ABUSE TRACKER

JAPAN
La Croix International

June 18, 2018

By Father William Grimm, MM, Tokyo

The window of opportunity to deal with the problem before it becomes a major scandal is closing

Pope Francis accepted the resignations of three Chilean bishops in connection with the cover-up of sexual abuse by clergy in their country.

One bishop was the lightning rod for uproar among Chile’s Catholics because of accusations that as a priest he covered up abuse by a priest who was his mentor. The pope’s appointment of him as a bishop and his initial vehement defense of the man in the face of protests have been the low point of Francis’ papacy.

The other bishops whose resignations were accepted have already reached the episcopal retirement age of 75, so the pope’s having them step down is not going to satisfy critics who point out that cover-ups have been a systemic problem involving more than a handful of bishops.

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 (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

June 18, 2018

By Airlie Ward

Groups representing survivors of child sexual abuse say the Federal Government’s redress scheme is fundamentally flawed and should be rejected by the Senate.

Beyond Abuse, and Survivors and Friends, have written an open letter to senators, who will begin debating the bill this afternoon, urging them to reject it in its current form.

All the states and territories, along with the Catholic Church, Scouts Australia, the Salvation Army, YMCA Australia and the Anglican Church, have committed to the redress scheme recommended by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse to compensate people who were sexually abused in state institutions.

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.

SCRANTON (PA)
The Times-Tribune

June 18, 2018

By Jon O’Connell

Bishop Joseph C. Bambera apologized Sunday to victims ahead of a grand jury report expected to detail child sexual abuse by Catholic priests and attempts to conceal it.

In a written message published in church bulletins, the bishop offered his “deepest apologies to the victims of such abuse, to their families, to the faithful of our Church and to everyone impacted by the behaviors described in this report.”

Diocesan officials provided the insert to all of its parishes to keep members informed of the impending release, spokesman Dan Gallagher said in an email.

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.

BALLARAT (AUSTRALIA)
The Courier

June 18, 2018

By Leanne Younes

The Catholic Diocese of Ballarat has paid out more than $7.9 million in compensation to survivors of child sexual abuse and more than $1 million in pastoral support to abuse survivors to date.

Catholic Diocese of Ballarat business manager, Andrew Jirik said: “To date the Catholic Diocese of Ballarat (The Diocese) has paid directly to abuse survivors, compensation in excess of $7.9m and $1.4m in pastoral 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.

NEW ZEALAND
Radio New Zealand

June 17, 2018

By Phil Pennington

Some Catholic priests across the Tasman will soon be facing a $10,000 fine if someone confesses child sex abuse to them and they don’t report it to the police.

Both South Australia and ACT have law changes coming to crack open the confessional.

It is expected that the confession-breaking laws could spread nationwide, as part of the federal government’s recently released response to the Royal Commission into child sex abuse’s recommendations.

An adviser to the Royal Commission, Professor Des Cahill, said the implications extended to New Zealand.

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 Central

June 17, 2018

By Freya Drohan

Pope Francis has a top priority during his Irish visit, according to The Archbishop of Dublin, Monsignor Diarmuid Martin.

Pope Francis will apparently meet victims who were sexually abused by members of the clergy when they were minors during his visit to Ireland at the end of August.

“The Pope will meet various groups”, Archbishop Martin reported to local members of press.

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 Times

June 17, 2018

Six men who pressed for commission of investigation are pleased at Flanagan proposals

A group of sex abuse survivors have welcomed the terms of reference announced by Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan for a commission of investigation into the handling of complaints against convicted Waterford sex abuser Bill Kenneally.

Jason Clancy, whose complaint in 2013 led to a Garda investigation into Kenneally’s abuse of 10 boys in the 1980s, said he and five other men who had pressed for a commission of investigation were very pleased with what the Minister had proposed.

“We are very happy with the terms of reference announced by Minister Flanagan – when we met him earlier this year, he and his officials presented us with terms of reference so we took them away and discussed them with our solicitor Darragh Mackin,” said Mr Clancy.

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.

OSORNO (CHILE)
Catholic News Agency via Crux

June 17, 2018

By Elise Harris

As part of their special mission to help bring healing to the troubled Chilean diocese of Osorno, Archbishop Charles Scicluna and Monsignor Jordi Bertomeu are holding several pastoral meetings this week which they say are aimed at listening.

Speaking to Chilean media at the airport after landing in Osorno, Scicluna said they came “to convey the special closeness of the pope to the beloved people of Osorno. We are going to have a lot of discussion and will listen to our brothers, which is the most important [task] for us.”

Similarly, Bertomeu said they are “happy to be here in Osorno,” and voiced hope that they would be able “to communicate the Holy Father’s request for forgiveness in peace, in concord and in harmony.”

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
BBC News

April 11, 2018

[Note from BA: This is an article from April that we mistakenly overlooked.]

A man who was sexually abused by Catholic priest Paul Moore when he was just five years old has said the ordeal “poisoned my life”.

Andi Lavery, who was Moore’s youngest victim, has given BBC Scotland permission to publish a picture of him which was taken in May 1977.

He said: “I was assaulted that day. Moore was present when the picture was taken.”

Mr Lavery said the impact of the attacks was incalculable.

He has waived his right to anonymity and spoke out after Moore was jailed for nine years for sexually abusing him, two other children and a student 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.

GUAM
Pacific Daily News

June 16, 2018

By Dana M Williams

Archbishop Michael Byrnes has been placed sanctions on Father Adrian Cristobal, who has been accused in three sexual abuse cases and has failed to return to Guam as ordered.

Because of the abuse allegations, Cristobal already has been restricted from celebrating Mass publicly or hearing confession while the case is being reviewed, according to a statement from the Archdiocese of Agana.

“The sanctions imposed on Father Adrian further restrict his abilities to act as a priest in public, which includes the wearing of clerical garb,” the statement said. “The sanctions will remain in place until such time that he obeys.”

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.

ST. LANDRY PARISH (LOUISIANA)
Acadiana (LA) Advocate

June 14, 2018

By Ben Myers

The Lafayette Diocese priest accused of sexually abusing a teenager turned himself in Wednesday to the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office, 10 days after the diocese publicly disclosed the allegation.

Michael Guidry, 75, confessed to assaulting the victim, who was 16 at the time, after serving the boy alcohol, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The abuse occurred at Guidry’s home in Morrow, authorities said.

Guidry was released after posting $21,500 bond, according to Maj. Eddie Thibodeaux. Guidry faces one count of molestation of a juvenile and one count of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile.

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.

PHOENIX (AZ)
Arizona Republic

June 15, 2018

By Jerod MacDonald-Evoy

Father Adrian Cristobal, who was on sabbatical in Phoenix until recently and is accused of sexually abusing two boys more than 20 years ago in Guam, has not returned to the island as ordered by the church.

Two men filed separate civil suits in federal court in Guam in April and May accusing Cristobal of sexual abuse.

Cristobal had arrived in Phoenix in December 2017 for sabbatical with a letter of good standing, the Phoenix Diocese said in a written statement to The Arizona Republic. He did not have an assignment and the Phoenix Diocese said it removed his faculties, or his ability to perform church sacraments, after the first suit was filed in April.

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.

ST. PAUL (MN)
Minneapolis Star Tribune

June 16, 2018

By Jean Hopfensperger

New process subjects clergy abuse reports to prompt, tight scrutiny.

Tim O’Malley moved into a tiny, windowless office in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in 2014 facing a daunting task: To overhaul the often secretive way it addressed child sex abuse by priests.

O’Malley, former head of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, assembled a team of law enforcement leaders that scoured hundreds of abuse files from the past 60 years. They chased paper trails, interviewed witnesses, and laid the foundation for what is now seen as one of the nation’s most comprehensive archdiocesan child-protection systems.

That’s one of the most significant outcomes of the sex abuse scandal and the archdiocese’s bankruptcy. It recently reached a $210 million settlement with abuse victims. The constant spotlight on the archdiocese over the past four years injected pressures — and opportunities — to forge change, O’Malley 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.

AUSTRALIA
ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

June 17, 2018

By Eugene Boisvert

Catholic priests say they will not abide new laws that mean clergy must report child abuse revealed to them in the confessional.

Both South Australia and the ACT will make the change to compel priests to give information from confession.

Here’s a look at how confession works now, and whether a law could change the way the Catholic Church runs it.

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.

BALLARAT (AUSTRALIA)
The Courier

June 16, 2018

The Catholic Diocese of Ballarat has paid out more than $7.9 million to compensation to survivors of child sexual abuse and more than $1 million in pastoral support to abuse survivors to date.

Catholic Diocese of Ballarat business manager, Andrew Jirik said: “To date the Catholic Diocese of Ballarat (The Diocese) has paid directly to abuse survivors, compensation in excess of $7.9m and $1.4m in pastoral support.”

“Notwithstanding the Commonwealth Redress Scheme is not yet in operation, the Diocese continues to work with claimant solicitors to progress outstanding claims and would continue to pay such amounts from its assets and insurance.”

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
TheJournal.ie

June 17, 2018

Archbishops launching the Papal visit were met with questions about LGBT members – but what’s the official position?

MANY OF THE questions for the two Archbishops launching the Pope’s official itinerary in Ireland this week focused on the Catholic Church’s stance on the LGBTQI community and whether people in same-sex relationships would be welcome at high-profile Church-run events later this summer.

Pope Francis will spend two full days in Ireland on 25 and 26 August this year to coincide with the Church’s week-long World Meeting of the Families. Half a million tickets are being made available for his mass at Dublin’s Phoenix Park.

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.

HARRISBURG (PA)
Philly.com

June 17, 2018

By Angela Couloumbis

For more than two years, dozens of victims have filed into a secret grand jury room in Pennsylvania, faced a group of strangers, and recounted how they were sexually abused as children by Catholic priests, their rapes and molestation buried by church leaders.

One, a former Erie priest who testified that he was molested when he was a teenager, called the experience cathartic. Another victim did not fare well after testifying. She attempted suicide and from her hospital bed implored the grand jurors to complete their investigation and make their findings public, according to a source who had been briefed on her account.

Later this month, state Attorney General Josh Shapiro is expected to release a landmark report by that grand jury that will detail, in stark and stomach-turning terms, decades of abuse and cover-ups in every Catholic diocese in the state except Philadelphia and Altoona-Johnstown, which have already undergone such scrutiny.

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.

FLORIDA
Reason.com [Blog]

June 15, 2018

By Eugene Volokh

The Florida Evidence Code apparently requires clergy to testify about confessions to them, if the penitent allows them to do so — but Catholic doctrine forbids any such testimony, regardless of the penitent’s wishes. Which should prevail?

To my knowledge, all American states have an evidentiary rule under which clergy can generally refuse to testify about confessions, if they believe such confessions to be confidential. (The confessions are often called “penitential communications,” to stress that they need to be Catholic-style confessions.) But the Florida Evidence Code apparently treats this as primarily a right of the penitent; thus, if the penitent says she would like the clergy member to testify, the clergy member can be ordered to do so.

