ABUSE TRACKER

PERU
Correo

[Summary: A new scandal has shaken the Peruvian Catholic Church. A judge has ordered Bishop Guilermo Abanto Guzman to recognize a daughter he had with a young woman in June 2011. While Catholics were still reeling from pedophilia allegations against deposed Bishop Gabino Miranda, a new complaint was released today by “Punto Final” de www.frecuencialatina.com.]

06 OCTUBRE 2013 | LIMA –
Un nuevo escándalo sacude a la Iglesia Católica Peruana. Un juez le ordenó al obispo Guillermo Abanto Guzmán reconocer a una hija que tuvo con una joven laica en junio del 2011.

Mientras el pueblo católica aún no se recupera de las denuncias de pedofilia contra el destituído obispo de Ayacucho Gabino Miranda, una nueva denuncia fue difundida hoy por “Punto Final” de www.frecuencialatina.com.

Se trata de una importante autoridad de la iglesia, mano derecha del Cardenal Juan Luis Cipriani y en algún momento fue número 2 en la iglesia peruana como obispo auxiliar de Lima.

La denuncia contra Guillermo Abanto obra en el Tercer Juzgado de Paz letrado de Surco y salió a la luz luego que se le ordenara al citado sacerdote reconocer a su pequeña hija.

Alexandra de la Lama Luna es la madre de la supuesta hija del exobispo auxiliar de Lima según el espacio periodístico. Ella dio a luz en junio del 2011, pero habría concebido a la menor nada menos que en la iglesia de la Divina Misericordia en Surco.

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

CANADA
Lethbridge Herald

By Zentner, Caroline on October 7, 2013.

Caroline Zentner
lethbridge herald
czentner@lethbridgeherald.com

Survivors of Indian residential schools will get the opportunity to share their experiences at a hearing tour called Share Your Truth.

Part of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission under the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, the hearing on Wednesday and Thursday of this week is open to survivors and anyone affected by the residential schools legacy. The public is also invited to attend to give those interested the opportunity to learn about and bear witness to the impact of the residential school system.

“It’s really an ideal opportunity to share your experiences for the future or the existing generations and also for the non-aboriginal population to know about what had happened in the residential schools,” said Jackie Red Crow, who’s with the Blood Tribe Department of Health.

Survivors will be able to make public or private statements about their experiences. If the survivor wishes, statements can be recorded and stored long-term at the University of Manitoba.

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

BOSTON (MA)
Rome Reports

[with video]

October 7, 2013. (Romereports.com) The Archdiocese of Boston has been through many challenges in the past few years. From abuse scandals to terrorist attacks on the city, its found ways to keep moving forward.

As one of the largest dioceses in the United States, it also houses nearly 650 priests. Their experience illustrates what they’ve been through.

FR. RICHARD UFTRING
Boston Priest
“On 9/11, I was actually called in communication with American Airlines before they even lost their first plane.”

As the airport chaplain, Father Richard Uftring, still recalls the horrors of the fateful day when airplanes leaving Boston intentionally crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and rural Pennsylvania. Nearly ten years later, one of this brother priests would experience something similar.

FR. SEAN O’CONNOR
Boston Priest
“On the day of the Boston Marathon, I arrived there and they threw a Boston police jacket over me so I could enter into the horror of that day.”

A former policeman himself, Father Sean O’Connor was overwhelmed. He later found out, one of the children killed in the blast regularly went to Mass at his parish.

With such tragedies striking Boston, the archdiocese feels the work of priests, providing spiritual assistance, is more important ever. But as they age, who looks after the well being of priests?

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

MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

Article by: JIM ADAMS , Star Tribune Updated: October 6, 2013

Catholic parishioners expressed shock, forgiveness at claims the archdiocese may have covered up child porn possession.

Twin Cities Catholics reacted with surprise, disappointment and forgiveness Sunday morning after hearing parish leaders discuss reports that church officials may have covered up evidence that a Hugo priest kept child pornography on his computer.

At the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis, Susan Engel was frustrated at new allegations of sexual misconduct in the church. “I feel angry that it is happening again. We thought they had a plan in place to deal with it right away and not cover it up and it sounds like it wasn’t followed.”

The latest controversy surfaced last week, when the second highest prelate in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis resigned amid contentions that he covered up evidence of child pornography found on a priest’s computer.

Many Twin Cities parishioners heard a pulpit announcement Sunday saying that Archbishop John Nienstedt had appointed a new vicar, who will choose members for an independent task force to begin meeting this week to review all issues related to allegations of clergy misconduct. The task force will recommend new actions or policies and its findings will be made public, the archdiocese said. The new vicar is the Rev. Reginal Whitt, of the University of St. Thomas Law School.

The announcement also pledged “zero tolerance for abuse,” and asked parishioners to “please pray for all victims of sexual misconduct in Church ministry and in our society.”

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

MINNESOTA
Inforum

By: Forum News Service, INFORUM

DULUTH, Minn. – A retired Catholic priest who served much of his career in the Northland has been removed from ministry after an accusation of child sexual abuse more than a generation ago.

The Diocese of Duluth announced Sunday that the Rev. Cornelius Kelleher “has recently been credibly accused in the sexual abuse of a minor female during his time as pastor of St. Joseph’s Church in Chisholm from 1975 to 1986.”

A statement from the diocese said that when the accusation came to light, Kelleher was immediately removed from public ministry and has been stripped of his abilities to function as a priest in retirement.

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

UNITED KINGDOM
Dewsbury Reporter

Police are investigating allegations of sexual abuse at a former seminary in Mirfield.

Several men have claimed they were abused by Catholic priests at St Peter’s Seminary in Mirfield in the 1960s and 1970s.

Some are preparing civil cases against the order which ran the school at Roe Head.

And a formal complaint by at least one person has been made to West Yorkshire Police.

Allegations of abuse by members of the Verona Fathers have been made on several websites.

One man wrote: “I was at Mirfield in the early sixties. My whole time there was a non-stop series of mental, emotional, physical and, on two occasions, sexual abuse by the priests, coupled with total neglect of all the boys, who were left to their own devices to cope with the problems produced by the abuse.”

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

MINNESOTA
Brainerd Dispatch

The Diocese of Duluth announced that a retired diocesan priest, Father Cornelius Kelleher, has recently been credibly accused in the sexual abuse of a minor female during his time as pastor of St. Joseph’s Church in Chisholm from 1975 to 1986.

Kelleher previously served at St. Andrew’s in Brainerd.

When the accusation was made, Kelleher was immediately removed from any public ministry and is no longer able to function as a priest in his retirement. He retired July 11, 2012. There are, at present, no formal criminal charges or litigation in connection with this accusation, the diocese reported.

Kelleher worked in the diocese as a priest from 1956 to 2012. He served at the following parishes: St. James, Duluth; St. Joseph, Crosby; Holy Family, Eveleth; St. Mary, Cook; St. Bridget, Greaney; St. Benedict, Duluth; St. Joseph, Gnesen; St. Joseph, Lakewood; St. Joseph, Chisholm; St. Andrew, Brainerd; St. Patrick, Hinckley; and St. Joseph, Beroun.

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

MINNESOTA
KAAL

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – A former Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis employee is calling for a “comprehensive, external review” of priest files.

Jennifer Haselberger released a statement Saturday asking Archbishop John Nienstedt to publicize a list of clergy who have engaged in acts of sexual misconduct, as well as those who could pose a threat to children.

Haselberger worked at the archdiocese from 2008 to last April, when she resigned because of concerns about the way sexual abuse allegations were handled.

She is at the center of an investigation about pornography on one priest’s computer. On the day new information was revealed, the man who held the No. 2 post at the archdiocese resigned.

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

MINNESOTA
KSTP

Created: 10/06/2013

By: Leslie Dyste

Clergy sex abuse victims passed out fliers to parishioners outside the Cathedral of St. Paul on Sunday. The group called SNAP urged people to report sex abuse claims.

They also want prosecutors to open investigations into the archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

This comes after a former employee of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis released a statement Saturday calling for a “comprehensive, external review” of priest files.

Jennifer Haselberger also asked Archbishop John Nienstedt to “make public the list of clergy who have been determined to have engaged in acts of sexual misconduct,” as well as those who could “reasonably be assumed to pose a threat to children and young people.”

“Until this occurs, I do not believe that it can be said that the Archdiocese is honoring its promise to protect,” she said in the statement.

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

MINNESOTA
WDIO

[PRIEST ACCUSED OF SEXUAL ABUSE OF A MINOR – Roman Catholic Diocese of Duluth]

By: Emily Haavik
ehaavik@wdio.com

A local retired priest has been removed from public ministry after a sexual abuse accusation, according to the Duluth Diocese.

The Diocese announced Sunday that the retired priest has been accused in the sexual abuse of a minor. They said he worked for 56 years at many parishes, including in Duluth and on the Iron Range.

The alleged abuse happened at least 27 years ago, but the Diocese said the accusation is recent.

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

POLAND
The News

A Polish man who is trying to reach a settlement with the Church over the sexual abuse he suffered as a child has written to Pope Francis of his ‘lost innocence.’

The victim described his letter as “a cry for all children who have been wronged in Poland.”

Marcin K. (full name withheld under Polish privacy laws) claims he was abused by Father Zbigniew R. from 2000-2001 in Kolobrzeg, northern Poland.

The priest was sentenced to two years imprisonment in 2012, but the clergyman claimed that he was suffering health problems and he did not serve the time.

Marcin K. has now become the first person in Poland to seek compensation, arguing that the Church knew about what was occurring, but that it did not react.

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

NEW JERSEY
Courier-Post

Written by
Jim Walsh
Courier-Post

CAMDEN — A dispute over a journal kept by a man claiming to be a childhood victim of clergy abuse in Camden has taken a surprising turn.

It’s just not clear in what direction.

A lawyer for Mark Bryson, an Ohio man allegedly molested by a South Jersey priest more than 40 years ago, says a computer technician has recovered a digital journal previously deleted by Bryson.

“We were fortunate that … we were able to retrieve our client’s journal in its entirety,” said attorney Adam Horowitz, who says the document supports Bryson’s case.

But a lawyer for the Diocese of Camden, William DeSantis, said the recovered journal “raises more questions than it answers.” He also said the document contradicts key statements previously made by Bryson.

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

MINNESOTA
Northlands News Center

October 6, 2013

he Diocese of Duluth announced that retired priest Father Cornelius Kelleher has been credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor female.

Kelleher retired in July of 2012 after 56 years of priesthood.

He was removed immediately from public ministry and can no longer function as a priest in his retirement.

No formal litigation has taken place.

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

MINNESOTA
Pioneer Press

Archbishop John Nienstedt has named a law professor who is also a Dominican priest to form a lay task force to investigate new claims of sexual misconduct by priests.

Although Reginald Whitt, one of the founding faculty members of the University of St. Thomas School of Law, will name the lay committee, he won’t serve on it, according to a “Pulpit Announcement” Nienstedt asked his priests to read at church services over the weekend.

“There can be no question: Our standard is — and must always be — zero tolerance for abuse,” Nienstedt wrote in the letter.

He went on to ask that everyone “pray for all victims of sexual misconduct in Church ministry and in our society.”

The announcement did not say how big the task force would be. But it did say it would make recommendations that would be released to the public.

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

NEW JERSEY
Waiting for Godot to Leave

Kevin O’Brien

Rod Dreher brings up some current sex scandals in the Church, some of which I’ve written about recently on this blog.

One involves Fr. Riedlinger in New Jersey. Riedlinger was a favorite of Msgr. Rossi, who is the rector of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC – enough of a favorite that Riedlinger claimed he would “vacation” with Rossi (who is a much older man). Riedlinger would be introduced by Rossi to young seminarians, and Riedlinger would then proceed to hit on these guys and turn the talk around to gay sex. Some of the young seminarians would complain about this, and their complaints would go unheeded.

Eventually, two of them instituted a “sting” operation against Riedlinger. Timothy Schmalz and his roommate Ryan posed as a 16-year-old boy on Facebook, and “friended” Fr. Riedlinger, who soon turned the conversation toward sex.

The messages show Riedlinger needed little or no invitation to steer the conversation to sex. He spoke of past encounters and the size of his penis, encouraged Josh to enjoy sex with his boyfriend and repeatedly told him how alike they were in their thirst for pornography and sex.

