ABUSE TRACKER

NEW YORK
WABC

PEARL RIVER, New York (WABC) — The Archdiocese of New York said an allegation of abuse against a Rockland County priest has been deemed credible by law enforcement officials.

The allegations involve Monsignor John O’Keefe of the St. Margaret of Antioch Parish in Pearl River.

The archdiocese said it was barred from speaking about it until the investigation was complete.

The victim accused the Monsignor of abuse on two separate occasions, once in New York and once in Virginia.

The allegations have only been deemed credible, not substantiated.

Monsignor O’Keefe has denied the charges, but is barred from publicly performing his duties as a priest until the Archdiocesan investigation is complete.

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.

KANSAS
KAKE

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A Missouri man has filed a civil lawsuit accusing a Kansas City, Kansas, area Catholic priest of abusing him three decades ago.

The lawsuit, which was filed Wednesday in Wyandotte County court, also claims authorities at the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas, knew of the abuse and failed to do anything to stop it. The lawsuit does not name the victim and identifies the accused priest with initials.

The lawsuit claims the sexual abuse occurred at a lake house in the 1980s when the alleged victim, who is now in his 40s, was between 15 and 17 years old.

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

MINNESOTA
Ramsey County Attorney’s Office

[with video]

Friday, December 18, 2015 – 12:30pm

The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office (RCAO) today announced a settlement agreement of the Civil Petition filed in Ramsey County District Court on June 5, 2015 against the Archdiocese of Saint Paul & Minneapolis (Archdiocese). The criminal action remains an active case and will proceed toward resolution in Ramsey County District Court.

The historic civil settlement agreement creates systemic change in how the Archdiocese protects children and responds to suspected incidents of child sexual abuse. The Agreement, which runs for three years, includes oversight and enforcement mechanisms by the RCAO and the Ramsey County District Court.

Press release: County Attorney announces landmark civil settlement to protect children (PDF)

Archdiocese settlement agreement (PDF)

Archdiocese petition from June 2015 (PDF)

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

MINNESOTA
Reuters

MINNEAPOLIS | BY DAVID BAILEY

A Minnesota Catholic archdiocese has settled a civil lawsuit brought against it by a county prosecutor over the alleged failure to protect minors from sex abuse by clergy, the archdiocese and county attorney said on Friday.

A criminal case brought by the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office against the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in June along with the civil complaint remains pending in county court, prosecutors said.

The archdiocese covering a large part of the Minneapolis and St. Paul metropolitan area filed for bankruptcy in January and the settlement requires U.S. Bankruptcy Court approval.

The civil complaint and criminal charges were the latest development in the child sex abuse scandal involving the Catholic Church in many U.S. cities.

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said the settlement’s objective was to make the archdiocese vigilant about ensuring that children will no longer be victims of sex abuse by clergy.

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

VATICAN CITY
National Catholic Reporter

Carol Glatz Catholic News Service | Dec. 18, 2015

VATICAN CITY
An autopsy revealed the ex-papal nuncio, who was awaiting a Vatican trial on charges including the sexual abuse of minors, died of a heart attack, the Vatican said.

The laicized former archbishop, Jozef Wesolowski, died of natural causes, specifically, “acute myocardial infarction,” and “other external factors” were ruled out, the Vatican said in a communique Dec. 18.

Vatican magistrates had postponed a criminal trial against the former nuncio in July due to the defendant’s ill health. The proceedings had been adjourned until an unspecified future date because the defendant had been sent to an intensive care unit in a public hospital in Rome after experiencing a “sudden illness” the afternoon of July 10 — the day before he was scheduled to appear at the trial’s opening session.

The 67-year-old Polish national, who also had Vatican City State citizenship, died in a Vatican residence Aug. 27.

While initial autopsy results released in August said he died of a “cardiac incident,” the Vatican City’s promoter of justice appointed a forensics team to conduct an investigation that followed internationally recognized protocols, the Vatican communique 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
The Guardian

Melissa Davey
@MelissaLDavey
Friday 18 December 2015

Stephen Woods, a survivor of horrendous sexual abuse at the hands of three religious figures within the Diocese of Ballarat when he was a schoolboy, says his belief in truth and justice has “taken an utter beating” over the past fortnight.

Woods has sat and watched as most of the former priests working within the diocese between the 1970s and early 1990s told the royal commission into institutional responses into child sexual abuse that they could not recall information about being informed of the abuse by victims, their concerned parents, or church staff.

They also gave evidence that they did not know the circumstances around known abusers being removed from parishes, often to other parishes where they continued to abuse.

Woods was sexually abused by the notorious pedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale, who has been convicted of 138 offences against children, as well as by the then principal of St Alipius Primary School, Robert Charles Best, and the religious teacher Brother Ted Dowlan. Two of his brothers were also abused. He says he carries the memories and consequences of what happened to him with him every day.

So it was painful for him to watch as the commission, armed with the testimony of dozens of survivors, and documentary evidence, questioned former diocese staff – only to have them so often respond with “I don’t recall”.

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

CALIFORNIA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Friday, December 18

Statement by Joelle Casteix of California, SNAP Southern California director (949-322-7434, jcasteix@gmail.com)

We are very proud of these brave men who used the civil justice system to get accountability for the crimes of Nicolas Aguilar Rivera. They came forward and demanded justice, even though they faced huge odds.

[Patch]

Those odds were made even worse by the actions of Cardinal Mahony and other church officials, who covered up Rivera’s crimes.

This is not a time to be complacent when it comes to clergy sex abuse and cover-up. We fear there may be a whole new generation of victims suffering in shame and silence. We urge anyone who has seen or suspected abuse to report to law enforcement.

We also want to reach out to other victims and assure them that they are not alone and help and support are available.

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

CALIFORNIA
Patch

By ALEXANDER NGUYEN (Patch Staff)
December 18, 2015

A settlement was reached between the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and two brothers who sued alleging they were sexually molested nearly three decades ago by a visiting cleric from Mexico, an attorney for the archdiocese said Friday.

The plaintiffs, now young men, were between 9 and 11 years old when they were allegedly abused by Father Nicolas Aguilar-Rivera on the grounds of St. Agatha Church in Los Angeles in 1987. They sued the archdiocese in June 2014.

“Plaintiffs were both terrified of Father Aguilar-Rivera’s conduct and frozen because of their obedience to and reverence of Father Aguilar-Rivera,” their lawsuit stated.

Los Angeles police believe the boys were among some 26 boys molested during a nine-month period in 1987.

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 MEXICO
News Channel 10

Posted: Dec 18, 2015

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – Attorneys for a New Mexico diocese say they are finalizing a settlement in the case that has kept it in bankruptcy court for two years.

The Gallup Independent reports (http://bit.ly/1jl8YBA ) lawyers for the Diocese of Gallup and the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors, which represents clergy sex abuse claimants, confirmed in court Wednesday that a settlement is in the works.

They did not provide details and said an agreement has not been signed yet.

Unsecured Creditors Committee attorney James Stang said they are still working out the non-monetary terms of the settlement.

Neither Stang nor Susan Boswell, lead bankruptcy attorney for the diocese, indicated when the agreement is expected to be finalized.

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.

KANSAS
Topeka Capital-Journal

Posted: December 18, 2015

By The Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – A Missouri man has filed a civil lawsuit accusing a Kansas City, Kansas, area Catholic priest of abusing him three decades ago.

The lawsuit, which was filed Wednesday in Wyandotte County court, also claims authorities at the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas, knew of the abuse and failed to do anything to stop it. The lawsuit does not name the victim and identifies the accused priest with initials.

The lawsuit claims the sexual abuse occurred at a lake house in the 1980s when the alleged victim, who is now in his 40s, was between 15 and 17 years old.

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
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release, December 18, 2015

Statement by Barbara Blaine, President of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (312-399-4747, bblaine@snapnetwork.org).

Vatican officials are fast-tracking sainthood for Mother Teresa. It should be noted that her long time Spiritual Adviser was a serial predator, Jesuit, Fr. Donald McGuire ( http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2012/01_02/2012_01_11_Jamison_TaintedSaint.htm) who was criminally convicted.

When it is advantageous for Catholic officials to move quickly, like sainthood for popular figures “Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II, they move quickly. But when it is advantageous for church officials to move slowly, like the clergy sex cases, they move slowly.

SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 20,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)

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
The News & Observer

BY ALVISE ARMELLINI
dpa

VATICAN CITY – Mother Teresa’s path to sainthood was cleared Friday, after the Vatican confirmed that Pope Francis had approved a decision to attribute a second miracle to the Catholic nun who dedicated her life to India’s poor.

Italian bishops’ newspaper Avvenire first reported Thursday, on Francis’ 79th birthday, that the pontiff ratified the findings of the Vatican’s saint-making committee on the miraculous healing of a man suffering from serious brain disease. …

Teresa is a revered figure throughout the world, but her speedy path to sainthood – in modern times, second only to John Paul II’s, who made the grade in 2014 nine years after his death – has not been without its critics.

“It should be noted that her long time spiritual adviser was a serial predator, Jesuit Father Donald McGuire, who was criminally convicted,” Barbara Blaine, President of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said Friday.

“When it is advantageous for Catholic officials to move quickly, like sainthood for popular figures Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II, they move quickly. But when it is advantageous for church officials to move slowly, like the clergy sex cases, they move slowly,” she added.

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

UNITED STATES
Huffington Post

Roy Speckhardt
Executive Director, American Humanist Association

The Catholic Church continues to struggle with the crisis originating from its widespread and at least decades long practice of allowing child molesters within its midst to escape justice for their crimes. In a number of cases the failure to take responsibility for the actions of their clergy went as far as allowing abusive priests to continue to work with young children vulnerable to attack. The severity of the public backlash with both Catholics and non-Catholics may have even contributed to the abrupt departure of Pope Benedict XVI, who left office with just 43% of Americans viewing him favorably.

The Church’s new, more popular Pope Francis, viewed favorably by 70% of Americans, publicly committed to righting the church’s wrongs when it comes to child sex abuse. The Pope met with sex abuse victims in Philadelphia to apologize for the church’s complicity in their abuse, saying that “God weeps” for the sexual abuse of children.

But the Pope and Church hasn’t done much more than speak about child abuse, and have instead chosen to continue many of the irresponsible practices which led to the current situation. As Laurie Goodstein noted in an article for the New York Times, “Francis appears to have accepted the resignations of three American bishops who were in the midst of escalating scandals over their mishandling of abuse allegations: two bishops in Minnesota in June and one in April in Kansas City-St. Joseph in Missouri, where the bishop was the first to ever be criminally convicted of shielding a pedophile priest. But the bishops were allowed to leave office without the Vatican’s ever making clear why, and all three remain bishops.” This latest action is part of a long appalling tradition within the Catholic Church which allows either the perpetrators or enablers of child sex abuse to escape persecution and often keep their rank within the 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.

ITALIA
Diretta News

[After the scandal involving Francesco Micciche, the former bishop of Trapani, who was accused to of embezzlement, misappropriation, libel and slander, another high priest has come under investigation in Sicily. The prosecutor of Marsala questioned Domenico Mogavero, Bishop of Mazara del Vallo, who is former undersecretary of the Italian Bishops Conference (CEI) and Commissioner for Migration, one of the most active religious initiatives of solidarity with the refugees who landed on the island. According to prosecutors, the bishop could have embezzeled 180,000 euro from the curia.]

