota reports the archdiocese filed the list in the Ramsey County District Court on Monday, a little more than a week after John Van de North ordered it and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis to release the names of 46 suspected pedophile priests by December 17. The larger archdiocese named 34 accused clergy sex abusers earlier this month. Archbishop John Nienstedt also apologized for the “insufferable harm” suffered by victims of the abuse.

Of the 14 priests named by the Winona archdiocese, nine are now dead. Of the five who are still alive, only one has been removed from the priesthood. Three priests are in the process of being ousted and one is on administrative leave pending the outcome of a criminal case.

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MINNESOTA
Mankato Free Press

By Robb Murray
rmurray@mankatofreepress.com

Ten of the 14 priests whose names are on the list of Winona Diocese priests accused of sexually abusing minors served at parishes in the Mankato area.

The list of names, released by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Winona, was filed Monday morning in Ramsey County District Court, a day before the deadline set by a Ramsey County judge.

Among the names of priests who served at Mankato-area parishes were:

• Sylvester F. Brown, who served at SS. Peter and Paul in Blue Earth in 1970s, Immaculate Conception in St. Clair in and St. Ann in Janesville from 1989 to 2007. He died in 2010.

• Joseph Cashman, who served at St. Joseph in Good Thunder and Loyola High School in 1967 and St. John the Baptist in Mankato in 1977.

• William D. Curtis, who served at St. Joseph in Good Thunder in 1984. He died in 2001.

• Richard H. Hatch, who served at St. James in St. James in 1960. He died in 2005.

• Ferdinand L. Kaiser, who served at SS. Peter and Paul in Blue Earth in 1944, and All Saints in New Richland in 1952. He died in 1973.

• Jack L. Krough, who served at All Saints in New Richland and St. Joseph in Waldorf in 1990.

• James W. Lennon, who served at St. James in St. James in 1978. He died in 2000.

• Leland J. Smith, who served at SS. Peter and Paul in Blue Earth in 1953 and St. Casmir in Wells in 1960.

• Robert H. Taylor, who served at St. Mary in Madelia in 1984, Holy Family in Lake Crystal and St. Katherine in Truman in 1985. He died in 2012.

• Leo Charles Koppala, who served at SS. Peter and Paul in Blue Earth and St. Mary in Winnebago in 2009.

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MINNESOTA
Patch

Posted by James Warden (Editor) , December 16, 2013

A former Apple Valley priest who was on the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ list of accused priests is also on a similar list that the Diocese of Winona released Monday.

In response to a Ramsey County District Court order, the Diocese of Winona publicly released a list of 14 priests with “credible” accusations of abuse. According to the list, Thomas P. Adamson was ordained in 1958 and worked in 13 parishes in the Diocese of Winona through 1979.

Monday’s release follows the Dec. 5 release by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis of priests “credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors in the Archdiocese.”

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MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

Article by: PATRICK CONDON , Associated Press Updated: December 16, 2013

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Roman Catholic Diocese of Winona on Monday named 14 priests accused of sexually abusing minors, most of whom were not previously known by the public or local churchgoers to have faced such allegations.

The diocese filed the list in Ramsey County District Court, a day before a deadline set by a judge. Some of the listed priests served at dozens of Catholic churches and schools in southern Minnesota cities and small towns, primarily from the late 1940s to the early 1990s, although two served in the last decade.

Nine of the priests on the list are dead. Of the five still living, the diocese said one has been removed from priesthood, three are in that process, and one is on forced leaving pending criminal proceedings in Faribault County.

The list released Monday includes priests who the diocese considers to be credibly accused. A spokesman for the Winona Diocese did not immediately return a call seeking further comment.

It’s the latest such disclosure as Catholic bishops in Minnesota face ongoing legal pressure after years of keeping the names secret. Attorneys for abuse victims had sought the public disclosure of the list, saying it was in the interest of public safety. Earlier this month, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis named 34 priests accused of abuse under the same judicial order.

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MINNESOTA
Pioneer Press

By Emily Gurnon
egurnon@pioneerpress.com
POSTED: 12/16/201

The Diocese of Winona has released its list of 14 priests it judged “credibly accused” of sexually abusing children.

The list, released Monday morning, includes nine priests who are deceased. The others live in Rochester; Winona; Baron, Wis.; and Dallas, Texas.

One clergyman listed, Leo Koppala, was charged in June with criminal sexual abuse involving an 11-year-old girl in Faribault County, whom he allegedly kissed and fondled. The case against him is pending.

According to court records, he is living at the Carmelite Hermitage in Houston, Minn.

The other 13 priests were listed as part of a 2004 study commissioned by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and conducted by John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York.

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MINNESOTA
Pioneer Press

By Emily Gurnon
egurnon@pioneerpress.com
POSTED: 12/16/2013

A man who alleges he was sexually abused by a priest at a Golden Valley church around 1962 has sued the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

The plaintiff, identified as John Doe 108, served as an altar boy at the Church of St. Margaret Mary when Rudolph Henrich was the priest there, according to the suit filed Monday in Ramsey County District Court.

Henrich sexually assaulted the child by sliding his hands down the boy’s pants and fondling him, the lawsuit said.

“Such abuse happened at report card time when Fr. Henrich would have the kids sit on his lap to go over their report cards,” according to the suit.

At the time, the boy was 10 or 11 years old, the suit said.

Henrich is not named as a defendant in the suit; he died in 1992.

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WINONA (MN)
Roman Catholic Diocese of Winona

[with list of names]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT:
Joel Hennessy, Director of Communications
jhennessy@dow.org office 507.858.1249 cell 507.254.3948

WINONA, MN – December 16, 2013 – In 2002, the National Review Board commissioned the John Jay College of Criminal Justice to conduct a blind study to determine the nature and scope of child sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. Each diocese in the United States was contacted by John Jay College and was required to report the number of priests within its diocese who had “credible” accusations of abuse.

The national study required the report of any accusation that was not implausible (see definition below). This included allegations that did not necessarily result in a criminal, civil or diocesan investigation and allegations that were unsubstantiated.

The national study defined an implausible allegation as one that could not possibly have happened under the given circumstances (e.g., an accusation is made to a bishop about a priest who never served at that diocese). The study went on to say that erroneous information does not necessarily make the allegation implausible (e.g., a priest arrived at the diocese a year after the alleged abuse, but all other facts of the case are credible and the alleged victim might have mistaken the
date). Allegations that were determined not to be “implausible” have since been referred to as “credible” accusations.

The methodology of the national study encouraged over-reporting and the study specifically directed each diocese not to engage in the endeavor of weighing the credibility of any of the accusations out of concern that the data produced by the study would arguably be invalid because of subjective determinations as to the credibility of, or substantiation of, the allegation(s).

The national study concluded that approximately 4% of priests in ministry in the United States had accusations of abuse made against them. The study also found that the annual number of incidents of sexual abuse of minors by priests increased steadily to a peak in the late 1970s and early 1980s and then declined sharply after 1985.

The Ramsey County District Court has ordered that the Diocese of Winona publicly release the names associated with the John Jay College Study, as well any other priests who have had accusations of child sexual abuse since 2004. In compliance with that Order, the Diocese of Winona hereby releases the following names, ages, places of ministry, ministerial status and current location of each priest associated with the John Jay Study, as well as the same information of those who have been accused of perpetrating sexual abuse against a minor since 2002.

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MINNESOTA
KARE

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Roman Catholic Diocese of Winona has named 14 priests accused of sexually abusing minors.

The southeastern Minnesota diocese filed the list in Ramsey County District Court on Monday. That’s a day before the deadline set by a Ramsey County judge.

KARE 11 is providing a link to the Winona diocese list.

Attorneys for abuse victims have long sought such lists by saying it’s in the interest of public safety. Earlier this month, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis published the names of 34 priests accused of abuse under the same judicial order.

Of the 14 priests identified by the Diocese of Winona, nine are dead. Of the five still living, the diocese says one has been removed from priesthood. Three are in the process of being removed, and one is on administrative leave pending criminal proceedings in Faribault County.

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MINNESOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Monday December 16, 2013

Statement by Barbara Dorris, SNAP Outreach Director, 314-862-7688 SNAPdorris@gmail.com

Because he’s being forced to do so by a judge and a determined victim, Winona’s Catholic bishop will release a list of proven, admitted and credibly accused predator priests soon. That’s just the beginning.

[Post-Bulletin]

Winona Catholic officials must now go further. The bishop should

— turn over to law enforcement every shred of paper he has about these potentially dangerous men ,

— put them in a remote, independent treatment center so they’ll be kept away from kids, and

— personally visit each parish where they worked, begging victims, witnesses and whistleblowers to call the police.

Even if a predator is deceased, these records should be turned over and this appeal must be made. Even though an offender may not be able to be prosecuted, those who ignored or concealed his or her crimes might be.

We are absolutely certain that there is more information about child molesting clerics in Winona that should be made public too. The bishop should voluntarily provide that to parents, parishioners and the public.

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MINNESOTA
Post-Bulletin

[the list]

Kay Fate, kfate@postbulletin.com

The names of 14 priests considered “credibly accused” child abusers have been released by the Diocese of Winona.

Though at least one — Thomas Adamson — has been in the news for many years, the list provided some surprises, said a St. Paul attorney whose firm has represented dozens of the victims.

The diocese was ordered by a Ramsey County judge to release the names of the accused in the wake of a lawsuit that stemmed from an abuse case involving Adamson. The plaintiff said the Winona Diocese knew Adamson had been abusing children for years, but simply moved him around from parish to parish — until he eventually molested the plaintiff in 1976-77.

The diocese’s list covers the period from 1950 to 2002. A separate list exists of clergy credibly accused of abuse after 2004. That list has not been made public.

The list includes the names of the priests and the parishes they served. What it doesn’t reveal is when the abuse occurred, what the abuse was, how the church handled the reports of abuse and how the information was concealed.

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MINNESOTA
Winona Daily News

[the list]

The Diocese of Winona released a list today of 13 priests who have been credibly accused of child sexual abuse.

The diocese was ordered to release the list earlier this month by a Ramsey County judge, who also ordered the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis to release a similar list of 33 names. The diocese released those names last week. Today is the judge’s deadline for the Winona diocese to release its list of names.

Shortly after the judge’s decision, Winona Bishop John Quinn said the diocese will “fully cooperate with the order.”

Barbara Dorris, the outreach director for SNAP — Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests — released a statement Monday calling on Quinn to also turn over all documentation on the people on the list, order them to be put in a treatment center, and pay personal visits to each parish where they worked.

“Let no one breathe a sigh of relief today,” she said. “Let no one misunderstand what’s happening in Winona. This is not reform. It’s simply a bishop obeying a court order so he won’t get in trouble.”

Attorneys with the law firm of Jeff Anderson, who has aggressively pushed the courts to release the lists of names, have planned an afternoon news conference in Rochester. Those on the list have worked at 45 parishes in 44 cities across southern Minnesota, according to the firm.

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MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

By Jean Hopfensperger  hopfen@startribune.com

The Diocese of Winona disclosed the names Monday of 14 priests who have been credibly accused of sexual misconduct with children, a list that was compiled a decade ago but never before made public.

The priests listed were parish priests and/or teachers in the diocese high schools or the Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary in Winona. The diocese released their names, their parish and work history, current residence, and year of death if deceased.