“I love u dude. Ur a sick (expletive) like me,” Riedlinger wrote.

Riedlinger occasionally sent a message saying he was near Newton, suggesting a get-together. On those occasions, Schmalz declined to respond and made up an excuse later.

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

MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

Victims group dismisses archdiocese review of clergy sexual abuse cases as ‘nothing but a smokescreen’

by Mike Cronin, Minnesota Public Radio,
Madeleine Baran, Minnesota Public Radio,
Tom Scheck, Minnesota Public Radio
October 6, 2013

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The director of a group that advocates for victims of predator priests dismissed as a sham an order from the Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis that the church form a clergy sexual-misconduct task force.

“It’s nothing but a smokescreen,” said Bob Schwiderski, director of the Minnesota chapter of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), during a phone interview with MPR News Sunday afternoon.

A Saturday letter from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis asked priests to tell parishioners during Mass this weekend about Archbishop John Nienstedt’s formation of a lay task force that will review the handling of clergy sexual misconduct.

“It is also critical that the assessment of this situation is done by an independent group so that there can be no question of the integrity of the review,” the letter read.

The archbishop appointed the Rev. Reginald Whitt, a Dominican priest and law professor at the University of St. Thomas, to “oversee the current administration related to clergy misconduct” and appoint the lay task force.

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

MINNESOTA
Roman Catholic Diocese of Duluth

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 6, 2013

The Diocese of Duluth announces that a retired diocesan priest, Father Cornelius Kelleher, has recently been credibly accused in the sexual abuse of a minor female during his time as pastor of St. Joseph’s Church in Chisholm from 1975 to 1986. When the accusation was made, Father Kelleher was immediately removed from any public ministry and is no longer able to function as a priest in his retirement. He retired July 11, 2012. There are, at present, no formal criminal charges or litigation in connection with this accusation.

Father Kelleher worked in the diocese as a priest from 1956 to 2012. He served at the following parishes: St. James, Duluth; St. Joseph, Crosby; Holy Family, Eveleth; St. Mary, Cook; St. Bridget, Greaney; St. Benedict, Duluth; St. Joseph, Gnesen; St. Joseph, Lakewood; St. Joseph, Chisholm; St. Andrew, Brainerd; St. Patrick, Hinckley; and St. Joseph, Beroun.

Since 1992, the Diocese of Duluth has had in place a sexual misconduct policy that has been conscientiously enforced. Subsequently, the United States bishops issued their Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People in June 2002. The Diocese of Duluth is committed to helping identify sexual misconduct on the part of all those who work with children and youth, to offering help and healing to anyone who has been a victim of sexual misconduct on the part of clergy, and to preventing this terrible crime from happening in the future.

“I deeply regret the long-lasting and devastating effects of sexual misconduct on the part of clergy and am completely committed to assisting its victims and preventing any recurrence of these crimes,” wrote Bishop Paul Sirba in a letter to the faithful of the diocese. “I ask you to join me in prayer for all those who have been wounded by sexual misconduct on the part of the clergy.”

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

MINNESOTA
Duluth News Tribune

By: News Tribune staff, Duluth News Tribune

A retired Catholic priest who served much of his career in the Northland is facing accusations of sexual improprieties.

The Diocese of Duluth announced Sunday that Father Cornelius Kelleher “has recently been credibly accused in the sexual abuse of a minor female during his time as pastor of St. Joseph’s Church in Chisholm from 1975 to 1986.”

A report from the diocese said that when the accusation came to light, Kelleher was immediately removed from public ministry and has been stripped of his abilities to function as a priest in retirement. Kelleher retired July 11, 2012.

No formal criminal charges or litigation in connection with the accusation of past sexual abuse have yet been initiated.

Kelleher worked in the diocese as a priest from 1956 to 2012. He served at the following parishes: St. James, Duluth; St. Joseph, Crosby; Holy Family, Eveleth; St. Mary, Cook; St. Bridget, Greaney; St. Benedict, Duluth; St. Joseph, Gnesen; St. Joseph, Lakewood; St. Joseph, Chisholm; St. Andrew, Brainerd; St. Patrick, Hinckley; and St. Joseph, Beroun.

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

PERU
Periodismo

[Summary: Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani spoke out today about the allegations of pedophilia made against former Bishop Gabino Miranda Melgareja. He spoke of forgiveness of sinners. Critics of the cardinal said Miranda is with Opus Dei, the same order to which Cipriani belongs, which is why he is defending Miranda. The cardinal said the church is pure, beautiful and holy but it gets dirty with filth. He added that the religion is wonderful because the sinner is forgiven and not convicted.]

Mientras persiste el escándalo por las denuncias de pedofilia contra el exobispo de Ayacucho, Gabino Miranda Melgarejo, hoy el Cardenal Juan Luis Cipriani se pronunció en torno a la situación de la Iglesia Católica y el perdón a los pecadores.

Como se recuerda Miranda es del “Opus Dei”, la misma orden a la que pertenece Cipriani, por ello los críticos del Cardenal peruano aseguran que este lo defiende, pese a existir una investigación fiscal por supuesto abuso de menores.

“La Iglesia es pura, bella, santa. Nosotros la ensuciamos con porquerías. Por eso en este mes morado, debemos limpiar el alma. Nuestra religión es una maravilla porque al pecador se le perdona, y no se le condena”, indicó.

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

MINNESOTA
Christian Catholicism

Jerry Slevin

The former Chancellor of the St. PAUL Archdiocese (USA), a woman canon lawyer, is in effect challenging the man whom the successor of St. PETER has serving as bishop.

Amazingly, their scholastic dispute is mainly over whether the pornographic performers on a priest’s computer file were as young as a “child”. You can’t make this stuff up.

The female Chancellor bravely quit in protest. She is holding her ground against her bishop, an arch anti-gay marriage activist. She is proving, single handedly, what a difference a woman makes, in a world of childless celibates, when it comes to protecting children, among other things.

She is also likely giving many in the Catholic hierarchy in the USA and the Vatican some real nightmares, since she likely knows even more “secrets”. This bold woman is not clamming up like Philly’s Cardinal Rigali’s Secretary, Msgr. Lynn, did.

Reportedly, the police seemed to have bungled the child pornography case so far, accepting apparently at face value weak explanations from the Archdiocesan staff and its lawyers. Hopefully, the local state prosecutors will call for a full grand jury soon. This could make Philly’s Msgr. Lynn’s conviction pale by comparison.

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

INDIA
Vatican Insider

One of New Delhi’s most famous Catholic activists is applying Francis clean-up operation in his own country. “In Orissa too people walked away with donations”

GIORGIO BERNARDELLI
ROME

“Can corruption be banished from the Indian Church?”: A decidedly striking title. But what is even more striking is who wrote and published the article. The person who posed the question regarding corruption and misuse of money, not just outside the Christian community but also within it, is no anti-clericalist. It is the well known Indian Catholic journalist, John Dayal and his article was published on Asia’s most important Catholic news website, UCANews.

The way Dayal – who is secretary of the All India Christian Council – sees it, is simple: we can all see how much energy Francis is putting into condemning corruption, we hear him speak out against the idolatry of money and we are all witness to the reforms that are underway to achieve greater financial transparency in the Vatican. But doesn’t all this also lead the Church in India to examine its conscience? The corruption issue is one of the most contentious issues in this big Asian country: A law that would allow members of parliament convicted of corruption and given sentences that are not final to continue working in politics is being hotly debated. A way to get around the laws passed at the height of Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement. Anna Hazare is a controversial Hindu activist who presents himself as the new Ghandi.

In actual fact, corruption is widespread in India and extends beyond the political sphere. “One of the untold sad stories of recent times in India is the corruption within churches who distributed aid following the pogrom against Christians in Orissa in 2007 and 2008. Some took cash from donors and walked away with it; others diverted funds to unrelated projects, splashed out on new SUVs or refurbished their own houses with money “saved” from rebuilding the devastated huts of the Dalits and the Tribals. No police complaints have been registered, and it remains something confined to the rumour mill. Since it was not government money, official agencies cannot confront the allegations unless someone files a complaint. But it highlights a pervasive problem in India that doesn’t spare the Catholic Church,” Dayal said.

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

MINNESOTA
KARE

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Archbishop John Nienstedt is appointing an independent group to review how the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis is handling clergy sexual misconduct.

A letter sent by the archdiocese to parish priests said addressing the allegations is “the top priority for the archdiocese.”

The archdiocese urged priests to announce at mass that Nienstedt has appointed the Rev. Reginald Whitt to lead an independent task force to review all issues related to clergy misconduct. The letter said the board will make specific recommendations and will release the report to the public.

Nienstedt’s move comes after two reports from MPR News. One investigation found that church leaders disregarded warning signs about a parish priest who later went on to sexually abuse two boys. Another found that Nienstedt and others disregarded concerns that a priest had pornography on his computer that was “borderline illegal.”

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

AUSTRALIA
Brisbane Times

The truth is that the effects of child abuse are long-lasting, not just on its victims but on the health system’s bottom line

October 7, 2013

Rebecca Reeve

Churches have begun to acknowledge how they ”failed” abused children. Scouts NSW recently told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse it, too, had ”failed” young boys. But such admissions are insufficient if society’s largest institution, government, fails to invest fully in child protection.

At a time when governments are increasingly driven by fiscal restraint, it is important that public spending decisions around complex issues such as child protection consider not just the short-term effects but also the longer-term costs and benefits – in the case of child abuse, for both the victims and society as a whole.

Research published in the journal Economic Record and conducted by Dr Kees van Gool and myself at the Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation shows that in addition to the human cost of child abuse there are lasting health effects for victims and therefore substantial and very long-term costs for the health system.

We used the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ National Survey of Mental Health and Well-being to measure the effect of childhood physical abuse, sexual abuse and ”combined” physical and sexual abuse on long-term health problems and self-harming behaviour into adulthood.

The results indicate that, after controlling for other factors, Australian adults abused in childhood suffer from more physical and mental health problems and have higher annual healthcare costs than adults who were not abused.

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

MINNESOTA
Minnesota SNAP

For immediate release: Sunday, Oct. 6

Statement by Bob Schwiderski of Wayzata, Minnesota SNAP director ( 952 471 3422, skibrs@q.com )

Nienstadt is using a pathetic public relations maneuver to distract and mollify outraged parishioners – the creation of a new panel to look at church abuse guidelines. It’s probably a smart PR move. But it won’t help protect kids or expose complicity.

The behavior of church officials, not their policies and procedures, is the problem. And no words on paper will change the self-serving, secretive and recklessness of top Catholic officials. Only public exposure and harsh punishment can do this.

(NOTE – Clergy abuse victims will leaflet today, Sunday, at 4:40 outside the Cathedral in St. Paul. Details to follow soon.)

There are several problems here.

First, no panel is “independent” if it’s head is appointed by the suspected wrongdoer it is supposed to examine.

Second, no priest has the expertise or independence to do this job well. (Fr. Whitt may have tons of training in church theology or history of music. We doubt he has tons of training in child protection.)

Third, remember, Nienstadt already has an abuse panel. It’s been around for at least a decade. And it’s the panel that has done nothing while top archdiocesan officials hid the sex crimes and misconduct of Fr. Shelley and Fr. Wehmeyer (and likely others). It’s the panel that remains silent even now. And it’s the panel that Nienstadt and his predecessors have repeatedly called “independent.”

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

MINNESOTA
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis via Minnesota Public Radio

FROM THE ARCHDIOCESE
Pulpit Announcement
October 5-6 Masses

There is disturbing news in recent days concerning certain priests in this Archdiocese and the handling of cases by archdiocesan officials. It is understandable to be distressed by what you are seeing and hearing. Addressing these serious allegations is the top priority for the Archdiocese.

It is also critical that the assessment of this situation is done by an independent group so that there can be no question of the integrity of the review. As a result, the Archbishop has appointed a new Vicar, Fr. Reginald Whitt, a Dominican priest from the University of St. Thomas School of Law, to:

1. Oversee the current administration related to clergy misconduct and

2. Appoint an independent lay task force to review any and all issues related to clergy misconduct and to make specific recommendations regarding actions to be taken and policies and procedures to be implemented.