Dopo lo scandalo che ha coinvolto l’ex vescovo di Trapani Francesco Micciché, accusato di appropriazione indebita, malversazione, diffamazione e calunnia, un altro alto prelato è finito sotto inchiesta in Sicilia. La Procura di Marsala ha interrogato Domenico Mogavero, vescovo della diocesi di Mazara del Vallo, ex sottosegretario della Conferenza episcopale italiana e commissario Cei per le migrazioni, uno dei religiosi più attivi nelle iniziative di solidarietà verso i profughi che sbarcano sull’isola. Secondo i magistrati, il vescovo potrebbe essersi appropriato di 180mila euro della Curia, mentre l’ex economo, don Franco Caruso avrebbe ‘messo in tasca’ 120 mila euro della diocesi. Secondo Stefano Pellegrino, avvocato del vescovo, i fatti oggetto dell’indagine risalirebbero al biennio 2010-11 ma riguarderebbero ‘anomalie’ già denunciate dal prelato alla Procura.

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

MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

Madeleine Baran Dec 18, 2015

It’s been a year since Ben Spanier took his life.

His parents say his problems began 20 years earlier, when he was a student at St. John’s Prep in Collegeville. They say their son wasn’t the same after he began spending time with the Rev. Tom Andert, a prominent priest who was placed on leave earlier this year for a separate allegation of sexual misconduct.

The Spaniers say they’re coming forward now because they want the culture at St. John’s to change. Ben Spanier had attempted suicide before. His father, Eric, will never forget picking up the phone that night in 1994. On the other end of the line was the Rev. Tom Andert, the head of the boarding school at St. John’s, where Ben was a junior.

“I answered the phone,” Eric Spanier said. “He was calling from the emergency room in the hospital, so it was a shock.”

He said he was relieved the priest was there to care for his son.

“I was extremely grateful,” he said. “I mean, he was there and he was taking my place, and I was in Colorado. He was in Minnesota, at his bedside. So I was very appreciative for him being there, I expressed that. We really didn’t have any reason to suspect there was a problem with Ben’s relationship with the headmaster.”

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.

DEUTSCHLAND
NDR

[Trelleborg admits failures in abuse case.]

Der Hildesheimer Bischof Norbert Trelle hat sich am Freitag in einem Brief an die Priester, Diakone und Mitarbeiter des Bistums gewandt und sich zu den Missbrauchsvorwürfen eines Mädchens gegen einen Priester aus dem Jahr 2010 geäußert – und durchaus eigene Versäumnisse eingeräumt. Dabei setzt sich Trelle detailliert mit den gegen ihn Vorwürfen auseinander, die Ermittlungen gegen einen Pfarrer im Ruhestand wegen sexuellen Missbrauchs zu spät angezeigt zu haben. Die damals 14-Jährige hatte von “deutlichen Annäherungsversuchen” des Geistlichen berichtet, das geht aus einer Mitschrift des Bistums hervor, die die Staatsanwaltschaft inzwischen angefordert hat. Dagegen schildert Trelle in dem Bischofsbrief, das Mädchen habe sich in einem ersten Gespräch 2010 “sehr zurückhaltend geäußert”. Ein Gesprächsangebot mit den erziehungsberechtigten Großeltern habe es auf Bitte des Mädchens nicht gegeben. Stattdessen sei ihm geraten worden mit seiner Religionslehrerin oder der Therapeutin darüber zu reden.

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.

DEUTSCHLAND
Die Welt

[The Hildesheim bishop has admitted mistakes in handling the abuse case of Father Peter R.]

Hildesheim (dpa/lni) – Der Hildesheimer Bischof Norbert Trelle hat Fehler im Umgang mit dem Missbrauchsfall einer 14-Jährigen eingeräumt, den Vorwurf der Vertuschung aber zurückgewiesen. Der Hinweis auf einen Missbrauchsvorwurf gegen einen Geistlichen sei 2010 aus heutiger Sicht zu spät an die Staatsanwaltschaft weitergegeben worden, teilte Trelle am Freitag mit.

«Dass wir damals so entschieden haben, bedauern wir heute sehr», erklärte der Bischof. «Aus heutiger Sicht und mit der Erfahrung von fünf Jahren Aufarbeitung von sexuellem Missbrauch würden wir heute anders entscheiden und vorgehen», betonte Trelle in einem Schreiben an die Bistumsmitarbeiter.

Im März 2010 habe die 14-Jährige bei einem ersten Gespräch keinen sexuellen Übergriff erwähnt, so Trelle, sondern eindeutig nur Belästigungen durch Pater Peter R.. Dieser stand damals allerdings im Zentrum des Missbrauchsskandals am Berliner Gymnasium Canisius-Kolleg mit mehr als 100 Opfern.

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

MINNESOTA
Pioneer Press

Elizabeth Mohr
emohr@pioneerpress.com
POSTED: 12/18/2015

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has agreed to implement new child-protection procedures as part of a settlement agreement with the Ramsey County attorney’s office, which filed a civil suit against the church in June.

The archdiocese will immediately begin implementing “practices, procedures — action … to do everything we can to protect children,” attorney Joe Dixon, who represents the archdiocese, told the court Friday.

The civil case was filed at the same time the county attorney’s office filed criminal charges against the archdiocese, accusing top-ranking officials of failing to protect children and parishioners from sexually abusive clergy.

At the time, the county attorney’s office said the civil petition against the archdiocese was “intended to seek legal remedies to prevent the archdiocese from allowing this behavior (from) ever happening again,” according to a statement.

As part of the agreement, the civil case will be put on hold for three years as the archdiocese implements its plan, coming back to the court with progress reports every six months. At the end of the three-year period, if the archdiocese has held up its end of the deal, the county attorney’s office will dismiss its case.

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

MINNESOTA
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis

Date: Friday, December 18, 2015
Source: Archbishop Bernard Hebda, Apostolic Administrator

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I wanted to reach out directly to you regarding the Settlement Agreement the Archdiocese and the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office announced Friday morning.

From the time I first arrived here in June – two weeks after the charges were filed — I have worked to learn as much as I can about the events surrounding Curtis Wehmeyer and his abuse of children under his care at Blessed Sacrament Church in St. Paul.

From that same time, the Archdiocese was engaged in dialogue with Ramsey County Attorney, John Choi, and his staff. We immediately realized we all had the same goal; to make sure children are safe in our churches, schools and communities. So, from the first time our team and the County Attorney’s team met, we worked together to find the best ways to make that a reality.

We also involved and consulted with the Board of Directors, Archdiocesan Finance Council, the Ministerial Review Board, the College of Consultors (an advisory group of priests), and priests who have been or are currently in leadership positions. They all agreed that this Agreement is the right thing to do to provide safe environments.

All of that dialogue, collaboration and hard work came together on Friday morning when a judge accepted the Settlement Agreement with the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office. Let me assure you, much of what is in the new document are things we are already doing, while others are practices and procedures that are already working in some dioceses around the country. We are agreeing to implement the plan under a set deadline and to be held accountable for that commitment.

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

MINNESOTA
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis

Date: Friday, December 18, 2015
Source: Tom Halden, Director of Communications

Q: What does this Settlement Agreement really mean?

A: It means that the Archdiocese has voluntarily agreed to implement the enhanced safe environment Settlement Agreement and submit to external auditing in 2017 and 2018. At the end of the 36 month review period, Ramsey County District Court has agreed they will drop the civil charges.

Q: Was the Archdiocese forced into this Agreement?

A: No. We made the decision not to fight the charges in court because we share the common goal of protecting children with the Ramsey County Attorney and his staff.

Q: How will the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office be able to verify that the Archdiocese is following the new Settlement Agreement?

A: There will be both internal and external audits of the Agreement and reporting mechanisms that must be followed.

Q: Aren’t there Constitutional concerns with the state (Ramsey County) involved in overseeing a religious institution?

A: The Archdiocese is still free to run its ministries, operations and other programs as it sees fit. We chose to enter into this agreement because the Settlement Agreement serves to enhance our mission of faith. It is at the heart of the church to protect children and vulnerable adults. Jesus said, ““Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me (Matthew 9:37).”

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

MINNESOTA
Bring Me The News

Civil charges against the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis will be stayed under a settlement agreement, which requires the church to implement new policies that protect children.
The settlement, filed in court Friday morning, was reached between the archdiocese and the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office, which brought criminal and civil charges against the church in June related to a sex abuse case. (Read the full agreement here.)

At a press conference Friday morning, Ramsey County Attorney John Choi called the settlement “groundbreaking,” saying it “ensures systemic change, and creates a framework of accountability” that increases oversight and transparency of the archdiocese.

It means a “cultural shift” in how the church will protect children and respond to sex abuse allegations going forward, Choi said.

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

MINNESOTA
KSTP

[with video]

[the agreement]

Jennie Lissarrague

An “unprecedented” settlement agreement has been reached with the Ramsey County prosecutor in the civil case against the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

Archdiocese officials appeared in Ramsey County District Court at 9 a.m. Friday for a hearing.
Prosecutors say the agreement in the civil case provides a framework for better oversight of the archdiocese over the next three years. Assistant Ramsey County Attorney Tom Ring says the goal is to create an environment where no child will again be abused.

Archdiocese attorney Joe Dixon says the settlement made public in court Friday must still be approved by a bankruptcy court, but both sides pledge to begin work immediately.

“This historic agreement ensures systemic change and creates a framework of accountability that increases oversight and transparency and ultimately supports a cultural shift in how the archdiocese protects children and responds to alleged abuse,” Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said.

Choi outlined several highlights of the settlement agreement during a news conference Friday:

* The archdiocese agreed to be subject to the oversight of the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office and courts for three years as they continue to transform their organization’s culture.

* The archdiocese agreed to implement important compliance standards that incorporate best practices from across the country along with new standards that don’t exist anywhere else.

* They will set forward a clear standard of response so that it will no longer be possible for leaders to say that they didn’t know about suspected child 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.

VATICAN CITY
Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) The Vatican said on Friday that an autopsy has confirmed that its former Apostolic Nuncio to the Dominican Republic died from a heart attack.

A statement released by the Holy See’s Press Office said the autopsy on Jozef Wesolowski was conducted by a team of coroners named by the Vatican prosecutor, in accordance with international guidelines and protocols.

The statement said the toxicology tests confirmed that the former envoy died a natural death “excluding any other external causes.”

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.

MASSACHUSETTS
Metro West Daily News

By The Associated Press

Posted Dec. 18, 2015

BOSTON — Parishioners who have occupied a Roman Catholic church since it was closed 11 years ago will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to settle their dispute with the Boston archdiocese.

St. Frances X. Cabrini parishioners plan to ask the high court to review a ruling by a Massachusetts court that found they are trespassing at the Scituate church. The state’s highest court declined to hear the case but parishioners are hoping the U.S. Supreme Court will agree to review it.

The parishioners will ask a state judge on Monday to put the case on hold while they petition the high court.

The church was closed in 2004 as part of a reorganization following the clergy sex-abuse scandal.

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.

MASSACHUSETTS
Boston.com

By Allison Pohle @AllisonPohle
Boston.com Staff | 12.18.15

The parishioners who have spent 11 years keeping a vigil in the closed St. Frances X. Cabrini church in Scituate were dealt another blow two weeks ago when the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court denied their request for further review by the courts.

At the time, Jon Rogers, a spokesperson for the Friends of St. Frances, a group of about 100 parishioners have kept a 24-7 vigil in the church, said they would “throw every option onto the table.”

An 11-year vigil is in jeopardy after the high court rules against South Shore parishioners
That means appealing to the United States Supreme Court.