Unsealing the list was ordered by a Ramsey District Court judge earlier this month in response to a lawsuit filed on behalf of a man who said he was abused by former priest Thomas Adamson, who had been accused of molesting a number of boys in the Winona diocese before being transferred to the Archdiocese of St. Paul- Minneapolis.

It is the third such “secret list” made public in the past two weeks, following similar disclosures by the archdiocese and St. John’s Abbey of Collegeville.

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MINNESOTA
Jeff Anderson & Associates

December 16, 2013

Diocese of Winona Releases Secret List Containing Names of 14 Priests with Credible Abuse Allegations

Perpetrators worked at 45 parishes in 44 cities in Southern Minnesota

WHAT: At a news conference today in Rochester, sexual abuse attorney Mike Finnegan and former priest and advocate Patrick J. Wall, will respond to the court-ordered release of a list containing the names of 13 priests with credible allegations of child sexual abuse by the Diocese of Winona.

“The release of this list makes our communities safer for children and we applaud the courageous survivors who stood up and spoke out to make sure this list was released. We are now one step closer to full transparency and accountability. ” – Attorney Mike Finnegan

WHEN: Monday, December 16, 2013 at 1:30PM CST

WHERE: Hilton Garden Inn – Downtown Rochester
225 S. Broadway – Embassy Room
Rochester, MN 55904

WHO: Mike Finnegan, a sexual abuse attorney based in St. Paul, Minnesota has represented hundreds of sexual abuse survivors. Patrick J. Wall, former priest and monk is now a consultant and advocate for sexual abuse survivors.

Notes:

· Judge Van de North’s Order dated December 3, 2013, and the original Doe 1 complaint can be found on our website at www.andersonadvocates.com.

Contact Mike Finnegan: Office/651.227.9990 Cell/612.205.5531
Contact Patrick Wall: Office/651.227.9990 Cell/949.307.3935

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TENNESSEE
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

Memphis priest is accused of child sex abuse
He allegedly participated in “orgies” with other clerics
Group also wants prelate to post names of all predator priests

WHAT:
Holding signs and childhood photos at a sidewalk news conference, clergy sex abuse victims and their supporters will disclose that a Memphis priest has been accused – by several men in civil litigation – of molesting kids in “orgies.” They will also challenge Memphis’ Catholic bishop to:

–Disclose information and evidence about the allegations (made in litigation),
–Visit parishes where the accused priest worked and reach out to other victims, and
–Post on the diocesan website the names of all predator priests who have worked in western Tennessee.

WHEN:
Monday, Dec. 16 at 10:30 a.m.

WHERE:
On the sidewalk outside the Sacred Heart Catholic church, 324 Jefferson Ave. (corner of Cleveland) in Memphis (901-726-1891).

WHO:
Two members of an independent international self-help group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org), including a Missouri man who is the organization’s long-time executive director.

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MINNESOTA
KAAL

By: Jennie Olson

The names of more Catholic priests accused of sexually abusing children are expected to be released Monday from the Diocese of Winona. A judge ruled they have until Tuesday to release it.

The Diocese of Winona says it will disclose the names of 13 priests who have been credibly accused of sexually abusing minors. The list will include the name, birth date and year that each priest was ordained. It will also say whether the priest is alive, all parishes where they served within the Diocese of Winona, current status in the ministry and an address.

Earlier this month, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis released a similar list with 33 names.

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VATICAN CITY
National Catholic Reporter

John L. Allen Jr. | Dec. 16, 2013 NCR Today

ROME Pope Francis on Monday named Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington, D.C., as a member of the Vatican’s all-important Congregation for Bishops, essentially ratifying Wuerl as a highly influential figure in terms of shaping bishops’ appointments in the United States.

Wuerl was the only new American named to the congregation by Francis, although the pope also confirmed Cardinal William Levada, who stepped down in July 2012 as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, as a member of the body.

Francis likewise confirmed that the Congregation for Bishops will continue to be led by Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet, who’s held the position since June 2010.

Notably, Francis did not confirm Cardinal Raymond Burke, president of the Apostolic Signatura, the Vatican’s highest court, as a member of the Congregation for Bishops. Generally seen as occupying a prominent place on the church’s conservative wing, Burke had been named to the Congregation for Bishops by Benedict XVI in 2009. The pope also did not confirm Cardinal Justin Rigali as a member, who stepped down as the archbishop of Philadelphia in 2011.

Under the Vatican’s process for picking bishops, the papal ambassador, or nuncio, in each country is responsible for compiling a list of names of candidates, called a terna, for openings as they arise. That terna is then submitted to the Congregation for Bishops, whose members vote on the final list to be submitted to the pope.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Get West London

By John Shammas

A Hindu priest and well-known community leader who was facing sex offence charges has cleared his name.

The 42-year-old Gurudev Rajesh Parmar, founder of Hindu temple the Siddhashram Shakti Centre in Palmerston Road, Wealdstone, was acquitted on Friday of charges of assault causing actual bodily harm, a charge of conspiring to commit sexual offences and a charge for perverting the course of justice.

The Hindu priest, who lives in Headstone Drive, appeared at Harrow Crown Court for a plea and case management hearing for the charges to which he had denied.

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UNITED KINGDOM
This is Local London

By Bruce Thain

Charges against a Hindu priest have been dropped after the prosecution offered no evidence.

Gurudev Rajesh Parmar, a well-known founder of Hindu temple the Siddhashram Shakti Centre, in Palmerston Road, Wealdstone, had the charges dropped last week at a hearing at Harrow Crown Court.

The 42-year-old, of Headstone Drive, was accused one count of assault causing actual bodily harm, another of conspiring to commit sexual offences and one of perverting the cause of justice.

All charges, which Mr Parmar denied, were dropped after the prosecution failed to offer any evidence and a trial which was due to take place next year will not go ahead.

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MINNESOTA
Post-Bulletin

Posted: Monday, December 16, 2013
Mike Dougherty, mdougherty@postbulletin.com

WINONA — The Diocese of Winona said it plans on Monday morning to release the names of 13 Catholic priests accused of sexually abusing children.

The diocese has until Tuesday to release the list, according to an earlier judicial ruling.

A Diocese of Winona spokesman told the Post-Bulletin that Bishop John Quinn plans to release the names of the priests who have been credibly accused of sexually abusing minors. The list will include the name, birth date and year that each priest was ordained. The diocese will also say whether the priest is alive, list all parishes where the priest served within the Diocese of Winona, and cite the priest’s current status in the ministry and address.

St. Paul and Minneapolis Archbishop John Nienstedt spoke Sunday during two Masses at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church, a large parish in suburban Minneapolis. The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis released its list with 33 names earlier this month.

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MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

Laura Yuen · St. Paul, Minn. · Dec 16, 2013

Anger over revelations about how the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis handled allegations of clergy sexual abuse seems to have yielded to a new resolve among victims, their advocates and members of the community: Lock them up.

The most outraged — many Catholics — want to see charges filed, not only against accused pedophile priests but against top church officials who kept the abuse secret over the years, putting children at risk.

Advocates for victims are calling for police search warrants and a grand jury investigation that could reveal potentially incriminating documents from the archdiocese.

But so far, there are no clear signs that St. Paul police and Ramsey County Attorney John Choi will use that approach.

Choi’s reluctance to use his grand-jury subpoena powers has drawn criticism from former Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham, who more than a decade ago mounted one of the most aggressive investigations into clergy sexual abuse. The work of Abraham and her successor culminated last year in the conviction of Monsignor William Lynn, the first senior Roman Catholic official in the nation convicted for concealing clergy sexual abuse.

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VATICAN CITY
Vatican Information Service

Vatican City, 16 December 2013 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father:

– confirmed Cardinal Marc Ouellet as prefect of the Congregation for Bishops;

– appointed the following as members of the same dicastery:

Cardinal Francisco Robles Ortega, archbishop of Guadalajara, Mexico; Cardinal Donald William Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, U.S.A.; Cardinal Ruben Salazar Gomez, archbishop of Bogota, Colombia; Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity; Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz, prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life; Archbishop Pietro Parolin, secretary of State; Archbishop Beniamino Stella, prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy; Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri, secretary general of the Synod of Bishops; Archbishop Vincent Gerard Nichols of Westminster, Great Britain; Archbishop Paolo Rabitti, emeritus of Ferrara-Comacchio, Italy; Archbishop Gualtiero Bassetti of Perugia-Citta della Pieve, Italy; Bishop Felix Genn of Munster, Germany;

– confirmed the following as members of the same dicastery:

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, S.D.B., Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, Cardinal George Pell, Cardinal Agostino Vallini, Cardinal Antonio Canizares Llovera, Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, Cardinal William Joseph Levada, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo, Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, Cardinal Francesco Monterisi, Cardinal Santos Abril y Castello, Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, Cardinal Giuseppe Versaldi, Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, Cardinal Jose Octavio Ruiz Arenas, and Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski.

– confirmed the Consultors of the same dicastery.

– appointed Bishop Georges Varkey Puthiyakulangara, M.E.P., as bishop of Port-Berge (area 23,367, population 699,000, Catholics 19,320, priests 15, religious 44), Madagascar. Bishop Puthiyakulangara, currently co-adjutor of the same diocese, was born in Endoor, India in 1953, was ordained a priest in 1982, and received episcopal ordination in 2009. He succeeds Bishop Armand Toasy, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.

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UNITED STATES
FBC Jax Watchdogs

At left is Jack Graham, pastor of the mega church Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas.

Being the loving, caring pastor that he is, Pastor Jack delivered a sermon on December 8th explaining how his church members can have their best Christmas ever.

Here is Pastor Jack’s advice:

“There’s lots of bloggers and watchdoggers who love to attack pastors and churches…maybe people you hang out with who love to attack churches and be negative about the church. My advice to you if you want to be happy in life is to get as far away as possible from those people. They’re only going to drag you down….Instead, get around people who say something like this: ‘Isn’t it great what God is doing in our church?'”

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MINNESOTA
MinnPost

By Brian Lambert
An interesting choice of words … For MPR, Tom Scheck covered Archbishop John Nienstedt’s “apology” to parishioners at Our Lady of Grace in Edina. “Nienstedt has started addressing the clergy sex abuse scandal head on, telling parishioners and the media Sunday that he’s sorry he overlooked issues of abuse among parish priests. Nienstedt said mass at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Edina. He told parishioners and reporters after mass that he was told the issue of clergy sex abuse was taken care of when he became archbishop seven years ago. … Neinstedt did not take any questions. … His decision to speak at Our Lady of Grace comes at a critical time for area churches since Christmas is a top fundraising period. Our Lady of Grace historically gives the most of any parish to the Catholic Services Appeal — a collection that helps cover the general operating budget of the archdiocese.”

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AUSTRALIA
Broken Rites

By a Broken Rites researcher (article posted 16 December 2013)

A sex-abuse victim has told a Royal Commission that he was made to feel like he was robbing the Catholic Church when he applied for compensation for his damaged life.

In Sydney on 16 December 2013, this victim (who is being referred to as “Mister DG”) gave evidence at Australia’s national Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The commission has begun examining the “Towards Healing” process established by the Catholic Church to handle the church’s sex-abuse victims.

“Mr DG” said he was sexually abused in his family home by Brother Raymond Foster in 1970, when he was 13 years old. DG was attending a Marist Brothers school in Queensland at the time.

And Broken Rites knows that DG was not Brother Foster’s only victim.