The Catholic Church, though, apparently takes a different view: It believes the clergy member cannot reveal things said in the confessional, regardless of whether the penitent wants them revealed. Here’s how this played out in today’s Florida Court of Appeals decision in Ronchi v. State.

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

June 16, 2018

By Chrissie Foster

This week we witnessed an historic moment. Our Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, announced he would implement 104 of the 122 recommendations from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse which relate to the Commonwealth.

During his announcement there was debate about the seal of confession being broken to report child sexual abuse.

The government is now considering the commission’s recommendation that it be made an offence across all states and territories to fail to report that a child is at substantial risk of sexual abuse. If, pending discussions with the states, the laws are harmonised nationally, that would remove current protections to priests in the confessional and force them to report relevant information revealed in confession.

Almost immediately the Catholic Church took to the media, again reiterating their oppositions to such actions.

Because of their opposition to the government and the royal commission recommendations on this issue, I feel I must contribute by again reiterating what must be the perfect argument for the seal of confession to be broken for children.

The McArdle case is mind numbing. In Queensland in October 2003, Catholic priest Michael McArdle pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting generations of children.

In a sworn affidavit which he made public, McArdle stated he had confessed to sexually assaulting children 1500 times to 30 different priests over a 25-year period in face-to-face confessions.

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
PBS Newshour

June 15, 2018

[VIDEO]

Pope Francis announced this week he would accept the resignation of three Chilean bishops, in an ongoing scandal that has grown into a national crisis. Nearly 80 Catholic clergy across the country have been accused of sexually abusing minors over decades, and more have been implicated in the coverup. Jeffrey Brown reports from Santiago, Chile.

Read the Full Transcript

Judy Woodruff:

Now, an extraordinary crisis for the Catholic Church and test for the pope himself.

This week, Pope Francis announced that he would accept the resignation of three bishops in the South American country of Chile. Two days later, Chilean police made surprise raids on church offices.

It is all part of an ongoing child abuse scandal that began in 2010 and continues to reverberate across Latin America and beyond.

Jeffrey Brown reports from Santiago, Chile.

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 (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

June 16, 2016

By Katherine Gregory
Updated about 7 hours ago

Catholic priests have said they are not willing to break the seal of confession to report child sex abuse, and would rather go to jail than abide by the law.

South Australia has joined the ACT in moving ahead with laws to force Catholic priests to break the seal of confession, to report paedophiles to police.

Other states are still deliberating over whether or not they will adopt that recommendation from the royal commission.

But Catholic Church leaders have rejected the idea.

Father Michael Whelan, the parish priest in St Patrick’s Church Hill in Sydney, said priests would not break the seal of confession.

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 SOUTH WALES (AUSTRALIA)
Sydney Morning Herald

June 16, 2018

By Lisa Visentin

NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro has declared the government has a responsibility to end the protection that the religious seal of confession affords to paedophiles.

Mr Barilaro defended the decision by the grassroots of the NSW National Party to support the introduction of new laws requiring priests to break the confessional seal and report to police admissions of child sex abuse heard during confession.

“We are custodians in parliament to make sure we put in place legislation that protects our children for the future,” Mr Barilaro said in response to a question from a grassroots member at the NSW Nationals state conference on Saturday.

“No institution or organisation should be ever exempt from taking responsibility or [permitted to hide] behind their own internal rules.”

“We have an obligation to protect children and we need to do that, and no one is exempt from that,” he 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.

DHAKA (BANGLADESH)
UCANews

June 15, 2018

By Rock Ronald Rozario and Stephan Uttom

Despite the Vatican judging allegations against William Christensen to be credible in 2010, he is still working with children

An American priest who was dismissed from the clergy by the Vatican after being accused of sexually abusing as many as 30 teenagers in Bangladesh is still in the country.

William Andrew Christensen, a priest in the Society of Mary, or Marianists, was removed from the priesthood in October 2010 after the Vatican judged allegations against him to be credible.

In January 2011, ucanews.com published a story quoting Catholic human rights activist Rosaline Costa, who claimed that Christensen used the Institute of Integrated Rural Development (IIRD), which he founded in Bogra district in 1987, as a front to sexually abuse at least 30 Muslim teenagers in rural Bangladesh.

He was accused of buying the silence of the youngsters, their parents and local political and community leaders.

Christensen was accused of abusing a pupil at a school in St. Louis, Missouri, before coming to Bangladesh but a lawsuit filed in 2002 collapsed when the complainant died.

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)
The Associated Press

June 15, 2018

The Chicago school district will run background checks on thousands of employees after a newspaper found that students had been sexually abused by workers with criminal records.

The Chicago school district will run background checks on thousands of employees after a newspaper found that students had been sexually abused by workers with criminal records.

Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson says the effort is “unprecedented.” The district checks backgrounds of new teachers, volunteers and some others who work in schools, but someone who is already employed doesn’t face the same scrutiny.

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.

DETROIT (MI)
The Associated Press

June 15, 2018

Michigan State University board trustee Brian Mosallam is asking interim school president John Engler to resign immediately.

Mosallam released a statement Friday morning, saying the crisis on campus related to Larry Nassar will not settle until Engler steps down.

According to emails, Engler has criticized lawyers who represent Nassar’s assault victims and suggested the first woman to go public with her accusations was probably getting a “kickback” from her attorney.

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.

EAST LANSING (MI)
SFGate

June 15, 2018

By Larry Lage and Alice Yin

Two Michigan State University board trustees are calling for interim school President John Engler to resign, joining a chorus of sexual assault victims of disgraced former sports doctor Larry Nassar and top legislators who say the campus community cannot heal until Engler steps down.

“Unfortunately, and with great regret, John Engler’s tenure as interim president has continued the bleeding rather than stem it,” Brian Mosallam said in a statement Friday. “His misguided actions and comments have failed to re-establish trust and confidence in Michigan State.”

His disapproval was echoed by trustee Dianne Byrum a few hours later.

“The despicable and disparaging comments made about survivors by interim President John Engler are completely unacceptable,” she 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.

LANSING (MI)
The Associated Press

June 12, 2018

Michigan Lt. Gov. Brian Calley on Tuesday signed two bills inspired by the Larry Nassar scandal, including one giving childhood sexual abuse victims more time to sue.

The current cutoff to file a lawsuit in Michigan is generally a minor victim’s 19th birthday, which critics say is out of step with other states and does not account for how many victims are afraid to report abuse or have suppressed it. Starting in three months, people who were sexually abused as children will be able to sue until their 28th birthdays or three years from when they realize they have been abused. Victims of Nassar, the imprisoned former sports doctor who worked for Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics, will get a 90-day window to sue retroactively.

As part of a $500 million settlement with Michigan State, his hundreds of accusers agreed to withdraw their support for legislation that would have eliminated the immunity defense in lawsuits for entities that are negligent in the hiring, supervision or training of employees, or if the governmental agencies knew or should have known and failed to report sexual misconduct to law enforcement.

Calley, who enacted the main bill in a private Capitol ceremony because Snyder was out of the state, also signed a measure giving prosecutors 15 years or until a victim’s 28th birthday to file charges in second- and third-degree sexual conduct cases if the victim was younger than 18. The deadline currently is 10 years or a victim’s 21st birthday, whichever is later.

Charges could be filed at any time if there were DNA evidence.

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
Agencias ABC.es

June 15, 2018

The papal envoy met in two days with 94 victims of abuse in Chile

El sacerdote español Jordi Bertomeu, uno de los enviados papales que llegó a Chile junto al arzobispo maltés Charles Scicluna, dijo hoy tras llegar a la sureña ciudad de Osorno que en dos días se reunieron con 94 víctimas de abusos sexuales en el interior del clero.

Tras el arribo de la comitiva papal ambos se dirigieron a las afueras de la Catedral San Mateo de Osorno, a 942 kilómetros al sur de Santiago, donde Bertomeu dijo a los periodistas que han llegado a esa zona para ponerse al servicio del pueblo.

El religioso español recalcó a la prensa que desde su llegada a Chile, el pasado martes, se reunieron con 94 víctimas de abusos sexuales al interior de la institución eclesiástica .

Frente a la fuerte división que existe al interior de la diócesis en la zona, especialmente en los fieles, Bertomeu reconoció que esto es normal, como ocurre en distintas instancias de la vida.

“Por eso nuestra misión es poder transmitir a la ciudadanía que el papa los quiere”, y en ese sentido dijo que tienen pensado realizar una misa de reparación para los afectados.

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
Arzobispo de Santiago

June 1, 2018

Canonical judgments executed by the Archbishop of Santiago

En la homilía de cierre del X Sínodo, el 21 de mayo pasado, el cardenal Arzobispo de Santiago Ricardo Ezzati señaló que la Santa Sede le había confiado dar sentencias de seis casos durante su ministerio episcopal en Santiago.

Respecto del detalle de la información, estos son los casos respecto de los cuales ha dictado sentencia:

1. ALFREDO SOIZA-PIÑEYRO VEGA (Sacerdote secular). El Arzobispo decretó investigación previa en enero de 2012, la cual determinó que las actas y los antecedentes de la mencionada investigación debían ser enviados a la Congregación para la Doctrina de la Fe. Se le restringió el ejercicio de su ministerio sacerdotal hasta que la Santa Sede estableció su dimisión del estado clerical.

2. CRISTIÁN PRECHT BAÑADOS (Sacerdote secular). Condenado a cinco años de suspensión del ministerio sacerdotal. Actualmente sin ningún encargo pastoral y con decreto de una nueva investigación previa debido a las acusaciones de víctima del caso Maristas.

3. ROBERTO A. SALAZAR SOTO (Religioso). Su caso fue confiado al Arzobispo por la Congregación de la Doctrina de la fe. Concluyó con la dimisión de su Congregación y del estado clerical.

4. HÉCTOR VALDÉS VALDÉS (Religioso). Su caso fue confiado al Arzobispo por la Congregación para la Doctrina de la Fe. Concluyó con la dimisión de su Congregación y del estado clerical.

5. LUIS MOREL GUMUCIO (Religioso). Su caso fue asumido por el Arzobispo diocesano. Terminó con la suspensión del ministerio por decreto del Arzobispo. Al poco tiempo, falleció.

6. JOSÉ LUIS DÍAZ ATILANO (Religioso). Su caso fue confiado al Arzobispo por la Congregación de la Doctrina de la Fe. Dimitido de su Congregación y del estado clerical por decreto del Arzobispo de Santiago, interpuso recurso ante la Congregación para la Doctrina de la Fe.

Fuente: Comunicaciones Santiago

http://www.iglesiadesantiago.cl/

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
Clarin

June 14, 2018

The Vatican and the Chilean justice join forces against the pedophile priests: they level the seats of the Church in Santiago

Enviados del Papa coincidieron en la necesidad de cooperar con el Estado en las investigaciones. Incautan documentos del Tribunal Eclesiástico de la capital.