But first, the group will appear in Norfolk Superior Court Monday afternoon. After the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court denied their request for further review, The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston filed a motion to have the parishioners removed from the church by January 8. In response, the Friends of St. Frances filed an emergency motion in Norfolk Superior Court to try to have any future orders from the Archdiocese suspended as they work on their appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

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.

ITALY
ANSA

(ANSA) – Reggio Calabria, December 18 – Reggio Calabria police on Friday arrested a 44-year-old priest on charges of paying for sex with a minor, misrepresenting his identity, luring a minor, and possession of child pornography. He was arrested in the rectory of a parish church in the Piana di Gioia Tauro valley and taken to jail.

Police began an investigation last March after finding the priest in his car with a minor in a secluded and rarely frequented area.

Police said the minor told them the priest paid him 20 euros for sex that took place in the priest’s car shortly before police arrived on the scene.

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

MINNESOTA
Fox 9

ST. PAUL, Minn. (KMSP) – The Ramsey County Attorney’s office and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis announced Friday morning they’ve reached a settlement agreement after attorney John Choi filed criminal and civil charges against the archdiocese last summer for failing to protect children from a priest.

Choi called the settlement a “systemic change” and “cultural shift,” which bars church leadership from concealing clergy abuse.

Choi filed criminal charges against the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in June “to hold it criminally accountable for its failure to protect children” which are connected to 3 separate victims of sexual abuse by former Catholic priest Curtis Wehmeyer, who is currently serving a 5-year prison sentence for molesting two boys in his parish in a camper parked outside the Church of the Blessed Sacrament.

The 24-page settlement says all future abuse allegations will go before a ministerial review board instead of one or two clergy members. The Ramsey County Attorney’s office will oversee the review board and other processes for the next 3 years.

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

MINNESOTA
KARE

Dana Thiede, KARE December 18, 2015

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis have hammered out a settlement involving a civil case accusing the Archdiocese of failing to protect children from predatory priests.

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi will share details of the settlement in a press conference shortly.

A criminal case filed in conjunction with the civil proceedings is moving forward. That matter was continued during a hearing Friday morning. The next court date will be set four to six weeks down the road.

Choi and his office levied civil and criminal charges against the Archdiocese for failing to monitor the activities of former priest Curtis Wehmeyer. Wehmeyer was convicted in 2012 of sexually abusing two brothers and possessing child pornography while serving as pastor at the Parish of the Blessed Sacrament on St. Paul’s east side. He is currently serving a 5-year sentence.

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
Chronicle Herald (Canada)

NICOLE WINFIELD THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published December 17, 2015

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis entered his 80th year on Thursday amid hopes among his critics that it will be his last — at least as pope.

While Francis remains enormously popular among most rank-and-file Catholics, a small but vocal group of conservatives who have never much cared for his radical agenda have grown increasingly strident in criticizing the pope now that there is little doubt left about his priorities.

They have taken aim at the just-concluded synod on family issues, where the divisive issue of communion for the civilly remarried took centre stage. They have raised alarm at Francis’ call for a more decentralized church and his loosening of the Vatican’s marriage annulment process. They have winced at his environmental alarmism, wondered what’s in store for Catholic orthodoxy in this Holy Year of Mercy and blasted as sacrilege the recent screening of nature shots on St. Peter’s Basilica.

The Remnant, a small, traditionalist U.S. newspaper, last week penned an open letter begging Francis to change course or resign, arguing that his papacy was “causing grave harm to the church.” Organizers say a few thousand people have signed onto the petition.

“You have given many indications of an alarming hostility to the church’s traditional teaching, discipline and customs, and the faithful who try to defend them, while being preoccupied with social and political questions beyond the competence of the Roman pontiff,” the newspaper said. “This appalling situation has no parallel in church history.”

To put it more simply: “Many people in the Vatican want Francis dead,” said Francesca Chaouqui, the woman at the heart of a leaks scandal currently convulsing Francis’ Vatican.

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

MINNESOTA
Canonical Consultation

[The letter from Archbishop Bernard Hebda]

Dear Brothers,

I wanted to reach out directly to you regarding the Settlement Agreement the Archdiocese and the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office announced this morning.

When I first arrived here in June two weeks after the charges were filed the Archdiocese was already engaged in dialogue with Ramsey County Attorney, John Choi, and his staff. It was quickly recognized that we shared one major goal: making sure children are safe in our churches, schools and communities. It should be no surprise that we have diligently been working together since then to find the best ways to make the achievement of that shared goal a reality.

In the course of our conversations with the Ramsey County Attorney’s office last October and November, it began to become apparent that there existed a potential for a negotiated Settlement in the civil action that had been brought against us. Those representing the Archdiocese in the sensitive discussions that ensued recognized that it would be important to get broader input, not only from our Corporate Board and Archdiocesan Finance Council but also from our clergy. I am very grateful to Fr. Mike Tix (formerly the head of the Presbyteral Council) and Fr. Don DeGrood (presently the Vicar for Clergy), who invested countless hours in recent weeks pouring over the various proposals for moving forward.

With today’s court appearance looming large, the terms of an Agreement solidified last weekend and it became possible and desirable to engage in a more formal and even broader consultation. This past Wednesday, I sought the advice of the College of Consultors and the Archdiocesan Finance Council and I asked for a resolution of the Corporate Board of Directors that would authorize me to execute the Agreement, given that the suit had been brought against the Corporation. The recently-formed Ministerial Review Board was also consulted. I am grateful to all who participated in those efforts.

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

MINNESOTA
Star Tribune

By Chao Xiong Star Tribune DECEMBER 18, 2015

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the Ramsey County Attorney’s office reached a settlement agreement Friday morning in a precedent-setting civil case accusing it of failing to protect children from a predatory priest.

A criminal case against the church is ongoing and will be scheduled for another pretrial date in the future.

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi’s office said he will have a news conference soon. The archdiocese will convene its own news conference after Choi’s office speaks.

“You’re making a significant effort to protect not only the children … but citizens,” Ramsey County Chief Judge Teresa Warner told attorneys for the state and church Friday.

The settlement would require the church to create an action plan to protect children, but its exact terms were not immediately revealed Friday. The church would have to periodically report its progress to the court.

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

MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio

Riham Feshir Dec 18, 2015

Ramsey County prosecutors and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis have reached a settlement that would pave the way for dismissal of civil charges related to clergy sex abuse.

The settlement was announced in a pretrial court hearing Friday morning on the civil case and a related criminal case the county brought against the archdiocese.

Under the agreement, civil charges would be stayed for three years while the church puts in place its policies and practices to protect children. The church would have to submit progress reports to the court every six months.

The civil case would be dropped after three years if the court is satisfied with the church’s actions.

The hearing did not address what would happen with the criminal charges. The criminal pretrial hearing that was set for Friday was continued for a few weeks.

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
Daily Star (Lebanon)

Associated Press

VATICAN CITY: The Vatican says an autopsy has confirmed that its former ambassador to the Dominican Republic, who died on the eve of his sex abuse trial, suffered a heart attack.

The autopsy on Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski was conducted by a team of coroners named by the Vatican prosecutor, and the results were deposited with the Vatican tribunal earlier this week. The Vatican made the results public Friday.

In a statement, the Vatican said the toxicology tests confirmed a natural death “excluding any other external causes.”

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

VATICAN CITY
Vatican Information Service

Vatican City, 18 December 2015 (VIS) – The Holy See Press Office today announced that on 14 December, the report on the chemical toxicological examinations carried out on samples taken during the autopsy of Msgr. Jozef Wesolowski was submitted to the Chancellor’s Office of the Vatican City State Court of First Instance.

The conclusions of the Report definitively confirmed what had already emerged from the post-mortem examination; that is, that death was ascribable to natural causes (acute myocardial infarction), excluding other exogenous causes.

The various investigations were conducted in strict accordance with the guidelines and protocols recognised at international level, by a Board of medical examiners appointed by the Promoter of Justice the day after the Prelate’s unexpected death.

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

TEXAS
KTSA

A San Antonio woman claims she was abused by Fr. Joseph Angeli back in the early 1960’s wants a response from the Archdiocese.

Robert Hoatson works with victims of sexual abuse by Clergy members. He tells us the woman was abused by the Priest while he was serving in Hondo and it turns out, the late Fr. Angeli had been accused of sexually abusing young girls while serving in Boston too.

He says the woman wants the Archdiocese to verify her allegations and settle her claim so she may heal and move on with her life.

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.

DEUTSCHLAND
kath.net

[Munich (kath.net/KNA) Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller has again countered reports about an alleged slush fund headed by him in the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In an interview with the magazine “Focus”, he said the story was nonsense and it was stupid to be disseminating rumors.]

Präfekt der Glaubenskongregation: «Jeder, der nur ein wenig Verstand im Kopf hat, erkennt die böse Absicht.» Dabei deutete Müller an, dass der Urheber nach seiner Einschätzung «eher nicht» im Vatikan, sondern in Deutschland zu suchen sei.

München (kath.net/KNA) Kurienkardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller ist erneut Berichten über eine angebliche schwarze Kasse in der von ihm geleiteten vatikanischen Glaubenskongregation entgegengetreten. In einem Interview mit dem Magazin «Focus» wies er die am 9. Dezember von der «Bild»-Zeitung verbreitete Story als «Nonsens» und «Verbreitung von dümmlichen Gerüchten» zurück.

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 MEXICO
The New Mexican

An attorney filed four lawsuits in state District Court on Thursday against the Archdiocese of Santa Fe and three New Mexico priests, alleging they sexually abused young children in different parishes across the state.

The lawsuits accuse Bernard Bissonnette, Sabine Griego and Edward Rutowski of sexually abusing boys in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s. The suits, among dozens of similar complaints filed by attorney Brad Hall in recent years, claims the Archdiocese of Santa Fe is responsible for the priests’ alleged actions. They seek punitive damages.

Hall filed the lawsuits in the 2nd Judicial District Court in Albuquerque.

One suit alleges Bissonnette raped a man identified as “John Doe 56” hundreds of times between 1968 and 1973 when he was between the ages of 7 and 12. During that time, the suit says, John Doe 56 was an altar boy at St. Alice Parish in Mountainair.

One of two suits against Griego, filed on behalf of a man identified as “John Doe 51,” says the priest sexually abused a boy more than 20 times between 1975 and 1977, when the boy was between the ages of 10 and 12. The boy was an altar server at Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Las Vegas, N.M.

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 CAROLINA
SC Now

BY JESSICA IMBIMBO Morning News jimbimbo@florencenews.com

A Darlington youth minister has been arrested on two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a minor, according to the Darlington city police.

The Rev. Kamron Eugene Reames of Georgiana Lane was arrested Thursday after allegedly touching a male juvenile inappropriately on at least two occasions, Police Chief Daniel Watson said.

The alleged victim reported the conduct to adults and the Darlington Police Department initiated an investigation.

Watson said Reames was arrested shortly after the investigation, when “compelling evidence supporting the complaint was substantiated.”

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.

ALABAMA
WTVM

[with video]

By Lauren Bale

HUNTSVILLE, AL (WAFF) –
Members of Covenant Presbyterian Church say religious leaders did everything right after learning one of their own was accused of sex abuse.

Police say Youth Minister Christopher Alfaro sent obscene material to children. Pastor Hal Oakley said as soon as he learned about the situation he went straight to police.

Member Sarah Savage said she has been going to Covenant Presbyterian for the last 12 years and both her daughters went to preschool there. While she and her whole family are obviously in shock she said she is pleased with how the church handled this difficult situation.