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AUSTRALIA
Broken Rites

By a Broken Rites researcher (article updated 16 December 2013)

Three women who were sexually abused as children by prominent Sydney priest Finian Egan have confronted the 78-year-old in court and have slammed the Catholic Church for harbouring him in the priesthood for five decades.

On 16 December 2013, Sydney District Court began pre-sentence proceedings regarding Egan.

Previously, Egan had been found guilty of seven counts of indecent assault and one count of rape in relation to attacks on girls aged 10 to 17 in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s in Sydney and on the New South Wales central coast. Prosecutors are pursuing a custodial sentence.

The pre-sentence hearing is so that the court can receive submissions from the prosecution and defence before a sentence is finally imposed.

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PENNSYLVANIA
Patch

Posted by Nate Adams (Editor) , December 16, 2013

Five priests, including priests from Malvern and West Chester, have been permanently removed from their parishes and duties of ministry, according to a release from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia on Sunday.

Archbishop Charles Chaput made “final decisions in seven cases of priests places on administrative leave following a February 2011 Grand Jury report,” according the statement.

Reverend Peter Talocci, of St. Patrick’s in Malvern, is one of four priests who is deemed “unsuitable for ministry,” due to substantiated violations of the “standards of ministerial behaviors and boundaries,” the statement says.

According to Philly.com, Talocci faced sexual abuse allegations that could not be substantiated.

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MALTA
Malta Today

Chris Mangion

The Maltese archdiocese has told the court in a compensation suit filed by 11 men, that the request is not possible since the crime they are demanding compensation for is now time-barred.

But the lawyers for the 11 men said the Curia’s offer to help the victims of sexual abuse committed by two former MSSP priests at the St Joseph Home, had legally interrupted the call for ‘time-barring’ raised by defence lawyers.

In November 2012, MSSP priests Carmelo Pulis and Godwin Scerri were defrocked and handed a six and five-year jail term respectively. Following the priest’s imprisonment, the 11 victims, led by Lawrence Grech – the man who broke his silence on the case, called for financial compensation but did not specify any amount. The compensation claim was filed against the Curia, the government, the Attorney General, Carmel Pulis, Godwin Scerri, the Archbishop and the St Paul’s Missionary Society.

With parties in agreement on the dates mentioned in the previous judgements as the date of the offence, the defence counsel argued that the request for compensation was now time-barred.

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MINNESOTA
KARE

EDINA — On the same day Archbishop John Nienstedt apologized to a packed sanctuary at Our Lady of Grace Church in Edina, the leader of an abuse survivors’ group says the apology falls short of meaningful action.

“The Catholics of this state don’t need him. They need good faith leaders,” said Bob Schwiderski, the Minnesota Director of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests or S.N.A.P. “The survivors of this state don’t want him because he’s not capable of reaching out to us.”

Schwiderski added that he also doesn’t believe Nienstedt’s comment that he was “as surprised as anyone else,” when the wave of allegations against priests began to form this fall.

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NEDERLAND
Omroep Brabant

RIJSWIJK – In de ochtendbladen is maandag een oproep verschenen om het zwijgen rondom seksueel misbruik van kinderen in rooms-katholieke instellingen te verbreken. Het initiatief komt van kardinaal Wim Eijk en Cees van Dam van de Konferentie van Nederlandse Religieuzen. Zij hopen dat priesters en anderen het zwijgen doorbreken, omdat de slachtoffers in veel gevallen het misbruik niet konden bewijzen en de klachten ongegrond moesten worden verklaard.

Maandag is het twee jaar geleden dat Wim Deetman zijn rapport presenteerde over ontucht met minderjaringen in Rooms-Katholieke instellingen.

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NEDERLAND
Volkskrant

KLOKK, de belangengroep misbruik in de Rooms-Katholieke Kerk, is blij met de oproep van kardinaal Wim Eijk om het zwijgen te verbreken over wat priesters en leken weten van seksueel misbruik van kinderen. Vandaag vragen Eijk en Cees van Dam van de Konferentie van Nederlandse Religieuzen (een koepelorganisatie van religieuze instituten) in verscheidene ochtendbladen iedereen die misbruikgevallen kent dit te melden. KLOKK spreekt van een unieke en historische oproep.

De twee noemen het zwijgen verbreken belangrijk omdat in veel gevallen de slachtoffers het misbruik niet konden bewijzen en de klachten ongegrond moesten worden verklaard.

Vandaag is het 2 jaar geleden dat Wim Deetman zijn rapport presenteerde over ontucht met minderjarigen in rooms-katholieke instellingen.

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MINNESOTA
Fox 9

[with video]

Updated: Dec 15, 2013

posted by Shelby Capacio
video report by Trish Van Pilsum

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. (KMSP) –

“I hope you die a thousand deaths” — shocking and violent words from a Catholic monk in Minnesota whose message led to an apology from the head of St. John’s Abbey for a victim of sexual abuse — and a criminal investigation.

St. John’s Abbey is located in Collegeville, Minn., northwest of St. Cloud, Minn. A college, a prep school and a monastery that hundreds of monks of the Benedictine order have called home can be found there.

Most of the monks who lived there have never been in trouble, but in the past few days, St. John’s Abbey released a list of 18 monks who have faced credible allegations of sexual abuse.

No one has pushed harder for that release than a man named Patrick Marker. He was abused by a monk when he was a student at the prep school 30 years ago. Now, he maintains a website called Behind the Pine Curtain, which is devoted exclusively to exposing misconduct at St. John’s Abbey.

As one might expect, Marker gets mixed responses to his site.

“Everything from former students writing to share their stories and their support, and every once in a while I’ll get an e-mail from someone who doesn’t quite agree with the methods or the fact that I have anything to say about St. John’s,” Marker told the Fox 9 Investigators.

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MEXICO
Correo

“Metió su mano en mi trusa y me empezó a acariciar”: informe final sobre pederastia clerical

MÉXICO, D.F.- Marcial Maciel y Nicolás Aguilar son los principales sacerdotes señalados en el informe “Pederastia Clerical de Mexicanos en México y en otros países 1944-2013″, el cual fue entregado al Comité de Derechos del Niño de la ONU.

El documento final de 23 páginas fue firmado por Alberto Athié, Bernardo Barranco, entre otros, así como diferentes organizaciones de derechos humanos.

El texto, que se reproduce al final de esta nota, apunta los abusos cometidos por Maciel y acusa complicidad del Vaticano. Además, indica que el padre Aguilar cometió entre 90 y 120 abusos sexuales contra menores en México y Estados Unidos, en los que el informe considera que existió complicidad con el actual cardenal mexicano, Norberto Rivera.

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PENNSYLVANIA
Patch

Posted by Bob Byrne (Editor) , December 16, 2013

A priest who once served at St. Isaac Jogues Parish in Tredyffrin has been put on administrative leave by Philadelphia’s Catholic Archbishop following allegations that he sexually abused minors over 30 years ago. According to the Archdiocese, the allegations were investigated by law enforcement and following a lengthy investigation no charges were filed.

Reverend John P. Paul served at St. Isaac Joques between 1974 and 1975, according to an announcement from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

Rev. Paul’s suspension is not connected to the resolutions of cases of priests placed on administrative leave following the February 2011 Grand Jury Report announced Sunday, according to the Archdiocese.

While on administrative leave he is not permitted to exercise public ministry, administer any of the Sacraments, wear clerical attire or present himself publicly as a priest pending the outcome of the investigation.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Fox News

The Archbishop of Philadelphia has removed five priests from ministry over allegations of sexual abuse or misconduct.

Archbishop Charles J. Chaput announced the removal of the priests, who were deemed “unsuitable for ministry” in a statement released to parishioners Sunday.

One of them, the Rev. Michael A. Chapman, had been cleared of a prior abuse allegation in May 2012 by an archdiocesan review board. However, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that a new accuser had come forward with allegations against Chapman dating back 30 years. The paper reported that the board had substantiated the new allegations against Chapman and placed him back on administrative leave.

“At no time was he ever returned to active ministry,” the statement from the archdiocese read.

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AUSTRALIA
7 News

BY THOMAS ORITI
December 16, 2013

A man who was sexually abused by a Marist Brother as a boy has told an inquiry he was made to feel like he was robbing the Church when he applied for compensation.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has entered its second week examining the Towards Healing process established by the Catholic Church.

The man, known only to the Commission as DG, says he was sexually abused in his family home by Brother Raymond Foster in 1970, when he was 13 years old.

DG was attending a Marist Brothers school in North Queensland at the time.

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PENNSYLVANIA
Pocono Record

December 16, 2013

The same day it announced the permanent removal of five priests from active ministry, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia said it had placed the Rev. John P. Paul, 67, on administrative leave for “multiple, new allegations” that he had sexually abused minors more than 30 years ago.

Paul had already had abuse allegations lodged against him late last year involving multiple accusers. Those accusations were referred to local law enforcement, which declined to prosecute after a “lengthy investigation,” the diocese stated.

While the claims were being investigated, he was barred from unsupervised contact with minors, said Ken Gavin, a spokesman for the archdiocese. He had been allowed to continue in active ministry, but decided to retire last month.

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NETHERLANDS
Expatica

Catholic church cardinal Wim Eijk has made a call in the Telegraaf for people to come clean about the sexual abuse of children by church officials.

Eijk made the appeal two years after the publication of a major report into abuse in Catholic institutions. The cardinal noted in his appeal that a quarter of all ongoing and finalised cases were abandoned because of a lack of evidence.

Abuse victims’ organisation Klokk said the appeal was brave and historic because it ‘announced the end of the culture of silence’.

After July 1 no more complaints can be submitted in cases which are too old in Dutch law or which are against people who have died, Nos television said.

‘The bell has to ring for the final round at some point,’ Eijk told the paper.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
AL.com

By Jonathan Grass | jgrass@al.com
on December 16, 2013

PHILADELPHIA — Five Philadelphia priests have been removed from the archdiocese while another was placed on administrative leave following allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct.

NBC 10 Philadelphia reports these removals resulted from an investigation following a grand jury investigation of an incident in February 2011. They were announced Sunday afternoon.

One of the priests was reportedly placed on leave in March 2011 for alleged behavioral violations but was later found suitable for ministry. New allegations of sexually abusing a minor surfaced as he prepared to return to a parish in May 2012.

Two other priests were also accused of sexually abusing a minor. These claims could not be substantiated, and they were removed for allegedly violating the “standards of ministerial behavior and boundaries.”

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CALIFORNIA
Modesto Bee

The faith of area Catholics is about to be tested anew. The Stockton Diocese, which covers Stanislaus, San Joaquin, Tuolumne and three other counties, is likely to ask for bankruptcy protection early in 2014.

Not unexpected, it results from the clergy sexual-abuse scandal that erupted across the nation a decade ago. The Stockton Diocese had one of the worst offenders in Oliver O’Grady. By his own perverted count, he abused 25 children. Bishop Roger Mahony, now a disgraced cardinal, knew of O’Grady’s crimes. Instead of turning him over to authorities, he sent O’Grady into treatment. Treated then reassigned, O’Grady abused again.

Some 20 lawsuits have resulted with four more in litigation and even more likely. The diocese has paid out millions and expects to be liable for more.

