ABUSE TRACKER

AUSTRALIA
ABC News

[the report]

By Jeff Waters

The Victorian Parliament’s inquiry into the handling of child abuse by religious and other organisations has made 15 recommendations to the Government, several of which are likely to be strongly opposed by the Roman Catholic Church.

The two-volume report entitled Betrayal of Trust was tabled in the State Parliament’s Upper House this morning.

Among the recommendations is a call to change laws to ensure anyone failing to report serious child abuse is guilty of an offence.

The Catholic Church hierarchy has always insisted that information gathered by priests in the confessional should remain secret.

The report also recommends the creation of new criminal offences of “grooming” children and “endangerment” where figures of authority within institutions can be sanctioned for not taking enough precautions.

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AUSTRALIA
Victoria Inquiry

The Family and Community Development Committee has released its report from the Inquiry into the Handling of Child Abuse by Religious and Other Non-Government Organisations entitled “Betrayal of Trust”.

Please click on the links below to download the report:

Summary and Recommendations (PDF 308Kb)

OR

Whole Report:
Volume 1 (PDF 2.2Mb),
Volume 2 (PDF 4.0Mb)

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AUSTRALIA
Herald Sun

AAP NOVEMBER 13, 2013

THE concealment of sexual abuse should be a crime, a Victorian parliamentary inquiry into child abuse says.

The inquiry committee’s report recommends that people in positions of authority should be criminally responsible for placing children at risk of harm by other individuals.

The report, tabled in parliament on Wednesday, comes after months of committee hearings, during which victims and Victoria Police alleged the Catholic Church had concealed child sexual abuse by clergy members.

The church’s procedures for sexual abuse complaints – the Melbourne Response and Towards Healing – do not allow for public acknowledgment of wrongdoing, regardless of the circumstances, the report says.

“Only in recent months have senior members of the Catholic Church accepted responsibility for the church’s failure to conduct its operations with due regard to the safety of children,” the report said.

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MAINE
Houston Chronicle

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — A Maine man who claimed he was abused by a Roman Catholic priest in the 1980s has lost in his effort to hold the Diocese of Portland accountable.

The Maine Supreme Judicial Court on Tuesday upheld a judgment against William Picher of Augusta, who contended the priest’s supervisors knew he was an abuser but failed to intervene.

A judge previously ruled that the 39-year-old Picher failed to prove “fraudulent concealment” by the diocese. The state supreme court unanimously upheld the ruling, saying there was nothing in the record to prove the diocese was aware that the Rev. Raymond Melville sexually abused minors during the period in which Picher was abused.

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MAINE
Morning Sentinel

By Scott Dolan sdolan@pressherald.com
Staff Writer

The Maine Supreme Judicial Court has upheld a ruling in favor of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland in the case of an Augusta man who alleges he was sexually abused by a priest as a child. The lawsuit also alleges that the church did not disclose that the priest was later accused of abusing other children.

William Picher of Augusta accused the Rev. Raymond Melville of molesting him while he was a student at St. Mary’s School, from September 1986 to June 1988, while Melville was serving his initial assignment as assistant pastor at St. Mary’s Parish in Augusta.

Picher filed his complaint against the diocese in 2007, saying the diocese covered up knowledge of earlier abuse complaints against Melville that came to light after Picher was abused.

A Superior Court judge had ruled in favor of the diocese in August 2012 that it was not obligated to reveal the other abuse claims to Picher because he did not file his own complaint until years later. The Supreme Judicial Court, in its unanimous decision issued on Tuesday, denied Picher’s appeal of the lower court judge’s ruling.

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NEW JERSEY
Religion Clause

Bergen County, New Jersey prosecutor John L. Molinelli issued a press release last week announcing an unusual resolution in a clergy sex abuse case. As explained by an RNS report yesterday, in 2007 Catholic priest Michael Fugee, in order to avoid a retrial on improper sexual conduct charges, signed an agreement, embodied in a judicial order and Memorandum of Understanding, banning him from ministering to children. It was discovered earlier this year that Fugee violated the agreement by attending youth retreats and hearing confessions from teens. In response, in May he was charged with 5 counts of criminal contempt. On November 1, those charges were disposed of through a binding agreement and court order under which Fugee has agreed to petition the Vatican to remove him permanently from the priesthood. Prosecutor Molinelli said that this result could not have been achieved by a contempt conviction because:

it is not believed that the American Justice System has such authority as a condition of probation or upon conviction. This is a requirement that will eliminate the threat of Michael Fugee, ever again, obtaining the trust of people through his clerical position nor using his ordained position as a Priest to exert improper contact with children…. The agreement that has been reached forever bars Michael Fugee from holding himself out as a current or former priest or spiritual advisor. Most importantly, he is prohibited from working with children in any capacity.

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MINNESOTA
Wandervogel Diary

The rolling wave of outrage has recently been hitting the archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, my home of 30 years, over charges that pedophile priests were for decades constantly moved (and not taken out of circulation) by their higher-ups in the Catholic Church.

John Nienstedt, as a sacrificial lamb for the archdiocese’s history of obfuscation and evasion. But he has just announced that he will release instead a list of some living priests who still reside in the archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and who have been determined by the archdiocese to be guilty of abuse.

Nienstedt did not say how many names would be released, and it’s unclear if the list would include any priests not already known to the public through lawsuits and media reports. It has been reported that all priests on the list have been relieved of their priestly duties. Less than a day after he made this commitment, Neinstedt has begun backing off from this promise… so the list may not be released at all.

Chances are, the archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis will remain embroiled in this issue, not because this particular archdiocese is any worse than any other with respect to clergy abuse, but because the Twin Cities is the home of attorney Jeff Anderson, who has built his national practice around clergy abuse. Jeff Anderson & Associates pioneered the use of civil litigation to seek justice for survivors of child sexual abuse and is recognized as the nation’s premier law firm in that specialty.

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MISSOURI
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2013

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

An appeals court says a clergy sex abuse and cover up suit against a Kansas City Catholic bishop and priest must be tossed out because the alleged crimes did not happen directly on church property.

[Kansas City Star]

Congratulations again to Bishop Robert Finn for successfully finding and using another legal loophole to keep the cover ups of Fr. Michael Tierney’s crimes covered up.

The “take away” is frightening here: Elementary teachers should molest students while parked on the street, not in the school lot. Middle school coaches should molest their players after “away” games, not “home” games. And ministers should molest their flocks on retreats, not in the church itself.

It’s hard to know what’s more outrageous: that secular officials permit this loophole or that allegedly religious officials exploit this loophole.

The 1997 Missouri Supreme Court ruling – Gibson v. Brewer – on which part of today’s ruling is based, will not stand. Catholic officials will, however, exploit it as long as they possibly can.

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AUSTRALIA
ABC News

Abuse victims say they hope there will be a strong response to the findings of the Victorian Parliamentary inquiry into child abuse.

The committee has spent the past year analysing the handling of child abuse by religious and other organisations and will hand down its final report today.

It will make recommendations to the State Government, which has six months to respond.

There is a long history of the sexual abuse of children in Ballarat’s schools, churches and orphanages, dating back to the 1950s.

Many people gave evidence to the inquiry when public hearings were held in the city last December

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AUSTRALIA
ABC – AM

TONY EASTLEY: A Victorian inquiry into sex abuse in institutions will be tabled in Parliament today.

It began last year, before the national Royal Commission into similar sorts of systemic failures and the Victorian inquiry has had a special focus on the central Victorian city of Ballarat, which has a long history of abuse in schools and children’s homes.

Some of those who’ve made submissions are thankful for the chance to tell their stories.

From Ballarat, Kate Stowell reports.

KATE STOWELL: After being abused in the 1950s, John says he’s had a lifetime of suffering the consequences.

JOHN: I’ve had a lot of issues with relationship problems, in particular workplace difficulties. It affects your whole life. It affects your decisions with your family, with your children, with your society. In every way, it affects your life forever.

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AUSTRALIA
lewisblayse.net

Posted on November 12, 2013

The Victorian state Parliamentary enquiry into clerical child sexual abuse will release its report tomorrow. It had originally been due for release by 30th September. While it is expected to recommend mandatory reporting laws for clergy, with a custodial sentence for non-compliance, much interest exists in its possible recommendations for victim compensation.

In the past, religious organisations have adopted an adversarial approach to the issue. It is well known that officials of all churches have been keen to hide abuse so as to protect the “reputation” of their organisations, but it is also becoming more and more evident that these same officials have been equally concerned with protecting their institutional wealth from victim compensation claims.

What financial help has been given to victims has been little, and given begrudgingly. The religious organisations, in particular the Catholic Church, have hidden behind their privileged legal status to avoid helping victims financially. The notorious “Ellis Defence” (see previous postings) is a classic example which basically says that the church does not exist, so they cannot be sued. This must change by way of Parliamentary legislation.

Another protection for the wealth of religious, and other, organisations is the provision of a statute of limitations. This is particularly unfair, since everyone agrees that it is normally a very long time before victims are able to report abuse. If these limitations can be avoided when prosecuting the abusers, they should also be avoided when it comes to the matter of compensation for those same victims.

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SOUTH DAKOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2013

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

We are grateful that South Dakota law enforcement officials are doing what Minnesota and South Dakota Catholic officials refuse to do – taking seriously the admitted child sex crimes of Fr. Clarence Vavra.

Today, Minnesota Public Radio reports that an investigation has been opened “into alleged sexual abuse of children by a Minnesota priest” who admitted molesting kids on a reservation in South Dakota.

[Minnesota Public Radio]

This is precisely what should happen.

South Dakota’s two Catholic bishops should show real leadership and aggressively help police and prosecutors by visiting every place where Fr. Vavra worked, begging victims, witnesses and whistleblowers to step forward. Catholic officials recruit, educate, ordain, train transfer and shield child molesting clerics. When those clerics admit sexually assaulting kids – as Fr. Vavra has – the least Catholic officials can do is to act like the shepherds they purport to be and seek out others who have been hurt.

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MISSOURI
The Kansas City Star

November 12
BY MARK MORRIS
The Kansas City Star

The Kansas City Catholic diocese cannot be liable for the actions of a priest alleged to have sexually abused a boy away from church property, an appeals court ruled Tuesday.

A three-judge panel of the Missouri Western District Court of Appeals upheld a decision last year by a Jackson County judge dismissing civil allegations filed against the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph by a plaintiff identified by the appeals court only as “D.T.”

In his suit, D.T. had claimed that the Rev. Michael Tierney had abused him twice in the early 1970s, once in a hotel room and once in the basement of Tierney’s mother’s home.

Tierney has denied all wrongdoing, and D.T. dismissed his claims against the priest while his appeal of rulings in favor of the diocese was pending.

D.T. filed three negligence claims against the diocese, which the appeals court agreed could not stand because of a 1997 Missouri Supreme Court ruling that limited such actions against religious institutions in order to avoid entangling courts in First Amendment, freedom-of-religion issues.