She said the church has been up front from the beginning, letting parents and children know what was happening every step of the way.

“It’s best to just be as truthful as possible and face it,” Savage said. “And if you have that love and that fellowship you can make it through these tough things.”

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.

ALABAMA
The Daily Home

Gary Hanner, St. Clair Times associate editor, ghanner@thestclairtimes.com

A Moody man arrested Wednesday on charges of child sex abuse was formerly the associate pastor and youth minister at Munford Baptist Church.

Brian Pesnell, 40, of Amelia Circle in Moody, turned himself in at the St. Clair County Jail in Pell City on Wednesday morning.

According to a story published in The Daily Home in February 2010, Pesnell was named associate pastor at the church in 2006. When he came on board, there were only around a dozen youth in the ministry classes. The youth grew to about 300 in number while Pesnell was there.

Back in March 2011, Pesnell was indicted for rape in the second degree and sexual abuse in the second degree by a St. Clair County grand jury. It was unclear Thursday what the status of the 2011 case was.

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.

MASSACHUSETTS
Wicked Local Marblehead

By Marc J. Wortman

Posted Dec. 17, 2015

MARBLEHEAD
I was a bit reluctant to see “Spotlight,” the true story of the Catholic Church’s priest child-sexual-abuse scandal and cover-up, even though this film is quickly gathering the momentum to be an Oscar front-runner, (recently nominated by the Golden Globes and the SAG Awards, which are reliable predictors for the Academy Awards). Sometimes it’s a tough choice on a Saturday night whether to see an action-packed “popcorn” movie and escape into the fun and fantasy or actually choose to see a serious movie about child abuse.

“Spotlight,” delivers a truthful and non-sensationalized portrayal of one of the biggest scandals in modern history, told from the vantage point of a handful of Boston Globe investigative reporters in 2001. The movie is based on the reporting done by the Spotlight section of the Globe, known for its independent, hard-hitting and in-depth stories. From a pure moviemaking point of view, “Spotlight” is very close to a perfect film, and reminds me of how I felt after watching 2013’s Best Picture Winner, “Argo” – silent and breathless.

The veteran actor and writer Tom McCarthy (who wrote the screenplays for “Up” and “Million Dollar Arm”) is the director of “Spotlight.” He is also the co-writer, along with Josh Singer, of this daring and disturbing script. I predict an Oscar nomination for McCarthy not only for directing but also for Best Screenplay. “Spotlight” is reminiscent of the iconic newspaper movie, 1976’s “All The President’s Men,” which told the story of Nixon and Watergate from the perspective of the two newspaper reporters that untangled the web of lies that ultimately led all the way up to the presidency. In an NPR interview, Tom McCarthy actually referenced several films as direct influences on “Spotlight,” including “All the President’s Men,” as well as Sydney Lumet’s 1982 Oscar-nominated film, “The Verdict.”

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

MINNESOTA
Canonical Consultation

12/17/2015

Jennifer Haselberger

The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis is scheduled to appear in Ramsey County Court tomorrow, and the buzz is that a settlement is going to be announced.

If what I am hearing is correct, the settlement will not resolve the criminal case. Instead, it will respond to the issues outlined in the civil petition, and grant the court jurisdiction over some aspects of Archdiocese’s safe environment/child protection efforts.

Interestingly, the Archdiocese has not, to my knowledge, informed any of its clergy about the proposed settlement or its terms, despite the fact that they will likely be the ones most impacted (as was the case with the settlement in the Doe 1 case, with its child protection protocols). Since the rumors suggest that the criminal charges are still pending, victims and others seeking financial compensation from the Archdiocese are unlikely to experience negative consequences regardless of what the agreement contains.

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

Patsy McGarry

The Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, “vilified” members of the clergy who were criticised by the Commission of Investigation into the handling of child abuse allegations by the Dublin archdiocese, a leading priest has said.

The criticism by Fr Tony Flannery comes just days after a bishop and a priest defended the reputation of Auxiliary Bishop Dermot O’Mahony – a figure who was severely criticised by the inquiry – at his funeral.

Saying that the commission had “serious faults”, Fr Flannery, the co-founder of the Association of Catholic Priests, wrote on his website: “I never met, nor had I any dealing with, Bishop Dermot O’Mahony.

“Until the Murphy Report, anything I ever heard about him was positive – a warm, gentle, caring man who was a shining light in a Church that could often be harsh and judgmental,” he wrote.

The commission, led by Ms Justice Yvonne Murphy, inquired into the handling of clerical child sex abuse allegations in Dublin’s Catholic Archdiocese between 1975 and 2004. Its report was published in November 2009.

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.

MASSACHUSETTS
NECN

[with video]

By Alysha Palumbo

It’s a victory for a Massachusetts man denied employment based on his sexual orientation.

A Massachusetts Superior Court judge ruled Thursday that the all-girls Catholic high school Fontbonne Academy in Milton had violated anti-discrimination laws when it rescinded a 2013 Food Services Director job offer to Matthew Barrett after he listed his husband as his emergency contact.

“What the court focused on was that this person’s job has nothing to do with religion. Fontbonne can’t simply deem all of their employees to be ministers when their job has nothing to do with religion,” GLAD attorney Ben Klein said.

Barrett, a Dorchester resident, told necn earlier this month that the case has been “very emotional.”

Through his GLAD attorneys, Barrett said he’s “ecstatic” with the ruling.

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 MEXICO
KOB

Created: 12/17/2015
Blair Miller, KOB.com

Four more men have filed lawsuits against the Archdiocese of Santa Fe alleging priests sexually abused them when they were boys in New Mexico.

The new lawsuits come in addition to more than 10 others that claim the boys were abused by priests with the Archdiocese of Santa Fe.

One of the lawsuits implicates Father Bissonnette, who worked at the Servants of the Paraclete in Jemez Springs before he moved to the Santa Fe Archdiocese. Many of the previously-filed cases involve priests from Servants of the Paraclete.

Two of the other new lawsuits implicate Father Sabine Griego, who worked at Our Lady of Sorrows in Las Vegas and Queen of Heaven in Albuquerque.

The other implicates Father Edward Rutowski, who worked at St. Jude Thaddeus in Paradise Hills.

Attorney Brad Hall is handling the majority of the lawsuits. He says that many of the priests implicated in the sexual abuse were from New Mexico – contradicting a common belief much of the abuse stemmed from out-of-state priests who were sent to our state for “rehabilitation.”

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

CANADA
APTN

APTN National News

Following the first meeting on the road to reconciliation Aboriginal leaders said they are encouraged by what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told them behind closed doors.

” We wanted to say how proud we were to be part of the conversations today, to see people starting to do things in a different way,” said Dawn Harvard, president of the Native Women’s Association of Canada. “I think we’ve seen that here today, is what can be accomplished if you go in with that desire to dialogue.”

Natan Obed, national leader for Canadian Inuit said he is encouraged by the meeting with Trudeau and members of his Cabinet.

“What we were looking for is a renewed Inuit to Crown relationship,” said Obed. “That relationship can only happen with the type of meetings we had this morning, and the respect for the, for all Inuit organizations in a way that we haven’t seen in a number of years.”

He said he looks forward to “renewing” the relationship in a tangible way.

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
Catholic Weekly

By Monica Doumit December 15, 2015

In this past week, we heard news that Cardinal George Pell’s testimony before the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse would be delayed after his treating cardiologist deemed it unsafe for him to take the long-haul flight back to Australia.

The news prompted the expected reaction from mainstream and social media, with scepticism, scorn and derision being the most popular responses.

There has also been a lot of misinformation being spread, the most serious being that the cardinal sought to delay the giving of his evidence.

This is, of course, untrue.

Allan Myers QC, the lawyer appearing for Cardinal Pell, asked that the cardinal be permitted to provide his evidence via video link. Mr Myers noted that video evidence is used all the time in hearings, particularly for witnesses who would otherwise have to travel a long distance. Indeed, two witnesses appeared via video link before this same hearing in the same week in which the application was made on behalf of Cardinal Pell.

And Gerald Ridsdale, the perpetrator of many of the crimes being looked at in the Ballarat hearings, gave evidence over a number of days via video link in May.

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 Worthy Adversary

Posted by Joelle Casteix on December 17, 2015

The Carrot: Money

Last week, the US Senate proposed a bill that would give states money if they enacted legislation that extended or eliminated unexpired statutes of limitation for child sexual abuse. (In other words, if your time is up, it’s up. But if not, you could have your statute extended or eliminated.)

The bill’s language does not differentiate between civil and criminal laws. According to the bill: There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this title $40,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2016 through 2025. Is that enough to get states on board? We will have to see.

Read the full text here.

The Stick:

Going to the Voters After CA Governor Jerry Brown vetoed TWO bills that would have extended crime victims’ rights and exposed child predators, one man is taking the issue straight to the voters.

In California, a sex abuse victim (who rose to fame after being acquitted of beating up his priest perpetrator) has received the CA Secretary of State’s approval to gather signatures for a ballot initiative that would eliminate California’s civil and criminal statutes of limitations (going forward) for child sexual abuse:

From the Mercury News:

The initiative written by the 48-year-old San Francisco man would wipe out the legal deadline barring prosecutors from filing criminal charges against child molesters and victims from suing them after a certain period of time. It would apply only to children molested after its adoption, not to Lynch and others like 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.

TEXAS
Port Arthur News

By Mary Meaux

A Port Arthur priest is under investigation by the Port Arthur Police Department and Child Protective Services following an allegation at St. Catherine Catholic School.

Bishop Curtis Guillory of the Diocese of Beaumont issued a statement regarding the allegations.

“The Diocese of Beaumont is committed to fostering a safe, comfortable and positive environment for all whom we serve. We are deeply concerned to learn that a little more than a week ago Child Protective Services and the Port Arthur Police initiated an investigation into an allegation at St. Catherine School in Port Arthur, TX,” according to the statement. “The allegation is against Fr. David Placette, pastor of St. Catherine Church. Keeping in mind the interests of all involved, and in accord with the norms of the U.S. Bishops’ “Charter for the Protection of Young People,” I have placed Fr. Placette on administrative leave from all priestly ministry, pending both civil and ecclesiastical investigations into the matter. Because the matter is now under investigation, I am unable to provide additional information at this time.”

Shari Pulliam, media specialist with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, said school investigations are confidential. In cases like this at the conclusion of the investigation Child Protective services will send their findings to the school and Texas Education Agency.

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

TEXAS
12 News Now

New information today behind the investigation into an allegation made against a Port Arthur priest with the Port Arthur Police Department and the Texas Department of Family Protective services.

Father David Placette, who is the pastor of St. Catherine Church, is being investigated following an allegation made against him. There is no word on the nature or severity of the allegation.

The Diocese of Beaumont will be conducting its own investigation into allegations made against Father David Placette, pastor of St. Catherine Church in Port Arthur, and 12News has learned the names of the members of Diocesan Review Board that will be conducting that end of the investigation. The Board will work in conjunction with the Port Arthur police and the 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.

SCOTLAND
Herald Scotland

A former Catholic monk faces extradition from Australia amid claims of abuse at a Highland school.

Former students of the Fort Augustus Abbey boarding school in Inverness-shire, which closed in 1993, allege they were molested and beaten by staff over a number of decades.

A BBC investigation in 2013 identified Denis Alexander, now resident in Australia, as one of the accused.

A police investigation was launched and prosecutors said today that charges will be brought against him.