“We have an obligation to victims,” said Bishop Stephen Blaire, who replaced Mahony 14 years ago. “(But) we have run out of funds for settlements. … So we needed to come up with a way in which we can provide some compensation for the victims and enable the church to continue to do her work.”

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AUSTRALIA
Sky News

There is no formal check on a priest’s reputation when he is transferred from one diocese to another, an inquiry into child sex abuse has been told.

The Catholic Bishop of Lismore, Dr Geoffrey Jarrett, said normal legal checks were carried out, such as the working with children check, and professional standards protocols were applied.

But there were no specific reputation checks comparable to reference checks for other jobs, he said.

He was responding to questioning from Justice Peter McClellan, chair of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, which is examining the church’s Towards Healing process for dealing with abuse claims.

Dr Jarrett is the bishop in the diocese where Jennifer Ingham, now 51, was abused by Father Paul Brown between 1978 and 1982 when she was a teenager.

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AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald

Royal Commission: Priest referred to Vatican with ‘no expectation’ of when church might hear back

December 16, 2013

Catherine Armitage
Senior Writer

A Lismore Catholic priest has been referred for action to the Vatican after telling people he knew of a place in Thailand “where under age people were available to foreign visitors”, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has heard.

Since a 2001 directive from Pope John Paul II, bishops have been required to report “substantiated” allegations regarding sex abuse of children by priests to the Vatican if the priest is still alive, Bishop Geoffrey Jarrett of the Catholic Church’s Lismore diocese testified.

He said he had referred a case in 2011 or 2012 and was awaiting instructions on what to do from Rome. But he said he had “no expectation” of when he might hear back. Because there have been “so many of these matters referred from all over the world”, Rome “can’t move very quickly for all of these matters”, he said.

Bishop Jarrett was giving evidence in the case of Jennifer Ingham, who was abused for four years by a priest of his diocese, Paul Rex Brown, from when she was 16 in 1978.

Bishop Jarrett agreed it was a serious problem that child abusers have been moved from one diocese to another within the church. Asked what checks he would do if he were asked to accept a priest from another diocese into his own, he said he would do the “checks required by civil legislation”, that is, Working with Children checks.

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AUSTRALIA
International Business Times

By Athena Yenko | December 16, 2013

Serial child molester priest, Father Finian Egan, who sexually abused three women aged between 10 and 17 in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, faces his victims on Monday in court. The abuses happened in different diocese in Sydney and in NSW Central Coast.

At one point during the court hearing, the now very old Fr Egan, removed his earring aids to be able not to hear how his victims spoke evil about him during court trial.

“May God have mercy on your soul, because I certainly don’t,” said one of his victims. The first women to spoke in court said that the memories of the abuse tormented her for 50 years. She said that as a child, she confided to a nun about the abuse, but the nun beat her and forced her to drink castor oil. This was her punishment for speaking bad things about the priest. Up until this very day, the women feels scared of telling bad things about priests because of a strong trauma inflicted on her by her strong Catholic faith.

The woman told court that Fr Egan started abusing her when she was just 10 years old. He asked her to sit on his lap. He then took her underwear off and sexually abused her right then and there.

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AUSTRALIA
The West Australian

[with video]

BY ISABEL HAYES
December 16, 2013

It was a chilling, final message from a rape victim to the elderly priest who stole her childhood 40 years ago.

“May God have mercy on your soul Father Egan,” the woman said.

“Because I certainly don’t.”

As three women abused by child predator Father Finian Egan over three decades faced their tormentor in the Sydney District Court on Monday, the 79-year-old sat motionless in his chair, one hand resting on his face.

The Catholic priest is facing a certain jail term after a jury found him guilty of rape and seven counts of indecent assault against the three women, when they were aged between 10 and 17 in the 1960s, 70s and 80s.

One woman, who can’t be named for legal reasons, described how she kept the abuse secret for 50 years after initially confiding in a nun who then flogged her, forced her to drink castor oil and made her clean up her own vomit.

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AUSTRALIA
SBS

A 55-year-old Queensland man who was abused as a child by a Marist Brother has only now learned his abuser left a suicide note asking his forgiveness.

The man known as DG told a national inquiry into child sexual abuse that when he was 13 at a Marist school in the 1970s, Brother Raymond Foster molested him many times.

He reported the abuse to police in 1993 but for various reasons it was not until 1999 when Foster faced extradition from NSW to face charges in Queensland.

He committed suicide on the morning of his extradition.

A note he left said: “I bear no ill-will against the person who had me charged as he had every right to do so, and I ask his forgiveness if he would be so kind.”

DG told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses of Child Sexual Abuse on Monday that he felt disbelieved by the Marist Brothers when he wrote to them outlining the abuse and its impact on him.

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PENNSYLVANIA
Philly.com

ASSOCIATED PRESS
POSTED: Monday, December 16, 2013

HARRISBURG – Five parish priests have been permanently removed from ministry and two others were cleared to return to duties by the Roman Catholic archbishop of Philadelphia, the Archdiocese announced yesterday.

The decision by Archbishop Charles Chaput followed a formal investigation into allegations of misconduct or sexual abuse.

The church has not disclosed details of the allegations against the five priests, who were placed on administrative leave after a scathing grand-jury report in February 2011.

Diocesan spokesman Ken Gavin said yesterday that the announcements were made after Chaput met with the men over the past week. All seven remain priests.

Among the five is the Rev. Michael Chapman, 58, a Philadelphia priest who was investigated and cleared by an archdiocesan review board last year before a new accuser came forward with child sexual-abuse allegations that media reports say date back 30 years. The second investigation was deemed substantiated, and information has been turned over to police.

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AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald

December 16, 2013

Paul Bibby
Court Reporter

Three women who were sexually abused as children by prominent Sydney priest Finian Egan have confronted the 71-year-old in court and slammed the Catholic Church for allowing him to continue working for five decades.

“May God have mercy on your soul, Father Egan, because I certainly don’t,” a woman who was raped by Egan at the age of 16 told him as he faced a sentencing hearing in the Downing Centre District Court on Monday.

“You took away my chance to experience my first kiss with a boy, and my first sexual experience.

Last month, Egan was found guilty of seven counts of indecent assault and one count of rape in relation to attacks on girls aged 10 to 17 in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s in Sydney and on the central coast.

Prosecutors are pursuing a custodial sentence.

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PENNSYLVANIA
The Intelligencer

By Kimberly Flanders Staff Writer

Two priests with ties to Bucks County are among five stripped of their ministry following an investigation of child abuse and a 2011 grand jury investigation, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced Sunday.

Another was put on administrative leave, after several allegations of sex abuse of a minor more than 30 years ago, the archdiocese said.

The Rev. Mark E. Fernandes, previously of St. Agnes Parish in Sellersville, and the Rev. Peter J. Talocci, previously of Saint Frances Cabrini in Fairless Hills and Saint Thomas Aquinas in Bristol Township, are not suitable for ministry, the archdiocese stated in a press release.

Talocci, 54, had been accused of sexually abusing a minor, but a diocese review board said it could not substantiate the allegations. It did, however, find that he violated the “standards of ministerial behavior and boundaries.”

Fernandes, 40, was accused of violating church standards, and the diocese said the allegation was substantiated although no details were released.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
CBS News

PHILADELPHIA — The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia says it has resolved all but one of the cases involving allegations of child sex abuse by priests with the announcement Sunday that five more priests have been removed from ministry, CBS Philadelphia reported Sunday.

More than a year ago, Father Michael Chapman was cleared of an abuse allegation by the archdiocese’s review board and deemed suitable for ministry. But archdiocese spokesman Ken Gavin says Chapman — most recently of the Ascension of Our Lord parish — has again been removed, for a subsequent and substantiated abuse allegation.

“He had never been returned to a parish,” Gavin said. “He was placed right back on administrative leave and that’s where he remained.”

Gavin says four other priests were removed for having violated standards of ministerial behavior and boundaries, not actual abuse.

“They have done something that would not necessarily rise to the level of criminal activity, it does not rise to the level of sexual abuse of a minor,” he said. “But it is something that indicates they’re not suitable for ministry in the priesthood.”

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Inquirer

JEREMY ROEBUCK, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
LAST UPDATED: Sunday, December 15, 2013

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced Sunday the suspension of a priest who it had allowed to continue working for nearly a year after multiple accusers alleged he had sexually abused them.

It was only after “multiple, new allegations” surfaced within the last two months against the Rev. John P. Paul, formerly of Our Lady of Calvary Parish in Northeast Philadelphia, that church officials decided to place him on administrative leave last week.

As has been its practice, the archdiocese declined Sunday to release any details about either the old or new allegations against Paul except to say that in all cases his accusers said they were abused more than 30 years ago.

Paul, 67, could not be reached for comment Sunday.

The news of Paul’s suspension came a day after parishioners across the region began learning the fates of seven other previously suspended priests who faced investigation by an archdiocesan review board into claims they either sexually abused or acted inappropriately around minors.

But unlike Paul, they were all suspended prior to a full vetting of the accusations lodged against them.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
The Globe and Mail (Canada)

DAVE WARNER
PHILADELPHIA — Reuters
Published Sunday, Dec. 15 2013

The Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, battered since 2011 by a high-profile child sex abuse scandal, said on Sunday it had placed another five priests on administrative leave, including one accused of sexual abuse.

After a church investigation, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput determined that there was a substantiated case of sexual abuse of a minor against a 58-year-old priest identified as Michael A. Chapman, according to a church statement. It gave no further details on the allegation.

Chapman was not immediately available for comment.

The other four suspended priests were determined to have violated standards of behaviour and boundaries, the church said without elaborating. A church document defines one of the boundaries as pertaining to appropriate behaviour with children.

The church said it had already reported the allegations against the men to the Philadelphia district attorney’s office, and an archdiocese spokesman said he was not aware of any criminal charges against the men.

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MINNESOTA
Fox 9

[with video]

by Lindsey LaBelle
video report by Jonathan Choe
video report by Scott Wasserman

MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) –
Archbishop John Nienstedt spoke at Our Lady of Grace Parish in Edina on Sunday regarding priest sexual misconduct and the failure to release those accused, admitting he “should have investigated it a lot more than [he] did.”

The Parish published an online copy of his speech before it was read aloud on Sunday.

According to the Archdiocese, Our Lady of Grace Parish in Edina had invited Nienstedt to deliver a message of hope to highlight this Christmas season. However, a preview of the homily online reveals an apology, a plan to do more for victims and a hope to rebuild trust with Catholics.

SUNDAY HOMILY

The homily reads, in part:

“My dear friends, I suggest to you Saint Josephine as a patroness, an intercessor for the trials that we have been going through these past ten weeks here in the Archdiocese.

The negative news reports about past incidents of clerical sexual abuse in this local Church have rightly been met with shame, embarrassment and outrage that such heinous acts could be perpetrated by men who had taken priestly vows as well as bishops who failed to remove them from ministry.

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EDINA (MN)
Our Lady of Grace parish

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT (A-1)
Our Lady of Grace, Edina
Sunday, December 15, 2013
BY THE MOST REVEREND JOHN C. NIENSTEDT

Proclaim the greatness of God,
Rejoice in God, my Savior
Rejoice in God, my Savior!