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VIRGINIA
WSLS

By Aaron Martin, Anchor, Reporter
By Tim Ciesco, Reporter

ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY, VA –

A Rockbridge County judge set bond for Pastor Larry Clark at $7,500 Tuesday morning.

Clark, who is the pastor at Pentecostal Outreach Church in Buena Vista, has been accused of molesting two teenage boys on separate occasions back in 2011. He was arrested last week on two counts of taking indecent liberties with a child and one count of cruelly treating a child.

The judge said given the nature of the charges, she felt the bond amount was “reasonable.”

She also attached several conditions to his bond that he must meet:

-No contact with either of the alleged victims in this case
-No unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 18
-He must stay with his mother in Buena Vista while he is out on bond

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ISRAEL
Arutz Sheva

The King of Morocco plans to expel an Israeli rabbi who is wanted in Israel for questioning regarding alleged sex crimes, Moroccan media outlets report.

Rabbi Eliezar Berlan, head of the Shuvu Banim Hassidic sect, has been accused of committing indecent acts against several young female followers. Shortly after he fled the country his son and several other followers were arrested on suspicion of fraud and money laundering involving the sect’s finances.

A source in the Shuvu Banim movement told the hareidi news outlet Kikar Hashabat that Berland would be forced to leave Morocco in the near future because local authorities were not pleased at the fact that dozens of his followers had arrived in the country with the intention of staying permanently.

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NEW YORK
Vice

By Christopher Ketcham

Rabbi Nuchem Rosenberg—who is 63 with a long, graying beard—recently sat down with me to explain what he described as a “child-rape assembly line” among sects of fundamentalist Jews. He cleared his throat. “I’m going to be graphic,” he said.

A member of Brooklyn’s Satmar Hasidim fundamentalist branch of Orthodox Judaism, Nuchem designs and repairs mikvahs in compliance with Torah Law. The mikvah is a ritual Jewish bathhouse used for purification. Devout Jews are required to cleanse themselves in the mikvah on a variety of occasions: women must visit following menstruation, and men have to make an appearance before the High Holidays such as Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Many of the devout also purify themselves before and after the act of sex, and before the Sabbath.

On a visit to Jerusalem in 2005, Rabbi Rosenberg entered into a mikvah in one of the holiest neighborhoods in the city, Mea She’arim. “I opened a door that entered into a schvitz,” he told me. “Vapors everywhere, I can barely see. My eyes adjust, and I see an old man, my age, long white beard, a holy-looking man, sitting in the vapors. On his lap, facing away from him, is a boy, maybe seven years old. And the old man is having anal sex with this boy.”

Rabbi Rosenberg paused, gathered himself, and went on: “This boy was speared on the man like an animal, like a pig, and the boy was saying nothing. But on his face—fear. The old man [looked at me] without any fear, as if this was common practice. He didn’t stop. I was so angry, I confronted him. He removed the boy from his penis, and I took the boy aside. I told this man, ‘It’s a sin before God, a mishkovzucher. What are you doing to this boy’s soul? You’re destroying this boy!’ He had a sponge on a stick to clean his back, and he hit me across the face with it. ‘How dare you interrupt me!’ he said. I had heard of these things for a long time, but now I had seen.”

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VIRGINIA
NBC 29

Nov 12, 2013

A valley judge has set bond for a pastor who faces several child sex abuse charges.

Larry Clark, 61, is charged with two counts of taking indecent liberties with a child and one count of putting a child’s life at risk. The alleged incidents date back two years ago and involve two male minors. Clark is the pastor at Pentecostal Outreach Church in Buena Vista.

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MILWAUKEE (WI)
Star Tribune

Article by: Associated Press

MILWAUKEE — An attorney representing clergy sexual abuse victims says his clients were shut out of negotiations between the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and one of its major insurers.

The archdiocese faces claims in federal bankruptcy court from hundreds of sexual abuse victims who have accused it of transferring abusive priests to new churches and covering up their crimes.

The archdiocese said in court documents filed Monday that it has reached a settlement with Lloyd’s, of London, which issued policies during the 1960s and 1970s, when much of the abuse occurred.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
Riverfront Times

By Lindsay Toler
Tue., Nov. 12 2013

The St. Louis Archdiocese has paid $10 million in ten years in legal fees and victim payments associated with clergy misconduct, including sexual abuse, according to the church’s annual financial report.

The Catholic church in St. Louis paid $943,700 in abuse and misconduct costs in 2013, compared to $342,100 in 2012.

The costs recorded in a particular year don’t necessarily come from cases filed or tried in that year, says chief financial officer Frank Chauvin.

“There is a time lag, a significant time lag, in some of these cases as to when we might get a recovery for the legal fees or payment to victims,” Chauvin tells Daily RFT.

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BALTIMORE (MD)
National Catholic Reporter

Michael Sean Winters | Nov. 12, 2013 Distinctly Catholic
Fall bishops’ meeting 2013

The election of Archbishop Joseph Kurtz as president of the USCCB was widely expected. But I think everyone was a bit surprised that the election was achieved on the first ballot. It is not easy to get more than 50 percent of the vote in a contest with 10 candidates.

The fact that +Kurtz won a majority so quickly attests to three things. First, the bishops want to return to the practice of allowing a USCCB president three years as veep as a kind of preparation for the post. Second, +Kurtz is not seen as belonging to any party or faction and so is ideally suited to lead a conference that has been dominated in recent years by conservatives and is now grappling with Pope Francis’ call to focus on issues that have a more leftward tilt, at least as they intersect with U.S. politics. Third, +Kurtz is a great guy and almost everyone likes him. Fr. Anthony Chandler, a priest of the archdiocese of Louisville and an old chum of mine, told me, “Archbishop Kurtz is a very genuine person. He works hard to give people the opportunity to share their views. He will work very hard. He keeps an amazing schedule in the archdiocese and gets to meet lots of people.” Sounds like the kind of guy the bishops can live with for the next three years.

The election of Cardinal Daniel DiNardo as vice president is more difficult to read. As I noted before, I have never really gotten a handle on +DiNardo. He is very bright, and he has studied academically and works into his talks lots of references to the Church Fathers, which is a quick way to my heart.

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AUSTRALIA
NEWS.com.au

VICTORIA’S parliamentary inquiry into child sex abuse should support the national work of the royal commission but must not wait for its findings to act, the state’s child safety commissioner says.

Bernie Geary, who used his inquiry submission to urge an expansion of the working with children checks, has said there is a lot that can be done immediately to make Victorian children safer.

The inquiry’s landmark report is due to be tabled on Wednesday after 12 months of submissions on the handling of child abuse by religious and other organisations, which began in October last year.

Mr Geary, along with victims’ advocate Bryan Keon-Cohen, said the Victorian government must act swiftly by amending legislation and providing compensation to victims.

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MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

November 12, 2013

An attorney who represents victims of child sex abuse named four officials in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis who he thinks bear criminal responsibility for failing to report abuse of children by priests.

Mike Finnegan, an attorney with Jeff Anderson and Associates, said the law in Minnesota and across the country requires church officials to notify authorities of even the suspicion of child sex abuse.

“They do have a criminal responsibility under our criminal laws here in Minnesota and in every state across the country to report any suspicions of child sex abuse,” Finnegan said. “As soon as they have a suspicion of child sex abuse, under law they are required to report that.”

He said that reports by MPR News made clear, in his view, that “the archbishop, the top official, and his lieutenant — any of them that knew and had a suspicion about child sex abuse — could face criminal responsibility.

“I think they are definitely criminally responsible: Archbishop [John] Nienstedt, [former] Vicar General Peter Laird, [former] Vicar General Kevin McDonough, former Archbishop Harry Flynn: all four of those men, I think, face criminal responsibility for their failure to report child sex abuse.”

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BALTIMORE (MD)
Catholic Sentinel

Catholic News Service

BALTIMORE — The U.S. bishops this week approved the development of a pastoral statement on the dangers pornography poses to family life that would serve as a teaching tool for church leaders.

On Day Two of their annual fall general assembly in Baltimore, the bishops voted 226 to 5 to allow the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth to develop the statement.

Developing such a statement falls in line with an objective of the U.S. Conference of catholic Bishops’ 2013-16 strategic plan to address pornography and its dangerous effects on family life.

The committee planned to bring a draft to the bishops in 2015. It would be the first formal statement on pornography issued by the bishops as a body.

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UNITED STATES
National Catholic Reporter

Tom Roberts | Nov. 12, 2013 NCR Today
Fall bishops’ meeting 2013

I read with interest my colleague Michael Sean Winters’ blog on the meaning of the elections that occurred this morning at the meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Of Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., the conference president-elect, he wrote:

“Kurtz is not seen as belonging to any party or faction, and so ideally suited to lead a conference which has been dominated in recent years by conservatives, and is now grappling with Pope Francis’ call to focus on issues that have a more leftward tilt, at least as they intersect with U.S. politics. … Kurtz is a great guy and almost everyone likes him. Fr. Anthony Chandler, a priest of the Archdiocese of Louisville, and an old chum of mine, told me, ‘Archbishop Kurtz is a very genuine person. He works hard to give people the opportunity to share their views. He will work very hard. He keeps an amazing schedule in the archdiocese and gets to meet lots of people.’”

The term “genuine” applied to the archbishop would seem consistent with his reputation from his days as a priest in the Diocese of Allentown, Pa. Full disclosure, I knew him for a few years back in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Fuller disclosure: my wife, Sally, worked for him when he was head of the diocese’s social justice office. She worked on a staff that helped him open the diocese’s first soup kitchen and on other programs for the poor and disenfranchised.

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BALTIMORE (MD)
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Bishops elect chairman of Catholic Education Committee
Chairmen-elect chosen for five other USCCB committees
New CRS, CLINIC board members chosen

November 12, 2013

BALTIMORE—Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, was elected president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) during the bishops’ annual fall General Assembly, November 12, in Baltimore. Archbishop Kurtz has served as vice president of USCCB since 2010. Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston was elected USCCB vice president.

Archbishop Kurtz and Cardinal DiNardo are elected to three-year terms and succeed Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York and Archbishop Kurtz, respectively. The new president and vice president’s terms begin at the conclusion of the General Assembly, November 14.

Archbishop Kurtz was elected president on the first ballot with 125 votes. Cardinal DiNardo was elected vice president on the third ballot by 147-87 in a runoff vote against Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, OFM Cap., of Philadelphia.

The president and vice president are elected by a simple majority from a slate of 10 nominees. If no president or vice president is chosen after the second round of voting, a third ballot is taken between only the top two vote getters on the second ballot.

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MINNESOTA/SOUTH DAKOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

by Madeleine Baran, Minnesota Public Radio
November 12, 2013

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Law enforcement authorities on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota have opened an investigation into alleged sexual abuse of children by a Minnesota priest.

Supervisory special agent Grace Her Many Horses said authorities will attempt to locate several men who as boys may have been sexually abused by the Rev. Clarence Vavra. She said they will also try to interview Vavra and officials with the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Tribal investigators will likely ask the FBI for assistance, she said.