Enviados del papa Francisco a Chile coincidieron este miércoles con el fiscal general del país en la “necesidad absoluta” de la cooperación entre la Iglesia y el Estado chileno para la investigación de abusos de menores por parte del clero. Hora antes, la policía allanaba la sede del Tribunal Eclesiástico de Santiago y del obispado de Rancagua e incautaba documentos.

La Justicia chilena se apoderó así de archivos eclesiásticos en busca de antecedentes tras las denuncias de abuso sexual a menores que remecen a la Iglesia católica en el país suramericano. Escándalo por el cual todos los obispos chilenos pusieron a disposición del papa su renuncia días atrás. El pontífice aceptó la dimisión de una de las figuras más polémicas del caso, el obispo de Osorno, Juan Barros, acusado de ocultar casos de pedofilia.

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

June 15, 2018

By S. Vedoya, I. Toro, J. Matus y P. Moreno

Public Ministry makes historic seizure in church headquarters for cases of abuse

Fiscalía junto a Carabineros allanaron los obispados de Santiago y Rancagua, además del Tribunal Eclesiástico. En 1987, el entonces vicario Sergio Valech le negó fichas clínicas al exfiscal militar Torres Silva.

Cerca de las 11.00 de este miércoles un fuerte rumor comenzó a circular entre los asistentes al seminario de capacitación sobre prevención de abusos sexuales, organizado por la Conferencia Episcopal, en la Casa Central de la Universidad Católica. Entre los presentes se encontraban los enviados papales Charles Scicluna y Jordi Bertomeu, quienes iniciaban allí las actividades de su segundo día de misión en Chile. Llamados telefónicos y comentarios de pasillo alertaban que el Ministerio Público ingresaría a diversas dependencias de la Iglesia Católica en busca de información relacionada con investigaciones eclesiales sobre abusos cometidos por sacerdotes.

El mismo asombro se vivía a esa hora en la sede de la Conferencia Episcopal. Allí estaban el arzobispo de Santiago, cardenal Ricardo Ezzati, y el obispo auxiliar, Fernando Ramos, quienes también recibían mensajes y llamados de alerta sobre la situación.

Finalmente, el rumor se materializó. A las 11.19 horas se dio inicio a un operativo histórico para la Iglesia Católica chilena. El fiscal regional de Rancagua, Emiliano Arias, en compañía de efectivos del OS-9 de Carabineros subieron al séptimo piso de Catedral 1063, en Santiago, para allanar las dependencias del Tribunal Eclesiástico.

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.

EAST LANSING (MI)
Detroit Free Press

June 15, 2018

By David Jesse

As two board members, several lawmakers and a host of Spartan students and alumni called for him to step down as Michigan State University’s Interim President, John Engler said he’s not going anywhere.

“I continue to look ahead,” he said in a statement released in the hours following two of his bosses calling for his resignation. He did not directly address the calls for resignation in his statement.

“Whatever the tensions were before, we have successfully negotiated a settlement agreement — something that is fair and equitable to both sides, and that both sides agreed to. We are now committed to continuing our efforts to strengthen sexual misconduct prevention on and off campus and to respond promptly to and appropriately if prevention fails.

“I am looking forward to the Board of Trustee meeting next week where we will continue our progress and efforts to move forward. I believe actions matter, and that is how the success of our work will be determined.”

Michigan State University interim President John Engler must step aside immediately, board members Brian Mosallam and Dianne Byrum said Friday morning in separate statements.

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.

ERIE (PA)
BishopAccountability.org

Summary of Case: Michael G. Barletta was ordained in 1966 for the Diocese of Erie. He spent the bulk of his career as a high school teacher while residing in local parishes. Early on he was at Kennedy Christian High in Sharon, where he established a service club called the Teenage Action Club (TAC). He was transferred in the mid-1970s to Cathedral Prep, again establishing a TAC. Barletta was reportedly a charismatic, popular teacher, nicknamed “Barts,” who would take some of his students on overnight trips, including to Toronto, Niagara Falls, and his camp at Punxsutawney.

In 1994 a man told Bishop Trautman that Barletta had molested him when he was a Prep student in the late 1970s-early 1980s. Trautman removed Barletta from the school within the year and transferred him from St. Luke’s parish in Erie to St. Patrick/St. Hedwig’s. He was assigned to work in the diocesan office of Catholic Charities and as chaplain to Holy Family Carmelite Monastery. Also at St. Patrick/St. Hedwig’s during Barletta’s time there were, among others, accused priests Thomas E. Smith and Leon T. Muroski, and retired Bishop Michael J. Murphy.

In the Spring of 2002 the man who reported Barletta to the diocese in 1994 and two other men approached Bishop Trautman, all three alleging sexual abuse by Barletta in the late 1970s-early 1980s when they were Cathedral Prep students. Barletta was finally removed from active ministry in 2003. He is not indexed in the Official Catholic Directory after 2002. He is noted in 2012 and 2017 news articles to have been living in Erie and functioning as a priest at his high school reunions.

Ordained: 1966

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)
Boston Globe

June 15, 2018

By James C. Graham

In 1993, during a meeting in Buffalo, N.Y., I learned that the man who had raised me was not my father and that the Rev. Thomas S. Sullivan, a priest from Lowell, likely was. After looking at the obituary and accompanying photo, there was no question in my mind that he was my father, since his facial features mirrored mine. But I never knew him, the result of a well-orchestrated scheme by the church to save its reputation during the conservative post-World War II era of the late ’40s.

Even though the revelation occurred nearly a half-century after my birth, I found the church was intent on disguising my origin; it stonewalled me for years. In my quest for transparency, I interviewed many of my father’s contemporaries from the Oblate order. They were shocked by my likeness to their old friend. However, in every case, they referred to my father as Tom Sullivan, never as “your father.”

Each meeting offered a bit of information about him; he was an eloquent speaker, an avid reader, a prolific writer, and witty. One priest asked, “Did you get the money for your education? We wanted to do the right thing.” When I said, “What money?” his facial expression twisted in anguish. At the end of a very revealing discussion, he offered this advice: “Forget the injustices of the past, you have good genes, get on with the rest of your life.” A few months later, I revisited the priest, who denied having said what he divulged in our first meeting.

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
Engadget

June 15, 2018

By Steve Dent

Offenders will face up to two years in prison.

It will soon be a criminal offense in the UK to point a camera up a woman’s skirt and take a photo (an act called “upskirting”), with offenders facing up to two years in jail. It’s hard to believe, but there’s no specific law on the books, so police have had trouble prosecuting the creeps that do it. The new legislation will be largely through the efforts of victim Gina Martin. She was upskirted at a music festival in London, and despite having photographic evidence, police said they were unable to act because the photos weren’t considered graphic.

Afterwards, Martin started a petition that gained 104,000 signatures, including nearly 50,000 in the UK. That eventually caught the attention of Justice Secretary David Lidington, who got the ball rolling on the new legislation. The law will receive a second reading in the House of Commons today, after which it will specifically be illegal to “take a picture under a person’s clothing without them knowing, with the intention of viewing their genitals or buttocks,” according to the government.

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.

HAGÅTÑA (GUAM)
Pacific Daily News

June 14, 2018

By Haidee Eugenio

Guam’s controversial archbishop, removed from office in March and barred from living in the U.S. territory, has appealed a Vatican tribunal’s ruling that found him guilty of “certain accusations” involving the sexual abuse of minors, the Archdiocese of Agaña said Thursday.

During the last week of April, Rome notified new Archbishop Michael Byrnes, tapped to replace Anthony S. Apuron on March 16, about Apuron’s appeal, according to Tony Diaz, director of communications for the archdiocese.

Whether an appeal could result in reversal of the verdict “would be up to Rome,” Diaz said.

Pope Francis placed Apuron on leave in June 2016 after former altar boys and their families accused the archbishop of sexually abusing children in the 1970s when he was a parish priest in the village of Agat.

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.

EAST LANSING (MI)
Detroit Free Press

June 14, 2018

By David Jesse

Interim Michigan State University President John Engler must step down immediately from his position leading the university, a growing number of lawmakers, including U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, said Thursday.

“The senator did not believe he was the right choice to lead MSU when he was appointed and doesn’t believe he is the right choice now,” Stabenow spokesman Matt Williams said. Stabenow is an MSU alumna.

Also calling for Engler to step down were state Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge, and state Sen. Margaret O’Brien, R-Portage.

Jones said he was at his daily breakfast with constituents at the Grand Ledge A&W Thursday morning when he saw a story about Engler claiming that Rachael Denhollander — the first person to publicly accuse Larry Nassar, a former MSU doctor, of sexually assaulting students — would likely get kickbacks from attorneys involved in lawsuits against the university.

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
Cinema Blend

June 14, 2018

By Will Ashton

Among the craziest stories of 2018 thus far is the nearly-unbelievable story of Allison Mack’s involvement with Nxivm, an upstate New York group that recruited young women under the guise of self-empowerment and reportedly branded and brainwashed them. Mack was considered the most high-profile recruiter in the group, as she was the leader of its inner circle, NXIVM DOS, which is being reported as a sex cult. In April, the former Smallville actress was arrested by the FBI in Brooklyn for her high-level involvement. Since then, more information about Nxivm and Mack’s disturbing involvement in the group have been revealed to the public. As this potentially damning information leaked, and with the group’s leader Keith Raniere also arrested shortly before Mack, Nxivm officially suspended operations due to “extraordinary circumstances.” That’s putting it mildly, truth be told.

On Nxivm’s website (as reported by E! News), the following message has been posted on their site, claiming all operations inside the group have been suspended due to the ongoing criminal trails and the severe allegations made against the group.

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.

ROCHESTER (NY)
WHAM-TV

June 14, 2018

By Ginny Ryan

[VIDEO]

For victims who say they were abused by Catholic priests who were ordained or assigned in our area, the only recourse is to begin a process dictated by the Diocese of Rochester.

If they’re over the age of 23, as most of the victims are, state law does not allow for criminal charges or a civil suit.

A retired State Supreme Court justice will play a powerful role in these cases. He is both judge and jury.

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.

ROCHESTER (NY)
RochesterFirst.com

June 14, 2018

By Wakisha Bailey and Howard Thompson

[VIDEO]

(WROC) – As more victims come forward, one of the people accusing local priests of sexual abuse is making a public demand for justice.

Carol DuPré says she was the victim of sexual misconduct by Father Stuart Hogan when she was a teenager.

Thursday morning, DuPré stood with Attorney Mitchell Garabedian, who is representing a number of victims, to speak with members of the media.

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.

ROCHESTER (NY)
WHEC-TV

June 15, 2018

[VIDEO]

A local priest has taken a leave of absence from his position following accusations of abusing children in a local church.

The Diocese says Father Thomas Valenti, one of eight priests recently named by a high-profile attorney, is taking personal time following the accusation.

The Diocese confirms Valenti “asked to be relieved of his duties at this time. He remains a pastoral administrator.” Valenti — along with Eugene Emo and David Simon — was previously named as alleged sexual abusers of children.

The Diocese found the 2003 claims unsubstantiated and say no other claims were ever made against 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.

AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald

June 13, 2018

By Joanne McCarthy

Everything changed on December 15, 2017 when the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse presented its final report and recommendations to the Australian public.