Today is commonly known as Gaudete Sunday, as the entrance antiphon to this Third Sunday of Advent begins with the Latin word “Gaudete,” which means “rejoice.”: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice!” The cause of our joy is, of course, the three comings of the Lord at Christmas, namely: his birth at Bethlehem, His triumphant return at the end of the world, and finally His Presence here with us today in the Blessed Sacrament. In many ways our joy is a direct result of our hopes and expectations to meet the Lord whenever He comes. As I reflected on the Scriptures today, it seemed to me that a common thread in all of these readings is our call to be men and women of hope.

Take, for example, our second reading from St. James. The Christians of his day wanted the second coming to happen soon. They couldn’t wait. The apostle counsels them to be like farmers expecting a harvest. They plow the field, plant the seed and then wait with great hope for that seed to burst forth as a growing plant that will bear fruit with corn, beans, sugar beets, or whatever had been planted.

The first reading gives us a very dramatic and idealized vision of this same reality: the parched land of the desert suddenly blossoms forth with abundant flowers. Those who were blind now see; the deaf hear; the lame leap and the mute speak. This is the hope that the Old Testament people nourished during the reign of King Hezekiah, which began with great promise, but ended in disappointment. Because their faith in him floundered, the Jewish nation saw more clearly their need for faith in God who is able to heal them and restore them to wholeness. …

My dear friends, I suggest to you Saint Josephine as a patroness, an intercessor for the trials that we have been going through these past ten weeks here in the Archdiocese.

The negative news reports about past incidents of clerical sexual abuse in this local Church have rightly been met with shame, embarrassment and outrage that such heinous acts could be perpetrated by men who had taken priestly vows as well as bishops who failed to remove them from ministry.

I am here to apologize for the indignation that you justifiably feel. You deserve better. While only one of the crimes against minors has happened in this Archdiocese since 2002, that is still one too many. But, if we review carefully the list of 34 priests that was disclosed a week ago in The Catholic Spirit, the majority of those allegations go back to the 1970’s and 1980’s. Again, that is not to excuse those actions or diminish the harm done to their victims. But it does indicate that progress is being made in reducing the incidence of such terrible misconduct. There is reason, even now, to be hopeful.

Throughout the past three months, my staff and I have committed to four critical goals:

1) To ensure safe environments for everyone in our Churches, Catholic schools or religious programs, especially minors and vulnerable adults;

2) To reach out to victims so as to promote their process of healing;

3) To regain the trust of our Catholic faithful;

4) To reassure our clergy of our deep and abiding gratitude for their tireless and self-giving service, and to assure them of our commitment to them and to their legal and canonical rights.

With your prayer and God’s grace, I believe that we will emerge from this difficult period to become a stronger, more focused, more prayerful and more purified local Church. But the key to that process lies in our ability to remain a people of hope—hope not in our own resources, but rather hope in the person of Jesus Christ, who can make all things new.

My brothers and sisters, the Holy Eucharist that we receive today is not just informative, assuring us that we are loved by the Lord in a personal and intimate way. This Holy Eucharist is also performative, meaning that it can make us a people of action who can address past wrongs and find ways to do better in the future.

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MINNESOTA
KARE

[with video]

[The archbishop’s homily]

Tom Scheck, MPR News 2:39 p.m. EST December 15, 2013

EDINA, Minn. — Archbishop John Nienstedt has started addressing the clergy sex abuse scandal head on, telling parishioners and the media Sunday that he’s sorry he overlooked issues of abuse among parish priests.

Nienstedt said mass at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Edina. He told parishioners and reporters after mass that he was told the issue of clergy sex abuse was taken care of when he became archbishop seven years ago.

“Unfortunately I believed that and so my biggest apology today, and I did this last week at two other parishes, is to say I overlooked this. I should have investigated it more than I did,” Nienstedt said.

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MINNESOTA
KARE

Boua Xiong, KARE 7 p.m. EST December 15, 2013

EDINA–It was standing room only inside Our Lady of Grace Church as Archbishop John Nienstedt made a rare public appearance to address the sex abuse scandal that has rocked the Catholic church.

On Sunday he apologized from the pulpit and read a homily verbatim. In it he told parishioners “you deserve better….with your prayer and God’s grace I believe that we will emerge from this difficult period to become a stronger, more focused, more prayerful and more purified local church.”

He later addressed media about the Archdiocese’s plans moving forward, but would not take questions.

“When I arrived here seven years ago one of the first things I was told was that this whole question of clerical sex abuse had been taken care of,” Nienstedt said.

He says he was just as surprised as everyone else when he learned the extent of clergy sex abuse.

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MINNESOTA
Pioneer Press

By Raya Zimmerman
rzimmerman@pioneerpress.com
POSTED: 12/15/2013 1

The head of the Twin Cities Archdiocese told an overflowing Edina sanctuary Sunday that he failed to check for himself whether clerical sexual abuse cases had been resolved.

“When I arrived seven years ago … I thought the abuse and polices were in order. That was a big mistake, and I apologize,” Archbishop John Nienstedt told hundreds of Roman Catholics at a morning Mass at Our Lady of Grace Church.

Nienstedt’s two homilies at the church come roughly two weeks after the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis released a list of 34 priests “credibly accused” of sexually abusing children in decades prior.

“I am here to apologize for the indignation that you justifiably feel. You deserve better,” he said in his homily.

Nienstedt and the archdiocese have faced heated scrutiny since the fall. Spurred by a whistleblower, Minnesota Public Radio and other media began reporting failures by the institution in dealing with clergy who sexually abused children, including allegations of cover-ups.

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UNITED STATES
The Raw Story

By David Ferguson
Saturday, December 14, 2013

Kate Logan, the director of “Kidnapped for Christ,” a documentary exposé about a brutal offshore Christian reform school, said that she lost her Christian faith in the course of making the film.

In an interview with Raw Story, Logan opened up about how her initial intent was to make a documentary praising the school, but that the façade the Escuela Caribe presented to the world quickly crumbled when she began to interact with the students.

She first became interested in the school and New Horizons Youth Ministries at the age of 18 in 2004.

“I was a missionary working in the area,” she said. Escuela Caribe is located in the Dominican Republic, one of the most impoverished areas of the world. “And I found out about the school because you tend to notice other Americans there.”

When she first heard of the program, it sounded great.

“They told me the school was a place for kids that would either end up in jail, on the streets or dead, kids that were really in trouble,” Logan said, “And I thought to myself, what a great program, where kids can learn about another culture and get away from bad influences back home.”

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadlephia

Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. has placed Reverend John P. Paul on administrative leave following allegations that he sexually abused minors over 30 years ago. While on administrative leave he is not permitted to exercise public ministry, administer any of the Sacraments, wear clerical attire or present himself publicly as a priest pending the outcome of the investigation.

This action is not connected to the resolutions of cases of priests placed on administrative leave following the February 2011 Grand Jury Report announced earlier today.

Background Information
Late last year and earlier this year, the Archdiocese received allegations that Father Paul had sexually abused minors over 40 years ago during his time as a seminarian.

Consistent with the Archdiocesan Policy for the Protection of Children and Young People promulgated in October 2012, these allegations were reported to law enforcement, which, after a lengthy investigation, declined to press charges.

The allegations were also reviewed by the Archdiocesan Office of Investigations, the Office for Child and Youth Protection and the Office of the Vicar for Clergy. Those offices made a joint recommendation, approved by the Archdiocesan Professional Responsibility Review Board, and presented to the Archbishop, who decided to restrict Father Paul’s ministry so that he would have no unsupervised contact with minors pending the outcome of the internal Archdiocesan investigation that was in progress. Notification of his restrictions was made to administrators at the parish and the parish school. A monitoring and support plan was implemented and followed throughout that time.

On November 6, 2013, Father Paul resigned as pastor of Our Lady of Calvary Parish, Philaldelphia, where he had been serving since 2000. He came to that decision of his own accord during the course of the Archdiocesan investigation regarding this alleged abuse.

Information Regarding Today’s Announcement
Following Father Paul’s resignation he moved to a private residence. He was not assigned to any parish and was not in active ministry. He continued to adhere to a monitoring and support plan. Subsequently, the Archdiocese received multiple, new allegations that Father Paul had sexually abused minors over 30 years ago. These allegations were reported to the appropriate district attorney’s office. Father Paul will remain on administrative leave pending any possible action by law enforcement and a full internal investigation. In keeping with standing Archdiocesan policy, that internal investigation will not proceed until after law enforcement has concluded its process.

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MINNESOTA
KAAL

EDINA, Minn. (AP) – The Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis is asking Catholics for forgiveness, saying he’s sorry that he’s overlooked the issue of clergy sex abuse.

Archbishop John Nienstedt delivered his apology during two Masses at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Edina, saying parishioners justifiably feel indignation and deserve better.

After the early Mass, Nienstedt told reporters he thought the problem was taken care of when he became head of the Twin Cities archdiocese seven years ago, and that he didn’t think he needed to worry about it. He says he should have investigated it more than he did.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
WPXI

By MARK SCOLFORO
The Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Five parish priests have been permanently removed from ministry and two others were cleared to return to duties by the Roman Catholic archbishop of Philadelphia, the archdiocese announced on Sunday.

The decision by Archbishop Charles Chaput followed a formal investigation into allegations of misconduct or sexual abuse.

The church has not disclosed details of the allegations against the five priests, who were placed on administrative leave after a scathing grand jury report in February 2011.

Diocesan spokesman Ken Gavin said Sunday the announcements were made after Chaput met with the men over the past week. All seven remain priests.

Among the five is Rev. Michael A. Chapman, 58, a Philadelphia priest who was investigated and cleared by an archdiocesan review board last year before a new accuser came forward with child sexual abuse allegations that The Philadelphia Inquirer reported (http://bit.ly/IXJk7p) date back 30 years. The second investigation was deemed substantiated, and information has been turned over to police.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
WPVI

PHILADEPHIA – December 15, 2013 (WPVI) — The Philadelphia Archdiocese announced on Sunday that Archbishop Charles Chaput has made decisions in seven more cases of priests placed on administrative leave following the February 2011 grand jury report.

Of those, five priests have been declared unsuitable for ministry.

One of those priests, Reverend Michael A. Chapman, was found to be unsuitable for ministry due to a substantiated allegation of sexual abuse of a minor.

The other four priests were found to be unsuitable for ministry due to substantiated violations of The Standards of Ministerial Behaviors and Boundaries, the Archdiocese said.
The following information about those priest was released by the Archdiocese:

Reverend Michael A. Chapman

Father Chapman is 58 years old and was ordained in 1982. He served at the following parishes and schools: Saint Bonaventure, Philadelphia (1982-1986); Chaplain, Little Flower High School (1983-1985); Saint Agnes, West Chester (1986-1990); Saint Henry, Philadelphia (1990-1991); Saint Augustine, Bridgeport (1991-1992); Saint Veronica, Philadelphia (1992-1999); Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, Philadelphia (1999-2001); Ascension of Our Lord, Philadelphia (2001-2011); placed on administrative leave (2011).

Reverend Mark E. Fernandes

Father Fernandes is 40 years old. He was ordained in 2004. He served at the following parishes and schools: Assumption, B.V.M., West Grove (2004-2005); Holy Cross, Springfield (2005- 2006); administrative leave with private residence (2006-2007; health leave with private residence (2007-2009); Chaplain, Grand View Hospital, Sellersville (2009-2010); Saint Agnes, Sellersville (2009-2011); placed on administrative leave (2011).