“We would interview the victims and anyone else who would have knowledge of this,” Her Many Horses said. “And, apparently the archdiocese did have knowledge of it. Otherwise they wouldn’t have moved him around.”

The development follows an MPR News investigation that found Vavra, had admitted to sexually abusing several young boys and a teenager on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in the mid-1970s. Vavra admitted to the abuse in a psychological evaluation in 1995, but church leaders did not contact police. Vavra retired in 2003 and lives in New Prague in southern Minnesota.

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BALTIMORE (MD)
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

November 12, 2013

U.S. bishops in Baltimore approve drafting of statement on pornography
Bishop Malone highlights negative effects on men, women, children
Statement to be pastoral in nature, focus on effects on marriages and families

BALTIMORE—The U.S Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) approved the drafting of a formal statement on pornography to be issued from the entire body of bishops. Following a presentation by Bishop Richard J. Malone of Buffalo, New York, chair-elect of the USCCB Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, the bishops, who are gathered in Baltimore for their annual fall General Assembly, voted 226-5 to approve the drafting of the statement.

“As pastors, we’re aware that many people are consuming or are exploited by pornography, and many also are struggling with pornography addiction,” Bishop Malone said in his report. “The number of men, women, and children who have been harmed by pornography use is not negligible, and we have an opportunity to offer healing and hope to those who have been wounded.”

The statement will be pastoral in nature and will emphasize the effects of pornography on marriages and families, while attending to all those harmed by pornography use and addiction. The Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth will lead the drafting process, and the statement will come before the body of bishops for approval. The tentative timeline is to have a finalized statement by the end of 2015.

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CHILE
Cooperative

[Summary: Jose Andres Aguirre, who was sentenced to prisons for sexual abuse of children, died early Tuesday after suffering cardiac arrest. Aguirre was released from prison last year after serving the 2003 sentence for abusing nine boys and one incidence of rape.]

El ex sacerdote José Andrés Aguirre, condenado a 12 años de presidio por abuso sexual menores y conocido como “cura Tato”, falleció la madrugada de este martes.

Según confirmaron fuentes de la Conferencia Episcopal, Aguirre perdió la vida producto de un paro cardíaco, mientras era atendido en el Hospital del Salvador, hasta donde fue trasladado desde un hogar de ancianos de la comuna de Las Condes.

Aguirre había dejado hace un año la cárcel, después de cumplir una condena desde el año 2003 por abuso sexual contra nueve menores y un caso de estupro.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
Berger’s Beat

. .Today’s issue of the St. Louis Review includes the archdiocesan annual financial statement, which shows the church spending on clergy sex abuse has risen again and the total abuse-related expenses have now topped $10 million since 2004. It also shows that, for the last eight years, no payments have been made for “clergy counseling.” One wonders “Are pedophile priests getting any psychological help at all?”

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MAINE
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2013

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

A clergy sex abuse victim has lost his bid to expose Maine Catholic officials who have ignored and concealed the heinous crimes of a predator priest.

[Bangor Daily News]

Our hearts ache for William Picher. Despite his betrayal – first, by a predator priest and later, by that priest’s complicit colleagues – Picher is being denied a right guaranteed to most crime victims: his day in court.

He has done a heroic job of trying to shed light on clergy sex crimes and cover ups by Maine Catholic clerics. His courage and persistence are admirable.

Shame on Maine Catholic officials for exploiting legal technicalities to avoid responsibility for heinous child sex crimes committed and concealed by Maine Catholic clerics.

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BALTIMORE (MD)
New York Times

By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
Published: November 12, 2013

BALTIMORE — The nation’s Roman Catholic bishops on Tuesday elected Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., a prelate who has earned a reputation as a consensus-seeker, president of their conference on the first ballot.
Related

Archbishop Kurtz, who served as vice president the last three years, will succeed Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, who finishes his three-year term at the conclusion of the bishops’ meeting this week.

In a closely watched decision, the bishops elected Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston as vice president from a slate of 10 candidates. In the runoff vote, they passed over Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia, a razor-sharp writer who often weighs in on politics from a markedly conservative point of view.

The bishops customarily elevate their vice president to president, so the election for this post often determines their leadership for years to come. Among the other candidates defeated for vice president were Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, who has led the bishops’ religious liberty campaign to fend off what they see as serious threats to religious freedom, and Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, an immigrant from Mexico and an outspoken advocate for immigration reform.

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BALTIMORE (MD)
Thomson Reuters Foundation

By Mary Wisniewski

BALTIMORE, Nov 12 (Reuters) – U.S. Catholic bishops on Tuesday elected an archbishop from Kentucky and a Texas cardinal known for his support of immigrants to head their leadership conference in a nod toward Pope Francis’ emphasis on social justice.

Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, 67, of Louisville, Kentucky and Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, 64, of the Galveston-Houston diocese, were elected to three-year terms as president and vice president, respectively of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Their election comes as Catholic bishops worldwide are being given new direction by Pope Francis, who has emphasized greater humility and more concern for the poor. The bishops oversee 69 million U.S. Catholics, or about one-quarter of the country’s population.

“We think these are the leaders who will move the American Church in the direction Pope Francis desires,” said Christopher Hale, senior fellow with Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, a progressive group that focuses on social justice issues.

Hale cited Kurtz’s “long pastoral experience” and praised him as a “tireless leader on immigration reform. He knows firsthand the problems of a broken immigration system.” …

Barbara Dorris of the group SNAP, which represents victims of clergy sex abuse, expressed disappointment with Kurtz’s election, saying he had not joined the ranks of 30 U.S. bishops who have posted on their web sites the names of “proven, admitted and credibly accused child molesting clerics.” SNAP is short for Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. (Reporting by Mary Wisniewski; Editing by Daniel Trotta and Leslie Gevirtz)

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For immediate release: Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2013

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

Juneau’s top Catholic official is the new head of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Child and Youth Protection.”

[National Catholic Reporter]

We call on Bishop Edward Burns to take two immediate steps.

First, Burns should post names of predator priests on his church websites. This is the quickest and easiest way any Catholic prelate can protect kids right now. As head of the “child protection” committee, it’s crucial that Burns lead by example.

Roughly 20 US bishops have taken this simple, proven, inexpensive safety measure (starting with Tucson and Baltimore dioceses in 2002). Days ago, Minnesota’s top Catholic official pledged to do so soon. The Philadelphia archdiocese posts the names, photos and work histories of predator priests.

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MAINE
Bangor Daily News

By Judy Harrison, BDN Staff
Posted Nov. 12, 2013

PORTLAND, Maine — The Maine Supreme Judicial Court on Tuesday ruled against an Augusta man who claimed the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland knew the priest who abused him as a child was a serial abuser.

The justices unanimously upheld the decision of Superior Court Justice Donald Marden. He granted summary judgment to the diocese last year.

William Picher, 39, claimed in his lawsuit, originally filed in 2007, that Raymond Melville, 70, of North Carolina, who left the ministry in 1997, sexually assaulted him between 1986 and 1988 when Picher was a student at St. Mary Catholic School in Augusta. Picher alleged that Melville’s supervisors at the Chancery in Portland knew the priest had sexually abused children previously but hid allegations from parishioners.

Picher’s attorney’s argued that the diocese had a duty to disclose to parishioners allegations that Melville had assaulted a 14-year-old in 1980 while in the seminary.

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UNITED STATES
Vatican Insider

Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville has replaced Timothy Dolan as president of the US Bishops’ Conference. He was elected at a bishops’ assembly in Baltimore

JOHN ALLEN JR *
ROME

Catholic bishops in the United States, who are perceived in recent years to have moved somewhat to the right, today find themselves coming to terms with a Pope whose words and deeds have emboldened the Church’s progressive wing. Logically speaking, that seems to present the American bishops with three core options:

– Resistance, pushing back against the new papal line.

– Adjustment, not watering down their pro-life concerns or vigilance about orthodoxy, but locating those matters within the new vision presented by Francis.·

– Capitulation, utterly overhauling their priorities and ways of doing business to satisfy popular expectations of the ‘Francis effect.’

In effect, at their Nov. 11-14 meeting in Baltimore the bishops appear to have chosen the middle path. By electing Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville as the conference president, replacing the charismatic Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, the bishops chose a centrist known both as a champion of the church’s pro-life teachings but also a flexible pragmatist capable of adjusting course in light of the new direction being set in Rome.

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BALTIMORE (MD)
National Catholic Reporter

Joshua J. McElwee | Nov. 12, 2013 NCR Today
Fall bishops’ meeting 2013

BALTIMORE Returning to a tradition they broke three years ago, the U.S. bishops elected Tuesday morning as their new president the sitting vice president of the bishops’ conference, Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Ky.

The bishops elected Kurtz on the first ballot Monday by a 53 percent majority: 125 votes of the 236 cast.

The next closest prelate in the running was Galveston-Houston Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, who received 25 votes. Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput received 20 votes.

Following Kurtz’s election, the election of the bishops’ vice president entered into a third ballot runoff between Chaput and DiNardo. The Texas cardinal won, receiving 63 percent on that ballot: 147 votes to Chaput’s 87.

Tuesday’s election means the Kentucky archbishop takes the reins of the bishops’ conference from New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who has led the conference for the last three years. The formal handover occurs Thursday afternoon at the end of the bishops’ annual assembly, being held this week in Baltimore.

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CYRPUS
Cyprus Mail

NICOSIA District Court has sentenced a 57-year-old priest to 18 months’ imprisonment for indecent assault on an underage girl who was in his care as part of the welfare services’ fostering system.

Sentencing is effective immediately and includes the time the priest has served under detention from November 1. A judge delivered sentence behind closed doors.

But the priest’s crime dates back over a decade relating to the indecent assault at some point between 1993 and 2000 of his foster daughter, who was just a child at the time. The woman only recently came forward to police, a delay that is common among abuse victims who sometimes only come to terms with what happened to them after they no longer are in their abusers’ power.

The maximum penalty available to the court given the law when the crime took place, was two years. In 2009, the law was amended to allow maximum imprisonment of five years.

The priest’s flock from Ergates village showed up in court to indicate their support. They were reportedly angry at a sentence they considered unfair. Daily newspaper Politis said the priest’s wife cursed the woman who reported her abuser, wishing for her “to burn”. Other, unnamed supporters were quoted as complaining against the “injustice” done to the priest.

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BALTIMORE (MD)
Washington Times

By Nathan Porter-The Washington Times Tuesday, November 12, 2013

In an overwhelming victory, Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., was elected president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops at their leadership meeting Tuesday.

Archbishop Kurtz, 67, was ordained as a bishop in 1999, and archbishop in 2007 and has served as vice president of the USCCB for the last three years. He has also served as USCCB treasurer.

The first-ballot win — in a field of 10 candidates — was seen by some as a safe, traditional choice for the Conference, after the three-year leadership of the high-profile New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan. The choice was also being closely watched as a first sign of the American Catholic Church hierarchy’s reaction to the selection earlier this year of Pope Francis.