It’s a shame Australia’s Catholic bishops missed the memo.

The royal commission exposed in sickening, staggering detail the church’s crimes against thousands of children in Australia alone, and its culpability as an organisation that protected criminals and facilitated those crimes.

But the bishops, in response, are acting as if nothing has happened. Sure, they’ve promised change. They’ve released pious statements. They’ve even used the words “humility” and “humbled” in the right context.

But with every move they make, with every step they don’t take, Australia’s bishops show they don’t understand that their relationship with Australians has changed. Has had to change.

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
Australian Broadcasting Corporation

June 15, 2018

By Iskhandar Razak

People who survived horrific child abuse in institutions will not get the justice and compensation they deserve under the national redress scheme because it only focuses on sexual crime, long-time campaigner Leonie Sheedy has said.

Victorian Attorney-General Martin Pakula announced the Andrews Government had committed up to $600 million to the redress scheme over the next decade for Victorian abuse survivors.

He said it was expected something in the order of 5,000 people were likely to come forward and seek compensation.

All the states and territories have committed to the redress scheme recommended by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse to compensate people who were sexually abused in state institutions.

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.

OKLAHOMA CITY (OK)
KOCO-TV

June 14, 2018

[VIDEO]

Emmanuel Enid reverend minister Wade Burleson wants to put an end to sexual abuse inside places of worship.

“When you hear the story of people who have been through abuse that involves ministers,” Burleson said, “it breaks your heart.”

While at the Southern Baptist convention this week, Burleson proposed a database that would warn churches if a potential employee has a dark past.

“It would include confessions, where there’s no legal conviction,” he said. “Possibly, including “possibly the credibly accused.”

Burleson believes sexual predators are often able to hop from church to church while flying under the radar because law enforcement wasn’t notified.

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.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA (AUSTRALIA)
The Australian

June 15, 2018

By Michael Owen

Catholic priests in South Australia will defy new laws requiring them to report confessions of child sexual abuse.

Bishop Greg O’Kelly, the Acting Archbishop of Adelaide, said priests were bound by the sacred and not the secular, claiming the new law “doesn’t affect us”.

“We have an understanding of the seal of confession that is in the area of the sacred … politicians can change the law but we can’t change the nature of the confessional, which is a sacred encounter between a penitent and someone seeking forgiveness and a priest representing Christ,” Bishop O’Kelly told ABC radio.

“That does not change by the law of politicians.”

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.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA (AUSTRALIA)
Australian Associated Press

June 15, 2018

* South Australian Catholic Church will refuse to report child abuse confessions
* Acting Archbishop of Adelaide Greg O’Kelly says confessional is sacred
* The new law will mean not reporting abuse will carry a maximum $10,000

The Catholic Church has says it will refuse report confessions of child sex abuse despite a law that requires priests to do so, defending the practice as ‘sacred.’

The South Australian Catholic Church will not adhere to a change in law requiring priests to report confessions of child sex abuse, the Acting Archbishop of Adelaide says.

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.

ROCHESTER (NY)
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

June 14, 2018

By Meaghan M. McDermott

Attorney Mitchell Garabedian announced on June 6 that 15 men and two women have alleged they were sexually abused as children by eight priests assigned to parishes in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester between 1950 and 1978.

Three of the accused priests have been publically identified in the past: Eugene Emo, David P. Simon and Francis H. Vogt. Emo and Simon were removed from their ministry and Vogt has since died.

Here are the priests identified by Garabedian and their assignment history within the Diocese of Rochester:

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.

ROCHESTER (NY)
WHEC 10

June 14, 2018

An alleged victim of clergy sexual abuse spoke out Thursday morning in a press conference at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Rochester.

The alleged victim, Carol DuPre’ says that the abuse she suffered occurred from 1962 and 1963 when she was between the ages of 15- and 16-years-old.

She would continue to say that at that time she would count the money after mass on Sunday which is where the alleged abuse at the hands of Father Stuart Hogan began.

“By coming out and talking about this I hope this will help how I am feeling on the inside which is healing,” DuPre’ explained.

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.

ROCHESTER (NY)
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

June 14, 2018

By Meaghan M. McDermott and Sean Lahman

A Spencerport woman who has accused a priest in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester of sexual abuse shared her story Thursday morning on the steps of Sacred Heart Cathedral.

Carol DuPré is one of a group of accusers who say they were sexually abused by Rochester area priests when they were children. Mitchell Garabedian, a Boston attorney who has spent decades representing such victims, last week named eight priests from the diocese who 15 men and two women say abused them between 1950 and 1978.

DuPré said she was molested by Father G. Stuart Hogan when she was 15 and 16 years old in 1962 and 1963.

“It started after mass one Sunday when he asked me to go back to the rectory to help count the offering,” she said. “It put me in a precarious position where he began the molestation, and that’s all I want to talk about as far as details.”

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.

SANTIAGO (CHILE)
Comunicaciones Santiago

June 13, 2018

Durante la mañana de este miércoles 13 de junio de 2018, el fiscal regional de O’Higgins, Sr. Emiliano Arias, junto con efectivos del OS-9 de Carabineros, presentaron al Arzobispado de Santiago una orden judicial de registro e incautación de antecedentes de parte de la Jueza de Garantía de Pichilemu (VI Región), Sra. Magistrado América Antonia Rojas, sobre un proceso de investigación de abusos presentado a la curia de Santiago.

La investigación del caso había sido enviada por la arquidiócesis el 31 de enero de 2018 a la Santa Sede.

El Arzobispado de Santiago entregó al Sr. fiscal toda la documentación solicitada, reiterando la disponibilidad de colaborar con la justicia civil, en todo lo que sea requerido.
Atentamente,

Arzobispado de Santiago de Chile

Fuente: Comunicaciones Santiago

http://www.iglesiadesantiago.cl

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
News Wires

June 14, 2018

Police on Wednesday seized church files in raids in Santiago and Rancagua, as the Catholic Church scrambled to try to put a better face on a sex abuse scandal that has rocked Chile.
The surprise operations came as Maltese archbishop Charles Scicluna and fellow papal envoy Jordi Bertomeu are visiting for a second time to take witness statements from victims of sexual abuse in the church and provide instruction to Chilean dioceses to respond adequately to any new complaints.

Prosecutor Emiliano Arias confirmed two “landmark” raids and said he was pleased with how they went. Precisely because church officials long were not subject to civilian authority in Chile, this marked a dramatic shift.

“This is not an investigation against the Catholic church,” Arias said, but rather an investigation of reports of sex abuse by members of the church who abused minors.

Several members of the church hierarchy, including former bishop Juan Barros, are accused by victims of ignoring and covering up years of child abuse by Chilean pedophile priest Fernando Karadima during the 1980s and 1990s.

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.

SANTIAGO (CHILE)
Agence France-Presse

June 13, 2018

Maltese archbishop Charles Scicluna and fellow papal envoy Jordi Bertomeu will take witness statements from victims of sexual abuse within the Church

The Vatican’s top abuse investigator arrived in Chile on Tuesday, June 12, a day after Pope Francis accepted the resignation of 3 bishops from the scandal-wracked Chilean Church.

Maltese archbishop Charles Scicluna and fellow papal envoy Jordi Bertomeu will take witness statements from victims of sexual abuse within the Church and provide instruction to Chilean dioceses to respond adequately to any new complaints.

“We have come to ask forgiveness” from the victims on behalf of Pope Francis, said Bertomeu as they arrived in Santiago.

The two investigators will meet Wednesday, June 13, with Canon law experts from Chilean dioceses who will provide “technical and legal assistance” in order to “provide adequate responses to each case of child sexual abuse committed by clerics or religious,” Scicluna told reporters.

The two officials are due to travel to Osorno, the Catholic diocese led by Juan Barros, one of 3 bishops whose resignation Francis accepted following a child sex abuse scandal that has come to haunt his papacy.

Scicluna told reporters that the visit to Barros’s diocese of Osorno aimed to “express the particular closeness of the pope to the diocese of Osorno and his beloved 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.

SANTIAGO (CHILE)
Reuters

June 12, 2018

By Aislinn Laing

The Vatican’s top sex abuse investigators arrived in Chile on Tuesday saying they had orders from Pope Francis to ensure the Roman Catholic Church responds to “every case of sexual abuse of minors committed by clergymen” in the South American nation.

New abuse accusations have emerged in recent weeks against the Church in Chile, including allegations against the pope’s own Jesuit order. They follow the resignation of three bishops after an abuse and cover-up scandal that has damaged the Church’s reputation in the country.

“We are seeking to provide concrete technical and legal advice … so that [the Church] can give a proper response to each case of sexual abuse,” Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta said at a news conference in Santiago.

The Church said it would name a delegate next Monday to be stationed in Santiago and receive accusations of abuse, part of a new effort to help victims seek quick justice on still-open cases, some of which go back decades.

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
WHIMN

June 13, 2018

By Cleo Waters

It all started with a few missed calls and then a text message saying we had to meet up. He sounded calm on the phone but his need to see me seemed urgent, so we went out for lunch that day.

It was over a vegan meal my friend told me that a woman he’d worked with had accused him of sexual assault and the police were getting involved.

My first reaction was shock. How could this be? How could this man I know to be a funny, kind, sweet and wholly harmless human being be suspected of such a thing with a barely-adult woman.

He was distraught; not crying, but judging by the puffiness that filled the lines on his 30-something face, he’d done a lot of that already. He sounded embarrassed … devastated that his career might be on the line. But honestly, even as he insisted he’d acted “totally professionally” and the incident had been “taken out of context,” the exchange he described seemed questionable.

Now, let me quell your curiosity when I say that knowing the particular details of this incident isn’t necessary to underscore the fact that sexual misconduct on any level is unacceptable in the workplace, or anywhere else, for that matter. Unwelcome explicit comments (something that was alleged) and unwanted, gentle grazes (also alleged) aren’t okay.

In the current climate of #metoo and #timesup, it’s very easy to class men like Harvey Weinstein in the predator category — more than 80 women have come forward to accuse Weinstein of sexual misconduct, and over the years, the disgraced producer cultivated an infamous reputation as a bully, notorious even by Hollywood standards — but what to do when someone you know and trust is also accused of similar grievances? “Today” host Savannah Guthrie highlighted this dilemma when discussing her co-anchor Matt Lauer’s sacking after sexual misconduct allegations came to light and wondered aloud: “How do you reconcile your love for someone with the revelation that they have behaved badly?”

How indeed?

It was a question I grappled with during that lunch and well after it, because, as a woman who’s experienced sexual harassment myself, I fully embrace this necessary reckoning that’s seeing many men being held accountable for their usually unpunished antics. I’d be remiss not to acknowledge that the conversations going on right now in offices, schools and bedrooms about women feeling mistreated or threatened sexually are very different from the public discourse happening 10 years ago (or even discussions we were having 10 months ago).

That day, while my friend proclaimed his innocence — and I do believe that no harm was intended — I thought a line had been crossed. And I told him so.