A Crown Office spokesman said: “Crown Counsel have instructed proceedings against Denis Alexander.

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
National Catholic Reporter

Peter Feuerherd | Dec. 17, 2015

Accusations of theft. A lifestyle of the rich and famous on a salary of about $30,000 per year. A man-man-woman triangle.

If there is a formula for a New York tabloid story, the case of Fr. Peter Miqueli, accused of embezzling more than a million dollars from two parishes, is exhibit A.

A lawsuit brought by some of Miqueli’s parishioners — he subsequently resigned his Bronx pastorate last week — charges him with theft from weekly collections and a church thrift shop, all to allegedly finance a prescription drug habit and to support Keith Crist, a bodybuilder friend, with a cash purchase of a $264,000 house in New Jersey and the rent on a Manhattan apartment, among other items.

Tatyana Gudin, a woman identified as Crist’s former girlfriend, has offered explicit details into the priest’s relationships which have become fodder for the city’s tabloids, including this story in the New York Post.

Both Miqueli and Crist have been unavailable for comment while Gudin has provided media outlets with a steady flow of information about the alleged sexual and financial improprieties. Miqueli, in his resignation letter to the parish, denied the charges and said he was cooperating in an archdiocesan investigation into the alleged embezzlement.

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
Catholic News Agency

By Adelaide Mena

New York City, N.Y., Dec 17, 2015 / 06:56 am (CNA).- The Archdiocese of New York says that it takes seriously accusations in a recent lawsuit claiming that a New York priest embezzled money and maintained scandalous personal habits, while also saying that a diocesan investigation has found nothing to substantiate the allegations.

“The Archdiocese has been investigating these allegations for many months, and has repeatedly requested any information or documentation that might substantiate the allegations that have been made,” Joseph Zwilling, communications director for the Archdiocese of New York, told CNA in a statement.

“Thus far, no evidence has been offered, and our forensic audit has thus far failed to uncover evidence of embezzlement,” he said. “We have been in touch with the District Attorney since the summer, and have promised to turn over anything that might be criminal in nature. We urge anyone with such evidence to do the same.”

The suit alleges that the Fr. Peter Miqueli, former pastor of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Church on Roosevelt Island and St. Frances De Chantal Church in the Bronx, was engaged in a “million dollar embezzlement scheme,” taking funds from his former parishes’ collections over the course of a decade.

In addition, the suit alleges, Fr. Miqueli “used the donations to grow his personal wealth, purchase a house in New Jersey, take dozens of international vacations, purchase and use illegal drugs,” and pay for the sexual services of a male escort.

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
Catholic Culture

December 17, 2015

The Archdiocese of New York has denied receiving evidence to support charges that a pastor has stolen parish funds to pay for a drug-fueled homosexual relationship.

“The archdiocese has been investigating these allegations for many months, and has repeatedly requested any information or documentation that might substantiate the allegations that have been made,” said archdiocesan spokesman Joseph Zwilling. “Thus far, no evidence has been offered.” He added that an audit by the archdiocese did not find evidence of embezzlement.

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.

KENTUCKY
WHAS

MEADE CO., Ky. (WHAS11) — An area Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing children goes before a judge.

Father Joseph Hemmerle appeared before a Meade County judge Thursday morning, Dec. 17, during a pretrial conference.

Hemmerle’s defense asked the judge to consider splitting the case in two so the priest could be tried separately over the allegations that date back to the ‘70s.

The prosecution argued that a single indictment was brought against Hemmerle because the victims’ complaints were similar in nature; all of them alleged the priest preyed on young boys.

The judge scheduled a final pretrial conference for 9 a.m. Jan. 7.

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.

DEUTSCHLAND
Wir Sind Kirche

[Reaktionen zur ARD/WDR-Dokumentation “Richter Gottes” bezüglich des Hildesheimer Priesters Peter R.]

[The Catholic lay organization We Are Church is questioning Bishop Trelle of the Hildesheim diocese on the way he handled the issue regarding abuse allegations against priest Peter R.]

Sehr geehrter Herr Bischof Trelle, sehr geehrter Herr Weihbischof Bongartz, es ist anzuerkennen, dass das Bistum Hildesheim ein Präventionssystem installiert hat und am Aschermittwoch dieses Jahres (18. Februar 2015) auch ein öffentliches Schuldbekenntnis, insbesondere zu den Verfehlungen der Verantwortlichen abgelegt hat 1. Auch anlässlich der Vorwürfe gegenüber dem verstorbenen Bischof Heinrich Maria Janssen Anfang November 2015 zeigte sich die Bistumsleitung zuhörbereit.

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 Scotland

By Mark Daly
BBC Scotland Investigations Correspondent

A former Catholic monk who taught at the Fort Augustus Abbey school is set to be extradited from Australia to face charges of child sex abuse.

The move to bring Fr Denis Chrysostom Alexander back to face trial in Scotland follows criticism by his alleged victims that the Crown was dragging its heels over the case.

It comes after a two-and-a-half-year inquiry, sparked by a BBC Scotland investigation.

Fr Chrysostom denies the allegations.

Run by Catholic Benedictine monks, Fort Augustus Abbey school in the Highlands closed its doors to the public in 1993.

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.

ARIZONA
Catholic Sun

Christ brings beauty out of brokenness. Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted emphasized this during a Mass he celebrated for survivors of abuse and their families Dec. 1.

“As followers of Christ, we know that only in Him is it possible to find true peace,” Bishop Olmsted said. “Only Christ can mend broken hearts. Only Christ can renew hope. In this Mass we ask the Lord to heal all those who are suffering from abuse in the Church.”

The Mass of Healing and Reconciliation was held at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Phoenix. Throughout the liturgy, Bishop Olmsted pointed out that those who have suffered occupy a special place in the Heart of Christ.

“Jesus found that those who listened and received the Good News were the poor, the persons without guile, those who knew that they needed healing and mercy, and often those who had been mistreated and overlooked in society.”

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

IRELAND
Irish Independent

Declan Brennan
PUBLISHED
17/12/2015

Former priest and serial child abuser Tony Walsh will serve a maximum of two years for the sexual assault of a child in the early 1970s, a court has heard.

Walsh was a seminarian at the time of the offence, which is the earliest recorded case of child abuse by him. He went on to become known as the “Singing Priest” for his role in a traveling all-priest group before he was defrocked.

Walsh (61), formerly of North Circular Road, Dublin was convicted after a trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court of the indecent assault of a female at St Lukes, Kilbarron Park, Kilmore, Dublin on a unknown date between April 17, 1973 and September 9, 1976.

He had pleaded not guilty to the offence. The victim was aged between seven and ten at the time when Walsh locked her into a room and forced himself on her.

Walsh is currently serving a 16-year sentence imposed on him in 2010 for the rape and abuse of three schoolboys. His release date is in October 2020.

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.

DEUTSCHLAND
netzwerkB

netzwerkB Pressemitteilung vom 17.12.2015

Bischof Trelle vom Bistum Hildesheim soll „Missbrauchs-Vorwurf“ vertuscht haben, laut SPIEGEL ONLINE 15.12.2015.

Von komplettem „Versagen“ und „Rücktritt“ ist die Rede.

In Deutschland gibt es bei Straftaten gegen die sexuelle Selbstbestimmung keine Melde- und Anzeigepflicht. Insofern hätte Bischof Trelle, wenn er angeblich einen „Missbrauchs-Vorwurf“ vertuscht haben soll, nicht gegen die gesetzliche Norm unseres Staates verstoßen. „Vertuschen“ ist in Deutschland durch die aktuelle Gesetzeslage legal.

netzwerkB fordert schon seit 2010 eine Anzeige- und Meldepflicht bei Straftaten gegen die sexuelle Selbstbestimmung – Bischof Trelle könnte so gesetzlich zur Verantwortung gezogen werden, wenn der Vorwurf der Vertuschung ihm nachgewiesen würde.

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

TEXAS
Beaumont Enterprise

By Dan Wallach Published Thursday, December 17, 2015

The Diocese of Beaumont has placed a Port Arthur parish pastor on leave pending a civil and church investigation into possible physical abuse, the diocese has confirmed.

A website, www.bishop-accountability.org/abusetracker, posted information about the suspension of Father David Placette, pastor of St. Catherine’s Parish in Port Arthur.

In a statement attributed to KBMT, Bishop Curtis Guillory is quoted as saying, “I have placed Father Placette on administrative leave from all priestly ministry, pending both civil and ecclesiastical investigations into this matter. Because the matter is now under investigation, I am unable to provide additional information. at this time.”

Barbara Dorris, outreach director of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, based in St. Louis, said even though Catholic bishops had promised transparency in connection with priest abuse, the manner in which Placette’s case is handled is opaque.

“We don’t know why he was removed. This is not open and transparent. When did the diocese learn? When did the the police learn?” Dorris 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.

TEXAS
Fox 4

Updated: Thursday, December 17 2015

PORT ARTHUR — The Diocese of Beaumont has issued a statement saying investigations have been opened after an allegation was lodged against Fr. David Placette, Pastor of St. Catherine Church in Port Arthur.

Bishop Curtis J. Guillory issued the following statement to KFDM 6 News relating to an allegation made against at Fr. Placette:

The Diocese of Beaumont is committed to fostering safe comfortable, and positive environment for all whom we serve. We are deeply concerned to learn that a little more than a week ago Child Protective Services and the Port Arthur Police initiated an investigation into an allegation at St. Catherine School in Port Arthur, TX.

The allegation is against Fr. David Placette, Pastor of St. Catherine Church. Keeping in mind the interests of all involved, and in accord with the norms of the U.S. Bishops’ “CHARTER for the Protection of Children and Young People,” I have placed Fr. Placette on administrative leave from all priestly ministry, pending both civil and ecclesiastical investigations into this matter.

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

TEXAS
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release Thursday December 17

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

We are grateful that civil authorities are handling the investigation of Port Arthur cleric Fr. David Placette. But now is not the time for complacency. It’s time for every single person who may have seen, suspected or suffered crimes or misdeeds by Placette – or cover ups by church officials – to come forward, get help, call police, expose wrongdoers and protect kids.

[12 News Now]

We are glad he has been removed, but urge Catholic officials to be open and transparent about what they know and when they knew it.

We hope anyone who saw, suspects or suffered child sex crimes will find the courage to speak up, report to law enforcement, and start healing.

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 Jewish News

FORMER Yeshivah principal Rabbi Avrohom Glick described a function at the school last week where he shared the stage with child sexual abuse victims as a “significant step”.

Rabbi Glick, who was principal when more than a dozen students were abused by paedophiles, acknowledged and apologised for the mistakes and the failings of the past.

“I realise and I regret that in the past the true impact of child abuse, and the pain and suffering that abuse caused to victims and their families were not fully understood,” Rabbi Glick said.

“I am sincerely sorry and I apologise for that pain and suffering.”

He commended advocates for victims who have shed light on the issues of child sexual abuse and the victims for their courage to speak openly.

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

TEXAS
12 News Now

PORT ARTHUR –
Father David Placette, who’s the pastor of St. Catherine Church, is being investigated by Port Arthur police and Child Protective Services, following an allegation made against him.

The Diocese of Beaumont confirmed this in a statement.

In the statement, Bishop Curtis Guillory says, “I have placed Father Placette on administrative leave from all priestly ministry, pending both civil and ecclesiastical investigations into this matter. Because the matter is now under investigation, I am unable to provide additional information. at 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.