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MILWAUKEE (WI)
Jeff Anderson & Associates

November 12, 2013

Archbishop breaks promise to treat survivors fairly during bankruptcy

(Milwaukee, WI) – Yesterday the Archdiocese of Milwaukee filed legal papers in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin seeking to extend the stay of proceedings due to a confidential settlement agreement reached between the Archdiocese and one of its primary insurers, LMI. While at first glance this seems to bring the bankruptcy one step closer to resolution, in reality it’s one of the Archdiocese’s latest steps in a concerted effort to exclude sexual abuse survivors from participating in the bankruptcy proceedings.

In its motion, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee fails to mention that the settlement was reached without the participation of survivors, their attorneys or the creditor’s committee which represents all creditors in the bankruptcy proceedings. The Archdiocese’s mediation with the insurance companies specifically excluded survivors and is yet another demonstration of the Archdiocese’s actions speaking louder than words.

“We are deeply concerned that the Archdiocese and its insurance companies engaged in a process without survivors of sexual abuse or their attorneys involved,” said attorney Mike Finnegan who represents numerous survivors in the bankruptcy case. “The Archbishop made a promise at the outset of this case to treat survivors fairly and the exclusion of survivors from this process falls far short of that promise.”

The Archdiocese’s initial purpose and goal in the chapter 11 filing was “[t]o provide compensation for the unresolved claims of victims/survivors of Abuse including those Abuse victims/survivors who have not yet come forward.” Yet, legal papers have been virtually filed on every sexual abuse claim to have the claims thrown out of court. If the Archdiocese’s intent was to truly help these survivors, it would have included them in these settlement negotiations so their voices could be heard.

Contact Mike Finnegan: Office/651.227.9990 Cell/612-205-5531

Contact Jeff Anderson: Office/651.227.9990 Cell/612.817.8665

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UNITED STATES
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate: November 12, 2013

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

We are grateful that Archbishop Charles Chaput’s bid for higher office has failed. He got just 20 out of 236 votes in his bid for the presidency of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.

[National Catholic Reporter]

We hope Chaput takes this rebuke as a sign that he should stay home and better protect his flock from predator priests, instead of work at burnishing his image and boosting his clerical career.

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ST. LOUIS (MO)
KMOX

ST. LOUIS (KMOX) – A local clergy abuse support group has some questions about new financial figures from the St. Louis Archdiocese.

The Archdiocese recently released its clergy misconduct costs from the fiscal year 2013, totaling $943,000. That’s compared to $342,000 in fiscal 2012.

“It’s hard to reconcile the fact that Archbishop [Robert] Carlson claims that he and his staff are doing better on abuse although abuse costs continue to rise,” says David Clohessy with the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP).

About 60 percent of the $943,000 went to abuse victims and the rest was spent on defense attorneys.

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UNITED STATES
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2013

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

It’s disappointing that Louisville Archbishop Joseph Kurtz is the new president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. His predecessor, Cardinal Tim Dolan, did a terrible job. We don’t expect Kurtz to do any better.

Kurtz refuses to join the ranks of the 30 US bishops who have posted on their websites the names of proven, admitted and credibly accused child molesting clerics – a simple, inexpensive, proven public safety measure.

In Knoxville

—Kurtz continually defended his predecessor, Bishop Anthony J. O’Connell, an admitted child predator.

[BishopAccountability.org]

— Kurtz refused to remove photos and plaques dedicated to O’Connell in diocese schools and buildings

[BishopAccountability.org]

In Louisville

— Kurtz let Fr. Bruce Ewing, who was indicted on seven felony sex charges, live in a parish for more than a year while the internal investigation was “pending”

[BishopAccountability.org]

– When a church employee complained about Fr.Ewing living at her parish, she says she was fired for being a whistle blower.

[Daily Journal]

[WDRB]

[BishopAccountability.org]

In 2002, America’s Catholic bishops pledged to better protect kids from clergy predators and promised to do background checks and finger printing on employees and volunteers. We believe Kurtz has violated that pledge. He should apologize for and explain his irresponsible moves. And, we feel, he should severely discipline those responsible. (When bishops ignore or minimized wrongdoing, SNAP believes, they essentially endorse and encourage wrongdoing.)

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UNITED STATES
Catholic League

Bill Donohue comments on the election of the new president and vice president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB):

The influence of Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who ably led the USCCB for the past three years, is not over: his commanding presence helped to shape the selection of Archbishop Joseph Kurtz as the new president, and Cardinal Daniel DiNardo as the new vice president. The “Dolan Effect” was palpable, and will be felt for years.

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UNITED STATES
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Nov. 12, 2013

Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, national director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 314 566 9790 cell, 314 645 5915 home )

Houston’s Cardinal Daniel DiNardo is the new vice-president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). We believe he’s a terrible choice.

[Reuters]

Regarding the safety of children, his record in Sioux City was abysmal. His record in Houston shows no improvement.

As long as the Vatican continues to promote bishops who covered up clergy child sexual abuse, Catholics can expect more kids to be hurt and more sex crimes to be committed.

In 2008, we named DiNardo as one of the worst Cardinals in the US. Our view of him has not changed.

[SNAP]

In November 2007, a victim reported having been sexually abused by Fr. Stephen Horn between 1989 and 1993. DiNardo found him credible and suspended Horn. The Cardinal, however, kept the allegation and his determination secret from parishioners, police and the public for two months, despite US bishops’ repeated pledges to act quickly and openly with credibly sex abuse allegations. Finally, in mid-January, DiNardo disclosed his action. (The delay gave Horn, a credibly accused molester, ample opportunity to fabricate alibis, destroy evidence, intimidate victims, threaten witnesses, or even flee the country, as some pedophile priests have done.)

Part of DiNardo’s secrecy and delay occurred in the weeks between when the Pope announced that DiNardo would be named a Cardinal (October 2007) and when DiNardo was promoted amid much pageantry (November 24). Some Houston Catholics have speculated that DiNardo didn’t want the news of Horn’s crimes to ‘rain on [DiNardo’s] parade.’

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BALTIMORE (MD)
Catholic World Report

November 12, 2013
By Catherine Harmon

This morning the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, meeting in Baltimore for their annual fall assembly, elected Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky as the conference’s new president. He will begin his three-year term at the conclusion of the bishops’ meeting on Thursday morning, succeeding Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York as conference president.

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston was elected vice president of the USCCB; after three rounds of voting he beat out Philadelphia’s Archbishop Charles Chaput, 147-87.

Archbishop Kurtz has served as vice president of the bishops’ conference since 2010. While it is customary for the vice president to be elected president at the conclusion of the three-year term, it does not always play out that way; Dolan was elected president in 2010 rather than then-vice president Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson.

Archbishop Kurtz, 67, has been archbishop of Louisville since 2007, having served as bishop of Knoxville from 1999-2007. Ordained a priest for the Diocese of Allentown in 1972, he serves on the boards of the Catholic Extension Society and the National Catholic Bioethics Center.

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BALTIMORE (MD)
The Morning Call

By Dan Sheehan, Of The Morning Call
10:05 a.m. EST, November 12, 2013

Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, a former priest in the Diocese of Allentown, has been elected to lead the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Kurtz succeeds Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York.

“By what name will you be called?” Dolan asked Kurtz after this morning’s vote — a joking reference to the first question asked of a newly elected pope.

Kurtz, 67, who had been vice president of the bishops’ body, was one of 10 church leaders from around the country nominated to become the organization’s president.

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BALTIMORE (MD)
News Observer

BY RACHEL ZOLL
AP Religion Writer
November 12, 2013

BALTIMORE — U.S. Roman Catholic bishops have elected new leaders as they adjust to changing priorities under Pope Francis.

Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., won a three-year term for president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. He served the last three years as vice president of the conference. It’s customary for the vice president to move onto the top job. The new vice president is Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, Texas.

The election was part of a national meeting Tuesday in Baltimore. It is the first such event for the Americans since Francis was elected and said the church was too focused on divisive social issues.

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BALTIMORE (MD)
National Catholic Register

by CNA/EWTN NEWS 11/12/2013

BALTIMORE — The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has elected Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., as its next president, giving national prominence to a prelate with significant experience in Catholic social services.

Archbishop Kurtz, 67, has served as the conference vice president since 2010. He was elected conference president at the conference’s fall assembly in Baltimore the morning of Nov. 12. He will serve a three-year term.

The bishops’ conference president plays a significant role in coordinating and leading charitable and social work and education, while providing a public face for the Catholic Church in the U.S.

Archbishop Kurtz served as bishop of Knoxville, Tenn., from 1999-2007. He was a priest of the Diocese of Allentown, Pa., for 27 years, with a special focus in social services, diocesan administration and parish ministry. He served as the director of the diocese’s Catholic Charities affiliate from 1988 to 1998 and was an executive director of the diocese’s Catholic Social Agency and Family Life Bureau.

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BALTIMORE (MD)
National Catholic Reporter

Joshua J. McElwee | Nov. 12, 2013 NCR Today
Fall bishops’ meeting 2013

Returning to a tradition they broke three years ago, the U.S. bishops elected Tuesday morning as their new president the sitting vice president of the bishops’ conference, Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Ky.

The bishops elected Kurtz on the first ballot Monday by a 53 percent majority: 125 votes of the 236 cast.

The next closest prelate in the running was Galveston-Houston Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, who received 25 votes. Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput received 20 votes.

Following Kurtz’s election, the election of the bishops’ vice president entered into a third ballot runoff between Chaput and DiNardo. The Texas cardinal won, receiving 63 percent on that ballot: 147 votes to Chaput’s 87.

Kurtz was installed as the fourth archbishop and ninth bishop of the archdiocese of Louisville on Aug. 15, 2007, according to the archdiocese’s website. Before going to Louisville, Kurtz served as bishop of Knoxville, Tenn., from 1999 to 2007, and before that served for 27 years in the diocese of Allentown, where he was in charge of social services, diocesan administration and parish ministry.

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BALTIMORE (MD)
Reuters

(Reuters) – U.S. Catholic bishops on Tuesday elected Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, as president of their leadership conference.

The election of Kurtz to a three-year-term comes as Catholic bishops worldwide are being given new direction by Pope Francis, who has emphasized greater humility and more concern for the poor. The bishops oversee 69 million American Catholics, or about one-quarter of the U.S. population.

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NEW YORK
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2013

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

We are appalled that Charles Hynes and Michael Vecchione of the Brooklyn DA’s office are ignoring the recommendations of experienced prosecutors and inexplicably deciding to pursue a case against a brave whistleblower, Sam Kellner.

[The Jewish Week]

We believe Kellner is a hero, not a criminal. And we believe that Hynes and Vecchione are undermining public respect and confidence in the criminal justice system by this mean-spirited move.

Hynes and Vecchione are making it harder for others who see, suspect or suffer child sex crimes to speak up and prevent abuse.