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AUSTRALIA
Daily News

Jessica Grewal 16th Dec 2013

The royal commission, which is currently examining the Church’s response to victims through its Towards Healing counselling program, began hearing evidence last week about the later Father Paul Rex Brown, a former Lismore priest who was convicted for child pornography offences in the mid 90s.

Jennifer Ingham, 51, told the commission that during the late 70s and 80s, she was repeatedly sexually abused as a teenager by Brown and that senior members of the clergy knew what was going on.

At 17, in her final year of school, Ms Ingham had attempted suicide on several occasions and was eventually hospitalised and treated for bulimia.

She said that following her release, Father Brown arranged for her to attend regular psychiatric appointments in Sydney, where he would meet with her and continue to abuse her at a motel.

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MINNESOTA
Post-Bulletin

Associated Press

EDINA — Archbishop John Nienstedt acknowledges that Catholic bishops have failed in their response to the clergy-abuse crisis, according to prepared remarks he’s scheduled to give during a homily Sunday in Edina.

The comments come a few weeks after the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis released a list of abusive priests in response to a court order. The list named 34 priests accused of sexually abusing minors.

Nienstedt said news reports of the abuse “have rightly been met with shame, embarrassment and outrage,” in part because of the heinous acts of those who had taken priestly vows, but also because bishops failed to remove them from ministry.

The homily was sent in advance to clergy throughout the archdiocese,. The remarks don’t say which bishops failed to remove abusive priests.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia

Archbishop Chaput makes final decisions in seven more cases of priests placed on administrative leave following the February 2011 Grand Jury Report

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced today that Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. has made final decisions in seven more cases of priests placed on administrative leave following the February 2011 Grand Jury Report. Priests on administrative leave are not permitted to exercise their public ministry, administer any of the Sacraments, wear clerical attire, or present themselves publicly as priests.

Archbishop Chaput has decided that two of the priests are suitable for ministry. He has also decided that one of the priests is unsuitable for ministry due to a substantiated allegation of sexual abuse of a minor and that four of the priests are unsuitable for ministry due to substantiated violations of The Standards of Ministerial Behaviors and Boundaries. Additional information regarding these decisions is available in the attached background documents and at http://archphila.org/HHHIC/hhhic.php.

Those priests found unsuitable for ministry will have no public ministry in the Archdiocese. They do have the right to appeal the decision to the Holy See. For any priest found to have a substantiated allegation of sexual abuse of a minor, if they do not appeal, or if their appeal is unsuccessful, they could be laicized (removed from the clerical state) or live a life of prayer and penance.

Announcements were made at the parishes where these priests last served when they were placed on administrative leave in March of 2011. Follow up announcements were made at those parishes this weekend regarding the final decisions in their cases. Counselors were made available for parishioners.

All cases were first reported to the appropriate local district attorney’s office so that law enforcement could investigate the matter and review it for possible criminal charges. Upon declination of criminal charges by the district attorney, the Archdiocesan Office of Investigations began a canonical investigation in each case. The results of this process were submitted to the Archdiocesan Professional Responsibility Review Board (APRRB). The APRRB is comprised of twelve men and women, both Catholic and non-Catholic, with extensive professional backgrounds in the investigation and treatment of child sexual abuse. It functions as a confidential advisory committee to the Archbishop, which assesses allegations of sexual abuse as well as allegations of violations of The Standards of Ministerial Behavior and Boundaries. This body provided a recommendation as to suitability for ministry to the Archbishop, who made the final decisions.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
NBC 10

By David Chang | Sunday, Dec 15, 2013

Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput has removed five parish priests from the ministry due to sexual abuse and misconduct allegations, according to a report from the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The Inquirer reports that Rev. Michael A. Chapman, Rev. Stephen B. Perzan, Rev. Peter J. Talocci, Rev. Mark E. Fernandes and Rev. Joseph M. Glatts were all removed from the archdiocese.

Chapman was first placed on leave in March 2011 for allegedly violating standards of ministerial behavior and boundaries. A subsequent investigation found him suitable for ministry.

But new allegations were reported in May of 2012 as he prepared to return to a Philadelphia parish. The archdiocese said it immediately reported the claims to law enforcement; church officials later suspended the priest a second time.

The Inquirer reports that Perzan, of St. Helena Parish in Philadelphia and Talocci, of St. Patrick’s in Malvern, also face sexual-abuse allegations. However, the review board could not substantiate the sex-abuse allegations against them and they were removed for allegedly violating the “standards of ministerial behavior,” according to the Inquirer.

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MINNESOTA
WCCO

EDINA, Minn. (WCCO) — Archbishop John Nienstedt addressed the sex abuse scandal involving priests in the St. Paul and Minneapolis Archdiocese at a mass service Sunday in Edina.

The Archdiocese released a transcript of what the Archbishop said Sunday morning during his homily at Our Lady of Grace Church in Edina at 9:30 a.m., which he’s expected to repeat at the 11:30 a.m. service.

The Archbishop is expected to address the media for the first time, as well.

According to an advance copy of his remarks, Nienstedt is expected to talk about this issue that has gotten so much attention in recent weeks, saying in part, “I am here to apologize for the indignation that you justifiably feel. You deserve better.”

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ISRAEL
Arutz Sheva

Former rabbi of Kiryat Bialik cleared of charges after representative for alleged harassment victims

By Maayana Miskin
First Publish: 12/15/2013

Rabbi Aminadav Krispin, 80, the former rabbi of the city of Kiryat Bialik, has been cleared of charges in a sexual harassment case.

Judge Ziyad Falah of the Haifa Magistrate’s Court moved to dismiss the charges following the revelation that the harassment case had been turned into a campaign of extortion aimed at Rabbi Krispin and his family.

The three women who complained against Rabbi Krispin were represented by Meir Otmazgin. Otmazgin made contact with the accused rabbi’s family and made various demands in a series of conversations, some of which were caught on tape.

Otmazgin was heard demanding hundreds of thousands of shekels from the rabbi’s family, and promising that if they gave him the money, the sexual harassment charges would be dropped. He warned that for every day that they did not give him the money, he would demand an additional 10%.

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ISRAEL
The Jewish Press

By: Yori Yanover Published: December 15th, 2013

On Sunday morning, Rabbi Aminadav Krispin, 80, chief rabbi of the town of Kiryat Bialyk was acquitted in magistrate court in Haifa of all charges against him of sexual harassment and sex crimes.

Judge Zaid Falach acquitted Rabbi Krispin completely on one charge and for reasonable doubt on three other charges.

The question now is how soon will the two major Jewish shmootz sites, “Failed Messiah” and Jewish survivors of Sexual Violence” take full measures to clear Rabbi Krispin’s name. “Failed” and “Survivors” have been vending sexual titillation to their readers, both Jewish and gentile (including many White Power sites that find there confirmation of their worst prejudices against Jews and their rabbis).

The “Survivors” blog maintain extensive lists of Jewish clergy who have been charged—by someone, not necessarily the law, just an accuser, often anonymous—of sexual abuse. It’s a well known fact that it’s a lot easier to get on those lists than off them.

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MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

Article by: PAT PHEIFER , Star Tribune Updated: December 15, 2013

In a rare public appearance regarding the priest sexual misconduct scandal, Archbishop John Nienstedt was expected to give the homily at Our Lady of Grace.

Many parishioners arriving for mass Sunday morning at Our Lady of Grace church in Edina were unaware that they would be hearing from Archbishop John Nienstedt.

In a rare public appearance regarding the priest sexual misconduct scandal, the leader of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis was expected to give the homily at the parish and apologize to the community. According to an advance copy of his remarks, he was expected to tell parishioners: “I am here to apologize for the indignation that you justifiably feel. You deserve better.”

Archdiocesan officials Sunday banned reporters from speaking to anyone inside the building or on church property, although members of the media would be allowed to listen to the archbishop speak. A church official said that the 9:30 a.m. mass is typically large and that there’s a children’s ministry that was expected to attend and make the crowd even larger.

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AUSTRALIA
lewisblayse.net

Australia’s only Catholic Cardinal, George Pell has become something of a recluse, especially when it comes to Royal Commissions on his priests’ child sexual abuse, and his bishops’ covering-up of them. He has spent much of the year out of the country, staying at his ritzy $30 million Rome hideaway, “Domus Australia” (see previous posting”. Then he was in Peru helping poor villagers pour concrete (see previous posting), and then on a luxury trip through Greece and Turkey (also see previous posting), fantasizing about being St. Paul.

God knows where he is now, but that’s easy for someone who is omnipresent. For the rest of us, it’s all a mystery. Is he on another holiday? Is he off praying somewhere in the Outback? Surely, he is not hiding from the media while the “Towards Healing” process is being examined by the Royal Commission?

Pell may have set up the alternative “Melbourne Response” for dealing with abuse claims while he was Melbourne Archbishop. Also, Melbourne is the only place which does not use “Towards Healing.” However, now Pell is Archbishop of Sydney, which does use “Towards Healing”. Further, while he is not literally the CEO of the Catholic Church in Australia, he is its most senior spokesperson.

In the past he has used his position to comment on gays, abortion and all of those sorts of things, but he has not used his position to comment on what has been happening at the present hearings into “Towards Healing”. One must wonder why the good Cardinal has left it all to the mere bishops and Archbishops.

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VATICAN CITY
Aljazeera America

By Michael Tracey @mtracey December 13, 2013

Since ascending to the throne of St. Peter last spring, Pope Francis has been showered with praise by an unlikely cohort, the American secular media.

“Even atheists love the pope,” one recent CNN article announced. “The awesomeness that is Pope Francis,” a Daily Beast headline affirmed. His selection this week as Time magazine’s vaunted person of the year completed the canonization. “I may not be religious, but I damn sure love this pope,” avowed one Twitter user, echoing the remarks of countless others. Undoubtedly, small talk about Catholicism in waiting rooms and grocery-store checkout lines will see an exponential increase this week.

The popular read on Francis is that he represents a welcome break from grim-faced pontiffs of yore — a raw, refreshingly modern reflection of Catholic virtue. In proclaiming that his overriding spiritual concern is care for the poor, Francis has infused the Vatican with long-awaited humility and grace after years of scandal. …

Francis has managed to fashion himself as something fresh and appealing, but he did not become Time’s person of the year by radically reimagining anything. He did it by mastering the art of gesture and symbolism. Herein lies the crucial component to understanding Francis’ image: his keen eye toward public relations as matter of theology.

Francis’ rapid transformation into universally celebrated celebrity figure — despite promulgating familiar church doctrines under a more easygoing guise — is ultimately a testament to the current Vatican PR operation, headed by former Fox News reporter Greg Burke. A member of the ascetic Opus Dei order, Burke is wedded to lifelong celibacy and professional communications services. Prior to Fox, Burke did a stint as the Rome correspondent for — you guessed it — Time magazine.

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UNITED STATES
Huffington Post

[with video]

James Nichols
james.nichols@huffingtonpost.com

“Kidnapped for Christ” is a compelling new documentary that follows the experiences of several American teenagers after they were kidnapped from their homes and shipped to Evangelical Reform schools located in the Dominican Republic. Many of these teenagers’ parents discover their children are either gay or experience same-sex attraction, and are sent to “therapeutic Christian boarding school[s]” in order to “transform into healthy Christian adults” in an environment outside of U.S. law.