NEW YORK
Church Militant

Cardinal Dolan is coming under increasing scrutiny for his failing to act over the course of nearly two years in the case of the homosexual priest embezzling up to a million dollars to fund his sadomasochistic sex fantasy with a live-in boyfriend. ChurchMilitant.com has obtained various letters and documents sent more than a year ago by parishioners here at St. Frances de Chantel parish in the Bronx to the cardinal and his staff alerting them to huge financial problems at the parish.

Included with the letters are financial statements from Fr. Peter Miqueli’s personal investment accounts showing account totals of almost $700,000. They were ignored. And that’s curious.

Amid a flurry of charges over a long period of time that Fr. Miqueli was stealing enormous amounts from the parish, why wouldn’t Cdl. Dolan simply call Fr. Miqueli into his office and ask for an explanation? It was certainly within his authority to ask for an accounting from Fr. Miqueli. But it never happened.

Around this same time, according to the lawsuit, Fr. Miqueli also purchased a house in cash for more than a quarter million dollars. Yet amidst all these allegations and, at the very least, unusual financial dealings for a priest, the cardinal never once approached Fr. Miqueli and asked him about any of this.

Another red flag ignored included in the package sent to the cardinal and his staff was a photocopy of a check that Fr. Miqueli wrote to himself against the parish Mass Stipend account for $14,000 — something he’s not allowed to do, in addition to the gigantic sum of money involved. Yet no one ever questioned Fr. Miqueli — most of all, Cdl. Dolan.

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.

ALABAMA
WDAM

[with video]

By Kaitlin Chappell

HUNTSVILLE, AL (WAFF) –
Huntsville police have charged a youth minister with 30-year-old Cristopher Alfaro with transmitting obscene material to a child.

They said 30-year-old Cristopher Alfaro allegedly used his position to help commit these crimes.

Representatives with Covenant Presbyterian Church said Alfaro was formerly the Director of Youth Ministry and was removed from the position some time ago.

Investigators said someone from the church reported Alfaro to police, prompting an investigation on Nov. 10.

Alfaro turned himself in to police Tuesday morning.

If your child or a child you know has been a victim of exploitation, you are encouraged to contact Huntsville police at 256-722-7100.

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.

ALABAMA
News Courier

Huntsville police on Wednesday arrested a 30-year-old youth minister on two counts of transmitting obscene material to a child, said Lt. Stacey Bates, public information officer for Huntsville Police Department.

Cristopher Bernal Alfaro of Huntsville is accused of using his position as a local youth minister to commit the crimes, Bates said in a press release.

Anyone who believes his or her child, or any other child, has been a victim of exploitation is asked to call the Police Department at 256-722-7100.

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.

ALABAMA
AL.com

By Crystal Bonvillian | cbonvillian@al.com
on December 16, 2015

Cristopher Bernal Alfaro, 30, is charged with two counts of transmitting obscene material to a child. Lt. Stacy Bates, a Huntsville police spokesman, said Alfaro used his position to commit the alleged crimes.

The name of the church Alfaro is affiliated with was not immediately available, and no additional information was released Wednesday. The investigation into Alfaro’s actions is ongoing.

He was released from jail Tuesday on $25,000 bond for each charge.

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
Daily Liberal

By ANNETTE BLACKWELL
Dec. 17, 2015

TWO NSW government departments put 15 Aboriginal women through legal hell rather than acknowledge what was already known – they had been grossly abused at a remote state-funded children’s home at Brewarrina.

A report published on Tuesday by the child abuse royal commission says the Crown Solicitors Office and the Family and Community Services department breached state model litigant policy “in multiple ways” when dealing with civil claims by former residents of the Bethcar Children’s Home.

The home for disadvantaged Aboriginal children was founded in north western NSW in 1969.

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.

KANADA
Spiegel

Der kanadische Premierminister Justin Trudeau verlangt von Papst Franziskus eine Entschuldigung für die jahrzehntelange Misshandlung minderjähriger Ureinwohner in kirchlichen Heimen. Er werde den Papst direkt auffordern, sich in dieser Frage zu positionieren, sagte der Politiker laut Medienberichten am Mittwoch auf einer Pressekonferenz.

In Kanada waren seit 1874 rund 150.000 Kinder von Indianern, Mestizen und Inuit von ihren Familien und ihrer Kultur getrennt und unter Zwang in kirchliche Heime gesteckt worden, um sie so zur Anpassung an die weiße Mehrheitsgesellschaft zu zwingen. Viele von ihnen wurden in den Heimen misshandelt oder sexuell missbraucht. Mindestens 3200 starben, die meisten an Tuberkulose.

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.

KANADA
Watson

[Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he will ask Pope Francis to apologize for abuse in the residential schools.]

Der kanadische Premierminister Justin Trudeau will Papst Franziskus auffordern, sich im Namen der katholischen Kirche bei den Ureinwohnern für die jahrzehntelange Misshandlung von Kindern in kirchlichen Heimen zu entschuldigen.

Er werde den Papst «direkt» auffordern, sich in dieser Frage zu positionieren, sagte Trudeau am Mittwoch auf einer Pressekonferenz. Die kanadische Wahrheits- und Versöhnungskommission hatte am Dienstag ihren Abschlussbericht zur Praxis vorgestellt und empfohlen, dass der Papst sich bei den Ureinwohnern entschuldigen solle.

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.

BRASIL
Globo

O bispo diocesano de São Carlos (SP) Paulo Sérgio Machado, que em setembro foi flagrado dirigindo com sinais de embriaguez, renunciou ao cargo nesta quarta-feira (16) após o papa Francisco confirmar o pedido. A decisão foi publicada no Boletim Diário da Sala de Imprensa do Vaticano. Até a nomeação de um novo bispo, Dom Airton José dos Santos, arcebispo metropolitano de Campinas, assume a diocese como administrador apostólico.

Dom Paulo completou 70 anos no último dia 22 de novembro e depois de 26 anos como bispo, dentre os quais nove em São Carlos, pediu ao papa, como presente de aniversário, ser bispo emérito. Os motivos da sua renúncia são expressos em uma carta que ele mesmo escreveu ao santo Padre. “Já me sinto cansado. Tem muita gente boa por aí para me substituir. Não quero servir de peso a ninguém”, expressou.

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
ANSA

(ANSA) – Vatican City, December 16 – Pope Francis on Wednesday accepted the resignation of Brazilian bishop Paulo Sergio Machado as head of the diocese of the city of Sao Carlos.

The 70-year-old monsignor was stopped in September, when Brazilian police observed him zig-zagging through a Sao Carlos intersection, almost colliding with another vehicle and almost running over a pedestrian.

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

VATICAN CITY
Vatican Information Service

Vatican City, 16 December 2015 (VIS) – The Holy Father has:

– accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Sao Carlos, Brazil, presented by Bishop Paulo Sergio Machado, in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.

– appointed Msgr. J. Gregory Kelly as auxiliary of Dallas (area 19,457, population 3,847,430, Catholics 1,165,582, priests 213, permanent deacons 144, religious 205), United States of America. The bishop-elect was born in LeMars, United States of America, in 1956 and was ordained a priest in 1982. He holds a Master of Divinity from the University of Dallas in Irving, Texas, and has served in a number of pastoral roles in the diocese of Dallas, including parish vicar, chaplain at the University of Texas, parish priest, director of priestly vocations, vicar forane, rector ad interim of the Holy Trinity seminary, and member of the college of consultors, the presbyteral council and the board of directors of the University of Texas. He is currently vicar for the clergy. In 2013 he was named Chaplain of His Holiness.

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.

BRASILIEN
Katholisch

[Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Brazilian Bishop Paulo Sergio Machado who was arrested by police for drunk driving. This was announced by the Vatican on Wednesday.]

Papst Franziskus hat die Abdankung des brasilianischen Bischofs Paulo Sergio Machado akzeptiert, der von der Polizei betrunken am Steuer erwischt worden war. Dies teilte der Vatikan am Mittwoch in Rom mit. Machado machte von der Möglichkeit des Kirchenrechts Gebrauch, dass Bischöfe bei “schlechter Gesundheit oder anderen schwerwiegenden Gründen” um eine Aufgabe ihres Amtes bitten können.

Der Bischof der Diözese São Carlos im Bundesstaat São Paulo soll Mitte September nach einem Fest im Zick-Zack-Kurs unterwegs gewesen sein und fast einen Fußgänger und ein anderes Auto gerammt haben. Die brasilianische Polizei stellte dem Portal “Globo” zufolge starken Alkoholgeruch beim Bischof fest und fand in seinem Wagen eine leere Weinkaraffe und ein Glas. Der 70-Jährige wurde kurzzeitig festgenommen.

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.

MASSACHUSETTS
Wicked Local Waltham

By Bill Whelan
wwhelan@wickedlocal.com

Posted Dec. 16, 2015

WALTHAM
A Waltham native scored a major victory in her fight against child sex abuse laws last week when the Massachusetts Supreme Court reaffirmed a 2014 law extending the statute of limitations for lawsuits filed by victims of child sex abuse.

The ruling is just the latest development in years of legal battles fought by Rosanne Sliney, a Waltham native who lives in Burlington, and her supporters.

“This is a victory for literally thousands of people in Massachusetts,” said Sliney’s lawyer Carmen Durso, who has been fighting to change the statute of limitation laws since 2003.

With the help of her lawyers and the non-profit organization Massachusetts Citizens for Children, Sliney helped convince the state legislature to amend the child sex abuse statute of limitations in 2014. Previously, a civil lawsuit had to be filed within three years of the victim’s 18th birthday, or three years since the abuse could have reasonably been discovered. The amendment changed the law to 35 years after the victim’s 18th birthday or seven years after the abuse was discovered, instead of three.

Sliney filed a lawsuit in 2012 that alleges she was sexually abused hundreds of times by her uncle, Domenic Previte Jr., as a child, starting when she was 5 years old in 1968 and until she was 14 years old. The abuse allegedly went on at Previte’s home in Waltham and at businesses he owned in surrounding towns.

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.

MASSACHUSETTS
Boston Globe

By Rachel Riley GLOBE CORRESPONDENT DECEMBER 17, 2015

A married pair of pastors at a Lowell church have been convicted in connection with the rape and assault of a child, the office of Middlesex District Attorney Marian T. Ryan said Wednesday.

Oscar Sanchez, 35, was found guilty Tuesday in Lowell Superior Court of charges including child rape, indecent assault and battery, and reckless endangerment of a child, prosecutors said. His wife, 42-year-old Luisa Osorio-Sanchez, was also found guilty of assault and battery and reckless endangerment of a child.

The victim lived with Sanchez and Osorio-Sanchez at their house in Lowell, Ryan’s office said.

Sanchez sexually assaulted the victim for over ten years, beginning in 2003, under the pretense that he was praying with her in her room, Ryan’s office said. His wife, who knew of the sexual abuse, physically attacked the victim, according to prosecutors.

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.

MASSACHUSETTS
Lowell Sun

By Lisa Redmond, lredmond@lowellsun.com
UPDATED: 12/17/2015

LOWELL — Oscar Sanchez, the pastor of a small local church, was convicted of repeatedly molesting and raping a girl for years while his wife and co-pastor, Luisa Osario-Sanchez, was found guilty of abusing the child and allowing the sexual assaults to continue.

After a four-day trial in Lowell Superior Court, a jury found Sanchez, 35, of Lowell, guilty of: aggravated child rape (four counts), rape of a child by force (four counts), rape (two counts), and one count each of indecent assault and battery on a person under 14, indecent assault and battery on a person over 14, and reckless endangerment of a child, according to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office.