Hynes has lost his post. There’s absolutely no reason for him to interfere in this case. He should leave it to his successor to decide what, if anything, to do about the Kellner case.

And Kellner should hold his head up high, knowing that in a struggle between the powerful and the powerless, he made the right choice by helping the powerless.

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AUSTRALIA
SBS

Victims of clergy abuse and their advocates want to see more support to stop suicides in a Victorian inquiry’s recommendations.

Support to stop the tragically high number of suicides among victims of clergy sexual abuse must be a key recommendation of a Victorian parliamentary inquiry, victims and advocates say.

Clergy abuse survivor Stephen Woods says the deaths are a indictment of the Catholic Church, with as many as 60 linked suicides in western Victoria.

He hopes the Victorian parliamentary inquiry will recommend providing funds for abuse survivors to pay for health bills, counselling, housing and living expenses.

“There are so many victims who are hurting and whose lives are still shattered from pedophilic activity, that society is going to have to support them for the rest of their lives – and that support needs to be adequate to stop the deaths,” he told AAP.

“The number of suicides even from Ballarat has been just outrageous.”

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AUSTRALIA
7 News

PATRICK CARUANA –
November 5, 2013

A Victorian parliamentary inquiry into institutional responses to child abuse has apparently empowered victims to tell their stories.

Manny Waks, who formed the Jewish victims’ support group Tzedek this year, says the inquiry has already provided a huge service to those who have suffered abuse.

“This has empowered victims and their families and given them confidence,” he told AAP.

“They feel they are being listened to for the first time.

“This was the catalyst for the founding of Tzedek; I personally credit the inquiry for this development.”

Mr Waks, who gave evidence to the inquiry of his own abuse, said Tzedek had been contacted by about 100 victims from around the country, including dozens from Victoria.

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AUSTRALIA
7 News

AAP

[with video]

Victoria’s landmark inquiry into child sex abuse by clergy is expected to demand priests and religious leaders be forced into reporting abuse allegations against their colleagues or face jail themselves.

A final report from the state’s parliamentary inquiry into institutional responses to child abuse is due to be released within days.

The inquiry’s report will recommend the state government create a criminal offence “for ministers of religion who fail to report physical or sexual abuse of children by other clergy”, News Corp Australia says.

Clergy who don’t pass on abuse allegations they have heard within their organisations “should face jail”, the report recommends, according to News Corp on Saturday.

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AUSTRALIA
The Australian

JOHN FERGUSON, VICTORIAN POLITICAL EDITOR THE AUSTRALIAN
NOVEMBER 13, 2013

THE Catholic Church will be heavily criticised today by the Victorian child sex abuse inquiry, which is set to back an overhaul of reporting arrangements.

The report is expected to find the church had protected its own reputation in past decades rather than dealing with the systemic issues and injury caused to the victims.

The report will add weight to calls for a fully independent complaints system to be set up to deal with abuse cases in non-government institutions.

But victims, while broadly supportive of the inquiry, will have to wait many months to determine what action the Napthine government will take because the national royal commission into the matter is still under way.

The Victorian parliament will today be handed the final report of the inquiry into the way non-government institutions handled child sex abuse cases and whether the law needs to be changed in order to prevent or minimise further abuses.

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NEW YORK
New York Post

By Josh Saul
November 11, 2013

In a stunning move that reveals the turmoil inside lame-duck Brooklyn DA Charles Hynes’ office, controversial rackets chief Michael Vecchione kicked two veteran assistant district attorneys out of his bureau Friday for demanding he dismiss an evidence-challenged extortion case involving the Orthodox Jewish community, The Post has learned.

Prosecutors Joseph Alexis and Nicholas Batsidis told Vecchione their case against Sam Kellner, a Hasidic Jew accused of paying a young man to make up sex-abuse claims against a Brooklyn cantor, had to be dismissed because of a lack of evidence, a law-enforcement source said.

Vecchione — who in 2010 saw a high-profile murder conviction overturned amid allegations he withheld evidence — told the men to speak with Hynes or his first ADA, Amy Feinstein, before ordering them, “Get out,” the source said.

When Alexis and Batsidis went to Feinstein, she immediately told them they were off the case and reassigned both men to the trials bureau.

“Dismissal is the only decision that makes sense,” the law-enforcement source said. “They want to leave it for the new administration to dismiss.”

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NEW YORK
Failed Messiah

Prosecutors Want To Drop Case Against Sam Kellner Due To Lack Of Credible Evidence, Hynes Overrules, Demotes Them

Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com

Lame duck Brooklyn DA Charles J. Hynes is not leaving office easily.

Crushed in in both the Democratic primary and general election by incoming D.A. Kenneth Thompson, Hynes scandal-plagued office is adding another bizarre event to its long line of ethically challenged decisions.

Rackets Bureau chief Michael Vecchione – previously excoriated by judges for withholding evidence and wrongful convictions – has just fired his two top prosecutors, the New York Post reported, after they refused to prosecute the case against alleged hasidic extortionist Samuel Kellner due to lack of any credible evidence against Kellner.

Kellner allegedly tried to extort the family of accused molester Rabbi Baruch Mordechai Lebovits. All the supposed key evidence against Kellner has reportedly fallen apart. Hynes’ key witness contradicted himself multiple times and clearly lied. That witness is being paid by Lebovits’ supporters. And a secret tape made without the direction of Hynes or police by Lebovits’ family were mistranslated from Yiddish to English by Hynes translator. Correctly translated, the tape does not support Hynes’ case.

Vecchione kicked top prosecutors Joseph Alexis and Nicholas Batsidis out of his bureau when they refused to carry on with the broken case. With the blessing of Hynes and the help of Hynes’ first ADA Amy Feinstein, the two were demoted and reassigned to the Trials Bureau.

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NEW YORK
The Jewish Week

11/11/13
Hella Winston
Jewish Week Correspondent

Prosecutors in the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office were set to dismiss the case against chasidic abuse whistleblower Sam Kellner this week for lack of evidence, but were overruled by their supervisor and then reassigned, The Jewish Week has learned.

Last Wednesday, one day after Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes suffered a crushing defeat by Ken Thompson in his bid for re-election, Assistant District Attorney Joe Alexis informed Kellner’s lawyers, Michael Dowd and Niall MacGiollabhui, by phone that the case against their client would be dismissed at the next scheduled court date, Nov. 12.

On Friday, however, MacGiollabhui told The Jewish Week that he received a call from Alexis, bureau chief of the Rackets Division and a 22-year veteran of the office, informing him that he and the other trial prosecutor, Nicholas Batsidis (who had indicted the case), had been overruled and then transferred out of the Rackets Division by its chief, Michael Vecchione.

Vecchione, one of Hynes’ top aides, has been under scrutiny for alleged misconduct during his tenure as a prosecutor; his alleged actions form the basis of a $150 million lawsuit against the city by a wrongfully convicted man named Jabbar Collins. During the campaign, Thompson called on Hynes to fire Vecchione and in September, after Thompson’s primary victory, the Daily News reported that he intended to fire Vecchione when he takes office.

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SLOVENIA
KIPA-APIC

[Summary: Two dioceses in Slovenia received heavy fines in connection with abuse crimes by a now dead priest. For the first time the Catholic Church has been considered to be an employers of the priests and has final judgment and responsibility.]

Laibach, 11.11.13 (Kipa) In Slowenien sind zwei Diözesen für Missbrauchsstraftaten eines Priesters, der mittlerweile verstorben ist, zu hohen Geldstrafen verurteilt worden. Es handelt sich um einen Präzedenzfall. Erstmals wurde die katholische Kirche als Arbeitgeberin der Priester mit einem rechtskräftigen Urteil zur Verantwortung gezogen.

Nach einem Bericht der Tageszeitungen «Delo» und «Dnevnik» von 9. November bestätigte das Obergericht in Maribor das Urteil des Bezirksgerichts, wonach die Kirche 80.000 Euro (rund 99.000 Franken) Entschädigungsgeld für sexuellen Missbrauch zahlen muss. Täter war der ehemaliger Pfarrer von Artice, Karl Jost.

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NEW YORK
New York Times

By MICHAEL POWELL
Published: November 11, 2013

Sam Kellner, a voluble whistle-blower against child sexual abuse in Brooklyn’s Hasidic community, received a much-dreamed-of phone call last week.

Two prosecutors with the Brooklyn district attorney’s office promised to drop all charges against Mr. Kellner. An already-weak extortion case had utterly disintegrated, with evidence falling away.

You’ll soon be free of the shadow of prosecution, Mr. Kellner’s lawyers told him.

That was last Wednesday.

Two days later, District Attorney Charles J. Hynes and his rackets chief and longtime friend Michael F. Vecchione reversed that decision and again vowed to prosecute Mr. Kellner.

They promptly demoted the two veteran prosecutors, Joseph Alexis and Nicholas J. Batsidis, who had handled the case against Mr. Kellner.

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IRELAND
Irish Times

Robbie Roulston

Mon, Nov 11, 2013

Tracing legislation, to enable adopted individuals to identify their biological parents, has recently become a subject of debate, with TD Clare Daly, in particular, pressing Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald on the matter. In response to Daly’s questions in March last year, Fitzgerald agreed reform was very important and voiced her support for “the strongest possible legislation to deal with this issue” but warned there were constitutional obstacles.

In addition to the commitments of Fitzgerald and the parliamentary questions of Daly and other TDs, a number of organisations, such as the Adoption Rights Alliance, Adopted Illegally Ireland and Adoption Rights Now, are working to shed light on this issue, thereby dislodging another skeleton from the Irish church-State closet.

Adoption Act, 1952

When the Adoption Act, 1952, was crafted, formalising the adoption process in the Republic, the hierarchy of the Catholic Church was given an unusual degree of control even by the prevailing standards in the State.

Every line of the proposed Bill was sent to the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, John Charles McQuaid, for his scrutiny. McQuaid proofed the legislation and insisted “the safeguards must be such as the church considers sufficient to protect faith and morals”.

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AUSTRALIA
Victoria Inquiry

The final report of the Inquiry into the handling of child abuse by religious and other organisations is expected to be tabled on Wednesday 13 November 2013.

Committee Chair, Ms Georgie Crozier, MP expects to table the report at approximately 9.40am (subject to other Parliamentary business) and will deliver a short speech in the Legislative Council.

People are welcome to see the report being tabled in person at Parliament House or they can watch proceedings via the usual live webcast of parliamentary proceedings on the Parliament House website at www.parliament.vic.gov.au.

Obtaining a copy of the report

An electronic copy of the report will be available on the homepage of the Parliament of Victoria’s website (www.parliament.vic.gov.au) as soon as possible after it has been tabled. We expect this may take approximately one hour.

A limited number of hard copies of the report will be available on the day from Parliament House.

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BALTIMORE (MD)
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

[live stream of the public sessions]

Address to the USCCB General Assembly on November 11, 2013.