The Vicar and the task force, which will convene this week, will have full authority and all the resources needed to complete their work. The findings and recommendations of this task force will be released publicly when the final report is complete.

There can be no question: our standard is – and must always be – zero tolerance for abuse.

During this very difficult time, please hold each other, our community and this local Church in prayer. And please pray for all victims of sexual misconduct in Church ministry and in our society.

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

MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

[with copy of the bishop’s announcement]

by Tom Scheck, Minnesota Public Radio
October 6, 2013

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Archbishop John Nienstedt is appointing an independent group to review how the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is handling sexual misconduct.

The letter, sent by the Archdiocese to parish priests, said addressing the allegations is “the top priority for the archdiocese.”

The archdiocese urged priests to announce at mass that Nienstedt has appointed the Rev. Reginald Whitt to oversee the current administration related to misconduct and appoint an independent task force to review all issues related to clergy misconduct. The letter said the board will make specific recommendations and will release the report to the public.

The letter comes after two reports from MPR News. One found that Neinstedt and others disregarded concerns that a priest had pornography on his computer that was “borderline illegal.” Another investigation found that church leaders disregarded warning signs about a parish priest who later went on to sexually abuse two boys.

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

PENNSYLVANIA
Fox 8

A Blair county judge is encouraging an Altoona attorney to file lawsuits involving child sexual abuse. The Altoona Mirror reports lawsuits in seven cases involving Brother Stephen Baker are still pending. Baker serves as an athletic trainer in the 90’s at Johnstown Bishop McCort Catholic School. The mirror says, it has been more that 12- days since the notices were filed. Once the complaints are filed, damages can be awarded. Brother Baker committed suicide in January.

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

AUSTRALIA
lewisblayse.net

The Catholic Church’s PR unit, set up to deal with fall-out from the Royal Commission, has managed to get in first with its arguments, before the commission holds hearings on the discredited “Towards Healing” program at the end of the year.

CEO of the PR unit, Francis Sullivan (see previous posting), has been active in the media, appearing on talk shows, current affairs programs and posting an article in the “Daily Telegraph” newspaper. The “Daily Telegraph” gave him a free run, by not giving a right-of-reply opportunity to the victims’ side, such as an article by the many advocates including Peter Ellis, Judy Courtin, Chris Wilding, David Shoebridge etc.

Sullivan used an old PR tactic of giving the impression that there were only a few, minor flaws in the Catholic Church’s process for dealing with victims of its paedophile priests.

He admits it is not “a perfect solution” but then qualifies with the excuse that “it is a complex and difficult issue,” which “will inevitably have shortcomings from the perspective of some victims.” Note the use of “shortcomings” to minimize the faults of the system. Then, he implies that the faults are only from the “perspective” of victims, so that there is the impression that victims may have a distorted view which is not real. Perhaps, he indirectly suggests, they are asking for perfection, which everyone knows is not possible. Finally, he then refers to “some victims”, rather than “most victims”, in another attempt to minimize the extent of the problem.

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

OHIO
Charleston Gazette

By Staff reports

CINCINNATI — An Ohio priest found guilty of taking a 10-year-old boy to West Virginia for sex is asking a federal judge to throw out the verdict or give him a new trial.

In a court filing Friday, attorneys for Robert Poandl argue that the jury verdict on Sept. 20 was the result of “passion and emotion” and that no rational trier of fact would have found the priest guilty.

Prosecutors told jurors that Poandl took the boy to Spencer, in Roane County, in August 1991 and raped him while visiting a church there.

Poandl’s attorneys argued at trial and in Friday’s court document that the allegations are false and that the boy wasn’t even on the trip.

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

IRELAND
Galway Bay FM

Galway Bay fm newsroom – A parish priest in the Galway Diocese has stood down while he’s investigated over a safeguarding allegation.

For legal reasons Galway Bay fm News can’t reveal the identity of the priest, who’s in a parish in the county area of the diocese.

The Bishop of Galway Martin Drennan went to the parish in question last evening and told parishioners of the decision during 7pm mass

In a prepared statement Bishop Drennan said ‘your parish priest has stood aside from ministry while a safe guarding issue is being addressed.’

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

IRELAND
Irish Independent

06 OCTOBER 2013

A computer seized from a priest who was involved in a sex abuse case in 2007 is missing from garda custody.

Last month, an investigation cleared a garda whistleblower in respect to the computer’s loss.

He and his wife told the Sunday Independent last week that “the annoyance and distress caused to our family (by the investigation) has been enormous and has taken its toll”. They declined to comment further on the case.

The whistleblower was never a member of the investigating team that seized the computer and has claimed all along that he was not responsible for it.

He was referred to last week in the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General who had met him and whose annual report underlines the whistleblower’s concerns about revenue loss due to issues with the penalty points system.

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

UNITED KINGDOM
BBC News

By Chris Doidge

The NSPCC says some police forces are struggling to deal with an increase in historical child abuse cases, after the BBC obtained figures indicating arrests in such cases had fallen.

The number of allegations rose by 70% after Jimmy Savile’s past was widely publicised, but arrests fell by 6% over the same period.

The NSPCC said it was concerned about the difficult choices the police faced.

The Home Office said police forces were determined to “stamp out” child abuse.

Under a Freedom of Information request, the BBC’s 5 live Investigates programme obtained figures for the number of historical child abuse allegations that were made to 28 police forces in the six months between November 2012 and April 2013 – the period after ITV’s Exposure documentary about Jimmy Savile.

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

SCOTLAND
Scotland on Sunday

by CRAIG BROWN
Published on the 06 October 2013

A LEADING Scottish constitutional academic has criticised the treatment of the disgraced Cardinal Keith O’Brien by the Catholic Church, and demanded to know the safety and security arrangements he is living in, claiming that his situation smacked of somebody who had been ­“kidnapped by a sect”.

Professor Norman Bonney, honorary president of Edinburgh Secular Society and social science researcher with Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, said that the Church’s treatment of the former Archbishop of Edinburgh and St Andrews since he resigned in February after admitting sexual misconduct, had “numerous disturbing aspects” and was deserving of investigation by the police.

The cardinal stood down following allegations by three priests and a former priest of improper sexual contact in the 1980s. He later admitted his sexual conduct had “fallen beneath the standards” expected of him.

The Vatican announced in May that, with the Pope’s approval, O’Brien would leave Scotland “for the purpose of spiritual renewal, prayer and penance”. His current location is not known.

Speaking on behalf of the society, Bonney called for greater transparency on O’Brien’s whereabouts: “Is the man at liberty or is he being held under constraint? Does he know that he is entitled as a UK citizen to live wherever he would choose in the UK and the EU.

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

CHILE
La Tercera

por A. Guerrero – 06/10/2013

A mediados de semana, el 3 de octubre, el Arzobispado de Santiago respondió en tribunales la demanda civil interpuesta en su contra por los denunciantes del ex párroco de El Bosque Fernando Karadima. En el escrito de 39 páginas, el arzobispado asegura que la acción que los afecta no tiene fundamento conforme a derecho, por lo que la Iglesia de Santiago no tendría responsabilidad civil en el caso.

Con este argumento, la Iglesia capitalina rechazó la demanda presentada por el médico James Hamilton, el periodista Juan Carlos Cruz y el presidente de la Fundación para la Confianza, José Andrés Murillo.

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

MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

Article by: JEAN HOPFENSPERGER , Star Tribune Updated: October 5, 2013

Archbishop John Nienstedt kept a relatively low profile on clergy sexual abuse until last week. Now he finds himself overseeing an archdiocese scrambling to react to charges of a pornography coverup inside his chancery.

Nienstedt’s top deputy resigned abruptly Thursday in response to an allegation that he covered up evidence of child pornography on a laptop owned by a Hugo priest.

The accusation came from attorney Jennifer Haselberger, a former high-ranking lay official within the archdiocese. And it followed her earlier accusation that the archdiocese overlooked for nearly a decade the sexual compulsions of another priest — Curtis Wehmeyer of St. Paul — and did not warn parishioners. Wehmeyer is now in prison, convicted of sexually abusing two boys.

Haselberger declined requests for comment last week, but on Saturday she issued a blunt challenge to Nienstedt.

She said in a statement that she resigned as chancellor for canonical affairs in April because church leaders’ refusal to act on her allegations made it “impossible for me to continue in that position given my personal ethics, religious convictions and sense of integrity.’’

Haselberger called for Nienstedt to order a comprehensive external review of the clergy and that he make public the names of all those who have engaged in acts of sexual misconduct or could reasonably be assumed to pose a threat to children.

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

ROME
Catholic News Agency

Rome, Italy, Oct 5, 2013 / 01:48 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Papal delegate overseeing the Legion of Christ has announced that the order’s general chapter will commence Jan. 8, 2014, to establish new constitutions for the order and to elect its new leaders.

“The General Chapter should represent the whole institute and be ‘a true sign of its unity in charity,’” Cardinal Velasio De Paolis wrote in an Oct. 4 letter to the Legionaries of Christ.

“The upcoming Extraordinary General Chapter comes at the end of a long journey of spiritual renewal and will have as its principle purpose the conclusion of the revising of the Constitutions.”

Cardinal De Paolis was appointed as governor of the Legion by Benedict XVI in 2010, after an apostolic visitation determined the order needed “profound re-evaluation.”

In 2006, the order’s founder, Fr. Marcel Maciel, had been removed from public ministry and invited to a life of penitence and prayer, as it was discovered he had led a secret life of impropriety.

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

MINNESOTA
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis

Date:Friday, October 4, 2013
Source:Jim Accurso

Over the past few days, there have been multiple media reports concerning the conduct of a number of priests going back many years. Unfortunately, these reports are incomplete and leave a false impression about the commitment of the Archdiocese to identify and address misconduct by priests. It is critical to understand that our standard is zero tolerance for sexual abuse of a minor or vulnerable adult and absolute accountability.

Since 2002 we have implemented a long list of policy and procedural reforms to clarify guidelines and strengthen enforcement. Some of the actions we have taken include completing more than 3,000 adult safe environment training sessions for approximately 70,000 adults; conducting 105,000 background checks on clergy, staff and volunteers; and providing over 100,000 children with age-appropriate lessons to help keep them safe.

As a further demonstration of our commitment to handling these matters aggressively and consistently, we have formed a special task force and charged them with conducting a full review of our policies and practices. When the report is complete, the findings and recommendations will be released publicly.

We are deeply sorry for any harm that has come from clergy misconduct. Eliminating any form of abuse is the highest priority for the Archdiocese. Our record is not perfect, but we have made great progress, and we are determined to do whatever is necessary to eliminate this problem.

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

MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

Article by: JON TEVLIN , Star Tribune Updated: October 5, 2013

In 2008, Archbishop John Nien­stedt welcomed attorney Jennifer Haselberger as his new chancellor for canonical affairs, calling the College of St. Catherine graduate and London University Ph.D. “studious, thoughtful and extremely well prepared.”

By last week a lawyer for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis called Haselberger unsophisticated and imprudent.

These diverging opinions of Haselberger bookended a startling yet predictable case that began at a church rummage sale, included allegations of child porn hidden in a vault, and ended up in a St. Paul court last week. The whole thing reads like a Dan Brown novel.

The allegations were contained in a police report that surfaced on Ramsey County Court last week.

Attorney and church critic Jeff Anderson said the document revealed a possible cover-up. Haselberger claims she is a whistleblower who stumbled upon the child porn while doing a background check on a priest. She said in a police report that she personally provided evidence of the illegal porn to the Rev. Peter Laird, the vicar general, and even to Nienstedt himself, and that they ignored it.

The church said they found no child porn and no one did anything wrong. Yet, Laird resigned Thursday.

After church officials ignored her, Haselberger also called authorities. But by the time they paid a visit to the rectory, the computer was missing and three CDs in the vault contained only legal pornography. Haselberger told Minnesota Public Radio that the priest in question had smashed one computer with a hammer.

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

MINNESOTA
News Times

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A former employee of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis released a statement Saturday calling for a “comprehensive, external review” of priest files.

Jennifer Haselberger also asked Archbishop John Nienstedt to “make public the list of clergy who have been determined to have engaged in acts of sexual misconduct,” as well as those who could “reasonably be assumed to pose a threat to children and young people.”