The jury found him not guilty of one count of rape.

Osario-Sanchez, 43, of Lowell, was convicted of assault and battery and reckless endangerment of a child. She was cleared of assault with intent to murder.

Sentencing of the couple is scheduled for Jan. 15.

During the trial, the victim, now 19, testified that the sexual abuse began when she was 6. She testified that Oscar Sanchez would come to her bed at night and molest her under the guise of praying with her. The victim lived with the couple.

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

UNITED KINGDOM
BBC News

A former chaplain and an ex-principal of a Roman Catholic care home have been found guilty of abusing boys.

Anthony McCallen, 65, was chaplain at the now defunct St William’s Children’s Home in East Yorkshire, where James Carragher, 75, was head.

The pair denied a total of 87 sex offences against children at the home between the 1970s and the 1990s.

Leeds Crown Court heard Carragher, a convicted sex offender from Merseyside, took boys naked swimming late at night.

The jury heard they both preyed on boys aged between 10 and 16 years old.

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
ITV

Two former members of staff at an East Yorkshire approved school have been found guilty of 35 counts of sexual abuse of boys over two decades.

James Carragher, 75, the former principal of the now defunct St William’s Children’s Home in Market Weighton, was found guilty of 24 charges of sexual abuse by a jury at Leeds Crown Court. It is the third time he has been convicted of abusing boys in his care.

Carragher is a former member of the De La Salle Brotherhood. The group released the following statement.

“We totally condemn, without reservation, any action or behaviour which harms young people. The behaviour of James Carragher was a deep betrayal of the Order’s mission to the young and of the trust that was placed in him as a De La Salle Brother. He was dismissed from the Order following previous conviction.

Likewise, we condemn the behaviour of Anthony McCallen when he was Chaplain at St William’s. He used his status as a priest to commit serious offences which was a total betrayal of his priesthood and of the trust placed in him as Chaplain.

We deeply regret what happened at St William’s and the harm that was done there through the behaviour of both Carragher and McCallen. Our hearts go out to all victims of abuse and their families.

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

AUSTRALIA
The Courier

By All stories by Melissa Cunningham
Dec. 17, 2015, 1:30 p.m.

DAY ONE

Mulkearns in palliative care, will not give evidence

In her opening address on Monday, counsel assisting the royal commission Gail Furness said Bishop Ronald Mulkearns remained subject to a summons to appear before the commission, but is receiving palliative care and is unfit to give evidence. Read more.

Victim and nephew to convicted paedophile takes to the stand

Lawyers for Cardinal George Pell have suggested clergy sex abuse victim David Ridsdale misunderstood a conversation between him and the senior Vatican official in which he claims Cardinal Pell attempted to bribe him. Read more.

Fresh allegations about Pell emerge

Allegations against Australia’s most senior clergy at the Vatican continue to mount, with new claims emerging he told another parish priest disgraced paedophile Gerald Ridsdale was having sex with boys again. Read more.

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

AUSTRALIA
The Courier

By Matthew Dixon
Dec. 17, 2015

Clergy sex abuse survivors have every right to be concerned and angry about Cardinal George Pell’s lack of an appearance at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

Very few people were actually surprised.

This community, like so many others, has grown very used to the church failing to address what occurred so many years ago.

While the instances may have occurred some time ago, the pain and agony it has inflicted on so many is still being felt and it, now if not more than ever, must be addressed. This community as a whole has faced up to the terrible history inflicted on the region by the way the Catholic church has handled the matter.

It is something this community should be very proud of. It has stood by the survivors, and shown support for action. Even more so when you consider how the Catholic church have approached the matter.

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
Yorkshire Post

A FORMER head of a children’s home in East Yorkshire is facing jail for a third time after he was found guilty of a string of historical child abuse offences.

James Carragher, 75, was found guilty of 21 counts of indecent assault and three serious sexual assaults at Leeds Crown Court on Tuesday, Humberside Police said.

A jury at Leeds Crown Court was told that Carragher was jailed for seven years in 1993 and a further 14 years in 2004 for offences he committed at St William’s – an approved school for boys with behavioural problems in Market Weighton, East Yorkshire.

Carragher was on trial with a former chaplain at St William’s, Anthony McCallen, 69.

McCallen was found guilty of 10 counts of indecent assault and another serious sexual assault, by a jury which had been deliberating for more than a week.

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.

ITALY
The Guardian (UK)

Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Rome
Tuesday 15 December 2015

Pope Francis has always said Christians should seek out “encounters”, meetings that expand one’s understanding of the other and increase the capacity for love.

But there is one encounter the pope has steadfastly avoided since his election in 2013. Angelo Scola of Milan, the powerful and conservative Italian cardinal many thought would be pope before the surprise choice of the Argentinian Jesuit known as Father Bergoglio, received word of the latest apparent snub last week.

A bulletin released by the Vatican press office announced that the archbishop of Milan had regrettably been informed by Francis’s number two, the secretary of state Pietro Parolin, that Francis’s planned trip to Milan in May was off because the pope had too many commitments in Rome. Last year, Francis fell ill shortly before two planned meetings with Scola.

The highly anticipated visit to the fashion and finance capital of Italy, which happens to be the most important archdiocese in Italy, if not Europe, would happen in 2017 instead, the Vatican said. …

“The pope does not like the idea of the church being in bed with politicians or politics. The Italian hierarchy is very … political and tied in to business and politics. Scola represents that kind of church,” said Robert Mickens, a longtime Vatican journalist and editor-in-chief of Global Pulse magazine.

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.

AUSTRALIEN
Kathpress

[Cardinal George Pell has cancelled his appointment to appear before the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.]

Canberra, 11.12.2015 (KAP/KNA) Der australische Kardinal George Pell hat einen Termin bei der staatlichen Missbrauchskommission abgesagt. Ursprünglich sollte sich Pell am Mittwoch als Zeuge vor dem Ausschuss in Melbourne äußern. Die Anwälte des Kurienkardinals machten gesundheitliche Gründe für die Absage geltend, wie es in einer am Freitag veröffentlichten Mitteilung der Untersuchungskommission hieß.

Ein Angebot von Pells Anwälten, ihn per Video aus Rom zu der Verhandlung zuzuschalten, lehnte der Ausschussvorsitzende Peter McClellan demnach ab. Pell habe sich ausdrücklich bereiterklärt, persönlich vor der Kommission auszusagen, erklärte Richter McClellan. Die zu klärenden Sachverhalte seien zudem zu “komplex”.

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

CANADA
VICE News

By Justin Ling

December 16, 2015

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expecting to have a tete-a-tete with the head of the Catholic Church in order to ask for his Holiness to apologize for the century of abuse inflicted on Canada’s indigenous people in the church-run residential schools.

Trudeau made the promise to ask for Pope Francis’ mea culpa on Wednesday, after a meeting designed to start the process towards reconciliation between Ottawa and the generations of Aboriginal people who were taken from their homes and forced into a residential school system rife with abuse.

The start of the “new era” of Canada’s relationship with the territory’s Aboriginal peoples comes after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its final report on Tuesday. Amongst its 4,000 pages of testimony and historical accounts were 94 calls to action, drawing a roadmap for how Canada could repair its fractured relationship with its indigenous peoples.

Those recommendations were sketched out in an interim report, published last June. The report called on the government to do everything from re-invest in Aboriginal media to bridge the health gap between aboriginal and non-aboriginal Canadians.

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

TEXAS
WFAA

Monica Hernandez, WFAA December 16, 2015

DALLAS – Pope Francis made an exciting announcement for Dallas Catholics Wednesday morning.

The Vatican announced that long-time Dallas Priest Monsignor John Gregory Kelly has been named a bishop, and will serve as one of two auxiliary, or assistant, bishops in the Dallas Diocese.

Bishop Kevin Farrell held a news conference Wednesday morning at the Dallas Diocese to celebrate the announcement, calling it “an early Christmas gift.”

It’s clear that Kelly is already well-loved in Dallas. The news conference was packed with people who have worked with him in his 34 years serving as a priest for the Dallas Diocese.

Kelly, 59, began his remarks Wednesday morning with a sense of humor, joking that he got a call from Washington last week, and should have known not to answer.

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
7 News

AAP

A Catholic bishop showed no compassion for victims of a pedophile priest, an inquiry has heard.

Retired school teacher Ann Ryan said she tried to get former Ballarat bishop Ronald Mulkearns to help families still hurting from the abuse inflicted by Gerald Francis Ridsdale in the Victorian town of Mortlake in 1981 and 1982.

Ms Ryan told the child abuse royal commission a local woman told her in 1989 her son had been badly sexually abused by Ridsdale.

Ms Ryan, who taught at Mortlake’s St Colman’s Parish School, said she contacted Bishop Mulkearns a number of times and was angered by his responses.

“I thought he showed no compassion, empathy or intent to do something to help the victims and their families,” she told the commission.

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
Advocate

BY DAWN ENNIS
DECEMBER 16 2015

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois is asking Pope Francis to rein-in an antigay Cardinal who has targeted the out U.S. ambassador to the Dominican Republic.

Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez went so far recently as to denounce Ambassador Wally Brewster to reporters, using a slur and saying he should “focus on housework, since he’s the wife to a man,” rather than get involved in his country’s politics.

According to Durbin’s letter to Pope Francis, the Cardinal has even organized church-sponsored public protests against Brewster, who hails from Illinois and whom Durbin calls a personal friend.

The Illinois Democrat makes it clear in his letter that Brewster is legally married according to the laws of the United States.

Durbin, who is Roman Catholic, also wrote that he accepts the challenge the Pope made in his historic address to a joint session of Congress, to “defend and preserve the dignity” of all people, and appealed to Francis to step in, despite church policy against marriage equality.

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

CANADA
CBC News

By Susana Mas, CBC News

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he will seek a formal apology from Pope Francis for the Roman Catholic Church’s role in residential schools, a day after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission made public its final report into the legacy of the schools.

The commission has called upon the Pope to apologize to residential school survivors and their families for the Catholic Church’s role “in the spiritual, cultural, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children in Catholic-run residential schools.”

Trudeau met with the leaders of five national aboriginal organizations in Ottawa on Wednesday to discuss the findings of the commission.

Asked if he would urge the Pope to apologize, Trudeau said “different churches, including the Catholic Church, are very much engaged with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and I am certainly intending to work with the Catholic Church, including with the Holy See, to move forward with implementing that recommendation — to ask him directly to engage with this issue, yes.”

Trudeau said while he could not guarantee the Pope would issue an apology, he was prepared to have that conversation with him, given the opportunity.

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

CANADA
CTV

The Canadian Press
Published Wednesday, December 16, 2015

OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confesses he can’t compel an apology from the Pope for the role of the Catholic Church in Canada’s residential school system.

But Trudeau says he looks forward to raising the matter with the pontiff.

Trudeau met for more than two hours this morning with leaders from five indigenous organizations, capping a week that saw the Truth and Reconciliation Commission deliver its final report on the legacy of residential schools.

The commission made 94 “calls to action” towards reconciliation in a preliminary report last June — including an apology from the Pope — and the Liberals pledged to implement the entire report.
About 60 per cent of Canada’s residential schools were run by the Catholic Church between the 1840s and 1996, when the last school closed.

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.