Just last August, I had the honor of concelebrating the Mass of Dedication for the Cathedral of the Resurrection in Kiev. A particularly moving moment came when Metropolitan Shevchuk asked the Lord’s protective hand upon believers suffering persecution for their faith anywhere in the world. That such a heartfelt plea came from a people who had themselves been oppressed for so long made it all the more poignant.

This morning I want to invite us to broaden our horizons, to “think Catholic” about our brothers and sisters in the faith now suffering simply because they sign themselves with the cross, bow their heads at the Holy Name of Jesus, and happily profess the Apostles’ Creed.

Brother bishops, our legitimate and ongoing struggles to protect our “first and most cherished freedom” in the United States pale in comparison to the Via Crucis currently being walked by so many of our Christian brothers and sisters in other parts of the world, who are experiencing lethal persecution on a scale that defies belief. If our common membership in the mystical body of Christ is to mean anything, then their suffering must be ours as well.

The new Archbishop of Canterbury has rightly referred to victims of Christian persecution as “martyrs.” We are living in what must be recognized as, in the words of Blessed John Paul II, “a new age of martyrs.” One expert calculates that half of all Christian martyrs were killed in the twentieth century alone. The twenty-first century has already seen in its first 13 years one million people killed around the world because of their belief in Jesus Christ – – one million already in this still young century

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AUSTRALIA
Broken Rites

By a Broken Rites researcher (article posted 12 November 2013)

A court has heard how one of Australia’s most prominent Catholic archbishops, Most Reverend Sir Frank Little (of Melbourne), covered up the crimes of a priest (Father Russell Vears). A parent notified Archbishop Little about the crimes, but the church authorities managed to conceal the crimes from the police until one of the victims contacted the police three decades years later, in 2011.

Sir Frank Little was the archbishop of Melbourne (one of the largest Catholic dioceses in Australia) from 1974 to 1996 (when he was succeeded by Archbishop George Pell).

Father Russell Robert Vears (ordained in 1975) was protected by the Melbourne diocese until the 1980s. He later ceased working in parishes and changed his surname to Walker. However, although he no longer has a parish now, Vears/Walker still has not been officially stripped of his priesthood.

Broken Rites began doing research about Vears in 1998. (See a sub-heading near the end of this article.)

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AUSTRALIA
lewisblayse.net

The Victorian State Parliamentary enquiry into child sexual abuse by clergy is expected to release its report on Wednesday, 13th November. It is also anticipated that many people will turn out at Parliament House to demonstrate their views on the possible recommendations.

Leaks to the media suggest that the report will include a call for a law to create a new criminal offence “for ministers of religion who fail to report physical or sexual abuse of children by other clergy.” The offence is likely to involve a prison sentence, although nothing has been revealed concerning the possible length of such sentences.

The Catholic Church has previously claimed that admissions revealed in the confession box would not be referred to the civil authorities. No less an official than Australia’s only Cardinal, George Pell (see previous postings) has expressed this view. Others have claimed they would rather face imprisonment than abide by such a law. Indeed, similar laws in Ireland have met with this response, although those laws have yet to be tested in the Irish courts.

A mandatory reporting law which includes clergy will have to be very carefully crafted, since the Catholic Church will undoubtedly attempt to challenge its validity in the courts. It will have very expensive lawyers at its disposal to push its case. It would be incumbent on the Victorian state Government to ensure it fully funds its defence of the laws if they do, indeed, come up before the courts. It should not be up to victims and their supporters to carry the cost of any legal challenge to the laws.

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MINNESOTA
MinnPost

On Archbishop John Nienstedt’s conditions for releasing names of abusive priests, Madeleine Baran and Tom Scheck of MPR say: “It’s unclear why Nienstedt believes he would need a judge to unseal the list of 33 priests before he could release his own list, and how many priests will be on the list the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis plans to release. St. Paul attorney Jeff Anderson has been asking a judge to unseal the list for years. Anderson, who is suing the archdiocese on behalf of several victims, told MPR News that the archdiocese does not need permission from the court to release a list of names. He also said some offenders have died, and some may have moved out of the Twin Cities metro area that the archdiocese represents. … If a judge does not unseal the list — as was the case last month in a Ramsey County courtroom — the archdiocese would not release the names on it, Nienstedt said. Attorneys for the archdiocese did not respond to a request for clarification.” Talk about a case study in ham-fisted obfuscation …

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UNITED KINGDOM
The Visitor

A Lancaster Cathedral Canon who trained in Rome sexually abused a young man who had hopes of joining the priesthood, a court heard.

Father Stephen Shield’s alleged victim said he felt like his soul had been “ripped out” after the sex attacks by the Catholic priest more than two decades ago.

Fr Shields denies sexually assaulting the man in the presbytery at English Martyrs Church, Garstang Road, Preston, on two occasions after first meeting his victim at a retreat at Castlerigg Manor in the Lake District – where he also allegedly abused him.

Shields became Canon at Lancaster Cathedral before he was arrested and charged with three counts of indecent assault.

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AUSTRALIA
7 News

BY JOEL CRESSWELL –
November 12, 2013

Melbourne’s Catholic archdiocese actively protected a pedophile priest by moving him to a different parish, where he continued to abuse a boy, a judge says.

Russell Robert Walker, 64, was a parish priest when he repeatedly abused two altar boys in the 1970s, despite Melbourne’s then-archbishop Frank Little being warned by one victim’s mother.

Jailing Walker for five years on Tuesday, Victorian County Court Judge Felicity Hampel said the church’s response to the warning was scandalous.

“Although you’re not to be punished for the institutional response, what happened was scandalous,” she said.

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CHILE
Bio Bio

[Summary: The judge has upheld the sentence of 10 years and one day to be met by priest Orlando Rogel Pinuer. He was convicted of repeated sexual abuse of four minors.]

Este lunes la justicia confirmó la pena de diez años y un día de presidio que deberá cumplir el sacerdote Orlando Rogel Pinuer, condenado por abuso sexual reiterado contra cuatro menores de edad. La Corte Suprema rechazó el recurso de queja interpuesto por su abogado defensor.

Recordemos que el Tribunal Oral de Temuco en la sentencia dejó establecido que los delitos fueron cometidos en la casa parroquial de la iglesia católica de Cunco.

El sacerdote Orlando Rogel quedó además con prohibición de acercarse a las víctimas, quedando sujeto a la vigilancia de la autoridad durante los 10 años siguientes al cumplimiento de la pena principal. También se ordenó incorporar a un registro la huella genética del sacerdote, Orlando Rogel.

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MASSACHUSETTS
iContact

In addition to Senator Warren’s remarks, Keynote Speaker Dr. Robert Shoop, and our 10 knowledge & skill building Sessions, we are happy to announce our new luncheon program featuring four outstanding Survivor/Advocates.

Preventing sexual abuse requires a range of strategies, including mobilizing for policy and legislative changes. The effort to reform Statute of Limitations in sexual abuse cases is one example of how the prevention movement has greatly benefited from the activism of adult survivors whose powerful voices are being heard in their communities and on Beacon Hill. Angeline Clancy, Kathy Picard, Kathryn Robb, and Roseanne Sliney will speak about the experiences, motivations and visions that are at the core of their work to end sexual abuse. We will also hear from citizen/advocate Robert Kelly about why institutions that oppose SOL reform must engage in building “overlapping consensus” based on principles of justice and moral reasoning.

The Summit Agenda
View our website for more details

7:30 AM Breakfast and Networking Time
9:00 AM Viewing of “A Silent Epidemic” video
Jetta Bernier~ Executive Director, MassKids
Senator Elizabeth Warren via video from Washington
9:20 AM Keynote: Child Sexual Exploitation: How to Spot It and Stop It
10:00 AM Responders Circle
10:50 AM BREAK
11:00 AM Morning Sessions
​The Code of Conduct as a Critical Prevention Tool
Sexual Abuse Prevention Training and Resources for Your Organization
Moving Beyond Current Practices for Screening Prospective Employees
Responding to and Reporting Disclosures of Sexual Abuse
Institutionalizing Comprehensive Prevention Policies and Practices

12:15 PM Lunch ~ Topic Tables
12:45 PM The Power of Survivor Voices
1:30 PM Afternoon Sessions:
Doing the Right Thing: How to Best Respond to Adult Disclosures of Past Sexual Abuse in Schools and Youth-Serving Organizations
Reducing Sexual Abuse Risks for Children with Disabilities and Those Served by Foster Care
Preventing Sexual Abuse within Sports Programs
A Positive Youth Development Approach to Preventing Sexual Assault of Teens
Sexual Abusers: What We Know About Them and How That Can Inform Prevention Strategies
3:00 PM BREAK
3:15 PM Plenary Session: Taking Action to Prevent Sexual Abuse
4:15 PM A Singing Performance Send-Off by Framinham School Youth
4:30 PM Adjourn

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MINNESOTA
WCCO

[with video]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP/WCCO) — The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis plans this month to release the names of some priests who have sexually abused children, the archbishop said in an open letter Monday.

The names will be limited to those priests who live in the archdiocese and who have what church officials deem to be substantiated claims of abuse against them, Archbishop John Nienstedt said.

Nienstedt said he would disclose the names, locations and status of these men in November with “permission of the relevant court.” He said all of them have been removed from ministry.

“This is misleading as no court order is needed to release these names. Do it today. Why the delay?” said Mike Finnegan, an attorney for victims of sexual abuse. He added the conditions listed by Nienstedt wouldn’t include men who have moved from the archdiocese, or priests who have died.

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AUSTRALIA
9 News

Victims’ advocates are urging a swift, bipartisan response to the Victorian parliament’s landmark report on child sex abuse.

Advocacy group Commission of Inquiry Now (COIN) president Bryan Keon-Cohen said politicians must not await the outcome of the national royal commission when considering any recommendations made by the Victorian committee.

The report is due to be tabled on Wednesday after 12 months of submissions on the handling of child abuse by religious and other organisations, which began in October last year.

In November, then-prime minister Julia Gillard announced a royal commission into child sex abuse.
Dr Keon-Cohen said it would be a gross injustice if the state government deferred to the royal commission.

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AUSTRALIA
Courier

“ALTHOUGH you’re not to be punished for the institutional response, what happened was scandalous. This boy was not the only victim of clerical abuse in the Melbourne archdiocese, nor the only victim whose welfare was ignored while the church took active steps to protect the priest and itself.”

These were the words of Victorian County Court Judge Felicity Hampel yesterday in sentencing a priest who sexually assaulted two Melbourne boys in 1970s. It puts into total focus the need for today’s release of a parliamentary committee report into institutionalised abuse to reinforce the community’s plea for a strong new approach to this issue.

The report comes after more than one year of hearings and interviews designed to finally unmask the dark and hidden depths of abuse in institutions which, for many people, form a significant part of our everyday lives.

The inquiry has heard calls for legislative reform that would allow organisations to be sued for their inaction or cover-ups.

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AUSTRALIA
J-Wire

November 12, 2013 by J-Wire Staff

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has published the dates and locations of the private sessions to be held throughout Australia for the remainder of 2013. Further dates will be published subsequently.