“Until this occurs, I do not believe that it can be said that the Archdiocese is honoring its promise to protect,” she said in the statement.

A spokesman for the archdiocese declined comment when reached by The Associated Press on Saturday.

Haselberger worked at the archdiocese from 2008 to last April, when she resigned from her job as chancellor for canonical affairs because of concerns about the way sexual abuse allegations were handled. Tom Wieser, an attorney for the archdiocese, has called Haselberger a “disgruntled former employee.”

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

UNITED STATES
Christian Catholicism

Jerry Slevin

Pope Francis cannot fix the Catholic Church unless he makes bishops accountable to civil laws for covering-up child abuse. He also cannot risk a confrontation over child protection with President Obama. They both care for the poor, but appear to value children differently. As a retired advisor to many major multinational organizations, I set out below how Francis can fix the Church and avoid the risk of a confrontation.

October 3, 2013 was a notable day for Catholics, especially in the USA. Four key events occurred :

(1) John Allen, a key and sympathetic Vatican journalist, issued a strong article entitled, ”Francis faces some big decisions on sex abuse”, accessible at: National Catholic Reporter.

(2) Pope Francis ended his first Council of Cardinals without addressing Catholic bishop accountability for covering-up priest child abuse, especially the case of convicted and still presiding Kansas City Bishop Robert Finn. The bishop had failed to report a priest child pornographer who has just been sentenced to 50 years in jail following a Federal prosecution.

(3) President Obama volunteered in an airing of an earlier NBC-TV interview the statement that ” … I have been hughly impressed with the pope’s pronouncements.” After some hesitancy, Obama added, “Not because of any particular issue… “, whatever that means. Presumably, Obama knows Francis is polling well, especially among Latino voters.

(4) The priest brother of President Obama’s Chief of Staff was reported to have been involved in an alleged cover-up of another priest child pornographer. An official in the St. Paul Archdiocese (Minnesota USA), Msgr. Laird, resigned unexpectedly after allegations of a cover-up of a priest’s child pornography computer files. The report discloses some apparent involvement, with the earlier custody of the files, of Msgr. Laird’s long time predecessor, Fr. Kevin McDonough. Kevin is the older brother of President Obama’s Chief of Staff, Denis McDonough, reportedly a devout Catholic and devoted father. Judging by Kevin’s recent radio interview and Denis’ recent Newsweek interview, the brothers are very close.

The St. Paul Archdiocese criminal investigation is ongoing. A whistleblower, a former female diocesan Secretary, appears to have taken a different approach than Philly’s Cardinal Rigali’s imprisoned Secretary took, which likely has the Catholic hierarchy quite anxious.

Also, since child pornography cases often involve Federal prosecutors from President Obama’s Justice Department, a potential for a conflict of interest arises in the St. Paul Archdiocese case.

The implications of this case for President Obama’s relationship with Pope Francis are unclear at present. The President is a married father; Pope Francis is a childless celibate. Their approach to protecting children from institutional sexual abuse has differed, and will likely continue to differ, considerably. A confrontation appears in the present circumstances to be inevitable.

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

AUSTRALIA
The Age

Judy Courtin

The Catholic Church’s Truth, Justice and Healing Council has submitted a 200-page submission to the Royal Commission on Institutional Responses to Child Abuse. At first glance, it reads well: compassionate, understanding and victim-focused. It acknowledges criticisms and proposes changes to the church’s Towards Healing process.

But, when dissected, much damaging rhetoric emerges.

Towards Healing was established in 1996 by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference to manage complaints of Catholic clergy sexual abuse and assaults. A protocol was penned, claiming the process to be pastoral, non-adversarial, compassionate, victim-focused and fair. Recently, the ”success” of Towards Healing was declared as evidence that the church had changed its ways and was delivering justice to victims.

But not only have victims not received what was promised, Towards Healing has dished out a whole new round of shameful abuse. According to my research, victims have been traumatised and coerced into signing agreements so Towards Healing could ”close the case”. Victims became more depressed. They were disempowered and felt hurt, frustrated, beaten down, attacked. One

Although the church’s submission did acknowledge some problems with its process, they were minimal. The failings of Towards Healing that were acknowledged included a perceived lack of independence and transparency, inconsistent outcomes and an overly legalistic approach.

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

MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

by Madeleine Baran, Minnesota Public Radio
October 5, 2013

ST. PAUL, Minn. — A former official of the Archdiocese of St Paul and Minneapolis on Saturday called for an external review of the church’s files on abusive priests.

In a publicly released statement, Jennifer Haselberger asked Archbishop John Nienstedt to allow an independent review of clergy files and “make public the list of clergy who have been determined to have engaged in acts of sexual misconduct, as well as those whom could reasonably be assumed to pose a threat to children and young people.”

She added, “Until this occurs, I do not believe that it can be said that the Archdiocese is honoring its promise to protect.” Haselberger has been at the center of two investigative reports by MPR News about the archdiocese’s handling of allegations against two priests.

Haselberger worked at the Roman Catholic archdiocese from Aug. 18, 2008 to April 30, 2013. She said she resigned in April because of concerns about the handling of clergy sexual abuse, allegations of abuse, and other matters.

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

UNITED KINGDOM
Mirror

Veteran TV and radio legend Sir Terry Wogan has spoken of his hatred of Jimmy Savile and how his crimes were an open secret at the BBC.

The 75-year-old broadcaster has told of how he despised Savile and how his horrific legacy of child abuse has “poisoned” the BBC.

He said: “He always struck me as creepy. I’ve talked to people and not one of them has said: ‘I really liked him.’”

The Children in Need host recalled a celebrity lunch with journalists revealing that it was common knowledge in the industry what Savile was up to.

“I was sitting at a table having lunch and Savile was sitting one up from me, and also up from me was Jean Rook (the legendary columnist)

“And Jimmy Savile got up to go to the loo, and she looked across at me and said: ‘When are they going to expose him?’

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

UNITED KINGDOM
Evening Express

Published: 05/10/2013

NEWSNIGHT host Jeremy Paxman has admitted he “thought about” quitting the show after a scandal which saw an investigation into Jimmy Savile’s sex crimes dropped.

He said he was still enjoying presenting the BBC2 current affairs show but admitted it had been damaged by what happened.

Asked if he considered quitting, he said: “I thought about it of course but in the end I decided that you know these were … there were several bad decisions, they were individual bad decisions and I felt that loyalty commanded that you stayed.”

He also said senior figures at the BBC Trust – the corporation’s governing body – proposed dropping the show.

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

Minnesota
Jennifer Haselberger via Pioneer Press

For Immediate Release

Statement by Jennifer Haselberger

October 5, 2013

I have been asked to comment about the reaction of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis to the recent news stories in the press.

Beginning in July of 2013, I provided Minnesota Public Radio with information regarding acts of sexual and other misconduct involving several members of the clergy of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, as well as the account of my unsuccessful efforts to convince the Archdiocesan administration to take the necessary steps to address these issues. My hope was that by making this information public it would serve as a warning about predatory priests currently serving in the Archdiocese.

I have the utmost respect for and confidence in the vast majority of priests serving in this Archdiocese, and I was honored to work on behalf of them, the men and women religious, and the lay faithful of this local church. It was with great sadness that I resigned my position as Chancellor for Canonical Affairs in April of 2013. However, as I explained to Archbishop Nienstedt in my letter of resignation, I had come to the conclusion that it had become impossible for me to continue in that position given my personal ethics, religious convictions, and sense of integrity.

I asked then, as I ask now, that Archbishop Nienstedt take his responsibilities towards the protection of the young and the vulnerable seriously. I asked that he permit a comprehensive, external review of the files of all clergy of the Archdiocese, and that following this review he remove from ministry and make public the list of clergy who have been determined to have engaged in acts of sexual misconduct, as well as those whom could reasonably be assumed to pose a threat to children and young people. Until this occurs, I do not believe that it can be said that the Archdiocese is honoring its promise to protect.

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

MINNESOTA
Pioneer Press

[With copy of Ms. Haselberger’s statement]

By Emily Gurnon
egurnon@pioneerpress.com
POSTED: 10/05/2013

A former archdiocese official called upon Archbishop John Nienstedt to allow an external review of all clergy and remove priests who have engaged in sexual misconduct or pose a threat to children.

Jennifer Haselberger issued a written statement Saturday in response to press reports about what she termed “my unsuccessful efforts to convince the archdiocesan administration to take the necessary steps” to address sexual misconduct by priests.

Beginning in July, she released information to Minnesota Public Radio “regarding acts of sexual and other misconduct involving several members of the clergy…My hope was that by making this information public it would serve as a warning about predatory priests currently serving in the archdiocese,” Haselberger wrote.

Among those was Rev. Jonathan Shelley, 52, who served until June 2012 at St. John the Baptist Church in Hugo and currently has no assignment. A desktop computer owned by Shelley was found in 2004 to have thousands of pornographic images on it. Archdiocese officials did not report the case to the police. The St. Paul police got involved this year only after Haselberger told the Ramsey County attorney’s office about the computer.

The police closed their investigation on Sept. 29 after finding no child pornography on discs the archdiocese provided. But a Hugo man who had alerted the archdiocese to the computer in 2004 turned over a copy of portions of its hard drive to police on Friday.

Haselberger served until April 30 as chancellor for canonical affairs for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. She resigned with “great sadness,” she said Saturday.

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

TEXAS
USA Today

Church abuse case haunts lawyer who defended priest

SAN LEON, Texas — Pedophile Gilbert Gauthe sought shelter and found it here.

At 68, the former priest convicted in the first sex-abuse case against the Catholic Church is, by his own account, suffering from cancer. He is a registered sex offender and between jobs. His former protector, Judge Henry Politz of the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, is dead.

Any supplemental source of income that Gauthe may have is unknown. The Very Rev. Msgr. Richard R. Greene, spokesman for the the Diocese of Lafayette, La., where he committed his crimes said Gauthe receives no money from that diocese or from any other branch of the church.

Gauthe’s status as a cleric also is unclear. Greene said he believed Gauthe had been removed from the priesthood, laicized in church terms. But the diocese has no record of that and Gauthe’s name does not appear among the more than 300 U.S. priests who have been laicized since 1985.

Whether a priest or layman, however he supports himself, life for Gauthe may be more difficult now than it was inside prison walls.

Seeking to avoid exposure and publicity, he has withdrawn to the farthest point in Trinity Bay, just south of the Houston Ship Channel.

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

MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

Article by: JACKIE CROSBY , Star Tribune Updated: October 5, 2013

A former employee of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis on Saturday asked that the archbishop conduct a “comprehensive, external review” of files of all clergy.

Jennifer Haselberger, 38, said she resigned from her job as chancellor for canonical affairs last fall because top church officials failed to pursue her allegations of sexual and other misconduct involving several members of the clergy.

Haselberger is at the center of an investigation that sparked the sudden resignation this week of Peter Laird, who held the No. 2 position at the archdiocese.

In a prepared statement Saturday, Haselberger made a plea for action, asking that Archbishop John Nienstedt “take his responsibilities toward the protection of the young and the vulnerable seriously.”

Haselberger asked that Nienstedt review clergy files and “remove from ministry and make public the list of clergy who have been determined to have engaged in acts of sexual misconduct, as well as those whom could reasonably be assumed to pose a threat to children and young people. Until this occurs, I do not believe that it can be said that the Archdiocese is honoring its promise to protect.”

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

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Dominican Today

Santo Domingo.– Justice minister Francisco Dominguez Brito said Friday that he and his Polish counterpart will be issuing joint statements with the firm intention that impunity does not prevail in the case of priest Wojciech Gil (Padre Alberto), who is under investigation for child molestation.

Dominguez Brito stated that there have already been discussions with his counterpart in Poland and did not rule out the possibility that a group of Dominican prosecutors travel to Poland in order to guide and support the process against the priest.

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

MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

by Jon Collins, Minnesota Public Radio,
Tom Scheck, Minnesota Public Radio
October 4, 2013

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Catholics in the Twin Cities have a wide range of reactions to recent news about the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis — including an MPR News report that the archdiocese knew about a priest’s sexual misconduct but failed to remove him from ministry, and the subsequent resignation of the top deputy of the archdiocese.

About 600 Catholics gathered for the annual Candlelight Rosary Procession from the State Capitol to the Cathedral of St. Paul Friday.