DEUTSCHLAND
NDR

[Problems are mounting for the Hildesheim diocese. The Berlin public prosecutor’s office has requested a transcript made of a conversation with an alleged abuse victim. The conversation was of a 14-year-old talking about clear overtures of abuse from a clergyman. The prosecutor is now resuming its investigation against the priest. This priest was considered one of the major abusers at Carisius College in Berlin. The allegations at Canisius was time-barred but the Hildesheim case in much newer and apparently is not time-barred.]

Das Bistum Hildesheim gerät nach Bekanntwerden eines Missbrauchsfalls aus dem Jahr 2010 immer stärker unter Druck. Die Staatsanwaltschaft Berlin hat nun eine Mitschrift des Bistums Hildesheim angefordert, die Kirchenvertreter über ein Gespräch mit einem mutmaßlichen Missbrauchs-Opfer angefertigt hatten. Darin spricht eine damals 14-Jährige über deutliche Annäherungsversuche eines Geistlichen. Die Staatsanwaltschaft prüft nun, ob sie ihre Ermittlungen gegen den Priester wieder aufnimmt, der auch als einer der Haupttäter im Missbrauchs-Skandal am Berliner Canisius-Kolleg gilt – seine dortigen Taten sind allerdings inzwischen verjährt. Im Fall der heute 20-jährigen Frau hatte die Staatsanwaltschaft ihre ersten Ermittlungen 2011 gegen Zahlung einer Geldauflage eingestellt.

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

CALIFORNIA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests

For immediate release: Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015

Statement by Joelle Casteix of California, SNAP Southern California director (949-322-7434, jcasteix@gmail.com)

A statewide petition drive to make California kids safer by repealing archaic, predatory-friendly laws will soon start. We applaud this move and the brave survivor who’s responsible for it.

[Mercury News]

Will Lynch, who was sexually violated as a child by a Jesuit priest, has begun a ballot initiative to repeal the arbitrary criminal and civil statutes of limitations on child sex crimes, the time limits that prevent most child victims from exposing their perpetrators in court and prevent most prosecutors from pursuing those molesters.

We in SNAP believe there should be no statute of limitations on these heinous, life-altering crimes. These statutes give those who commit or conceal child sexual abuse the incentive to intimidate victims, discredit witnesses, threaten whistleblowers, destroy evidence, stonewall police, and deceive prosecutors, so that the deadline to charge or sue the wrongdoers passes. It’s astonishingly irresponsible and callous to let this reckless injustice continue.

Many states have relaxed, reformed or revoked these dreadful statutes. A handful have gone further and adopted temporary repeals or “windows” that enable any child sex abuse victim to use the civil courts to take action against and warn the public about child molesters. http://sol-reform.com/

We hope millions of California citizens sign these petitions and vote for this sorely-needed measure. We also challenge California Catholic officials to put their muscle behind this effort. Bishops talk the abuse prevention talk. They rarely walk the abuse prevention walk, however. In fact, they often oppose secular legal reforms that would protect kids. So we urge them to honor their repeated pledges to put the safety of children first by throwing their political weight and vast resources behind this struggle.

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

TEXAS
Road to Recovery

Pedophile priest sexually abuses in approximately 1960 while assigned to the Archdiocese of Boston, MA, and then after being transferred to the Archdiocese of San Antonio, TX, sexually abuses again

The late Fr. Joseph Angeli was a San Antonio Archdiocesan priest who sexually abused at least one minor female in approximately 1962 when Fr. Joseph Angeli was assigned to St. John the Evangelist Parish in Hondo, TX, and this was after he sexually abused two minor females while assigned to St. Philip’s Parish in Boston, MA, in approximately 1960

Fr. Joseph Angeli allegedly sexually abused minor females in Massachusetts and Texas. He was also assigned to Catholic parishes in New Mexico and was transferred between and among at least four Catholic Dioceses in the United States from approximately 1960 until 1980 – Boston, MA; San Antonio, TX; El Paso, TX; and Las Cruces, NM

The Archdiocese of San Antonio should reach out to the female sexual abuse victim of Fr. Joseph Angeli, verify her allegations, and settle her claim so she may heal and receive a degree of closure

What
A press conference and demonstration alerting the media, Catholics of the San Antonio Archdiocese, and the general public that a serial pedophile priest, Fr. Joseph Angeli, sexually abused at least one minor female in approximately 1962 when Fr. Joseph Angeli was assigned to St. John the Evangelist Parish in Hondo, TX. Fr. Joseph Angeli previously sexually abused two minor females in approximately 1960 while assigned to St. Philip’s Parish, Boston, MA

When
Thursday, December 17, 2015 at 11:00 am

Where
On the public sidewalk in front of the headquarters of the Archdiocese of San Antonio, TX,
2718 W. Woodlawn, San Antonio, TX 78228 – 210-734-2620

Who
Robert M. Hoatson, Ph.D., Co-founder and President of Road to Recovery, Inc., a non-profit charity based in Livingston, New Jersey that assists victims of sexual abuse and their families

Why
Fr. Joseph Angeli was an Italian-born priest who was ordained in 1942 and assigned to several Archdioceses and Dioceses in the United States. Allegations of sexual abuse of minor females against Fr. Joseph Angeli have been made as a result of his being assigned to parishes in Boston, MA, and Hondo, TX. Fr. Angeli also served in many parishes in the Diocese of El Paso, TX, and Las Cruces, NM. Two female victims have claimed to have been sexually abused as minors by Fr. Angeli in Boston, MA, in approximately 1960, and another female victim claims to have been sexually abused as a minor in Hondo, TX, in the Archdiocese of San Antonio, TX in approximately 1962 when Fr. Joseph Angeli was assigned to St. John the Evangelist Parish in Hondo, TX. The claims of the two minor female victims of Fr. Joseph Angeli from Boston, MA have been settled financially. The Archdiocese of San Antonio will be called upon to acknowledge the claim made by the female victim from Hondo, TX, verify and settle her claim, and allow her to gain a degree of closure.

Contact
Robert M. Hoatson, Ph.D., Road to Recovery, Inc., 862-368-2800, roberthoatson@gmail.com
Attorney Mitchell Garabedian, Boston, MA – 617-523-6250

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.

ITALY
Malta Today

The venerable master of the clandestine freemasons lodge Propaganda P2, one of Italy’s most sinister organisations believed to be at the heart of a fascist conspiracy, has died

Licio Gelli (born 1919) died on Tuesday, 15 December, at the age of 96 at his house, Villa Wanda, in Arezzo.

La Repubblica dubbed the financier, as the man behind “all of Italy’s darkest mysteries”: in 1981, his P2 lodge was raided by the police, and since then he has been nicknamed ‘the puppetteer’, ‘Belfagor’, and ‘the venerable master’, having played a part in 40 years of scandals against the Italian republic: the Borghese coup, the strategy of tension that rocked Italy in the 1970s, the Sindona bank scandal, the Calvi murder, the Moro assassination, mafia and tangentopoli.

In 2008 he famously declared that Silvio Berlusconi, himself a former member of the P2, was “the only one who could go ahead in politics in Italy” citing him as the man who was putting in action P2’s ‘plan for Italy’s democratic rebirth’ – a clandestine plan to take over the country’s institutions and thwart critical and left-wing opposition.

During the 1930s, Gelli volunteered for the Blackshirts’ expeditionary forces sent by Benito Mussolini in support of Francisco Franco’s rebellion in the Spanish Civil War and subsequently became a liaison officer between the Italian government and Nazi Germany, with contacts including Hermann Göring.

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.

ITALY
The Local

Licio Gelli, a masonic leader implicated in some of the darkest scandals of Italy’s recent political history, has died in Tuscany aged 96.

Gelli was the head of the secretive ‘P2’ lodge – a masonic structure that exerted considerable political power until it was discovered by Italian investigators in 1981.

P2, or Propaganda Due, was an influential secret network that counted politicians, judges, bankers and senior military figures amongst its members.

Its tentacles stretched throughout the upper echelons of the Italian establishment, although an attempt to have its members jailed for political conspiracy and attempting to destabilise the state finally failed in 1994.

It is best known internationally for having been at the heart of a murder mystery involving both the mafia and the Vatican which centered the body of “God’s banker” Roberto Calvi being found hanging beneath London’s Blackfriars bridge in 1982.

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.

ITALY
GlobalPost

Agence France-Presse on Dec 16, 2015

Shadowy masonic figure implicated in Italy’s darkest days dead at 96

Licio Gelli, a masonic grand master implicated in some of the darkest chapters of Italy’s post-war history and one of the worst scandals to rock the Vatican, has died at the age of 96.

Gelli, a fascist sympathiser who was the founder and leader of of the notorious P2 masonic lodge, passed away on Tuesday evening at his villa in Arezzo, Tuscany, his family said, according to local media.

P2, or Propaganda Due, was an influential secret network that counted politicians, judges, bankers and senior military figures amongst its members.

Its tentacles stretched throughout the upper echelons of the Italian establishment, although an attempt to have its members jailed for political conspiracy and attempting to destabilise the state finally failed in 1994.

It is best known internationally for having been at the heart of a murder mystery involving both the mafia and the Vatican which centered the body of “God’s banker” Roberto Calvi being found hanging beneath London’s Blackfriars bridge in 1982.

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

MINNESOTA
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis – Catholic Spirit

Maria Wiering | December 15, 2015

More than 2,000 Catholics participated in one of 10 listening sessions held throughout the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in October and November. Attendees included lay leaders, men and women in consecrated life, priests and deacons, as well as students, seminarians and people who have left formal parish affiliation. They represented at least 80 percent of the archdiocese’s parishes.

The observations and opinions expressed ranged broadly, but over the course of the sessions, several common themes emerged. Attendees were asked to identify the archdiocese’s greatest strengths and challenges, and to share the qualities they would like the next archbishop to possess. …

Greatest challenges

By far, the top challenge identified was restoration of trust between Church leaders and the faithful. Other challenges repeated at each session were the bankruptcy and concern for the archdiocese’s financial stability, the need for healing from clergy sex abuse scandals, and the difficulty of bringing Catholics who have left the Church — especially the young and disenfranchised — back to the community.

Trust. Many perceived a lack of transparency and cited the local Church’s loss of credibility. Some participants said that lack of trust extended to the listening sessions, and they questioned whether their input would be shared or be shared with the aposotolic nuncio ahead of Pope Francis’ appointment of a new archbishop. The presence of a staff member from the nunciature at the last three listening sessions seems to have addressed this doubt for many.

Finances. In January, the archdiocese entered Chapter 11 Reorganization to allow it to address all sexual abuse claims equitably. It continues to work in mediation with victims’ counsel and insurance carriers. To date, legal fees have topped $5 million. Few participants, however, mentioned finances in their written comments.

Healing. Most participants expressed the need for healing from clergy sexual abuse scandals, both for victims and the Church. Several times, healing was tied to transparency and trust. One listening session participant wrote, “Openness and forgiveness need to take place before healing can take place.”

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

UNITED KINGDOM
BBC News

Evidence suggesting senior clergy tried to cover up sex abuse by a disgraced bishop has been uncovered by the BBC.

Two priests raised concerns about Peter Ball but were urged to keep quiet or saw no action taken, it has emerged.

And a couple who worked for now-jailed Ball, former bishop of Lewes and Bishop of Gloucester, said they also tried to raise concerns but were ignored.

Ball’s offending is the subject of an independent review and a national inquiry is looking at Church abuse.

The retired bishop was jailed in October for a string of offences against teenagers and young men.

‘Church did nothing’

Cliff James said he told a priest in 1992 that Ball had abused him.

But he said the priest later received phone calls from three bishops who urged her to make sure he and another alleged victim did not talk to police or 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.