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.

EAST LANSING (MI)
The Detroit News

June 13, 2018

By Kim Kozlowski

Michigan State University interim President John Engler faced blowback Wednesday after emails emerged in which he criticized lawyers for Larry Nassar’s assault victims and said the first gymnast to come forward in the scandal was probably getting a “kickback” from her attorney for “manipulating” other victims.

The comments from Engler, reported Wednesday by the Chronicle of Higher Education, generated outrage among Nassar’s victims and their allies, including one MSU trustee who said it was time for Engler to take a long look at what he is doing to MSU as it works to move past the scandal.

“Interim President John Engler’s emails released today are completely unacceptable and tone deaf and he should publicly apologize immediately and denounce these insensitive comments,” MSU Trustee Dianne Byrum said in a statement. “We need to be focused on culture change at MSU and allow the healing process to begin and statements like these from Interim President Engler and his advisors are hurtful, counterproductive and unnecessary.”

Trustee Brian Mosallam added that he was stunned by Engler’s comments.

“I am extremely troubled and disappointed,” Mosallam said. “The interim president’s tone and conduct Is embarrassing. We are a university that should be showing compassion and contrition and he is doing the exact opposite.”

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.

EAST LANSING (MI)
The Associated Press

June 13, 2018

Michigan State University’s interim president criticized lawyers who represent Larry Nassar’s assault victims and suggested that the first woman to go public with her accusations was probably getting a “kickback” from her attorney, according to emails.

John Engler’s remarks were made to another university official in April, a month before Michigan State agreed to a $500 million settlement with hundreds of women and girls who said they were sexually assaulted by Nassar, a campus sports doctor now serving decades in prison. The Chronicle of Higher Education and Detroit Free Press reported on the emails Wednesday.

Engler, a former Michigan governor, had an email exchange with Carol Viventi, a Michigan State vice president and special counsel. The emails followed allegations at a stormy public meeting that Engler was trying to pay off a woman without her lawyer’s input.

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.

EAST LANSING (MI)
Detroit Free Press

June 13, 2018

By David Jesse

Michigan State interim President John Engler, in a private email to a top adviser, accused a prominent survivor of former MSU doctor Larry Nassar — Rachael Denhollander — of likely getting kickbacks from the trial attorneys involved in lawsuits against the school.

In the same string of emails, Engler’s top aide — Carol Viventi — accused MSU board member Brian Mossallam of not doing a good enough job of protecting Engler. The Free Press obtained the emails from a source within the Engler administration. The Chronicle of Higher Education first obtained the emails under a Freedom of Information Act request.

The emails drew swift response, including two calls questioning why Engler was still at the school.

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.

SALT LAKE CITY (UT)
Associated Press

June 13, 2018

By Brady McCombs

A woman who says a former Mormon missionary leader raped her in the 1980s accused church officials in a new court filing this week of knowing about the man’s prior sexual misconduct before he was appointed to the powerful position.

McKenna Denson’s attorneys allege in a court document filed Tuesday that Joseph L. Bishop disclosed to church leaders his “acts of sexual predation” while he was a mission president in Argentina in the late 1970s.

“Instead of informing McKenna of the truth about this self-proclaimed, lifelong sexual predator, defendants represented to McKenna, the public, and members of the church that defendant Bishop was a safe, honorable, and trustworthy leader,” Denson’s attorneys wrote.

Bishop, now 85, has denied raping Denson but acknowledged to police that he asked her to expose herself when he was president of the faith’s Missionary Training Center in Provo, according to police documents. The role he held from 1983 to 1986 gave him authority over hundreds of young Mormons preparing to go on church missions.

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
GMA

June 13, 2018

By Luchina Fisher

Gayle King has not turned her back on her friend and former colleague Charlie Rose.

The “CBS This Morning” co-anchor, who worked alongside Rose for years before he was fired amid multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, spoke to The New York Times about her friendship with veteran journalist and why she sees a potential backlash to the #MeToo movement.

King said, for her, it’s not a question of whether she has to reconcile her friendship with Rose and the things of which he is accused.

“I don’t feel as if I’ve had to reconcile my feelings,” she told The New York Times. “I don’t believe in turning your back on a friend, even when a friend has done something you adamantly disagree with and you’re disappointed in. But I also know that you listen to women, and I don’t discount their stories, either.”

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.

BANGLADESH
UCA News

June 13, 2018

By Stephan Uttom and Rock Ronald Rozario, Natore

Despite police finding that Father Walter Rozario had sex with women and an underage girl, the church has taken no action Bangladeshi priest accused of sexual relations with women and girl

The mysterious disappearance of a Bangladeshi priest just days before Pope Francis visited the country has taken a sinister new turn.

Police suspected Father Walter William Rozario had been kidnapped by radical Muslims when they found his abandoned motorbike and discovered that his mobile phone was switched off.

But their investigation revealed that the 41-year-old priest had allegedly been involved in a string of relationships with women and at least one girl under 18, the age of consent in Bangladesh.

“From our interrogation and findings, I can confirm that five women and an underage girl had illicit and physical relationships with the priest. One of those who admitted having an illicit affair with the priest was a girl aged 17 who was studying in college,” Inspector Saikat Hasan of Boraigram police told ucanews.com.

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
Cooperativa.cl

June 13, 2018

[Prosecutor’s Office carried out proceedings in Rancagua and Santiago in investigation for abuses in the Church]

* Personal de Carabineros y Fiscalía llegaron hasta el obispado de Rancagua y dependencias del Arzobispado de Santiago.

* Se investigan conductas impropias de al menos 14 sacerdotes.

* Personal de Carabineros y la Fiscalía realizaron diversas diligencias simultáneas en la mañana de este miércoles en dependencias de la Diócesis de Rancagua y el Arzobispado de Santiago.

Las diligencias se iniciaron en el obispado de Rancagua, hasta donde llegaron efectivos del OS-9 de Carabineros y el fiscal Sergio Pérez con una orden de entrada y registro emitida por el Tribunal de Garantía de Pichilemu.

En paralelo, el fiscal Emiliano Arias llegó hasta el Tribunal Eclesiástico de Santiago para llevar a cabo otra serie de diligencias, oportunidad en la que comentó que “nadie está al margen de la ley”.

Posteriormente, Arias se dirigió hacia el Arzobispado con el fin de avanzar en las indagatorias.

Arias apuntó que “hubo toda la colaboración en la entrega de los antecedentes que contaban en la orden judicial, se trata de mucha documentación incautada, tanto aquí como en Rancagua, en la que pretendo ahora abocarme de inmediato a poder analizar para poder decretar diligencias”.

El persecutor remarcó que “lo que sí me gustaría aclarar desde ya es que yo no estoy investigando a la iglesia católica, yo estoy investigando a ciertas y determinadas personas naturales que han cometido delitos y que son parte de la iglesia católica”.

**

[GOOGLE TRANSLATION: Prosecutor’s Office carried out proceedings in Rancagua and Santiago in investigation for abuses in the Church

* Carabineros and Prosecutor personnel arrived at the bishopric of Rancagua and offices of the Archbishopric of Santiago.

* Inappropriate behaviors of at least 14 priests are investigated.

* Prosecutor’s Office carried out proceedings in Rancagua and Santiago in investigation for abuses in the Church

Carabineros staff and the Prosecutor’s Office carried out several simultaneous proceedings on the morning of this Wednesday in dependencies of the Diocese of Rancagua and the Archbishopric of Santiago .

The proceedings were initiated in the bishopric of Rancagua , to where troops arrived from the OS-9 of Carabineros and the public prosecutor Sergio Pérez with an order of entry and registration issued by the Guarantee Court of Pichilemu .

In parallel, the prosecutor Emiliano Arias came to the Ecclesiastical Court of Santiago to carry out another series of proceedings, an opportunity in which he commented that ” no one is outside the law.”

Later, Arias went to the Archdiocese in order to advance in the investigations.

Arias noted that ” there was all the collaboration in the delivery of the background that counted in the court order, it is a lot of documentation seized , both here and in Rancagua , which I now intend to immediately address to analyze to be able to decree proceedings” .

The persecutor remarked that “what I would like to clarify right now is that I am not investigating the Catholic Church , I am investigating certain and certain natural persons who have committed crimes and who are part of the Catholic Church.”]

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.

SANTIAGO (CHILE)
Associated Press

June 13, 2018

By Patricia Luna

Prosecutors seized documents in raids on Roman Catholic Church offices in two cities as part of an investigation into growing clergy sex abuse scandals, while Vatican investigators met with Chile’s attorney general to discuss cooperation in the civil and canonical probes.

The surprise raids Wednesday targeted the headquarters of Santiago’s Ecclesiastical Court and the diocese in Rancagua in the O’Higgins region, where 14 priests are accused of having had sexual relations with minors.

They came hours before two envoys sent by Pope Francis met with Chilean prosecutors, including Attorney General Jorge Abbott, to coordinate their response to scandals that have discredited Chile’s church and last month led all of its 30-plus active bishops to offer to resign over their collective guilt in failing to protect children from abusive priests.

“The commitment is to a greater collaboration between the institutions,” Abbott said, adding that church and civilian authorities are going to set up a system that will provide victims with the protections needed to come forward and freely lodge complaints.

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.

BANGLADESH
Global Pulse

The case of Father Walter Rozario bears all the hallmarks of denial, cover-up and silencing victims seen in the West

June 13, 2018

By Michael Kelly SJ, Bangkok

The investigation by ucanews.com into the disappearance of a priest from Bangladesh that uncovered evidence of sexual abuse follows a well-trodden path.

It’s one that has been travelled in country after country for 30 years — in the United States, Canada, Ireland and Australia and now on full display in Chile.

It runs like this: there is a pattern of “grooming” where the sexual predator flatters and indulges his proposed victim into submission; advances are made by the predator on his target; fear and paralysis is the response of the target and often their families, and so often silence.

If church authorities are informed or learn of the events, there is puzzlement followed by inertia often with a failure to listen or take seriously the complaints about a cleric or religious; a pattern of cover-up where the predator is defended or worse still, they are moved to other parts of the diocese or the country or even out of the country; the circling forces of the police are at the extremes: they are either complicit with the powerful church or out to score a conviction at almost any cost.

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

June 13, 2018

[Historical: O’Higgins Prosecutor’s Office initiates confiscation of ecclesiastical archives in the Church of Santiago and Rancagua for sexual abuse of minors]

By Ivonne Toro

La medida incluye todas las acusaciones que llegaron desde 2007 a la fecha a congregación para la doctrina de la Fe y que recibieron sanciones canónicas como aquellas que constan en los archivos de la curia de la diócesis de Rancagua. En Santiago se requiere información específica sobre el ex canciller del Arzobispado de Santiago, Óscar Muñoz Toledo.

A esta hora el fiscal regional de Rancagua, Emiliano Arias, encabeza la incautación de documentos en dependencias del Tribunal Eclesiástico de calle Catedral en Santiago, el Arzobispado de Santiago y en paralelo, según pudo confirmar La Tercera PM otros persecutores del Ministerio Público se encuentra realizando la misma acción en el edificio de la Diócesis de Rancagua. Se trata de un proceso inédito que se vincula a las indagatorias que sigue Arias por presuntos abusos sexuales a menores por parte de miembros de la curia.