Greg Holupchinski of St. Paul said the recent revelations were unfortunate.

“It’s too bad that when you hear about the church in the news it’s either that we have a new pope or we have a few errant priests,” Holupchinski said. “One bad apple seems to spoil the bunch sometimes.”

Holupchinski said Catholics understand that the church is filled with sinners, but that he’d like to see more transparency from its leaders.

“The longer you keep it under wraps, the more negative effects there are going to be over time,” Holupchinski said.

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

UNITED KINGDOM
Daily Mail

By DANIEL MARTIN

The NSPCC is still receiving calls from victims of Jimmy Savile a year on from the TV documentary which exposed the serial paedophile’s reign of terror.

Police say there the former BBC broadcaster abused at least 1,300 people over 54 years – but the children’s charity said more were still coming forward.

The charity revealed that publicity over the scandal has led to an overall surge in the number of child victims of sexual abuse and rape contacting the NSPCC.

Over the past year, the number of referrals from the charity’s helpline to police and social services has almost doubled – up 84 per cent – in response to publicity surrounding the scandal.

In June and July this year, almost 600 calls were referred – up from 323 over the same two months the year before.

The chief executive of the NSPCC hailed the increase, saying it showed that the Savile scandal was encouraging victims to come forward after years of silence.

But Peter Wanless warned that, unless the country does more to step in sooner, we could find that another Savile has long been in our midst going unpunished.

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

VATICAN CITY
Vatican Insider

Sean O’Malley is not only the lone American on the Council of Cardinals, but he’s also the lone Franciscan

JOHN L. ALLEN JR.*

Pope Francis made a historic visit to Assisi on Oct. 4, in part to meet the Franciscans responsible for keeping alive the spiritual legacy of his namesake. Yet it may actually have been a Franciscan the pontiff brought with him who has the greatest imprint on his papacy.

The pope was flanked throughout the day by eight prelates who make up his “Council of Cardinals,” recently formalized by a chirograph as the pope’s most important sounding board, who had just wrapped up three days of intense discussions on a wide variety of possible reforms – reorganization of the Roman Curia, changes in the Synod of Bishops, the role of the laity in the church and the Vatican, and the pastoral care of marriage.

One of those eight clearly stood out, especially in Assisi: Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston, who wore his brown Capuchin habit throughout the day rather than the crimson-lined black cassock typically associated with Princes of the Church.

Visually, it was a reminder that O’Malley is not only the lone American on the Council of Cardinals, but he’s also the lone Franciscan – and for a pope named Francis, that’s no small matter in terms of the extent to which O’Malley has the pontiff’s ear.

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

UNITED STATES
The American Conservative

By ROD DREHER • October 4, 2013

At the risk of going too Catholic-heavy today, I want to point to the latest from the two church scandals, and explore briefly the implications for all church leadership in our present time.

First, news from the Diocese of Trenton, about a 30-year-old Catholic priest who was the object of a sting run by two young Catholic men who were sick and tired of him sexually harrasing them. They pretended to be a 16-year-old boy online. Fr. Riedlinger engaged in graphic sexting with what he thought was a minor. The two men saved all the evidence and gave it to the Bishop of Trenton, to show him that Fr. Riedlinger had no business in the priesthood. Bishop O’Connell yanked him from the parish. The two men pressed the bishop to tell the people of the parish what their priest had been up to, in case he had treated others in the parish that way:

The messages show Riedlinger needed little or no invitation to steer the conversation to sex. He spoke of past encounters and the size of his penis, encouraged Josh to enjoy sex with his boyfriend and repeatedly told him how alike they were in their thirst for pornography and sex.

“I love u dude. Ur a sick (expletive) like me,” Riedlinger wrote.

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

POLAND
Irish Examiner

Saturday, October 05, 2013

Poland’s Catholic Church has said it will not pay compensation to victims of priests who sexually abused children.

By Monika Scislowska

Rev Jozef Kloch said in comments aired by Polish Radio 1 that responsibility for compensation lies with the perpetrator.

Kloch was reacting to a €47,500 claim made by a 25-year-old victim against his parish and local church authorities after they failed to reach a settlement. The claim could now be taken to court, in what would be Poland’s first such case.

“The Church will not pay compensation to victims of paedophile priests,” Koch said. “The wrongdoer should do it.”

Earlier, Bishop Wojciech Polak, secretary of the Episcopate, apologised to the victims and also offered psychological and therapeutic support.

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

MINNESOTA
Jeff Anderson & Associates

[the lawsuit]

(Faribault, MN) – A Rice County judge sentenced former Shattuck-St. Mary’s teacher Lynn Seibel, to 52 months in prison today after Seibel pled guilty in July for sexually abusing six male students at the elite private boarding school in Faribault, Minnesota. As an AP Drama teacher and dorm parent, Seibel encouraged “naked dance parties,” showed students pornography, and held group masturbation sessions with underage boys. Seibel must register as a sex offender, participate in a treatment program and cannot have access to print or digital materials that are sexually explicit in nature.

One of Seibel’s victims who attended Shattuck from 2000-2004, along with his attorneys Jeff Anderson & Associates, filed a lawsuit today in Rice County alleging sexual abuse by Seibel and naming the school as defendants. In addition to the naked dance parties and pornography viewing, Seibel sexually abused students after locking the doors to a classroom adjacent to the basketball gym. Seibel held his group masturbation sessions and penis enlargement and measuring sessions on-campus, and was finally caught in 2003 with child pornography on his computer.

“What’s clear is that Seibel created a culture of coercion, confusion and sexual perversion,” said Doe YZ’s attorney, Jeff Anderson. “What’s just as clear is that many around and at the top of Shattuck-St. Mary’s, wittingly or unwittingly, permitted Seibel’s exploitation of students. We are grateful to all of the survivors who have courageously stepped forward to hold this man and institution accountable for their actions.”

Despite reports of inappropriate behavior made to another teacher in the fall of 2000, who in turn reported Seibel to two administrators, nothing was reported to law enforcement and Seibel remained at the school for another three years. Since Seibel’s arrest in Minnesota, multiple survivors have already come forward alleging abuse by Seibel during his 11 year career with the school. Seibel was also convicted in Los Angeles, California of soliciting or engaging in lewd conduct in a public place.

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

MINNESOTA
KARE

[with video]

Karla Hult

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis says it continues to have “zero tolerance for sexual abuse.”

Officials released that statement in the wake of a rocky week, during which Father Peter Laird resigned as Vicar General and a police report came to light that suggested church leaders may have looked the other way when it came to a local priest accused of having child pornography.

Also this week, KARE 11’s media partner — Minnesota Public Radio News — aired a second story in their investigation into the archdiocese. The MPR investigation is based, in part, on an exclusive interview with a former top canon lawyer for the archdiocese, Jennifer Haselberger.

“I think what has been so important is that she was a senior official, and she was in charge of the records department. And then she also is a canon lawyer, so she brings an expertise to the story at a level of decision making that’s unusual in a story about the Roman Catholic Church,” said Madeleine Baran, an MPR Reporter.

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

MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

Article by: DAN BROWNING, KEVIN GILES and KEVIN DUCHSCHERE , Star Tribune staff writers Updated: October 4, 2013

An attorney for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis said Friday that neither police investigators nor a computer forensics expert found evidence to support allegations by a former archdiocesan employee that one of its priests had viewed child pornography on his computer.

Tom Wieser, an attorney for the archdiocese, said some “false inferences” have been drawn from police reports that seem to imply that child pornography was found on the priest’s old hard drive.

The St. Paul police, Ramsey County and Washington County all indicated they would consider new investigations should evidence supporting the allegation — which surfaced anew Thursday — prove compelling. Meanwhile, the Hugo resident who first discovered pornography on the computer and reported it nearly a decade ago said he had kept a copy of what he found and provided it to police.

The former archdiocese employee, Jennifer Haselberger, 38, said in a deposition last month that she resigned from her job as chancellor for canonical affairs because top church officials failed to pursue her allegations last fall. Haselberger said child pornography had been copied from the priest’s old hard drive and stored on discs in a vault.

In a deposition for an unrelated case last month, Haselberger said that she reported the allegations to authorities and quit. She could not be reached for comment Friday and her attorney did not respond to messages.

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

POLAND
The News

Father Wojciech Gil, accused of molesting minors in the Dominican Republic, has said that he is innocent of the charges made against him and will pray for his accusers.

“I know that I did not do anything wrong in relation to these children,” the 36 year-old Gil has told the TVP public broadcaster, in his first interview since police found him last week staying with his parents in southern Poland.

Interpol issued a warrant for his arrest after he failed to return to the Dominican Republic, where he has worked as a priest for the last eight years, from holidaying in Poland last May.

Of the three children who have made allegations against him – one of which says that he was abused for four years – Father Gil said that he “prays for them as a priest and as a man”.

“I am innocent and the charges are completely fictional,” Gil added.

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

MINNESOTA
MinnPost

By Brian Lambert | 10/04/13

Worse and worse … . Today Madeleine Baran and Mike Cronin at MPR report: “Upset that her superiors had refused to take action, a former church official reported to police that leaders of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis had kept secret for eight years images of pornography — some of it appearing to show children — belonging to one of its priests. Jennifer Haselberger, the archdiocese’s former chancellor for canonical affairs, marched the images she’d found into the offices of one church leader after another in May 2012. But none responded. The last straw for Haselberger came after she provided Archbishop John Nienstedt with copies of some of the images she had discovered in the archdiocese’s files on the Rev. Jonathan Shelley, 52. She said the photos appeared to show boys performing oral sex. The Rev. Peter Laird, the archdiocese’s vicar general at the time, Nienstedt’s deputy, ordered her to hand over the pornographic images.”

In the Strib story on the resignation of Archbishop John Nienstedt’s “top lieutenant,” Jeff Strickler writes: “St. Paul attorney Jeff Anderson, a leading plaintiffs’ lawyer in pursuing cases against the archdiocese over child abuse, said the police report implies that the archdiocese destroyed evidence. The police report says that the archdiocese seized the evidence about the child pornography and kept it in a vault. When another diocesan official, Jennifer Haselberger, discovered the evidence, [the Rev. Peter] Laird told her to put it back in the vault, she told police. Haselberger, who has since resigned, brought the matter to police attention. When the police went to the vault, the evidence of child pornography that they were told would be there was missing. … The pornography allegations made public Thursday date to 2003. But most of the police report focuses on events that have taken place in the last few months after officers were contacted by Haselberger.”

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

MINNESOTA
Pioneer Press

By Emily Gurnon
egurnon@pioneerpress.com

A Hugo man remembered this week that he had copied files from the Rev. Jonathan Shelley’s hard drive and put them in his safe.

So, on Friday, nine years after he gave to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis the hard drive containing pornographic images, Joe Ternus turned over the evidence to St. Paul police.

“I called Sgt. (William) Gillet, and he got back to me today, and he came up and took possession of those this afternoon,” Ternus said.

Police spokesman Howie Padilla confirmed that “an individual did give us new information” Friday afternoon.

“Whether that new information warrants reopening that investigation remains to be determined,” Padilla said.

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

CHILE
Bio Bio

[Summary: The national attorneys association said Luis Hermosilla, lawyer representing priest John O’Reilly, was inappropriate in telling a judge that the prosecutor was lying. The prosecutor has not falsified any information given to the court, according to the association.]

La Asociación Nacional de Fiscales calificó como inapropiados los dichos del abogado defensor del cura John O’Reilly, Luis Hermosilla, sobre el fiscal de la zona oriente, Matías Moya.

Al término de la audiencia de cautelas de garantías que se realizó este miércoles, el abogado Luis Hermosilla, representante del sacerdote John O’Reilly, quien fue formalizado por el fiscal de la zona oriente, Matías Moya, por abuso sexual de dos alumnos del colegio Cumbres, increpó al persecutor de “mentir” ante la jueza Daniela Guerrero.

La Asociación Nacional de Fiscales salió al paso de esta crítica y aseguró que el Ministerio Público no ha falseado ninguna información ante el tribunal. Incluso el organismo envió una carta a un diario de circulación nacional aclarando que falta información sobre la foto que fue publicada en la edición de este jueves, donde aparece el defensor Hermosilla apuntando al persecutor en medio de una discusión que originó el representante de O’Reilly al término de la audiencia.