Directed Kate S. Logan with Lance Bass cited as an executive producer, the film is currently engaged in a Kickstarter campaign in order to be fully funded. The Huffington Post sat down with Logan this week in order to better understand the function of these reform camps, the experiences of kidnapped youth go through while there, and why this film is important.

The Huffington Post: Why did you feel this documentary was necessary?

Actually, when I originally got the idea to make the film, I had no idea that there was anything controversial about this school. I was under the impression that it was just an alternative therapy program with a cultural exchange element. It wasn’t until I got permission to film and started investigating that I realized what I had gotten myself into. Once I saw what was really going on at Escuela Caribe, I felt I needed to help expose the truth of what this school was doing in the name of “therapy.”

Why do you think the majority of the public knows so little about these reform institutions?

I think it’s because the victims of these programs are teens and children and they are often so traumatized by their experiences that they don’t speak about it for years — if at all. Also, a lot of times former students of reform schools get labeled “bad” simply because they were sent to a place for “bad” kids, so no one believes their stories. Some of the things that go on in these places are, quite frankly, so bizarre and horrible that it’s hard to believe if you aren’t there to see it yourself. With the Internet it’s easier for teens who have been sent to these places to speak out and connect with others who’ve gone through the same thing, but it’s still a relatively small group who are talking about it.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
Berger’s Beat

…Last month, Judge Robert Dierker re-affirmed his order that Archbishop Robert Carlson give years of records of child sex allegations against priests and lay employees to attorney Ken Chackes, who represents most such victims here. Carlson has ousted Greensfelder lawyers from the case and replaced them with Colorado attorney Martin Nussbaum. The case centers on alleged child sex crimes committed by Fr. Joseph Ross at St. Cronan’s parish as recently as 2000. Nussbaum helped Catholic officials in Cardinal Bernard Law’s scandal-ridden Boston Archdiocese. He also represented Republican Pastor Ted Haggard’s church after the preacher resigned as head of the National Association of Evangelicals when an escort claimed he has been having a a sexual relationship with the pastor for three years. . .

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AUSTRALIA
Telegraph

JANET FIFE-YEOMANS THE DAILY TELEGRAPH DECEMBER 16, 2013

HE called himself ”Fed Brown” while he was leading a cult-like group of teenagers, the royal commission into child sex abuse has been told.

But his real name is Father Frank Derriman and, in his white cap and dark glasses, he was outside his suburban home in Melbourne last week as the commission listened to his history of abuse.

Derriman, 77, is still officially an ordained Catholic priest despite serving four months behind bars for indecent assault in 1998. The church did nothing about having him defrocked when he was convicted.

Brisbane Archbishop Mark Coleridge conceded at the commission that this was an ”oversight” and revealed it was extremely difficult to remove a priest who had abandoned the ministry without his consent – even if the priest had criminal convictions and had married, as had Derriman.

The Archbishop said that in late 2011 moves finally began with the Vatican to have Derriman struck off.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Mirror

Police who interviewed Jimmy Savile over child sex abuse claims four years ago told prosecutors to drop the case against the paedophile, newly released files reveal.

The swaggering pervert was interviewed under caution at Stoke Mandeville hospital, one of several locations where he is believed to have targeted victims in decades of abuse – yet was allowed to walk free.

He was asked about claims he assaulted one girl at the hospital and two others who were residents at Duncroft Approved School for Girls in Staines, Surrey, in the 1970s.

The interview was one of the best chances of catching Britain’s most prolific paedophile, who died two years later in 2011.

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IRELAND
Irish Independent

This ‘desexing’ may lay at the heart of an inability to make reparation for the past, writes Emer O’Kelly

EMER O’KELLY – 15 DECEMBER 2013

The National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church (NBSCCC) published eight audits last Tuesday. The board is the organisation within the Catholic Church charged with ensuring that the sexual abuse horrors of the past are never repeated. The audits covered six dioceses (including Armagh), the order of St Patrick’s Missionary Society (the Kiltegan fathers, based in Wicklow) and the Christian Brothers’ day school sector.

And it could be said that the overall impression is a good one. Lessons, as Cardinal Sean Brady said in reaction to the audit findings, are being learned. That statement, from a man who witnessed two children sworn to secrecy concerning their abuse by the late Brendan Smyth, in itself is progress. The defensive tone has gone.

The acting head of the NBSCCC, Teresa Devlin, said the progress being made was “heartening”. And after the years of self-justification and cover-up, nobody could deny this in the cases of all six dioceses under review, although there are alarming gaps.

In Down and Connor, under the administration of Bishop Noel Treanor since 2008, 46 of 48 criteria for child protection were found to have been fully met, and the 14 concerns or allegations made against priests of the diocese during that period have been “properly managed”. That is impressive, but not all dioceses emerge with such comparative honour.

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TEXAS
News-Journal

From Staff reports

A Gilmer woman was sentenced to 28 years in prison this past week after she pleaded guilty to child sex charges.

Upshur County’s Judge Lauren Parish of the 115th Judicial District Court sentenced Rosie Evans Fluellen, 44, to prison for criminal responsibility for the conduct of another and aggravated sexual assault of a child, according to information provided by Upshur County District Attorney Billy Byrd.

Fluellen’s husband and former Gilmer pastor Hugo Fluellen, 54, is serving six consecutive life sentences after a jury convicted him in October of several counts of indecency with a child, aggravated sexual assault of a child and sexual assault of a child.

Evidence presented during his trial showed he began inappropriately touching his victim when she was in the second grade and while he was a pastor, and that he would often molest the child on the way home from church, eventually fathering a child with her.

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NEBRASKA
1011 Now

Kearney, NE A former Kearney church volunteer was arrested Friday for a third sexual assault of a child.

Thomas Jones, 37, has already been arrested for sexually assaulting 2 young men in 2001. Now a 3rd victim has come forward claiming Jones assaulted him.

Kearney investigators made the arrest Friday. Kearney police are not releasing the name or age of the 3rd victim. They also could not release the dates of the alleged incident or incidents.

Police did confirm Jones is currently being held in Buffalo County Jail.

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NEBRASKA
Kearney Hub

By KIM SCHMIDT Hub Staff Writer

KEARNEY — A third victim has come forward alleging a former church youth leader sexually assaulted him as a teenager.

Thomas Anthony Jones, 37, of Kearney was arrested Friday on a Buffalo County warrant charging him with two counts of felony third-degree sexual assault of a child. State law defines third-degree sexual assault of a child as a crime against someone 14 years of age or younger who is subjected to sexual contact and the perpetrator is at least 19 years old.

The alleged incidents involve one victim on two occasions between Sept. 1, 1999, and Nov. 25, 1999.
Jones faces a total of six felony counts of allegedly sexually assaulting boys between 1999 and 2006. The four earlier counts are pending in Buffalo County District Court. Jones has denied the allegations.

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NEBRASKA
Fremont Tribune

A third victim has accused a former Kearney church youth pastor of sexually assaulting him as a teenager.

The Kearney Hub reports (http://bit.ly/JrFogt) that 37-year-old Thomas Jones was arrested Friday on a Buffalo County warrant charging him with two counts of felony third-degree sexual assault of a child.

The latest charges accuse Jones of having sexual contact with a boy under 14 on two occasions between Sept. 1, 1999, and Nov. 25, 1999.

Jones now faces a total of six felony counts accusing him of sexually assaulting boys between 1999 and 2006.

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SCOTLAND
The Observer

Catherine Deveney
The Observer, Saturday 14 December 2013

A Scottish priest who says that his vocation was “destroyed” after he spoke out against sexual abuse is to claim unfair dismissal against the Catholic church at an employment tribunal.

Father Patrick Lawson, who was removed from St Sophia’s parish church, in Galston, Ayrshire, in September by the Bishop of Galloway, John Cunningham, has been granted legal aid to pursue the case that could establish employment rights for priests across Britain.

“An application has been lodged on Patrick’s behalf with the tribunal,” said his solicitor, Cameron Fyfe. “He is breaking new ground as there has never been a decision by a UK court on this. If he is successful, it would open the door to other priests in a similar position.”

The Catholic church’s director of communications, Peter Kearney, says the application is inappropriate: “For such a claim to be made, there would need to be an employer/employee relationship. Since the relationship between a priest and his diocese is not one of employment, reference to an employment tribunal would not be possible.”

The application is the latest move in a long-running dispute. In July, Lawson revealed to the Observer that he had been fighting for 17 years for appropriate action to be taken against a fellow priest who he claims sexually assaulted him and abused altar boys. He was issued with a disciplinary warning for giving the interview.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Inquirer

JEREMY ROEBUCK, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
LAST UPDATED: Sunday, December 15, 2013

Archbishop Charles J. Chaput has permanently removed five parish priests from ministry over allegations of sexual abuse or misconduct, including one priest who had previously been investigated and returned to duty last year.

An archdiocesan review board had cleared the Rev. Michael A. Chapman in May 2012 of an abuse allegation involving a minor. But within months, a new accuser came forward with allegations dating back 30 years.

In a statement expected to be released in parishes across the region Sunday, the archdiocese said the board substantiated new abuse accusations against Chapman and deemed him “unsuitable for ministry.”

“This information was provided to law enforcement and Father Chapman was placed back on administrative leave,” the statement read. “At no time was he ever returned to active ministry.”

As has been its practice, the archdiocese offered no details of the allegations against Chapman or the four other priests whose removals were announced to congregants who braved Saturday’s snowstorm for evening Mass.

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MINNESOTA
Duluth News Tribune

By: Associated Press

EDINA, Minn. — Archbishop John Nienstedt acknowledges that Catholic bishops have failed in their response to the clergy abuse crisis, according to prepared remarks he’s scheduled to give during a homily Sunday in Edina.

The comments come a few weeks after the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis released a list of abusive priests in response to a court order. The list named 34 priests accused of sexually abusing minors.

Nienstedt said news reports of the abuse “have rightly been met with shame, embarrassment and outrage,” in part because of the heinous acts of those who had taken priestly vows, but also because bishops failed to remove them from ministry.

The homily was sent in advance to clergy throughout the archdiocese, Minneapolis Public Radio reported. The remarks don’t say which bishops failed to remove abusive priests.

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MINNESOTA
WCCO

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Twin Cities Catholics are anxious to hear from Archbishop John Nienstedt.

“I am curious to hear what he has to say, absolutely,” said parishioner Maria Medina DeSmith.

Nienstedt is expected to make a public apology Sunday surrounding the priest abuse scandal that is rocking the local Catholic Church.

It will be part of the homily given at Our Lady of Grace Church in Edina.

“I think that’s good. I think that’s healthy,” parishioner Mark Photoidaes said. “I think it’s important to acknowledge the situation, and I think that he’s doing the right thing.”

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MINNESOTA
Pioneer Press

By Raya Zimmerman and Dave Orrick
rzimmerman@pioneerpress.com
POSTED: 12/14/2013

Archbishop John Nienstedt, who has faced public criticism following the revelation of sexual abuse cases in his archdiocese, is expected to apologize Sunday at an Edina church.

Nienstedt’s plan to deliver the homily at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Parish comes roughly two weeks after a Ramsey County judge ordered the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis to release a list of 34 priests “credibly accused” of sexually abusing children in decades prior.

“I am here to apologize for the indignation that you justifiably feel. You deserve better,” Nienstedt wrote in the homily, which was posted on Our Lady of Grace’s website (olgparish.org/homilies/3rd-sunday-advent).