La información recabada por este medio apunta a que la Fiscalía ha solicitado a las reparticiones todas las investigaciones realizadas desde el año 2007 hasta hoy por parte de la Iglesia en que hubieran sido víctimas menores de edad de abusos sexuales u otros ilícitos por parte de los sacerdotes de las diócesis de Rancagua. También se incluye a religiosos que no son parte de esta repartición, pero que habrían cometido ilícitos en la zona.

[GOOGLE TRANSLATION:

Historical: O’Higgins Prosecutor’s Office initiates confiscation of ecclesiastical archives in the Church of Santiago and Rancagua for sexual abuse of minors

The measure includes all the accusations that came from 2007 to the congregation date for the doctrine of the Faith and that received canonical sanctions like those that appear in the archives of the Curia of the Diocese of Rancagua. In Santiago, specific information is required about the former chancellor of the Archdiocese of Santiago, Óscar Muñoz Toledo.

At this time the regional prosecutor of Rancagua, Emiliano Arias, heads the seizure of documents in the Ecclesiastical Tribunal offices of Cathedral Street in Santiago, the Archbishopric of Santiago and in parallel, as he could confirm to La Tercera other prosecutors of the Public Ministry is making the same action in the building of the Diocese of Rancagua. It is an unpublished process that is linked to the investigations Arias follows for alleged sexual abuse of minors by members of the curia.

The information gathered through this means that the Office of the Prosecutor has requested all the investigations carried out from 2007 until today by the Church in which they have been victims of sexual abuse or other illicit acts by priests. of the Dioceses of Rancagua. It also includes religious who are not part of this division, but who would have committed crimes in the area.]

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.

SANTIAGO (CHILE)
Reuters

June 13, 2018

By Aislinn Laing and Dave Sherwood

Chilean police and prosecutors on Wednesday launched separate and unexpected raids on Roman Catholic Church offices to seize documents relating to mounting claims of sexual abuse and cover-up.

The raids came just hours before Vatican abuse investigators sent by Pope Francis met the country’s top prosecutor to discuss collaborating on civil and canonical probes.

Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta, a special envoy from the Vatican, told reporters that it was “very important” that Church and state work together to protect children alleged to have been abused by priests and clergymen.

“The canonical process should in no way impede the right of people to exercise their right to civil justice,” he said at a news conference in the capital Santiago.

Hours earlier, police and prosecutors raided the Church’s judicial office in Santiago, surprising Church leaders.

Jaime Ortiz de Lazcano, the Archbishop of Santiago’s legal advisor, said he was in a meeting with Scicluna when he was asked to go to a court hearing about the impending seizure of documents relating to an abuse case the Church had investigated in January.

“I was very surprised when they told me ‘Father, go to the court because there’s going to be a raid,’” he told reporters.

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.

HARRISBURG (PA)
WFMZ-TV

June 12, 2018

By Katiera Winfrey

Renewed push to follow report on church sex abuse

A Pennsylvania lawmaker from Berks County plans to renew his push to abolish the state’s statute of limitations in sex abuse cases after the publication of a grand jury report on allegations of child sexual abuse within six Roman Catholic dioceses around the state.

Rep. Mark Rozzi, himself a victim of childhood sex abuse in the Allentown diocese, said Tuesday he’s prepared to seek a vote in the state House of Representatives on legislation that carries provisions sought by victims.

Rozzi’s efforts come ahead of the release of a grand jury report into sex abuse in the Catholic dioceses.

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.

HARRISBURG (PA)
The Associated Press

June 12, 2018

A renewed push for legislation to abolish Pennsylvania’s statute of limitations in sex abuse cases will follow the publication of a sweeping grand jury report on allegations of child sexual abuse and cover-ups within six Roman Catholic dioceses around the state, a lawmaker said Tuesday.

Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Berks, said he will be prepared to seek a vote in the state House of Representatives on legislation that carries provisions sought by victims.

The House two years ago overwhelmingly approved Rozzi’s legislation to lift time limits for authorities to pursue charges of child sexual abuse and for those onetime child victims to sue their attackers and institutions that covered it up. Rozzi’s bill also would have established a two-year window for victims to sue for damages if they are now older than the current legal age limit.

Currently, state law bars onetime child victims from suing for damages if they have turned 30 and bars authorities from filing criminal charges if the person making the claim of child sexual abuse has turned 50.

The Senate, however, rejected key provisions, including the two-year window. Rozzi, who has told of his rape as a 13-year-old boy by a Roman Catholic priest, said he is hoping the grand jury’s report changes enough minds for his bill to pass the Senate this time.

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.

HARRISBURG (PA)
The Tribune-Democrat

June 13, 2018

By John Finnerty

Advocates rallied at the Capitol on Tuesday to call on state lawmakers to allow victims to seek justice for long-ago abuse ahead of an expected grand jury report examining the Catholic church’s handling of child sex abuse by priests across Pennsylvania.

Efforts to reform the statute of limitations law in the wake of child sex abuse scandals have been mired in controversy over whether possible reforms should to be made moving forward or include provisions to allow victims to seek justice for crimes that have already passed the statute of limitations.

The Senate last year approved Senate Bill 261, a measure that would have eliminated the statute of limitations for criminal prosecution of child sex crimes. But that measure only looked forward and offered no relief for victims of crimes that have already passed the statute of limitations.

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.

PETALUMA (CA)
Chicago Tribune

June 12, 2018

By Heidi Stevens

Lulabel Seitz, the valedictorian at Petaluma High School in Northern California, was plugging along nicely on her commencement address about overcoming obstacles and achieving dreams when suddenly her mic went dead.

“The class of 2018 has demonstrated time and time again that we may be a new generation, but we are not too young to speak up, to dream and to create change,” she told the crowd of graduates and their loved ones. “Which is why even when some people on this campus, those same people — ”

Cut!

She veered off-script around the four-minute mark, and administrators were having none of it. Students submitted their speeches for approval, principal David Stirrat told The Washington Post, and they were warned that if they deviated from the approved remarks, the microphone could be cut off.

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.

EAST LANSING (MI)
Lansing State Journal

June 13, 2018

By Matt Mencarini

Michigan State University has refused to release records that would show whether any of its deans or top administrators have been the subject of misconduct investigations. MSU also failed to meet a statutory deadline in an appeal of that decision.

On May 4, the university denied the release of records relating to any open or closed university investigations of 38 of its top officials, including deans, some vice presidents and high-ranking athletic department staffers. The request covered Title IX investigations, which look into sexual misconduct and relationship violence, or any other internal inquiries.

The Lansing State Journal made the request under the state’s Freedom of Information Act following the arrest of former dean William Strampel in March and the revelation that he had been subject of a Title IX investigation since December.

The university said that any closed investigations were denied as an unwarranted invasion of privacy. Any open investigations were denied as potentially interfering with ongoing law enforcement investigations and as an unwarranted invasion of privacy. MSU did not specify whether no such records exist for some of the 38 individuals.

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)
Boston Magazine

June 12, 2018

By Spencer Buell

“I made mistakes, and I’m truly sorry.”

Eric Schultz, the CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, announced his resignation Tuesday, effective immediately, after behavior that was described as inappropriate.

“It’s with mixed emotions that I inform you that today will be my last day as CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Chair of the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation,” Schultz said in a resignation letter shared Tuesday. “Regrettably, I recently exhibited behavior that was inconsistent with my personal core values and the company’s core values and code of conduct. During the past eight years as your leader, I was committed to fostering a workplace culture that was inclusive, welcoming and rooted in integrity and respect. I made mistakes, and I’m truly sorry.”

The board of directors at the Boston-based health services company said in a statement it has accepted his resignation.

Neither Schultz nor Harvard Pilgrim has offered any more specifics.

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)
Boston Magazine

June 11, 2018

By Spencer Buell

The Globe had filed an injunction to force Sargent, a former boston.com staffer, to turn over information.

The Boston Globe has decided to end its legal battle with Hilary Sargent, a former employee who shared saved text messages conversations on Twitter that appeared to show someone—whom she claimed to be the Globe‘s top editor—sending suggestive messages.

The outlet has dropped efforts to seek an injunction that would have forced Sargent, who was once an editor at the Globe-owned boston.com, to sit down for an official interview and hand over documents related to her allegations against editor Brian McGrory. In its announcement, the Globe cited statements from Sargent and her lawyer that an inappropriate text allegedly sent to her by McGrory was “more likely” sent after she was no longer an employee at the paper.

“After learning facts disclosed for the first time by Hilary Sargent … the Boston Globe believes that legal action is no longer necessary,” reads a statement released by the Globe. “Ms. Sargent has finally provided the information the Globe has requested from the start.”

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 Cut

June 13, 2018

By Sarah Spellings

Months after Guess models including Kate Upton accused co-founder Paul Marciano of “sexually and emotionally harassing women,” Marciano has stepped down from the company.

A four-month-long probe found that Marciano has “exercised poor judgment in his communications with models and photographers and in placing himself in situations in which plausible allegations of improper conduct could, and did, arise.” The company also said in a statement that Marciano had made “inappropriate comments and texts and unwanted advances including kissing and groping.”

Marciano’s brother was appointed chairman, and Marciano will remain on the board until January 30, 2019. He has not performed his daily duties since the beginning of the probe.

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.

LOS ANGELES (CA)
CBS NEWS

June 13, 2018

Another woman is detailing explosive allegations against a longtime gynecologist at the University of Southern California. She’s joined 23 other women in an amended lawsuit, accusing Dr. George Tyndall of sexual misconduct including assaulting patients under the guise of medical treatment.

Tyndall is also feds probing whether USC concealed abuse allegations against school gynecologist. They’re looking into more than 50 cases. Some former patients claim USC ignored complaints about the doctor for decades and covered up his alleged crimes, reports CBS News correspondent Jamie Yuccas.

Daniella Mohazab and Anika Narayanan both visited USC gynecologist Dr. George Tyndall in 2016.

“When we went into the examining room, he had me undress from the waist down and he watched me as I did that,” Mohazab told Yuccas.

“He started asking me what race I was, relating to me how I looked like his wife,” Mohazab added.

Narayanan said she had never been to a gynecologist before.

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.

DALLAS (TX)
The Tennessean

June 12, 2018

By Holly Meyer

The Southern Baptist Convention condemned all forms of abuse and stood in support of victims on Tuesday evening.

The voting representatives from Southern Baptist churches across the nation passed a resolution addressing abusive behavior and how church leaders should respond to allegations. They are in Dallas this week for their annual denominational meeting.

“We call on all persons perpetrating and enabling abuse to repent and to confess their sin to Jesus Christ and to church authorities and to confess their crimes to civil authorities,” the resolution reads.

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.