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

REPUBLICA DOMINICANA
Hoy

A raíz de las distintas denuncias hechas públicas en el país acerca de los casos de sacerdotes católicos acusados de abuso sexual a menores de edad, el Episcopado Dominicano dio a conocer esta mañana un comunicado con la posición que tiene en este sentido el cardenal Nicolás de Jesús López Rodríguez.

Ver comunicado aquí: http://goo.gl/3fdY7l

A través del documento presentado en rueda de prensa, el arzobispo de Santo Domingo expresó su pesar ante los últimos escándalos ventilados en medios de comunicación sobre acusaciones emitidas a sacerdotes y al nuncio saliente.

“Me consta que muchas personas, sobre todo los de fe sencilla, pero también otros que se sienten parte activa de la gran familia católica, están observando con preocupación y profunda tristeza el presente cuadro”, dijo.

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

PENNSYLVANIA
The Altoona Mirror

October 5, 2013

By Phil Ray (pray@altoonamirror.com) , The Altoona Mirror

Altoona attorney Richard Serbin, since the beginning of the year, has filed notices of pending lawsuits in seven cases of suspected child sexual abuse involving former students at Johnstown’s Bishop McCort Catholic school.

The lawsuits stem from alleged abuse at the hands of Brother Stephen Baker who served at the school as an athletic trainer in the 1990s.

Baker was a Franciscan friar who lived at St. Bernadine Monastery in Hollidaysburg when he committed suicide Jan. 26.

He was the subject of child abuse investigations in Ohio, Minnesota and Pennsylvania.

Blair County President Judge Jolene G. Kopriva wants Serbin to file complaints in his cases, according to documents filed in the Blair County Courthouse.

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

POLONIA
Hoy

[Summary: Poland, a very Catholic country, faces a pedophilia scandal after Pope Francis dissmissed Josef Wesolowski as Vatican nuncio to the Dominican Republic. Wesolowski is alleged along with another Polish priestto have sexually abused minors in the Caribbean country. Although several cases of pedophilia have come to light in Poland, none has caused scandal as in the United States and Ireland. Bishop Wojciech Polak, secretary general of the Polish episcopate, on Friday said the situation is painful and difficult. He added that confidence in the church has suffered. He offered an apology and said it was “the least we can do.”]

VARSOVIA. AFP. La Iglesia de Polonia, país muy católico, enfrenta un escándalo de pedofilia después de que el papa Francisco destituyera de sus funciones al nuncio del Vaticano en República Dominicana, el polaco Josef Wesolowski, acusado junto a otro cura de la misma nacionalidad en misión en el país caribeño de abuso sexual a menores.

A pesar de que en los últimos años han salido a la luz varios casos de pedofilia en este país europeo, ninguno ha provocado un verdadero escándalo, al contrario de países como Estados Unidos o Irlanda, en donde casos de este tipo han sido ampliamente mediatizados y condenados.

El Secretario General del Episcopado polaco, monseñor Wojciech Polak, calificó el viernes a este caso de “doloroso y difícil”.

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

RHODE ISLAND
The Valley Breeze

Let’s see if I have this right. The Pope’s butler allegedly leaked documents which show systemic corruption in the Vatican. He is arrested. A study commission is appointed to root out other transgressors who leaked the information about the apparent illegalities so they too can be prosecuted. Nobody who actually perpetrated any offenses is fired let alone charged with any offenses. Sounds just like secular governments, doesn’t it? Kill the messenger.

Of course, the Vatican response is more opprobrious given the sanctimoniousness of its pronouncements about “Vatileaks.” The Pope is quoted as condemning this “grave immoral act” since the people who wrote the memos thought that they were speaking freely in front of God. Would that this Pope got so lathered up both in his former position as chief investigator of the child sexual abuse claims and now as head of the church. Now, that scandal is what I call one of “grave immoral acts.”

What “crimes” did the butler commit? For the umpteenth time in Church history he revealed evidence of money laundering rules being violated. He exposed millions of dollars being blown on contracts which many consider are kickbacks. The head of the Vatican bank was another whistle-blower who begged not to be transferred out of his position but he was sent packing. It isn’t right to tell Granny in her pew about how her widow’s mite is spent. The sad irony is that this Vatican bank chief was trying to get the bank on the so-called “white list” of financially virtuous countries. The Vatican, a country unto itself, isn’t on the list because of its suspect practices. That’s quite an indictment for a religious institution.

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

UNITED STATES
The Norman Transcript

The Mankato (Minn.) Free Press
The Norman Transcript

NORMAN — It might be the ideal environment for a financial scandal: Millions of dollars in assets, a hands-off top authority with higher priorities and little background in finance, a culture of secrecy.

And thus it has been over the years with the Institute for Religious Works, the Vatican bank.

One of the mandates Pope Francis received when he ascended to the papacy was to clean up the increasingly corrupt Vatican bureaucracy, and the bank was high on the list of problems.

A milestone of sorts was reached this week when the bank, for the first time in its 71-year history, published its financial statements. The documents revealed net earnings in 2012 of nearly $117 million, with more than half that sum going to the pope for his charitable works.

The bank also said it won’t do nearly as well this year, in no small part because of the expense of establishing the financial controls the rest of the world expects of a major bank.

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

CANADA
Times Colonist

THE CANADIAN PRESS
OCTOBER 4, 2013

KAMLOOPS, B.C. – Students who attended native residential schools in B.C., but did not live in residence, are seeking redress for their experiences.

Lawyers representing groups of former day scholars from the Tk’emlups and Sechelt bands say an application to certify a class action lawsuit will be filed in federal court sometime this month.

Chief Shane Gottfriedson of the Tk’emlups Band near Kamloops, B.C., says if the suit is approved, he’s hoping it will be joined by thousands of day students who were sent to residential schools operating across Canada for more than 120 years.

Once approved, any class action suit would not be heard until the fall of 2014, at the earliest.

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

AUSTRALIA
ABC News

[with video]

Posted Fri 4 Oct 2013

Sexual abuse victims have reacted with shock over revelations the church tried to strike an agreement with NSW police to withhold critical information about paedophile priests.

Transcript

EMMA ALBERICI: Abuse victims are demanding answers from the Catholic Church after explosive revelations were aired on this program last night.

They’ve been shocked to learn of allegations that the Church had tried to strike an agreement with police that would withhold critical information about paedophiles within its ranks.

The police deny the draft agreement was put into practice but a Freedom Of Information request shows the issue goes much further than the Catholic Church.

Jason Om reports.

JASON OM, REPORTER: The latest revelations about the way the Church has handled abuse cases has angered the people whose lives have been damaged.

JOHN ELLIS, ABUSE VICTIM: It’s always a sad day when something that you know in your heart but don’t want to believe is suddenly, comes to light as being true.

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

MALAYSIA
The Star

Updated: Saturday October 5, 2013

A FORMER assistant pastor was sentenced to 16 months’ jail for making a 15-year-old girl from his church perform oral sex on him twice.

Both cannot be identified because of a gag order to protect the identification of the victim but the court heard that in one of those incidents, the offence was committed on church grounds and the other at a park in 2011.

The 46-year-old man, who is married with three children of his own, also faced a third charge of committing an obscene act that was considered during his sentencing.

The accused was in charge of the church’s youth group, and had organised programmes and activities for its younger members.

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

UNITED STATES
Star Tribune

Article by: Seattle Times Updated: October 4, 2013

January 2002: Scandal breaks with reports that priests in Boston sexually abused hundreds of children over past decades; victims across nation later file lawsuits.

September 2003: Archdiocese of Boston agrees to pay $85 million to settle 552 clergy sex abuse claims. In December 2002 Pope John Paul II accepts resignation of Boston Archbishop Bernard Law after court documents suggested he routinely covered up allegations of abuse involving scores of priests, shuffling some from one parish to the next.

July 2004: Beset by abuse claims, Archdiocese of Portland, Ore., becomes first to seek bankruptcy protection.

September 2004: Diocese of Tucson (Arizona) seeks bankruptcy protection, followed in December by Diocese of Spokane.

2006-2011: Six more dioceses or archdioceses seek bankruptcy protection, including Milwaukee.
July 2007: Archdiocese of Los Angeles agrees to $660 million settlement with 508 people who accused priests of sexual abuse, the church’s biggest U.S. payout.

September 2007: Diocese of San Diego reaches $198.1 million settlement with childhood sexual abuse victims.

February 2009: Beset by continuing claims, Jesuit order in Northwest (Oregon) becomes first Catholic religious order to seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. In 2011, order agrees to pay $166.1 million to about 500 abuse victims as part of bankruptcy settlement. The abuses spanned decades and states, from remote Alaskan villages to boarding schools on Northwest tribal lands.

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

MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis released this statement Friday:

Over the past few days, there have been multiple media reports concerning the conduct of a number of priests going back many years. Unfortunately, these reports are incomplete and leave a false impression about the commitment of the Archdiocese to identify and address misconduct by priests. It is critical to understand that our standard is zero tolerance for sexual abuse of a minor or vulnerable adult and absolute accountability.

Since 2002 we have implemented a long list of policy and procedural reforms to clarify guidelines and strengthen enforcement. Some of the actions we have taken include completing more than 3,000 adult safe environment training sessions for approximately 70,000 adults; conducting 105,000 background checks on clergy, staff and volunteers; and providing over 100,000 children with age-appropriate lessons to help keep them safe.

As a further demonstration of our commitment to handling these matters aggressively and consistently, we have formed a special task force and charged them with conducting a full review of our policies and practices. When the report is complete, the findings and recommendations will be released publicly.

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

MINNESOTA
Fox 9

by Karen Scullin

ST. PAUL, Minn. (KMSP) –
More accusations have been brought against the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, this time involving alleged possession of child pornography and a cover-up. On top of that, the Archbishop’s top deputy has resigned, and it appears a new criminal case is about to get underway.

Jeff Anderson, a St. Paul attorney representing victims of sexual abuse by clergy, was trying to get a judge to release a list of 33 names the Archdiocese has investigated for abuse when church lawyers suddenly presented a police report in court.

“My reaction was disbelief,” Anderson said. “The Archdiocese waved a police report suggesting that Father John Shelley was innocent and had been cleared by police.”

But the report details an investigation by St. Paul police in May of 2013 in which a former church employee — Jennifer Haselberger — called police. She told them church leaders failed to report “thousands of images” of child pornography found on the computer of Rev. John Shelley, a local priest. She even revealed there was a report done by a private investigation firm hired by the Archdiocese that confirms the findings.

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

MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

by Tom Scheck, Minnesota Public Radio
October 4, 2013

ST. PAUL, Minn. — St. Paul police have obtained a copy of the pornography-filled computer files belonging to a priest in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Joe Ternus, of Hugo, Minn., gave police the files, which came from a computer that once belonged to the Rev. Jonathan Shelley. The files contained thousands of pornographic images, including some that may have included minors.

Earlier this week, police closed a child pornography investigation into Shelley for lack of evidence. St. Paul police said today that they will review the hard drive and decide whether to reopen a criminal case against him.

Ternus discovered the images 10 years ago after a parish official gave Ternus’ father Shelley’s computer. Ternus said he contacted St. Paul police today to tell them that he made a copy of a large part of Shelley’s hard drive before he turned over the computer to the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

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

MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

Article by: DAVID CHANEN , Star Tribune Updated: October 4, 2013

Former Shattuck-St. Mary’s drama teacher Lynn Seibel was sentenced Friday to 52 months in prison for sexually abusing six male students.

According to criminal charges, he encouraged “naked dance parties,” showed students pornography and held group sex sessions with underage boys. He pleaded guilty in July.

Also Friday, a Seibel victim filed a lawsuit, the second of its kind, against the private boarding school in Faribault, Minn. The victim, who attended from 2000 to 2004, is identified as DOE YZ in the suit. The new Minnesota Child Victims Act passed in May eliminated the civil statute of limitations for child sexual abuse survivors and opened a three-year window for prior victims to come forward and hold their abusers and the institutions that may have allowed their abuse, accountable in court.