Royal CommissionPrivate Session Dates

18 November 2013 – Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Cairns
25 November 2013 – Sydney
02 December 2013 – Sydney, Brisbane and Perth
09 December 2013 – Sydney, Melbourne
16 December 2013 – Melbourne and Brisbane

Contact us to register your interest
Our website: http://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au
Stakeholder enquiries: stakeholders@childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au

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AUSTRALIA
ABC News

A former Catholic priest has been sentenced to five years in jail for abusing two 14-year-old boys more than 30 years ago.

Russell Robert Walker was at two parishes in Melbourne’s south-east when the offences occurred.

He was arrested after one of his victims, who cannot be identified, went to the police in November 2011.

The Victorian County Court was told Walker began indecently assaulting the two altar boys within a year of joining the priesthood in 1976.

He gave one victim alcohol before abusing him and, on another occasion, indecently assaulted the boy on a bench.

Walker told the second boy he loved him and abused the boy more than half a dozen times.

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AUSTRALIA
The Age

November 12, 2013

Barney Zwartz
Religion editor, The Age.

How child sex abuse happens and how judges sentence offenders will be an important focus of the royal commission into child abuse, its chairman said on Tuesday.

Speaking in Melbourne, Justice Peter McClellan said the commission, having returned to Melbourne, would also look at the practical impact of the statute of limitations in preventing victims from suing perpetrators, which many people see as a “significant injustice”, and whether there should be a general compensation scheme.

Justice McClellan, chairman of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, said that up to last Friday the commission had received 6362 phone calls, 2775 written inquiries and 627 personal submissions.

It had conducted 742 private sessions with victims, with 524 approved but awaiting appointments, and another 1300 seeking a private session, of whom probably half would get one, he said.
He said the private sessions, which were set up by act of parliament, had worked well. Although traumatic for many, the sessions had allowed victims to talk to someone with authority about the deeply traumatic and life-defining experiences they suffered as children.

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AUSTRALIA
ABC News

By Sarah Farnsworth

The chair of the National Royal Commission into child sexual abuse has appealed for more staff to deal with the enormous challenge of taking evidence from abuse victims.

Justice Peter McClellan told a conference in Melbourne that the Commission had been inundated with people wanting to tell their stories.

Justice McClellan says he now realises that if the commission is to properly bear witness to child abuse across Australia, he needs more staff.

When the Royal Commission into the Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse was set up, the laws were changed to allow people to tell their stories in private sessions.

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AUSTRALIA
ABC News

[with audio]

The Royal Commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse has had an overwhelming response, prompting the chairman to call for an additional 100 staff members to handle a growing work load. In the first seven months, the commission has recieved more than 6,000 phone calls and nearly 3,500 written inquiries. Justice Peter McClellan says he believes many more private sessions with abuse victims will be held as the commissioners continue to gather evidence.

Transcript

ELEANOR HALL: The chair of the National Royal Commission into child sexual abuse has appealed for more staff to deal with the enormous challenge of taking evidence from abuse victims.

Justice Peter McClellan told a conference in Melbourne that the commission has been inundated with people wanting to tell their stories.

He says he now realises that if the commission is to properly bear witness to child abuse across Australia, he needs more staff.

In Melbourne, Sarah Farnsworth reports.

SARAH FARNSWORTH: When the Royal Commission into the Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse was set up, the laws were changed to allow people to tell their stories in private sessions.

In a rare speech, the chair of the commission, Justice Peter McClellan, says those sessions have given a clear picture of the harrowing and traumatic experiences suffered by many.

PETER MCCLELLAN: It is not uncommon for men of my own age to break down and weep when describing the trauma of their childhood. For some it is the first time they have been able to tell anyone of their personal story.

It is common for them to report not only a sexual abuse, but extraordinary levels of physical abuse and psychological trauma.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Yorkshire Post

by Rob Parsons, Crime Correspondent
Published on the 11 November 2013

CHILDREN in South Yorkshire are “not always being adequately protected” from sexual grooming because of the ‘inconsistent’ approach to tackling the problem by the county’s police force, a watchdog’s report has revealed today.

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary said it had “serious concern” about the quality of protection children receive, despite child sexual exploitation being made a priority by South Yorkshire’s police and crime commissioner (PCC) and chief constable.

Its report said every one of the force’s 1,700 frontline staff had been given training in how to deal with child sexual exploitation between January and March and that officers working in child protection were “clearly deeply committed to their work”.

It said there had been an increase in the number of offenders prosecuted and that South Yorkshire Police was now working better with other agencies to tackle the problem.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Gainsborough Standard

South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Shaun Wright says the Chief Constable must ‘act immediately’ to improve the response of the force to child sexual exploitation in the wake of a report raising serious concern about the quality of protection it provides for children across the region.

Mr Wright commissioned Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) to assess the effectiveness of the force’s approach to protecting children from sexual exploitation and to develop recommendations for improvements and its findings were published this week.

Inspectors say the force is committed to tackling child sexual exploitation but an inconsistent approach across the force area gave them ‘serious concern’ about the quality of protection children receive.

Among the areas for improvement, the report says that the leadership provided by the Chief Constable for child sexual exploitation was ‘unclear’ to many police officers and staff.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Daily Mail

By TED THORNHILL

A police force under the spotlight over its handling of child sex exploitation is still prioritising burglary and vehicle crime, according to a new report.

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) found that the emphasis from senior and middle local managers at South Yorkshire Police was still more focused on dealing with other crimes and must act immediately to improve its response.

It also found that intelligence teams were not fully supporting child sexual exploitation investigations and that staffing problems were hampering the investigations.

It said that these matters should be addressed ‘as a matter of urgency’.

South Yorkshire PCC Shaun Wright said there had been ‘a failure of management’ at South Yorkshire Police as he responded to the report, which he commissioned in the summer.

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UNITED KINGDOM
Yorkshire Post

IF there was one crumb of comfort to be taken from the appalling litany of abuse committed by disgraced presenters Jimmy Savile and Stuart Hall it was that it starkly underlined the threat posed by prolific child sex offenders, even those who operated in the full glare of publicity.

Indeed, such are the concerns arising from the scandalous way in which so many apparently turned a blind eye to their actions that Keir Starmer, the former director of public prosecutions, has called for a mandatory reporting law which would make it a criminal offence for teachers and other professionals to fail to act over suspicions that a youngster was being targeted in such a way.

Yet there is a nagging sense that the authorities are not taking the scourge of child abuse as seriously as they should. The Government says it has no plans to introduce mandatory reporting legislation, while the response of police forces in Yorkshire has been the subject of no little controversy.

West Yorkshire Police’s investigation into its dealings with Savile, published in May, was roundly criticised for failing to appear sufficiently independent.

Now a report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary says that children in South Yorkshire are “not always being adequately protected” from sexual grooming because of the inconsistent approach to tackling the problem taken by the county’s police force.

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PENNSYLVANIA
Tribune-Democrat

Kathy Mellott
kmellott@tribdem.com

EBENSBURG — A Greensburg lawyer representing alleged victims of Brother Stephen Baker has withdrawn the civil lawsuit filed in Cambria County, citing concern that complying with requests for more information would harm settlement talks now underway.

Attorney Susan Williams has filed a request to withdraw the lawsuit filed 10 months ago on behalf of three unnamed alleged victims of Baker, a Franciscan friar.

The action follows aggressive attempts by the leaders of Bishop McCort High School to learn details of the allegations being made against Baker, and in particular, the school, under its current structure.

In late October, Bishop McCort attorney Kathleen Gallagher attempted to force Williams to file the full complaint of the lawsuit spelling out dates, places and alleged acts committed by Baker.

Last week, Gallagher filed, on behalf of Bishop McCort, an inquiry seeking a response to statements regarding Baker and the alleged victims posted on the Williams Law Firm website.

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PENNSYLVANIA
Tribune-Democrat

Kathy Mellott
kmellott@tribdem.com

EBENSBURG — Action in Cambria County court stopping the lawsuit filed on behalf of alleged victims of Brother Stephen Baker has no impact on the investigation underway by Cambria County District Attorney Kelly Callihan.

The decision to drop the lawsuit is a civil initiative, while the role of Callihan and her staff looking into the Baker case is a criminal matter.

In late October, Callihan confirmed that she is asking the state attorney general’s office to undertake an investigation into Baker and allegations by former students of Bishop McCort High School.

Baker, a Franciscan friar who worked at the school from 1992 to 2001, died in late January at a monastery in Blair County in what was ruled a suicide. He was 62, and his death came weeks after word of a settlement between 11 of his victims and a Catholic diocese in Ohio.

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AUSTRALIA
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn

12 November 2013

Parish priests around Australia have been called on to acknowledge the start of Royal Commission hearings into Towards Healing on 9 December by reading the Catholic Church’s child sexual abuse commitment statement at Mass over the coming weeks.

The statement, which has been endorsed by Church leaders across Australia, acknowledges the damage sexual abuse has done. It acknowledges past failings including cover-ups, failures of leadership and not believing victims.

It also provides a commitment to work towards repairing past wrongs, listening to and hearing victims, putting victims’ needs first, and doing everything possible to ensure a safer future for children.

Mr Francis Sullivan, chief executive officer of the Catholic Church’s Truth Justice and Healing Council, has written to some 1100 priests suggesting they read the statement, first published in the Council’s Towards Healing submission to the Royal Commission in September, during Mass, make it available in church foyers and publish it on parish websites.

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NEW YORK/MARYLAND
Opposing Views

By Khier Casino, Mon, November 11, 2013

A youth pastor, Shaun M. Ross of Syracuse, N.Y., is facing trial for sexually abusing a minor in another state. He worked at Central New York church as a children’s worship leader while under investigation.

The 32-year-old has been charged with two counts of sexual abuse of a minor in Maryland, Syracuse.com reported. Ross was detained in July in Frederick, Md., and charges originated from activity that started in 2008, court documents say.

Ross was the director of student ministry at the Calvary Assembly church in Walkersville, Md. The pastor at the church, the Rev. John Kenney, did not want to comment on Ross or the investigation.

“Please know that we have zero tolerance for misconduct of any staff,” Kenney wrote in an email to Syracuse.com.

For about a year, Ross and his wife have been living with his father, the Rev. Terry Ross, who is the senior pastor at the Victory Christian Center in North Syracuse. According to the church’s Facebook page, Shaun Ross and his wife, Brandi, took the responsibility of caring for the children’s programs at the Victory Christian Center in April.

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NEW YORK
The Post-Standard

By Marnie Eisenstadt and Jeff Stein

A youth pastor facing trial for sexually abusing a minor in another state worked as a children’s worship leader at a Central New York church while he was under investigation.

Shaun M. Ross, 32, has been charged with two counts of sexually abusing a minor in Maryland. He was arrested in July in Frederick , Md., according to court records. The charges stem from activity that began in 2008 in the community near Baltimore, records say.