LA JOLLA (CA)
News Medical

June 13, 2018

By Dr Ananya Mandal, MD

Eminent biologist and cancer researcher Inder Verma has resigned from the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences in La Jolla, California according to an announcement made by the institute on the 11th of June 2018. This has followed the temporary suspension of Verma since 21st of April this year after several allegations of gender discrimination and sexual harassment from female scientists against him.

After receiving the complaints the Salk Institute had started an internal probe into the matter. Verma has since then repeatedly denied the allegations made against him. In a statement to the media he said, “I have never used my position at the Salk Institute to take advantage of others. I have also never engaged in any sort of intimate relationship with anyone affiliated with the Salk Institute. I have never inappropriately touched, nor have I made any sexually charged comments, to anyone affiliated with the Salk Institute. I have never allowed any offensive or sexually charged conversations, jokes, material, etc. to occur at the Salk Institute.”

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
Australian Associated Press

June 13, 2018

By Megan Neil

The Catholic Church maintains the seal of confession cannot be broken even to reveal child sexual abuse, despite Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull declaring children’s safety must take priority.

Mr Turnbull has promised the federal government will put child safety first as he prepares an October 22 national apology to child sexual abuse survivors for the “shocking” crimes committed against them.

The government will set up a national office of child safety as it adopts the bulk of the recommendations of the five-year child abuse royal commission.

While Canberra has not rejected any recommendations, the controversial issue of extending mandatory reporting laws to include people in religious ministry remains in the hands of the states and territories.

Mr Turnbull had a clear message for the Catholic Church when it came to the seal of the confession: “The safety of children should always be put 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.

CANTERBURY (ENGLAND)
Kent Online

June 13, 2018

By Joe Wright

Church leaders have come under fire for advising priests to divulge the secrets of confession in special circumstances.

The Diocese of Canterbury, which covers Maidstone, Thanet and Ashford, has been accused of breaching canon law for telling clergy to inform the authorities should they fear for a person’s safety.

The guidelines were drawn up after a local priest felt compromised when someone revealed details about ongoing 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.

AUSTRALIA
Australian Broadcasting Corporation

June 13, 2018

By Matthew Doran

The Catholic Church is holding firm against calls to lift the veil of secrecy on confession amid calls from victims and advocates to force priests to report alleged abusers.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull delivered the Federal Government’s response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse in Canberra on Wednesday.

Last year 122 recommendations were delivered to the government, including calls to throw out the sanctity of the confessional.

In a statement posted to YouTube, Australian Catholic Bishops Conference President, Archbishop Mark Coleridge dismissed those demands.

“The church doesn’t want to protect criminals, it wants children to be safe from them,” he said.

“And the church wants measures that really make environments safer for children.

“But there’s nothing to suggest that legal abolition of the seal will help in that regard.”

That has outraged advocates of abuse victims, who believe the church is simply trying to shield alleged abusers.

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.

DHAKA (BANGLADESH)
UCANews

June 13, 2018

By Rock Ronald Rozario

Abuse is covered up not just by the church, but also by local Christian society, rights activist Rosaline Costa says

Bangladeshi human rights activist Rosaline Costa says reports of clergymen abusing women and children have been around Christendom for years.

“In recent years the media has been very open in this respect and so many victims are coming out and even risking their lives with their claims,” Costa said.

After ucanews.com reported the case of Bangladeshi priest Father William Walter Rozario, the former Maria Bambina nun answered the following questions about the situation in Bangladesh:

Do you find the case of Father Rozario significant?

I feel it is very significant in the context of Bangladesh. Our Catholic people are God-fearing and honor religious men and women in a special way. We have learned that religious people are the people of God and they commit themselves by taking the visible place of Jesus. But when such things happen, it is a shocking message to all Christians. In recent years, we have heard of similar cases in various dioceses and parishes.

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.

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
The Inquirer

June 13, 2018

By Maria Panaritis

The warning Tuesday came from Catholic men in the Pennsylvania legislature.

Their names are Tom Murt of Montgomery County, Pat Harkins of Erie, and Mark Rozzi of Reading. They’re guys who go to church or, in Rozzi’s case at least, used to — until he was raped by a priest as a 13-year-old.

A bombshell is coming, they warned during a rally inside the Capitol in Harrisburg. And anyone working alongside them in this, the people’s hall of power, had better be on the right side of things when it does.

An investigative grand jury report into clergy abuse in six of the state’s eight Catholic dioceses may be days away from being made public. Rumored to be 884 pages long, it is expected to make stomachs turn, the product of more than two years’ worth of top-secret subpoenas and testimony led by a team in the Attorney General’s Office.

Let’s hope it shakes everyone to their core. Because lawmakers must be prodded toward justice, once and for all.

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.

OWEGO (NY)
Press Connects

June 13, 2018

By Katie Sullivan

Tioga County priest Rev. Thomas Valenti has asked to take time away from his pastoral duties, days after a Boston attorney named him as one of eight clergy members accused of sexually abusing children in the Diocese of Rochester between 1950 and 1978.

On Wednesday, Doug Mandelaro, director of stewardship and communications for the Diocese of Rochester, confirmed Valenti has asked “to be relieved of his pastoral duties at this time in order to address this matter.”

Valenti currently serves as the parochial administrator at Blessed Trinity — that includes St. James Church in Waverly, St. John in Newark Valley and St. Margaret Mary in Apalachin — as well as St. Patrick’s parish in Owego.

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

VATICAN CITY
Catholic News Service

June 13, 2018

Arriving on his second visit to Chile, Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta said his mission to the country is a sign of Pope Francis’ closeness to the local church following devastating reports of sexual abuse and cover-ups by members of the clergy.

Speaking to journalists in Santiago June 12, the archbishop said his team’s pastoral mission includes providing “concrete technical and legal assistance to the dioceses in Chile so they may give adequate responses to each case of sexual abuse of minors committed by clergy or religious.”

Archbishop Scicluna, president of a board of review handling abuse cases within the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Father Jordi Bertomeu Farnos, an official of the doctrinal congregation, visited Santiago June 12-13 before going to Osorno June 14-17.

Pope Francis accepted the resignation of 61-year-old Bishop Juan Barros of Osorno, Chile, and two other Chilean bishops June 11. Bishop Barros’ appointment as head of the Diocese of Osorno in January 2015 sparked protest because of the bishop’s connection to Father Fernando Karadima, his former mentor. Father Karadima was sentenced to a life of prayer and penance by the Vatican after he was found guilty of sexually abusing 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.

CHILE
The Washington Post

June 12, 2018

By Editorial Board

THE WORLD HAS heard it again and again — heartfelt, ringing pledges by Pope Francis and his predecessors that the Vatican, at long last, has gotten the message on the global epidemic of clerical sex abuse. These often have been followed by half-measures, equivocations, inertia and even outright contempt for accusers, who in most cases were victimized as children.

Now, five years into his papacy, there are signs, at last, that Pope Francis is starting to get it.

In an extraordinary move, he summoned all 34 of Chile’s bishops to the Vatican last month for an emergency summit and dressing-down, accusing them of collective responsibility for systematically ignoring and covering up for pedophile priests over decades. The pontiff included himself in the problem — “me first of all,” he wrote to the bishops — having in January summarily dismissed as “slander” credible accusations that a Chilean bishop, Juan Barros, whom he appointed in 2015 despite warnings by other prelates, was complicit in misdeeds by a notorious abusive 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.

DALLAS (TX)
Associated Press

June 12, 2018

The Latest on the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in Dallas (all times local):

2:15 p.m.

About two dozen protesters gathered outside the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention are pushing for three changes to church operations.

They say they want more inclusion of women’s voices in the SBC and a database to record and track those accused of misconduct. They also want seminarians and others trained on how to address domestic violence.

Carol Shelton of Fort Worth says domestic violence and sexual abuse have been given little attention because the victims are normally women.

Michael Maschenik, pastor of Unity Baptist Church near Macon, Georgia, counters that a database would be redundant from the ones kept by authorities. He says no one in the SBC supports or condones abusive behavior.

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.

SYDNEY (AUSTRALIA)
Associated Press

June 13, 2018

By Trevor Marshallsea

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will deliver a national apology to child sex abuse victims as part of the government’s response to a long-running inquiry that heard allegations against government and private institutions and prominent individuals in five years of hearings.

The apology, to be delivered on Oct. 22 after public consultations, was announced Wednesday as Turnbull outlined his government’s formal reaction to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Its inquiry ended in December after taking evidence from leaders such as Vatican Cardinal George Pell, who is charged with committing historical sex abuses himself and was accused of failing to protect children.

Turnbull’s government will adopt 104 of the 122 recommendations the royal commission made to it, including establishing a national office for child safety and joining a redress payments program. The 18 other recommendations remain under consideration.

“It’s been harrowing work,” Turnbull told a news conference in Canberra. “Now that we’ve uncovered the shocking truth, we must do everything in our power to honor the bravery of the thousands of people who came forward.”

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.

HARRISBURG (PA)
Fox43-TV

June 12, 2018

Survivors of childhood sexual abuse and advocated rallied Tuesday, pushing for reforms of the commonwealth statute of limitation rules.

Currently in Pennsylvania, someone who was sexually abused before their eighteenth birthday has until they’re 30-years old to file a civil suit.

The age limit for a person to bring forward a criminal case is 50-years old.

House Bill 612 proposes to eliminate the criminal statute of limitations while providing a two-year window of opportunity for anyone seeking a civil lawsuit after exceeding the age limit, with the burden of proof going on the accuser.

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.

HARRISBURG (PA)
PALive.com (WBRE/WYOU-TV)

June 13, 2018

By Matt Heckel and Jayne Ann Bugda

[VIDEO]

The findings of a grand jury investigating allegations of sexual abuse by priests at six Catholic Dioceses in Pennsylvania is set to be released to the public later this month. On Tuesday there was a push at the state capitol to give victims more legal rights. Eyewitness News Harrisburg Reporter Matt Heckel has the story.

A bill in the house would lift time limits for when victims of sex abuse can sue their alleged abusers. On Tuesday, Victims and advocates filled the capitol to urge lawmakers to pass the bill.

“You learn to live with it. It’s like a haunting,” said Teresa Lancaster.

Not a day has gone by since Teresa Lancaster graduated from “Archbishop Keough High School” in Baltimore in the 1970’s that she doesn’t think about the sexual abuse she and her classmates went through.

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 YORK (NY)
GetReligion

June 12, 2018

By Terry Mattingly

The 2018 Southern Baptist Convention is in session and, so far, the news out of Dallas has been pretty predictable. The big news, if you are into that civil-religion thing, is that Vice President Mike Pence will address the gathering tomorrow.

Baptist Press has a live blog here, with the status of resolutions and other votes, and an actual live-cam up is streaming here (and here on YouTube).There’s lots going on at several hashtags, such as #SBC18, #SBC2018 and #SBCAM18. The official Twitter feed for the meeting is right here.

As I wrote yesterday, in a high-altitude overview post, I think the key to the meeting will be actions – not just resolutions – to change policies in seminaries linked to counseling and reports of domestic abuse. Also, watch for efforts to create some kind of SBC-endorsed clearing house collecting official reports of abuse by clergy and church 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.