“What’s clear is that Seibel created a culture of coercion, confusion and sexual perversion,” said Doe YZ’s attorney, Jeff Anderson. “What’s just as clear is that many around and at the top of Shattuck-St. Mary’s, wittingly or unwittingly, permitted Seibel’s exploitation of students. We are grateful to all of the survivors who have courageously stepped forward to hold this man and institution accountable for their actions.”

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

MINNESOTA
National Catholic Reporter

Joe Winter | Oct. 4, 2013

ST. PAUL, MINN. The archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has been accused of withholding from police images of child pornography that were on a priest’s laptop, deciding instead to place the evidence in a church-owned vault.

The second-in-charge at the archdiocese, Fr. Peter Laird, who was its vicar general and moderator of the Curia, resigned Thursday after the information from a St. Paul police report was released in court during a separate matter involving child-sex charges. According to the report, Laird appears to have had a role in keeping the information suppressed.

About 2,300 images have been found, according to the report. A forensics expert hired by the archdiocese said he “was instructed to view only some of the (computer’s) contents,” the police report adds.

The laptop, owned by Fr. Jonathan Shelley, was later sold at a rummage sale, and the new owner discovered the images and alerted the archdiocese in about 2003, the police report says. The images were soon secured in the vault, the report states.

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

UNITED KINGDOM
Daily Mail

Priest raped and molested two young boys over almost two decades – and police say there could be MORE victims

By KIERAN CORCORAN

A former priest who raped and molested two boys for almost two decades has been jailed for 13 years.

Phillip Challis, 52, admitted 17 sexual offences carried out between 1991 and 2009 while he was a priest in Merton, southwest London.

He pleaded guilty to crimes including raping a child, indecent assault, attempted rape and taking indecent photographs.

Challis was caught by child abuse investigators in January after a 17-year-old boy came forward to say he had been abused by Challis since he was eight.

Police later found out that Challis had also abused a second male victim, who is now 29, since he was seven years old.

But a senior officer in the Metropolitan police today said it was ‘entirely possible’ that Challis abused more than two people.

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

MINNESOTA
CBS Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/AP) – The top deputy at the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis resigned Thursday amid fresh criticism of how top church officials handled cases of priests accused of sexual abuse.

The archdiocese announced the Rev. Peter Laird’s resignation as vicar general in a statement on its website. His departure follows a report by Minnesota Public Radio News last week documenting how church leaders including Laird knew about a long record of sexual misconduct by the Rev. Curtis Wehmeyer but promoted him anyway. Wehmeyer is now in prison for sexually abusing two boys and possessing child pornography.

Jeff Anderson works with victims of sexual abuse. He says the latest allegations against the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis are not surprising.

A former canon lawyer with the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis says the last straw before she quit was how officials refused to take action when she discovered pornography on CDs in files on a priest up for promotion.

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

OHIO
Greenwich Times

CINCINNATI (AP) — An Ohio priest found guilty of taking a 10-year-old boy to West Virginia for sex is asking a federal judge to throw out the verdict or give him a new trial.

In a court filing Friday, attorneys for Robert Poandl (POH’-andel) argue that the jury verdict on Sept. 20 was the result of “passion and emotion” and that no rational trier of fact would have found the priest guilty.

Prosecutors told jurors that Poandl took the boy to Spencer, W.Va., in August 1991 and raped him while visiting a church there.

Poandl’s attorneys argued at trial and in Friday’s court document that the allegations are false and that the boy wasn’t even on the trip.

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

MINNESOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Friday, October 4, 2013

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

We are grateful that a Minnesota prosecutor is investigating the alarming Fr. Jonathan P. Shelley case, in which several high ranking Twin Cities Catholic officials kept thousands of images of child pornography on a priest’s computer were kept for a decade from law enforcement. We hope other county prosecutors in Minnesota open similar investigations into clergy sex crimes and cover ups in Minnesota.

[Star Tribune]

We agree that local and federal prosecutors should work together. In order to pierce the extraordinary secrecy of top church staff, the help of local, state and federal authorities and statutes will be critical.

It’s just not right for authorities to sit back and let complicit officials hide crimes until an arbitrary deadline passes, then shrug their shoulders and walk away. Serious, on-going recklessness that endangers children requires an aggressive response by law enforcement.

In recent years, we’ve seen more police and prosecutors become more assertive and creative in pursuing even older cases of child sex crimes and cover ups. It’s a welcome trend. And it’s obviously a necessary trend if there’s even a chance of getting secretive, self-serving institutions to ever change their decades-old patterns of putting their interests above the safety of youngsters.

Law enforcement, however, can only do so much. Regular citizens – brave individuals like Jennifer Haselberger and Joe Ternus – must also step up. They must overcome their fears and pick up the phone and share every tidbit of information and suspicion they have heard about clergy sexual misdeeds. They must put worries about their parish or their archdiocese aside and put the well-being of children first.

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

AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald

October 5, 2013

Gerard Windsor

David Marr paints a devastating portrait of a powerbroker he sees as the enemy.

George Pell refused to speak with David Marr for this Quarterly Essay. It was not a wise move. If you have any attractive elements in your personality, and many testify that Pell does have them, an intimate conversation with an enemy can only have a softening impact.

Witness Marr’s surprising empathy with Tony Abbott in his last Quarterly Essay. Abbott had been ready to chat. There is no doubt that Marr sees Pell as an enemy. His 2000 book, The High Price of Heaven, made clear his antipathy to religion, above all in the form of the Catholic Church. Here Marr’s colours are nailed to the mast even in the miniature on the cover: Pell, prince of the church, enthroned, bathed in Renaissance gold – never a benign look for a prelate. But Marr is also a professional. In this instance, he’s the professional lawyer as much as the journalist.

The essay must be something of a dry run for the Royal Commission, and it makes very painful reading. Evil men and their orgies of destruction of young lives occupy much of its space, and it is more a forensic piling-up of evidence than any artistically choreographed revelation. Centrally, it’s an indictment of Pell for blind, evasive, flint-hearted reactions to reports of paedophilia by priests who were his responsibility. For good measure, there is also a ready summary of the case brought against Pell by two former altar boys turned criminals, a case where the outcome was a technical draw.

Has a more devastating portrait of a ”respectable”, living, non-politician, Australian public figure ever been published? Although Marr concentrates on Pell’s role in the abuse scandal, the most novel element of The Prince is a probing of the personality that began life in a pub in Ballarat.

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

AUSTRALIA
Quarterly Essay

Quarterly Essay 51
The Prince: Faith, Abuse and George Pell
David Marr

Release Date:
September 2013
Our Price:
$19.99
ISBN:
9781863956161

The leading Catholic in the nation and spiritual adviser to Tony Abbott, Cardinal George Pell has played a key role in the greatest challenge to face his church for centuries: the scandal of child sex abuse by priests.

In The Prince, David Marr investigates the man and his career: how did he rise through the ranks? What does he stand for? How does he wield his authority? How much has he shaped his church and Australia? How has he handled the scandal?

Marr reveals a cleric at ease with power and aggressive in asserting the prerogatives of the Vatican. His account of Pell’s career focuses on his response as a man, a priest, an archbishop and prince of the church to the scandal that has engulfed the Catholic world in the last thirty years. This is the story of a cleric slow to see what was happening around him; torn by the contest between his church and its victims; and slow to realise that the Catholic Church cannot, in the end, escape secular scrutiny.

The Prince is an arresting portrait of faith, loyalty and ambition, set against a backdrop of terrible suffering and an ancient institution in turmoil.

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

MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

KEVIN GILES and DAN BROWNING , Star Tribune staff writers Updated: October 4, 2013

Pete Orput calls for search into evidence from case of pornography on computer; Jeff Anderson calls for full-scale investigation.

The Washington County attorney has opened an investigation into allegations that an area Catholic priest was in possession of child pornography.

County Attorney Pete Orput said Friday that he had assigned two attorneys in his office “to take a hard look” at potential criminal charges against the priest related to his presence in Hugo, Mahtomedi, Stillwater and Bayport from 1995 to 2012

“There are no sacred institutions when it comes to criminal activity,” Orput said.

The allegations, which emerged as a police report in a St. Paul courtroom Thursday, say Catholic church officials knew the priest had been in possession of child pornography.

Orput said it was too early to say what charges, if any, might result from the investigation. Nobody claiming to be a victim had come forward in Washington County, he said, and attorneys would need to establish evidence of child pornography.

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

NEW JERSEY
Ocean Signal

JACKSON-David Clohessy, the director of the Chicago based Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) lashed out against the Trenton Catholic Diocese and Bishop David M. O’Connell for the handling of former St. Aloysius priest, Father Matthew Riedlinger.

A message posted on the SNAP website by Clohessy read:

We firmly believe that Fr. Matthew Riedlinger is being suspended now only because these brave victims spoke up and because O’Connell fears that media attention will bring even more victims forward.

Now is not the time for complacency. The root cause of this crisis remains unaddressed – the obsession by Catholic officials to protect one another and their reputations, instead of protecting innocent kids and vulnerable adults. Belatedly and grudgingly suspending just one sexually troubled and abusive cleric won’t fix this on-going and disturbing scandal.

We hope that every single person who saw, suspected or suffered misdeeds or crimes by Fr. Riedlinger – or any other Trenton cleric – will find the courage and strength to step forward. That’s how innocent kids and vulnerable adults are protected, secrets are exposed and cover ups are deterred.

SNAP was founded in 1988 by Barabara Blaine after living for years after being abused as an 8th grader by a Toledo, Ohio priest. Her calls to the Toledo bishop fell on deaf ears, so she began reaching out and networking with other victims of abuse at the hands of religious leaders.

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

UNITED KINGDOM
Your Local Guardian

By Nick Hitchens, Assistant Editor

A former priest who raped and sexually abused boys as young as seven has been jailed for 13 years.

Phillip Challis of Meadow Close Raynes Park was sentenced at Kingston Crown Court earlier today after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing in August.

In total the 52-year-old confessed to 17 charges of historical sexual assault, including two rapes on a child under 13, attempted rapes and sexual assaults.

The court heard police were first tipped off about Challis when the Child Abuse Investigation Team at Barnes received an allegation from a 17-year-old boy of abuse dating back to when the victim was eight.

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

MINNESOTA
Fox 9

posted by Mike Durkin

ST. PAUL, Minn. (KMSP) –
The top deputy at the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis resigned Thursday amid new criticism of how the church mishandled alleged sexual abuse by priests.

Minnesota Public Radio reports church leaders, including Rev. Peter Laird, knew about sexual misconduct by St. Paul Rev. Curtis Wehmeyer, but promoted him anyway.

Wehmeyer is now in prison for abusing two boys and possessing child pornography.

The Archdiocese says Laird’s resignation has nothing to do with the sexual abuse reports or the Wehmeyer case.

“When you’re caught doing wrong, you have two choices,” said a statement from Bob Schwiderski, Minnesota Director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP). “You can stop doing wrong. Or you can try even harder to hide your wrongdoing. Twin Cities’ Catholic officials are doing the latter.”

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

POLAND
Dominican Today

Warsaw.- Polish priest Wojciech Gil, charged with sexually abusing at least 15 boys in the Dominican Republic, on Friday denied the accusations, and said his only fault was placing too much trust on the youngsters, EFE reports.

“I haven’t inflicted any harm on the children, and if I must apologize it’s for my naiveté in trusting these people too much,” said the prelate by phone to Polish TVP Info.

Gil (Padre Alberto) remains with his family in Poland since the allegations of the abuse of the boys surfaced, and for now doesn’t intend to return to the Dominican Republic, where he headed the parish at the central mountain town of Juncalito.

In addition to Gil, Polish bishop and former Vatican envoy to the Dominican Republic Jozef Wesolowski, former apostolic nuncio, is also accused of sexually abusing of boys on the island.

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

MINNESOTA
The Republic

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
October 04, 2013

ST. PAUL, Minnesota — A former canon lawyer with the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis says the last straw before she quit was how officials refused to take action when she discovered pornography on CDs in files on a priest up for promotion.

Jennifer Haselberger tells Minnesota Public Radio (http://bit.ly/19pDZvw ) some images appeared to show boys as young as 12 engaged in sex. They came from a computer that belonged to the Rev. Jonathan Shelley. She says Archbishop John Nienstedt’s top deputy, the Rev. Peter Laird, ordered her off the case and to turn over the file box. She contacted authorities instead.