Nienstedt, the church’s top official, and the archdiocese have been under scrutiny since the fall. Spurred by a whistleblower, Minnesota Public Radio and other media began reporting failures by the institution in dealing with clergy who sexually abused children, including allegations of cover-ups.

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NEW MEXICO
ABQ Journal

By Olivier Uyttebrouck / Journal Staff Writer

WINSLOW, Ariz. – The Rev. Clement Hageman was among at least a dozen priests in the Diocese of Gallup who have been identified in lawsuits or news reports as having had “credible allegations” of sexual abuse made against them.

Seven of those priests had been posted in Winslow.

Three men who say they were sexually abused by Hageman in the 1960s and 1970s agreed to speak with the Journal last week in Winslow at Madre de Dios Church, which all three attended as boys and the site of most of the abuse.

Joseph Baca, who was among the first to sign a settlement agreement with the diocese in 2004, says he paid a steep price for the sexual abuse he experienced as a boy there.

Baca, 55, said he lost much of his life to alcoholism and drug addiction, and became alienated from his parents, who refused to believe his reports of sex abuse by Hageman in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

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NEW MEXICO
ABQ Journal

By Olivier Uyttebrouck / Journal Staff Writer

The Diocese of Gallup identifies itself in court records as “the poorest diocese in the United States,” where 43 percent of residents live below the poverty level.

A key job of attorneys in the diocese’s ongoing bankruptcy case will be to sort out the diocese’s assets from those of its 53 parishes and three nonprofits that operate within the 55,000-square-mile diocese, court records and attorneys say.

The diocese listed $646,000 in assets and $667,000 in liabilities, according to records it filed Nov. 12 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court District of New Mexico.

The Diocese of Gallup is the ninth U.S. diocese to file for chapter 11 reorganization bankruptcy in response to claims and lawsuits filed by alleged victims of sexual abuse by priests.

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NEW MEXICO
ABQ Journal

By Olivier Uyttebrouck / Journal Staff Writer

Gallup Bishop Donald Pelotte drew a standing-room-only crowd in 2005 when he traveled to Winslow, Ariz., to apologize to the victims of sexual abuse by priests who pastored the town’s two Catholic parishes.

Clerical sex abuse, Pelotte told a packed St. Joseph’s Church, had caused human devastation comparable to Hurricane Katrina. Pelotte singled out two former Winslow priests, Clement Hageman and James Burns, whom he called among the “most abusive priests in the diocese,” according to news reports.

Even as Pelotte, who has since died, made his apology in Winslow, the diocese was quietly signing legal settlements with people who alleged that, as children, they were sexually abused by priests.

At the time of Pelotte’s apology, Burns was serving an 18-month prison sentence stemming from a 2004 Arizona conviction for sexually abusing a Winslow boy younger than 15 in the 1980s. Burns died in 2010.

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UNITED STATES
Christian Catholicism

Jerry Slevin

Pope Francis has recently had a rough time on key issues related to children, women and wealth. At a Roman street celibration of the Immaculate Conception, he observed: “…[T]he fragility of children may always move us …” Nice words, to be sure. Of course, the fragility of children may NOT always move us! It hasn’t moved Pope Francis very much in almost nine months. He can hardly avoid this by just making a carefully staged visit to a Rome childrens’ hospital as he just did.

Pope Francis even had a subordinate, Cardinal O’Malley, a few days after the Vatican’s recent stonewalling of the UN child protection commission, announce suddenly and vaguely a future advisory “pastoral papal abuse commission” that may not, according to O’Malley, even address bishop accountability for covering-up for predatory priests. Are they serious?

On the UN stonewalling, please see:

[eNews Park Forest]

Moreover, has Pope Francis ever criticized any bishop over child abuse, in Rome or when he was in Argentina? Indeed, as recently reported, the first compensation payments to Argentine priest abuse survivors were just made to victims of a priest convicted almost a decade ago, while Francis was the senior local Church leader, see:

[GlobalPost]

Some of Francis’ bishops are not faring much better. The Minneapolis Archdiocese, with some high visibility scandals that involve a former head of the US bishops’ child protection committee, as well as a whistle blowing female ex-Chancellor and a former vicar general who is the brother of President Obama’s key advisor, keeps getting more negative news.

Archbishop Nienstedt has even been criticized by one of his own priests about a reported new “apology” even before Nienstedt got to deliver it at Sunday Mass. Innocent priests are beginning to speak out more loudly and frequently. Please see:

[Star Tribune]

When is Francis going to fix the abuse mess in his own organization that he actually can do something about instead of just preaching so much about problems beyond his control to fix?

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MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

Madeleine Baran · Dec 13, 2013

Archbishop John Nienstedt, in a homily he plans to deliver this weekend, says Catholic bishops have failed in their response to the clergy abuse crisis.

“The negative news reports about past incidents of clerical sexual abuse in this local Church have rightly been met with shame, embarrassment and outrage that such heinous acts could be perpetrated by men who had taken priestly vows as well as bishops who failed to remove them from ministry,” Nienstedt wrote in the homily, which was sent in advance to clergy throughout the archdiocese.

The archbishop plans to deliver the homily during Mass at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Parish in Edina this Sunday.

Nienstedt did not say which bishops failed to remove abusive priests. An MPR News investigation in September found that Nienstedt assigned the Rev. Curtis Wehmeyer to a parish despite his sexual misbehavior and interest in younger men. Wehmeyer is now in prison for sexually abusing two boys.

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MINNESOTA
Seattle PI

EDINA, Minn. (AP) — Archbishop John Nienstedt says Catholic bishops have failed in their response to the clergy-abuse crisis.

A Minneapolis Public Radio report (http://bit.ly/19Kbav9 ) says the comments are part of prepared remarks Nienstedt is scheduled to give during a Sunday homily in Edina.

The comments come a few weeks the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis released a list of abusive priests in response to a court order. The list named 34 priests accused of sexually abusing minors.

Nienstedt is expected to apologize to parishioners “for the indignation that you justifiably feel. You deserve better.”

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UNITED STATES
BishopAccountability.org

Summary of Case: Eugene F. Orteneau was ordained a Jesuit of the New England Province in 1982, going on to minister in New York City and Storrs, CT. He left active ministry in 1994 after his Jesuit superiors asked him to leave his Storrs parish. The Jesuits at the time did not state a reason for Orteneau’s removal. An attorney for the order revealed in 2007 that a Boston Jesuit inteviewed children in 1994 at the parish, concerned about possible improper sexual contact. Orteneau was at the time providing a place for troubled teens to sleep in his office. In a 2005 lawsuit Orteneau was accused of sexually abusing a boy during his time in Storrs, beginning when the boy was16-years-old. The boy’s sister had reported to the diocese in 2003 that Orteneau had sexually abused two other Storrs boys. Orteneau is said to have followed and moved in with the accuser who sued in 2005 to South Florida, when the boy was an 18-year-old college student. Orteneau was arrested on a Florida street after attempting suicide and sent to the Institute of Living in Hartford, CT for psychiatric treatment. At some point he moved to North Carolina. The Jesuits dismissed him from the order in 2003. Orteneau died in April 2009.

Ordained: 1982
Died: April 8, 2009

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UNITED STATES
BishopAccountability.org

Summary of Case: A Jesuit of the Maryland Province ordained in 1957, Duggan lived and worked in New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Illinois, New Jersey, and in Nigeria. In 2002 a man reported to the Baltimore archdiocese that his son was sexually abused by Duggan in the late 1960s-early 1970s. Duggan worked at Loyola High School in Towson, Maryland during those years. The Official Catholic Directory shows Duggan to have been at the University of Scranton, Pennsylvania at the time of the report and until 2005. He is not indexed in the Directories beyond 2005.

Ordained: 1957

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MINNSOTA
Star Tribune

Article by: KELLY SMITH , Star Tribune Updated: December 14, 2013

Archbishop John Nienstedt will be at an Edina church Sunday and is expected to address the ongoing priest misconduct scandal.

The top leader of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis plans to be at an Edina church on Sunday and will apologize to the community in the wake of the priest sexual misconduct scandal.

Archbishop John Nienstedt will give the homily Sunday at Our Lady of Grace Church in Edina and according to an advance copy of his remarks, he is expected to tell parishioners: “I am here to apologize for the indignation that you justifiably feel. You deserve better.”

The apology comes as Twin Cities Catholics confront a growing wave of allegations in recent months of priest sexual abuse and accusations that some Catholic leaders ignored warnings of sexual misconduct.

“The negative news reports about past incidents of clerical sexual abuse in this local church have rightly been met with shame, embarrassment and outrage that such heinous acts could be perpetrated by men who had taken priestly vows as well as bishops who failed to remove them from ministry,” Nienstedt wrote in the homily, which some churches have posted in advance of Sunday’s masses.

The statements follow the release last week of the names of 34 priests accused of child sex abuse — an unprecedented move in Minnesota that was prompted by a court order. On Monday, the Diocese of Winona will unveil at least 13 names of accused priests, under the same Ramsey County Court order that required the Twin Cities archdiocese to release its list.

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AUSTRALIA
lewisblayse.net

The web-site of the Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse states that “If you are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and have been sexually abused as a child in an Australian institution, the Royal Commission would like to hear from you.”

The Commission is undoubtedly taking its responsibilities to Australia’s indigenous peoples seriously, but is hamstrung by its terms of reference which limit it to abuse within an institutional setting. Sometimes, however, the distinction becomes a little blurred.

This blog has covered several Children’s Homes where members of the “Stolen Generations” were placed. This was a scheme whereby the government took indigenous children from their parents and gave them a “white” education, then sent them to work as domestics or farm labourers.

Similar things happened with indigenous peoples in the other Anglophone countries. For example, it has been reported that, in the native language spoken on Tachie Reserve in northern British Columbia, Canada, the word for “police” translates literally to “those who take us away.” The same attitude prevails in Australia.

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AUSTRALIA
National Catholic Reporter

Stephen Crittenden | Dec. 14, 2013

SYDNEY Archbishop Mark Coleridge’s statement to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse on Wednesday about the mishandling of child sexual abuse could be the strongest a serving Australian bishop has made.

Describing the sexual abuse scandal as a “tsunami that blew up out of nowhere,” he said bishops and heads of religious orders had been caught like “rabbits in headlights” when confronted by sexual abuse cases in the 1990s.

Coleridge was appointed archbishop of Brisbane in May 2012 after spending five years as archbishop of Canberra-Goulburn. He is also a member of the Truth, Justice and Healing Council, set up to coordinate the Catholic church’s response to the Royal Commission.

Referring to the case of Joan Isaacs, who was abused as a schoolgirl in the 1960s by Brisbane priest Frank Derriman, Coleridge accused his own predecessor, Archbishop John Bathersby, of “spectacular bungling.”

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UNITED KINGDOM
Yorkshire Post

The former dean of Lancaster Cathedral, who abused his power and authority to indecently assault a trainee priest, has been jailed for 12 months.

Canon Stephen Shield, 53, took advantage of his victim, who was learning the priesthood at the time in the early 1990s.

Two assaults took place in Shield’s presbytery in Preston, Lancashire, with one taking place under the table at a dinner party where other priests were among guests.

Giving evidence, the victim said he was convinced that others present knew that Shield had put his hands down his trousers but kept quiet.

Shield committed an indecent assault in a bedroom at the presbytery on another occasion.

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