HARRISBURG (PA)
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

June 12, 2018

By Peter Smith

Advocates for sexual-abuse survivors are rebooting their effort on Tuesday in Harrisburg for legislation that would allow victims to sue over abuse that happened years or decades ago.

And if a recent settlement in Minnesota is any indication, the implications for such legislation could be huge for Pennsylvania’s Roman Catholic dioceses, which are facing the imminent release of a landmark grand jury report into 70 years of alleged sexual abuse and cover-up.

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis on May 31 reached at $210 million settlement with about 450 victims of abuse by clergy and others associated with the church.

That followed the archdiocese’s 2015 bankruptcy filing, which itself followed an avalanche of lawsuits made possible by a 2013 Child Victim’s Act. That Minnesota law provided a three-year window in the statute of limitations that otherwise had barred lawsuits over long-ago 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.

HARRISBURG (PA)
The Associated Press

June 12, 2018

By Marc Levy

A lawmaker plans to renew his push to abolish Pennsylvania’s statute of limitations in sex abuse cases after the publication of a grand jury report on allegations of child sexual abuse within six Roman Catholic dioceses around the state.

A renewed push for legislation to abolish Pennsylvania’s statute of limitations in sex abuse cases will follow the publication of a sweeping grand jury report on allegations of child sexual abuse within six Roman Catholic dioceses around the state, a lawmaker said Tuesday.

Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Berks, said he will be prepared to seek a vote in the state House of Representatives on legislation that carries provisions sought by victims.

The House two years ago overwhelmingly approved Rozzi’s legislation to lift time limits for authorities to pursue charges of child sexual abuse and for those onetime child victims to sue their attackers and institutions that covered it up. Rozzi’s bill also would have created a two-year window for victims to sue for damages if they are now older than the current legal age limit.

Currently, state law bars onetime-child victims from suing for damages if they have turned 30 and it bars authorities from filing criminal charges if the person making the claim of child sexual abuse has turned 50.

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.

DALLAS (TX)
CNN

June 12, 2018

By Daniel Burke

First it was the pastor in Memphis, whose megachurch applauded when he confessed to having a sexual encounter with a teenager 20 years ago. He was later placed on leave.

Then the head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s executive committee resigned, citing “a morally inappropriate relationship in the recent past.”

And last month, Paige Patterson, 75, a revered figure in many Southern Baptist circles, was removed as president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary amid accusations he had mishandled two separate cases where students came to him saying they had been raped.

Before those allegations came to light, Patterson had already been the subject of controversy. Audio and video recordings emerged online of Patterson making lewd remarks about a teenage girl, and counseling a woman in an abusive relationship not to divorce her husband, even when she showed up at church with two black eyes.

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
The Irish Times

June 12, 2018

By Patsy McGarry

Survivors group says religious orders are ‘extorting the Government over past crimes’

The Coalition of Mother and Baby Home Survivors are planning to protest during the visit to Pope Francis to Ireland next August, founder member Paul Redmond has said.

“The fact of the matter is that the whole adoption machine was run by the church over the years and they cared little or nothing for the law of the land. As far as they were concerned they were doing God’s work, canon law superseded everything and they played hard and fast with the rules across the board,” he told a press conference in Dublin on Tuesday.

On Monday the survivors’ group met Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Katherine Zappone who “promised action and legislation by this autumn,” he said.

They would like to see “a Garda unit, properly resourced, proactively going after what evidence is left of the criminal behaviour that was involved, baby trafficking, child abduction, and all the rest of it in this country for generations. These were crimes, serious crimes,” he 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.

LOS ANGELES (CA)
The Washington Post

June 11, 2018

By Susan Svrluga

The U.S. Education Department is launching an investigation into the University of Southern California’s handling of sexual harassment allegations against a former gynecologist at the school’s student health clinic – and why complaints were not disclosed earlier.

Last month, the Los Angeles Times reported that the private research university had let gynecologist George Tyndall continue treating students despite complaints about his behavior. In the days after the story ran, hundreds of women came forward to report misconduct by Tyndall, who had been a physician there for more than 30 years. Many lawsuits were quickly filed claiming Tyndall sexually abused patients and that the university did not act on complaints. A spokesman for Manly, Stewart & Finaldi said that the firm has filed 20 lawsuits and that more will be forthcoming. The firm is representing more than 100 women.

Outrage over the allegations against the doctor, along with two previous scandals and the way the university’s leadership handled them, led to the announcement last month that USC President C.L. Max Nikias would step down.

On Monday, the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights signaled its concern. It announced it would evaluate the university’s response to reports of sexual harassment that were not fully investigated by the university until years later. The department said the university did not disclose those complaints about medical exams during an earlier 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.

LOS ANGELES (CA)
Reuters

June 12, 2018

By Steve Gorman

The U.S. Education Department has opened an investigation into how the University of Southern California handled complaints that a longtime campus health clinic gynecologist sexually harassed or abused his patients during pelvic examinations.

The agency’s Office for Civil Rights will examine USC’s response to reports of such misconduct by Dr. George Tyndall that date back to 1990 but were not fully investigated by the university until the spring of 2016, the department said in a statement.

“No student should ever endure sexual harassment or abuse while trying to pursue their education,” Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said in the statement.

The university has acknowledged failing to properly act on at least eight complaints that were lodged against Tyndall between 2000 and 2014 but were never brought to light until they were uncovered during the course of an inquiry USC finally opened in 2016.

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
Publimetro

June 11, 2018

Por Aton

Former Bishop Gonzalo Duarte had also been accused of cover-up: allegations of sex, drug and power networks in the Diocese of Valparaíso

El religioso había sido denunciado por un ex seminarista. Su salida fue aceptada por el Papa Francisco.

Además del ahora ex obispo de Osorno, Juan Barros, también el renunciado obispo de Valparaíso, Gonzalo Duarte, fue denunciado como encubridor de abusos sexuales por parte de miembros de la iglesia católica chilena.

El obispo evangélico y ex seminarista Mauricio Pulgar denunció redes de sexo, drogas y poder en la Diócesis de Valparaíso, y apuntó en contra del obispo Gonzalo Duarte por no creer en sus acusaciones.

EL 8 de junio pasado, en entrevista con CNN Chile, explicó que su denuncia apunta directamente contra el presbítero Humberto Enríquez, quien –según afirma- lo drogó y lo violó cuando estaba en la Diócesis de San Felipe.

“Él me drogó y yo no pude moverme (…) no me acuerdo de nada, salvo que empecé a sentir un jadeo y era que él estaba ejecutando la violación”, contó el ex seminarista, y sostuvo que tiene un audio en el que “Humberto Enríquez confiesa la violación”.

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

June 11, 2018

By Carla Pía Ruiz y Sebastián Rivas

Pope Francis accepts the first resignation of a Chilean bishop: Cristián Caro stops being archbishop of Puerto Montt

En un comunicado publicado esta madrugada, el propio prelado confirma en una declaración pública que el Pontífice aceptó su dimisión por motivos de edad y nombró un administrador apostólico en su reemplazo.

“Estando en Santiago para la reunión mensual de la Comisión Nacional de Catequesis, se ha dado a conocer la aceptación, por parte del Papa Francisco, de la renuncia que presenté, por razones de límite de edad, en febrero de 2018”. Así, en un comunicado fechado este lunes 11 de junio y publicado en el sitio web de la arquidiócesis, el arzobispo de Puerto Montt, Cristián Caro, confirmó su salida de la diócesis, la primera de un obispo chileno tras la polémica por el caso de Juan Barros y la convocatoria de la Conferencia Episcopal en pleno a Roma.

“Naturalmente que acepto con fe la decisión del Pastor universal, la cual llega en un momento crítico de la Iglesia en Chile, por la pérdida de la fuerza profética de la evangelización y la “cultura del abuso y el encubrimiento” (palabras del Papa) que ha causado daños a muchas personas y ha debilitado la credibilidad de la Iglesia”, agrega Caro en su declaración.

El del arzobispo de Puerto Montt era uno de los nombres señalados como posibles salidas, de acuerdo a fuentes eclesiásticas.

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
24Horas.cl TVN

June 11, 2018

Juan Carlos Cruz: “Three corrupt bishops are leaving and they will continue more”

La víctima del sacerdote pedófilo Fernando Karadima reaccionó ante la decisión del Papa de aceptar las renuncias de los obispos de Osorno, Puerto Montt y Valparaíso.

“Se van tres obispos corruptos y seguirán más”, con estas palabras Juan Carlos Cruz, víctima del sacerdote pedófilo Fernando Karadima, reaccionó en las redes sociales tras conocerse la decisión del Papa Francisco de aceptar las renuncias de los obispos Juan Barros, Cristián Caro y Gonzalo Duarte.

“Empieza un nuevo día en la iglesia Católica de Chile! Se van tres obispos corruptos y seguirán más. Emocionante por tantos q han luchado para ver este día. La banda de obispos delincuentes episcopado_cl se empieza a desintegrar hoy!”, escribió Cruz en su cuenta en Twitter.

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
The New York Times

June 11, 2018

By Jason Horowitz

In January, Pope Francis deeply offended survivors of clerical abuse and threatened the reputation of his pontificate when he defended a Chilean bishop from the “calumny” of victims and said that he had refused the bishop’s offers of resignation.

On Monday, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of that bishop, Juan Barros of Osorno.

The resignation of Bishop Barros and of two other bishops in Chile is a remarkable reversal for Francis. Only months ago, the Chilean scandal represented an enormous threat to the pope’s credibility. Now, abuse victims and their advocates express hope that a new era is beginning in which bishops and the church hierarchy will be held accountable for covering up and ignoring abuse.

“Today begins a new day for the Catholic Church in Chile and hopefully the world,” Juan Carlos Cruz, a victim of the Rev. Fernando Karadima, one of Chile’s most notorious abusive priests, wrote on Twitter on Monday. The priest was a mentor of Bishop Barros, who Mr. Cruz says witnessed his abuse and did nothing.

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.

OWEGO (NY)
WBNG

June 10, 2018

By Esperanza Gutierrez

A nonprofit organization, which aims to help victims of sexual abuse, is accusing eight Diocese of Rochester priests of sexually abusing children.

Attorney Mitchell Garabedian, based in Massachusetts, claims that from 1950 to 1978, 17 minors raging from age five to 18-years-old were sexually abused by eight different priests within the Diocese of Rochester.

Garabedian named Thomas Valenti, who served at St. Patrick’s Church in Owego as one of them.

“It was a shock, sure,” said Marty Murphy, of Owego. “I imagine everybody was shocked to hear this. He’s done a lot with kids or children, through his ministry.”

Father Valenti is the parochial administrator for Blessed Trinity Parish which is made up four churches, including St. Patrick’s.

Lawyers claim the alleged sexual abuse took place years before Valenti came to St. Patrick’s.

Garabedian claims Valenti abused a teen boy, beginning in 1975.

At the time Valenti worked at St. Mary’s of the Lake Church in Ontario, New York.

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.