Police concluded the CDs showed only adult pornography and closed the investigation.

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

CHICAGO (IL)
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Friday, Oct. 4, 2012

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

Cardinal Francis George is being deliberately deceitful and insulting the intelligence of Chicago Catholic officials. He claims that he can’t stop a priest from counseling grieving adults and kids for a police department.

Specifically, through one of his public relations staffers, that he “has no authority to remove” Fr. Robert Stepek from his job in Burbank.

Cardinal George can, of course, assign a priest to all kinds of jobs – in a parish, school, hospital, cemetery or chancery office. But he says he can’t prevent a priest from working in a secular job. Nonsense.

He’s a Cardinal. He heads the third largest archdiocese in America. He’s the former head of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. He helps pick the pope. But despite all this, in reality, he would have us believe that he’s powerless over one of his own priests. This defies common sense.

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

MINNESOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Thursday, Oct. 3, 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 )

The resignation of the St. Paul-Minneapolis archdiocesan vicar general is pure public relations. It’s a desperate move to reassure justifiably outraged Catholics. But it’s not real reform.

The problem starts at the top and is rampant throughout the archdiocesan hierarchy – a long-standing, deeply -rooted and on-going obsession with preserving the reputations of clerics, not the safety of kids.

We are convinced that everything the vicar general did in the Fr. Curtis Wehmeyer case was done with the archbishop’s input and approval.

So this is not progress. If Archbishop Nienstadt fired Msgr. Laird – or clearly demoted or disciplined him – that might be progress. But church officials have long resigned when the heat becomes too intense and their successors have acted in the same irresponsible ways in clergy sex abuse and cover up cases.

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

VATICAN CITY
National Catholic Reporter

John L. Allen Jr. | Oct. 4, 2013 All Things Catholic

I’ve been covering the Vatican for almost 20 years, and aside from the two conclaves during that span, I’d be hard-pressed to recall many weeks with more breaking news than what we experienced the last seven days.

After giving a talk for the Cushwa Center at the University of Notre Dame on Monday night, I’ve been in Rome following events. Here’s a tick-tock of what we’ve seen:

* On Monday, Pope Francis presided over a consistory of cardinals that set April 27, Divine Mercy Sunday, as the date for the canonizations of Popes John Paul II and John XXIII. The sainthood double-play is expected to bring more people to Rome than for any event since the funeral Mass of John Paul II in 2005.
* In that same consistory, Francis took the temperature of the cardinals about the idea of setting up national and regional tribunals around the world to handle sex abuse cases. It’s an idea that’s been around a while, reflecting the fact that many dioceses, especially in the developing world, don’t have the resources or expertise to process these cases effectively. If Francis follows through, it would mark his first concrete act of reform on the sex abuse front.
* Also on Monday, Francis issued a chirograph, or legal document, formally establishing his new Council of Cardinals as a permanent advisory body and giving himself latitude to add members. In effect, it was a way of underlining how much importance the pope attaches to the group, informally dubbed the “G-8.”

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

CHILE
Radio Polar

El fiscal Daniel Soto señalo que el colegio Salesianos Monseñor Fagnano de Puerto Natales, el día miércoles 2 de octubre de 2013, formulo una denuncia por el presunto delito de abuso sexual cometido en dicho colegio, en razón de lo anterior se iniciaron las primeras diligencias, lo primero de todo acoger a la victima resguardar su identidad y coordinar las primeras diligencias con personal de la sección de investigaciones policiales de Carabineros de Chile de la Segunda Comisaria Puerto Natales, quienes trabajaran junto a la fiscalía local con respecto a esta materia, para la fiscalía lo más relevante la mantención de discreción en cuanto a la identidad de las personas involucradas, se entiende que los actos preliminares de la investigación darán luces de que es lo que se resolverá a futuro, las víctimas se encuentran derivadas a la unidad de víctimas de la fiscalía.

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

CHILE
El Pinguino

[Summary: The prosecutor is to determine if priest Jose Quinteros Martinez has committed sexual abuse against a minor. He is a member of the Congregación Salesiana de Última Esperanza.]

Las indagaciones de la fiscalía apuntan a determinar si José Quinteros Martínez incurrió en conductas impropias constitutivas de delito en contra de una menor de edad.

La Fiscalía de Última Esperanza inició una investigación en contra de un sacerdote, miembro de la Congregación Salesiana de Última Esperanza, denunciado por la dirección del Liceo Monseñor Fagnano por su presunta responsabilidad en un delito de índole sexual en contra de una menor, estudiante de dicha casa de estudios.

La denuncia ingresó a la fiscalía de esa provincia el día miércoles y fue recibida por el fiscal adjunto subrogante del Ministerio Público, Daniel Soto, quien al ser consultado por el hecho manifestó que “efectivamente, la dirección del Colegio Salesiano Monseñor Fagnano realizó ante esta fiscalía la denuncia que dice relación con la participación de un presbítero, en un hecho constitutivo de delito sexual, que afectó a una menor de edad, mayor de 14 y menor de 18 años, estudiante de dicho establecimiento educacional”, indicó.

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

MINNESOTA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Friday, Oct. 4, 2013

Statement by Bob Schwiderski of Wayzata, Minnesota Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( skibrs@q.com , 952 471 3422 )

A police report says that top officials at the St. Paul-Minneapolis archdiocese withheld evidence of child porn and now the alleged sex offender can’t be criminally charged.

[Pioneer Press]

And for a decade, several archdiocesan staffers hid the alleged child porn from parents, parishioners and the public.

Both moves are extraordinarily irresponsible and kept children at risk. Both moves prove that, in the Catholic hierarchy, when it comes to clergy sex crimes and cover ups, little has changed.

Jaded Catholic and citizens who are inclined to say “Ho hum, another Catholic sex scandal” should pay close attention here. This case is different. This is the worst case in Minnesota in more than a decade.

Because several Catholic officials protected him, a priest who had thousands of images of child porn and might otherwise have spent the last decade in prison won’t go to prison. Every day of this decade of deliberate deceit, secrecy and recklessness has happened AFTER America’s Catholic bishops solemnly pledged to be “open and transparent” about clergy sex crimes.

Like similar cases in Kansas City (involving Bishop Robert Finn) and Philadelphia (involving Msgr. William Lynn), this case shows that high-ranking Catholic officials continue to obsess with protecting themselves and their reputations instead of protecting innocent kids and vulnerable adults.

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

VERMONT/NEW YORK
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

He lived in Vermont and Birmingham suburb & won decision in New York

For immediate release: Friday, Oct. 4

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 convicted sex offender who lived in Vermont has won a court ruling in New York that means he won’t have to submit to a test to determine whether he’s attracted to underage girls. He is David McLaurin.

[Boston.com]

Everyone, even pedophiles, deserves his humanity. But the humanity of a predator doesn’t trump the humanity of innocent kids.

Those who oppose this test should propose alternative ways to protect kids from predators. One in four girls and one in eight boys will be sexually assaulted. Given these horrific numbers, and the devastating life-long effects of childhood sexual abuse, something must change. We as a society must re-examine some of our archaic notions if we are to do more to safeguard the vulnerable.

This test may seem invasive to adults. But raping and sodomizing children is indeed far more invasive, and far more hurtful.

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

AUSTRALIA
9 News

Survivors of child sex abuse in Australian institutions will be able tell their tales during Royal Commission hearings in Melbourne and Perth next week.

Commissioners will be in Melbourne from Monday for more face-to-face private sessions with abuse survivors, and from Tuesday in Perth.

Royal Commission chief executive officer Janette Dines says the private sessions are helping the commissioners understand the extent of child sex abuse inside the nation’s institutions.

“We know that for many of the victims sharing their story with the commission is very hard. But, equally, the opportunity to tell their story has proved beneficial for many,” she said.

Ms Dines said trained counsellors are available to provide immediate support to anyone in distress.

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

MINNESOTA
KARE 11

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The top deputy of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis resigned his post Thursday as concerns grow over the church’s approach to sex abuse cases involving clergy.

The Rev. Peter Laird explained his sudden departure as vicar general in a statement posted on the archdiocese’s website Thursday afternoon.

“Over the last few years, this Archdiocese has made significant progress in many areas, including how we have strengthened policies and practices regarding clergy misconduct,” Laird said in the statement. “I am hopeful my decision to step aside at this time, along with the formation of a new task force can help repair the trust of many, especially the victims of abuse.”

Archdiocese leaders, staff and priests, he added, “are sincerely committed to proactively addressing these difficult issues.”

Laird was identified in a Sept. 23 MPR News story detailing how the archdiocese knew of the sexual misbehavior of a priest, Fr. Curtis Wehmeyer, yet kept him in the ministry.

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

VATICAN CITY
Vatican Information Service

Vatican City, 4 October 2013 (VIS) – The first meeting of the Council of Cardinals ended yesterday afternoon, according to a communique from the Holy See Press Office.

It was agreed that the next meeting of the Council will take place from 3 to 5 December, to be followed by third meeting in February 2014. This will enable the work of the Council – especially in this initial phase – to proceed at a rapid pace.

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

NORTHERN IRELAND
Derry Journal

A former Derry homeboy is hopeful of an audience with Pope Francis after the Vatican confirmed that his request was forwarded to the Holy Father.

Brian Doherty, who has talked openly about being abused in the Termonbacca Home for Boys under the care of the Sisters of Nazareth, requested an audience with the Holy Father on behalf of Survivors and Victims of Institutional Abuse (Savia) group.

He told the Journal that he had asked that a large delegation made up of people who suffered abuse while in Catholic-run institutions be granted a meeting with the Pontiff either in the Vatican or in Ireland.

Brian told the ‘Journal’: “I would hope that we could get a group of around 60 people to meet the Pope but even if a smaller number is permitted that would be acceptable. We’ve written letters to the Vatican in the past and never even received an acknowledgment, so we’re hopeful that something will come of it this time around.”

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

NEW HAMPSHIRE
Berlin Daily Sun

By Debra Thornblad

A hearing on charges that a Berlin resident made harassing phone calls to the president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights took the better part of the day in Lancaster District Court Tuesday.

The hearing was continued while Lancaster District Court Judge Paul Desjardins considers a motion to dismiss filed by the defendant, Frank LaFerriere, 53, of Berlin.

LaFerriere is charged with three counts of harassment against William Donohue, who heads the non-profit Catholic advocacy organization based in New York City. LaFerriere has a pending lawsuit against the Catholic Church for sexual assaults that he says happened when he was 14 and 15.

The three harassment complaints allege LaFerriere called Donohue’s cell phone in January and February of this year, leaving what Donohue described as “abusive, annoying and threatening” messages.

LaFerriere was arrested on one count of harassment on February 22 and two other counts were added on June 28.

Donohue was the first witness on the stand. He described himself as a writer and publisher of a blog and several books and said he has also appeared on several television and radio programs. He agreed under cross examination that he had taken some positions on issues involving the Catholic Church for which he had been criticized and that he was a public person who had put himself and his views “out there.”

Donohue estimated that from December 2011 to early this year he had received about 150 calls from LaFerriere, who identified himself in some of the calls. Donohue started taping the calls in March 2012 and also contacted New York City police, who thought it might be a hate crime and recommended a bodyguard. New York police opened an investigation and contacted Berlin police, who filed the complaints. …

If Desjardins denies the motion to dismiss, the case will continue on Nov. 22 at 1 p.m. LaFerriere is expected to testify if that happens.

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

CHILE
Bio Bio

El abogado defensor del sacerdote John O’Reilly, Luis Hermosilla, aseguró a Radio Bío Bío que la causa que investiga el Ministerio Público por abusos sexuales contra dos alumnas del Colegio Cumbres de Las Condes, se “caerá” al igual que el caso del ejecutivo del Banco Central.

En tanto, la Fiscalía Oriente estableció que será la justicia la que determinará si es que eventualmente hay falta de pruebas para culpar de los delitos al Legionario de Cristo.

Luego que la jueza Daniela Guerrero rechazara la solicitud de Luis Hermosilla para conocer la identidad de cinco testigos protegidos en la causa, el representante del religioso aseguró que este caso se caerá al igual que el del gerente del Banco Central, Enrique Orellana, quien fue declarado inocente -en un tercer juicio oral- por la violación a sus tres hijas.

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