Ross was the director of student ministry at the Calvary Assembly church in Walkersville, Md. The Rev. John Kenney, the pastor at that church, would not comment on Ross or the investigation.

“Please know that we have zero tolerance for misconduct of any staff,” Kenney wrote in an email.

Ross and his wife have been living in Clay with his father, the Rev. Terry Ross, for about a year. Terry Ross is the senior pastor at the Victory Christian Center in North Syracuse. In April, Shaun Ross and his wife, Brandi, were put in charge of children’s programs at the Victory Christian Center, according to the church’s Facebook page.

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NEW YORK/MARYLAND
RT

A youth pastor charged with sexually abusing a minor in Maryland had been serving as a children’s program leader at a church in New York state while he was still under investigation.

Back in July, 32-year-old Shaun M. Ross was arrested in Frederick, Maryland and charged with two counts of sexually abusing a minor. He was the director of student ministry at the Cavalry Assembly church. According to court records, the pending charges originate from activity dating as far back as 2008 in a community near Baltimore.

In April 2013, however, Ross and his wife were appointed to lead the Victory Christian Center’s children’s programs in North Syracuse despite the fact that he was not allowed to be in contact with children during the investigation. Ross’ father, Rev. Terry Ross, is a senior pastor at the center.

“We are excited to announce that Shaun and Brandi Ross will be assuming leadership in our Children’s ministry,” read one of the center’s Facebook posts dated April 1, according to Syracuse.com. “Bring your children this Sunday for Kidz Revolution! They will love it!”

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
CatholicPhilly

BY MATTHEW GAMBINO

Father John Paul announced his resignation as pastor of Our Lady of Calvary Parish in Philadelphia Sunday, Nov. 10, citing in the church bulletin a decline in his “physical and spiritual health” as a result of allegations of past misconduct.

Father Paul, 67 and ordained in 1972, had been pastor of the Northeast Philadelphia parish since 2000.

He had been the subject of allegations made against him early this year accusing him of sexually abusing minors more than 40 years ago when he was a seminarian at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, according to a statement by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

Although Father Paul denied the allegations, as a matter of archdiocesan policy they were reported to law enforcement. After review the Philadelphia district attorney declined to press charges. The archdiocese then began its own investigation that has not concluded.

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AUSTRALIA
The Age

November 12, 2013

Mark Russel

A former Catholic priest has been jailed for five years for sexually abusing two altar boys during the 1970s.

County Court judge Felicity Hampel said Russell Vears, who later changed his name to Walker, had been a 27-year-old newly ordained priest in 1976 when appointed assistant priest to a parish in Melbourne’s outer south-east.

Within a year of his arrival at the parish, Walker began sexually abusing two 14-year-old boys.
“Their families were active members of the congregation, and they were both altar boys. As a result you had easy access to them, and were trusted by them and their families,” Judge Hampel said on Tuesday.

The judge said that by the third year of Walker’s tenure at the parish, the parents of one of the boys suspected he was abusing their son.

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AUSTRALIA
Courier Mail

Catholic Church cover-up of child sex abuse a scandal, says County Court Judge Felicity Hampel

PAUL ANDERSON NEWS LIMITED NOVEMBER 12, 2013

HIGH-ranking members of the Catholic Church acted in “scandalous” fashion by ignoring claims of sexual abuse and attempting to protect an accused priest and the church brand, a judge has said.

In a scathing attack on the church, County Court judge Felicity Hampel today slammed it for not helping a young sexually abused altar boy and not referring the matter to police.

Depraved Catholic priest Russell Robert Walker sexually abused two altar boys over a four-year period in the 1970s – despite the Archbishop of Melbourne at the time being warned about him.

Walker had been confronted by the parents of one of the boys, only to reply: “How dare you accuse me of sleeping with your son.”

The Catholic Church never took action, the judge said.

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AUSTRALIA
The Australian

AAP
November 12, 2013

MELBOURNE’S Catholic archdiocese actively protected a paedophile priest by moving him to a different parish, where he continued to abuse a boy, a judge says.

Russell Robert Walker, 64, was a parish priest when he repeatedly abused two altar boys in the 1970s, despite Melbourne’s then-archbishop Frank Little being warned by one victim’s mother.

Jailing Walker for five years today, Victorian County Court Judge Felicity Hampel said the church’s response to the warning was scandalous.

“Although you’re not to be punished for the institutional response, what happened was scandalous,” she said.

“This boy was not the only victim of clerical abuse in the Melbourne archdiocese, nor the only victim whose welfare was ignored while the church took active steps to protect the priest and itself.”

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MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

by Madeleine Baran, Minnesota Public Radio,
Tom Scheck, Minnesota Public Radio
November 11, 2013

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Archbishop John Nienstedt has backed away from a promise to release the names of some priests in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis who have sexually abused children.

Nienstedt initially told MPR News on Friday that, in a reversal of a decades-old policy, he would release some of the names this month — and that more could be made public after a private firm hired by the archdiocese reviews all clergy files.

“For the sake of the dignity of each human person and for the sake of our souls, we must fix this problem of sexual misconduct right now,” he said. “For the sake of the God we love and serve and for all who are counting on Catholic leadership to live by our beliefs and our word, I will not allow it to stand.”

But less than 36 hours after Nienstedt read those remarks, church officials started putting caveats on them. Nienstedt then revised his statement and sent a separate, private letter to clergy saying he believes he cannot release the names without the “permission of the relevant court.” …

Bob Schiwderski, director of the Minnesota chapter of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said Nienstedt’s action doesn’t go far enough. He said the archbishop should visit every parish where offending priests were assigned and announce that they were known to have abused children. It would give victims greater courage to come forward, he said, about abuse they suffered as children.

“If they’re going to release the names, then they should also go to where they dropped them on the families and unsuspecting children,” Schiwderski said.

Several archdioceses, including those in Philadelphia and Boston, have released detailed lists of priests accused of abusing children in response to earlier scandals.

Terence McKiernan, founder of the Bishop-Accountability.org watchdog site, has said the lists often contain few surprises, since so many names have already been made public.

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MINNESOTA
KSTP

[with video]

By: Scott Theisen

It’s a significant development involving the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis following a chain of alarming allegations. Following mounting pressure, the archdiocese will release the names of priests accused of sexually abusing children.

Archbishop John Nienstedt announced the decision on Monday in an open letter. One expert told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS it signals the archdiocese may be turning a corner on this issue.
For some, that would be a welcome change.

“It has been swept under for way too long, and mistakes have been made,” said Shelley Olson, a parishioner in Minneapolis.

For weeks, it’s been allegations, revelations, and condemnations.

“I’ve talked with a lot of friends of mine that are Catholic, and they say, ‘When are they going to get their act together?'” said Lea Nowak, another parishioner in Minneapolis.

Many Catholics hope Monday was the day that happened.

It began with that statement from Archbishop Nienstedt, promising to release a list of, “the names, locations and status of priests who are currently living in the archdiocese, and who we know have substantiated claims against them of committing sexual abuse against minors.”

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MINNESOTA
KARE

ST. PAUL, Minn. — An open letter written by Archbishop John Nienstedt Monday morning began with a common storyline.

Nienstedt was writing to inform the masses that a former priest, Clarence Vavra, who served 38 years in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, told church officials in 1995 he sexually abused young boys in 1975.

Nienstedt claims Vavra was sent to treatment for his self-confessed crimes but those were not disclosed further. Vavra was never criminally charged.

Nienstedt said how the Archdiocese handled that was wrong.

“Serious errors were made by the Archdiocese in dealing with him,” Nienstedt wrote.

The Archbishop went on suggesting that those kinds of wrongs won’t happen again.

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NEW JERSEY
National Catholic Reporter

Michael Sean Winters | Nov. 11, 2013 Distinctly Catholic

Mark Silk, at RNS, on the VERY BIG threat to religious liberty posed by the settlement in the Fr. Fugee case in Newark. To be clear, the civil court has NO business insisting on the de-frocking of a priest as part of a civil settlement. And, it be just as clear, it is only the ridiculously bad handling of the Fugee case by Archbishop Myers that led to this situation. The USCCB should spend less time worrying about insurance policies and more time worrying about how their own members are bringing an unprecedented degree of governmental interference in the life of the Church.

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MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

Archbishop John Nienstedt announced he will release the names of some priests who are known to have abused children.

What does this decades-long policy reversal mean for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the offending priests and their victims? Jeff Anderson, a St. Paul attorney who has represented many victims of clergy sexual abuse, joins The Daily Circuit to talk about the latest developments in the abuse scandal

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POLAND
Christian Post

BY LEONARDO BLAIR , CP REPORTER
November 11, 2013

As investigations of alleged sexual abuse of multiple young boys by two Polish clerics continue, one Polish priest, Father Ireneusz Bochynski, of Piotrkow Trybunalski in Central Poland, claims he is aware of 10-year-old children who “went to bed with adults, wanting to be fulfilled, and it was the choice of the child.”

In a recent Polskie Radio report, Father Bochynski insisted that “now that we have so many broken marriages, where most often there is a lack of a father, it will happen more and more often that children without such figures will cling on to men.”

The report highlights that Bochynski’s statement is in line with those held by head of the Polish Episcopate Archbishop Jozef Michalik. He argues that children involved in pedophilia cases are often “searching for love” because of its absence in their broken homes.

Poland’s attorney general’s office is currently examining 650 documents pertaining to allegations of sexual abuse of multiple boys in the Dominican Republic by two Polish priests.

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MINNESOTA
Houston Chronicle

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — An attorney for victims of sexual abuse by priests says Archbishop John Nienstedt’s plan to release the names of some accused priests isn’t enough.

Mike Finnegan is one attorney who has been pushing for public release of a list of 33 priests whom the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis deemed were credibly accused of sexual misconduct. He says that whole list should be released.

Nienstedt announced Monday that he will release names of accused priests who currently live in the archdiocese, upon permission from a court. Finnegan says that’s misleading because Nienstedt doesn’t need a court’s permission.

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PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Tuesday, Nov. 12

Statement by Karen Polesir of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 267-992-9463, karenpolesir@yahoo.com )

A Philly priest, Fr. John P. Paul, says he’s stepping down because of “stress” caused by reports that he molested two kids. And Philly Catholic officials now claim that that they’re investigating and that despite the two allegations, church officials “allowed (him) to remain at (a) parish with restrictions that prohibited him from having unsupervised contact with minors.”

[Philly.com]

[Philly.com]

The “take-away” here is twofold and troubling.

First, Philly Catholic officials – despite repeated pledges to be “open” – are continuing to pretend to do quiet, internal investigations into accused predator priests without warning parents.

Second, Philly Catholic officials – despite repeated pledges to “reform” – are still pretending that priests can “supervise” accused priests and put them on “restrictions” that keep them away from kids.

And over the past few decades, in hundreds and hundreds of cases, Catholic officials have claimed to be “supervising” or “monitoring” or “restricting” child molesting clerics when in fact, they have not been or have not been doing so effectively.

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